Here it is. Where it all begins. One quick reminder: Jack = 9. Louis = 7. Mush = 6 1/2. Charlie = 5. And now you meet Ray (17) and Stargazer (16), my original characters. Enjoy! :)

It is a dark and stormy night.

In the Newsies Lodging House in Manhattan, newsies are counting their pay from the day, playing cards, just talking, or maybe sleeping.

In the main room of the lodging house, four young kids are on the floor, talking to the eldest newsie--their leader, with the owner of the lodge--Kloppman, in the back room not too far away. The kids are Jack, Louis, Mush, and Charlie. All have been here for different lengths of time, but are all really close to each other. The eldest newsie at age 17, Ray, looks after them fondly. He loves young kids. He claims he has no favorites, but he still has a soft spot for little Jack.

"Why can't we play outside?" Charlie asks Ray. 

"It's dark and rainy," Ray tells him. "We wouldn't want you to get sick."

Charlie crosses his arms and pouts. "I'm tough."

Mush pokes him. "No you're not."

"Hey!" Charlie yells.

Jack rolls his eyes.

"Inside voices, everyone," Ray warns them gently. "You wanna know why we're staying inside?"

All of them shake their heads and look up at Ray curiously. 

"It's a dark and stormy night," Ray tells them dramatically. "Night, see? We're all going to bed soon. But guess what else? It's dark and stormy outside. That means that outside, anything could be happening. It's not safe out there! It's best to stay inside. We have no clue what could be out there!"

Suddenly, there's a loud bang on the door. The young kids jump back, closer to Ray, who stands up now, on high alert.

"What is it, Ray?" Mush whispers fearfully.

"Shh." Louis holds Mush's hand. "It's okay. I can protect you!"

"How?"

"I'm older than you."

"Not by that much!"

"Six months IS a lot!"

"Shh," Ray silences their whisper back-and-forth. Jack reaches for Ray's hand. Ray squeezes it. 

Then, cautiously, he leaves the kids in a little huddle,  and walks toward the door. He presses his ear against the door. With his knuckles he gently taps on the door, once, twice, thrice, in a pattern that the kids can't quite catch and don't quite understand. Ray hears a response from the other side of the door. The exact one he was looking for.

He opens the door. 

And in that moment, the leader of the Manhattan newsies and the leader of the Brooklyn newsies, Stargazer, who is soaking wet in the pouring down rain, lock eyes.

And when Ray looks down at what Stargazer is holding, he is looking right at an infant sleeping in his lover's arms.

Ray looks back into Stargazer's eyes, searching for an answer.

"Let me explain," is all Stargazer says.

After Stargazer is dried and wrapped in a warm blanket, cuddling with Ray, with the sleeping child still in his arms, he begins to explain everything; with Jack, Louis, Mush, and Charlie's eyes still wide as moons since he first came in.

"I need you to look after him," Stargazer tells Ray. He looks at the young kids looking at him. "All of you."

Jack looks curiously at the bundle in the Brooklyn newsie's arms.

Stargazer turns back to Ray. "I know you love kids. And I know that this kid may be a little, or a lot, on the young side, but please. You are the best one to take him in."

"But why?" Ray asks. "I trust you and your judgement, but you have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know." With that, Stargazer pulls out a (still slightly damp) little snippet of what looks like a newspaper article and hands it to Ray. "Read that. I got another one for you when you're done."

Ray examines it closely.

"What's it say?" Charlie asks curiously.

November 1883

Antonio Edward Higgins, born November 1, 1883, to Edward and Letteria Higgins.

He reads it off to them.

"Where'd you get this?" Ray asks.

Stargazer shrugs. "A certain paper. One that has certain records."

Ray narrows his eyes, but doesn't question it. He'll have to ask about that later. "So this is little Antonio?"

Stargazer nods.

"So why are you bringing him here? What happened?"

Stargazer frowns and hands him another newspaper snippet, one that looks more traditional in Ray's eyes. One that he knows came from an actual newspaper.

A small soft "oh" escapes Ray's mouth when he finishes reading it.

May 1885

Edward and Letteria Higgins were in a burning building on May 13, 1885, along with many others, listed below. Only the Higgins' son, Antonio, survived the fire. He will be left in the care of Mrs. Higgin's parents, Giovanni and Mattia Bonoforte.

He doesn't read that out loud. He scans the rest of the names of those who died in the fire out of respect. It's awful. But he does ask, "So why isn't he with his grandparents?"

"Things ... happened. His grandparents trusted me. They said if anything happens to them, they'd trust me to take care of him."

