Race's POV

I will never understand this kid. Race thought to himself. Jacob was picking up speed, mumbling something Race couldn't hear. He wasn't sure he wanted to know either. He pulled out his pack of cigars, but realized he didn't have his box of matches, they were on his bedside table. He cussed under his breath, then laughed at himself for getting mad at such a stupid thing. He let Jacob lead the way, staying a couple of feet behind him. It made Race uneasy, how determined Jacob was about meeting his father. He had promised he wouldn't get in the way of what Jacob was doing, but it worried him that his friend could get hurt in the process.

"Jacob, are ya sure ya wanna go through with this?" He asked. Jacob tensed up, looking exasperated.

"Yeah! Stop askin me!" Race shrank back a little.

"Okay, okay! Calm down!" Jacob relaxed.

"Sorry." He mumbled. "Its just…"

"Hey, its fine." Race replied, cutting him off "Ya have the right to be a little mad." Jacob smiled slightly.

"Thanks, Racer." His smile melted away as the two neared a large building. Race stared at the building. He understood why Jacob looked a little nervous passing by. The streetlamp gave off an eerie glow, making the place look even more chilling. The black paint was peeling off, but Race could still read it. The very name giving him chills. THE REFUGE.

"Ya okay, Jacob?" He asked. Jacob had gotten quite pale, not saying a word. "Hey, its closed now. Ya got nothin to worry bout. C'mon." They kept walking. Race was ready to be there so Jacob could finally relax.

"Race?" Jacob whispered.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Remember when ya said ya go to Midtown a whole lot?" Race tensed up, this was a touchy subject for him.

"Course. Why?"

"Well, why do ya go so often anyway?" Race stared at the ground. "Ya… Ya ain't gonna start crying on me are ya?" He couldn't tell if Jacob was joking or not.

"I have my own Marina." He whispered. "She lives over there."

"Oh…" Race didn't really want to talk about her, but Jacob kept talking. Race bit his lip to keep from tearing up. "Whats her name?"

"Lydia. Lydia Karlin…" He eyes glazed over, thinking about her. "Look, I don't wanna talk bout it okay. We's are dealin with your problems right now, not mine."

"Sorry…" Jacob said, sounding like he genuinely felt bad.

"It ain't your fault. But we gotta go find your Father and get the answers ya want. Ya do deserve to know." Race picked up the pace, just wanting to get there.

Eventually, they found the jail. Jacob pulled open the heavy door. Race felt like the temperature had dropped ten degrees.

"I wanna see Warren Snyder." Jacob said bravely to the man at the desk. So his name is Warden Warren? Race thought, shrugging his shoulders.

"Do you have the money?" Race noticed his friend looked nervous. I ain't got any money! Jacob's blue eyes said it all. Race rummaged through his pocket, finding five dollars. He was planning on using the money for other reasons, but he had promised to help his friend.

"Here." He said, smacking the money down on the desk. In a smooth movement, the man slid the five dollars into his own pocket.

"This way." The man said. Race and Jacob followed the man down a dark hallway. Race could feel the locked up men and woman staring at him, as if they were trying to look through him. Jacob stood straight as a board, walking stiffly.

The three stopped at the end of the hall. The two newsies stared at the pathetic man sitting on a metal chair. His eyes were sunken in and his skin was the color of sour milk. Race could admit, that was the best he had seen Snyder the spider look in years.

"Hello, Dad." Jacob said coolly. Snyder looked up at the two boys. "Can you leave us?" He asked the man. The man nodded, walking down the silent hallway, his shoes clicking on the floor.

"Jacob…" Snyder said, smiling evilly. "I don't suppose you are here to bail me out are you."

"Course not." Jacob walked closer to cell. "I need some answers. And you'se is gonna give em to me." Snyder laughed. Race shuddered at the sound.

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"Did you burn down Marina's apartment?" Race gasped slightly. Snyder stayed silent. "Did you try to kill Marina!" Jacob yelled.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." Snyder said smoothly. "Why does that matter now? That girl is long since dead."

"That girl ain't dead. She is back at the lodging house. Now, I'm gonna asked you again, did you try to kill my friend." Snyder laughed, getting closer to his son. Race clenched his hand at his sides.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." He repeated. Something snapped inside the newsy. Race ran up to Snyder, and grabbed his shirt collar.

"Answer the question, goddamn it!" He yelled. Race saw something in Snyder's face. Something he never thought he would see in him. Fear.

"Race!" Jacob said sternly. Race let go, glaring at the former Warden.

"Fine! Maybe I did!" Snyder admitted. "Is that what you wanted to hear?" Jacob's face clouded over.

"No." He said softly. "I hoped you were better than that." Race tried to put a hand on Jacob's shoulder, but he swatted him away. "For years I thought you would change! Then you killed Mom and tried to kill me! Twice! All I wanted from you was a father! Not the wormy thing I had!" Tears streamed down Jacob's face. "Lets go, Race." He muttered.

"Hang on a second." Race said, turning to face Snyder. "What do ya know bout Romeo?"

"Who's Romeo?"

"Don't play dumb with my, Spider. Thirteen, black hair, brown eyes. The boy you kidnapped. Why did ya?" Snyder sighed.

"I lost everything because of you newsboys. It served you right to lose something too. I told some friends to find a way to get back at you. They must have, apparently."

"What friends?" Jacob piped up.

"Those two brother… Morris and Oscar I think…"

"The Delancey brothers!" The two newsies said at the same time. They took off, running back to the lodging house, not stopping until they were back on the fire escape.

"Jacob, Race!" They heard someone inside say. Jack pulled them inside, hugging them close. "What happened to ya? We thought someone kidnapped ya too!"

"Too?" Race said, confused. "Whaddaya mean?" Crutchie stood up.

"Marina and Romeo." He said solemnly. "They's gone."

God, that took a lot longer than it needed to! I'm really sorry guys. I've just been really busy with school and had the evil writer's block *shudders*. I wanted to get this up sooner, but time went by, and now its a month and a half later. :-(

Anyways, hope you like my newest chapter. Please review. As always, give me ideas. Newsies forever, second to none!

PS: If you want to know more about Midtown and Lydia Karlin, read my other story in the process I Got Midtown.