"H... help! Help me!" A small boy cried, echoing through the Cathedral's courtyard. Most of its guests looked toward the pleading child and two bishops strolled over quickly but calmly.
"Is there something wrong?" Said the glasses wearing man. Next to him, the purplette's eyebrows curved upward sadly and worridly.
"It's my sister!" the little boy wailed. "They got her! Please, help us! Please!"
Castor the Bishop sighed inwardly. It wasn't often they got this kind of request. A crying plea from a child was definitely unusual. "Where is she? Who got her?" Castor put a hand on the boy's narrow shoulder. "Calm down."
"T... the imperial army..." the boy sniffled, holding back sobs. "They want her! I don't know why! They're taking her back! Help me, sirs, please..."
Castor did a quick inspection of the boy. His clothes were all but rags, hanging off his thin body. His dangerously thin body. The boy's eyes were wide, round, and light hazel. His face looked babyish. There were bags under his eyes, and his ebony locks were grown out to just above his elbows. He had no shoes, and his feet were scratched and dirty, as was the rest of his body. Castor glanced at Labrador the Bishop, who nodded. He wanted to help the unfortunate soul. Castor had to admit, he did too. But without enough information, it would be like trying to draw the layout of the impossibly large church from memory. It wouldn't be possible.
"We'll help you, but-" Labrador began in a soft tone, and didn't get to finish his sentence, for the boy's dull eyes lit up like Christmas lights.
"Follow me!" The boy took off out of the church with Castor and Labrador all but sprinting after him. They ran through the small town outside the cathedral's gates and into the forest not far behind it. Castor and Labrador began having a hard time keeping up, but kept on after the small body rocketing under tree branches and over logs. He suddenly stopped near the edges of a clearing. Straining his eyes, Castor could see a group of cliffs in the vally. It was in the distance, but he could still make out a large hawkzile and three large figures leaning over one small one next to it.
One figure raised his hand, and the glint of sun playing on metal caught Castor's eyes. The figure brought his hand down...
Evangeline watched her young brother sprint away with gratitude. They hadn't wanted her brother, anyway. Why bring him into her quarrell with the military? She turned to the three men waiting for her to give in.
"I'm going to wait until I can't see my brother anymore, then ten minutes after that. He's the fastest runner of his age back home, so you won't have any change at catching him at the moment." Evangeline declaired bravely. But the slight tremour in her hands gave her away. The first man, a tall, skinny man with an edgy buzz cut, sneered. She decided to call him Buzz.
"Uh-huh." Buzz said teasingly. "We're going to wait five minutes, and then you must make a choice." His tone turned serious. "Evangeline Broadstone, are you going to willingly or unwillingly return to the empire?"
"Neither." Evangeline smirked. "I'm not going with you at all. I plan on staying anywhere but district one."
Buzz backhanded her so quickly she barely saw it coming. She stumbled and fell right on her butt, grunting in pain. Muttering "Bastard..." She clutched her cheek, glaring up at the man venomously.
"You know what?" Buzz turned to his comrades, who had been watching boredly. One had a sandy fringe and emrald eyes. She'd call him Sands. The second had a large mane of toffee hair and an unusual stormcloudy color. She decided he would be called Storm. For now. They raised eyebrows in question. "I say we kill her right here."
Evangeline's heart thumped louder and faster, and her glare deepend.
"Agreed," Storm and Sands said, as if in relief their mission would be over soon. Buzz, however, grinned.
"Ready to meet your maker, chiquie?" Buzz smirked, and Evangeline couldn't help but sneer back at him.
"How cliché can you get?" She swallowed her pride and decided well, if I'm going to put one foot in, I might aswell just put both in, too. "If you're going to kill me, then do it. Or maybe you're all bark but no bite? Either way, you're a pathetic piece of shit."
The man's lips curved into a snarl and he pulled a dagger from his belt and raised it, poised to kill.
Then, out of nowhere, he stiffened, and at the same time, Evangeline heard a cry that sounded incredibly like her brother. She looked towards the source and gaped. Her brother ran back toward her, and she wanted to scream. She wanted to tell him to run. Wanted to make him leave before both of them got killed. But then, two tall figures dressed in white bishop clothing ran out behind him, and one of the bishops had his hands raised like a piano player's hovering above the keys.
