Chapter 4
Vivian awoke in her room. She was back at Marie's. Maybe it was just a dream... She thought. She tried to sit up and was met with severe pain in her back. She opened her mouth in a silent scream and laid back down. Tears formed in her eyes. Her own mother had whipped her...
The room was suddenly very bright. She closed her eyes... when she opened them, she was in another world.
It was a city, maybe the same one she had seen the first time. But it was different...
It was dirty. Filthy, even. She was sitting behind a dumpster, crying. The older kids she had walked by had been teasing her and pushing her around, so she ran, but they chased her. Her stomach ached with hunger. She was young, possibly younger than Vivian. She didn't even know the day or year, let alone her own age. She knew her name... Angela Star. Her parents were gone. They had dropped her off on her own at the door of an orphanage with a note containing her name and forty dollars, and Angela was on her own. They had sent her into the foster system, but her foster parents were cold hearted and strict. She had run away two weeks ago. Now she was struggling for food and water. Sleeping was done whenever she could find a place where she was alone.
Today, she was hiding from the violent kids who had chased her five blocks before she darted down the alley and evaded them. She had accidentally run into a tall boy in her rush, and she hadn't bothered to say sorry.
She heard footsteps at the entrance to the alley. The boy's head peered around the trash can, and his green eyes smiled at her from his orange fur. "Hey, what were you running from?" The fox asked. He looked about twelve or thirteen.
She cringed back into the corner and began to cry, hiding her teary eyes behind her knees and her arms.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you... my name's James, but you can call me Jamie. What's your name?"
She slowly looked up at him without saying a word.
"Were you running from those guys who ran by a minute ago?"
She nodded.
"C'mon. I'll take you to my place. It'll be okay." He held out his hand. She flinched away from it. "Are you hungry?" He asked.
Her ears perked up, and her eyes got big.
"My mom's making dinner pretty soon. I bet I can tell her to make some extra." He smiled. She stared at his outstretched arm, and slowly began to reach out. James took her hand and helped her up. She smiled a little. He led her down the street a few blocks to a nice looking area, where there was grass and trees beside the sidewalk.
"What's your name?" He asked.
"Angela..." She said timidly.
"Can I call you Angie?" She smiled a bit and nodded.
They walked down the street to a cute little light blue house with a picket fence. He led her up the steps and through the door.
"Jamie? Is that you?"
"Yes, mom. I'm back." He turned to Angie. "Come on. Let's go say hi to her."
"Jamie?" The woman's voice asked. "Who are you talking to?" She entered the room from the kitchen and stopped short. "Who is this?"
"This is... my friend. Some kids were picking on her. She's really hungry, can she stay for dinner?" James asked.
His mother sighed, staring at the filthy child. She vaguely resembled James, but she was much more feminine and very beautiful. She had large pointy ears and a small button nose. Her golden colored hair hung almost to her waist. She had kind green eyes, like James. She put her hands on her hips and her fluffy orange tail swung to the side. "Alright... but first she's getting a bath. Poor little thing... looks like she hasn't washed in days."
Vivian blinked. She was back in her room. What...what happened? She thought. It's happened twice now... but I'm not Angela. And who's James? She winced as she tried to move. There were bandages all over her body. It would take weeks for her to heal.
In the meantime she'd have plenty of time to think, and to remember...
"She doesn't have any family, John."
"Well, we can't just hide her. If you're really ready to adopt her, we should go to the city and claim her legally."
Angela's heart soared. She loved staying with James and his family. He was like her older protective brother, and as long as she was with him, she felt safe. She had been staying with them for almost a month. They gave her James' old bed that he'd grown out of. She was four years younger than him, and much much smaller due to malnutrition. They fed her well and were even talking about enrolling her in James' school.
James' mother drove the entire family to an office downtown. After a long wait, they were finally able to speak to someone about adopting Angie. A thin greyhound with narrow glasses near the end of her nose stood before them holding a manila file in her arms.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. McCloud. The child you're looking after is a runaway. She's already legally under the care of another family."
"Clearly they're not doing a very good job caring for her. We found her on the streets."
"Unless they sign over custody or you have proof of negligence, she has to go back to them." The woman said. "Legally, I have to report that she's found."
"Can I talk to them? I'd like to at least ask them to sign over custody."
"That's up to them."
They waited impatiently for Angie's foster family to arrive. After three hours, a couple walked in. The woman was dressed in something that looked like it came from another universe. It was a hideous shade of pink and had black and green spots on it. She wore large glasses that barely fit on her tiny meerkat nose. Her mate, presumably her husband, was an overweight rat who'd attempted to squeeze himself into a white button down and a blazer that were both two or three sizes too small for him.
"Are you Angie's parents?" James' mother stood up and offered her hand. "I'm Mary."
"Thank you for bringing our little Angelica back!" The woman's voice was nasally and grated on everyone's ears.
That's not my name. I hate that name.
"Actually, we'd like to talk with you about adopting Angie ourselves."
