Chapter Text
Jack and Specs steadily rowed the “borrowed” boat across the Harlem River. After so many trips they had both developed a good rhythm to keep the boat moving steadily over the waves, keeping quiet enough to blend in with the natural lapping of the waves on Randall’s Island. Jack had to admit, with the two of them it was a lot faster trip than when he had first started alone. He was still a little nervous about Specs being at risk as well but as the taller newsie had pointed out, the quicker they got in, the quicker they were out, which meant less chance of either of them getting caught.
At the prow of the boat was a pair of burlap sacks. Both a bit stained and worn but the fabric was tough and had held out this long. Inside one was a few fresh fruits, bread of various sizes and types, and other simple foodstuffs. The other held mostly shirts and pants and a couple of waistcoats. Once the autumn set in they would be smuggling blankets, socks, and extra layers but for now just the basics would do. With neither boy daring to talk more than necessary and the rowing almost like muscle memory by now Jack found his thoughts drifting to the events that led up to these delivery runs.
He’d been sitting up in his penthouse, looking out over the city cast in the dull light that came just before sunrise. He had stepped into his role as the Manhattan newsies’ leader for about a year and things had gone pretty smoothly. Sure he had to fend off the Delanceys and help out new kids, especially the little ones, to learn all the tricks of the trade and point them in the right direction of safe selling spots. But that wasn’t altogether new for him. Never one to ignore another newsie in a tight spot Jack had been in plenty of scrapes on behalf of a younger newsie or two and always had a word of advice when someone needed to find a new selling spot or other tips. That was probably why Blink had clearly been setting Jack up to take his place when he had gotten too old to hawk headlines. Given how much extra responsibilities Jack had been taking on it was practically business as usual for the first few months.
But then Finch hadn’t shown up at the Lodging House one evening. Asking around had revealed that he’d gotten nabbed and almost certainly dragged off to the Refuge. Of course a kid with a slingshot sticking out of his pocket was just too easy an excuse for the Spider to build up numbers of inmates and laborers.
Already all too familiar with what life was like in the Refuge, the news that one of his friends, the newsies Jack was supposed to be looking out for, was in there felt like a punch in the stomach. Nightmares of the Refuge were not exactly rare for Jack under the best of circumstances but they were so much worse in the days following that news. Which was why he hadn’t bothered to go back to sleep after jolting awake from another one. Not even drawing to get the images out of his head had seemed to be helping. Finch and all the other kids, shivering on dirty beds, empty stomachs grumbling.
That was when the crazy idea hit. He could do something. He had spent the next day selling papers mostly as normal but also scoping out places he could get what he needed. Jack had a little bit of a savings. But not so much he could blow it all in one shot buying a large amount of food and clothes. He’d have to steal them.
Finch had been as ok as could be expected. The only complaint he had voiced was irritation at his slingshot being confiscated- though Jack knew better than to believe that was the worst part. And when Jack saw the old spark of happiness, of life in not just his friend’s eyes but all the kids sharing the dormitory with him at the sight of the food and warmer clothes Jack knew he’d made the right decision.
And all those faces changing from hopelessness and fear to something with a bit more spirit was why he couldn’t quite bring himself to stop even when Finch’s sentence was up and he was released. He knew other kids in there and even the ones he didn’t...he just couldn’t forget them. The empty eyes set in gaunt faces. The newsies weren’t exactly feasting like kings and most of their clothes had seen better days. But they had it worlds better than kids locked up in the Refuge. Jack would know.
So now here they were, him and Specs. Specs was the first to work out what Jack was up to but he wasn’t the only one and most had offered to help. But he had only agreed to let Specs coming along out of necessity and Jack stubbornly refused anymore. Even if they could work a little quicker with more hands, too many would raise the chances of getting noticed. Not to mention it was a lot easier to find and sneak off with smaller boats along the city’s shores and docks.
The silhouette of the Refuge grew steadily larger as they approached. No matter how many times they came, looking at the building, the home of so many nightmares, still put Jack on edge. But that was fine. It kept him alert and able to do what they came for and get out. Finally, the boat came scraping up against the island’s shore. Well practiced by now the two boys quickly climbed out of the boat, laying the oars down inside before pulling it up a little further. They were far enough away from any buildings that no one should hear the sound of wood dragging across rocks and sand and the spot was sheltered enough to avoid being noticed by anyone not actively looking for something. With a nod they each grabbed one of the sacks and made their way over the darkened fields. The sliver of moonlight didn’t offer much guidance along the rough ground neither boy minded the challenge. Jack had tried going during full moons the first few visits but found it felt like being under a spotlight the whole time. And Specs had never complained, in fact Jack sometimes wondered if after years of managing without glasses until they’d all scraped and saved enough for his first pair he had learned to navigate well without seeing much more than vague shapes.