Her brother –who I will finally introduce as Christopher- ran toward the two men remaining, and Evangeline nearly laughed when his foot shot out and smashed into Storm's skull. The purple haired bishop knelt next to Evangeline and looked into her eyes. "Are you alright?" He spoke in a musical, gentle tone. It made Evangeline feel like a damsel in distress. She hated feeling like a damsel in distress.
Her eyes narrowed and she stood. "I'm fine!" She snapped and leapt at Sands with a kick to his gut, directed at the right lung. He spluttered and coughed, bending over. Evangeline smashed her knee into his chin and dropped down, kicking his feet out from under him. He fell to the ground, and with one last glare, was put into unconsciousness by Evangeline's foot. She turned and helped Christopher out with Storm, then faced Big Bad Buzz. She took the gun from his grip, and surprisingly he hadn't moved. She glanced at the red haired bishop, who smiled discreetly at her. She turned back, dropped the gun, and smashed it under her foot, keeping her eyes on Buzz's the whole time.
"Ready to meet your maker?" She whispered only to him, and his eyes widened before she brought her leg up and kneed his groin. He choked, and the red haired bishop's hands fell, and so did the man. His eyes rolled back and Evangeline kicked his chin, waiting until she was sure he was unconscious to look toward the bishops. She kept her silence, staring them down, debating wether or not they were really helping, or just tools of the empire.
"Um..." Christopher glanced between Evangeline and the bishops. Evangeline's gaze pivoted to her brother.
"I told you to run." She said in a slightly chilly voice, but it was also emotionless. Her whole demeanor was emotionless.
"I couldn't just leave you there! They had guns... and knives... and were going to kill you...!" The boy was on the verge of tears again.
The girls gaze didn't soften. "It doesn't matter. You've got more life to live than me, anyway. In situations like that, you do what the charge tells you."
"Even if it kills you?"
"Yes." She snapped harshly. The boy flinched, but shrugged and looked at the ground.
"Miss," Castor said in a dangerously nice greeting. "I do believe he had good intentions." Before she could reply, he bowed. "Hello, I am Bishop Castor. This," He gestured toward purple-hair, "is Bishop Labrador."
She stared at the men. "I'm not going to lie and say it's been nice meeting you." Evangeline declaired meanly. Castor's eye twitched at the girl's uncomprehendable rudeness. "We'll be going now." She paused. "Wait... you two are bishops." She said, as if just realizing it.
Castor's eyebrow went up. Did he have to repeat everything he said? "Yes. We are."
She looked at her brother thoughtfully then back at the bishops before nodding to herself. She bowed to Castor, who had a very surprised look cross his face. Labrador looked shocked, too. "Please excuse my behavior." She kept her head bowed. "But may I ask a favor of you?"
"Of course." Castor replied quietly, still a bit surprised.
"Please," She looked up at Castor, into his eyes. "Let my brother stay at the church you work at. I'm constantly traveling and it isn't good for his mind or body. I will visit as much as I can, but I cannot let him come along anymore, as it has gotten more dangerous for him. If you would be so kind as to take him in while I'm away, I would be forever in debt to you."
Castor blinked, even more shell-shocked then before. Christopher looked furious, surprised, and sorrowful. "What?" He exclaimed, but a glare from his sister shut him up. He did, however, keep his upset look.
"Why don't we discuss this back at the church?" Labrador supplied quietly. Evangeline stared at him before nodding.
"Alright. Thank you."
We haven't agreed yet. Castor thought, wondering wether or not he should take her offer. They headedback to the church, which appeared to be about one full mile away. As they strolled through the forest, Evangeline's tense posture didn't falter, even if she did trust them. Castor didn't know why she wouldn't, but was definitely beginning to wonder what kind of buisness they were in to be chased down by the imperial army. It was a mystery... but Castor was dying to find out. He glanced at Labrador, who seemed perfectly comfertable around all of the nature. Lastly, he looked toward Christopher. The boy was silently fuming, shooting glares at Evangeline, who stealthily ignored them.
