Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Recently renamed after the newspaper giant that donated to the school, Pulitzer Academy liked to pride itself in taking in students from all walks of life. They also loved to assure people that they in no way gave favouritism to those of a higher social class (even if it was true). Though, their many focus was their claim in being a ‘normal school’

Within the last generation there had been a burst in unique children; children born with abilities no one could even begin to comprehend. A new generation that posed a threat to the old values. A threat that many wanted to be ‘contained’. So many were separated and sent to private schools where their abilities could be monitored and controlled. Yet it caused overwhelming fear mongering. People demanded all powered individuals be separated from the rest of society. Parents feared for the safety of their children and the terrifying possibility of them being different. All in all, it caused a large social divide.

Pulitzer Academy promised a normal experience to all its students. It denied entry to any and all powered individuals. It advertised as a safe space for the ‘correct’ members of society. A place to be praised. A place where no real powered children could avoid their radar, right?

Chapter Text

Antonio Higgins had always had abilities. They had realised that at a young age when they had first been taken to Sheepshead by his father - a place that would eventually grant them the nickname Racetrack. Whilst there, they had heard the most unusual of sounds. It sounded like utter gibberish and was what Race would later refer to as ‘Horsish’. They could read the thoughts of animals. Unfortunately, none of those thoughts were in a language Race could understand. It was perhaps the most useless ability in the world which was why they had never told a soul about it. At least, they had never told any adult.

Racetrack had been attending Pulitzer Academy for years. A boarding school which their parents hoped would give them a better life and perhaps free them of their ‘delusions’ about gender. Race loved their parents. They just wished they could be a little more accepting. That wasn’t to say Pulitzer Academy didn’t have its perks. Far from it. It hadn’t taken long for Race to realise they weren’t the only one with...abilities. He, all three of their roommates had them too! Albert could breath underwater but was also somehow the world’s worst swimmer. Barney could understand practically every language when people spoke to him but he could not read, write, nor speak it. Then came Kid Blink. Honestly, no one was entirely sure what his abilities were. Other than that he had a somewhat ethereal energy and a habit of carrying around the monstrosity that was Frank, his long furby (and also their dorm mascot). That was only counting Race’s dorm mates. Each ‘house’ of dorm rooms was named after a borough of New York and Race had the honour of being Manhattan. They had quickly noticed a lot of Manhattan had abilities too. So did most of Brooklyn. All in all, it was reassuring to know they weren’t alone.

They were all pretty good at keeping their abilities secret and attempting to cover for those who couldn’t. Race’s dorm mates seemed to specialise in that. They had never been caught out. That was, of course, until Barney Peanuts screwed up. Race hadn’t been there when it happened. They had only heard about it second hand from their younger brother, Romeo. Supposed there had been an Italian exchange student being shown around the school grounds. After bumping in to Barney accidentally, she was quick to apologise to him instinctively in her native language and he responded back almost instantly. Barney had never had a single Italian lesson in his life. Race knew that for certain. He always complained about his inability to speak foreign languages. Though, being able to understand them all had never truly made it that much of a problem.

No one had seen Barney after that. A teacher had simply come and whisked him away to who knows where. No one had dared ask where or why. By the time his trio of roommates had made it back to his dorm room, it had been stripped of each and every one of Barney’s positions all the way down to his bed sheets. Every trace of him was gone. Not a single spec of him remained. If it wasn’t for the few group photos they had pinned to the room’s notice board then it would have been hard to believe Barney Peanuts had ever lived there before. It would have been easy to believe he was just a name with no association to the three remaining roommates. Of course, the next logical response had been for the three of them to attempt to text and call him. Yet all three got the same response. ‘The number you are calling has been disconnected.’ That very quickly cemented a paranoia in all their minds. Something had happened to Barney Peanuts. Something terrible.

None of them dared to speak for a few moments, simply glancing around each other. “M-Maybe this a joke, right? Some ridiculous prank Barney’s pulling on us. Nothing bad at all.” Even before they had started speaking, Race knew it was bull. They knew they weren’t even fooling themself with their suggestions. Even if Barney had set up a prank, he would have never gone to this extent. He would have never tried to scare them this much.

“...Maybe his parents took him out of school? They travel a lot so maybe they just wanted to be closer to him?” Albert supplied as he paced through the room.

Blink snorted, setting Frank down gently on Barney’s now empty bunk. It felt wrong to see something so still and soulless on the bed that had once belonged to perhaps the most upbeat person Race had known. “Who are you two trying to fool? Barn’s parents sent him here so he didn’t have to be raised in a circus. Besides, that doesn’t explain why his phone’s disconnected.” Race watched as his single eye seemed to stare right from them - as if somehow searching every crevice of the room. “...Al, what’s that beneath your pillow?”

Both Racetrack and Albert gave an odd look at that. There was nothing visible under Albert’s pillow? Still, said boy moved it out of the way and stared in shock at the note underneath. Barney’s chicken scratch handwriting was unmistakable on the scrap of paper. “Don’t let them find you too.” He read aloud before taking a deep breath. “Oh fuck.”

