A Wooden Raven ch.2

Chapter 2

The pervious events and the future events were keeping me up and I could not sleep. It didn’t help that the small room was now even smaller because we had four extra people taking up floor space. I rolled over and I noticed Aiden wasn’t there. I slowly got to my feet and vigilantly made sure to not step on or wake anyone up. I climbed through the pipe leading to our hideout. I had to crouch a little, but the pipe was moderately high. The ladder leading up to the streets was rusted with age and if you weren’t careful, it creaked a considerable amount.

The night was cool compared to the body heated sewer room we slept in. At first I didn’t see anybody, but when my eyes adjusted, I could just make out Aiden. But he wasn’t fighting at all. He was in fact sitting with his knees to his chest and his hands holding them there at the opening of the alleyway. I didn’t want to scare him so I tried to be silent as I approached him. I sat beside him as quietly as I could. He didn’t seem to be alarmed at my presence.

“What’s up?” I asked looking up at the stars. It was an exceedingly clear night, not a cloud for miles and the stars were brighter than before.

“Nothing. You?” He said looking at me.

“I couldn’t sleep.” I said returning my gaze for the heavens.

“Why?”

“Nervous…I guess.” I leaned back on my elbows.

“Ah. Nerves got you about tomorrow.” It was more a statement then question.

“Yeah. I’m not sure I’m the most advanced fighter…” I smiled timidly.

He leaned back on his hands and looked up.

“You’ll be fine.” He offered.

“No. It’s not that. I don’t care if I get hurt, I just don’t want to cost the band like Berk said.”

Aiden turned on his side to face me.

“Want some pointer?” He smirked.

“Really?” I was surprised and delighted at his offer.

“Sure. Come on.” He stood up and walked behind me. I followed his action and faced him.

“So, when you fight someone, you have to have a good stance. To do this make sure you feet aren’t too wide but not too close together. Here, look at me.”

I watched as he showed me where to place my feet and where my arms should be. He showed me how to make a fist in such a way I don’t break any fingers when I make contact with another object. He taught me the different types of kicks and where they should be directed. He showed me how to find an opening in your opponent’s defense. He taught me how to block and doge incoming attacks.

When the sky started to get lighter we stopped and sat back down.

“Where’d you learn all that?” I asked.

“Well, the long story is when my mother died in an accident, m father was so grief stricken, he died a month later of a broken heart. I was nine when that happened. I was well on my way to the same fate when a group of teenager found me roaming the streets. The taught me about the dangers of wondering when Streeters were a threat. Well, these teens were a part of an underground fighting club where bands could duel it to the death. They taught me everything, but before I could fight another band member, the Streeters found our underground club and raided it. I was the only one not caught by them. Once again, I was out on the street with no home and no safety. But then Derin found me and brought me back to Berk.” He explained his eyes downcast.

“I’m sorry about your parents…”I knew that it wouldn’t help, but I did feel bad for the guy.

“Come on, let’s get back down there before Berk wakes up.” He said helping me to m feet.

“Hold on. Where’d you think you two are going?” Came a rather frightening voice from behind.

We both froze in our tracks. Aiden was the one brave enough to turn round. I closed my eyes realizing that this time it couldn’t be Tesa’s band…this time I really was screwed.

“We heard you wanted to challenge us.” Taner scoffed.

“How the hell do you know?” Aiden’s voice was strong and he managed to hide his surprise and perhaps fear.

“You know that Erven? Apparently he got board waiting for his band to return last night, so he tried to walk here. We intercepted him…he spilled it all out before we even said a word.” He smiled evilly.

‘Erven must have forgotten to take the roof. Damn it!’

Taner had three other guys behind him. They were all 16 except for one who looked a little younger.

“Yasemin, go warn the others.” Aiden commanded. I dashed for the sewer’s entrance, but Taner was an extremely strong runner and pushed Aiden away and beat me to it. He reached out and grabbed my arm. I refrained from screaming. His grip was so tight it felt like my wrist was going to shatter. I tried bring my free hand around to punch him, but he caught balled fist in his other hand. He now had both my wrists in his hands. He spun me around, twisting my arms in front of me like an ex and holding me to his chest.

