Mama Gotham

Haly's Circus

Alyssa was sure that the circus was more fun if you weren't trying to wrangle an excited little sister and two drunken parents that all liked to get into things they shouldn't.

"Jamie!" she ran after the eight year old and winced when she ran into her own reflection. "Stupid hall of mirrors...." she muttered, rubbing her head.

At eleven years old, Alyssa Connors could hardly appreciate the attraction the way a child her age should. She was too busy keeping her sister out of trouble and making sure her parents didn't do something to get themselves arrested. Add that to the fact that Gotham City New Jersey was hardly a place that kindled a child's innocence, it was no surprise that Alyssa had none.

Fumbling with her arms out, she tried to navigate her way through the maze. The sound of Jamie's laughter was long gone, so she was probably already out. And a good thing too, this place looked ready to collapse.

As if to prove her point, the next mirror she bumped wobbled and fell backward. It shattered upon impact with the ground and put a gaping hole in the maze.

"Well, that's one way to do that." she remarked, stepping out to continue her search for her sister. She stopped however, when she heard crying.

Following the sound, she found a small red haired boy who couldn't be much older than her sister behind the hall of mirrors. He was curled up with his knees in his chest, pulled in so close that it looked like he was trying to disappear.

"Hey."

The poor thing jumped like he had been electrocuted, looking at Alyssa with wide, terrified eyes.

"Why're you crying?"

The boy just sniffed and wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

"What's your name?" Alyssa tried.

"...J-Jerome."

She smiled. "Nice to meet you, Jerome. I'm Alyssa." she held out her hand to help the boy up. "You wanna come get some cotton candy with me?"

Jerome stared at her hand, blinking in confusion. Then he smiled.

"Okay..."

It was interesting to see how quickly the boy went from crying to grinning so wide his face threatened to split in half. He clung tightly to Alyssa's hand, the other hand holding the cotton candy she had bought for him which he was happily munching on.

"Did you come here on your own?" Jerome asked, looking up at her. She was certainly older than him, but she didn't look old enough to have come here without her parents.

"No, my parents brought me and my sister. Keeps them from yelling..." Alyssa muttered the last part, but Jerome caught it.

"Why were they yelling?" he asked, eyes lit up with something Alyssa couldn't name.

"Cuz they always are." she shrugged.

She hated herself for it later, but in that moment she had forgotten about her parents and her sister. It was just nice to talk to someone outside the family, even if that some one was at least four years younger than her.

Jerome looked up at her, scanning over her completely. She had dark brown hair that reached just past her shoulders, brown eyes that reminded him of chocolate, and wore jeans and a green t-shirt that both seemed worn out and too big on her.

When her sleeve of the black canvas jacket she wore slid up however, he could see bruises that matched the ones under his clothes.

"'Lyssa!" a small girl with bouncy brown curls ran into her side.

"Jamie! There you are!" Alyssa wrapped her arm around the girl in a protective way that Jerome had never seen. Kneeling down to her height, she gave her a stern look. "No running off anymore. I need to keep you safe."

The girl -- Jamie -- nodded with a guilty look. "Yes 'Lyssa." it was then she spotted Jerome behind her. "Who's he?"

"Jamie, this is my new friend Jerome. Jerome, this is my sister Jamie."

"Hello." Jerome smiled at her, but it didn't have the same sincerity as the smile he'd given Alyssa. Jerome didn't like Jamie. She seemed immature and bratty as she demanded some of Alyssa's cotton candy, which the older girl handed over without a second thought.

Alyssa scanned the crowd of people, hoping her parents hadn't gotten themselves into trouble when someone called -- more like shouted -- Jerome's name.

The boy's happy mood quickly vanished as his mother stumbled over drunkenly. "Boy, you're supposed to be doin' the dishes."

"I did them already..." Jerome hid behind Alyssa. She had been nice to him, maybe, just maybe she would protect him.

"Who are you?" Lyla's eyes fell on Alyssa.

"I'm Alyssa Connors, who the hell are you?" Alyssa glared at the woman. She could guess that this was Jerome's mother, and she could recognize the signs of drinking. She didn't like it when her parents got drunk, she didn't like it any more when it was someone else's.

"Lyla Valeska. Jerome's mother. What are you doing with my son?"

"We're having cotton candy."

She scoffed. "Rotten kids like him don't get sweets. Come on, Jerome, we're goin' home."

"Excuse me." Alyssa stepped up to the woman. "But your son happens to be a wonderful boy. Though having met you, I imagine he gets it from his father." she laid a hand on the boys arm. "Come on Jerome, you can spend the day with me and Jamie."

Looking far too drunk to argue, Lyla Valeska let the children walk away, but not without muttering some foul things under her breath.

Jerome didn't care. He enjoyed spending time with the Connors sisters, babbling about anything that came to mind. He told stories about living at the circus, made jokes just to hear them laugh, and even showed them a few magic tricks. Jamie had squealed when he pulled a quarter out of her ear, and Alyssa had blushed slightly when he handed her the rose he made appear out of thin air.

Jerome cursed the setting sun, knowing it was bringing the first happy day he'd had in years to an end. But Alyssa got back to tracking down her parents, muttering how she hoped they hadn't gotten into any trouble.

"Only I could loose two drunken idiots." she sighed, balancing a sleeping Jamie on one side while Jerome clung to her free hand.

Honk honk!

"Oh of course, drunken idiots are in the car already."

"Do you have to go?" Jerome looked up at her. He wanted her to stay. He wanted to keep her forever, be able to play games with her, show her how to win the ring toss.

Alyssa smiled sadly at the boy's pleading look. "Tell you what, the circus in in town all month right?"

He nodded.

"Well I drop Jamie off at summer camp on Monday at ten. So I'll be here by ten-thirty, okay? Maybe you can teach me some of your magic tricks."