Shane Higgins: Part One.

I wrapped the old shawl tighter around my shoulders, shivering. It was December 1899, and very cold. Snow was falling, and the air was like ice.

I was on a search for my brother. I have never met him, and just found out recently that I actually had one. My mother told me about him seven months ago, before she died. She never told me his name because she was to weak to speak, but she gave me the only picture of him which was taken when he was three. I had been looking for him for seven months!

My stomach growled and I stood up from where I was sitting. I could hear the laughter coming from the whorehouse about 100 feet ahead of me. Maybe I should become a whore. It wasn't the best thought, but I desperatly needed the money. I walked past and was nearly knocked over by a drunk.

"Hel'o miss, I gives a good..." He trailed off and threw up. I made a disgusted face and looked the other way. A small Newsie about the age of five was holding a bundle of newspapers half his size.

He sneezed then coughed then sneezed again. He looked over at me, and held up a paper. A man quickly walked by him, not even giving the poor kid a second look. His face was barely visible in the lamp light. He was short and the light out didn't reach him. I leaned against a lamp post and watched the boy from across the street. He coughed and sneezed a couple more times and then fell to the ground. I jogged over to him and wrapped my shawl around him. His hands were freezing, but his head was burning up.

I slowly picked him off the ground and looked around. I saw a Newsboy's Lodging house and walked over. I opened the door and walked in. There were about ten boys playing cards in the front room.

They all looked up when I walked in and quickly walked over when they saw the little boy in my arms.

A tall boy witha cowboy hat and red bandana took him from me, and took him somewhere behind a counter. The others looked at me, a fairly tall girl with dark brown hair wrapped up in a blue bandana, like the milk maids wore, with brown eyes. I wasn't gorgeuos, but I wasn't ugly either. They stared at me. A fourteen year old, with a really sucky past.

A boy about three inches taller than me came over to me. He was wearing a dark blue hat, his light brown hair was hidden by it, he had beautiful blue eyes and a wiry build.

"Thank's fer bringin' Trolley back." A boy with an eye patch said behind him.

"Yer welcome." I said stifly.

"Where'd youse find 'em?" The boy in front of me asked.

"I was watchin' 'em and he collapsed." The boy nodded.

"'E's been sick."

"Then he shouldn't be sellin papes." The boy looked at me.

"'E's gots ta make 'is money."

"Not when 'is sick, get somebody else ta do it fer 'im." The boy laughed slightly at me, and looked behind him. Then he looked back at me and nodded.

"Alright youse can do it fer 'im" I nodded, excepting the challenge. Maybe it wasn't but it sounded like it to me.

"Me names Kid Blink." The boy with the patch said and emerged to the other boy's side. He spit on his hand and held it out to me. I looked at it for a minute and then shook it, spiting first.

"Shane Higgins, I's lookin' fer me brudder." All the boys turned to look at a small Italian who was smokeing a cigar and still holding five cards. I looked at him, and pulled out the picture.

It looked like the boy in the picture. I looked at him again. The boy with the cowboy hat stood behind him.

"Did youse say youse last name was Higgins?" He asked. I nodded.

"Tis heah is Racetrack Higgins. Maybe 'es ta one youse lookin' fer." I handed 'Racetrack' the picture. He stared at it for a minute and then slowly nodded.

"Tat you, Race?" A boy with dark curly hair asked. Race nodded.

"Yeah, Mush, tats me." He looked me.

"I didn't know I hads a sister." I shrugged. The boy with the cowboy hat slapped Race's shoulder and then walked over to me.

"I's Jack Kelly, or Cowboy." I shook his hand too. Then he went in a tirade of other names. The boys lead me up into the bunk room and gave me a spare bed in the corner. After about thirty minutes Crutchy spoke.

"Hey fellas, I tink she should become a newsie." I made no objection, in fact I just stayed quiet. Blink,Mush, Race, Jack, and Spot agreed, and I start the next morning.I had already been a Newsies for thirty minutes so it made no driiference to object. Spot left ten minutes later and as all the guys were saying goodbye to him I went to see how Trolley was.

He was still asleep when I sat down at his bedside. My shawl was still wrapped around his shoulders. Race walked in shortly after.

"I's goin' ta bed. I'll show youse ta ropes tomarra kay?" He asked. I nodded. He left but then came back.

"Ahh, goodnight, Shane."

"Goodnight." I felt a series of bricks one by one being lifted off my shoulders. I found my brother and had a home. I just hope that Trolley would be okay. He had a fever and that is what took my mother from me the first time. I kissed the small boys' forehead and silently walked up the stairs.

*******

"Shea, get up. Time to get up." Rade said shaking my shoulder. I turned to look at him.

"Hows Trolley?" I asked and pulled a old brush out of a small bag I kept with me, and brushed my hair.

"He's sleepin'." Race said sitting down on the edge of the bed. I put my bandana on over my head and yawned.

"Good mornin' Shane."Blink and Mush smiled as they walked over to me and Race.

"Mornin'" I repeated.

"Race, when we goin' to Brooklyn?" Mush asked, I looked over at him.

"Why we goin' to Brooklyn?" The three boys looked at me and then looked at Race.

"We's gonna have Spot teach youse how to fight." Race said slowly. My eyes grew large. I didn't care for Spot to much.

"I don't need to learn 'ows to fight, trust me, I can." I folded my arms across my chest.

"I sure as hell don't wanna have to go see him either!" The boys looked at each other.

"Youse ta first goil I've eva heard say tat." Blink laughed and handed me some clothes. I looked at them and then at Blink.

