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[ Time: Minutes After The Great Getaway. ]
[ Location: A Residential District, Seoul. ]
TiK tiK Tik tiK TiK tiK TiK tiK~!
The sound of rubber soles on concrete was the only sound cutting through the lazy hum of the morning.
Two small figures darted between brick walls and rusted metal fences, chests heaving so hard their shoulders synced up with each-others. Legs burned like they'd been dipped in lava, and lungs screamed for that fresh air. That air which tasted like dust and growing city heat.
Onlookers would dryly point out that they did not run with the quick, grace of trackstars. It was more frantic and careless for how they looked to the human eyes.
They ran like two kids who had bat swung a hornets nest and were now sprinting for their dear lives 'cause of it. They would start stumbling, tripping over their own feet, only for their arms too start windmilling wildly to keep them afloat on their toes.
A little ridiculous show for the early morning, that's for sure. But at least the people who got to witness such weirdness now had stories to tell.
Hazel was the one currently in the lead, her thin legs pumping hard with dopamine, which made her cheeks flush bright as an apple. Behind her, Daemon was lagging slightly, his face twisted into a mask of utter exertion. Everytime he took steps, his lungs felt like they were collapsing in on themselves.
Every inhale scraped raw against his throat, and his vision swam at the edges.
He had never moved this fast in his entire ten years of existence. Never. He was finding it very hard to imagine how people could do this on a daily.
It was, in all honesty, torture.
"Ha~HAZEL~!!" Daemon gasped, voice cracking mid-breath as he nearly careened into a parked scooter. "I... I think my legs are about to snap, sis!"
"Just keep moving, dae!" Hazel threw over her shoulder, not even bothering to slow it down even a bit. Her braids bounced wildly against her back. "If he even catches up to us, we're gonna wish we were never born! You think I wanna be used as a punching bag!? KEEP RUNNING!!"
"Ahhh! C'mon!!"
They rounded another sharp corner, Skkkkep~! Skidding so hard their sneakers left faint black streaks on the pavement.
Only when they had squeezed down an alleyway lined with laundry strung between buildings and burst out onto a quieter residential lane did Hazel finally slam both palms against a concrete wall, doubling over instantly.
She heaved, shoulders rising and falling in rapid waves.
Behind her, Daemon hit the ground with a soft thump, his back sliding down the rough brick until he was sitting.
He stared up at the hazy blue sky, breathes coming in as ragged gasps. Salty sweat dripped from his forehead into his eyes, stinging, but he didn't even bother wiping it away, 'cause his limbs truly did feel, at the very moment, like two boulders stacked on top of each-other, anchoring them too the ground.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke a sentence to one an other. The world narrowed down to the desperate drag of air into burning lungs.
Slowly, the panic in their chests softened. The adrenaline that had fueled their mad dash began to smooth out, replaced by a trembling sort of lightness.
Daemon was the first to break the silence. He tilted his head back against the wall, chest still hitching.
"I… I swear…" He panted, finally finding it fitting to wipe a forearm across his damp brow, channeling recharged strength currently flowing back for assistance. "I saw my whole life flash before my eyes back there. Not even kidding, sis. All my favorite toys… the ice cream I ate last week… I thought that was it..."
Hazel straightened up, pressing a hand flat to her sternum as if trying to hold her heartbeat still. Her hazel eyes darted left, then right, then back to left, scanning the empty street behind them.
No large shadow loomed at the end of the lane. No heavy footsteps thundered in pursuit. Just the soft rustle of leaves and distant chatter from open windows.
"Thank god he isn't here then, else, right now, both our lives would flash together," she said, the words coming out between puffs. "But luckily for us, we lost him. He's most probably wondering around like a long neck goose right about now~."
A beat of silence hung between them when she finished, both now just staring into the hazy blue sky. Then, with the actual clear of safety, Daemon's face went through a series of strange, jerky movements.
His jaw tightened, his nose crinkled, followed by his mouth giving a little twitch.
A sound like a wet sneeze escaped him. He slapped a hand over his face immediately, but his shoulders were already starting to shake violently.
Hazel peered at him through the gloom. Her brow furrowed, her hair, which she was fixing, lopsided and messy from their running. "You alright, Dae~? Why do you look like a stuffed-mouth chipmunk?"