"But why can't they take care of them?"

"Gone," Stargazer replies tersely.

"Oh no!"

"But not like that."

"Hm?"

He lowers his voice. "They were perfectly healthy. Old, but healthy. They could have easily have taken him in. And they did. For the first couple of weeks. But last night, they just ... disappeared."

"What? How? Where?" Ray asks in the same low murmur.

"I don't know. But them and me both knew about...Them. We couldn't tell each other exactly what we knew, but we knew. But They knew that they knew, so, bad things happened."

"Who is 'They', exactly?"

"I can't tell you. It's for your own good." Stargazer sighs. "And I don't know all of who. But I have an idea. And an idea of where his grandparents are. And if I find them, I promise I'll bring them back. To get to the point, I can't take care of him. I know, I know this is really young, and we both have work to do, but please. I need to stop this mess once and for all. I need to find where all those who have disappeared. And hopefully I won't disappear as well." Then Stargazer talks at a normal level again. "They need me, Ray. And Antonio needs you. Please, Raymond. At this rate, you're his last chance to survive."

Ray takes a deep breath in through his nose.

Everyone knows that when Stargazer refers to Ray as Raymond, he's serious.

Ray takes a minute to think about it. He looks around to Jack, Louis, Mush, and Charlie; then back to Stargazer, and little Antonio.

He nods. "Okay. I'll do it."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I know I'm asking a lot of you."

"I know you're asking a lot from me."

"You still think you can handle it? Kids this age are expensive."

"It'll be our next adventure, no?" Ray pecks Stargazer's cheek. Stargazer smiles, but looks away. 

Then he looks at the four kids on the floor. "You'll have to be little Antonio's big brothers. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Yes!" Louis and Mush exclaim together.

"It'll be great!" Charlie adds. "I always wanted a little brother!"

"What about you, Jack?" Ray asks. He can tell that Jack is thinking deeply.

"You can look after him, can't ya, Jack?" Stargazer asks him. "You know, you may have to have more responsibilities lookin' after him. But you can handle that. How old are you now, anyways?"

Jack squares his shoulders. He wants to impress the older newsie who he has known from afar, the one he knows has a closer-than-close connection with his role model, Ray. "I'm nearly ten." He actually only just turned nine. But saying he's almost ten isn't a lie, right?

"Well, if anyone asks you, say you're seven," Stargazer advises him. "You see, younger sells better."

That was not the advice Jack was expecting. Yet he still files it away for later. Stargazer is cool, charismatic, and the leader of Brooklyn. He's one of the smartest people Jack knows, so surely, he must be right.

"You're gonna look out for him, okay, Jack?" Stargazer says. Jack nods solemnly. He looks at sleeping Antonio. His new younger brother.

"We can all look out for him!" Louis cuts in.

"Yeah!" Charlie exclaims.

"He's so cute!" Mush adds. "who WOULDN'T want to look out for him?"

And so they all take a closer look at the 18-month-old child.

"What color are his eyes?" Ray asks.

"A beautiful deep brown," Stargazer answers. Then he looks up at Ray with his earnest electric blue eyes. "Just like yours."

"Oh, really? My eyes are beautiful?"

"Of course!" he leans in closer. "But yours aren't fully a deep brown. They look like that, but if you come closer, you see it's the inner iris that's brown, rimmed with green. Your eyes can't be labeled as just a single color. They are so, so beautiful."

"You know, so are your eyes."

Stargazer waves his hands dismissively. "Enough people talk about blue eyes. I know blue eyes are pretty. But I would never trade your eyes for blue ones. They're pretty just the way they are."

Ray squeezes Stargazer's hand. "Thanks, Theo."

Theo. Short for Theodore. Stargazer's real name. Only Ray can say it. And it's only said rarely.

Stargazer squeezes back. "Of course."

Then Ray thinks of something. "You have a younger cousin, right?"

"Yeah."

"How old is he?"

"He'll be two years old in the summer."

"Right. What's his name again?"

"Sean. Sean Patrick Conlon."

Ray smiles. "Maybe he and Antonio will be friends."

Stargazer smiles too. "That would be something to see, wouldn't it? The children raised by the leaders of the newsies from the best boroughs in New York being friends? They would be unstoppable."

They share a chuckle.

"Does he talk yet?" Charlie asks curiously, inadvertently subtly interrupting the pair's little moment.

Stargazer shrugs. "I don't know yet. I would visit him every now and then when he was still with his grandparents, but he's still too young to tell. Some kids his age have said their first word, others take longer. I wonder if he'll remember any of the Italian his family spoke to him."

