When Jade opened her eyes, she realized that she had fallen asleep. She had the feeling of sleep still lingering. She attempted to stretch out the kinks in her back, but her ribs stopped her. They hurt so bad. Jade picked up the empty mug and struggled to stand. Her arms shook as she used the arm rests as support. Her breath came out in short, shallow bursts as she got to her feet. When she was sure that she wouldn't fall over from pain, she moved toward the kitchen. It was in there that she heard the noise coming from behind the door that lead to the room with that boys' beds. She heard yelling, cursing, and laughing. She heard a bunch of boys having fun. She needed to remind herself that they were just boys, they weren't monsters. They were just people who were told to not touch her, so she wouldn't be in any danger. Thinking back to how the guys in Manhattan response to Spot, she could only imagine the control he had in Brooklyn. She would be fine.
She placed her mug in the sink, pausing there for a moment. She really should go out there and introduce herself. She would be spending the next few weeks with them. Plus, if she didn't try now, she would never get over her fear. A fear that shouldn't be affecting her this much. Boys! They were just boys! If she could handle the guys back at the manor, she could handle the Brooklyn newsies. If she could hold her own with Gavin, then the Brooklyn newsies would be easy. Gavin… No, she wouldn't let her thoughts spiral into panic. She didn't need to deal with him any longer, she was safe from him. He couldn't hurt her anymore.
Nodding, she turned to the door. She took two steps forward when the door opened and in walked Spot. She stopped short when he looked down at her. He looked rather relaxed, he must have come home and settled in already. He didn't have his cane looped through his pants and he wasn't wearing his cap. The top buttons on his flannel were undone and his shirt was untucked, yeah, he's been here for a while. Jade glanced at the clock and saw that it was just after 7. When she looked back at Spot, she watched his eyes travel to the side she didn't know she was holding. She dropped her hand and opened her mouth the say something, but the Brooklyn leader just stepped around her, and walked toward the foyer. She turned and watched him as he poured himself a drink. He held the glass to his mouth but spoke before taking a sip.
"Well, Ms. Weston, dey haven't givin' up lookin' for you'se in Brooklyn." Jade froze. Her eyes found Spot's and widened. His voice was as it always is, bored and unimpressed. Nothing in his voice gave away how he felt about the situation. She watched him take a small sip of his whiskey and look at her. His eyes searched her face and must have found what he wanted because he smirked. "It seems dat dey have sent out da woiks. A guy is standin' around shovin' a piece of papah in everyone's face. A piece of papah wid your pretty face on it." She didn't know what to say, she knew that they would look for her, but this seemed extreme. Spot didn't look too concerned though. He was calm and collected, though that meant nothing, that was his default setting. Jade took a deep breath the calm her rising nerves, the movement hurt her side. She winced slightly and saw Spot's smirk drop. His eyes looked over the tender spot on her ribs, but he kept his mouth shut.
"Should… maybe I should go back to Manhattan. If-" She was cut off by Spot's hand, which he held up. He shook his head and took another sip.
"Da only ding dat would accomplish is you'se getting caught by monkey suit out dere. You'se should stay heah til da searching stops. Its da middle of da wintah, no one wants to stand around in da cold lookin' fah someone who don't want to be found." Jade nodded, calming at his words. Spot was keeping a level head about the guy looking for her. She had to assume it was someone her parents hired to look for her. Her father wouldn't be out on the streets waving a piece of paper at anyone who passed by. It could be one of the guys who she was meant to marry, that would be something her mother would set up. Who ever finds my daughter can have her! That leaves a list of many guys Jade could pick from because she knew Gavin wouldn't-
"What did the guy look like?" Spot had moved from his place by the alcohol cabinet and sat at the kitchen table. He spread his legs out in front of himself and leaned back. Jade took notice in the change of him. When the other guys weren't around, he let himself relax a bit. Not much, just enough. She watched his face scrunch slightly, in thought. He put his glass down on the table with a solid clink. She watched the liquid slosh around in the glass before looking to his face again. He focused on the wall ahead of him as he spoke.
