The shiny white and gray concrete color turns to blue because of the light reflection of my hair color. I pull the zipper up to cover my neck and my mouth. The silence in the hallway makes me feel and hear Xin flow, my entire body creeping and playing with my blood cells, probably making friends with them already.
And my eyes are blank with white light. Slowly, the people appear in my sight. The silence turns to loud again; some are yelling to go back, cursing me, and talking shit so I can't get to the death zone. Along the way, both sides. The security guards stand in front of them, blocking them from coming in between my entrance and the stage fight. and the people turn into a crowd.
And some are...
"That was the kid that was flying around that night..."
I shift my eyes to him.
"You owe me a drink, kid!!"
"...heh."
I hurriedly bow my head a little and hide my face.
'She has no money...but after the fight, she will.'
You are so sure about that…
'I'm sure about me...heh...and you...us...'
And then, I reach the stage. I look up to see the person in the ring embracing the crowd's cheers, and then he turns to look at me.
"..."
"Kid…kid...Roelle."
"Yes, Coach."
I turn to look at Coach. He raises his hands and holds my face to look at him directly.
"Focus."
"Yes, Coach."
"I taught everything I know: the basics, the techniques. I plant the seeds, and you water them into the roots. You know it all now. The rest is on you. Everything is inside your muscles, but only the roots can not help you win, girl. What makes you different from others? What other things that they don't have, but you do… mix it up, adapt it. You have the finest brain I ever knew…maybe I don't, but…You do, and your shadow knows. that will make you win."
I shift my eyes to my feet. Mr. Laith is taking my shoes off for me.
"Thank you."
"I'm staying right next to you."
"You can't get on the stage."
"I mean here with Coach...I will take good care of your shoes."
"Thank you…"
Then I get on the ring, which is the steel string fences. The stage's floor is cold. I look at him, the big man with a big, hard muscle all over his body. The eyes of his look look straight and slope up and down without caring what I will think. And Coach's words appear in my head about this guy. He is the rising star, trying to fight his way up to the Mid-Rank within this year. And the way he wins is the only way to win…break the fuck everything inside the opponent's bones. Maybe because I'm a girl and because they think I'm a joke, then people who arrange this…give him to me…
Then Coach steps inside the ring and blocks the view from him.
"Remember I give you 3 rounds after that, only survive, understand?"
"Yes, Coach."
"Knock him down."
"Yes, Coach."
Then, the judge comes into the center of the stage, calling us over. I walk to him, as the gambler guy.
He tells us the rules, then turns to Gembler to check the body to see if there is anything other than body parts, and then he turns to me.
"Jacket."
"Oh, yes."
I pull down my zipper and throw it out of the ring.
"Woohoo!!"
And the crowd cheers on. Gembler tilts his head to see the judge try to check any weapons hiding or hidden guns or something.
"Done."
The judge.
"You can go back. It's still time…"
Gembler
"..."
"I can break your tiny bones that easily, you know?"
"I know."
I answer and step back to the position.
"Heh."
He makes the sound in his throat and steps back to his position.
'Should we hang around until 3 rounds or just one time?'
One time.
'How fun in that?'
Xin, my life is on the line here, my friend.
'You think too much…'
While Xin is talking with me in my head, I observe Gembler's body. His body is full of hard muscle. I see the gap line in each pack.
I can see now.
'Oh, I mean…you think too much, but it's a good benefit too…'
Yeah, right, Xin, I need you to let it all in every attack I throw at him.
'Umm, even if you don't tell me, I give all I got...for you.'
"Clank!!!"
The bell is hit.
He steps forward and jogs back and forth in the tiny space around the same area. He puts the guards up. He throws his punch without hesitation right at my face. I quickly slide down while he puts his right foot closer to my body, which gives me a big space for me to slide my body through.
"At the back! at the back!"
I jump myself up using my hand support on the floor and, with Xin's black shadow, sprint my body even higher. My body is so light without weights that I feel like I'm a feather now. My legs are still in the air, and Gembler is about to turn to me. I quickly use both my legs to cross his neck and pull my body up, sit on his shoulder, and swift myself to the front. His face is inside my crotch. He grabs my thighs, trying to pull and throw me away. His arm is about to turn black. I grab the back of his neck and around to his temples and pull myself down along with his body and his face.
"What is she doing!?"
Gemblr's Coach.
Before I land on the floor, I raise his face up and pull his face down with Xin in my hand, wrapping around with lightning, to let him hit the floor directly. I don't feel any pain touching Xin's flash, but for the opponent, it probably does.
"Thug!!!"
I hurriedly get out, turn him over, sit on him, and raise my fist.
All you got.
'Absolutely.'
"THUG!!!!!"
And I hit his face right in the middle of it, creating the hole on the stage's floor behind Gembler's head.