She sounded genuinely worried, the way a nine-year-old gets when she thinks her brother might actually be hurting. She hovered there, her hands hovering near her sides, watching the way he was vibrating.
But that one look, and those mere words, were the break through for Daemon.
"Pffft! BAHAHAHAHA~!!" Daemon laughed out loud, doubling over while still seated, this time not from exhaustion but amusement. "I CAN'T! HIS FACE IS JUST TO FUNNY! HAHAHAHAAA!! He looked SO goddamn pissed~!!"
Hazel went completely still for a solid two seconds, her head tilted to the left. She was still stuck in the "we almost died" mindset, her brain trying to catch up to his sudden shift. She blinked, looking from Daemon's shaking form to the empty space where their brother should have been standing.
As she looked where their brother was suppose to be, two tiny images flickered in her mind.
Both of them being of Cassius. Obviously.
She remembered the fall, and the red spot on his forehead from the fall and his straight face. For some odd reason, his lack of reaction made it look even funnier than it already was.
She also remembered the look of clumsiness when he tried to chase them down their hallway, from the sounds she heard, it sounded like he hit the wall quite hard. Which made her wish she seen it.
They were already outside, though. Already putting their brother in last place for once. So, she didn't get the joy of seeing him be clumsy.
"Heh... hehe..."
A small giggle flew out of her mouth. Then another. Before it slowly became more as the permanent images of her brothers stress looped around.
The confusion drained out of her, the only thing now was the bubbling warmth that started in her toes and surged upward.
She slumped back against the wall, her legs giving out as the leg strength turned into ridiculous mirth.
She started to shake just as violent as Daemon, a proper belly laugh bursting out of her finally. It was messy and loud, both of their's were, the kind of laughter that makes your ribs ache and your eyes leak.
She tucked her knees up to her chest, clutching her stomach as her hands tucked themselves under her armpits, the images of their brother's fury becoming the funniest thing in the history of the world.
Tears slowly pricking the corners of her eyes, trying hard (but failing) to control her laughing. "Y~yeah, he did look pretty funny! I so thought we'll be dead back there. Seriously! But, nope, we came out unscathed and victorious. All thanks to our beautiful grandmother! If not for her, we'll be still there!"
"I second that aswell! If not for her telling Cass to clean up, we wouldn't be here! So mwwah!" He kissed his palms, throwing them towards the sky as if to deliver his kisses. "Thank you grandma!"
"'YOU LITTLE F WORDS!'" He added without missing a heartbeat, mimicking Cassius's deep, gruff voice, lowering his pitch comically deep. "I really thought the walls were gonna fall down when he said that! He sounded like a giant ogre! We've never heard him yell before aswell! That's what makes it ten-times funnier~!"
"A hundred times funnier, actually, because of the jump that kangaroo did seconds after!" Hazel pointed wildly back the way they came, her eyes wide as if she could still see it.
"He's such a big dum~dum! He really thought he was some action movie star or something! 'Witness me!'" She mimed running and leaping, arms stretched out wide. "And then BONK~!" She slapped her own forehead just hard enough to make anyone wince. "Right into the light he goes! Kehehehe!"
By now, Daemon was practically rolling on the ground, clutching his sides as he felt a stitch blooming. "WHAT A DAMN IDIOT! HAHAHAHAHA~!!"
This went on for many minutes.
Minutes of nonstop laughing as both siblings couldn't stop themselves from thinking about the morning events.
Hazel had also moved from her position, the laughter hijacking her feet, while moving her closer by her brothers side.
They collapsed against each other, leaning side-by-side against the cool brick wall, breathless grins plastered across their faces. The fear that had gripped them minutes ago was gone, now it was just the giddy glow of victory.
They had done it.
They had pulled off the impossible.
They had pranked the terror of the household and gotten away.
Daemon nudged Hazel with his elbow, pride swelling in his small chest. "Y'know, we are basically cool now. Like, very cool. Because we," he pointed a finger at both of them, "just soaked Cassius Park and got away without a bruise,"
"Who else can say that? Nobody. Who else would be able to do that? No~body. That's what makes us awesome. I'm bold enough to even say, were legends~,"
"Yep, I said it. I said we are some legends, and I ain't ashamed to say again! We're the..."
