Ball of String Part Two

What IS Bob-bee's plan? Will it work? Well, let's HOPE so...

A crowd had gathered, which wasn’t at all surprising; even here, a sighting such as a Minotaur was a rare one. People were peeking between slits in their blinds, wondering out like gormless sacks onto their lawns and perched upon car bonnets, mingling with the curious birds.

Mitch was stood, a tall and mighty beast, shivering as he glanced nervously at the developing collection of people. Not just any people though; those people. A group of snivelling, snotty boys of about eleven years old, dressed in baggy bottoms, different coloured t-shirts and caps. There were seven of them in all, huddled around a red vehicle, grinning and snickering at him. He had hoped that they wouldn’t be coming, for he felt acquainted with them more than enough by now. The hurtling rocks, the face pulling and the name calling. He was familiar with the lot �" not used to it, mind you. Far from it in fact.

For a moment, the beast managed to drag his beady eyes from them and glance at the boy beside him. Seventeen years old, a college student with bleached blonde hair and piercings in his ears, nose and bottom lip. Blonde Darren. He was dressed in black jeans, a fluorescent green t-shirt and dark hooded jacket on top. Seeming to have sensed the Minotaur’s gaze on him, Darren turned and smirked, dark eyes glinting.

Before the two of them was a long, white line drawn on the road in chalk; the starting line. And they both knew that somewhere out there was the length of red tape, held by some friends of Bob-bee’s.    

The dark haired girl was stood with Keanna, conversing casually. In Keanna’s hand was a ball of string. After a while, Bob-bee whirled around and grinned broadly, planting her hands on her hips. Earlier, she had gone to Keanna’s house to borrow more “appropriate” clothing. What that meant no one was sure; she was practically the double of the sporty girl with light brown hair. She was dressed in a pair of dark grey jogging bottoms, her green converse, a yellow vest and bright red hoodie. The garments were a little big on her and looked very strange together, but whatever was `necessary`.

“Right then,” she announced, stepping in front of the boys, arms out wide. The crowd grew silent and Keanna rolled her eyes, her lips twitching as she approached the two close to the chalk. Bob-bee stamped her feet and clapped her hands. “This is to see who is better, man!” she pointed at Daren and then added an afterthought as he cheered; “If you can call that a man”

“Hey!” Darren fumed, earning a laugh from the gathering. Bob-bee grinned and then jabbed her finger in Mitch’s direction, her eyes trained on the eleven year old. His tormentors. According to Keanna, they were off limits, but she was going to show them just how strong Mitch can be!

“Or, the half-man-half-bull!” she declared and then lifted her finger towards the air, “The winner is the one who can solve this labyrinth first and get to the finish line. Sounds simple, right? WRONG!” Bob-bee gestured to Keanna with a sweep of her arm, “You all know of my lovely assistant, Keanna, right? Twelve times �" in a row �" record winner for the most nimble, light footed and awesome sprinter in town!”

The girl gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of her head as the crowd applauded. It was true, and she’d been entered into the nationals and came out fourth �" which, out of fifty other girls, isn’t bad at all. If not for Bob-bee’s mam, she could have been the most famous girl in town; but the Tearaway mother came first in line, sorry.

“Well!” Bob-bee yelled after a pause, “If either of the contestants doesn’t retrieve the ball of string she’s carrying, then how can they find their way back?”

Darren arched a brow at her and Mitch gave a panicked gasp. Firstly, the Minotaur wasn’t too familiar with the estate and doubted he’d find his way there let alone back, string or no string. Then, there was the problem of catching Keanna; he knew far better than anyone just how fast she was. Finally, there was Darren who unnerved him so. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but there was an arrogant air about him, one that constantly told Mitch that he was going to win. At that moment, the beast’s thoughts went to his bullies. What would they do if he were to lose? More torment, no doubt.

Clenching his meaty fists, he decided �" he could not lose. Not to Blonde Darren. Not to Keanna. And definitely not to his tormentors.

“Where is my driver?” Bob-bee mumbled. She narrowed her eyes, hand to her brow as she searched the crowd, almost blinded against the afternoon sun. Then, on cue, a lean boy rode up on a red pushbike. He skidded to a stop next to her and grinned. Jet black hair stuck out in all directions and a vest clung to his toned frame, along with baggy trousers with various chains. Smirking, she climbed on behind him, a young girl in the crowd passing her a toy megaphone. “Alright!” Bob-bee’s voice blared through the plastic instrument, “You ready!?”

