Nightingale's Fury

Chapter 9 - Braces

My heart hits my stomach. He knows about me. I crouch farther into the shadows and crawl backwards into the shadows. I hit the wall behind me, feeling trapped. I move my hands down the wall when I feel a hole. I move over to it and see that I can fit through. I crawl down the passage, not looking behind me. I see light and am out of the tiny passage. I stand and see I'm outside. I take a deep breath of the cool air and go to walk off when I hear a females voice. "Hmm not so fast little birdie. You thought we didn't know you were there, did you? Ha! You were wrong." I turn to see a girl that resembles a cat and a boy with blue streaked blonde hair, a cape, and some wicked blue eyes. His hand is an electric-tipped staff. She had claws. S**t. They ran to attack me and I froze. I close my eyes and brace for the attack... But it doesn't come. I hear a grunt and open my eyes. Callum is in front of me and holding the other two off with an axe I didn't see when I was in the throne room. He looks at me with pleading eyes, "Go Ruby! Run as fast as you can!" I run off into the woods and begin to cry. He cares enough about me to stop his own team mates from attacking me. I hear clangs of metal. I turn around and run back to the clearing. I see Black Jack on the ground, unconscious but not bleeding. Cat Girl is on top of Callum, attempting to claw his eyes out. I take a couple steps back and feel something dig into my butt. I remember my ninja star that Callum had given to me, the ninja star with a nightingale engraved on it. I pull it from my pocket and throw it at Cat Girl. It slices open her leg and her eyes widen as blood spills out her thigh. It gives Shadow Knight time to push her off. I run over and she sliced open my hip with her claws. Shadow Knight knocks her unconscious too. He pulls something from his pocket, a purple pouch. He takes out a pinch of what looks to be powder and blows it over Black Jack and Cat Girl. "Amnesia dust." I look up at him questioningly. He turns to grin at me and picks me up. "Thank you. By the way, they have forgotten you. They will think they were attacked by a pack of wild dogs while I went ahead," his face darkens," He knows about you. You must go home. I will visit you whenever I can." He grabs my face and kisses me, "I love you Ruby, don't forget that." I look up at him with tears in my eyes. "I won't." I run of into the woods and home. When I walk in, Thea runs up and hugs me," RUBY! Thank god your ok! BTW you have to get braces in the next couple of months." I was smart enough to wash the blood up before I came home. I nod and walk off to my room, hiding my limp. I get into my room and burst into tears. I need Estella. I need her here. I grab some bandages and wrap up my wound. It will scar. I remove my mask and crawl into bed. I don't care what I'm wearing or about dinner. I watch the sun slowly go down before dropping below the horizon. In sync, my eyes begin its descent and soon I am asleep, thinking about the pain in my side and the trouble I have caused in being here. Why should I bother? A voice runs through my head when I am just about to fall asleep. Because you are strong, you are fierce, you are my Nightingale...