Temporal Exploring 101 - First Transit

I.13 Fighting dirty

During recess, Natalie and I were walking in the schoolyard, talking about something or other. When we turned around a corner, we were suddenly facing three muscular girls of the Upper Sixth who were blocking our way. Two of them grabbed my roommate's arms and shoved her hard against the wall of the building. The third one, a tall broad-shouldered blonde who apparently their leader, confronted her.

"Well, if it isn't our friend Fogg. What a pleasant surprise." She sneered. "I assume you have got the money with you."

"What money?" Natalie temporized.

The blond girl scowled. "The money you agreed to pay me back ... what was it, two weeks ago?"

"Look, Browning, I don't have it with me, right now." Clearly, Natalie was trying to buy time. "I swear I'll have it ready for you the day after tomorrow."

"Wrong answer, Fogg. Wrong answer." The girl Browning nodded to one of her two friends who responded by twisting Natalie's right arm, causing her to cry out with pain. "See, Fogg, I need that money real urgently. Perhaps we failed to make clear to you just how urgent."

She seized Natalie's bag and emptied its contents onto the ground: a pack of cigarettes, a box of matches, our analysis textbook, a pencil case, two exercise books and the blue notebook.

The Browning girl pocketed the cigarettes and then picked up the notebook.

"Perhaps it would help convince you of the urgency of the matter if I set this here on fire?"

She produced a cigarette lighter from a pocket of her blazer.

"Please don't do that, Browning. I shall get the money for you, I promise."

For the first time, I thought I could detect something like fear in Natalie's voice.

"You are going to hand over the money anyhow, Fogg." Browning flicked the lighter.

So far, the three girls had completely ignored my presence. Which was just as well, as far as I was concerned.

Unfortunately, I could not let this pleasant state of affairs continue. Red notebook or blue, wrong color or not. I could not stand by and watch them burn Natalie Fogg's notebook. Any notebook of hers.

I took one hesitant step forward. "Look, I am sure we can talk this over like civilized people."

The blond girl glared at me. "You stay out of this, if you know what is good for you."

The thing is, I hate confrontations and fights of any kind. At the Institute, I attended all the obligatory Defense classes, but those had always been the courses I disliked most. Thus, I really, really would have preferred to follow Browning's advice. Unfortunately, this was no longer an option.

I turned my head, peering over the girl's right shoulder. "Headmistress Stuart!"

I don't think Browning actually bought that. But she reflexively turned her head to see who or what was there. I took the opportunity to snatch Natalie's notebook out of the blond girl's hand.

When she realized what I had done, she uttered an angry sound, not unlike some sort of animal growl,  and hurled herself at me.

Thankfully, at that point my reflexes kicked in. I twisted aside, causing her to crash to the ground, in the place I had occupied a mere fraction of a second earlier.

Before she could recover, I was on top of her. I grabbed a tuft of her hair, wrapped it around my fingers and pulled, causing her to scream.

See, I have this philosophy about fighting fair versus fighting dirty. If anybody is mean enough to attack me, that person does not deserve anything in the way of a fair fight. If they force me to fight, I will fight dirty.

I stopped pulling, but did not let go of Browning's hair.

"If you move, I will tear it right off your scalp," I announced. The girl froze.

"Now tell them to let her go," I demanded.

When she hesitated, I gave her hair a brief jerk. That kind of convinced her.

"Do as she says," she hissed at her two friends.

They released Natalie. She turned and kicked one of the girls viciously. The one who had her twisted her arm.

I leaned forward and, for a second or two, locked my front teeth around Browning's right earlobe.

"If you bother Fogg again, I will make you regret it," I warned her.

I let go of the girl and took one step backwards, wondering what I would do in case of another attack by her and possibly by her two friends. Fortunately, nothing of that sort happened.

Browning slowly got to her feet, but she kept a safe distance from me.

"She is bloody crazy," I heard one the girls whisper.

"How much do you owe them, Natalie?" I asked.

"Two pounds."

I retrieved two pound notes from where I hid them in my right shoe and tossed them in Browning's general direction. She picked them up. Without another word, the three girls left.

I felt dizzy with relief. "I think I am about to faint," I muttered.

Natalie helped me to cautiously sit down in the grass.

"Are all Nebraskans as crazy as you?" she asked.

"No, not really," I told her. "I think that's just me."

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A / N :   What do you think of Cathy's actions in this chapter? Was it what you would have expected her do?

As always, I would be happy to have your feedback.