Listening to her brother ramble on, Hazel let herself bath in the title, joining her brothers bliss.
He was right. Nobody can pull off what they just did. Nobody.
She let the words wash over them comfortably, before she did something that made Daemon go stiff.
The high had been fading minutes ago, leaving behind many things, including a cold, prickly realization that had struck Hazel.
"Hey," she muttered, the amusement slipping slightly from her voice.
Daemon didn't look up, a little too busy trying to catch his breath still. "Yo~?"
"I'm... umm... I'm sorry." She bit down on her bottom lip softly, staring hard at her shoes. "For, y'know, shoving you. Back there in the hallway. I totally used you as bait so Cassius wouldn't grab me first. It was a jerk move..."
Daemon stiffened up, his eye lids widening as her words slipped into his ears.
Three seconds went by. Four. Then five.
He finally turned his head, blinking at her. The mischievous light in his eyes flickered, leaving a brief, confused softness in its wake.
He hadn't expected that. Like, seriously. That never once crossed his mind. Only because Hazel almost never apologizes, like, ever, so it was rare for her to apologize by her own accord.
And he hadn't expected it now, of all times.
He let the apology hang there, enjoying the way she squirmed for a second. Only for a slow, mischief grin to spread across his face, the mischievous light back but this time, amplified.
"Yeah, your a total traitor," he said, nudging her shoulder three times with his own. "But it's fine. Next time we do something like this? I'm definitely throwing you first. Mercilessly and with smooth timing~."
Hazel let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, her chest loosening. "In your dreams, idiot."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Call me names and cry about it. I'm still doing it~," Daemon cheerfully said.
"I don't cry about things, unlike a certain 'someone',"
"Who might that be? Because I don't cry about anything! Your the true crybaby here!"
"Nope~, its actually the opposite. You are..."
They started to bicker playfully, shoving at each other with grins tugging at their mouths again, the lighthearted squabble a familiar rhythm between them.
After a minute, the energy began to settle. The laughter died down into soft, satisfied snickers. Daemon, who had stood up for the better offensive, slid back down the wall to sit cross-legged on the concrete, staring out at the quiet street.
The neighborhood around them was calm. Rows of low residential houses sat behind small walls, laundry fluttering on lines strung between buildings.
The air lingering around them smelled faintly of cooking food and damp earth, the kind of quiet warmth that settled over the city in the early morning.
It was peaceful. Aswell as safe.
No growling older brothers came charging around corners here.
Hazel pushed herself off the wall, coming up to her full height while simultaneously stretching.
She then brushed some dust off of her shorts. She turned slowly in a circle, head tilted slightly as she took in the layout of the street.
"Hmm..." She hummed with concentration.
Her sharp little eyes traced the familiar landmarks, the curved walls, the particular style of roof tiles common to this area.
It didn't take long for her memories to give her what she wanted. She had wandered these streets enough times to know them like the back of her hand.
She brought a hand up, tapping her chin with one finger, doing the mental math in her head. They had bolted straight out the front, turned left, then had cut through a back alleyway after rounding the first corner.
The distance wasn't massive, but it was enough to put solid ground between them and their furious sibling.
Daemon tilted his head back, watching a stray leaf spiral toward the pavement. The adrenaline had thinned out now, leaving his legs feeling heavy and a bit shaky.
He looked around the unfamiliar bend of the street, then up at his sister.
"Sooooo," he dragged the word out until he couldn't any longer, "how far did we even run? Because I recognize that mailbox, but I definitely have no idea whose house that is...."
He paused, squinting at a hedge that looked suspiciously like every other hedge in the neighborhood. A smirk formed itself, though his eyes stayed wide. "We're lost, aren't we? We're going to have to live on the street and dumpster dive. That's the plan now, isn't it~?"
He was being dramatic for the sake of it, mostly to see if he could get a rise out of her once more. When in reality, the knot of worry in his stomach was loose and insignificant.
He simply watched Hazel, waiting for her to do this 'thingy' where her eyebrows knit together, the look she got when she was calculating a math problem or trying to remember where she'd left her shoes.
After all, she was the one who actually listened when people gave directions. While he and Cassius were usually busy vibrating with enough energy to break furniture, Hazel had a way of absorbing facts.
