Chapter 6
What a Mess
“An extracurricular activity? Yeah, I got a few.” Calamity pulled herself up from the lounging position on the bench she was sitting on, removing her sunglasses to look at me eye to eye.
“Ms. Everheart said you’d be likely to help me find one that fits me.” My eyes shift around, looking past her, as I try to avoid eye contact.
“oh…wait, she called you into her office?”
I looked around at the sky as we talked outside of the school entrance.
“Yeah she uh…figured out the..” I reached and held the charm of my necklace. “the thing”
There was a slight look of panic on Calamity’s face, probably the first time I’d ever seen her look uncertain of anything since meeting her “What did she say?”
“She’s changing my documents to account for my having a glamour, and that was basically it.”
The tension washed out of calamity in that instant “Huh..here I thought she was a sadist or something” she chuckled a moment “actually..makes sense she’s a softy with how cold she comes off.”
“That…doesn’t make sense” I commented
“No, but I’m not smart enough to think up a better metaphor”
“Calamity.”
“What?”
“You’re plenty smart.”
She stuck out her tongue at me. It was out long enough for me to catch how thin it was.
I tried to maintain a serious demeanor but failed when she suddenly lunged at me with her tongue, making a loud “nyeeeeh” noise to go with it.
I let out a yelp, dodging backward as she chased me. the giggles wormed their way out of me as she poked at my stomach, keeping with the uneven pace of my steps
“Calamity, come on!” I suddenly squeaked and found myself backed up against a street light post.
And then she was right there. Arms on either side of me “Caught ya~”
“fine, you caught me. What now?”
“Well if you were a mouse I’d eat you, but for now” she took my hand and tugged me along to a curbside bench “Curriculars…”
We both stood for a moment as she counted things off on her fingers “Well, first there’s sports…do you like sports?”
“Not especially” few times I’d ever played it was simple kickball stuff, times I’d been peer pressured, I’d always end up scraping something and end up a screaming wreck because of it.
“Right. Well, there’s trivia club, game club, Emperor club” There was a pause as Calamity seemed to make eye contact with something nearby, turning and making a beeline to who knows where “I wanna walk. c’mon”
I nodded and followed “I’m in a dance troupe club, and just a ‘Wizards Gathering’ club that meets once every other week”
“What the heck is that?”
“Trading card game, I’ll have to teach you” We turned a corner, seeming to get farther and farther away from the school building and the campus’
I hazarded the question “So why are we moving away from the campus?”
“Because we’re being followed,” Calamity stated with a casual calmness as she kept walking.
I went stiff, head starting to dart around “I’m sorry what?!”
Calamity took hold of my hand and held it tightly “Don’t look..keep moving forward”
“Is it Briar?”
“No, Briar wouldn’t be stupid enough to try and start anything on campus.”
“That's…not assuring at all.”
She squeezed my hand as she tugged me, signaling our turn around a corner “Just keep moving with me. It’s gonna be fine. I’ll explain when we get somewhere safe.”
Her paw pads were warm, and firm as she kept me tugged in close as we walked in step together.
“i was hoping this wouldn’t happen while you were around me, but I guess I’ll have to explain when it’s over.” She then tugged me again slowly around a corner into an alleyway between buildings
There were two large intimidating men, looming forward as they came along the other way at us.
“I’ll do all the talking okay?” Calamity murmured just loud enough for me to hear.
I could feel the presence of another person behind us. The original person who followed us.
The bigger of the two men approaching us spoke up “Fissure…for a school girl you were awfully hard to find”
I hadn’t noticed she’d let go of my hand, but Calamity stepped forward a moment “I just want you to know you’re not all that impressive”
“And why should we have any intention of impressing the The Whelp of His Foulness?”
“I don't know, I’ve just been in the habit of dealing with people like you all my life, They tend to go out of their way to try and look menacing and big-like when they’re really just.. pathetic..”
They both stared down at us. The person behind us chuckled.
“We got you right where we want you.”
“You sure about that?” Suddenly Calamity kicked the man right between his legs, I’d only just barely caught the glow of magic on her boots before it connected. Never realizing that casting spikes like her bracelets were in them.
The Man squawked loudly like some sort of bird, his mouth opening wider than it should have been able to, spewing out.SNOW. great gobs of powder flowing out of him and into the air
With that moment of confusion, I spun around, my magic firing off on the man behind us, a single spark of energy displacing him and swapping his and my position with one another, but not the direction we were facing.
