The next morning Flame didn't have to dig again. Her wrist was still sore and swollen but Mr. MacKenzie told her that she had to dig tomorrow no matter what. Luckily, Mom didn't make Brandy dig Flame's hole again. They were all bored as they dug so Armpit started rapping to pass time. He started out with his oldest verse:
"A-R-M-P-I to the T.
What's that your smelling?
Dawg thats me.
I don't take showers and I don't brush my teeth,
Thats all I do is dig hole, eat and sleep"
They laughed over his verse and Jam starting rapping too.
"Boy, you may think you can rap,
But I am the one who's all that.
You may thinks its unfair for me to flame,
But its really all just a game."
A cheer game from the diggers and even Armpit had to laugh.
"Ohhh burned man." Squid telled to Armpit
"I am saving my breath for digging but sometimes I will whoop you in a rap war if you are up to the challenge.
"I accept your challenge but I am the one who is gonna do the whooping." Jam said laughing.
After they all were done digging they walked back to camp in search of Flame. They found her in the girls tent reading a book (her life-line). She looked up and smiled when they came in. They headed to the wreck room to see if the pool table was free and sure enough it was so Flame, Zigzag, Squid and Brandy played a game while the others watched.
They were half way through their first game when Mr.MacKenzie came in and asked Flame to come with him.
She hesitated for a moment and looked towards Brandy with a questionning expression on her face. Brandy stepped in between Mr.MacKenzie and Flame and asked him where he was taking her.
"The Warden wishes to speak to her." he said simply and motioned for Flame to follow him.
Flame took a step forward but Brandy shook her head and Flame stopped.
"Tell the Warden she can come and talk to her here." Brandy said firmly.
Squid was watching her in wonder. Mr. MacKenzie looked like a tough enough guy and he was much bigger then Brandy but she still stood her ground and kept direct eye contact with him. She knew that the Warden was not to be trusted expecially with one of her closest friends.
"If you do not tell her to come with me now I will be have to take her forcefully." Mr.Mackenzie said, his eyes narrowing, he was obviously used to Brandy's rebellious behavior.
Brandy sneered at him and let out a long time of curses and threats. Mr. MacKenzie's eyes grew wide with anger and in a split second he had landed a hard hit to her jaw. She fell to the ground and the guys watched in shock. Mr.Sir had never hit any of them. He had shoved them around some but never hit them. The girls just watched this all as if it was not the first time.
Mr. MacKenzie took a step towards Flame but she took a step forward and walked out the door towards the Warden's house. As the door shut being them they all rushed forward to where Brandy was sitting, cursing on the floor, her hand on her jaw.
"I didn't know he was aloud to do that." Magnet said in wonder.
"He is aloud to do anything he wants." Type said angrily. "That was the fifth time he hit her you know."
"He had to, he knew that was the only way I would let Flame leave." Brandy said angrily and spat blood on the floor.
"He has hit you before?" Armpit asked concerned.
"Yeah, went she stole a bottle of brandy he gave her an all out beating." Type said angrily.
"Type, shut-up!" Brandy said angrily.
"But its not fair, you are not aloud to hit back." Type said scowling. "and I know that you could give him a run for his money."
"I'm sure that Mr.Sir has hit you guys before." Brandy said looking up at the guys.
"No way man." X-Ray said "He has shoved us around some but never acutally hit us."
"Doesn't matter." Brandy said, standing up with Mustang's help. "There ain't a thing we can do."
Brandy had a bruise starting on her jaw and her mouth was bleeding. They waited impatiently for Flame to return. Poor Zigzag was a nervous wreck. He knew the the Warden must have seen the fight and was going to punish her for fighting. They were sitting on the steps of the boys tent where they could see the Warden's porch steps.
After about half an hour they saw Flame immerge for the house and walk over to the group. Zigzag shot up and ran over to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked looking closely at her.
She nodded and kept walking with her eyes on the ground.
"What did she do to you?" He asked walking with her.
She just shook her head and sat down on the steps with the rest of them. Brandy looked and Zigzag and he just shrugged.
"I'm heading back to the tent." Flame said getting up "I will meet you for supper."
Brandy nodded and watched her walk away.
"Did she say anything to you?" Smirk asked Zigzag.
"Not a thing." he said shrugging.
"I will meet up with guys later, okay?" Zigzag asked walking away.
They nodded and watched him walk off too.
Zigzag found Flame sitting on her bed with her face in her hands. Zigzag sat down, uncomfortably beside her.
"You okay?" he asked trying to get her to look at him.
"No." she said angrily, keeping her head in her hands.
"You wanna talk about what happened with the Warden?" Ziggy asked uneasily.
"Not really." she said looking up at him with a small smile.
He had thought she was crying but her face was dry. She was too proud to cry. They sat there for a while in silence, just enjoying each others company and the silence.
"You ready to go back to the group?" he asked.
"Sure." she said and they stood up and walked out.
As Flame was going down the stairs, she tripped and almost fell but Zigzag caught her just above her elbow. She gave a yelp and Zigzag pulled away. He hadn't grabbed her hard enough to hurt, something was wrong.
"What is wrong with your arm?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She bit her lip, looked at the ground and started walking away. Zigzag trotted up to her and grabbed her hand. He carefully rolled up her sleeve to just past her elbow. Three long scratchs came into view. They were a deep shade of un-natural purple. He had seen scratchs like those on boys when they came back from seeing the Warden.
"The Warden?" he asked letting go of her arm.
She nodded, rolled back down her sleeve and they walked back to the group.
"Don't tell them please." Flame said pleadingly "They will make a big fuss."