She wasn't a walking encyclopedia, but she was reliable. If anyone knew which left turn led back to their home and away from their vengeful older brother, it was her.
In simpler terms: She was smart.
Daemon shifted his weight, trusting her silence. There wasn't a ounce of fear in him, just a comfortable curiosity to see how she'd solve this one.
He trusted his sisters smartness.
Hazel paused, casting one final glance down the long stretch of road leading back toward their neighborhood.
A small, knowing smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. She shook her head, flicking a strand of hair out of her face.
"No, you dummy. We aren't lost." She told Daemon, her tone light but certain. She hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her shorts, rocking back on her heels. "Luckily for us, me and grandma sometimes walk this way. So I know where we are."
She looked back at Daemon, eyes sparkling with the sweet glint of triumph.
"From here? We're only about… three blocks away from home..."
...
...
...
...
Daemon wiped a streak of gray grime across his forehead with his sleeve.
He stood up, shaking out his legs like a dog trying to shed water. The exhaustion seemed to turn irrelevant the moment he found his footing, that familiar spark of mischief coming back.
"Win for the little guys, again," he muttered. Then he looked at her sideways. "If what you say is true. I bet you can't hit the fruit shop before I do."
"Uuuugh~!"
Hazel let out a long, dramatic groan. "My legs are literally made of jelly, Dae. All I can do is just stand."
"Last one there has to eat a raw egg," Daemon ignored her protesting aura and words, already crouching into a starting position. "We 'bout to be sick, sis~. So unless you wanna be not sick, I suggest getting ready."
Hazel's stomach turned with disgust. "Your actually disgusting."
"One," Daemon ignored again, his eyes fixed on winning.
"Aww, don't do this, dae---"
"Two. THREE!!"
TIK!!
He bolted.
"UGH! That idiot! He never listens!"
Hazel said under her breath, her competitive spirit being a real one and overriding the ache in her calves as she scrambled after him.
TIK TIK TIK TIK TIK TIK!!
Once Hazel caught up, they hit their shoulders together, trading petty, sharp elbows as they jockeyed for the lead. Hazel opened her mouth, ready to tell him a white lie, but a classic one. "OI!! Your laces aren't tied up---!?"
THUMP~!!
"OOF!"
"Hsss, ow!"
Hazel hit the ground hard, the air driven out of her lungs in a sharp puff. Daemon was no better, he landed beside her, hissing as pain shot through his body
"What the...?" Daemon said with thick confusion, blinking through the stars in his eyes. "Since when is there a wall here?"
"My baaack," Hazel wheezed out, rubbing her back bottom-half. "I dont remember there being a wall here!"
"How! You said you walk this way! How do you not remember a damn wall!?"
"Because there was never a damn wall, you idio---?"
"Keep 'em voices down, will ya~," a new voice said,
Which immediately silenced the bickering about to happen between the two siblings. Neither of them moved a muscle after hearing someone.
Slowly, like a baby crawling for the first time, did the realization creep up Hazel's spine before she even looked up. It dawned on her that they hadn't hit a wall.
They were, of all places, at the feet of people they didn't know at all.
And around them rose the soft clutter of life: Footsteps dragging slow, low hums bouncing off bricks, snickering that felt too loud, loose, and far from anything familiar.
There weren't many of them, but even a small group felt huge, especially to kids, who were sitting pressed shoulder to shoulder, wondering exactly on why this, of all things.
Whoever they were, they didn't belong to this corner of the world. Or at least, they didn't belong to the parts Hazel sometimes walked.
Kind of like... seeing an anomaly.
Nontheless, everything about them screamed different.
The boy who'd spoken first had a voice like rough concrete, cool and cocky, with the kind of confidence that usually only comes from never having faced consequences.
Or, being around two-faced people your whole life, who, like a bunch of dumbass's, couldn't help but suck dick.
The second it hit their ears, Hazel and Daemon traded a quick, tight look.
They knew exactly what these people were.
The ones who lingered along park edges and alley mouths, boys who looked like they'd skipped all the awkward growing phases.
The thing everyone whispered about. The faces parents pointed out and say stay far away from.
The oldest among them looked around six or seventeen. You could kind of just tell by the facial hair currently growing. And by how he moved like every muscle was built for two things: grinding teeth and throwing weight around.
