Chapter7

He had been sitting in the marketplace, listening to her for some time. She had been there since the early afternoon. Now, the market had begun to empty and the sun was hanging lower in the sky, casting long shadows, yet she was still singing. Deciding that he would have to be going back soon, Prosper got up from the bench he was sitting on and walked towards her.

He stopped once he reached the floppy hat that lay in front of her. Taking a bill out of his pocket, he bent down and placed in the hat. The moment the bill touched the fabric, she stopped singing. Prosper snapped up.

"Oh no," his eyes were wide with embarrassment, "I-I'm sorry. Should I have waited until you were finished your song? I just meant… I didn't mean for you to stop…"

Prosper faded when he noticed the singer was smiling a tired, faint smile. Her grey eyes sparkled at him. "I thought I would be returning home empty handed," she whispered, "thank you."

Prosper felt his face redden. "Oh i-it was nothing. I mean you're wonderful at singing… it honestly made my day a whole lot better."

She stared down at tiny Prosper. "That's sweet of you to say," She spoke softly, "but I only wish I could say the same for me." Letting out a sigh, she sat down on the cobblestone. Intrigued, Prosper sat down across from her.

"I used to love singing," the stranger admitted to him, "but I never imagined I would have to sing like this… giving free shows to those who pass by. Most people don't give me a second glance… or a first glance," she added glumly before sighing, "I'm Jaymie."

"Prosper," he nodded, his blonde hair falling gently in his face as he stared at the hat that would have been empty if it weren't for him. He glanced back up at Jaymie, whose eyes were on the hat as well. She looked exhausted, but at the same time Prosper could tell she was troubled.

"You know," Prosper said without thinking, "if I could I would sing for you." He froze, embarrassed about what he had just said. "But only because your singing made me feel better," he quickly added on, feeling his face redden.

Jaymie looked at him, feeling her whole body smile at how adorable he was. "I'm glad I helped." She hesitated, "What happened that made you feel so…"

"Sad?" Prosper finished for her, "Someone I knew disappeared. I guess he's just run off again, but I wish he could have given us some warning, given us an excuse." Prosper stopped to take a breath, feeling anger run through his veins. "I mean we treated him as though he were family, as though he were my brother. And I know he's been through a lot and probably wishes he had never gone on that stupid merry-go-ground, but just vanishing…"

Prosper stopped, feeling a lump begin to rise in his throat. Swallowing, he said darkly, "He could be dead for all I know."

Jaymie nodded seriously. Pushing a red strand of hair out of her face, she began, "I may not know anyone who's disappeared, but she may as well. My mom… she had this boyfriend and, well it was my sister who decided to run off. I had to follow her because I couldn't stand not knowing what would happen to her."

She let out a worn out laugh, "I guess it was kind of stupid though, because now that we're here I still hardly know what's going on with her. She's just… off all the time, doing her thing and will hardly talk to me. When I try to do what's best for her she just pushes me away. So now she's off with the Bloodhound Gang – "

"Whoa," Prosper sat up straight, "the Bloodhounds? I've heard about them. She really shouldn't be near them."

"You think I don't know that?" Jaymie cried, her eyebrows raised helplessly, "I try stop her but she won't listen. I don't know what to do, I don't know how to get her to stop messing around with them."

Prosper had to be more than a couple years younger than she was, but Jaymie couldn't stop. She couldn't stop belting her heart out. Perhaps that's what happens when you meet a stranger who will listen to you…

"I'm so scared," she finished quietly, "all the time I'm so scared for her."

"You know," Prosper said after a moment of collecting his thoughts, "your sister is really lucky. Most people in your position would be more scared for themselves if they knew someone relating with the Bloodhounds. Your sister is lucky that you care so much.

"I know this will sound hard, but you really have to talk to her. You have to explain why she can't act the way she's acting any longer. You have to get her to understand."

"And if she doesn't?" Jaymie asked, her grey eyes wide and terrified. She couldn't believe how mature and helpful Prosper was being for someone so young. "If she doesn't understand?"

Prosper scratched his head, his face frowning. "Then you'll have to start taking care of yourself and get out of there. The Bloodhounds are sneaky; they probably know you're her sister. The long you're with your sister, the more you're putting your own life in danger."

Jaymie's fell open. "But I can't leave. I can't just leave my sister like that."

"Then you have to get her to understand." Prosper's face was twisted, almost as if it hurt him to admit the truth.

Because that's what it was: the truth. As much as Jaymie wanted to get up and leave, pushing Prosper's words out of her head, she knew he was right. She had always known what he was saying, but her own thoughts didn't seem to hit her as hard as Prosper's words did.

Smiling, Jaymie placed her hand on his own tiny fist to make sure he knew she understood. "You know Prosper," she spoke gently, "for a stranger you're really not that strange."

Prosper's face beamed.