“Go!” Calamity darted past me now, my legs hearing it before I did as I ran after her, the brim of my hat bobbing as I ran with her.
Calamity stopped a moment, standing behind me, as I looked around at her. She smashed her foot into the floor with more magic, a wet shining stalagmite formation spriung out of the ground, splitting into a web of stone formation that connected to the walls of that had formed the alleyway.
“That’ll only slow em down! follow me” Calamity grabbed my hand again, the two of us darting away.
Everything blurred and my heart raced, my legs burning.
Calamity jumped up grabbing a fire escape ladder from a building, yanking it down with a metallic clank as she climbed up. Without a second of thought, I slung the tip of my staff, a tendril of magic grabbing a run and pulling it up behind us.
Still powered by adrenaline I climbed up as fast as I could behind her.
I collapsed to my knees and fell over. Calamity staggered forward, clumsily spinning around and falling the the floor with her back against the ledge.
Both of our chests heaved with exhaustion as we sat there with nothing but the sound of our breath between us before I spoke up.
“We gotta get the city guards…or something. I don't know, that was dangerous, just wow. Shit. ”
“We can’t…I mean..we…I dont…Roxie…”
I sat their as we panted. staring in silence both from the incredulity and the pain in my chest still
Calamity could read the ‘why’ in my eye “Do you want the long and cryptic version that sounds like a storybook? or the normal explanation?”
I finally got my barings down“.. Which ever makes you feel happier” I sighed as we lead sat there on top of the rooftop.
“Okay…years before I was born…There was a man. A grand lion who lead an army built of dedicated followers”
Calamity grabbed some dust off the ground, mixing it with magical essence, letting it all float; the particles coalesced into a snowy image, a collection of crumpled-up candy wrappers and popsicle sticks swirling around and abstracting themselves the rudimentary image of a Beast man with a flowing mane, surrounded by other smaller figures
“Cragjaw the Greedy, they called him. Crusading across the world to take more and more and more.”
The Magic laiden particles swirled creating a crude map of the world in white,I recognized some of it,San Venus was there, and my home. The Map extended out as far as The Shimmering Veil a wave of contrasting black pushing outward from a single point where the beast man stood in a position far northward on the map.
“Dark Lord Cragjaw amassed power, taking and taking and taking until”
The map pulled in like an iris of an eye, snapping tightly between The Dark Lord and a man glowing in golden armor with a grand sword represented in Golden Foil and a butter knife wielded high above him. Both of them engaged in pitched combat
“The Golden Knight came.”
“Woah” I stood in awe, watching the fight before me.
“for three days. The Golden Knight and the Dark Lord fought until without fanfare they both disappeared. on the fourth day, Dark Lord Cragjaw reemerged. dismantling his armies, killing those who would not yield. And swiftly vanished into exile with his most loyal servant”
The Dark Lord’s image was now more muted, rounded with the hardened edges having been smoothed away as he fought his own forces then vanishing. Eventually, he was joined by another puppet of a sort, a whispy outline of a woman, bits of toothpicks making the skeleton inside the magic
“She’d fallen in love with him, he’d never realized it until he found more to care about than his own greed. The two of them would have a child many years later.”
The image of a baby held in the arms of two parents, the beast child growing rapidly, a wrap of spikes going around it, revealing a version of herself posing proudly
“I didn’t turn out like they thought i would but…I think I turned out okay so far…but to put it lightly” she carried on “I’m the ‘Daughter of the Dark Lord’ for a lot of people im the reminder of a very unpleasant part of history…and a lot of shitty people would like to get their own kind of vicarious revenge on my father through.”
“Thats..Calamity how do you even….?” my hands fished in the air trying to grab the words I wanted to say.
“What?”
“That messed up..why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I mean…I’ve tried having friends before now Rox, either Briar fucks with them hard enough to make them ditch me, or a kidnapping attempt makes them drop me, and that's assuming parents don’t warn their kids about me...being Daughter of the darklord isn't a that stays secret.”
“I…”
“I’ll be real with you... You’re the first friend I’ve made that stuck around as long as you have so far..and I’m grateful…but being open about…this..with the way my life has been so far I was just gonna…i dont know see how things went I guess?”
She slumped back in against the guard rail. “I’m sorry”
I hugged her tightly. I sighed kinda still needing to be dense I guess? “Why do you put up with this?”
“what do you mean?”
“None of this is right, you shouldn’t have to put up with this? Why don’t you do anything about it?”
There was a heavy sigh “Because I have classes, Roxanne.”