"Hmm~? Yo, hol' up."
The voice that cut through the silence wasn't the first guy, but a smaller boy, who was carrying a smirk you could hear even before you saw it.
The younger boy leaned forward, finger extended, and jabbed it straight at Daemon like he was pointing out something rare.
"Yoo, G. You wouldn't happen to be Daemon, would ya~?"
Even though he asked, he didn't wait for the answer, already talking over himself before Daemon could reply.
"That one brat who goes to Middle-school with another kid named Sukjoo?" The smaller boy added.
The leader tilted his head. He was the one who'd spoken first out of all of them, the oldest looking one out if them. But, now, instead of the look he held before, he looked like he was trying to decide if this was worth paying attention too.
His eyes moved over Daemon slowly, observing the boy, which felt less like observing and more like sorting.
Deciding what category he fit in to, what use he had, as well as what worth he can be.
"Ah~. You talkin' 'bout that shit-stain Sukjoo keeps complainin' about?" He said, voice thick with mild amusement.
"Yo, that little fuck!" Clap!
The smaller boy clapped his hands together, a cheerful little smile blessing his face.
He took another step closer, leaning down to Daemon's eye level. His eyes narrowed into thin slits. "My ass can't be trippin'. This has gotta be the kid. He fits every single thing my little brother rants about."
He leaned in even further, voice rising like he was announcing something to the whole street.
"My brother comes home every day all mad 'cause Daemon got a gold star. 'Cause Daemon's the fastest. 'Cause Daemon's this and that.... You reeeally think your somethin' special, huh?"
Now, what was the boy in question doing, you may ask?
Simple.
All that easy bravado Daemon usually carried? It had vanished somewhere between the first question and that last accusation.
No... No, no. Maybe it was the second he heard his name spoken like it was a curse.
Whatever the moment was, his bravado was gone, and in its place was something else. Something tight and cold.
He looked smaller than Hazel had ever seen him, shoulders hunched up around his ears like he was trying to fold himself into nothing.
"I… come on, man. I don't even know who Sukjoo is. Honest." Daemon told them, feeling even more smaller as each word came out.
"Doesn't really matter if you do or not, does it? For all we know, your dumbass could be lying."
The leader took a step forward, his shadow slowly falling over them.
"What matters is Sukjoo's upset. And if Sukjoo's upset, then my boy here," he nodded towards the other boy, "is just as upset as his baby bro. Which means I gotta do somethin' about it, right? Part of bein' in charge. Look out for the crew and all that fun stuff, y'know~."
As he finished saying that, he grinned with the intention to look entirely unfriendly, before he snapped his hand outwards while the two siblings waited for more words.
Words that weren't coming in the first place.
The move wasn't... fast to say the less.
Anyone with a clear head could have weaved or ducked it.
But that was the thing....
Their heads weren't clear.
Fear had wrapped around their bodies, certain and cold, turning muscles to lead and thoughts to static.
They sat paralyzed, frozen by a fear that anchored them to the spot.
Before Daemon could even flinch, a hand lashed out and tangled deep into his dark hair. With a violent wrench, he was hauled upward. The force was so sudden his sneakers scraped uselessly against the pavement, a sharp cry of agony ripping itself from his throat.
"GAAAH!!!"
"NOO! DON'T TOUCH HIM!!"
The sound of her brother's pain shattered Hazel's trance. She forced herself up to her feet and lunged forward, her small hands desperate as they clamped around the leader's forearm.
Her fingers couldn't even meet around his thick wrist, but she braced herself and pulled with a strength fueled by desperation, even though she knew it was futile.
"LET HIM GO!! WE DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING!"
To the leader, her efforts were barely a nuisance, a fly buzzing at his sleeve, but the persistent tugging was starting to get on his short nerves.
Seeking to rid himself of the annoyance, he gave a lazy, powerful flick of his arm, WHACK!! The shove sent Hazel sprawling backward through the air.
THUD!
"AAGH!"
Her shoulder collided hard with the brick wall to her side. White-hot pain bloomed across her back and arm, stealing her breath again. For a heartbeat of a moment, she couldn't decide what stung more: the physical impact or the crushing humiliation of her own helplessness.
"Stay out of it, ya little fucker~."
