A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back! I haven't been on here in forever, and just a few days ago I started lurking around the site again, reading some of y'all's stories, recognizing some of the usernames of people whose stories I used to read, and just all in all getting that warm, fuzzy feeling inside again that I used to have when reading/writing fanfiction! So I decided to start writing again. The reason I wasn't writing for a while? Psh. Even I don't know. I just had a lot happening this year, more than I thought I did, I guess. But I'm back! And ready to write again!

So anyways, tell me what you think of this story, I have it all planned out and the next few chapters already written, and will be writing the rest of it as soon as I can. Any pointers would be lovely.

Please R&R! I missed you guys!

Disclaimer: I don't own newsies, everything except Dodger and Ace, and any other character you don't recognize belongs to me, the rest belongs to Disney.

Chapter 1

We were best friends. Always together. You never saw one of us without the other. Since the day I had arrived at the girls' orphanage at the young age of six, we had been inseparable. She had been there since she was a baby, and didn't remember her family. I had to witness my family being taken away from me one by one by the influenza epidemic. When I arrived at the orphanage, the girls didn't take too kindly to me, except for one. Of course, I guess that's the reason she needed a friend, too; none of the girls got along with her, either. We were both a bit...outspoken, you could say. Outspoken, and stubborn. And tomboys. We got along with each other pretty well. Of course, there were always those times when we argued, but is there any pair of best friends who doesn't? The thing was, we still stuck together, even though we thought we were both right. We knew we'd both be alone otherwise; we had no one else to talk to. It was just what made our bond tighter, in the end.

For years we were friends. Until the fire on June 16, 1896, when we were both thirteen, seven years to the day that I had arrived at the orphanage and we had become friends. That was the day when both our lives changed. Again. The kitchen caught on fire. No big surprise, since lots of places had been catching fire during the summer because of the dry weather. The fire spread so fast, there was hardly time to think. We all ran out of the house, all with the same goal: get as far away as possible. Not just because of the fire, but also because of what would happen once everything calmed down and the police started taking us somewhere else to stay. Our current orphanage was bad enough; we didn't want to start over in a brand new place. In that way the fire was a blessing. But it was also a curse. I got away, and she was held back, a policeman having seen her and grabbing her before she could get far enough away. I remember glancing behind me before turning the corner, and seeing her being dragged to the carriage along with some of the other girls. She gave me one sad, parting glance, and stepped into the coach. That was the last we saw of each other, the day both of our lives changed.

I had to keep running if I didn't want to be caught. I ran for what seemed like ages, until I turned up an alley and crashed right into someone walking in the opposite direction. That was the other event that changed my life that day. The person I had run into - a boy, to be exact - introduced himself as Kid Blink. I was speechless. He looked like a beautiful, blonde, one-eyed angel come to rescue me from everything that had happened. Despite everything that had occurred - losing all my possessions, losing my best friend, and on the run from the police - he made me forget about all of that. Was this what a crush felt like? I suppose so, because my heart was beating uncommonly fast and not just from running, because I could also feel the butterflies come to life in my stomach. Kid Blink offered for me to come with him to the Newsboys Lodging House, where I could stay the night...and every night since then...

There was really no where else to go the next day. I had no money, no way of supporting myself, and I was not about to go back to an orphanage. I became a newsie, like Blink, and learned all there was to know about selling papes. I dressed in boys clothes, earned my own money, and was free to go wherever I wished, as long as I didn't do anything to cause the police to come after me. I was living a better life than I had ever known. I had amazing friends, who all loved me like a sister. Still, I never forgot my best friend, who was somewhere in New York, or maybe moved somewhere else by now, who I hadn't seen since that day of the fire...

A/N: So there's the first chapter for you! The next chapters are longer, I promise. This one's just a bit of background before diving into the present story.

You know what I like? Reviews. Yeah, reviews are nice...I like reviews. Feel free to leave me some!