#Going uhhh.... a little off the rails ooc for this I feel.

[zylphiacrowley]

I'm sorry my hands are shaking, I don't normally feel this way...

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[the-newsies-justice-for-zas-blog]

Newsies’ Little Sister

Chapter 10 - Up In The Sky

TW: Abuse, Swearing, Mentions of Snyder and his lot, Sprained ankle, It’s a bit ooc

Word Count: 2k

Genre: Mostly fluff, with a touch of angst

Emmeline's POV

I sat up on the rooftops for a while, about 20 minutes; and feeling the strong wind on my face, I stood up and pulled the dirty rag that I stole out of my hair to let it loose. It flew in all directions, whipped into my face and streaked behind me like a kite.

I let out a long sigh and blocked out the entire world. Blocked out the noises of the city, blocked out the faint sounds of the train yards, blocked out the shouts from the streets below. It felt so good to be free for the first time! I laughed at the feeling and stepped closer to the edge of the building. It hurt a bit, y'know, breathing. But I'se had worse...much worse.

As I stepped forward again, I felt the pain in my ribs and on my face diminish slightly. And it was replace by a rush of adrenaline I felt like I could take on the world.

And no, I wasn't scared of falling. Not one bit.

~ Time Skip - 30 minutes before ~

Mush's POV

"Shit! This hurts like a motherfucker!" I was sitting on the main room floor, holding my right ankle tightly. It was twisted in a weird angle, and I had pain shooting all the way up my leg. I lifted my head and looked around. Snyder, Oscar and Morris were making their way back through the lodging house, shooting everyone bad looks. I shuffled back quickly as Snyder aimed a kick at me. He missed but I had to jump back sharply, resulting in more pains going up my leg.

We all watched them leave, and as soon as they were out the door, everyone turned to me. They were all looking at me like I knew what the hell happened! I had no idea what Em had gotten herself into, but I knew it wasn't good if she'd managed to rope in Snyder and the Delancey Brothers... Or maybe it was our parents...Maybe they had made a deal with Snyder. I knew, from Elmer, that she had learnt some skills. Like pickpocketing, but I didn't think Snyder would have any use for her. So why come looking? A thousand thoughts whirled around my head and I completely zoned out until...

Davey and Jack came and knelt beside me and had a look at my ankle, snapping me out of my daze.

"yeesh! That's gotta hurt..." Jack commented and looked away, grimacing slightly. 

"Oh really. Hadn't noticed." I replied with as much sarcasm as I could bring to my voice, despite all the pain.

"I don't think it's broken, just badly sprained. I'm going to have to wrap it up." I nodded. "Hey Jack, have you got bandages, or some strips of cloth? Anything to wrap his ankle up?"

"Uhhh, yea. I'll go get some." Jack stood up and walked away.

"And Mush..."

"Yea?"

"Don't walk on it for a few days." I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand to silence me. "I'm serious." I didn't dare contradict Davey when he was in full mum mode.

There was an awkward and confused feeling in the room and nobody spoke. Not even Race. I figured it was everyone thinking about that had happened not 10 minutes ago. In the silence, we all heard Jack's footsteps go up the stairs and into the main dorm.

Jack's POV

I went into the main dorm to get the bandages for Davey and Mush. They were all kept in a box in a cupboard near the bathroom stalls. On the way there I thought about why they were looking for her and about what Snyder had said to her. That she'd cost them a lot of money... I knew they were corrupt, but this was an all time low...

What had happened? What did she do? Can I trust her? What will they do if they find her? I had so many questions spinning around my head, swirling like the water in the river. But one stood out to me most: Is she going to put my boys in danger?

That question stuck in my head as I grabbed the cleanest bandage in the box and made my way back down and into the main room.

"Here."

Mush's POV

A few minutes later, I hobbled out of the lodging house with my ankle bandaged up and ones of Crutchie's old crutches. I managed to escape from Davey and out of the Lodging House. He said he'd keep an eye out for me, to make sure I wasn't going anywhere; but Les and I managed to distract him and I got out. All I wanted to do was fine Em. She took off after Snyder, Oscar and Morris left and none of us had any idea of where she was. Until we looked up...

I heard a few boys shouting and waving up at the rooftops, so I hobbled over to Romeo, who was standing closest to me.

"Ay! What's goin' on? Why ya yellin'?" I asked.

"Up there! It's ya sistah! She's gonna fall!" He answered back franticly. I turned and looked at where he was pointing; and sure enough, there she was, on the very edge of one of the tenement buildings. Arms stretched out, hair flying everywhere. She was so close to the edge that I thought she was going to fall too. I started yelling too.

