Back at the underground boxing ring, people were flocking around Jessop. Everyone was desperate to get on his good side. He raised his arms to calm them down. The frenzied murmur died down.
"I know that many of you bet against me this evening," he said. "But I won't hold it against you. It's in the past. Anyone who wishes to work with me is welcome to do so. But it you go against me again, I won't forgive a second time."
The people around him nodded and murmured deferentially. They looked very nervous. At that moment, Alex thought that they would agree to anything that Jessop said.
Jessop and Alex walked together out of the room, and the entire Clifton family followed. Justin and Nelly followed, as did Celeste and Selene.
Once they were outside, Jessop stopped and turned to Alex. "Alex, please come back to the house with us. We'll have a dinner to celebrate your success."
"I'm grateful, Mr. Clifton," Alex responded. "But I can't. I've promised to be somewhere else. I hope you understand."
Jessop smiled knowingly and nodded. It seemed to Alex that he understood where he was going. He shook Alex's hand, said goodbye, and went over to his car. The entire family followed.
Once they had all driven away, Justin and Nelly walked up to Alex. Now that they were alone, they felt more comfortable trying to talk to him.
"So, are you going to start being happy again?" Alex asked Nelly. He looked at her with mock concern. "I remember when I gave you some money, and you were so happy. Tonight, I saw that you bet on me and won much more than that. You should be laughing hysterically."
Nelly chuckled. She grabbed Alex's ear and pulled gently at it. "Alex, I guess you haven't been bullied in a while. Don't get cocky."
They looked at each other. At that moment, it seemed to both of them that they were back selling pancakes on the streets of Washington D.C.
"Now let's get out of here," she said to Justin as she let go of Alex's ear. She was content. Now that she knew where Alex was, and that he was safe, she could go back home.
"All right," Justin answered. They hugged Alex goodbye and left for the parking lot.
Alex, Celeste, and Selene were also ready to leave. But then, Alex suddenly noticed Chelsea. She was standing nearby, watching them.
She had been severely rattled by the evening's event. The world had seemed simple to her before. Now everything was a blur.
"Are you taking me back to the police station?" Alex asked as he walked over to her. "I guess I must have committed some sort of crime, based on what happened in there."
"No," Chelsea answered. She wasn't a fool. She knew that the fight had to happen, or there might have been gang warfare in the streets. What Alex had done had saved the city from disaster.
"Then what are you doing here?" Alex asked curiously.
Chelsea was speechless. She didn't know what to say, so she lied. "I just wanted to thank you. You made me a lot of money tonight."
Alex laughed. "Then I guess we're leaving," he said. He turned to leave, and the Moon girls followed him.
"Wait a minute," Chelsea blurted out. "You should know something. The guy you fought. He's from a very powerful gang. When they hear what happened, they might want revenge. You should be careful."
Alex was surprised at her outburst. Caring advice was the last thing he had expected from Chelsea. "Thanks, I will be. But you don't need to worry about me. I don't think they'll come after me. They know that they could lose, and it would be too shameful for them to get shown up like that. Especially when they've just lost an important member of their group."
Chelsea steeled herself. "I'm not worried about you. I just thought I'd mention it."
Alex turned around and walked away. Chelsea watched as he and the girls got into a taxi and left. Then she walked over to her scooter and drove away, still thinking about what Alex had said.
She knew why she had followed him outside. But she didn't want to admit it. Only a few hours earlier, she had hated him. But then he had stepped into the ring, and her disgust at the memory of their kiss had turned to joy. When she arrived home and parked her scooter, she was still thinking about the extraordinary things she had witnessed that night.
**
Alex and the girls went straight back to the residential building at the university. It must be past ten o'clock, he thought. Debbie must be wondering where I am. I'll go back quickly, change my clothes, and call her.
When they got out of the taxi and rushed toward the door, they saw Debbie waiting outside. Callisto and Luna were with her.
"I'd better call him," he heard Debbie saying. "What if something's happened?"
"No," Callisto protested. "He won't answer. He's working. His boss sent him to a different area for tonight, so he might not be home until tomorrow. He can't answer the phone while he's working."
It was a good cover story. Alex felt guilty that they had to lie to Debbie, but she couldn't find out that he was fighting on behalf of her family.
Debbie put her phone away. She seemed to have believed the story.
When he got close enough, Alex called out to her. "Debbie!"
She turned around and saw him come toward her with a smile on his face. She ran to him and took his hands. Callisto and Luna sighed relief.
"Sorry. There was a big event today, and Tony transferred me," Alex said. "I just came from there."
Debbie gave him a puzzled look. "Can he just transfer you to other places like that?"
Alex played dumb. "Apparently. Anyway, I'm back now. Do you want to go for a walk in the park?"
"Yes, let's go for a walk together!" Celeste exclaimed. The Moon girls all looked excited.
They walked over to a little park nearby. In the centre, there was a beautiful little pond with willow trees and rocks along the edges. A cool breeze played through the branches of the trees and made the surface of the pond glimmer in the moonlight. It was a beautiful evening.
Debbie's body trembled slightly. "Are you cold?" Alex asked her. He took her hands and warmed them.
The Moon girls giggled. They enjoyed seeing Alex and Debbie so happy together.
They stayed at the pond for a little while. When it got colder, Alex accompanied Debbie back to the residential building. He said goodnight to Debbie and the Moon girls, and then he went back to his dormitory.
He washed and lay on the bed. Now that Don wasn't there, he was all alone. I must go and see him soon, he thought. He hoped Don was settling down in the hospital. He needed to rest and recover from the beating he had taken.
He could feel himself drifting off into sleep. He had managed to not get hurt, but he was sore and very tired.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the door. "Mr. Alex, it's us," he heard Celeste's voice calling from outside.
He got out of bed and opened the door. All four of the Moon girls were standing outside. It was cold. Alex quickly let them into the room.
"Mr. Alex, we know you're very tired," Celeste said. "We came to help you relax." She paused, as if she knew what he might be thinking. "Don't worry. When we left, the light in Debbie's room was out."
Alex sighed. He still wasn't completely comfortable with how the girls were serving him. He worried at times that Debbie would get the wrong idea. But he knew they meant well, and he couldn't help but be touched by their devotion.
"Listen, I'm really tired tonight," he said. "If you really want to, you can give me a quick massage. But then you need to go and get some sleep." He lay back down on the bed.
The Moon girls came up beside him and put their hands on different parts of his body. He felt their hands rubbing his neck, his back, his thighs, and his feet. It felt incredible. It must be because of their martial arts training, Alex thought. That must be why their grips are so strong.
Slowly, Alex fell asleep. The Moon girls tried to talk to him and nudged him gently. When he started snoring softly, they realized that he was sleeping.
"Let's get him into bed," Celeste whispered. The other three nodded. They lifted his body, slowly turned him over, and tucked him in. When they were done, they stood over him with adoration in their eyes.
They knew that they were bound to serve him. That was the only relation they had to him, and there could never be more. As they turned off the light and left the room, they looked at each other. In each of their eyes, there was the glimmer of a hopeless fantasy. But they all knew that it was impossible. Their mission was to care for him, and any other desires must be channelled solely into that pursuit.
They went back to their room and went to sleep.