“For once, I think that’s an understatement.” Race whispered. This wasn’t real. They had all worked so hard to keep everything secret. This couldn’t be happening. Barney couldn’t suddenly be missing just for the smallest possibility he had powers. They all thought they were being carefully; they were staying heading. Yet maybe...maybe they had been wrong. Maybe it been obvious this entire time but there were just those looking to catch them out. Maybe their lucky had just finally run out.

It seemed perhaps the Academy wasn’t as oblivious as they had first thought. After all, who the hell would want to hurt Barney Peanuts?

Chapter Text

The common room at Brooklyn House was chaos. Voices overlapped as yelling and arguing echoed off of the walls in what could only be described as absolute pandemonium. It had been the idea of one of eldest boys, Jack, in Manhattan House to hold a meeting with all the powered kids they knew they could trust. They were all at risk and they needed to look out for each other now more than ever. Brooklyn House had been chosen simply because the students there were known for being rowdy- even staff did their best to avoid it. It was the safest place to talk. Every single person in the room was terrified. Though some were unwilling to admit it.

“Enough!” A new voice was added to the fray and it was more than enough to silence everyone else in the room. Spot Conlon had entered the fray and no one argued with Spot Conlon. He had long since been established as the unofficial leader of Brooklyn and in all honesty, he was the cutest boy Race had ever seen. Not that Race would ever say that publicly - they didn’t have a death wish. No, those words were saved for when the two were hidden away together exchanging stolen kisses and infinite ‘I love you’s. Almost everyone knew about their relationship but Spot had never been big on PDA. Race respected that. Race respected everything about him, actually. Even his powers - whilst underwhelming - were enough to impress. Spot essentially had built in knuckledusters. His knuckles and only his knuckles were all but indestructible. Which mean that when he threw a punch, it hurt like hell. Though, the rest of him was very much vulnerable. “If we were here to squabble and scrap, I’d send you all outside. But for once, it seems like Kelly’s got something important to say.”

The look Jack gave Spot as he rose to speak was very much one of disdain. There had always been a tension between the two. Race didn’t exactly know why and they had never bothered to ask. It wasn’t their business so why would they? Both Spot and Jack could fight their own battles. “Look, we’ll all know what happened to Barney,” Jack began, pausing at the small shouts of outcry at the mention of Barney’s name, “And we can all pretty much guess why. If they were able to work out exactly what he was from a simple apology then we’re all at risk. Even the smallest slip up and we’re practically screwed.” That kept everyone quiet as the tension in the room grew by the second. “I-I don’t know how we deal with whatever this is but we deal with it together, alright? We look out for each other.”

“So you want us to form some sort of secret superpower club or something?” Someone spoke up. Race was fairly certain his name was David. They didn’t know him overly well excluding passing him in the hall a few time. The closest they knew to anything about his powers was apparently he was insanely good at maths and probably the most logical out of the lot of them. “Like that’ll solve all our problems?”

Jack just smirked. “You heard Davey! It seems we have our own secret society!” Race watched in amusement as Davey went to speak before being drowned out by the multiple voices beginning to chatter around him. “All we need know is a name.” The room came alive with suggestions.

“What about the Losers Club?” came the voice of Specs, their resident bookworm and human dictionary. A slight hopefulness filled his voice only to be quickly diminished.

“What is this? A Stephen King novel?” It was Albert who spoke up this time. “What about the ‘Society to protect powered students’? It gets right to the point!”

Now Race themself spoke up. “Like that’s even remotely subtle, Al. We might as well wear badges saying ‘Look at me! I have superpowers!” They snorted.

“...Newsies.” A voice came from the back of the room. The room became silent as all eyes fell on its owner. Romeo. Race couldn’t help but smile as they watched their little brother. “We were learning about the newsboy strike in history. They were just fighting for their rights and what they believed in, right? Like we are and the name isn’t that bad. Maybe they’ll just think we’re history nerds?” Romeo’s abilities may have been to charm people for brief periods of time but he didn’t need that charm as he spoke. Everyone seemed to be in agreement.

Albert smirked. “At least we know who got all the brains in the family. Right, Race?” The jab had been expected and held no bite.

“Still twice as many brain cells as you.” Race rolled their eyes, nudging their best friend lightly.

Spot cleared his throat, drawing all attention back to him. “So it’s settled then? We’re Newsies now. We all look out for each other or face the consequences.” He made his hands in to fists as if to emphasise his point. No one wanted to get on Spot’s bad side. Race least of all.

The meeting quickly died down after that, leaving only five students in the room. Jack, David, Spot, and his friend, Hot Shot had all waited around along with Race. Each and every one of them both looked and felt tense. After so long, they had all deluded themselves into thinking they were safe. They had gone this long without detection. Surely...surely they were supposed to be fine. But this finally raised the question; Had the academy known all along?

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Hot Shot spoke up. “So, what do we do now? It’s all fine and dandy that we formed a fucking student group but how the hell is that supposed to help any of us?”

