The next morning, Rebecca and Elizabeth left through the front door bright and early, before their parents would be awake to question them on where they were going. The twins had left the pants at Katherine's house so they wouldn't have to worry about their parents getting upset again. Rebecca was in a nicer dress just in case they were to be caught, while Elizabeth was in an older blue dress from a few years ago. Neither twin had grown that much since they were about fifteen, so they had quite a few dresses built up in their closets. On Elizabeth's shoulder rested a small bag, in which was a pad of paper that Katherine had loaned her, a pen or two, and a copy of a book she had loaned from her older brother's library: Treasure Island. The night before, she had come up with the idea to read some stories to the newsies after the demonstration that day, specifically Les. She thought that the boys would enjoy that book, so it seemed like a decent idea.

They made their way through the town, running down the street as they often did. This time, they didn't have an "escort" there to tell them to slow down, so they were running faster than they ever had. Katherine's building was a little farther away than they realized, even if they were running, so by the time they reached it, Elizabeth was winded. However, her sister was standing up, comfortable and not exhausted whatsoever.

"How..." Elizabeth began, then shook her head and let it go. She entered the apartment building slowly and tiredly, with her sister close behind with a pep in her step.

They made their way up the stairs to the apartment, where Katherine was already waiting in the doorway. She was dressed pretty nicely, in a pink dress over a white shirt with a little blue tie. Draped over her left arm was Rebecca's pair of pants, as well as a shirt and hat she had snuck out of a neighbor's laundry. She clutched her notebook and pen in her hands, her eyes trained on the pages. Up until their arrival, she seemed to have been writing something down. Whether or not it was about the strike, the twins didn't know, because as soon as they stepped towards her, Katherine closed the notebook and ushered them inside so Rebecca could change clothes.

Hardly any words were exchanged as Rebecca got dressed, each of them wanting to hurry down to the square as fast as they could so they could get the picture and watch what happened next. Who knew, maybe Pulitzer and Hearst would give in this morning and bring the prices back down. The only words that were uttered were by Katherine, who muttered something along the lines of, "The cameraman is going to meet us down there as soon as possible, so we need to get there fast."

As soon as Rebecca finished tying her shoes after changing clothes, they were out the door like bullets from a gun. They practically flew down the stairs and out the door onto the street, where they continued to run like they always did through the streets of New York. Due to the time of morning it was, the streets were pretty quiet save for the pitter-patter of their footsteps and some scattered sounds from shops opening early. Practically nobody was on the street besides them and those shop owners, so they didn't have to worry about accidentally running some poor old woman over in their rush to the square.

They skidded to a stop in front of the lodging house, which was quieter than usual due to the fact that the newsies had already headed out to start their strike. As Rebecca pulled on her cap, the three noticed an older gentleman waiting by the door with a camera. There was their guy. Katherine motioned for the other girls to stay put, then walked over and had a quick conversation with the man. After about a minute or two, the man picked up his camera equipment and started walking towards the distribution center, with Katherine beside him as she gestured to the twins to follow her.

The distribution center was full of newsies without papers to sell. They were running around, cheering and chanting. As the cameraman set up his camera, the phrases "Seize the day" and "All for one and one for all" were thrown around by choruses of young people, running around and getting into position for their photo.

While Katherine stood beside the cameraman, Sniper came up to the twins and touched Elizabeth's shoulder to get her attention. "Hey, yous should be in the picture, Lizzie," he told the girl with a small smile on his face. Then his eyes landed on Rebecca. "This yer sista, right? Whatsyername again?"

Rebecca flashed a smile at the young boy, then introduced herself. "I'm Rebecca. Nice to meet you."

With a grin, Sniper patted her on the shoulder and replied, "Nice ta meet ya too, Beck. Ya know, yous should be in the picture too," he added.

Elizabeth shook her head and flashed a smile at the boy before she commented, "No, we shouldn't. We're not part of the strike, you are, so you and the other newsies should be in the photograph. We'll be over here with Katherine, okay?"

Sniper looked up at the two girls, then shook his head. "No, we ain't takin' no fer an answer," he told the twins before he grabbed their arms and dragged them over to the crowd of newsies. Elizabeth lifted her arm to signal Katherine and get her attention, but when the other girl didn't notice, she shrugged it off and let Sniper lead her away with her sister.

As they walked, Rebecca leaned over to her sister and questioned, "Lizzie, huh?"

"Well," Elizabeth began, "he gave you a nickname too. I didn't know I had one before this." Then her eyes lit up, and she inquired, "Do you think we might get newsie names someday?"

This was where Sniper jumped into the conversation, grinning at the two of them. "Well, you can't have newsie names if you ain't newsies. When this strike's ova, if ya start sellin' with us, then yous can have newsie names."

