It was a week after Jack left when the first letter came. Katherine didn't know it was possible to miss someone this much. She had going to the post office every day since Jack left, so when she got his first letter she raced home and practically tore open the envelope.

Dear Ace,

How're you holding up? I miss you so much, but they keep us so busy around here I hardly have time to write. We just started training about two days ago, and they got us working from sun up to sun down. So I don't know how much I can write, but I'll try to write as much as I can, just like I promised. I'm not sure where they're gonna send me yet but I'll try to let you know. Oh, by the way, with all that happened when I left, I forgot to tell you something. Even though it's been a while since I left, tell the boys I said goodbye. Oh, hey, I gotta end it here. Sorry this letter was so short. Please remember to take care of yourself Kath, I know how you get when you're upset. Bye Ace, I love you!

-Jack

Katherine sighed. She missed Jack so much and he'd only been gone a week. She had no idea how she'd be able to handle being without him for an entire year. The past week had been filled with sleepless nights and barely enough food to get by on. She'd began using more make up to cover up the dark circles that were slowly beginning to form under her eyes. She wanted to make herself look like she was okay, even if she was very much not okay. She had been having lunch at Jacobi's every day with the newsies. She knew all of those boys thought of her as a sister, and she thought of them as her brothers as well, but she knew that if she let on that she was struggling as much as she already was, they would insist on talking about it. She knew that at some point in the next year she would have to talk to them sometime, or she didn't know if she would be able to survive. And she knew they were struggling too without their leader and brother. She just couldn't talk about it yet. She just felt empty without Jack in their apartment. They'd only been together for a month, but in that month they'd only grown close. She stood up and put the letter in the folder that she kept special documents in, including her article about the newsboy strike. She put the folder in a drawer, then went into her and Jack's bedroom. She picked up Jack's gray newsboy cap that he had agreed to leave for her. She held the cap close to her chest, curled up on the bed, and cried.

AN: I'm sorry these chapters are so short, I'll try to make them longer. I hope this wasn't too boring, the next chapter should have some interaction with Katherine and the newsies.