“It gives us a better chance of looking out for each other.” Jack was quick to defend the idea, glancing around the small group. “Because right now, these are the only people we can remotely trust. We all know it’s bullshit that they caught Barney out on an apology of all things! Whatever this is...This isn’t the beginning of it.” He seemed certain of his answer and the other four seemed to agree.

Race pursed their lips. “What about Barney? We can’t just...leave him to wherever they took him! We can’t just abandon him like he’s no one!” Desperation filled their voice. “He deserves better than that!”

“Racer...” With a gentleness no one expected of him, Spot Conlon rested a hand on his boyfriend’s arm. “What do you want us to do? Go tearing into Snyder’s office and demand to know what happened? Right now, there’s nothing we can do for him other than pretend things are fine.” Race pulled their hand back as if they had been burned, giving Spot a look of almost betrayal.

Jack seemed to think for a few moments. “Both of you are right. We’re gunna help him. I just don’t know have a clue how yet.”

“And who put you in charge, Kelly? Apart from your little boyfriend over there?” Spot gave a vague gesture to Davey. “Who decided you were the best leader here?”

“Because when people listen to him, they’re not scared or intimidated by him. Not offence, Spot, but you don’t always come off as the calmest person.” Davey reasoned. “And he’s not my boyfriend!” A brief emotion flickered across Jack’s face but it was too fast for Race to deduce exactly what it was.

“Fine. Just...Don’t screw this up, Kelly. That’s the last thing we need.”

Racetrack didn’t go back to their dorm that night. No, instead they found themself curled up on Spot Conlon’s bed with his arms wrapped tightly around them. Spot’s roommates had ‘mysteriously’ found somewhere else to sleep for the night. It was just the two of them alone. After everything that had happened, it felt like a safety net protecting Race from what felt like the nightmare world outside. So they buried their face into their boyfriend’s shoulder, desperately giving in to the comfort he gave them. “...I’m scared.” Race whispered to him.

“So am I.” Spot admitted. He allowed himself to be vulnerable around Race; open. It was one of the things they loved about him. “But no one is going to hurt you, ‘tonio. I promise you that. Ain’t a single person that could stop me if they ever tried to hurt you.” The sincerity made Race smile.

They stared up at him with wide eyes. “...You know I’d do the same for you, right? I’d do anything and everything to keep you safe. You mean so, so much to me.” Race felt Spot tighten his arms around them at that. “I love you.”

It was then that a crooked and half-hearted grin formed on Spot’s face. “Love you too, Racer.” He promised. “Just...Try to get some sleep. Tomorrow, there’s going to be hell to pay.”

It was mere minutes later that the two boys fell asleep, curled up in each other’s arms and dreaming of a world they would be safer.

The couple’s blissful sleep was awoken the next day by the sounds of chaos. Arguing could be heard from downstairs and someone was banging wildly on Spot’s door. With a disgruntled groan and great reluctance, said boy dragged himself away from Race and stumbled towards the door. He yanked it open and stared at the person behind it with a disgruntled look. “Queenie, what the fuck?” He didn’t get much further before Queenie grabbed his arm and practically dragged him from the room.

Race sighed as they sat up. It looked like there really had been hell to pay. There were only three things they really knew about Queenie Splits. They were a twin, they were mute, and they’d beat the crap out of you if you ever called them Charlotte. Slowly and cautiously, Race made their way downstairs to try and work out the cause of the commotion.

It was when they reached the bottom of the stairs did Race realise why Queenie had grabbed Spot so urgently. Katherine Pulitzer was standing in the middle of the Brooklyn common room and staring directly at Spot. After a few moments, she spoke up. “I want to help.” All hell broke loose.

Chapter Text

Even Racetrack was skeptical when Katherine Pulitzer announced she wanted to help them. Her father funded the academy amongst other organisations to get rid of people like them. Her father had funded whatever had happened to Barney. So why would she go against him to help them? “...I’m like all of you.” That...hadn’t been what any of them had expected.

“Bullshit!” Hot Shot snorted, taking a step towards her with a dark look in his eyes. “Your father causes hell for people like us. You really expect us to believe that he’d let one of us walk around in public? You think we’re that stupid.”

“Can it!” Then there was Spot standing with a neutral expression on his face. For a brief moment, he glanced at Race as if checking to see if they were okay. Then he approached Katherine slowly. “If you’re like us then what’s your ability? What makes you different?” He arched an eyebrow at that. Whilst his voice wasn’t agressive, it lacked patience.

Katherine hesitated at that, looking around the room anxiously. Every single person was watching her. “...I can replica writing styles in signatures. I only have to see it once to be able to forge it. It’s something to do with my memory...” A few people seemed to hesitate at that. It didn’t seem too outlandish and was plausible.

Before anyone else could respond, Spot spoke up. “Come back here tonight and prove it. I’ll drag Kelly here too. Get his input.” He folded his arms. “But screw us over, Pulitzer....”

“Plumber. I...I don’t use Pulitzer.” She corrected quickly. “I’ll be here. You can trust me.”

“We’ll see about that.”

