Tobias The Cat: A Short From The Nexus 2 Unmasked

"It's not supposed to be this way. They don't hurt you this much, even if you fight back," a half-familiar voice whispered. A rough, damp cloth rubbed carefully at Tobias's face, and she tried to pry her eyes open. "If they hurt you badly, you can't act normal when you go to school, and they have to come up with a reason to send you home, and they don't like to do that …" The voice continued to ramble, but Tobias couldn't make sense of what it said. She twitched, feeling relief that her scratchy pants were back in place. She didn't want to think about who would have reclothed her bruised limbs.

Tobias finally got an eye half-open and saw Akicita kneeling next to her. He was gently cleaning her, removing blood and … Tobias shuddered, trying not to remember what else he would be cleaning away. The uncontrolled movement triggered a cascade of pain through her body and Tobias moaned. Akicita jerked back, meeting her eye with his own.

"I'm sorry. You didn't deserve to have this happen." Remorse filled Akicita's voice, and Tobias wondered if the boy had something to do with their predicament. But she saw him wince as he shifted to dip the cloth into a bowl of water, and her sharp eyes caught a growing bruise on his fresh-scrubbed cheek. She doubted he'd done anything to draw this fate, and even if he had, he had clearly suffered, too.

"Wait," she ground out. "McDougal." She wanted to tell Akicita that they needed to be strong, and wait for McDougal to come for them. Even in the short time she'd known McDougal, she knew he wouldn't let her disappearance go unremarked. But she could only gasp out a few bare words through the agony.

Akicita looked at her again, and for the first time a hint of life shone in his eyes. They almost flickered in the dim light seeping through the high, dirty window. "No," he breathed. "No, we don't wait. They'll expect that. Right now, they think we're too cowed, too broken, to fight back. We'll escape now."

The door burst open before Akicita could elaborate. It struck the wall with a jarring thud, and plaster chips rained from the ceiling. A stringy man with lank hair stood there, sneering down at them.

"You've 'ad enough time wit' that wh.o.r.e. It's my turn now. Gerrup." Akicita levered himself to his feet, wincing, and Tobias could see his ashy clothes had been replaced with a shabby smock that fell to mid-thigh. Rough hands grabbed his head and yanked it to the side. "Dunno how you got this stone locked tight to yer ear. Uncle Tom won't let me rip it out - says it'll damage the goods. But someday," the man chuckled. "Someday you won't be so pretty. And that'll be the day I get that rock. Fetch a fair coin, it will. So you'll be payin' me interest until then." The man dragged Akicita from the room and the door slammed shut behind him.

Tobias struggled to sit up, to see what was in the room - anything that might help them escape. But her body refused and she lay in a hazy wash of pain.

*****

The door burst open again, but this time hands stopped it before it struck the wall. Tobias forced her eye open again and saw Akicita, wild-eyed and b.l.o.o.d.y, in the doorway. He'd somehow regained his bow and arrows. Akicita rushed forward and dragged Tobias to her feet. She bit back a scream and tried to stay mostly upright, hunching over from the pain in places she didn't want to think about.

"Hold this," Akicita hissed as he thrust the small case he'd carried before into Tobias's limp grip. Then he bent low and drug her arm over his shoulder. "Hurry. We have to go."

Awkwardly at first, they stepped toward the door. Their uncoordinated steps jerked painfully and Tobias almost fell. Akicita swore and pulled him back up.

"Swing your outside leg forward." Tobias complied, and saw that Akicita did the same. "Now the inside." Again, they swung their legs together. "Outside. Inside." Akicita carefully coached them step by step into the hall and to the top of a set of stairs. They paused, both looking at it dubiously.

"Siddown. Scoot," Tobias gasped. If they tried walking down the stairs the same way they'd taken the hall, they would fall.

"No," Akicita answered shortly. "No time." He wrestled this weaponry so that it hung from his front and crouched down. "On my back."

"No …" Tobias shook her head. There had to be another way.

"Hey! Fire! In the armory!" The shout was too close for comfort. Tobias tried to twist his head around, expecting to be caught at any moment.

"Idiot had some sort of weapon fetish," Akicita muttered. "Come on!" Tobias relented and pulled herself up on Akicita's back as best she could. He grabbed her knees and yanked her higher. Tobias bit back a yelp. "Hold on," he gasped as he started down the stairs.