"EM!!! EM! HEY!" It was no use, it was like she had completely blocked everything out. I looked around and tried to find a way up there, I found a way she could've gone up. But before I could start climbing, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I span around quickly and raised my fists to protect myself just in case.

"Hey!! Calm down! It's only me!" 

"Davey! What the fuck! Ya scared me!" I lowered my fists and we both sighed in relief.

"Where are you going?" He asked. 

"I'se going to..." I stopped half way through my sentence. Davey had that look on his face. The look he has where one of us is either going to do something stupid or has done something stupid.

"No." He raised a hand. "You're not supposed to be putting any weight through that ankle yet."

"But she's my sista! I have to help 'er!"

"She'll come down when she's ready." He replied calmly.

"No ya don't understand. I'se lost 'er once, I ain't losing 'er again..." Davey didn't say anything. He just laid a hand on my shoulder and I realised that he was right. Emmeline was always head-strong and independent. And Davey was right, she would come down when she wanted to...

"Fine...but if she isn't back by dark, I'se gonna go find 'er." I said. Breaking the silence that had built up around us. Davey nodded, and we went back to the lodging house, getting the other guys in with us.

Elmer's POV

I saw Mush and Davey come back out into the street and seeing the look on Mush's face, I guessed they were going to let her come down when she wanted to. It did make sense...but there was something inside me that wanted to make sure she was safe up there. 

I knew exactly how to get up there because I used to go up there when I was bored; and I also knew the quick was out the back of the Lodging House. Now I just needed a quick way to sneak out. 

Jack would never let us out on our own with the Delanceys and Snyder out there, but I would risk it for Em. 

Anyways, we were all in the main room, sitting on various pieces of furniture, the floor and the hard sofa in the middle of the room. A few people were talking in amongst themselves and Race tried to start up a card game. But no one was interested... The Delanceys and Snyder had never actually come into the Lodging House before. Not fully anyways. They've come about 2 feet inside, but not run through chasing someone.

I didn't think anyone would notice if I left so I got up from where I sitting on the table. I made my way through the room to the door. A few people glanced my way but didn't do anything. As far as they were concerned, I was just going up to the dorm.

But I  was actually going up past the dorm and onto Jack's Penthouse. I looked over the city for a second. The sun was beginning to set and the smoke from chimney stacks was rising through the dying light. Davey and Mush were gonna go out to get her once it was dark, so I had to be quick...

I went and sat down with my feet over the edge of the railing. Then, I dropped down. Freefalling for a few seconds. I got a rush of adrenaline, then I landed on someone's roof, hard. I felt a jolt going up my left leg and I stumbled slightly. But that went as quickly as it came.

I made my way over the rooftops and through several washing lines. I reached the edge of the building and didn't look down this time. I launched myself into the air as the next building was both the one Em was on and about 2 feet higher than the one before.

I somehow managed to make it over and I quickly scrambled up. I stopped dead when I saw her standing on the edge of the building and not wanting to frighten her, I walked up near her and cleared my throat.

She jumped slightly, but recovered quickly when she realised it was only me.

Emmeline's POV

I got a shock when Elmer cleared his throat, but my head cleared when I realised there wasn't anyone else with him. I stayed where I was and he walked closer to me and sat down. I sat down with my feet over the edge of the building.

"Ya scared me Elmer..." I said, quietly. I wasn't good with any sort of surprise scares...

"Ha, yea...I just wanted to make sure that ya were alright...We all saw ya, standing on the edge. Ya looked like ya were gonna fall..." I nodded slowly.

"I felt like I was flying...for the first time, I felt like nothing I did in the past mattered and that no one could get to me..." I looked down. "I know it sounds stupid..."

Elmer's POV

"It felt like I was flying...for the first time, I felt like nothing I did in the past mattered and that no one could get to me..." I looked at her, smiling slightly. " I know it sounds stupid..."

"It ain't stupid at all...Ya've been through some terrifying shit and I know ya've never told me what they did to ya, but if ya ever need t--"

"I'll talk when I want to..." She turned her head off to the side away from me.

I looked at her and she turned her head back to me a bit. I gingerly put my hand on hers and her head snapped back to me, but she didn't move her hand away. 

"When ya were up there, ya looked happy! For once...Hell, it was a bit scary, but down there, looking up at ya...It...it..." I stuttered and steadied myself. I was so nervous about what I was going to so I took a deep breathe. Go for it Elmer, I told myself.

"It reminded me...why I love ya..."