Blonde Darren glanced up at Mitch and shrugged, stepping up to the finish line with the mythical creature following suit. Keanna wondered out in front of them, throwing the string up and snagging it with one hand. Although she appeared to be almost bored, there was a confident atmosphere about her.

Bob-bee let out a cheer and began her countdown. Mitch gulped nervously and Darren glanced over to the girl on the bike, the boy before her ready to push off. He gritted his teeth. Jet Darren. Nobody told him that he’d be coming; he was going to be having words with Bob-bee later on. “Go!” she yelled at last and the race had begun.

Keanna didn’t hesitate for a split second, she took off with immense velocity and had already vanished before either of the competitors’ feet �" or hooves, in Mitch’s case �" had crossed the starting line. Alongside them, Bob-bee zoomed by on Jet Darren’s bike. Great concentration etched in his face as he peddled and she gave a live commentary. “And they’re off! Mitch has the upper hand at the moment with a longer stride, but will he catch up with Keanna is the question? And, Blonde Darren is a little bit behind as they make their first turn into Maple Drive!” she exclaimed.

Blonde Darren glanced at them and shook his head. Was there honestly any point? Eventually the crowd wouldn’t be able to hear her anyway �" well, whatever floated her boat, he supposed. He just knew that it certainly wasn’t water.

Mitch panted gruffly and dared a glance at the teenager running along beside him. A determined gleam was in his eyes and he was concentrated on the goal ahead. The Minotaur pressed his lips together and snapped his gaze at Keanna. She was miles ahead of them, barely a dot at the end of the lengthy road and about to make her next turn off. Then, she did a double take and ran in the opposite direction, down to the next street. There were no arrows guiding them, only some of Bob-bee’s friends holding up signs in places, telling them if they were heading in the wrong direction. With a second look at Darren, Mitch flared his nostrils and bowed his head. If he lost here, who knows what would happen? The whole point was to show people that he was much stronger than they believed. He was not just some stupid animal; he was not!

A fire lit up in his belly and he growled, hooves barely touching the road now as he charged. He didn’t even get chance to hear any reactions or even the startled gasp of Keanna when he suddenly caught up. He just knew that he would not lose.  

“And Mitch is powering on ahead now; what will Blonde Darren do now?” Bob-bee shrieked into the megaphone. Much to Darren’s surprise, there came a distant cheer from the crowd �" huh... so they could hear her after all.

Picking up the pace, the boy darted around the corner with Jet Darren and Bob-bee close behind. It was amazing how fast a beast so large and clumsy could run! He didn’t even know that Mitch had it in him; he had to admit, he was impressed. But, that feeling went away in almost an instant, when a command left Bob-bee’s lips. Darren glanced around in confusion when a band of six year olds exploded from the shrubbery on either side of the road. They were all dressed in camouflage and caked in mud. In their stubby hands were nets.

Several of them pounced forward and shoved him to the ground, and then their nets were tossed over him, followed by a group of them sitting on him. He was officially pinned. Squirming, he called to Bob-bee, who had Jet Darren pull up beside him, a long smirk stretched on her face. “What the hell Bob-bee!?” he exclaimed.

Bob-bee laughed loudly and planted her fists on her hips. “What? We’ve got to make sure that Mitch wins, right? And I know if I told you to let him win you’d still get too competitive and beat him. So, I gathered some minions to ambush you~” she explained in a sing-song voice. Then, folding her arms, she watched as Mitch vanished up ahead. “Leave the rest to us now, let’s go Darren,” she said calmly and the two took off again. Something was off about her today, the now trapped Darren knew. But what was it? It wasn’t anything new, he’d seen that look before, that determined sparkle in her eyes, and that smile. The one that wasn’t cocky or menacing, it was genuine; it was the smile that made you know she was your loyal friend. He grinned and then let the kids flatten him into the pavement. “So...” he said after a while, “she gave you lot sweets to make you do this?”

 

Mitch was right on Keanna’s tail now, in fact he had reached out to her several times, only ever narrowly missing. But he wouldn’t give in, he would win this. There came a screech of tires behind him and Bob-bee’s noisy commentary, but he drowned her out, focusing entirely on the girl before him. She glanced back, bit her lip and tried to quicken her pace, fists pumping and feet slamming into the road. At the end of the street was a girl in a band hoodie, holding up a sign. There were no words on it, just a massive green tick, meaning they were going the right way. It also meant that the “finish” line was fairly close now. She sighed. This was where her part was over.