The leader shoved Daemon toward the center of the group, the circle opening up around him with ease.
It started off small, just light shoves here and there. One boy would nudge his shoulder hard enough to send him stumbling, and the next would catch him, only for him to be pushed right back.
Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, each shove a little harder than the last, each movement accompanied by snickers and mockery.
"Aww, what's the matter?" The nasal-voiced boy said as he observed Daemon, eyes now gleaming with glee. "You gonna start cryin', bitch-boy? Go on then, let us see it~."
"Nnn... nn..." Daemon muffled his sobs, trying his hardest not to ball his eyes out.
'.... Brother.' Hazel thought, the single word feeling like it was tearing her chest open.
She looked up at Daemon from her now seated body, at the idiot who always had something silly to say no matter where, when, or who was around.
But this... thiswasn't him.
He was just standing there, shaking like antarctica was pulling up, with his head down and eyes glued too the ground.
Seeing her brother like this. Weak, helpless, and terrified, something inside her snapped.
Not her fear. Her fear hadn't left her, but it was pushed aside by something burning, coiling tight behind her ribs.
She dragged herself up from the ground, legs wobbly as strength was put into them, voice cracking as she forced words out.
"I-if you don't stop right now… I'm gonna call my big brother. And you really don't wanna be here when he comes, 'cause he's scary. He could beat all of you without even trying. So stop. Or else...."
She didn't finish. Finding it better to let the threat hang there.
The shoving eruptly stopped. All heads slowly turned towards her. For three, good ol' seconds, there was nothing but breathing and the distant hum of traffic.
The first to move was the leader. He brought his hand up to his face, and.... laughed.
"Oh nooo! The big brothers comin' to save the day! Oh man, shiver me fuckin' timbers! Imma piss myself from fear~!"
He let his hand fall back to his side, a grin still stretched across his face. "What's he gonna do? Be fuckin' batman or sum~shit~?"
"Bet he's just another little loser like this one," one of the nameless goons added, kicking a cloud of dust right over Daemon's shoes. "Go on then. Yell as loud as you want. Let's see if this hero of yours shows the fuck up~."
Well, you didn't need to tell her twice. She was going to do it anyway.
It was the only plan she had, and it was the only thing she could think of that might make them stop.
"hhhhHHHH....!!!"
She sucked in as much air as her sore lungs would allow, before she let it all out into one, massive scream that hurt her throat.
"CASSIUS!!!!!!"
The name bounced off every wall, rolled down the street, and floated over the rooftops. It seeped through open windows and hung in the air long after the sound faded.
She stood there waiting, ears straining, expecting the sound of heavy steps, maybe even the shift in the air that always came when Cassius was near.
"...."
Nothing...
Just a single, mocking car horn. The steady drip of water from a broken pipe, and cats hissing at each other in an alleyway.
The leader's smile softened into something meaner, now even more excited than before.
He walked over to her until he was standing right in front of her, bending down so his face was level with hers. His breath reeked heavily with energy drinks and cheap cigarettes, making Hazel's face cringe with disgust.
"Looks like your savior must be deaf. Or maybe..." He paused, his eyes glittering with mockery as his gaze bore into hers. "... Maybe he just doesn't care enough to even come. Heh~!"
Haaawk~tuaa!
Pat!
A glob of slimey saliva flew right towards Hazel~girl, landing squarely onto her cheek bone. Hazel quickly wiped it away, staining her hoodie sleeve, while her disgust and anger amplified.
Infront her, standing in that circle of clowns, Daemon made a small, broken sound.
He still stared at the ground, hands clutching the fabric of his hoodie so tight his knuckles had gone pale, bulging the skin with thick bone outlines.
Cold spread through Hazel's bones, her mind forgetting the leader, who was turning his back on her again.
Of course Cassius wasn't coming.
He was probably back home right now, sitting on the couch waiting or probably eating his breakfast already, having absolutely no clue they were in danger.
He... he didn't know.
How could he know. They had lost him long ago, leaving them alone.
And right then, that hurt, that overwhelming sense of hopelessness, was far worser than any punch or shove.
…Fine.
If no one was going to save them, then they would have to do it all by themselves.
And to do that... they had to fight back!