After many goodbye kisses with Spot, Racetrack reluctantly returned to their own dorm room. Inside they were met by a smirking Albert and Blink. Race tried not to pay attention to how Blink had Frank wrapped around his shoulders like a scarf. “All we did was cuddle.” They answered before their friends could even ask the question.

Albert groaned at that, pouting slightly. “Sure, ‘cuddling’.” He teased, ducking when Race threw a pillow at his head. “But probably for the best. It was real...weird staying here last night.”

“Like something was missing. I kept looking down at the bunk below me expecting him to be there and he just...wasn’t.” Blink sighed, petting his furby gently. “It feels...wrong that he’s not here. Like something’s missing.” None of them could deny that.

“...We’ll find him. Somehow. We have to.” Race whispered before sighing. “Now move. I gotta get changed before Snyder busts my head for walking around out of uniform.”

Albert and Blink gave a half-hearted chuckle at that but it felt like something was missing. Someone was missing.

Class was...unusual that day. Barney had become an unspeakable topic. No one dared mention him or what had happened. There was tension so thick in the air that you could slice through it like butter. Of course, everyone had their own theories about what had happened and if you listened carefully then you could hear rumours and speculation. Racetrack didn’t want to listen. All they knew was that their friend was missing and they had no way of finding him.

So they smiled. They put on the act of being Antonio the friendly student who was in no way terrified. Everything was fine. Nothing was wrong. It was just another usual day. If anything, they found themself paying more attention to their classes and their teachers than ever before; watching their movements for any sign that they knew. Perhaps it was paranoia but Race couldn’t deny it was justified.

There was just something...missing everywhere. No one chattered or talked lightheartedly between classes. Everyone behaved. There was no one sitting in the chair next to Race or swinging his arm over their shoulders and joking around. The day felt empty and hollow. It lacked any form of substance. Just a normal and unexciting day. Then Race saw something very curious. Their dear brother was leaning against the wall talking to a very pretty girl. He seemed beyond flustered. Now, this was entertaining. Race waited for the girl to leave before slinking over towards Romeo. “What have I told you about using your charm to flirt?” They whispered quietly to him, pulling him in to a light hug. “Especially today.”

“I-I wouldn’t!” Romeo was quick to insist, looking positively horrified at the thought. “Not...not to Smalls. She’s sweet and fun and actually enjoys spending time with me.” Race watched his face light up as he spoke. They knew that look. It was the look they got when they talked about Spot. It seemed Romeo was living up to his name. “S-She’s in Bronx House. I know we don’t really interact with them but she’s really nice!” He continued to insist.

Race chuckled at that, hitting him upside the head playfully. “I ain’t gunna scold you for having a crush, Ro’. It’s adorable actually.” They smirked. “Just be careful, alright? The last thing I want to do is lose you.”

“Shut it, Racer.” Romeo shoved them playfully, giving a brief smile. “And I’ll be careful as long as you do the same, alright? Where would I be without my idiotic big brother?”

Race gaped at him. “Who you calling idiotic, dumbass?” They whined. “We both know I’m the smart one here.” They pouted when Romeo just laughed. Then very abruptly Romeo went quiet. Slowly pulling back from their hug, Race followed their brother’s gaze to the end of the now silent hallway. Oh shit.

Walking down the hallway were two faces Racetrack had not wanted to see. Oscar and Morris Delancey. Their uncle was the school janitor which seemed to have solidified their scholarship. All in all, they were cold and cruel. Race was fairly certain they didn’t know a single person who hadn’t be harassed by them. Oscar was always the worst with Morris simply following his brother’s lead. That was why Race was very much alert to the fact they were heading over to them and Romeo. Impulsively, Race moved to stand in front of their brother - as if they could somehow protect him.

“Relax, Higgins.” As always, it was Oscar that spoke first. “We ain’t here to harass little Juliet.” Race tensed up. “Snyder wants to see you.” An ex-prison warden, Snyder was the principle at Pulitzer Academy and there wasn’t a single student there that wasn’t terrified of him. He was cold, cruel, and had no love for children. He was everything a teacher shouldn’t be.

Racetrack swallowed nervously, glancing between the two brothers. “And what could Snyder possibly want to talk to me about? I’ve kept out of trouble.”

“We think you know exactly what.” Morris said. It seemed he’d found his confidence with Oscar besides him. He took a step closer to Race. “He asked us to make sure you got there.”

Race could see Romeo about to protest and silenced him with a single look. They took a deep breath. “Fine. But I ain’t got a clue what you’re on about.” With that, the Delanceys began to lead Race to Snyder’s office and Race pretended not to be terrified.

Chapter Text

The worst part about sitting in Snyder’s office was the waiting. Race had been alone when they were sent inside. It very much felt like someone waiting for the guillotine to drop at any second but not have even a fraction of a clue as to when that second was. Desperate to calm their growing panic, they glanced around the room and took it whatever they could. Snyder’s office wasn’t anything like an evil villain’s lair. It was...ordinary and in a way, that made it feel so much worse. There were filing cabinets around the room and a bookshelf. Behind the desk was a large expensive black leather chair. Even when Snyder wasn’t sitting therl, it was enough to intimidate Racetrack. That was when they noticed something on the desk. A file with a name at the top and a classified stamp in big letters across the front. They felt their blood run cold when they saw the name at the top. ‘B. Peanuts’. Before Race could reach over and look at the file, they heard the door begin to open. They quickly sat back and sat up straight in the chair.