Purposely, she caught her foot and sent herself soaring through the air, landing in a heap on the gravel. She groaned and released the ball of string, holding onto the very end of it as it unravelled itself. “Keanna!” Mitch bellowed, halting abruptly beside her, “Are you alright!?”

Grinning, she gave him the thumbs up. “Yeah... But if I were you, I’d hurry or else Darren’ll catch up” she croaked. Although anxious, the Minotaur nodded and scooped the ball of string from the road and bolted off into the distance. Bob-bee shot past Keanna, sprawled out on her belly, clutching onto the end of the trail. Honestly, in her opinion, Bob-bee had made this far too easy for him. “Hey,” a cool voice said suddenly, “was that Bob-bee just then?”

Keanna smirked. “Sure was... Why, you her friend or something?” Keanna was cut short when she angled her face up to the owner of the voice. She then cursed, guilty for giving her friend up. There stood a girl with ghostly pale skin and long black hair. She was dressed in a short-sleeved, white dress and a pair of sunglasses. An umbrella carried overhead and in her free hand was a paper box. From her came the overpowering stench of sun lotion, metallic blood and the fruity scent of charms to protect her from the deadly UV rays. Steph the vampire. No, Steph the unhappy vampire.

She grinned, revealing a pair of fangs. “Good thing I decided to have an early breakfast,” she licked her lips, “maybe it’s time for lunch now?”

Before Keanna could do anything, Steph had vanished. She may have adored Bob-bee, and saw her as one of her closest friends, but she really wished she’d stop annoying the vampires; it wasn’t good for anyone, especially her.  

 

The lifeline was now in his brawny hands as he raced down the street, making a number of twists and turns with the one responsible for all this nearby. Several times he’d ran into those who told him he was going in the wrong direction and he had to admit he was insanely lost by now; but with this line, he knew that he’d be safe. Once at Keanna �" who he was still worried about �" he’d be fine. He hoped.

He ran around another corner and up a back alley, running into a sign-holder; go back, this is my garden, it read.  Whirling around, he set himself onto the right track again and after swerving around into a different street he saw it; the finishing line. Or, technically, the halfway point, for he’d only have to head back soon.

With a triumphant grin he sprinted right through the red ribbon, slicing it in two, earning a round of applause from those holding each end of it. “And now Mitch makes his turn to the final stretch! First place is in his hands!” Bob-bee yelled, “Turn around, Darren, let’s go!”

The dark haired boy obligated and peddled after the Minotaur, a grin on his face. For a minute, he glanced back at Bob-bee, shouting encouragement to Mitch. He smiled, knowing that he just couldn’t help it.  She was some strange girl. Not many people he knew �" in fact, no one he knew �" would go to so much trouble to help out a Minotaur. Not many were threatened by them and they just didn’t appeal to a lot of people, for they weren’t as “cool” as vampires and werewolves in their eyes. Obviously, they didn’t see what Bob-bee saw, but what that was he did not know. It seemed she was capable to see things in people that even they didn’t know was there. To him, she really was some amazing girl.

Automatically, his smile stretched and he returned his attention to the road and skidded to an abrupt halt. Bob-bee crashed into him and grunted, almost dropping her megaphone. “Oi!” she snapped at him, “What are you doing!? We need to catch up with Mi... Ohh”

There, standing before them defiantly was Steph, her face twisted into a dark scowl. Now this wasn’t someone that Bob-bee had expected to see. “Afternoon, Bob-bee,” she greeted in a low tone.

Jet Darren questioned Bob-bee as she hopped off the bike and took confident steps up to the vampire. “Alright, Steph?” she questioned with a snicker, “like the present I sent you last?”

Steph snarled at her. “Bob-bee... I’ve been waiting to do this for a long time”

 

Keanna was back up on her feet by now, still clutching onto the string. She seriously hoped that she hadn’t dropped Bob-bee in it; she’d probably never forgive her. At that moment, she saw Mitch’s enormous frame emerge and he grinned at her victoriously. Then, at the same time, Blonde Darren dashed by her, leaves and muck smeared all over him. She had to stifle a laugh; so, the kids really did get him?

