Carry On

Chapter 1

Jack sat on the rooftop of the Lodging House, pondering all of his life choices.
It had been two months since Katherine had died. He had stopped talking to the other boys, and no longer made smart comments toward Wiesel and the Delancies. He had stopped dramatizing the headline, and he sold smaller and smaller amounts of papers each week. His life was so empty without his Ace.
He stood up, and ran his hands through his curly brown hair. His life had no meaning anymore.
He was going to live dangerously, he decided.
He went to the edge of the roof and looked down at the street below.
"What does it matter?" He said under his breath. He braced himself to jump. He backed up, and started jogging toward the edge-
"Sir!" Shouted a voice from the street.
"Sir! I believe you have a reason to live."
Jack looked down and saw a girl of a height of about 5'4, with brown hair which included natural blonde streaks, that was tied up in a perfect bun, with little curls hanging by her ears on both sides of her head. She was wearing a long red dress that went down to her ankles, with lace that lined the cuffs of the arm holes and neck. She had a mild British accent, that gave him a pleasant feeling inside.
"What would that be?" He asked sarcastically. No usual grin popped onto his face.
"You stay right there. I'm coming up."
"You can't come up. This is private property!"
"Watch me."
He did. She climbed up the fire escape and onto the roof with ease.
She stood up and brushed off her skirt.
"You have a reason to live, and that reason is this: there are people who care about you. You have friends and they are very worried about your condition."
"How can you say that? You don't know the first thing about me," Jack yelled to the wind.
The girl raised her eyebrows and smirked. "Your name is Jack Kelly, you are the leader of the Manhattan newsboys, your dream is to go to Santa Fe, your girlfriend passed away around two months ago, and you have friends that are very concerned about you."
"How did you-"
"I'm an observer, Mr. Kelly. When I walk around town, your friends talk about you. Not only are they troubled by your current decline, but so am I."
A moment of silence commenced. Jack broke the silence by asking a single question. He never thought he would have to work to get the answer.
"What's your name?"
"Well, to take your mind off of the tragedies of the past two months, I am giving you an assignment. Become and observer, Mr. Kelly. If you listen hard enough, you will hear my name mentioned, I'm sure. I can manage to cause quite a stir sometimes."
"How do I observe? What if I can't-"
"You listen. You watch. You walk alone and decipher the importance of the daily gossip, and how it affects you. And then you search. You search for that person, place, thing, or idea. And it's an endless cycle. But it's fun."
"What if I feel like jumping again? How could I find you?"
The girl just smiled. "I'm sure you'll be seeing me again, Mr. Kelly."
And with that, she hopped down the fire escape.
Jack was intrigued by this girl. She left him with a mission. It was so mysterious, yet inviting. He intended to carry it out.
Would he see her again? She said he would, and even though they had just met, he believed her.

{Author's Note: Sorry that it's sort. I tried not to, but I made it sound sort of rushed. Oh well.}
-C ★