I thrashed around trying to loosen his death grip, but with every movement he dug his fingers into me harder. I saw Aiden running towards us and I remembered I was alone this time.

“Aiden – ” Taner harshly shook me to make me shut up. I gasped for air had hadn’t known I was keeping from entering my lungs.

I felt Aiden’s touch as he tried to grasp me, but just like that my hope was taken away as I felt a cold sharp knife press to my neck. Everything went still. Taner had let go of one of my arms and now threatened me with a knife to my neck. Taner’s band had made a barrier so Aiden was trapped between them and us.

“Heh. Now what?” He challenged Aiden as he pressed the knife ever so slightly into my skin. I felt a bead of blood stream down my neck and chest. I squeezed my eyes shut so the tears where locked in. Even though the cut was little, it stung as if he pressed a searing hot nail into my neck.

“What do you want?” Aiden asked. I could tell he was just trying to buy time.

“Ha! You’re the ones who wanted to attack us and yet when we try to defend ourselves you question us!” He laughed. He was teasing Aiden.

I heard metal clang against pavement and I waited for something to happen.

“What the…!” Derin’s voice rang out. My heart skipped a beat.

From the corner of my eye I could see Derin half way submerged from the sewer’s entrance. He scrambled out.

“Don’t think about it. You know I will…” Tanner smirked impishly. Another strand of blood ran down my neck.

I could see the rest of the band emerge from the sewer, including Azad who had returned last night after giving up on searching for Evren. All of them looked surprised, except Berk. Berk was pissed beyond belief, and I knew it wasn’t towards Taner. He was furious with me. I wasn’t sure why because it wasn’t my fault I had a knife to my throat. Well, maybe it could be…

“Let her go.” Derin demanded.

“What the hell are you gonna do?” Taner laughed. It made me nervous hoe his body shook when he laughed because I could feel the knife rubbing on my skin.

Aiden took a step closer. He got another half a step before Taner spoke.

“Hey buddy. Don’t come closer. She’ll be dead with one motion and her blood will be on your hands.” Taner warned.

“Go ahead.” Berk spoke loudly.

“What?” This remark by Berk caught Taner off guard.

“Kill her. She means nothing. Right guys?” He turned to his and Tesa’s band.

My eyes shot wide open. No band member ever disagreed flat out with their leader. It was completely silent. I prayed that Derin would have the balls to say ‘I do’. I really, really preferred to not be slain in that alleyway. But it was still silent.

I carefully drew in a breath.

“God damn it, someone say something!” I screamed in one quick breath trying not to move too much. The tears stung my eyes and my vision was blurred, but I blinked them away not wanting to show my weakness. Derin, however, wasn’t so concealing. I saw him wipe away a tear. I couldn’t believe he wasn’t defending me. He was like my brother. Seriously, we were close. In five months, he went from my savior to best friend, to brother.

Derin looked up at me, his eyes glassed over. I looked back into his eyes, pleading.

“Nobody? Nobody is stepping up to save you? You must be worthless.” Taner taunted me. I felt like ripping his head off. I wanted to rip everyone’s head for being assholes.

“Any last words?” Taner whispered in my ear.

I made one last gaze at Derin. I could tell he was torn inside between his “little sister” and his leader.

“D-Derin…” I choked out. A tear betrayed me. I felt ashamed because I couldn’t wipe it away.

Derin looked at me and I saw that my plea had stabbed his heart into the deepest of its core. He looked from me to Berk.

In a split second Derin had lounged forward in attempt to attack Taner, but Berk stepped in front of him.

“You sure you wanna do that, Derin?” Berk was solemn.

“Get out of my way Berk. I can’t let Taner slit her fucking throat!” His voice was a bit shaky. I didn’t know that Derin could be so emotional.

Just then I felt my body being propelled towards the hard ground. I truly thought taner had done away with me. But reality hit when I felt the pavement scrap against my skin. I looked up and saw Aiden wrestling with Tanner who still held the knife. Adin had taken advantage of everyone being distracted with Derin’s outburst. Even the rest of Taner’s band didn’t notice Aiden reading himself to tackle Taner.