Upon the sight of him, Mitch’s eyes lit up and his pace quickened. He was definitely going to win now, he knew it. The ball of string had long been since lost from his hand as he followed the trail it left behind, weaving in and out of streets �" how long was it!? Keanna thought in awe.

She shrugged and gave Mitch the thumbs up as he raced by her. Well, he was going to beat Darren, but whether this was enough to get the kids off him was a different matter. She hoped it did, if not for Mitch’s sake for the tormentors themselves. Bob-bee promised personally that she’d take care of ‘em all if they dared to mock the Minotaur after this.  

Mitch tore down the street. This would end it all. The name calling, rock throwing, everything. He’d earn the respect he deserved, and if not? Well, he felt something today, something new. What was it...? Yes, that was it; confidence.

Confident in the friends he had and also in himself. Who cared what they thought about him?  

Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath and when he exhaled his lids shot open again. He didn’t care, not anymore, he decided. Was this the true purpose of this competition? He wondered as he rounded the corner. Everything seemed to go in slow motion, the crowd clapping as they jumped up and down, their cheering white noise. To help me gain confidence? Even if it wasn’t, I’m glad. He glanced at the bullies, who pouted and folded their arms, heads turned away. Well, they all did after their leader scolded them for cheering him on.

“And now we see Mitch,” Bob-bee shouted. He looked back over his shoulder. Her face was covered in pastry and cream that caked the top of her borrowed clothes. Behind her was Jet Darren, still mounted on his bike with some food in his hair. “Ignore the pie on my face!” she commanded at the several stares, “a quarrel with a dear friend of mine; watch Mitch as he wins the battle between man and Minotaur!”

Then, the creature crossed the line and into the bunch of strident, ecstatic people as they praised his efforts. He grinned and gazed at Bob-bee, who gave an almost nervous smile and held her hands briefly in the air. Nodding, he mimicked her, waving and encouraging yells from his new fans.

“And now,” Bob-bee said with a sigh, wiping some dessert from her face. She took a dollop of cream on her finger and smirked at it. “My work here is done,” she concluded, placing her finger in her mouth.

“B-B-Bob-beeee...” Blonde Darren panted as he came up beside her, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. She eyed him and then he looked at her and flinched. “W-What-“

“Someone wanted revenge on me and pied me in the face,” she said as a matter of factly, “Never fear, though, I plan on getting her back”

Jet Darren then abandoned his bike to the curb and marched over to the dark haired girl. He crept up behind her and wrapped his arm around the front of her shoulders, bringing his face down to her own and grinning. “You’re like a meal on two legs, Bobs,” he remarked with a chuckle, “om-nom-nom!”

Bob-bee sniggered and pushed at his long face as he tried to �" literally �" eat her. “Hey, cut it out you freak!” she snapped, trying to dig her fingers into his eyes as he continued to struggle to bite at her cheeks. Without her realising, Jet Darren opened his eyes and met Blonde Darren’s gaze. The blonde pressed his lips into a thin line, his eye twitching slightly before he quickly looked away. At this, Jet Darren couldn’t help but grin; how childish, he thought.

“Oh my God! Bob-bee!” Keanna yelled, shoving Jet Darren aside as she confronted the girl. She held her hands out and hung her jaw, her shaking from side to side. “M-My clothes! What happened!? You do realise that I do the washin’ in our ‘ouse!”

Suddenly, Keanna lunged at Bob-bee, who barely evaded the attack and took off down the street in a panic. She shoved past the crowd and Mitch as he tried to thank her. “Can’t talk right now buddy, I’ve angered the beast!” she exclaimed as Keanna tackled the gathering after her. Honestly, Bob-bee said to herself, what’s so bad about a bit of laundry?       

 

 

Author's Note

Swiftly checked this one through mortals, immortals and other-worlders. Quite a hard document to write, I must admit. But, hey, we introduce another of the many Darren's so one should be happy. Still believe Minotaurs are very underrated. I wish I could see more of them in various stories, tv series and such...
Also, I have been looking through me music recently and found Bob-bee's theme song; "Walk on the Wire" by Sahara Hotnights should any of you be interested. Please, enjoy~

Reviews

[Deactivated_BurningDemo..]

WRITEMORE.
Sorry, but I'm hooked on every word and I can't wait for the next chapter.
Bob-bee is an awesome name, and I may steal it, for myself.

[Escape My Fate]

Im not really into reading stories, thats why i do poems the most, but this was great. I was hooked on every word. Can't wait for more. Thank you for sharing.