"Skinny, dark hair, clean." His eyes moved their focus from the wall to her. "Gave da impression dat he was consoined about you'se." Jade shook her head and looked at the ground; the description wasn't enough for her. She couldn't decide it was Gavin or not. Gavin was thin, had dark hair, and compared to the guys Spot surrounded himself with, he would be considered clean. He was also good at convincing other people to believe what he wanted them to. So, while, yes, it could have been him, she wasn't going to jump the gun and assume. Spot swirled the whiskey in his glass before taking a sip. Jade would have sat down but she was afraid that she wouldn't have been able to get back up with her ribs feeling like they did. She also didn't like the idea of sitting at the table alone with Spot. He may relax a tiny bit when he wasn't around the newsies but that didn't mean he wasn't intimidating. She decided to continue with her plan of meeting the guys. She would rather face a room full of strangers than sit in a room with the Brooklyn leader alone. Spot wasn't one to just sit and chat and to be honest, neither was Jade. She walked to the door, when she didn't hear Spot stop her, she walked out into the main room.
The noise was so much louder being in the actual room with the boys rather than behind a door. No one paid her any mind, they just kept doing what they were doing. Looking around the room, it was almost indistinguishable to the bunk room in Manhattan. There were boys strewn around everywhere. Some were playing cards, some counting money, some just laying around and talking. Feeling a tug on her fingers made her look down. Staring up at her, wide eyed and smiling were three younger kids. They looked to be around 7 or 8 years old. She smiled back. All at once they started talking. Jade tried to follow what they were saying, but with all three talking excitedly she only caught clips.
One of the boys grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards one of the bunks. She didn't resist, she let him drag her along. As she passed by the other guys she smiled. Shockingly, most of them smiled back. The tenseness started to dissipate from her body as the realization hit; that these guys are just like any other guys. They just have a reputation to keep up. Two of the kids jumped up on the bed and the little boy who was pulling her let go of her hand.
"Are you'se stayin' heah fah good? Or are you'se gonna leave tomorrow like those other goils Spot brings home?" Raising her eyebrows, she looked at the little boy. He looked up at her with a face that gave the same attitude as his question. She shook her head. Her attention was caught by Spot as he walked out of the kitchen. The tension was back in his body, but she noticed that he wasn't like he was in Manhattan. His face wasn't completely cold, and he actually spoke to the guys in the room. The newsies who were talking to him weren't intimidated like that Manhattan boys and Spot looked like he was on the verge of a smile. She watched to see if it would come but it didn't. She turned her attention back to the kids in front of her.
"I'll be here for a little while. Not forever but a couple of weeks." This seemed to please the boy some because he nodded and sat on the bed next to her. She felt one of the boys start to play with her hair. He didn't pull, just ran his fingers through it brushing it out. When she turned to look at him, she realized that he was a she. The little girl smiled and blushed, dropping Jade's hair. Jade let her know that it was okay. She felt bad, this little girl seemed to be the only girl around, heaven knows how she must feel. Small fingers began to play with her hair again.
"Now, one at a time, what are your names?" Jade asked cautiously, not wanting them to burst out and all start talking at once again. Surprisingly, they each took their turns and said their names. There was Button, Tricks, and Doll. Tricks was the one with the attitude, Doll was the little girl, and Button was the little boy who had kept quiet. She introduced herself to the children, keeping her manners.
After that, it was over. Each child had a story they wanted to tell Jade. Doll kept playing with her hair as she excitedly told Jade and the other kids about her day selling with Trainer. She told them about all the things he taught her about selling and a few of his bargaining secrets. This made the kids erupt into giggles, as if these secrets were important, as if they were the only ones who knew. Tricks told the group about the prank he wanted to pull off on Lincoln, one of the older boys who apparently had a rivalry with Tricks when it came to pranks.
