Soul Sunder Ch.3 Disturbence

Cook dragged Angelou through the dirt into the back ally of the Oaken Platter. Rain relentlessly poured on them, and by the time they entered the backstreet she was soaked. To add insult to injury, Cook threw her into the mud. Angelou tumbled through the grime before slamming her head against a trash-bin.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" Cook roared.
Angelou was about to snap back but one look into his eyes told her it was a bad idea. From his body language, to his words, Cook was furious. Reluctantly, she gritted her teeth, then swallowed her pride.
"I wasn't..." she finally said.
"You weren't what?" Cook asked.
"I wasn't thinking..."
Angelou studiously avoided his gaze the as the guilt set in. She was suppose to be the level headed one, the one to stop the other two, yet she let a person as low as Cale throw her into a frenzy. She couldn't even meet Cook's eyes anymore. She could hear the anger in his voice, but the disappointment laced through hurt more than any punch.
"If you hit that boy, do you know what would've happened to you?" he continued.
"I know what would've happened to him," Angelou mumbled.
"Angelou, they would have killed you. They would have killed you, then Raisa, then Nina. You are not the only one who would suffer. You are in charge of protecting them Angelou! They don't look to me, they don't look to the Guardians, they look to you for guidance. " Cook said.
"I wasn't wrong!" Angelou snapped.
"It's not a matter of right and wrong. It's a matter of obeying the rules of the world so you can live another day. All you had to do was hold out for one more day! After that, you'd be shipped off to be a general of some army, or a technician of some factory, but you'd be free."
Angelou clenched her jaw. She couldn't say anything, and she couldn't do anything. She knew she was responsible for the other two, but that only fueled her mood. If she couldn't protect those two from something as simple as scorn, how could she expect to protect them from anything?
It's not fair Angelou wanted to say. Instead, she just stood there and listened to Cook chew her out.
She hated having listen to things she already knew. She knew it, yet in the moment, she simply didn't care. At the time, the rage that engulfed her was like an absolute force she couldn't fight. Every pent-up feeling, every hurtful word, every cruel actin couldn't be held back. She felt like she would do anything, kill anyone just to achieve her goal of making Cale pay.
"You wouldn't understand," Angelou growled.
"I would-" Cook said.
Before Cook could even finish she crossed the distance between the two in less than a second. She didn't waste any time to latch onto his fancy shirt and haul him into the air.
"You think you can understand me?" Angelou said. "Take a good look at me! You are as light as a feather, as slow as a turtle, and you think that you can understand me. You don't understand anything! You've never had to live with the hate of others for simply drawing breath." Angelou dropped him into the dirt turning her back, "They are scared of us, and just now, you were too."
"Angelou-" Cook started.
"Get out of here. You have to get ready for the festival," Angelou said.
She heard Cook struggle to his feet, and his footsteps slowly retreat. When he reached the end of the alley, she heard his footsteps stop.
"You're right, I couldn't understand what you've been going through. My family are nobles, if I wanted, I could get a castle with the snap of my fingers. Before, I wasn't afraid of you, I was afraid of what would become with you if you let you're anger consume you," Cook said. "I love you three just as much as I love my own brother, so don't keep your feelings bottled up inside. Despite what you think the whole world isn't out to get you. You have me, and even though he's a bit of a brat, you have Soren... so... when you're ready, I'll be here."
And with that, Cook was gone. Angelou's chest felt tight, and she couldn't stop her hands from trembling. No matter how much the three yelled, fought, or how broke the rules, Cook would always be there. No matter how poorly everyone treated him for simply being around them, he stayed.
The day had just been one regret after another, Cook deserved better. Her anger slowly dwindled and in its place came the rush of emotions that she was unable to keep at bay. Angelou squeezed her eyes shut desperately trying to suppress them. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face.
She looked up at the sky in hopes that the heavy rain would wash away the tears and silence the sounds. It was impossible to tell how long she'd stood there letting the rain drench her cloths and her sorrows.
To the rain she laid herself bare, let everything flow out finally dropping her guard. The rain didn't care, it didn't hate, it didn't love, it just was.
"He cares about you."
Angelou whirled around to come face to face with Shiro. She stood there, same as always. Not much ever changed with Shiro, may it be her hair, her expression or even her outfit. Angelou noted that unlike everyone else, the princess still wore the basic uniform. Black jeans, gray boots, and a heavy sweater that hung tight to her perfect frame.
With the past events, Angelou had completely forgot about Shiro's presence.
As if reading her thoughts, Shiro said, "I didn't hear anything, I never followed you into the alley."
"Then why are you here now?"
Even as the words left Angelou's mouth, she knew why. The delayed feeling of dread coiled around her. She'd completely forgotten to report to the Guardians. Without her present, Dallin had free reign to craft any lie he wanted.
Angelou once more looked towards the heavens in seek of an answer. The midnight sky danced with the bright stars. If she hurried, maybe she could make it to the council building.
Midnight
The second she realized, all hope was lost. The bell to announce the start of the festival would ring within the hour. There was no time to go to the council's office. Now for all she knew, they couldn't participate in the festival and Shiro was there to deliver the news.
"We carried on without you," Shiro continued.
"That so?" Angelou said. "Let me guess, no festival?"
"Why do you think that?"
"Arcanes," Angelou said flatly. "Protect your own, I get it."
"Well you're wrong. Dallin will not be attending the festival, thus he will stay in the village for another year," Shiro said.