Pounding feet and shouts behind them distracted Tobias from the perils of the stairs. They didn't seem to be coming after them, though. Akicita seemed to be leading them away from the burning armory. At the bottom of the stairs, Akicita crouched again, letting Tobias slip down. Tobias caught herself on the wall as Akicita's knees buckled.

"Al'right?"

Panting, Akicita forced himself upright, and then bent to pull Tobias's arm over his shoulder again without answering. This time they were able to synch their steps without prompting. Akicita seemed to choose a direction at random, but they quickly came to a door with stained gla.s.s inset. He pushed it open and they staggered through. They stumbled down the three steps to the cobbled street without pausing to shut the door behind them.

"Which way?" Akicita gasped. Tobias looked around blearily. Smoke trickled from the upper windows of the brick building behind them. But she thought she recognized the street as one she'd been forbidden to set foot on.

"Left," she groaned, and started pivoting in that direction. Akicita shifted course, too, and they moved as quickly down the street as they could manage. Tobias felt impa.s.sive eyes watching from the neighboring buildings, and mental cursed the bystanders with the most creative punishments she could think of as a distraction.

Tears and sweat blurred the journey, and Tobias struggled to track where they were in the maze-like brick district. She lost all track of time, and their pauses as Akicita leaned against a random brick wall and panted were more and more frequent.
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At one of these pauses, Tobias peered around, trying to find a landmark. She blinked the eye that would open, trying to focus on a figure ahead on the street. It was a young man, just starting to put on the bulk his frame promised. And he wore a familiar skirt, that McDougal insisted on calling a kilt. She frowned. She knew that man.

"Mack," she rasped out. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Mack!" The figure jerked around, spinning toward them. He walked forward, slowly at first but faster as he seemed to recognize her.

"Tobias! W've b'n l'kin' everywhere. Wh't …?" He trailed off, blanching as he got close enough to see some of the damage.

"Safe?" Akicita whispered.

"Ya, y'r safe, lad. But wh't 'n ta h'lls h'pp'n'd?" Mack's question went unanswered as Akicita slid down the wall. Tobias tried to stifle a scream as she fell on top of him.

*****

"Th's pr'ves m'point." Rosa's husky voice wasn't quite raised. "T'sn't safer f'r y'r lads th'n m' girls. No point 'n k'pin' ta fillies 'ns'de 'n' l'ttin' ta colts r'n free."

"Na - 'll na h've th'm 't th're. 'F th'y dun l'ke w'rk'in' h're, w'kin s'nd th'm ta Farmer John. B't na g'rls'll b' r'nnin' m'ssage or pl'yin' guard wh'le 'm 'n charge." McDougal sounded as furious as Tobias had ever heard him. She knew he'd already started reprisals on Uncle Tom's boys, and all of the clan had permission to beat the procurer's bullies on sight. Rosa quit arguing with the stubborn leader and returned to the makeshift infirmary. She sighed, seeing Tobias sitting awake on the pallet.

"Ya h'rd th't, eh? S'pp'se th't's why ya w'n't l't'n yer a girl." Tobais nodded. "Ya ken yer b'dy w'll change - ya w'n't b' 'ble ta hide f'r'v'r?" The dark haired woman met Tobias's eyes intently. Tobias blinked and nodded.

"Why hasn't he woken up?" she asked quietly, too tired to try to master the cant used by the McDougal crew. She looked over at the still form on a pallet next to her. The case, quiver of arrows, and bow were laid out neatly on Akicita's far side, but the boy was unresponsive.

"Ah," Rosa exhaled. "Dun ken. H' bl'd al't - m're th'n a w'man w'ld've, b't p'rh'ps th't's ta w'y 'f 't?" She shook her head. "S'ch b'st'rds, d'in' s'ch ta a lad."

"It's not better to do it to a girl! Or anyone!" Tobias lashed out.

"Na, na. Dun m'n 't th't way. J'st th't p'ple dun do th't ta lads wh're 'm fr'm. G'rls … w'll, w' t'ke 'r risks." Rosa's eyes apologized for her misstep. Tobias breathed deep, thinking over what little she knew of Akicita.

"I think … someone did that to him before." She breathed deep and forced herself to continue. "He said … don't scream. And don't fight. And …" She broke into sobs and Rosa swept her into a hug, murmuring words of meaningless comfort.