"You'se bettah make sure dat Spot doesn't find out." Button raised his voice, to let his warning be heard. Jade watched his face turn red as she looked at him. He was the shyest of the three by far, and maybe the voice of reason. How does that work? The one who doesn't talk is the one who knows what's best? She heard Doll mutter an uh-oh and hide slightly behind her.
"What shouldn't I find out 'bout?" To her surprise Spot's tone was light with the hint of a smile, his face didn't show it, but his voice did. Under that tone was also a warning, something Jade knew was always there. His voice was always lined with some hidden command, it must have been how he got to where he was. Tricks was the only one who didn't shrink away from Spot, but he did keep his mouth shut and looked away from his leader. Jade wasn't all that surprised, Spot was a terrifying person when he wanted to be. She still wasn't comfortable around him, but she cleared her throat and looked up at the Brooklyn Leader. She wouldn't let the kids be afraid of him to the point that they cowered away from him.
"About your incapability of keeping your nose out of other people's conversations." His eyes darted towards hers. His glare was a tangible thing, something that could be felt by the newsies around her. The room didn't stop, just a few newsies around them. They watched for their leader's reaction. Jade gave Spot a small smile. She may be afraid, but she wouldn't let him know. He let out a small breath and smirked back. She could see the anger he pulled in and wondered why. She expected him to reprimand her for getting smart. She expected to be threatened to show him respect. But he just reined in his anger and gave her a ghost of a smirk. He seemed unable to smile, but a well-placed, threatening smirk came easily to him.
"And heah I dought we'se made a bit of progress wid your attitude." Spot shook his head and looked at each of the kids. "Don't loin any bad habits from dis one, got it?" He motions toward Jade and each one of the traitorous kids nodded, saying they wouldn't. Without a second glance toward her, Spot walked off. She watched him walk towards the room with all the tables and couches. There was an up roar of noise as he entered the other room. He was well liked by his newsies. Respected by them, but well liked.
Jade turned her attention towards the kids. Each one of them looking about to burst from the seams from laughing. She started to smile and that's what made them let loose. Each of them howling with laughter. She watched them and couldn't help but laugh slightly along. Kids were easy, they didn't require too much from you, they accepted you for you and didn't care about what you lacked. They didn't care that Jade wasn't the biggest talker or that she didn't smile too much, they treated her like a friend.
The rest of the night was spent with the three kids, telling them the stories she had read about in her novels and even some about her life at the manor. She made the stories more kid friendly and one by one each of the kids started to doze off. When she was sure she could move from the bed without waking them, she made her way back to the kitchen area. She was pretty tired and the room full of people was making her anxious. She noticed that most of the other boys were slowly making their way back to their bunks. She saw Mrs. Shea move from bunk to bunk and speak to the boys, each smiling as the inn keeper walked up. She was well liked by the boys as well. They must have seen her like the Auntie they never had.
Jade walked toward the kitchen but saw the door to the lobby for the front exit of the lodging house. She changed her path and made her way towards that door instead. She hadn't been out of the lodging house today and felt that she needed the fresh air. She made her way down the stairs and into the warm lobby room. She glanced at the clock and it read 10:30. She kept walking, having the sudden urge to be outside.
When she opened the door, cold air hit her hard. It was January and below freezing at night. She welcomed the cold, it took her mind off everything else. Not having the kids to distract her, she began thinking about the guy standing in Brooklyn looking for her with a picture. Who was he? Where was he? How long would he look for her in Brooklyn before moving on? Could it have been Gavin? If he was in Brooklyn, then how could she leave the Lodging house safely? Her thoughts raced from one question to another, never spending too much time on a single question. She kept her eyes focused on the street ahead of her and wrapped her arms around herself. She was so lost in her head she almost jumped when she heard someone clear their throat.