Snyder was slow as he made his way to sit down - like a predator stalking its prey. He was impossibly calm as he moved to sit down, making eye contact with Race and refusing to break it. He didn’t even look away as he moved to slide Barney’s file in to the top draw of his desk. “Mr Higgins, it seems we have a lot to talk about.” The way a smile crept on to his face terrified Race. It was beyond sinister. “You’re a smart boy. So why don’t you tell me about the latest...occurrence.” The way he said boy was a clear jab at Race’s gender; a test to see if he could get a rise out of them.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Racetrack tried desperately to keep their expression neutral and not give anything away. “The only thing odd recently has been Barney leaving but we all just assumed his parents had pulled him out.” They shrugged, unable to look away from him and pleading to Gods they knew they didn’t believe him for Snyder not to realise it was a lie.

He chuckled. The sound was the worst thing Race had ever heard. Most laughs held joy or amusement but Snyder’s laugh was entirely hollow and empty. “Interesting. Your roommates said the same thing.” Race silently thanked both Albert and Blink for attempting to be logical for once. “Are you sure there was nothing strange about Barney Peanuts? Nothing at all?” The way he pressed Race made them realise he knew. He knew they knew about Barney. Or at least, he suspected. Race knew there would be hell to pay if they said yes. So they continued with their lying.

“No, sir. Barney seemed fine.” Race assured him, watching as a scowl formed on Snyder’s face. “Though, there was one thing...” The man leaned forward at that. “He did have this thing where he would hang upside down off of the top bunk.”

Snyder’s expression grew frightening. “Do you think this is a game, Mr Higgins? Because I can assure you that I’m in no mood to play.” Race shrank back in to their chair. “That’s all for now. I think we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

Racetrack left his office as soon as they possibly could. Once outside, they could feel the panic building up inside of them. Snyder knew. They were certain of it. Or at least, he was starting to look in to them. Race squeezed their eyes shut as they rested against the wall. “...Fuck.”

“Racer...?” Their eyes snapped open as they looked for the owner of the voice. Jack Kelly. “Romeo asked me to find you. You good?” He seemed to hesitate before resting a hand on their arm.

“No.” Race whispered, staring up at the older boy. “I-I’m really not.” They hesitated for a few moments. “They...they did something to Barney.” Race hated the way their voice cracked at that. Then there was a pair of arms wrapped around him. Race didn’t hesitate before returning the hug. They didn’t know Jack that well but there was something comforting in the hug; something safe.

“We’ll figure it out.” Jack murmured softly to him. “I promise you that we’ll find him.” Though, even Jack didn’t sound certain of his own words.

After that, Jack had taken Race back to his own dorm room. They couldn’t help but look around it with pure curiosity. Almost all they knew about Jack and his roommates were the three names listed on the door; Jack, David, and Crutchie (written above a crossed out Charlie). They knew bits and pieces about each of them but they never had really been close. Though, Race was starting to see why everyone liked Jack. There was something calming about him. He barely knew Race yet he’d still come to check on them. The why was still a mystery to them. Almost everything that had happened felt like a mystery.

“...You got your brother real worked up being dragged off to Snyder like that.” Jack spoke softly, pacing around the room. “You even got me a little worked up when he told me about it.” That threw Race off.

“Why? You barely know me?” Their eyebrows furrowed in confusion at that. What had they done to somehow warrant Jack’s concern.

He offered them a shrug. “You’s one of us. If we don’t look out for each other, who will? ‘sides, you don’t seem that bad.” Jack ruffled their hair at that, causing Race to let out a half-hearted laugh. “...But what happened in there, Racer? You looked terrified.” His voice held nothing but genuine concern, giving off no reason not to trust him.

That was when Race remembered his abilities. Jack Kelly was an empath. Even if his abilities to manipulate emotions were limited, Race was very much thankful for the calm mood he provided. It was the only thing stopping them going in to full panic mode. “...I think Snyder suspects about the rest of us. The way he was watching me...He knows something, Jack! Something awful.” They whispered, ducking their head down. “There was a file on his desk. It had Barney’s name on it.”

Jack paused his pacing at that, moving to sit next to Race. The calming aura he had been projecting dimmed as worry set in. “...He got files on all of us. That ain’t nothin’ new, Racer, but maybe...maybe there’s something in Barney’s file?”

“Not like we’ll ever know. We can’t exactly just walk in to Snyder’s office.” They snorted. “Besides, we got bigger things to worry about.”

“You mean Kathy?” Jack clarified before sighing, rubbing at his forehead. “Conlon told me about her. We’re meeting with her tonight to try and figure things out.”

Race nodded slowly at that. “I swear things just keep getting more and more confusing.”

He snorted at that, giving Race a fond look. “I think that might be the understatement of the century.” He let out a brief laugh. “I guess this is just the last thing any of us expected to happen.”

