Cara Lugo [Complete]

Chapter Nine: High-Stakes Status

Writing:

The feminine is seen as weak. The daughter is to be protected and the son sent into the world. Well, perhaps not weak, but certainly other, depending on where you lived here. In this place, it certainly wasn't unseen to see female guards and men and women working side by side. Even at times those women were the heads and the bosses, although they had to jump over three times the obstacles to get there. An unfair race, although some completed it in the allotted time and stood there high and proud, spitting on those who did not.

There was a distinction, though. Women had to fight up to men, it was perceived as. And if you were neither, you stood there very confused, until someone set you to work. Them climbing up the social ladder was just far too much for the elite's tiny, smoothed brains to perceive, so that was not the right battle to pick. If you were lucky, you were born high enough to never have to fight up (so long as you could ignore that little clear inch down you stood from all the men).

Cutting your hair too short and wearing boys' clothes when you were a girl was sneered upon. Accept your femininity and move on was the mentality. Those who did wore thick armour, as they had to, not to be beaten down. And if a man even thought to wear degrading women's clothes. Well. It was unthinkable because it was lesser and who wanted that?

After all, keeping everyone in nice little boxes was the easiest thing to do. If you didn't shine with your own light, the dark scary world was too wide to handle.

* * *

Storyline:

It was chaos out there, and that was perfectly fine for Cara. She danced under swords and swept the legs out from under arrogant men. She had taken the detour back to her rooms, so she could find her nice button-down shirt and black pants. Finally free to move without the fear of her skirt swishing up, she ran through the crowds like a child at a carnival.

She hadn't managed to find a sharp object in her room, but it was fine as there were plenty to go around here. There, on the table, lay and small hand knife for no apparent reason. Perhaps a merchant who had been disrupted in the selling of his wares. Run off at first opportunity and left the most worthless stuff behind. Useless for self-defence too, but perfect for cutting through hair without accidentally cutting yourself; at least not too much.

In one, two hacks the braid was off. It was gone, and Cara was freed. She opened her hands, looking curiously at the dark strands as they fluttered to the floor. She felt the back of her hair, sawed off whatever else she felt she needed to, and then curiously inspected herself in the shine of the knife's blade. It was short, shorter than it had ever been. Perhaps shorter than Robert usually had his too. The perfect length for her. A smile graced her lips, and she turned, ready for action.

Only to be confronted by someone right there in her personal space. She cocked her head and grinned up at Robert who looks disapprovingly down at his reckless smaller sister. He had wisely put the Beast between them two and most of whatever else was going on.

Cara grinned a smile of glee. "It's up and running. Well done, Robby, well done. I commend you."

He looked up to the heavens for something or someone to grant him patience. "You have no sense of self-preservation, do you?"

Cara tapped her foot. "No, not particularly, now that I think about it."

"Now that you think about it?" Robert repeated incredulously. "You never had, not for the last two decades or more. No matter, you're coming with me."

Cara pouted like a little child. "Why?"

"Because I'm making sure you at least survive today, and you helping me with my job."

"Which is?"

"Getting the Princess out to safety." He slammed his hand on the now-sullied surface of the hulking machinery behind him. "Only reason I brought her out. Wouldn't do it for the world, except now the Princess is apparently not supposed to die. Think you had a little something to do with that. No?"

"Yep!" Cara nods enthusiastically. "That was the deal I made with her. Quite glad to. Think she's not quite as bad as she'd seem."

"Seems to have a modicum of intelligence too. Something which probably warrants the biggest part of your warm feelings towards her."

"On that assumption, you'd be utterly correct." Cara grabs a door and hops inside, squirming like an overexcited child. "This is going to be the best thing ever. Driving this, wow."

"You not driving, I'm driving." Robert calmly, but firmly, insists. "You'd be on the wrong side anyway, and there's no way I'm letting these destructive hands ever touch the wheel. Over my dead body, sis."

Cara rolls her eyes. "I know, alright? I meant for you. I'm happy to enjoy the ride. Not touching the wheel of this monster anyway."

Off they went. What a ride it was, swerving and bumping over everything at high speeds. No animal nor human power was needed, and there was no visible fuel input. However, it ran, it was a mystery and a wonder for all that came across it. Not that many had as Robert kept it pretty much to himself, but still a wonder in and of itself.

Quickly, quickly, quickly. It all went past like a blurred photograph. The Princess was being whisked out and Cara had been left back where she stood before; a scolding ringing in her ears and a promise to stay alive until he could come back for her on her lips. It took what seemed like only seconds before she was back in it again. The middle of it all and oh so ready for it.

Cara had absolutely no idea who to fight and there was no doubt that precious few knew who was actually on their particular side. So, she grabbed a weapon from a fallen man, fighting off all those who came to her. She never actually threw a killing blow nor initiated any fights, instead hopping over tables and under the arms of ruddy-faced men trying to prove their manhood.

Around and around and around in circles she went, laughing with glee when the heavy brutes in all their big armour could not dream to catch her. They swiped with their long swords and jabbed at her skipping feet, but try as they might, they could not step foot onto the tables and walls she ran over. Around and around and around she danced until she was dizzy with the flashes of newly-crafted metal being tarnished, and the scrape of swords against bone rang in her ears.

She danced until she could dance no more. Until they brought firearms into the mix, and try as you might, those you could not outrun. She danced herself into a corner, and looked a sweating face in the eyes, shoulder heaving on that man under the weight of his chains. Never once did she flinch. Not when he pressed a little too close for her comfort, not when the barrel pressed to her head, and especially not when the poor bastard was swept aside by the sheer weight of the Beast crashing into him. Although he met an unfortunate and gruesome death, she did not once flinch.

But flinch she did when the Beast burst into flames with Robert still inside. That's when the ringing in Cara's ears blocked out all other sounds except the roaring of the flames, the hiss of the metal, and the screams of the only human being she had ever truly loved. She ran forward into the heat and not even that could cut through the icy dread in her heart as she knew it was all futile. It was too late. She tried and tried as blisters formed on her hands and her blood-curdling cries making everything else screech to a halt.

The only thing that made her step back was the last promise she had ever made to her brother. Stay alive, just one more day. Survive this.

Robby was gone.