The Scrollrunners

Chapter 6 | The Fight

Letes could hardly believe her eyes as she took in the violent scene unfolding before her. She was peering up from the ground across the street from where she still lay in the dirt after colliding with Talibah. She looked desperately around as if for some explanation of why Kane was there, if Arben was okay, and how to stop Talibah from confronting him.

She saw Hexa and Gaia dragging Arben away from Kane now that Talibah stood between them and the thug. Talen and Lin had just arrived huffing and puffing next to Letes and pulled her up from the ground, asking what was going on. She brushed them off and started running towards Talibah. If Talen and Lin followed, she wasn't aware.

Before she could reach the enemies, however, Talibah had already struck out, punching Kane in the face. Suddenly, Talibah and Kane began to exchange blows.

Kane was bigger than Talibah, but Talibah was strong and agile (not to mention smart). Letes screamed Talibah's name over and over as the two violently went at each other, sand and dust spraying around them. They were almost evenly matched.

Almost.

Both of them were bruised and bleeding badly, and Letes didn't know how to cut in and stop them without making things worse—everything was happening so fast.

She glanced at the other students now huddled on the side of the street between a closed merchant's stall and a tall palm tree, each of their faces twisted in fear and confusion.

It was early in the morning, and no one else was on the street, though Letes knew that with the noise they were making that wouldn't be the case for long. Talen stood with fists clenched beside Letes, ready to help her break up the fight.

Talibah and Kane were now yelling insults at each other while hitting, kicking, and punching. Talibah finally found an opening and tackled Kane to the ground, pinning him down. After keeping him down for several moments, she bent down close to his angry, red face and, in a scarily calm voice, said, "You were right, Kane, I do hit like a girl. You want some more?" She asked as she held her clenched fist menacingly over his vulnerable face.

"No! No! Let me go! I'll go— I'll go!" He pleaded with her.

She gave him a smirk with wild, crazed eyes and dark waves of hair splayed out around her face, her blood dripping down onto him as she let him go.

He began to scramble backwards in the dirt as Talibah turned away from him and towards Letes, who was still calling her name fearfully. But before Talibah could take another step, Kane, who stood up shakily, grabbed Talibah's arm to spin her towards him and punched her so hard in the head that she crumpled to the ground and was still. He then sprinted down the street in the direction of the Library.

"YOU COWARD!" Letes screamed at Kane's back as he ran away.

She then quickly dropped to her knees and huddled over Talibah, who did not look good at all. Her face was a swollen, bloody mess with her sweaty hair sticking to it, her toga was torn, and she was covered in dirt and sand.

The other students quickly huddled around them, and a few curious onlookers who had heard the ruckus gathered near, but upon seeing it was just a bunch of no-good kids making trouble, moved on with their day.

Letes was now sobbing as she cradled Talibah in her arms, trying to prop her up from where she lay on the side of the street across from the alley where the classroom was located.

Talibah was slipping in and out of consciousness, and Letes began to feel overwhelmed as the other students began to fuss and fret around her and Talibah. She then directed Lin to lead Arben, Gaia, Hexa, and Nyx back to the classroom while she and Talen figured out how to help Talibah.