Zodiac Story

From Lively Peaches and Vermillion Feathers, Beget Monochrome Art Part 2

The warm sun decided to shine favourably on Felícia today. Climbing a nearby house, she tasted the balmy air as she skipped across tiny alleyways and raced the vultures as they flew. It was nice to explore her neighbourhood, half cramped and crowded with clotheslines as it is. Her pursuers were less lucky, often tripping themselves over or taking a long time to climb the least steep buildings.

"Get back here, you little-!" Whatever the leader meant to say died in his mouth as his head smacked into yet another clothesline.

Felícia bit back a smirk as the owner of that clothesline verbally accosted the gang chasing after her. The rooftops of her favela were like a second home to her. Here, her nimble legs and arms enabled her to survey her own little kingdom of roofs and little corners. There was no place that Felícia hadn't explored to its fullest extent. It probably helped that there hasn't been a major Calamity in Rio since seventeen years ago, so none of the houses have been considerably destroyed.

"Get her! I don't care what happens to her, but don't wreck the package!"

She rolled her eyes and climbed faster. For all she knew, that insulin was probably stolen from some rich snob or some other gang. Why does it matter if she used it for her own purposes? It would probably be better used than whatever they planned for it. All she had to do was get back home before she gets scolded by her avó for breaking curfew again. Felícia knew that she can go home in a heartbeat, but she wanted to enjoy herself today.

"If you think you can catch me, think again!" They were fools if they thought otherwise.

This enraged the entire gang, judging by the increased clanging noises coming from the rooftops. At last, she found herself in a small corner with two clotheslines above and ringed by three houses, neither of which had any doors or windows or easily found handholds on her side. A quick search revealed a few small crates that could be used to climb onto the clotheslines. However, there was a minor issue.

"So, this is where it ends for you."

Her pursuers, to her surprise, had caught up to her.

"Why would I think that?" She held out her arms. "You're nothing to me. What, who gets smacked in the face with a clothesline?"

The leader's face seemingly popped a vein. "Now listen here, little girl. Give me back what you stole, and I'll promise that you won't get shot in the face."

"Oh really? Do you really have a gun?" Felícia smiled at the leader's increasingly purpling face. "I bet you say that to everyone you threaten. Or you would have if you actually were a threat. Who needs six people to chase a little girl? Oh that's right, you do."

Now she knew she was going to get it. "I wouldn't be saying that. As you said, there's six of us and one of you. I see no way out of here. You're trapped here."

That might be true, but she has a special trick in case anything happened. "I would like to make a correction. You're trapped here."

With that, she pulled out an electrum medallion. The leader pulled out a gun and cocked it in front of her face.

He smirked. "Now you have nothing to say?"

"Actually yes I do." Felícia breathed in deeply. "I want to reshape the world into one where chaos can reign free."

Her medallion enveloped itself instantly in a flash of reddish gold light. She felt her body changing, her limbs becoming longer and a tail growing. Once that was complete, she waited. A second layer, she heard the familiar thud of magnets attracted to her. Thankfully, the gun was partially magnetic as well, ripping itself out of the leader's hand. Taking advantage of the confusion, Felícia socked the leader in the jaw with her amulet and grabbed the gun. Focusing her energy into it, what was once a gun was now chrysanthemums, gracefully falling from her hands. She looked at the gang, all slightly trembling.