A/N: This chapter is extremely violent. I may change the rating to T. Let me know if I should.
Judith took the long way home, walking through the dark alleys, thinking about all she had learned. Images and sounds swam through her mind.
"Just like her old man!"
"I think you should come with me."
"He was one of the best LEP Commanders in history."
"Your father's in jail for trying to kill hundreds of innocents…"
"You are a Root after all."
"I tried to kill him. Twice."
She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts; she didn't notice the figure that had rounded the corner. She ran into him, stumbling backwards onto the ground. She took a few moments to catch her breath, then looked up at him. Definitely a male, though it was too dark to see his face. She noticed he was wearing an LEP uniform. Oh well, probably a captain doing nightly rounds. She stood up, not even bothering to check his nametag. "I'm so sorry. I really am a klutz."
"Oh, I don't think your that sorry. Not as sorry as you will be once I'm through with you."
She froze. She didn't even need to look at his nametag. She recognized his voice. "C-Cadet Relone." She stammered, taking a step backwards.
"Oh, I'm not a cadet anymore. Neither are Pine, Chestnut, Newt, or Grenadine. We've all been suspended for a month because of you! I suppose your daddy taught you to get revenge. Now we're gonna do the same."
She turned the other way, but found it blocked by Grenadine and Newt. She turned back towards Relone, and saw that Pine and Chestnut had joined him. She realized with a pang of horror that she was trapped.
Relone shoved her against the alley wall; gripping her neck so hard she could barely breath. "You should have known better then to go telling Commander Kelp." He snarled, punching her hard in the stomach.
Pain shot through her, and she let out a desperate shriek.
Chestnut jumped forward, kicking her brutally in the knee.
She heard a loud crack, and bit down hard on her lip, fighting back tears. Blue sparks circled her knee, and Relone clicked his tongue.
"Look what we've got here, boys. She's trying to defend herself. We cant have that now, can we?" With his free hand, he pulled a penknife out of his pocket and pulled off the cap. (A/N: For anyone who doesn't know, a penknife is like a pen, only it has a blade instead of a point.)
Newt stepped forward and forced her hand up as Relone dug the blade deep into her palm. Blue sparks circled the wound, but he pushed the blade deeper, and soon the sparks died away. Her magic was completely gone.
Newt kicked her knee, breaking it again. Relone let go of her neck, allowing her to fall to the ground.
She fell face forward, onto the cold, damp, cement. The pain was almost unbearable now.
She pulled herself up onto her hands and her still intact knee, but one of the boys put his boot on her back, forcing her back down. Once she was lying on the ground again, he continued adding pressure, and she felt several ribs break.
She tried to scream, but couldn't. One of her broken ribs had punctured a lung, making it impossible to make a sound. She was going to die, she knew it. The pain was so intense. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. She knew she would blackout soon. But she knew she couldn't. Because if she did, she might never wake up again. She concentrated on forcing air to her still-working lung. Trying to stay conscious. Trying to stay alive…
Then she heard a voice. A female voice. "Hey! You boys! What are you doing?" There was a pause, and then the voice began shouting. "GET AWAY FROM HER YOU PIGS! I said get away! Don't make me hurt you!"
There were hurried footsteps coming towards them, then a yelp, and quite a few thuds. The boot was lifted off her back, and then the newcomer rolled her onto her back. She opened her a tiny bit, and saw hazel eyes staring back at her. Then another voice called from a distance. This one male.
"Hey Holly! What've you got there?"
"I'm not really sure, Mulch." Said the girl. "I just saw some boys attacking her while I passed the ally. Poor girl. She's in terrible shape. Her knees broken. So are a few ribs."
There were more footsteps, and Judith saw a short creature with lots of hair. He was shaking his head. "Short, you cant just go around saving every single kid you see!"
The girl seemed to ignore him, because she leaned closer to Judith's face and whispered. "Can you hear me, child?"
"Mmmm." She whimpered, trying to speak.
"Well, she's dead. Lets go." Said the male.
"Will you shut up?" The girl grumbled. She turned back to Judith. "Try to speak. Tell me your name."
"J-J-Ju-Ju…" was the best she could manage.
"Ju…" the girl prompted touching her stomach gently. "Judy?"
Judith managed a nod. She took a deep breath, and uttered a single word. "Help."
"She needs a warlock." The girl exclaimed to her companion
"Good idea. Lets leave her here, and hope one picks her up."
"MULCH!"
"Alright, alright. We'll bring here. Damnit. Why do you elves have to be so emotional? You know, Holly, we have our own problems."
"Quit your moaning and help me carry her."
Judith felt herself being lifted into the arms of the girl. And, just before she lost consciousness, something penetrated her brain. Holly Short. Mulch Diggums. Two from the poems. Then she was gone.
A/N: What did you think? Too dark? Next chapter will have another poem. Review!