“It’s always been the worst case scenario for all of us.” Race said with a sigh. “It always will be.”

Deliberating whether they should even consider trusting Katherine felt more like a trial than a discussion. Accusations were thrown around left, right, and centre. Everything from the prospect she was bluffing to that she was sent to spy by her father. Voices swarmed over each other, giving said girl very little chance to defend herself. Race had chosen to remain silent and just watch. Eventually, Jack cleared his throat to gain everyone’s attention. “Rather than making this a witch trial, why don’t we just hear her out?” 

“Thank you.” Katherine said with a brief smile. Though the smile quickly disappeared as she glanced around the room. “Look, I...I know who my father is and what he thinks about people like us. God, I know how long I’ve had to hide it.” She wrapped an arm around herself tightly. “But I’ve never been able to meet people like me or help them. Not with my father being the way he is. I...I just want to help.”

“...Prove it.” Blink spoke up with an almost unnervingly neutral face. Frank rested on his shoulders. “Prove you’re like us and not just bluffing.”

“I-I can copy any handwriting or signature I see perfectly. It’s the most I’ve practiced things before. I don’t know how far it can go.” She answered softly.

After brief conferring, a few quick handwriting samples were scribbled down - Queenie, Davey, and Albert - were given to Katherine. Sure enough, Race watched as she copied each and every one of them perfectly.

Hot Shot sighed. “....You’re on thin ice, Plumber.” He warned.

Jack pat her on the back. “Welcome to the Newsies.”

Chapter Text

Waiting can feel like an eternity. Particularly when you don’t know what exactly you’re waiting for. You just know something is coming and have to wait for whatever that something was. It was waiting that gave Racetrack an overwhelming amount of uneasiness. It had been five days and still no one had any plan or idea on how to help Barney. The closest they had was the note that had been left on Albert’s pillow. As selfish as it could seem, the note had been kept a secret between Albert, Race, and Blink. It was personal and there were too many ‘Newsies’ involved. Too many chances for it to get in to the wrong hands. Especially with the addition of Katherine Plumber to the group. That still wasn’t something Race was happy about. Not in the slightest.

The note had been bothering them a lot. ‘Don’t let them find you too’. If Barney had been grabbed in the hallway, how had he been unable to go back and leave a note? Unless...Unless the attack was premeditated. Barney Peanuts had known he was going to go missing and that thought terrified Race. It terrified them dearly. It had been plaguing their mind for a while now. So much so that it was all they could think about as they wandered the halls between class. That was, of course, until a younger brother shaped projectile rammed in to their side.

“Racer!” Romeo sounded positively ecstatic as he tightly grabbed on to his older sibling. “You’ll never guess what happened!” The grin on his face was the widest Racetrack had ever seen it. He looked positively overjoyed.

A quiet groan escaped Race as they rubbed at their side before moving to ruffle Romeo’s hair. “Snyder kicked the bucket and school’s cancelled for the rest of the year?” They joked.

“Even better!” Romeo insisted almost instantly. Race raised their eyebrows in response. “I still can’t believe it happened and I’m fairly certain I’m dreaming but Smalls asked me on a date!” If it were even possible, his grin grew wider.

“That so?” A quiet chuckle escaped Race, very much enjoying seeing their brother so animated. “You know these means I need to have a ‘talk’ with her and warn her what happens if she breaks your heart, right?”

Romeo pouted at that, nudging them harshly. “Racer!” He whined. “I really like this girl.” He admitted. “...She’s like us too.” He whispered the last part, glancing around briefly for anyone who could possibly listening in. “She’s different.”

Race sighed, rubbing at the gap between their eyebrows. “...Fine.” They reluctantly relented. “But I’ll kick her ass if she ever breaks your heart.” They warned. “You can tell me about her being...different later.”

“You’re the best, Racer!” Romeo declared, giving his sibling a tight hug before scampering off.

Race shook their head fondly. They were happy for Romeo. It was nice to see at least one person managing to be positive. Race barely had time to think on it further before they felt arms being slung over their shoulders. Albert and Blink. “He’s clearly the cute one in the family. Dunno how he’s related to your ugly mug.” Blink was quick to tease. Unsurprisingly, his long furby was secured around his neck like a scarf.

“Yeah, Racer.” Albert smirked slightly. “You’re almost cute if I squint, though.”

Race hit them both upside the head. “Idiots. The pair of you.” They snorted, falling in to place as the trio walked together.

“We aren’t idiots if it’s true.” Race just rolled their eyes as they headed in to their next class.

As always the trio headed back to the dorms together after class, joking and laughing the entire way. Though, the absence of Barney was still felt. It just felt...off. Still, they all did their best to try and act normal. They had to. Things were relatively calm in their dorm room with Race initiating a game of cards. They had been winning until a knock on the door interrupted the game. “It’s open.” Race hollered out from where they were sitting on the floor.