The comment took Angelou by such a surprise her jaw dropped, "You defended me?" Angelou asked.
"Of course not. He attacked first, I reported what I saw," Shiro said matter-of-factly.
It made no sense, it made absolutely no sense. Shiro had no reason to defend her. Angelou was cast into a state of confusion within a matter of seconds. She went through all the possibilities but came up with nothing-- brain work was a Human thing anyway.
"What do you want from me?" Angelou finally asked.
"What do I want?" Shiro repeated.
"I don't want to owe an Arcane."
 Especially you. Angelou thought.
Shiro hesitated, then turned to leave. Just like earlier that day, she left without a word lead by the direction of her will; true Royalty. Angelou was surprised when Shiro stopped at the end of the ally partially turning back to look at her. Eyes bright in the darkness, and for the very first time, a smile spread across her lips.
"I want your trust." Shiro said. "What do you want?"
Then without another word, she turned the corner out of sight.
What do I want? Angelou thought.
Angelou was about to chase after her when she felt a great weight on her back, arms wrap around her neck, and a lighthearted giggle tickle her ear. She didn't even have to look.
"Guess who!" Nina laughed.
The fights, the anger, the frustration, everything seemed to vanish with those two words. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't keep the smile off her face. Angelou turned around in Nina's grip and grabbed her friend bringing her into a tight embrace.
"Hey you." Angelou smiled.
"Hey listen! Like, we went to the Oaken Platter to get some food just now. Thought we'd see you there. When we got there, guess who we saw beating the crap out of Cale," Nina asked. "It was Soren! Crazy right? Soren bent Cale over and showed him whose boss-- wait, why are you so muddy?"
"Don't worry about it," Angelou said.
Even though he's a bit of a brat, you have Soren. Maybe Cook was right after all, Soren didn't seem so bad. After all, he did what she couldn't.
"Wow, you guys just look all nice n' cozy don't ya'?" Raisa said coming up to them. "Gross."
"Poor Rai, nobody to hug," Angelou teased. "It must be your lucky day, because there is room for one more."
"Hell no," Raisa snapped. "Touch me and I'll wring your neck."
"Oh so scary," Nina teased.
"Screw off!" Raisa said.
Raisa took a swing at Nina but she expertly danced around her. Before Raisa knew it, Nina was behind her flicking her back. Suddenly, in a roar of victory Raisa tackled Nina to the ground.
The two rolled through the mud laughing like it was the most fun they'd had in their lives. Angelou stood there content with watching. She'd had enough mud for one day.
"Are you done?" Angelou asked when Raisa finally managed to put Nina in a headlock.
"Not until she surrenders," Raisa said.
Angelou rolled her eyes, walked over to them, and pulled the two girls apart. Nina quickly scrambled to Angelou's side and said, "Who cares if you're stronger! I'm faster-- race you to the festival!"
With that, Nina stuck out her tongue and was gone in a blur. Raisa growled in frustration and took off after her. Unable to believe them, Angelou skipped into a run and sprinted through the intertwining streets of the Village.
It wasn't long before Angelou overtook Raisa, but Nina was so far ahead there wasn't a hope of catching up. She really was the fastest.
They ran along the muddy roads, zooming past houses, hopping over crates, and vaulting over fences until they could see the glow of the festival ahead. Torches began to line the streets, and the smell of food wafted through the air.
She was just about to leap over a large stack of barrels when she caught a movement down an alley. Angelou skid to a stop so quickly Raisa almost barreled into her.
"What the hell?! Warn me when you're going to stop," Raisa snapped.
Angelou stood there, her eyes craned down the narrow passageway. They were close to the wall, its giant shadow bringing them into its dark embrace. With it, came an unnatural silence cold enough to make her hair stand on end. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath bringing all the scents to her attention.
She quickly regretted the idea. The strong smell of the Arcane over powered every other smell that could have possibly been in the area. She could barely smell Raisa, and she was only inches away from her. Even still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
She looked down the backstreets one more time, then at the festival. It was only a couple minutes away, so close, not even a breath away...
"Come on. It's going to start any minute!" Raisa said.
"Go on without me," Angelou murmured.
Raisa took a step forward then said, "Fine, but if you leave me alone with Nina for more than an hour, you're dead," then in a blur, she vanished to the wind.
Angelou dragged her attention back to the ally as she slowly approached. It was littered with trash, and piles of large crates. Angelou neared each crate with caution, and by the time she was in the middle of the lane, she knew for sure, something was wrong.
Momentarily the soft midnight breeze rushed through Angelou's damp hair, Relaxed by the breeze-
Wait, she thought.
For as long as she could remember, there was no breeze in the village. The walls blocked off everything that came by. Angelou quickened her pace towards the enclosure careful to stay silent.
Angelou was certain of it now. There was defiantly a breeze, with an unfamiliar smell riding on it. Along the new smell, came a feeling unknown to her; fear.
The only thing that went through her mind was survival. If she softened her resolve even a fraction, she'd turn on her heel and run away as fast as she could. The instincts she was born with, ingrained into her very bones told her that whatever held that scent was fatal. The closer and closer she got to the wall, the more and more she wanted to flee.
The second she saw it she truly realized how it felt to be helpless. What lay in front of her was a true monster mostly swallowed within the shadows of the night. Its golden eyes pierced through the darkness, its teeth honed to a point, and its aura invoking raw terror.
If that wasn't enough, behind it where the wall should have been, was a huge gaping hole.