The twins shared a look, then commented simultaneously, "Fair." Their response earned a laugh from Sniper as they finally reached the group, where they immediately found places to stand. Rebecca, since she was dressed like a newsie, stood closer to the front, where she blended in perfectly with the others. Elizabeth positioned herself in the group where her identity would be more or less hidden. Due to her hair being pulled into a bun behind her head, as long as she stood in a place where her dress was mostly covered, she could blend in and look like she belonged too. Before anybody could shift from their original positions, the camera flashed, and their picture was taken for posterity.

As soon as the camera flashed, the newsies erupted in cheers and conversation. At first, nobody noticed the new arrivals coming around the corner. Instead, everyone started to tear up the newspapers around them, throwing them around like confetti. Even Katherine ran into the crowd of newsies and picked up some papers to join in. Everybody was laughing and smiling, simply enjoying themselves. It was as if they didn't have a care in the world anymore.

If only that could last. As Elizabeth spun around and threw some pages up into the sky, her eyes landed on the newcomers as they walked through the gate. It was a group of three men, two younger ones and one older one, who seemed to be observing the group for a few seconds. She recognized them slightly, as if she had passed by them at one point on the street. But, if she had ever talked to them, she didn't remember it.

Elizabeth tilted her head in confusion, trying to figure out who those three men were. She tapped Race's shoulder, who was standing in front of her, then asked, "Who are those men over there?"

Race glanced back in Elizabeth's direction, then back towards the men. A spark of recognition flashed in his eyes before he turned around and replied, "Well, the young ones over there are da Delancey bruddas. Dey's awful guys. And the older one, it's Weasel. He's horrible. Dey all work for The World with givin' us our papes." Then he looked over at Jack and pointed in the men's direction. "Ey, Jack," he directed.

Wiesel and the Delanceys were walking back in their direction, but this time they weren't alone. Behind them came a group of policemen, and that certainly got Jack's attention. "It's the bulls!" he called out, getting everyone's attention. The newsies started to move out from where they had been standing for the photo, trying to leave and avoid some conflict with the police.

Wiesel wasn't going to allow that, though. As they neared the group of kids, he was heard uttering, "It's time these kids learn a lesson."

Jack heard this uttering, however, and looked at his friends. "Newsies!" he yelled out. "Get 'em!"

Simply put, all hell broke loose.

The other newsies threw papers and ran at the goons, ready to fight for their rights. All except Davey, who stepped back towards the twins and Katherine. He motioned for them to follow him. "C'mon, we need to get you two somewhere safe," he told them as he started to lead them away. The photographer had already moved to a safer location to keep the camera safe, so Davey planned to help get them to the same place.

"Davey, we can handle ourselves. Besides, I want to fight too," Rebecca declared, her usual defiant look on her face.

Davey shook his head at that, a frown playing on his lips. He replied, "I can't let you three get hurt. I just can't, and I can tell that this is probably going to get rough. So please, just follow me." His last words were a bit more rushed, as he glanced back towards the fight.

With a resigned sigh, Rebecca surrendered her argument and crossed her arms. "Okay, fine. Lead the way. But next time, I want to fight, okay?"

"Well," Davey began as he guided them towards the photographer, "I make no promises about that." He simply didn't want them to get hurt. He had a feeling if Katherine were injured, he'd probably end up with an injury of his own from Jack, or at least get yelled at. It was fairly obvious to the guys that Jack was feeling something for the reporter. And he couldn't leave the twins out there too. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he just wanted to protect them for some reason.

They found the safe vantage point that Katherine had picked out, where they still could watch the fight, but be safe from any potential attacks from any Refuge goons or Delancey brothers. Before Katherine could thank Davey for bringing all of them to safety, or before Elizabeth could plead for him to stay where it was safe, Davey was rushing back into the fight, likely to protect Les, who seemed to be the target of quite a few blows.

Katherine sighed and sat down on the ground with her hands in her lap. She flipped open her notebook and started to scribble down some words about the fight, trying to keep herself distracted from the actions going on in front of her. "I should have seen this coming," she murmured. "Of course the people from the Refuge would come. They have the chance to get some more 'rowdy' kids into their care. It only makes sense."

"I don't know what to do. We need to stop this somehow," Elizabeth responded, pacing back and forth behind Katherine's place on the ground and where her twin was still standing. Her eyes were practically glued to Crutchie, wanting to make sure he was okay with every passing second. The poor guy was already weakened enough. If he got hurt in this fight, it could lead to something potentially worse.

"We can't. You know those boys. They're stubborn, and won't give up, well, without a fight," Rebecca replied, sighing as she looked out across the skirmish. "We could probably convince the ones like Davey, but there's no chance with convincing the ones like Jack to stop."