“I…that..” I was stunned at such a simple answer
“Social ostracisation isn't a reason to let my life come to a screeching halt, and even if it were…I don't know. why should I care that these people hate me? I got class work, girl.”
One last question itched in my head “What about your dad, surely he cares right?”
“I…he doesn’t know. I avoid it as best I can”
“Why?!” I blurted incredulously
Calamity shushed me harshly. “People still looking for us!”
After that though she looked at me, it was a look that had more weight than i expected it to, tired? I can’t be sure. she inhaled deeply “I don't know? I worry it’ll escalate into a whole..political thing. I don't know. it’s just somehting I have to deal with.” I don't think she believed the words she was saying, but I can’t genuinely be sure. There was a clawing sense in my head that this was the first time she ever had to justify it.
We both stood there on that rooftop quietly. Neither of us seemed to know what to say.
She looked over the ledge overlooking the streets. With school being over more people were moving around. “I think we’re safe…let's go somewhere calmer than this”
***
The temple was large.
We didn’t have anything like this back home. We had only a few gods so the dedications were few.
Something itched in my throat as I asked out of nowhere “Do the gods give magic?” Nagging curiosity. A silly impulse to break the nervousness I was still feeling.
Calamity scritched one of her claws in her mane “Oh..not really? witch’s and mages who are priests are mostly coincidental from what I’ve seen.”
I nodded as we carried along. The chapel area was mostly silent. many shrines for many gods, all lined around. The smell of baked goods, herbs, and incense filled the area. Now and again bowls full of coins and other bits and bobs could be seen as we made our way through the area.
The atmosphere had changed the moment we stepped inside. The busy motions of the streets and sidewalks suddenly deadened into a silent respectfulness held in the air. what few people were there were adorned in robes and masks that hid identities, and those that weren’t were fully immersed in the act of worship.
“Over here” Cala’s voice directed me as she led me to the shrine. a statue of copper, a woman with large multi-segmented eyes and sleeves of a robe that were reminiscent of moth wings.
“Kneel with me,” she said as she took a spot in front of the statue.
I took the spot next to her. the stone floor wasn’t as uncomfortable as I expected it to be. I remembered similar moments like this back home. offerings and prayer given to the Harvest god of Akron.
“This is Ellah” Calamity pulled me back to the present. “she represents change; nothing to birth, life to death, death to renewal, changing of seasons, progress and growth” I watched as Calamity’s posture and attitude switched from her usual laid back way to one of reverence, silence and respect toward something greater than herself.
I nod and take all that in. Ellah.. The few times I remember her being spoken about was in times of winter. Ellah, bringer of winter. bringer of death. The Elders spoke of her like an enemy.
“I visit her at least once a week. Something about this place brings me a bit of peace”
I stared at the statue
“You okay?”
“I..haven’t done anything like this before,” I say, my voice quiet. unsure of anything.
“There’s nothing to it.” before I can move she’s taken her hand in mine. I feel my heartbeat elevate again for the first time since the attack happened.
“It’s simple. We close our eyes.” She started, her eyes closing. I followed
“We breath in” she takes a loud breath in “And out”
I repeat her motions. And then she spoke
“Ellah. In our times of change, we come to you. Give us peace as we move from one day to another. One state of being to another. One Life to Another. You have blessed me with a new change. a new friend. and I ask you to bless Roxanne Vangrove as we both continue to experience the wonderful changes you usher forward.”
I felt a moment of heat in my cheeks as she acknowledged me. The air around us was calm. Cold. I..thought I would feel anxious. I didn’t. Everything in that moment felt safe.
Cala’s hand squeezed mine gently. My heartbeat slowed. peaceful.
The both of us sat in silence. Was it a minute? was it an hour? time felt different there. the way her fingers felt around my hand, the contact of pawpad and fur..the shrine’s atmosphere of peaceful silence.
There was a change. To what? I can’t be sure. I just knew that I felt…I felt something.
“You can open your eyes now,” she said, moving to stand and helping me pull myself to my feet.
We looked at each other. It was silent.
“Is it supposed to feel different?”
“I don't know. I only know my feelings. I always feel at peace here. It's why I wanted to come here after..all of That.”
I nodded. I realized she’d finally let go of my hand. “So…what do we do now?”
“well..let’s go home and get homework done”
“Right..gods I almost forgot in all the mess”
she laughed a bit “Yeah” we both walked out
“What a mess.”
This story is great. I’m really excited to read more of it. Consider this my warmest encouragement to post more chapters to this story soon. Thank you!
Tftc!