"Whadd are these fer?" I asked.

"Fer you to wear. You wear these instead of the skirt. And tuck your hair in this." He threw me a hat.

"Whose are they?" I asked.

"Mine." Blink said and got wrapped up in a conversation with Mush. He was taller than me, and I knew they were gonna be miles to long. I got up off the bed and went to change.

********

I sat on a wooden crate pretending to listen to all of Spot's fighting 'tips'. He was making stupid gestures on how to do this and how to do that, and how to jab, blah blah blah.

"Got ta?" He asked. I looked at him and nodded. Then I looked out at the water.

"Think you could do it?" He asked in a mocking tone when I looked away. I looked back at him with no expresion and nodded slowly.

He smiled and gave Race his cane and slingshot. Race's eyes were large.I gave him a quick smile before Spot turned to look at me. He held up his palms.

"Heah, throw a punch at me hands." I nodded and threw as hard as I could.

"Damn!"Blink and Race said at the same time. Spot's hand cracked loudly when I hit him.

"I think I understood you perfectly, Spot." I said and sat back down.

Race and Blink laughed., Spot shot them a look, and they stopped. He looked at me and I gave him the coldest glare I possessed, he tried to stare me down but then stopped.

"Can we go now?" I asked finally. We had been there for nearly two hours, and I had things to take care of. I didn't need to spend my time in Brooklyn, I didn't have a desire to be there either.

"Leave." Spot said looking out at the East River. Blink, Race, and Mush looked over at him and then back to me. I looked at Spot's back for a minute and silently stood up.

I took a head start from the others and walked off the peir, ignoring the Brooklyn Newsies constant yelling and shouting at me. I was gonna have to get uesd to it any way. I was going to help Trolley get medicine, and needed as much money as possible. I knew exactly how I was gonna do it too. And there was no way in hell I was gonna ask Race or any one else for money. I hated asking people to help me.

The boys ran up to me and we walked silently back to Tibby's.

**********

Race, Blink, and Mush walked over to Jack, and I walked over to Skittery and Dutchy who were sitting a couple booths away from them.

"Hey Jack." Race said and satdown. I was watching them every now in then. I knew they were talking about me because I wasn't that far out of hearing range.

"HeyRace, what's ta matta?" Jack asked.

"I don't tink tat Shane and Spot like each udda to much." Race said looking over his shoulder at me. I quickly looked away.

"Yeah, Jack, you shoulda seen 'em today." Blink said softer.

"Spot was saying all dis 'tuff about how to throw... you know his basic teachin' right?" Jack nodded and Blink continued.

"Well, 'e ast her if she could do it and she looked at him...like...well not ta way 'e likes to be looked at. atittude look.you know?" Jack nodded once more.

I stopped listening to them and stood up. Skittery and Dutchy looked at me funny.

"Where youse goin'? Skittery asked.

"Youse just got heah, and now youse leavin?" Dutchy asked. I nodded.

"I's gotta take care of sumptin' I'll be back later." Skittery and Dutchy nodded and went back to there conversation.

"Hiya Crutchy." I said as I walked past him.

"Hiya Shane how ya doin'?" I smiled at him and kept walking. Jack, Blink,Race, and Mush looked at me curiously.

I walked up to the whorehouse and read the sign. "The Chocolate House". Great name, I thought to myself and walked in.

The room to my left was filled with smoke, that made me sneeze. The room to my right was a bar, and in front of me was a staircase, and all but three doors were shut.

A redhead girl walked up to me,a funny looke on her face. She seemed to be maybe a year or two older than me.

"Can I help you?" She asked trying not to laugh. I laughed alittle with her, and she looked at me funny once more. I held up a hand.

"I ain't heah fer tat!" The girl looked releaved and laughed.

"I needs a job." I said. The girl nodded. And held out her hand.

"I's Iris Teller. You?"

"Shane Higgins." I said and shook her hand.

"Heah follow me." I walked with her through the bar to the back room. It was a small office.

"Chocolate. We's gotts a goil looking fera job. Any ting open?"Iris asked folding her arms across her chest.

A woman with dark skin and black hair looked at me. And nodded.

"Yeah, I's always got room fer more. What's youse name and age kid?" She asked me.

"Shane Higgins, 14...be 15 in tree months." The woman nodded again.

"You met Iris. I'm Chocolate Walker." She said and walked over to a closet.

"She owns ta place. " Iris said.

Chocolate pulled out a green can-can outfit and held it up to me.

"Tis looks like it would be your size. Youse gotta place to stay kid?" I nodded.

"Do ya tink youse could get Iris heah a place too?" Chocolate asked. I nodded.

"Where ya live?" Iris asked.

"Newsboys Lodgin' House, me brudda isa Newsie." Chocolate smiled.

"Which one?" She asked.

"Racetrack Higgins."

"Oh yeah, 'e's come in heah once or twice " Great! I thought, now I was gonna have to have a cover because my brother and his friends came in here.

"When doI start?" I asked Chocolate.

"Whenever you want."

"I come in every other night." Iris said.

"How about you come in when Iris comes in?" I nodded and walked to the door after shaking Chocolate's hand.

"Hey wait up!" Iris called.

"Lemme get changed and I'll come wit you."I nodded and she dissappeared. I waited for her by the door,and two guys walked in. I assumed they were brothers cause they looked alike, alittle. They gave me a feirce up and down stare and then walked to the bar area, Iris emerged behind them and we walked to Tibby's.

*********

Part 2
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