Zigzag reluctantly nodded and kept walking with her. He knew that what the Warden had done was not right and that she would have to be stopped. How or when he doesn't know but he hoped that he would see the day when it does happen.
"A-R-M-P-I to the T.
What's that your smelling?
Dawg thats me.
I don't take showers and I don't brush my teeth,
Thats all I do is dig hole, eat and sleep"
They laughed over his verse and Jam starting rapping too.
"Boy, you may think you can rap,
But I am the one who's all that.
You may thinks its unfair for me to flame,
But its really all just a game."
A cheer game from the diggers and even Armpit had to laugh.
"Ohhh burned man." Squid telled to Armpit
"I am saving my breath for digging but sometimes I will whoop you in a rap war if you are up to the challenge.
"I accept your challenge but I am the one who is gonna do the whooping." Jam said laughing.
After they all were done digging they walked back to camp in search of Flame. They found her in the girls tent reading a book (her life-line). She looked up and smiled when they came in. They headed to the wreck room to see if the pool table was free and sure enough it was so Flame, Zigzag, Squid and Brandy played a game while the others watched.
They were half way through their first game when Mr.MacKenzie came in and asked Flame to come with him.
She hesitated for a moment and looked towards Brandy with a questionning expression on her face. Brandy stepped in between Mr.MacKenzie and Flame and asked him where he was taking her.
"The Warden wishes to speak to her." he said simply and motioned for Flame to follow him.
Flame took a step forward but Brandy shook her head and Flame stopped.
"Tell the Warden she can come and talk to her here." Brandy said firmly.
Squid was watching her in wonder. Mr. MacKenzie looked like a tough enough guy and he was much bigger then Brandy but she still stood her ground and kept direct eye contact with him. She knew that the Warden was not to be trusted expecially with one of her closest friends.
"If you do not tell her to come with me now I will be have to take her forcefully." Mr.Mackenzie said, his eyes narrowing, he was obviously used to Brandy's rebellious behavior.
Brandy sneered at him and let out a long time of curses and threats. Mr. MacKenzie's eyes grew wide with anger and in a split second he had landed a hard hit to her jaw. She fell to the ground and the guys watched in shock. Mr.Sir had never hit any of them. He had shoved them around some but never hit them. The girls just watched this all as if it was not the first time.
Mr. MacKenzie took a step towards Flame but she took a step forward and walked out the door towards the Warden's house. As the door shut being them they all rushed forward to where Brandy was sitting, cursing on the floor, her hand on her jaw.
"I didn't know he was aloud to do that." Magnet said in wonder.
"He is aloud to do anything he wants." Type said angrily. "That was the fifth time he hit her you know."
"He had to, he knew that was the only way I would let Flame leave." Brandy said angrily and spat blood on the floor.
"He has hit you before?" Armpit asked concerned.
"Yeah, went she stole a bottle of brandy he gave her an all out beating." Type said angrily.
"Type, shut-up!" Brandy said angrily.
"But its not fair, you are not aloud to hit back." Type said scowling. "and I know that you could give him a run for his money."
"I'm sure that Mr.Sir has hit you guys before." Brandy said looking up at the guys.
"No way man." X-Ray said "He has shoved us around some but never acutally hit us."
"Doesn't matter." Brandy said, standing up with Mustang's help. "There ain't a thing we can do."
Brandy had a bruise starting on her jaw and her mouth was bleeding. They waited impatiently for Flame to return. Poor Zigzag was a nervous wreck. He knew the the Warden must have seen the fight and was going to punish her for fighting. They were sitting on the steps of the boys tent where they could see the Warden's porch steps.
After about half an hour they saw Flame immerge for the house and walk over to the group. Zigzag shot up and ran over to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked looking closely at her.
She nodded and kept walking with her eyes on the ground.
"What did she do to you?" He asked walking with her.
She just shook her head and sat down on the steps with the rest of them. Brandy looked and Zigzag and he just shrugged.
"I'm heading back to the tent." Flame said getting up "I will meet you for supper."
Brandy nodded and watched her walk away.
"Did she say anything to you?" Smirk asked Zigzag.
"Not a thing." he said shrugging.
"I will meet up with guys later, okay?" Zigzag asked walking away.
They nodded and watched him walk off too.
Zigzag found Flame sitting on her bed with her face in her hands. Zigzag sat down, uncomfortably beside her.
"You okay?" he asked trying to get her to look at him.
"No." she said angrily, keeping her head in her hands.
"You wanna talk about what happened with the Warden?" Ziggy asked uneasily.
"Not really." she said looking up at him with a small smile.
He had thought she was crying but her face was dry. She was too proud to cry. They sat there for a while in silence, just enjoying each others company and the silence.
"You ready to go back to the group?" he asked.
"Sure." she said and they stood up and walked out.
As Flame was going down the stairs, she tripped and almost fell but Zigzag caught her just above her elbow. She gave a yelp and Zigzag pulled away. He hadn't grabbed her hard enough to hurt, something was wrong.
"What is wrong with your arm?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She bit her lip, looked at the ground and started walking away. Zigzag trotted up to her and grabbed her hand. He carefully rolled up her sleeve to just past her elbow. Three long scratchs came into view. They were a deep shade of un-natural purple. He had seen scratchs like those on boys when they came back from seeing the Warden.
"The Warden?" he asked letting go of her arm.
She nodded, rolled back down her sleeve and they walked back to the group.
"Don't tell them please." Flame said pleadingly "They will make a big fuss."
Zigzag reluctantly nodded and kept walking with her. He knew that what the Warden had done was not right and that she would have to be stopped. How or when he doesn't know but he hoped that he would see the day when it does happen.