She spun around to see who stood behind her, though it wasn't a surprise when she saw Spot standing there. She wouldn't expect anyone else to walk up on her. He had the decency to make his presence known instead of just lingering, so there's that, I guess. She looked at him but when he said nothing, she turned her back to him to look towards the street. One thing she almost enjoyed about Spot was that he didn't demand conversation and his silences were not charged with anything, they were just the lack of speaking. He didn't force conversation, he was content with not speaking just as she was. It was refreshing. Jack spoke. A lot. He didn't care who you were, he would talk to you and speaking to Jack was fine. It was easy and comfortable but Jade just wasn't someone who spoke much. She would rather just sit in a comfortable silence than make small talk just for the sake of communicating.
So much of New York looked the same, yet it was different than the New York she knew back that the manor. The pristine city she knew was a lie. She realized in her weeks on the street that her life at the manor was a lie, in almost every way. The city she thought she knew was nothing more than a sheltered version of what it was. The people who worked hard every day were the real people of the city. Her family and families like them were nothing more than invaders. Truth was that most of the city was not rich, most of the city did not live a life of luxury as her family did. Most of the city did what they did to survive. She wanted to learn more about the people who worked hard for what they had. She wanted to learn the ins and outs of the city like the newsies. She wanted to feel like she was meant to be where she was. She knew her life as a newsie wasn't an easy one, but it was full of life and truth.
Spot watched her just stand in the front of the Lodging house. He had seen her reroute herself towards the door that led to the lobby and followed. He was still pissed about her back talk, but his anger didn't have much heart in it. One thing he noticed about Jade was that she was rather genuine about what she said, for she didn't say much. When she did speak it was truth and nothing more. She was a mystery to him yes, but for the most part she had meant everything she has said. She didn't seem to say things just to anger people, just to rile them up. When he saw the kids start to smile as she made her comment, he realized that she was trying to make them feel better about Spot coming over. He appreciated it. Being a kid and a newsie wasn't easy. Being a kid and a Brooklyn newsie was even worse. Some light in their day would help them.
He would make it clear that she was not to talk back to him in front of anyone. It was one thing when they were alone or with Mrs. Shea, respect wasn't lost there. But when her attitude was present in front of the other newsies, that's when he would put his foot down. He was the leader of one of the biggest cities in the world, he knew how to deal with a little push back, was used to it. He would just snuff out the attitude with him quickly. It wasn't too often that someone tried to challenge him, so the feeling to stomp out the rebellion was strong. He knew there were some people who just weren't keen on being intimidated, which was fine, but he demanded respect. He had the feeling that everything involving the girl standing in front of him would be a struggle.
When he looked at her, he found her staring. She must have said something to him, but he was too wrapped into his thoughts he missed it. Very unlike him. He just looked at her until she repeated herself. Very like him. She fidgeted under his gaze, he made her nervous. This of course was not news, he knew this, it was hard not to notice. God only knows what the Manhattan boys told her about him and Brooklyn in general. When she got here, she looked about to shit herself. Whatever she heard must have worked in scaring her. He couldn't say that he was upset about the fact the Manhattan newsies were spreading such awful rumors. They worked in Spot's favor. They worked in his newsies' favors.
She was frowning up at him. He stood on the step leading into the lodging house, looking down at her. She was incredibly short, he noticed. Spot wasn't the tallest newsie, but she was tiny. Everything about her was small. Her figure, her hands, her features, her voice, her presence. Not being the tallest newsie didn't matter much to him. He was who he was regardless of his height. To be honest, he wasn't that short. Was he as tall as Cowboy? No, but that guy was a giant. Was he taller than some of the newsies? Yes, he was. Did it matter regarding his reputation? No, it did not. Spot was a rather confident person in general, so something as small as a few inches wasn't going to bother him. He saw Jade open her mouth again and this time he listened.