"Excuse me?" She crossed her arms.
"We want you to sign a custody agreement that allows her to be our child."
The meerkat and the rat looked at each other and then started laughing. "You must be joking."
"Not in the slightest."
"Angelica, get in the car we're leaving."
"Miss, with all due respect, you don't seem the type of people who need the burden of a child." Mary stood up, trying desperately to politely fight with them.
"This is ridiculous, we're not giving you our child. You have your own."
Angie's face contorted as she tried not to cry. "Don't let them take me," she whispered to James. He grabbed her hand tightly.
"She wants to stay with us. If you won't let us adopt her, at least let her stay with us part of the time." He said.
"You're complete strangers and you expect me to trust you with my kid? You must be nuts. Darling, the car is leaving."
The rat walked over and took Angie's hand. She looked over at James with wide, panic-stricken eyes. The rat pulled her off the bench and began to pull her towards the door. She pulled away with all her might, holding onto James' hand.
"No! I don't want to go!"
Even together, they weren't strong enough to keep the hold. Angie's feet slid across the tiles as she was dragged against her will towards the door. Mary stood helplessly, a look of pity on her face.
"Jamie!"
"Angie!"
The door slammed shut, sealing her fate.
(Meanwhile...)
Krystal frowned at the small pile of rocks she had collected. "Mama!" she cried.
"Yes, my love?" Keila stepped out the door and knelt beside her three-year-old.
"I don't like the colors."
Keila chuckled. "Those are the colors of rocks."
"They not pretty like brother's."
Keila kissed her daughter's forehead. "Why don't you go find Kevin? Maybe he'll help you find prettier ones."
"Okay." Krystal stood up on stubby legs and walked toward the center of the village, searching for her brother. After several minutes of searching, she found him near the beach with two other boys. "Brother!" she whined.
"What is it Kryssy?"
"My, my rocks aren't pretty," she said timidly.
Kevin sighed. "That's because you're always picking them out of the village. There aren't any pretty rocks near there."
"But I want pretty rocks!" she yelled.
One of the other boys reached into his pocket and withdrew a smooth purple stone. "Want this one?" he offered.
Krystal stood behind Kevin, peering out from his waist.
"It's alright. This is Connor," Kevin said. She stepped out cautiously and held her hand out.
The other boy, who looked identical to Connor, reached over and slapped the rock to the ground. "That's my rock."
"I'm the one who found it." Connor crossed his arms as his brother picked up the stone.
"You want this?" he asked, holding it out for Krystal to see.
She nodded. The boy laughed and threw it into the waves.
Tears sprang to Krystal's eyes and she started to cry.
"Hey! Stop being a jerk, Anton."
"Don't call me that! My name is Tony!" He shoved Kevin back hard enough to throw him to the ground.
"Stop shoving people!"
"What are you gonna do about it now that your big bodyguard isn't here to protect you?"
Connor rolled his eyes and walked toward the water while they argued and Krystal cried. He carefully looked over the sand where the rock had landed, sifting around with his feet. He picked up a white seashell with pink flecks, unable to find the rock again, and walked back toward his friends.
"Here." He held the seashell out for Krystal. "It's pretty, like you."
She wiped her eyes and reached for the shell with a smile.
Anton scoffed and turned to his brother. "Ew! He called her pretty." He shoved his brother to the sand.
Connor got back to his feet and brushed sand off his clothes. "You're mean, Tony. I'm telling mom."
"Tattle tale!" Tony laughed. "She's not gonna do anything anyways. You're all a bunch of babies."
"I'll tell her too. And my dad!" Kevin took off toward the village at a run.
"I'll kill you!" Tony ran after him and Kevin screamed.
Krystal stared with wide eyes.
"It'll be fine," Connor said. "He always says that. He thinks he's clever."
"He's mean," she complained.
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry."
She sat down in the sand and fiddled with her seashell a bit.
"Do you like it?" Connor asked.
She nodded. "It's pretty. All the rocks I found were ugly. I want to have pretty rocks, because my daddy likes pretty rocks."
Connor smiled. "If I find any more pretty rocks, I'll give them to you."
She beamed. "Okay!" With that, she stood up and ran back to the village.
(Meanwhile...)
Vivian lay in her bed with teary eyes. She couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, and she was scared to ask Marie. Her grandmother was nice sometimes, but she could often be overwhelming.
"Angel."
The voice was a whisper, but she was sure she had heard it. She stood up and looked around, confused. No one calls me that, here. That's the name from my dreams.
"Don't be afraid, alright?"
She stared at the corner with wide eyes. A tall wolf with red fur stepped out.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"My name is Shinae. You won't remember me, but I've met you before."
She furrowed her brow. "I remember. You were at my house a long time ago."
"Yeah, I was."
"Why are you here?" she asked.
"I just wanted to check up on you. I didn't realize what happened. I... I've been away." He stepped cautiously toward her and reached for her hand. "I'm so sorry. I should've been here."
She cringed slightly.
