"So, if you're a fairy," Bill stepped behind Brit, "Where are your wings?"
"I don't have them."
"Have you ever had-"
"No," She glared at Bill, "I never have had wings. Not all fairies have wings. Just like not all demons have horns, and not all vampires die in sunlight. Yes, they're more common traits, but they aren't guaranteed." I shrugged, "I dunno, all one demons I know doesn't have horns."
"Ha ha, very funny. In all seriousness though, my race is a sensitive topic. I'd prefer not to talk about it..." Bill walked a little faster, "Alright," He looked over at me, "So, we're in the semi-final. Who do you think we're taking next?"
"Well, if the bracket has anything to say, it's the room right next to us."
"Well," Brit laughed a little, "they're gonna have a reason to want to win. I can't imagine living next to you two." We both glared at her. "I'm joking! I think you two have a good shot though. You two are the least predictable people in this school. Well, you two an Naomi and Akumura." Akumura appeared behind her, "Wow, thanks." She jumped and hissed, "WHERE'D YOU COME FROM?!"
"Behind you. You'd think with ears like the you'd hear."
Jamie and I were the only ones in the dorm. "Don't stress about it," Jamie's voice was way too shaky for someone trying to encourage me, "You'll do fine tomorrow. Even Brit said you two are more likely to win at this point."
"You know that's not what I'm stressed about," I sighed, "I mean, what if he reject me?"
"And what if he doesn't? You can't focus on the what if. You need to stay in the moment. When I was a kid, I suffered from anxiety like yours," she pulled a picture out of her bra, "my mom told me to stay in the moment. It's easier said than done, but believe me, it helps in the long run." I looked at the picture. There was a little girl with short, blonde hair. She had a Pokemon t-shirt and a skirt. Next to her, there was a woman with long, brown hair. She was wearing a blue dress, and she had glasses just like the ones Jamie was wearing. "Is that-" Jamie nodded, "That was my mom. She died six years ago. It'll be a full seven on December 16." She sat down, "If there was the definition of on top of everything, it was her. I don't know how she managed it. I can barely be on top of one thing." I put my hand on her shoulder, "Well, my mom, wasn't. She was barely there for us. Too busy with work. She and my father co-owned the company. We were commonly left with butlers and maids to take care of us. There was no supernatural phenomena involved when she died."
"How'd it happen?" I shuddered, "It was like my dad. But more, random. Do you remember Batman's backstory? His parents were killed in an alleyway in a random mugging. That's what happened. Her killer was a human, simply looking for money. After he shot her, he curled up in a ball and cried. The police found him, and he told them to arrest him."
"That's." Jamie wiped her eyes, "I'm sorry. If everything went according to God's plan, my dad should be dead now. Chasan doubts it though."
"Who's your dad?"
"Lucifer." She was related to him? The one who eradicated the Angels? The one who killed God? I shook my head, "There's no way you're related to that. Lucifer-"
"Killed almost all the Angels, I know."
"You wouldn't hurt a fly."
"I don't know..." she stared at the wall for a second, "During that last fight, I lost it. I couldn't control myself. If it weren't for the field around the arena, he'd definitely be dead."
Bill woke me up. "Come on! We've gotta go!" I slowly opened my eyes. "What time is it?" I checked my phone. "Is there any good reason for you to wake me up at 5:46?" He nodded, "We've got the first fight today. Chasan told me that we need to get there earlier than usual. Apparently the semi-finals have different rules, so he needs to go over them with the remaining fighters." I sighed, "Alright, alright."
We walked into the stadium. There were at most 40 people there. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Chasan chuckled, "I completely forgot about this until an hour ago." There were some people talking. An arrow-like beam of light shot down from the sky, "Ah, that. That is part of it. With this set of matches, we are taking away an important part of fighting. Communication. If any strategy is heard within the confides of this stadium, these arrows of light will rain down. Along with that, the protective glass has been removed." There was some murmuring in the crowd. "The first fight begins in 30 minutes. If you want to, I'd suggest getting ready now." Bill and I looked at each other, and nodded.
"So," Bill grabbed his sword from a locker, "You're going to use your abilities to attempt to communicate with me?" I nodded. "And if that doesn't work?" I shrugged, "I'll find something. I guarantee it."