"I know it doesn't matter to you, but I don't want to be difficult." Well wasn't that a joke. Everything about this girl was difficult. He missed the reason for her saying this, so he just nodded at her. She shrugged, the movement causing her pain as he watched her face scrunch in pain. He was still surprised that she was up as much as she was. When he got home from selling, he saw her sleeping on the sofa. He couldn't blame her; her ribs must be draining her. She had to be exhausted. He could see it in her face. He could see the pain and tiredness that could be remedied by not standing out in the freezing cold and sleeping in a warm room. What the hell was she doing, why did he follow her? It had to be below 0 degrees out and this crazy bitch was just standing there. She would never actually get better if she didn't rest, he may need to have Mrs. Shea really enforce a resting rule for this girl. He didn't care if she didn't want to follow it, she would have to.
"Are you plannin' on sleepin' out heah?" He watched her face go from slightly apologetic to slightly annoyed. Another thing about her, Spot noticed, was that she did everything slightly. She showed enough emotion to get the point across but not enough to tell you how she really felt. She joked around enough to let you know she had a sense of humor but wouldn't outright laugh at a joke. She gave sass but not enough to really piss you off. Everything about her was half done, she was just slightly a person.
She let loose a breath, which let out puff of cloudy air. "I was just-" She cut herself off. Almost telling him how she felt but not. Slightly. Something over her shoulder caught his eye. While the streets of New York were never truly empty, it was very rare that someone would be walking around in the dead of winter at night. If someone were to be traveling, they would be in a carriage. Very few newsies would brave the cold at this time in the year. Newsies wouldn't purposely get themselves sick for the sake of taking a midnight stroll. Being sick lost a newsie money. Losing money meant not living. This person was making his way towards the lodging house.
Jade must have noticed Spot's attention wasn't on her because she turned to look behind her. Upon seeing the figure move towards them, she was behind Spot and moving into the lobby in an instant. Stubborn, not stupid. He felt her linger behind him as he watched the figure stumble closer. It was too dark to see exactly who it was and quite frankly, Spot didn't care. Taking a head count before coming out to get the pain in his ass back into the lodging, he knew all his newsies were in. He would soon be implementing a curfew rule. Something like "if you'se not in da lodgin' house by 11 den you'se gotta find anothah place ta sleep". He turned to walk into the lobby and shut the door. He picked up a lock from the locksmith he knew for the front door after he was done selling. He wouldn't have another incident like today happen again.
Jade moved aside so he could lock the door. She looked up at him but didn't say anything. Her hands played with a small locket, but he didn't think she knew she was doing it. She had a habit of fiddling with it. Without a word, she turned and walked up the stairs. He kept his eyes on her until she disappeared, noticing her favoring her side. A rest rule will be put into place and she will follow it. There is no sense in prolonging the healing of her ribs.
He looked outside and did not see the stumbling figure. He chalked it up to some drunk stumbling home. Not a common occurrence on this street but not impossible. He didn't think too much on it and made his way up the stairs. Just as he walked into the bunk room, he saw the door to the kitchen gently close. Around the room the guys were winding down, most laying down and some already asleep. Spot decided that he was exhausted from the day and headed to his room. Another day was ahead of him and he wasn't sure what was in store for him. Jade seemed to attract attention and it was tiring.
He passed by the last lamp before he hit his stair and put it out. Each lamp after than followed. No newsie wanted to stay awake longer than he had to. Getting up and working in the conditions they had to wore them out, so when Spot said it was time for bed, almost no one argued. He started his ascent up his stairs pulling off his key. He unlocked his door and walked in. He walked towards his bed and flopped down. Exhaustion pulled him into sleep, but before it claimed him, his last thought was at least with this girl around I can sleep, she drains all the energy out of me. Dreamless sleep pulled him under and didn't wake him until the next morning.