Slowly the door crept open as a boy on crutches made his way inside. Race never really knew Charlie - nicknamed Crutchie by pretty much everyone - well but he’d always seemed decent enough. Especially as he always made an effort to be nice to Romeo. That definitely helped to put him in Race’s good books. “I hope I’m not interrupting?” He glanced between them. “But Jack’s been looking for you, Racer. He wanted to know if you could stop by our dorm later?”

“Uh...Sure, I guess?” Racetrack shrugged, rubbing at the back of their neck. They glanced at Albert and Blink before speaking up again. “You know how to play cards? We could always use a fourth player?”

Crutchie seemed to hesitate that. “I don’t really know how to play and I don’t have anything to bet with...”

“We’ll teach you.” Blink chimed in. “We usually play with sweets or whatever we have laying around in abundance. I’m sure Race won’t mind giving you some of their’s since they always manage to wipe everyone else out.” He gave Race a fake glare at that and they responded with a wide grin.

“...I guess it wouldn’t hurt to play.” Crutchie moved to sit down on Race’s bunk. As it turned out, he was incredible at cards and wiped the other three out with ease. He wasn’t Barney. Of course, he wasn’t. But Race couldn’t help but think it was nice to have a fourth person around. It felt more natural than just being a trio.

The card game went on for hours and ended with a promise to invite Crutchie to join their next game. Eventually, he had to head back to his own dorm with Race trailing after him. The sight that greeted them inside was...curious to say the least. Jack, Davey, and Katherine were inside talking. More specifically, Jack and Katherine were talking and joking with Davey very clearly pining and offering the occasionally comment. Though, which one he was pining over, Race wasn’t sure. Maybe both? Actually, it was definitely both.

The second Jack saw them, his face seemed to light up as he got to his feet. “Charlie!” He was quick to swing an arm around the other boy’s shoulders, grinning widely. “We were worried you got lost.” He joked.

Race couldn’t help but smile as they watched them. “Nah, we just decided to start teaching Crutchie the fine art of gambling.” They laughed. “He wiped the floor with us.”

Jack laughed lightly. “Maybe You ain’t as good as cards as people say you are, Racer.” He laughed even more before gesturing to them to sit down. “We think we have a plan on how to look in to what happened with Barney. Blink told me about the note and what you saw in Snyder’s office. So we came up with a plan. Well, it’s Davey’s plan actually.” He smiled fondly as he gestured to the other boy.

Davey’s face flushed red at that. “It was all three of us really.” He quickly tried to downplay his own part in the plan. “But there’s files on Barney in Snyder’s office, right? Maybe they contain something, right?”

“Right but it ain’t exactly like we can just stroll in to his office and just take the file. Ain’t no way we’ll get in to his office unnoticed.” Race pointed out, rolling their eyes as they did. So far, the prospect sounded risky and pointless.

Davey huffed. “If you’d let me finish then you’d actually know what we’re planning to do.” He deadpanned, ignoring how Race rolled their eyes in response. “Look, Katherine’s father is essentially Snyder’s boss so she’s going to try to keep him busy for as long as she can. Jack’s offered to keep Oscar and Morris...distracted long enough for someone to get in and out.” Disapproval filled his voice at the mention of Jack’s contribution to the plan. It didn’t take long for Race to work out why.

“So Kathy’s going to have a chat with Snyder and Jack’s gunna throw hands with the Delancey brothers.” Race summarised. “Why do you need me?”

Jack spoke up at that. “Conlon talks about you a lot. Said you’re real good with slight of hand and it’s half the reason you’re so good at poker.” Race snorted. “Which I’m guessing means you’d be able to slip the files away without disturbing everything else, right?”

“Right.” Race nodded. “But ain’t Snyder gunna notice if a bunch of his files just mysteriously go missing? Ain’t like we have copies of them lying around.” They were still skeptical about the plan.

“Which was initially why we were gunna have Specs go with you since he’s pretty much a human photocopier, but he thought it was too risky. Finch offered to go with you as a look out.” Jack sighed. “Look, Racer. All we need you to do is find the files, take pictures of them, then make sure everything is exactly as you left it.” He reasoned.

“Fine.” Race sighed. “What could possibly go wrong?” The answer to that was everything.

Chapter Text

The first thing Race did after discussing Davey’s plan was seek out Finch. There was no way in hell they were going to willingly go in to this without discussing things with him first. It was dangerous enough as it was! There was no need to add to that danger without reason. So they found themself loitering outside his dorm for a few moments before knocking exactly three times. 

It took a few moments before Finch answered the door with a mildly exasperated look on his face. “What is it? You’re interrupting our extremely important Buzzfeed Unsolved marathon.” A slight snort escaped Race at that. Just visible through the open door were Finch’s roommates - Elmer, Henry, and Romeo - sitting in front of the shitty TV Henry had managed to set up. The three gave Race a small wave with Romeo’s by far being the most enthusiastic. Once Finch actually realise  who was in front of the door, he sighed. “This about the distraction?” Once Race nodded, he stepped out and closed the door behind him. 