"Italian?" Ray repeats, showing interest.

Stargazer nods. "Yeah. It's a really beautiful language. I heard Signora Bonforte singing a lullaby to Antonio once. It was one of the prettiest thing I've ever heard. And the culture and the food--even just the little things are amazing. It's warm and welcoming. Everyone is family."

"I wish I could teach him all about that. How much more do you know about his heritage?"

Stargazer shakes his head sadly. "Not as much as I would like to. The saddest part, though, is how Americans treat Italians."

"Ah. That's right."

"It just isn't fair. There hasn't been any reason for this much discrimination. All the immigrants coming into this nation want acceptance and a better home, instead of the sorry excuse for hospitality they're ending up with instead."

"If we raised him as if he were an American, would things be better?" Ray asks slowly. Neither of them like this though. "Because he was born in New York, right? He'll be fine if he has one less thing to worry about."

Stargazer sighs. "Only if it will protect him."

"Should we change his name too? Make it more American?" Ray suggests unenthusiastically.

Stargazer shakes his head vigorously. "I want him to keep something. Without his parents or his grandparents, everything and everyone he has is gone. I want something for him to hold on to, even if it's nothing but a name."

"I fully agree."

Stargazer sighs. "It's gonna be hard for him. Bein' a newsie is hard enough. He'll have no choice but to grow into that when he's older. And he ain't got anyone close to him to look after him."

"He'll have us to look after him," Mush pipes up.

"Yeah!" Louis and Charlie add enthusiastically.

"I'll always look out for him," Jack vows, never taking his eyes off Antonio.

"Good for you, Jack," Stargazer smiles. Jack feels warm inside from the praise. Then Stargazer realizes something. "What'll Kloppman think? When you're selling, he'll have to look after Antonio."

"Only one way to check," Ray replies smoothly. He stands up and calls Kloppman over. When Kloppman enters the room, he explains everything. "I know he can't pay for staying. I'll do that for him. And I know you were a little hesitant to let the really young 'uns stay, but please," Ray pleads.

The group waits in a few moments of anxious silence, anticipating the response they'll get.

Kloppman shakes his head and sighs. "Do you really think I would make you pay extra for letting him stay?"

Ray lets out a relieved little laugh. So do the others. "Thank you. I promise, I'll help him in every way possible. I need to make a livin', but when I'm not carryin' the banner, I'll do whatever I can to take care of him. Even when I have a true job when I'm older, I will always be there for him."

"Thank you, Kloppman!" the young kids chorus.

The older man just smiles at them and then goes back to what he was working on before.

Turning back around to the kids, grinning from ear to ear, Ray says, "Jack! Louis! Mush! Charlie! You heard Kloppman! You have a new younger brother! Go find all the others and tell 'em the good news!"

Louis, Mush, and Charlie scramble eagerly to go find the other newsies, but Jack walks more hesitantly.

Picking up that something is bothering Jack, Ray crouches down to be at his eye level, and asks softly, "what's up, Jack?"

"Is it okay if we don't tell him my old name?" Jack whispers nervously.

Ray smiles at him. "Of course, Jack. Who is Francis Sullivan? Not Antonio's older brother. Only Jack Kelly."

Jack grins with relief and hugs him. "Thanks, Ray."

Ray wraps his arms around Jack. "Of course."

Ray knows that Francis Sullivan is directly associated with Jack's old life that is gone now, one that he'd rather forget. He respects that. He knows that no newsie comes to the lodging house with a happy family story.

Then when Ray lets go, Jack scampers after the others.

I'm going to be a big brother, Jack thinks euphorically as he runs up the stairs. Yeah, Louis and Mush and Charlie are younger and I have to look after them. But Antonio...is different. He's really excited. What will his personality be like? Will he be fun? What will he think of the other newsies? I hope he likes me! I hope he'll love me as much as I already love him.

Back where Stargazer and Ray are, they exchange a glance that says everything. The love for each other, the longing to openly be together, the excitement of a new adventure starting, the sadness of how this is the world that Antonio is going to be forced to grow up in.

Ray moves in closer to Stargazer. "It's just us," he whispers, and kisses the leader of Brooklyn on the lips. It's soft and sweet, both of their eyes closed, it's perfect. "I love you."

"I love you too." Stargazer looks down at the sleeping child on his lap. "If only we could raise him together."

Ray sighs. "If only." 

For once, a true quiet moment.

Then Stargazer realizes how late it is. "I need to go back now." He moves Antonio so Ray is holding him and stands up. Ray stands up with him.