Before the boy had come, it had been quite the uneventful day. No Kors, no troublesome chores around the church, and no complaining, porn obsessed Frau. He had decided to sleep the day away, for he had been up nearly all night trying to find any Kors or disturbances. He seemed more protective of Teito than Castor or Labrador, and Castor knew that was true. The man saw himself in Teito, Castor supposed.
Teito had insisted on helping the sisters do their daily chores. Helping scrub the corridors, washing the laundry, and even starting to make dinner with them, as well. It seemed that Teito just couldn't accept the fact that he owed the bishops and the church nothing. Castor smiled to himself. Teito sure was an interesting child.
The church came into view and Evangeline and Christopher stopped. Labrador and Castor turned and stared in confusion. Evangeline swallowed. "It's... its really big." She murmured, mostly to herself. But Castor heard.
"Yes, it's quite large," He admitted humbly. "More of a cathedral than a church."
"Wow." Christopher whispered. In his haste to save his sister –which had been harshly brushed off, he thought bitterly- he hadn't noticed the beauty and the size of the church. It was clearly the most beautiful thing they'd ever seen. They hadn't ever been out of district one, so the sight was mind-blowing. Evangeline squinted into the sun and made out a graveyard about half a mile from the church, sitting in the middle of a large field of hills. It reminded her of a story book she'd heard once. The hills. They rolled and rolled and rolled, seeming to go on for forever. Evangeline wondered what it would be like to lay in them and fall asleep under an apple tree, just like her favorite character would do when troubled.
"Well, we should keep going." Labrador smiled at the children. "We still have bit to go."
Evangeline noticed the town –not too large but not tiny- that lay in between them and the cathedral. She nodded to Labrador, took Christopher's hand, and headed on behind the bishops. Christopher slid his hand out of her grip and glared up at her. She stared into his eyes for a few seconds before looking back toward the town. Christopher sighed in frustration.
They entered down, and Evangeline got a light sense of the air being musky and the cobblestones making up the streets being uneven. She wanted to take everything in. The closely built buildings, the clotheslines hanging from one window to another, the many merchants on the streets, the running kids, the laughing adults, the tiny stores. Everything was so new to her. It seemed almost overwhelming, but she could surpress her gaping and surprise. Her brother, unforunately, couldn't quite keep his emotions cool.
"Whoa!" He exclaimed, glancing this way and that so fast Evangeline was worried he'd get whiplash. "This is awesome!" He grinned as he saw two kids throwing a small ball to eachother.
"Have you never seen a town?" Castor asked, without malice. He said it as if it were not an unusual thing.
"Nuh-uh." Christopher shook his head. And Evangeline wasn't quick enough to stop him from saying what he said next. "We've lived in district one all our lives. We finally escaped about a month ago. They've been chasing us –well, sis- around since."
"That reminds me." Labrador said. "We still don't know your names."
"Oh, I'm Christopher!" He smiled brightly.
Castor waited for Evangeline to introduce herself, but she didn't. After about a minute of silence, Castor turned to her. She kept staring ahead. "And what's your name, madam?"
"Broadstone." Evangeline glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Evangeline Broadstone."
"Oh, what a nice name." Lavendor murmured.
"I hate it." Evangeline said bluntly, and sped her pace. Now she could see the church, and made a beeline for it, eager to get out and traveling again. It somehow eased her soul. She was aware of the surprised stares from the bishops behind her, but didn't turn.
"I hate it."
Christopher sighed as Evangeline walked away- or, more like sauntered. She couldn't just walk- she had to saunter, or stroll. Christopher shook his head and glanced at the shocked bishops.
"Sorry," He said. They looked at him, stepping onto the bridge to the cathedral. Evangeline was already through the doors. "She always says that."
"Why?" Labrador asked delicately.
Christopher avoided their eyes. "She doesn't like me to talk about it... you should ask her."
With that, Cristopher, too, sped his pace. The bishops stared after him, wondering.
I dunno if I should continue. I might not finish it. And the title... well, I'm still trying to figure that one out. Hope it doesn't suck. :)