"I know you don't know me yet, but I'm here to help you. Let me bring you to Dakite. She can heal you. Can you sit up?"
She grimaced as she pushed herself up a few inches. Tears ran down her cheeks.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. Here." He carefully placed one arm behind her neck and one behind her knees, lifting her off the bed. "Hold tight."
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was in a bright room that seemed to be made of foggy blue glass. "Where am I?" she asked.
"Sit here. I'll be back." Shinae set her down on a long table and left the room.
She winced at the pain as she stood up, eager to explore the room. Everything was a similar shade of blue and white: the walls, floor, ceiling, tables, chairs. There were no torches or other sources of light, yet the room was bright.
Shinae hurried down the hall, searching for Dakite. As he passed the east balcony, he overheard Takkah and Talia arguing.
"We should hide it!" Takkah suggested.
"It's already hidden. No one could possibly get up here to find it. Leave it where it is." The violet lizard crossed her arms.
"We can't ignore Ramiro's vision. We have to act. His visions have never been wrong."
Shinae stepped out. "What's going on?" he asked.
Takkah held up the blue stone. "Ramiro had a vision that someone stole it from us. I think we should hide it at the bottom of the ocean, where no one could get it."
"That's stupid," said Talia. "We need to be able to get to it."
Shinae rolled his eyes. "Where's Dakite? I need her."
"Krin could get it from anywhere! As long as one of us knows where it is, it'll be fine."
"Guys." Shinae snapped. "Where's Dakite?"
"Who knows? If we're going to know where it is anyways, why not just leave it where it is? In all this time, no one has ever been able to breach my defenses."
Shinae snatched the rock from Takkah's hand. "Where's Dakite?"
"Give it here!" Takkah cried, lunging for the stone.
Shinae lurched to the side, holding it over the balcony. "I'll give it back when you tell me where she is."
Talia lurched over the rail and grabbed the stone out of his hand, fumbling it.
"Shit!" The three of them looked over the railing as the blue stone that held the only means of replenishing their life force plummeted towards the ocean below.
"Good going," Talia snapped at Takkah.
The black fennec snarled. "This is your fault! If you'd just let me hide it in the first place..."
Shinae groaned in frustration and left the balcony. He finally found Dakite, eating alone in a room with a large dining table.
"Hey. I need you."
"Bold," she replied.
"Oh my god. Just come with me, okay? I need your help."
Dakite sighed. "What did you do now?"
"Nothing. Come."
She followed him down the halls and into a room where a bloodied child stood staring at the ceiling.
"My god. What happened?"
"The council did this to her."
Dakite sighed, approaching the child. "Sit down, dear. I'll help the pain go away." She worked for several minutes, closing the wounds on Vivian's body until the scars were barely noticeable. "There you are, child."
"Thank you," she said.
"Come on. I'll get you back home before your grandma realizes you're gone." He lifted her into his arms and shifted back to her room in the small cabin.
"Can you help me get my mom back?" she asked.
"I..." the image of the stone falling off the balcony flashed through his mind. "I can try. I don't know if I can do that for you. But I do know that Jad will suffer for this."
She smiled slightly. "Thank you."
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I'm going, now. If you need me, just call. I'll be here." He walked down the path into the village, thinking about the choice words he was going to give to Jad. The old man had been elected the council leader nearly thirty years ago, and had always run a rather tight ship.
Shinae marched into the large building where the council often resided. The five village leaders sat in their seats, conversing among themselves. Silence fell as they laid eyes on the red wolf. He strode down the center aisle, staring Jad in his beady eyes. He would never get anywhere with all five of them against him. Instead, he stopped around three feet away and pulled Jad's consciousness into his private dimension.
"If you ever, ever, lay a finger on her again, I will bring you here, and I will keep you here for a fucking eternity. You will have nothing, only silence and your disgusting self, until your sanity slips slowly away, and then I will bring you back so that you can live out your days as the demented useless piece of shit that I know you are. Is that clear?"
Jad stared at him in horror. "I-I was only doing my job."
"Your job has never been to beat innocent children within inches of their life. I had to intervene just to keep her alive. If I ever hear of you harming her, or her family, or any of the other children in this village, I solemnly promise you, you will not see tomorrow for a very, very long time."
"Y-yes, sir."
The white vanished as Shinae returned them. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and Jad nodded in acknowledgement. He then vanished back to the castle in the sky. The room was empty. He exited and walked back toward the balcony, wondering how they were going to find the stone.
"What have you done?" Dakite asked with tears in her eyes.
"What?"
"The stone is our life force. Without it, we'll die."
"We're immortal. We'll find it."
"Talia is dead."
"What?!"
"She exhausted her powers. She draws on the stone's energy every minute to keep this castle moving. She used up her energy trying to bring us back to the spot where it fell. We're stuck here, now, and she's dead."
Shinae stumbled backward and fell against the wall. "How? I was barely gone a few minutes!"
"We have to find that stone, Shinae. We'll die without it, just like Talia."
I fucked up.
