The Eclipse: Chapter 4

 

    A few days later, I swallowed my breakfast in a hurry. Cordelia proclaimed that my head was fine, fine enough to go back to school. I didn't want to be late.

    Auron tapped at the door. “Elara? We're gonna be late!”

    A few minutes later we arrived at the schoolhouse. Ignoring the stares of my classmates I marched determidley into the room and to my desk.

    A shadow appeared beside me. “Well, if it isn't the little maggot,” a boy my age announced. He was tall and buff, with greasy black hair and cruel blue eyes.

    I groaned. “What do you want, Taiven?” Taiven was the bully of the schoolhouse. He had been my worst enemy ever since my first day of school, where he went around saying, 'Woman! Pick up this!' or 'Woman! Carry this!' I had just ignored him, but during the last break of the day, he had walked over and dumped a load of books on my desk. 'Woman! Pick this up!' he had yelled, gleeful. I just cracked. I punched him in the face, splurting blood everywhere, and breaking his nose. Taiven's nose had never been straight again.

    He swaggered around me, his followers surrounding my desk. “So, where've you been? Skipping school? Or just-” he leaned in closer, his eyes watching me, “going crazy?”

    Auron placed a restraining hand on me, but it was too late. I attacked him punching him, aiming for his nose. His followers were on me in a second, kicking, hitting, and even scratching any part of me they could get to. They pulled me off of Taiven, and suddenly it was a free-for-all brawl.

    Auron and Brynlynn were on my side, but Taiven had many followers and spies, all fearing his wrath if they betrayed him. We were soon blown over by the tide, and would probably have died if Gehn hadn't shown up, roaring, bashing heads left and right.

    After he had gotten everyone under control, Gehn was roaring at us, screaming, yelling about how we had acted like a bunch of beggars just waiting for a piece of bread to come their way. The lecture went on and on, and the whole class would have to stay an hour late today because of it.

    The rest of the day was uneventful. On the way home, I stopped outside of Cordelia's hovel. Auron had already left. Instead of going inside, I headed down the main street of Erstelle and out into the meadow. I just wanted to get away for a change.

    Presently, I heard footsteps behind me. Thinking it was Auron, or even Fabian, I turned around. It was Taiven, with a pack of his blood-thirsty followers. I braced myself, and started to run away, but more of his followers slipped silently up from all sides, until I was surrounded.

    Taiven stepped forward. “You don't ever attack me again,” he hissed, fists clenched, eyes narrowed. “You're already out of your place, fighting like a man.”

    My eyes flashed. “I do what I want, you sexist pig! How's your nose, by the by? Still crooked?” I noted surprise on some of the people's faces around me. “Oh, you guys didn't know that I was the one that broke it?”

    “Enough!” Taiven hissed. “We came here to teach a lesson to you, which will undoubtedly be your last.” At that, everyone leaped for me, and started hitting me, punching me, whatever.

    I broke a couple ribs, some noses, and caused quite a few black eyes and bruises. I even got one boy good between the legs �" I think it was Rumon �" and he went sobbing off.

    I wasn't doing too well. Twenty of them + one of me = not good. I didn't fancy twenty to one odds at all, and the only reason I hadn't gone down yet was because they were horrible fighters, except for Taiven and his tight circle of meanies. Finally, Saulth, Taiven's younger and buff brother, overpowered me, and forced me to my knees. Someone else yanked my hair, causing me to lift my head. I was breathing hard and one eye was hurting like crazy. Every time I drew a breath, it hurt, so I suspected that I had some broken ribs, too.

    Taiven loomed over me, scratches bleeding. I thought I caught someone with my nails. He yanked his fist back and snapped it forward with as much power as he could muster �" which was a lot.

    It, thankfully, never reached its target. Fabian had appeared and caught the fist with one hand, snapping down on the arm with his free hand. I heard the crunch of bone, and Taiven screamed. Fabian drew his sword, and Saulth let go of my arms, and everyone backed away.

    “If you care for your life,” Fabian growled, hefting the sword higher, “then get out of here immediately.”

    You won't believe how short of time it took them to scatter. Five seconds at most. Anyway, one moment they were here, the next, they were flying over the meadow, down towards Erstelle. I fell back on the ground.

    Fabian offered me a hand, and I took. When I tried to stand up, I realized that I had a twisted ankle, and I couldn't walk with broken ribs.

    He picked me up and started walking toward the village. “That's the third time I've saved you,” he said, a smile on his face. “You need to start paying me.”

    “Nah,” I muttered as well as I could with a fat lip. “I don't have any money.” He chuckled. I felt tired, and I needed to sleep.

    “What did you do this time to deserve this beating?”

    “Earlier today Taiven made some comments about my mother, and I attacked him, and it turned into a brawl. Auron, Brynlynn, and I would've died if Gehn hadn't shown up. Here he followed me and told me that I was out of my place, fighting like a man.” I paused to take a shattering breath.

    “Bet you didn't take to that too kindly.” Fabian's mouth and eyes had gone hard with anger.

    “I called him a sexist pig.”

    “Ah.”

    We were walking down the path now. The ocean's waves beat calmly against the shore, making a soothing sound. I felt peace.

    “I'm leaving,” I said suddenly. Fabian hesitated in his step, and I went on. “This place. I've been thinking about what my mother said. I need to find my father; I'm sure of it. I need to go to Latchnor.”

    “Where...Why?”

    “Because I need to.”

    His face darkened. “You couldn't have given me a better answer than that?”

    “You won't tell, will you?”

    He was silent for a moment. “Who would I tell?”

    I sighed with relief. “Thanks, Fabian.”

    He carried me into Cordelia's house, which was packed with boys from the fight. Cordelia looked really harrased, attending to Taiven (who was crying his eyes out while holding his arm, bent at a crooked angle). Fabian quickly backed out and carried me to Cyrus Glen.

    “Knew it. Knew that you were camping out here,” I muttered as well as I could.

    Fabian sat me down on a patch of grass. “Never denied it.”

    “Yes you did! You did when Auron asked you!” I argued.

    He cast me a stern look. “Hush, so I can tend to your injuries.” I went still as he started patching me up, but it didn't stop me from muttering comments under my breath.