Chapter 8
Hornet smiled to herself. The thought of Prosper carrying her fainted body was enough to make her embarrassed, but very happy.
Prosper was staring at the ground. He looked embarrassed about the whole situation. Scipio was still outside, making them all curious. Ida and Victor looked very worried about Scipio and Samantha.
Riccio giggled, nudging Mosca. They both looked at Prosper's blushing face, knowing very well that they were embarrassing him. Hornet wished they would stop. Prosper obviously was under a lot of pressure. Bo sniggered at his older brother.
The door opened, and Scipio closed it. He kept his hand on the knob, leaning against the door. He rubbed his eyes, and glanced down at his deeply scarred chest. He looked troubled.
"Scipio, what's wrong?" Hornet asked quietly. Scipio shook his head. Bo glanced up, looking curiously at Scipio.
"Ida, am I staying here tonight?" Scipio asked.
"Yes, dear. The police are taking your father into custody, and we're going to show the police your scars tomorrow, as evidence. If that's OK with you…?" Ida said in a mute voice. She was obviously thinking of a rich, snobbish man who abused children. Not very inviting, if you asked Ida.
Hornet felt dizzy. The sight of bones always made her sick, and fainting over it had frightened her.
"Ida, I'm going to go to bed. I'm kind of dizzy, right now…" Hornet whispered. She ran up the stairs, ready to read for awhile until she fell asleep.
Piles of books surrounded her bed, forming dreams of whispering stories in Hornet's dreams. Sometimes she dreamt of Prosper, which she always kept to herself. Sometimes she dreamt that she was talking to her favorite book's characters, which she always enjoyed.
"I wonder why Scipio looked so worried," murmured Hornet.
"Probably just worried about Sam," said Prosper. Hornet turned to see him, standing in her doorway. Hornet jumped, out of shock.
"Prosper! Don't scare me like that!" protested Hornet. She couldn't help but smile, though.
"What? Were you expecting a ghost or something?" he teased. Hornet sighed, and rolled over on her bed.
"Something like that," she said quietly with a small smile. "You think Scipio likes Samantha, then?"
"Well, he's always smiling at her, always staring, talking, laughing…flirting even. He doesn't even realize it, but the poor thief's in love," Prosper muttered. He sat at the edge of Hornet's bed. "I have a question for you."
"What?" Hornet asked. She wrapped her arms around her legs.
"Why didn't you ever tell anyone your name at the Stella?" Prosper asked. Hornet paused.
"Well, when I first met Scipio, I told him my real name… and he laughed at me. I got mad, and he gave me a nickname instead. I liked being called Hornet. He was the only one who knew my name for awhile, until you found my name inside my books," Hornet said, pausing for a moment. "I didn't want you to laugh at my name."
"Hornet, I'd never laugh at your name! Ever since you found me and Bo, you've been the only one I like to talk to…about my mom and stuff. Scipio would never understand, and Riccio hates almost all adults. Mosca hates talking about adults…" Prosper took a deep breath. Hornet looked surprised, almost touched at his words.
"Prosper?" Hornet muttered. Prosper turned his head toward her. She smiled at him, leaned forward, and pressed her lips against his. Hornet let go after a long, romantic kiss. Her eyes sparkled, looking into Prosper's.
"Prosper, that was really sweet," muttered Hornet. Prosper nodded. He smiled, leaned in, and gave her one more kiss before bed.
(a/n only a few chapters left! Thank you for the reviews!)