Derin watched as I fell and then looking back at Berk he decided his place. He clouted Berk. He staggered backwards in complete surprise and when he put his hand to his nose, a spot of blood appeared on his hand.

Derin rushed to Aiden and began kicking Taner to get him off. Meanwhile, Tesa and his band took on Taner’s band. Taner rolled over, holding his side and coughing. Derin helped Aiden up who got a gash of his cheek and a cut lip. I stood and rushed over to him. I smacked into him with a force I didn’t know I had. I wrapped my arms around him and kept on saying ‘thank you’. He carefully wrapped his own arms around me and laughed. I didn’t know w though, nothing about it was funny. I turned to Derin and gave him a hug as well.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered and then softly kissed my head.

“Watch it!” Screamed Aiden, round kicking Taner’s chest

“Thanks…again.” I smiled rather pathetically.

Derin snatched the knife out of Taner’s hand and picked him by the collar and dragged him against the wall.

“You two go help the others; I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Aiden and I rushed to aid the others. The two of Taner’s followers might as well have been defeated, but they kept on throwing one weak attack after another with every last bit of strength they possessed. Azad was the one who knocked the first one out and Tesa finished off the last.

Berk lay on the ground. I guess Derin hit him harder then it looked.

“Where’s Elven?” I asked remembering Taner’s words.

“He’s still down there.”Ismet replied.

“Shit. Go get him…” I cursed. Ismet did as he was told.

Tesa walked up to me. He was defiantly taller. He was three years older than me and it showed.

“You better stay away from Berk for a while. You know he’ll be pissed.” He said teasingly even though it was completely real.

“Yeah, but I won’t be there when he does.”

“What do you mean?” Tesa asked. A few other ears had heard me and were now listening intently.

“Come on, do you really think that I’ll be welcome here. I wasn’t really welcome here in the first place.” I said looking at Berk.

“You can come to our band?”

I was overwhelmed at his kindness and half of me thought he was kiddig.

“Then Berk would be mad at you. I’ll just live on the streets for a while. You know, be a lone orphan.”

“You honestly believe you could survive?” Aiden asked.

“Well, no…maybe…I don’t know. It’s all I got. Maybe I’ll get picked up by another band or join some underground fighting club.” I winked at Aiden. But he didn’t seem to be the least bit happy.

“So I go and kick Berk’s ass to save you and then you want to leave me – I mean us?” Derin complained.

I thought for a second. I mean I could stay and just put up with Berk as I had been doing…

“Maybe I’ll stay. But I don’t want to make life harder for any of you.” I gave in.

“Hey, you guys. Give me a hand. We have to move underground. People are starting to walk the streets.” Alven said starting to drag an unconscious body towards the back of the alley. I looked up. The sun was coming up and that meant people.

All of us except Derin, who was still guarding the awakening Taner, cleared up the alleyway so it had no evidence of us here. A couple of times we hid thinking a person passed or something,, otherwise there was no danger. Well, not until what happened next.

“Well, well, well. So it is true. I don’t know how you losers did it, but you beat Taner and his band.”

We all turned at about the same time and came eye to eye with Esad. Three guys were behind them, who were holding Evren.

“Fuck Evren! How many times are you going to rat us out?” I screamed.

“I-I’m sorry…I-I couldn’t h-help it!” He cried.

“You mean that punk was responsible for Taner coming here?” Derin asked. He had Taner slung over his shoulder ready to take him underground.

“Yeah.” I said without turning around.

“We found him trying to escape the back pipe of your hideout. Pathetic really.” Taner taunted.

“Evren you little piece of shit!” Tesa bellowed.

“Cut the crap. It’s our turn to get our shot at you.” Esad said advancing towards us.

“Get the g-girl.” Coughed Taner. His voice was quiet and groggy , like he had just woke up from a night’s sleep.

“You shut up!” Derin said dropping him into the sewer and closing the opening.