They crept along the outer wall until they came to a large iron gate. The gate let out to a road- if the unpaved path carved out by wagon wheels could qualify as a road. Following it out, Jack knew, would lead to wide fields filled with small graves. On a clear day the markers were visible from the building but on a night like this the area would just be a pool of shadows. But it was the other direction the newsies were interested in, getting inside the Refuge itself. With a little work Jack and Specs managed to push their bags between the bars. Some of the baked goods might come out a little squished for it but they were still fresh which was more than could usually be said for the meals in this place and quieted growling stomachs just as well.
Next came the somewhat trickier part of climbing up the metal bars and to the top of the gate. Jack went first, grasping the metal bars and rungs tightly and climbing his way up until he could hoist himself over the top. Then carefully lowering himself down on the other side.
“All clear,” he whispered after glancing around. There were of course guards on patrol, both outside and in the buildings but no one expected kids to be coming in. All Snyder’s guards had their eyes on the main building and all it’s potential exits. Still, it was best to keep alert.
Soon enough Specs had made his way up and over as well, dropping down beside Jack. The two quickly gathered up the bags and headed towards the dark outline of a building in the distance. Memories of times he unwillingly spent here flitted across Jack’s mind. But that was why they were here. Because other kids were going through those same things right now. And if a few extra blankets or clothes and decent food could make it just a little easier on them then that was something.
They moved as quietly as they could and reached the base of an old fire escape. There was no avoiding the slight rattling of the metal joints as they climbed but they had mostly figured out a slow, careful pace to keep it as quiet as possible. Fortunately once they reached the upper platforms it was actually pretty stable and he and Specs had gotten good at keeping their footsteps quiet. They went straight for the upper floors where they knew the dormitory windows were.
They had never had any pattern for what sections or rooms they visited but they had long since scoped out which could be accessed with the least chance of passing guard’s rooms or offices. Following his gut on which window to start with tonight Jack gestured for Specs to stop. The window on the platform led to a darkened hallway but off to the side was a smaller window with bars set around it. Jack leaned over the rail to tap against the pane of glass.
Through the grime he could see motion in the dimly lit room before the glass opened up. A boy that looked only a few years younger than Jack appeared behind the bars, his eyes squinting into the darkness from behind messy blond hair before he spotted Jack.
“What the-”
Jack quickly raised a finger to his lips, shushing the boy. “Keep it down but go and wake up the other fellas, ok?” He said.
The boy continued to stare wide eyed at Jack and Specs. He was thin but had a roundness in his face that made Jack wonder if he might be even younger than he initially thought. But even youthful energy couldn’t quite cover the shadows under his eyes. Probably relatively new to the Refuge, it always took awhile to learn to sleep through the feeling of rats climbing over you.
Slowly his gaze trailed down to the bundles at their feet. “You’s delivering something?” He asked with a tilt of his head.
“Somethin’ like that,” Specs chuckled. “But we wanna be outta here before sunrise so go wake the others already.”
“Well, what d’ya know?” He laughed taking in the sight of the two newsies beginning to open the bags. “Hey fellas, come looky here! It’s Christmas!” He called, glancing back into the room.
“Shaddup, I’s tryin’ to sleep.”
“It ain’t morning yet.”
A few grumbled responses came from inside but the towheaded boy was not to be deterred. Coming as sporadically as they did and to random rooms Jack had mostly learned to accept that it would always take a few moments for the kids inside to sort out what was going on.
“How d’ya like that? St. Nicholas knocking at the window and you lot jus’ wanna sleep.” The boy moved further into the room out of Jack’s sight before Jack could remind him to keep his voice down. “C’mon, get up!”
“Oi! Nitwit ya wants the guards to hear the news too,” another voice hissed. A few moments later another face appeared at the window. Jack recognized the angular features and distinctively crooked nose, most likely the result of a fistfight, as a boy who had been in the place since almost a year ago. “Been awhile. Good to see you two,” he grinned.
“Well, you know it takes time to get quality supplies together,” Jack teased.
“Hey! Lemme through.” Voices began to rise from inside the room as more of the kids inside seemed to realize what was going on. The old ones knowing what it meant and new ones at least catching on that it was something not to be missed. Or maybe having heard stories about the random nightly deliveries.
“What’ve they brought this time?”
“Wait yer turn- I got this spot.”
The boy turned back into the room, seeming to shove someone back a bit. “Pipe down or we ain’t gonna get nothin’ but the switch.” He warned. Quickly the commotion died down as the boys seemed to get into some sort of organization. With that Jack and Specs began passing out the food as one boy after another came to the window. In the darkness and at the slight angle it was hard to see but they still made sure to glance at what each boy was wearing. Taking note of boys with pants being held up by makeshift belts or other signs of not fitting right or shirts that were little better than rags and making sure to offer replacements from the bag of clothes.
“Room down the hall’s got a kid with some busted fingers- ain’t met quota in a couple days.” the boy with the broken nose said after they’d given something to everyone in the room. “Three doors down, I think.”
Jack nodded, understanding the meaning. Failing to meet the Spider’s expectations in the workrooms meant
cut rations at meal times, and they weren’t exactly filling meals to start with. “Thanks, we’ll head there before we get too low.” Once they’d given something to all the boys in that room Jack and Specs slung the bags over their shoulders and set out to continue the delivery run.