She made no plan, she couldn't even think straight right now, so how could she possibly form a plan? All she could think about was just a mess of terror, rage, and that desperate need to protect the person who always protected her.
And, like how her older brother would protect them. Just like back then...
Adrenaline flooded her body, turning that tight feeling in her chest into something sharp and fast.
She launched herself forward, not even caring that it was all messy. There was no skill, no strategy, just arms and legs flying everywhere.
She went for the closest boy, not the leader, 'cause she wasn't that stupid. She sloppily swung her fist hard, aiming it to hit against the side of his head.
When the boy peripheral vision caught motion, he flinched back with surprise, which she immediately took, the opening screaming to be taken. She uncurled her fist and dragged her nails down his cheek, intending to leave her nail scars bright red on his cheek.
Sadly,
She barely had time to pull her hand back before something heavy hit her stomach...
BANG!!
"HEKKK---!!!"
The air was driven from her lungs in a single, agonizing rush. Hazel was thrown backward, skidding across the gravel with enough force to shred the skin on her arms. She curled into a tight ball, gasping for breath as her vision blurred behind a sudden veil of tears. Every inch of her body throb throbbed with more pain.
"HAZEL!!!!"
Daemon's scream pierced through the ringing in her ears. But as she struggled to focus, she realized his voice had changed. The tremor of terror was mildly there, though with it was something else.... something.... something she couldn't quite make out.
Hazel blinked rapidly, forcing her watery eyes to clear. When her vision finally snapped into focus, her heart skipped a beautiful beat.
"Br... brother...?" Hazel whimpered out.
Daemon was still trapped in the center of the circle, surrounded by the boys. He was still shaking so violently it looked as though his bones might rattle apart.
However, that wasn't why her heart skipped. Nah... it skipped because his hands were up.
He had taken a stance.
The exact, clunky pose Cassius had forced him to practice in the backyard for hours upon hours. It was the same one Daemon always mocked for looking "stupid."
His elbows were flared out too high, his chin was tucked awkwardly, and his feet were spread so wide that a single low kick would have sent him falling to his knees.
To anyone who actually knew how to fight, he was a walking embodiment of "inexperienced." He looked ridiculous, a scrawny kid trying to play soldier against bullies more bigger than him. But thiswas all he had.
"Pwahahahaha!! Look at this fuckin' dumbass! Look at 'em go!"
"The little shit thinks he's tough! Gahahaha!"
The group erupted into mocking laughter, closing in on him with mocking gestures like, 'bleeeh~!' Or putting their own hands up, bobbing their heads with amusing smirks acting as if they were weaving jabs.
They began to toy with him, testing his resolve with amusing cruelty.
They poked at his ribs and slapped his wrists, throwing sharp feints at his face just to watch him flinch. Every time they shoved at his shoulders, the little boy would stumble, his 'inexperienced' stance wobbling under the pressure and force.
One heavy-handed push sent him skidding across the pavement.
"Grr..."
Daemon bit down on his bottom lip, implying pressure hard enough to drew that metallic tang of blood. He flew back into position immediately, his fists trembling as they rose once more.
One of the boys leaned in close, darting his hand out in a series of mocking, rhythmic slaps against Daemon's chest and arms. "Ssss... sss..." He hissed, mimicking a snake as he struck, each blow light but dripping with contempt.
SMACK!!
"Ooohohoho! That's gotta hurt~!"
A sudden, open-handed strike caught Daemon square across the ear, sending a dull roar through his head. His neck snapped to the side, and his eyes watered instinctively from the sting.
He didn't crumble, though; he simply blinked the tears away, rubbed the side of his head with a raised wrist, and reset his guard.
The boy who was slapping at his guard, grew a smirk and said: "How 'bout I fix that fucked up stance, yeah~?"
With a sudden, mean-spirited flick of his sneaker, he delivered a sharp "low-kick" to the inside of Daemon's overextended knee.
"Argh! Dammit!!"
The joint buckled instantly. With a curse slipping out of his mouth, Daemon's leg gave way, forcing him to one of his knees.
<><><><><>
END.
[ A/N: Wsup fourskins & "four lips," I just wanted to let y'all know real quick, that releases should be back to normal. (At least normal than they should and not sooo long anyway.)
[ 'Preciate the wait & reading though. Peace. ]