Just about two weeks passed, and Jade had become comfortable. She found the Brooklyn newsies to be some of the easiest guys to get along with. She had gotten close to a couple, starting rather warming friendships. These guys were nothing like what the Manhattan newsies lead her to believe. True, some of the guys were exactly like how Manhattan described but an overwhelming amount of them were just normal boys. They joked around, pranked each other, and had mock fights. They played cards, hung out, and talked just like the guys in Manhattan. That is, until they were on the streets. On the streets they were a rough bunch, she could not believe the turnaround in most of them. She fully trusted that any of the impressions Manhattan lead her the believe were 100% true when she saw them outside of the lodging house or if anyone besides another Brooklyn newsie was around. She watched the fun, smiling guys turn into the monsters everyone thought them to be.
The only Brooklyn newsie who didn't change was the leader. Yes, he seemed more comfortable and less edgy, but that air of command was still here. His newsies didn't react to him like Manhattan did, but they showed just as much respect. While Jack was the only who Jade really saw joke with Spot, many of the Brooklyn guys joked around with him. She would watch him when this happened. She knew some of his tells. Like when he hated the joke his eyes found anything but the joker. When he liked it, his lips would turn upwards in a mock of a smile. If the joke caught him off guard he would laugh, not loudly but enough that the joke teller was pleased.
She didn't speak to Spot much, in fact, she stayed out of his way. She was unnerved by him. She figured that if she stayed away from him, she wouldn't do anything to piss him off. There were times when she was hanging out with one of the guys, Law, she would see Spot give an appraising look. Something she had said impressed him a bit. She would turn away from him and smile. Law was one of her favorite newsies here. He was level headed and soothing. While some of the other guys got rowdy, Law remained calm. Jade gravitated to him because of it and he welcomed her with open arms.
Jack and the rest of Manhattan hadn't come to visit her. To be honest, she was okay with it. When they had the time to see her, they would. Plus, it shouldn't be long before she was back with them. She missed Race and the overall ease of Manhattan. Yes, she was comfortable in Brooklyn, but there was contentment in Manhattan that Brooklyn just could not give her. She was still nervous around some of the guys in Brooklyn where as in Manhattan everyone did their best to welcome her. Brooklyn just accepted her in their ranks and did as Spot said. They left her alone for the most part. They didn't go out of their way to scare her or make her uneasy. They just went on with their day, accepting her in their card games and talking to her like she had been there for years.
She assumed that living on the streets gave you a sense of family with those around you. She felt it. She felt the guys just accept those who posed no threat to them. She was not too nervous to ask some of them if she needed help with something and she knew they felt the same. They came to her for help with a few things. A few come to her for some girl help. She gave them the warning that she knew nothing about romance, but they didn't care. She helped them to the best of her abilities and was rewarded by their stories about dates or progress in wooing their respective girl. Some asked to help sew some clothes, some asked her to help with hair cuts or help with a rip in some piece of clothing. Over all, she could easily say she was accepted in Brooklyn.
She sat in the game room, as the newsies called it, with a blanket across her lap, watching the guys play a game of cards. She rested her head against the back of the couch and smiled. Everything seemed so easy, so simple. Jade was enjoying just sitting around the Brooklyn newsies. Doll sat beside her, cuddled underneath the blanket. The younger girl had sort of attached herself to Jade over the short time she had been there. She found out that there were indeed female newsies, just not in Brooklyn. There have been female newsies under the command of Spot, but they didn't last too long. Some realized that Spot wasn't interested in them and left to find somewhere else to stay, others found that they didn't enjoy the atmosphere of being around a bunch of boys. Some of the guys had girlfriends but with little privacy they didn't stay the night very much.
Jade had made friends with some of the girls, they were all nice enough. She wished they stuck around longer, but apparently Queen, Midtown, and West Side had all girl lodging houses. Some of the other lodging houses held both girls and guys, it wasn't uncommon. The majority of newsies were boys but there were girls sprinkled here and there. Sometimes they just paraded around as a boy to avoid attention. Jade didn't blame them, its what she was doing, basically. In the past two weeks she barely left the lodging house, but on the 2 or 3 times that she did, she pulled her hair into her cap and stayed with Law or Spot.