“Unfortunately, it’s a little more important than listening to Ryan and Shane talk about the Watcher.” A smile tugged at Race’s lips at that. They had always got on well with Finch. They got on well with all of Romeo’s roommates, in all honesty. But Finch...Finch was a little different. For one, he was in Race’s year group and older than the other three. As such, the two had formed an odd friendship over the years - partially due to Finch being the only one who ever came close to beating Race at poker. But the cause of his nickname was always enough to get a slight laugh out of them. Finch was called Finch due to the tiny pair of bird wings on his back. Just like everyone else’s, the ability was almost entirely useless. It was great! “We need a plan. Like an actual plan. I have faith in your ability to bullshit your way out of a situation but I’m not going in to this blind.” 

The look that crossed Finch’s face at that was positively impish. “Don’t worry. I have a plan. You just worry about getting that file.” 

“Funnily enough, that’s not particularly reassuring.” Race couldn’t help but deadpan as they gave him an exasperated look. They couldn’t afford to let this go wrong. Not when it could help them find Barney. Everything had to go perfectly. 

Finch just huffed. “Look, Henry’s just going to do his thing and loiter nearby so some of the cameras outside the office miraculously stop working.” Things were making sense so far. Henry seemed to have the worst effect on technology. Rather than hacking or controlling it, he simply had the ability to stop it working entirely. Race vaguely remembered it had something to do with the electric current. “Then, if anyone comes looking, I shall give an Oscar worthy performance about how I saw a rat that could be chewing through electric cables.” 

The plan was absurd. It was ridiculous. “It could work.” After all, it was all they had. 

If anyone asked, Race would outright deny the fact they were softly humming the ‘Mission Impossible’ theme as they made their way in to Snyder’s office. No one had any proof and Race absolutely wasn’t that childish. Nope. Not at all. It was ridiculous to even suggest otherwise! So, whilst having too much fun pretending to be some kind of super spy, they headed inside. Thank fuck the door had been left unlocked. It wasn’t the first time they had been in Snyder’s office. Not even remotely. It was however the first time they had been in it alone. With the lights off, a darkness covered the room that left Race just a little bit on edge. Without even a glimmer of light, the office felt even more sinister than usual. 

Snapping themself out of the sheer absurdity that was being scared of a dark room, Racetrack cautiously approached the desk. Once in front of it, they couldn’t quite bring themself to open the draw. At least, not at first. Part of them was scared of what they would find. A larger part of them knew how important it was to find out what the hell had happened to Barney Peanuts. So, with shaking hands, they opened the top draw. The stack of files inside was a lot higher than they had expected - even if Race hadn’t entirely known what to expect. But there at the top of it all was the seeming holy grail of files; Barney’s. 

Race didn’t even bother reading the contents as they took out their phone; there would be time for that later. Instead, they began to take pictures of the entirety of the file’s contents as quickly as they could before shoving it back in the draw. However, their curiosity wasn’t entirely sated. Not when there were so many files. So they began to look at the left over files. Almost all of them were names he recognised; Mike, Ike, Mush...They pauses on one name in particular. Joanne Higgins. Joey. Their cousin. 

Before they had the chance to open Joey’s file, approaching voices made them panic. Race quickly shoved the file under their shirt before shutting the draw. Their panic grew as they realised they had no way out. There was no way in hell they would be able to just walk out of the main door. Think, Higgins! Think! Then their eyes fell on a supply closet. It would be a tight fit but it was better than being exposed out in the open. They just prayed it was open. For once, luck seemed to be on their side as they slipped inside. Race closed the cupboard door carefully behind them, leaving it open just a smidge so they could spy on whoever came in. It didn’t hurt to gather a little extra information. 

Holding their breath, Race watched as an impassive Snyder walked in followed by a smiling Katherine. “- and I’m sure my father will be happy to hear about your cooperation, Mr Snyder! It really is appreciated!” They had to admit; Katherine was a surprisingly decent actress. 

Snyder cleared his throat, giving her a smile that seemed to turn Race’s blood to ice - and it wasn’t even directed at them! Everything about it felt sinister. “Of course. It’s always nice to hear from your father, Miss Plumber.” Katherine’s expression seemed to flicker for a moment before it returned to her smiling face. Evidently, she wasn’t happy with his exaggeration of her surname. Not that Race blamed her. “Now, if you’ll please leave me to my work?” 

Katherine’s smile became slightly strained at that. “Of course.” She nodded slowly before making her leave. Race couldn’t help but notice the way her step faltered as she did. 

Even if Snyder didn’t know they were there, Race despised being alone in a room with a man. It was as if his very being seemed to radiate evil and cruelty. They doubted he even knew what being kind meant. Not that anyone could blame them for that. Still, they watched with careful eyes as Snyder pulled out a clean folder; empty and unmarked unlike the many in the draw. They couldn’t make out the name as he scribbled something down on the front. The man’s face contorted in to a smirk. “Soon.” He hummed before putting the folder neatly with the others. It was soon after that Snyder made his leave. 

Race waited for a few minutes before bolting out of the office, clutching their cousin’s file as if their very life depended on it. They hadn’t even thought about looking at the new file. They needed to get back to Jack. There was a lot they needed to talk about.