Skyline Gang

Chapter 26

They took their time going back to the stage. So long as Dawn wasn't there to hurry them up, they took pleasure in taking things slow. It honestly helped to make Dude more calm. The walk made things easy for him. Having company was more than enough to give him comfort. It was like his anger had been quilled. He just needs to clear his head and try to forget the past five or so minutes. If the others ask, he'll try to set a boundary. He needs to try to keep his head clear and being asked questions probably won't help. Hopefully the others will decide to respect that.

Once the three finally reached where the stage is, they were met with quite a sight. The whole area was different. The tables and chairs were shoved recklessly away. The space where they were was smothered by a black cloud. There was no access to the stage without going through the cloud or going around the back. This was just cruelly bizarre for a challenge if this was part of it. It made the building colder than ever before, chills sent down everyone's spines. Dawn wasn't anywhere to be seen. That didn't mean that she might not be aware as to what was happening right now. She could be in the black mass for all that anybody knew.

"What in the world?" Dude asked, approaching the others. They all stood a few ft away from the cloud. Sprout and Bud were scratching their heads. Pip had her arm around Candi to offer comfort as the pink clad girl shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

"That's pretty much our reaction too." Sprout groaned, still scratching his head. "Dawn just showed up out of nowhere. When Mimi and Rainbow went to find you, she demanded that we clear the area and then this! This is just overkill!"

"Did she say why?" Mimi asked, joining Dude's side with Rainbow. Rainbow was letting out a low growl, directing it at the black cloud.

"Nope. We asked, but she just ignored us!" Pip grumbled, knocking her fists together. Candi timidly stepped away from her and tip toed over to Dude.

"Dude, are you okay now? You're not angry at us, right?" She asked, voice fragile and quiet.

"Candi, why would I be mad at you guys?" Dude asked back, baffled.

"You did storm off in a huff. We thought we did something to make you upset." Pip sighed, hands on her hips.

"Yeah! You might as well have had steam coming out of your ears!" Sprout added.

"We apologise if we did something wrong!" Candi cried out, bowing her head and putting her hands together in a prayer. Now Dude understood. He stormed off without any explanation. He wanted to clear his head before the challenge started, but now his mind was clouded again. All of this stress keeps building up. The challenge wasn't the only thing that he needed to be worried about. He'll need to start attempting to mend bridges if the others were to trust him again. Mimi was quick to forgive him. He thought that maybe it was because she connected the dots to his mood being related to what happened last night. Even if he didn't give the details, it might not have been that hard to figure out. The others however might be a different story.

"No, you guys didn't make me mad or anything like that. I..." Dude started, but then his words froze in his throat. He felt like he couldn't speak anymore. Everything was being bottled up again out of instinct. He wasn't even controlling it anymore. Mimi delicately placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, her eyes patient and calming. It helped a little. "I was just frustrated at myself."

"Are you going to be okay for the challenge? Mentally I mean." Bud asked. He debated on calling after Dawn to get her to hold off on the challenge. Even if it was a futile attempt, it was worth trying.

"I will be." Dude sighed. He wanted to say more, but this might not be the time nor place for that just yet. He then turned to glare at the cloud before him. "Besides, Dawn is taking her time with this. I've got enough time to recollect myself."