From her spot on the couch she watched Spot walk into the room. His steps were rushed and his breathing uneven. She clutched Doll close to her, knowing that if Spot was ruffled then something was up. His eyes searched the room and when they landed on her, his shoulders slacked. He reached up and tossed his cap to her. The room quieted a little.
"Put dat on and keep your head down." He ordered her lowly. She did as she was told and bunched up her hair under his hat. She struggled for a second, hair kept falling out of place but when all was contained, she looked up at Spot. He ran a hand through his hair, soothing the mess his hat had made. He made a motion to her that said to keep her eyes low and unnoticed. Not even three seconds later the man who attacked her and Mrs. Shea those weeks ago stormed in. Jade's breath hitched slightly, going unheard from the noise of the boys. She kept her eyes low but trained on the intruder. Mutt was his name, if she remembered correctly. Doll moved closer to her, clearly upset about the man standing in the doorway. Spot stood next to him, calm as ever, any signs of his previous worry gone. Jade's eyes darted between the two, trying to decide what was going on.
"I know dat bitch is heah. She busted open my head and ill have her's. Wheah is she?" Jade's eyes found Spot's who shook his head slightly.
He watched Jade drop her eyes. He knew that Mutt was looking for her, one of his birds told him. He wasn't sure when he would come around, but he wasn't expecting it to be today. He had been running an errand for Mrs. Shea when Hawk came running to him panting out that Mutt was making his way to the lodging house. Spot dropped what he was doing and ran for the second time to save this girl. She was by far the most work Kelly had dropped on him and he would make sure his "favor" would cover each headache she had caused him.
"You'se gonna regret hidin' her. Her face will pay a pretty penny when I'se turn her in." Spot turned his attention to Mutt, keeping his expression bored. His newsies, of course knew, that there was a reward for Jade, one that was almost too good to pass up. Almost, but not good enough. They all had their warning about Jade. They all knew what would happen if anything were to happen to her. Not only would Spot soak them, but they would have to deal with Manhattan and be deemed a narc. Not something any newsie leader would deal with; they would be exiled from New York essentially. No newsie wanted to lose their family.
None of his newsies would turn Jade in for fear of losing their home and because they all liked her. They would all protect her if she needed it. It wasn't just a fear thing. Spot knew that they guys would keep her hidden from Mutt, he just had to play his part.
"I'm shakin'." Spot earned a few snickers. He moved his gaze to the ceiling, becoming annoyed with the situation already. He let out a huff and looked around the room. "I'se told you'se weeks ago, she ain't heah. Look around if you'se don't believe me." He spread his arms wide, inviting Mutt to do just as he said. Mutt let out a laugh and walked further into the room. None if his newsies moved out of his way, they wouldn't make it easy for him.
Spot glanced at Jade. She looked pissed, but not pissed enough for it to take over her face. He knew she was pissed because he knew what to look for. He knew to look for the slight narrowing of her eyes, the slight frown on her lips. The slightness of her had become easy for him to read. He didn't give anything to her to make her feel better. But he did start when he saw her begin to get up. He gave her a warning look, one the he knew she would ignore. She did. She was mad, mad at him and she would make him regret it. He knew this was how she was but what he didn't understand was that her life was the one on the line, not his. Why would she ruin her chances of staying hidden to spite him?
"If I'se get woid dat she's heah, I'se comin' with some of my boys to collect 'er. She won't stay undah your protection forevah." At Mutt's voice, Jade stopped. She looked towards him and he looked directly down at her. She hadn't been able to rise all the way; Doll had gripped her arm to keep her hidden. Spot tensed. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until Mutt turned to him. Once again, he hadn't recognized her. Staring her dead in the face and he didn't know who she was. They needed to update that picture if they wanted any hope of finding her. Spot didn't move, he didn't nod, didn't say anything. He just let Mutt walk out.