With a free hand, Ray touches Stargazer's arm.

"Ray." Stargazer bites his lip. "I couldn't say it in front of the kids, but I'm in something more deeper and dangerous than I thought."

Ray sighs. "I was afraid of that."

"His grandparents aren't the first to know that have disappeared, and they surely aren't the last. They aren't dead. I know that. I'm collecting information. I'm everywhere. I just...can't be found out."

Ray knows he can't change Stargazer's mind. "Just be careful, okay? You're only sixteen."

"Hey! I'll be seventeen in June."

"Yeah, but that's not now."

"Just because you'll be eighteen since June doesn't make you that much older than me."

"You have your life in front of you is what I'm saying. I want you alive when we're twice our age."

They go quiet for a moment.

"I don't know how this is going to turn out," Stargazer whispers.

"No matter what, I love you, and I will always be there for you, okay?" Ray kisses Stargazer on the cheek. "I promise. And I'll promise I will always be there for Antonio as well."

"That's all I need." And with that, Stargazer heads back toward the door.

"Do you think you're going to be in Antonio's life at all?" Ray asks.

Stargazer stops. "The less association with him I have, it's probably for the best. They have his grandparents. They know about him, and how close I am to him. Sure, I can be a part of his life, but the less he remembers me, the better." He turns around one last time as he opens the door. "Goodnight, Ray."

And with that, Stargazer closes the door and leaves, leaving Ray standing alone, with only the sound of rain and an 18-month-old child to keep him company.

So ... how was that?

It was a tad bit angstier at the end than I was expecting.

So now I've set up the main plot: Antonio is going to be raised by the newsies, and there is a conspiracy going on.

I love comments! I don't care what you comment on, but if you think this is intriguing and/or unique, let me know!

And by the way, for all of you who read this but don't have accounts or verified accounts and actually can't vote or comment, I see you too. That was where I was for a little over a year. I appreciate you reading this nonetheless though! :)

As long as all of you like this story enough to read to the next page, that's enough for me.

This turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it was going to be.

For a heads up, how chapters are going to work in the future will be Chapter # | Title | Current Race age. The age is going to help everyone, especially me.

That opening sentence? So what if I like A Wrinkle In Time (and the rest of the series) by Madeleine L'Engle a lot?

I didn't mean to vent as much as I did for the part where Stargazer and Ray talk about Race/Antonio's Italian heritage and they feel bad about keeping it from him but it really isn't the best time for people like him, because my great-grandfather's family went through what I can only guess was the same thing when they immigrated from Sicily. And the newsies can't teach him about a heritage and culture and language that they don't know much about. I think I've made it obvious (not only in this story) that exploring Race's Italian ancestry is important to me.

Speaking of Stargazer/Theo(dore) and Ray(mond), what do you think of them? I honestly really really like them. I need to remind myself that you all are just seeing them for the first time while I've gotten to know them ever since I started writing this story. I needed someone to be the current leader of the Manhattan newsies, Ray, who loves children, and Stargazer, the current leader of the Brooklyn newsies, who knows about all the hidden things going on. And they're in love. 

Young Jack, Louis, Mush, and Charlie are wholesome. I hope I hinted at future Blush enough.

The reason why I wanted to keep Mush Mush instead of having a pre-nickname character is because I didn't necessarily know how I was going to make him get his nickname. The real Mush Meyers was called Mush because he was known for kissing girls in a ... "mushy" way or something like that and then there's me who's like "yucky" so I wanted a different reason. Then I found some interview with Aaron Lohr saying that Kenny Ortega wanted his newsie name to be "Mush" because his complexion was the color of oatmeal and I liked that a whole ton better. So Mush, from a young age, was Mush because his complexion is the color of oatmeal. There you have it.

Fun fact: oats have been around since 2000 BCE in Egypt's 12 Dynasty, and the Quaker Oats cereal became a thing in 1877 and started becoming really popular in 1885.

WHILE WE'RE STILL TALKING ABOUT AARON LOHR RECENTLY I FOUND OUT THAT HE'S MARRIED TO IDINA MENZEL I REPEAT MUSH MARRIED ELSA

The real Racetrack Higgins actually did live with his grandparents, so I wanted to keep the element of "he would have gone to live with his grandparents...but since that can't happen, he's here."

I'm going to be releasing a bunch of chapters at once, so this is not the last you've heard of me for now. :)

Please, no homophobia, profanities, hate etc in the comment section at any time.

Best,

~Your Beloved Author (who has chosen very interesting hours to write this story)