Since this one is mostly familiar, I'll post another chapter with it.


A Tale of Devoted Vigilance
Ninth

"He looks funny."

Clopin frowned up at Semmary, who was sitting on his shoulders and watching Quasimodo go about his daily business in the bell tower of Notre Dame. "Of course he does, silly, he's a hunchback." He lightly smacked her leg. "Surely, even for thirteen years old, you've figured that out."

Semmary stuck her tongue out at him again and continued watching Quasimodo. He was so small; it was hard to believe he was only two years Semmary's junior.

Crickle.

Semmary felt a small tremor, and Clopin tensed. "Oh," he muttered, looking at the stone beneath him. "Well, this is going to put a damper on my day."

Ch-CHACK.

Semmary barely had time to scream before the gargoyle broke clean off of the side of the building. To her, everything was going by in a blur…then her life flashed before her eyes, and she saw a white light steadily coming towards her…it was light reflecting off of the rose window.

Wait….

CRASH!

Both Clopin and Semmary screamed as they crashed through the giant rose window, yet only managing to damage a small portion of it. They flew to the ground, both in hysterics, and Clopin grabbed Semmary and turned his back to the floor. He knew this was going to hurt….

THWACK.

Suddenly, they were swinging towards the wall with the rose window; the rope Clopin had grabbed onto had wrapped itself around his ankle.

"I probably should've stayed in bed to begin with," Clopin said almost nonchalantly as they both braced themselves for impact with the wall….

It never happened. The rope gave, and they tumbled to the floor, managing a few bumps and bruises.

Clopin and Semmary literally rolled head-over-heels across the room until Clopin hit the wall with a sickening thud. He sprawled out on the floor, and Semmary rolled right on top of him.

They were silent.

"All this for an ugly bell-ringer?" Semmary asked hoarsely.

Clopin laughed, and it was a while before he stopped. When he did stop, however, he sat up and looked down at the girl. "You can't say that wasn't an adventure, can you, Semma?"

Semmary started to laugh and let her forehead sit on Clopin's chest for a few seconds. "I almost died in a cathedral."

"Almost," Clopin pointed out, propping himself up on his elbows. "Which means you didn't."

"Would you have let me die in a cathedral?"

"Heavens no," Clopin assured her. "Maybe the sewage or catacombs of England." He shook his head. "But never a cathedral."

Semmary threw him a look and sat up. "How's your ankle?"

"It's completely severed," he said sarcastically. "I'll never see Quasi again."

"Shame," Semmary said quickly, standing up and running out of the cathedral, almost stumbling because she was laughing so hard. Clopin was close on her heels.