With his eyes on Jade, he said three names. The owners of those three names got up and followed Mutt out. They knew what they were to do. They knew what message Spot wanted Mutt to receive. He kept his eyes on Jade, not willing to look away first. She couldn't be as stupid as to reveal herself to a guy hunting her. He watched her raise her hand to her head and gripped his cap. He watched her hair tumble around her shoulders, too long for her own good. One way she could get her pursuers off her trail was to change her look. If she chopped off the mane on her head, she would be nearly unrecognizable. If he was the one to tell her she wouldn't listen, he could probably get Law to convince her.
His eyes followed her as she walked toward him and held out his hat. He gripped the hat along with her wrist and spoke softly to her.
"If I'se tell you to do somethin', you'se ah ta listen. I'se didn't take you'se in fah you'se to give yourself away. Don't make yourself more trouble den you'se woith." Jade pulled her wrist from his tightening grip and glared up at him. Nothing slight about her glare. He knew as well as anyone else who could see her face that she was pissed. He finally got a full emotion out of her and she looked like she was about to slap him. He saw her throat bob, but she didn't open her mouth. She had nothing to come back at him with. She pushed past him and made her way to the kitchen, presumably. It didn't sit right with him.
The noise of the room came back in full without Jade there to stand off against Spot. When he looked around the room, his newsies were all playing their games and talking amongst themselves. They acted like nothing had happened. Spot's eyes snagged on Doll, still sitting on the couch. She just looked up at him, fear in her eyes. Fear of what, he could not pin down, and he really didn't care to. He turned and walked out of the room.
He made his way towards the kitchen, not liking the fact that Jade said nothing. She didn't fight back, didn't smart mouth him, nothing. She just froze. The two weeks that she stayed in Brooklyn she fought him every chance she got. She stayed out of his way for the most part but those occasions their paths crossed, she was feisty. She had that attitude that drove Spot crazy. When that fire, that attitude, was missing, Spot didn't feel right. He pushed the door to the kitchen open and stopped short. The kitchen was empty. He glanced into the foyer, where Jade had set up camp and only saw Mrs. Shea sitting on the chair knitting. He turned around and headed for the lobby.
He half expected her to be gone, making her way back to Manhattan. So, when he saw her sitting on the worn-out couch looking out the window, he gave pause. She didn't turn to the sound of his footsteps. He knew she heard him; it was hard not to hear anyone walking on those stairs. He watched her take a deep breath but didn't hear her say anything. He knew she would breath the silence, if she really had something to say. He sat on the last couple of steps and just watched her.
"This isn't going to end. The searching, the fear of -" Jade stopped. She never finished her thoughts to him. She rested her head on her arm and looked back at him. By the way she sat he knew her side was mostly healed. She still winced when she moved too much but she had listened to him when he told her to take it easy. Rather, she listened to Mrs. Shea. For someone who was afraid of him, Jade didn't really show it. She acted more like she was constantly annoyed by him. Which he supposed was the truth. But the feeling was mutual. She sat and played with her locket, as she usually did when she was uncomfortable.
"You'se got two choices. You'se either buckle down and face it or you'se run away from it." Jade just nodded. The lack of any emotion, even the slight ones, was unnerving.
"What would you do?" Her question surprised him. What would he do? He would stay where he was and fight. That was what he always did. He wanted Brooklyn, he stayed and fought for it. He wants to keep Brooklyn and keeps fighting for it every day. But if people were looking for him all over the city? Would he still stay? Would he face it like he expected her to?
"Depends." At her puzzled look, he continued. "What do you'se want morah? Da life dat made you'se run or da life dat you'se questionin' leavin'?" Her green eyes narrowed at him. Even in the dim light of the lobby he could still make out the bright color of her eyes. She was lucky that the picture had no color. So lucky. No one would mistake her if it had.
She just nodded at him and closed her eyes. He saw more than heard her take a breath. He knew she had made her decision. He knew what that decision would be. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to make the opposite.