"Is that Les in a barrel? Please, for the love of all that is good in the world, don't let him get hurt," Elizabeth pleaded, looking up at the sky as she spoke. He was only a child, after all.

Before any of the other girls could respond, however, a new group of people arrived. It was the policemen, but they didn't seem to be on the newsies' side. "Oh no," Katherine murmured.

The policemen strode in and joined the fight, taking down newsie after newsie, but most scrambled away to avoid the possible fate awaiting them in the Refuge if Snyder and his gang got close enough to them.

All except Crutchie. Snyder himself had gotten hold of his crutch and was beating him with it. At first, the girls hadn't been able to see much, since the fight was raging on in front of where the warden had been dealing the blows. But, then Romeo pushed back against a bull, leaving a gap big enough for the girls to see through and find Crutchie there. As soon as she saw it, Elizabeth was beside herself, tears welling up in her eyes. She could hear him crying out in pain a little bit, but of course he was also trying to take it the best he could. "Help, Jack, help! Jack! Romeo! Finch!"

Then, two of Snyder's men came over and started to drag Crutchie away in the direction they had come from. While they dragged him off, he continued to try and get Jack's attention, hoping for a little help from his friend. "Please, Jack! Help me!"

The cries of desperation were where Elizabeth drew the line. Without even thinking about it, she sprinted down into the fight, ignoring the yells of her sister and best friend as she made her way there. When she was in the crowd, she dodged fists and kicks as she tried to reach Crutchie in time. "Crutchie!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

The young man heard her call his name and he tried to turn his head to look at her. "Elizabeth," he called weakly as his eyes met hers for a brief moment, and then the men had him around the corner. He was gone.

She made her way into the center of the empty space, finding a little scrap of fabric lying on the ground. When she lifted it up, a frown formed on her face. It was Crutchie's handwritten strike banner from the night before. It had fallen off the crutch during the fight, and was now left behind. The off-white material had turned a little brown in the dirt, but the words were still clearly readable. With a sigh, she stuffed it into her little bag and glanced around. Then, Elizabeth's eyes landed on Crutchie's assailant, and her eyes narrowed.

Elizabeth strode right up to Snyder, who still held the crutch in his hands from the abuse he had dealt the boy. "You let him go right this minute," she ordered, pointing at him and wagging her finger. Her big blue eyes were filled with determination, desperate to get her friend back.

"Be careful there, young lady, or you'll be going there with him," Snyder sneered.

Elizabeth straightened up and swallowed nervously. Going to the Refuge? Maybe she shouldn't. After all, she heard the general idea of the place from some of the newsies the night before, and they had all been so scared of being locked up there. But, then, before she could talk herself out of it any further, she changed her tune. Instead, she channeled her inner Rebecca, mustered up the courage she would need, and looked straight up at Snyder with a defiant look in her big blue eyes. "Fine. Then take me with him, or instead of him. He doesn't deserve to be in there."

Snyder was a little bit surprised by the response he was getting. A child, a woman no less, volunteering to go to the Refuge alongside a friend? It was some true loyalty, if you asked him. But either way, volunteers would be easier to deal with. Less struggling. "If you insist, young lady. Then come with me." He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off after his goons, Elizabeth struggling slightly due to his strong grip.

Rebecca watched as her sister was taken. She had no idea that she was going out of her own free will. She slid down the hill and into the practically empty square. "Eliza!" she called after her, tears welling up in her own green eyes. But her sister couldn't hear.

The newsies had scattered, and Rebecca was left pretty much alone, except for Katherine, who was on her way down to comfort her and check on the boys.

"Shh...it's okay. We'll get her out of there, and Crutchie too. I promise," Katherine assured her, a little surprised when she noticed the tears. Rebecca never really cried, at least not in public. "We can figure out a solid plan in the morning to free them, okay? In the meantime, I have an article to write," she stated, rubbing her back slightly. "And, maybe that article will help us get the two of them out."

With a sniffle, Rebecca conceded, "You're right." She fixed her cap upon her head and wiped away a tear, then turned to her friend. "Let's check on the newsies, make sure they're okay."

Katherine nodded in agreement. She attempted to joke with Rebecca, hoping to get a faint smile. "Maybe all those years of playing doctor with Eliza will help us to take care of the injuries, huh?"

A flash of a smile appeared on Rebecca's lips, but it was gone as soon as it arrived. "Yeah, maybe..." she replied, then started to walk over to some of the fleeing newsies. She would be able to distract herself with helping these kids, and that was really what she needed. It wouldn't be nearly as good as it would be with Elizabeth, the aspiring doctor, but her work would be passable, hopefully.

If only she could know for certain that her sister would be alright.