"!!!!!!!!!"
"It's only 2 minutes!!!"
The Moderator.
The judge comes in and tries to call him out, but Gembler doesn't respond. He tries to find the pulse, and then the judge looks at me and gets up.
"He's knocked out!!"
The judge.
"What!!!"
"WOOOOOOHHH!!"
"Ha…ha…what…"
I am still shocked.
'See, I told you if we're just hanging around a bit, we could have more fun on the stage…'
We won?
'Yeah, and I didn't even show I got, and we're done.'
I look around and see people cheering out.
"WOWW!!! Amazing!! In only 2 minutes, the new girl can beat the rising star Gembler, The Breaking Bones. She was like a snake sliding and climbing on his body so fast and knocking him out in that instant."
The Moderator.
I shift my eyes to Coach. He's smiling and gives me a thumbs-up. Mr. Laith is smiling beside him, about to expand his arms wide. I quickly jump out of the stage, open my arms, and hug Coach.
"!!"
"I did it!"
I tell him.
"Good job! Rookie."
"Hehe.Thank you, Coach."
"Roelle…"
I turn to see Mr. Laith is still opening his arms for me.
I let go of Coach and hug Mr. Laith.
"Good girl!..."
He hugs me tight and holds me up like a kid.
"Thank you. Mr. Laith."
"That looks easy."
He tells me.
"Well…it's faster than I expected."
"Heh, Hahaha. Let's go! Woo! Let's go back to the Playground!!"
Mr. Laith talks to me excitedly and holds my hand back in the same direction we came here. But the reaction is not the same as before. They're cheering and screaming and trying to reach out to touch me, but I'm untouchable due to the bodyguard and Mr. Laith. And I'm walking back with bare feet.
"Mr. Laith...my shoes?"
"Oh, yes...it's...over there..."
He talks to me and turns his face to see ahead. Then, his facial expression changes to be pale.
"You said you take good care of your shoes?"
"Er...I'll go back to…"
Mr. Laith is about to go back, but the crowd is extremely violent there, and it's hard to get through again.
I look at Mr. Laith with hasty looks and wait for him to do something.
"I'll promise, I'll buy you a new one, Roelle..we should go."
"Ah…"
I am a bit upset. That's my favorite shoes.
He drags me out of the crowd.
The Playground
"Congratulations on your first match, kid."
Coach.
"And first win!!"
Mr. Laith.
"Thank you, Coach."
"..."
Mr. Laith looks at me and waits for me to say his name.
"Raden, Can I have tacos?"
"Yes."
He glances at Mr. Laith a bit and gives me the yummy, softest tacos.
"After the introducing match, you will get many matches coming soon, I guarantee"
Coach.
"She gave them quite an introduction to them.. so probably a few days or so."
"Emris, try this."
I give him a snack while he's playing a game on his phone. He didn't come to see me at the ring with Coach and Mr. Laith. But he comes to my party at least.
Emris doesn't take any snacks from my hand, and Mr. Laith is still glaring at me.
"You're giving him a snack, and he didn't even come to see you fight."
Mr. Laith is frustrated with my ignorance of him.
"Hmpt."
I make a sound in my throat.
"Riz…"
Emris's coach calls him to pay attention.
"Are you still mad at me?"
Mr. Laith.
"Yes! That's my favorite shoes!"
I answer Mr. Laith while pushing the snack inside Emris's mouth.
"Ah..."
Emris makes a sound and shifts his eyes on me.
"I'll buy you a new one, I told you."
"You don't know what they will feel like if you abandoned them like that."
"Are you still talking about shoes?"
"Yes!"
"It's just–"
"Stop acting like a child…both of you."
Coach stops us.
"Here, team leader. Please drink. She will calm down."
Raden tells Mr. Laith to offer him a glass of beer.
I pout my lips and raise the soda can in pink color. I am about to bottom up. Suddenly, Emris's big, hard knee hits my left leg on purpose, and I look at him.
"..."
He opens his mouth.
Oh, he wants more snacks.
'Doesn't he have hands? put down the goddamn phone, then you have one.'
I pick up the piece of chocolate biscuit and put it in his mouth. He closes it and chews while continuing to play with his phone.
"ah…"
I look at him and open his mouth again. I can see his tongue, and then he suddenly glances at me because of the delay in feeding his snack. Our eyes match making me hurriedly put another biscuit in his mouth.
"..."
My pointy finger lightly touches the tip of his tongue.
"Put down your phone and eat yourself, Riz."
Mr. Laith glares at him.
I take another and eat myself while raising my right eyebrow at Mr. Laith.
"Hmpt, heh, she's provoking me…heh."
I can not hear Mr. Laith mumbling to himself. Raden definitely does, but his scoff is like a devil making plans.
'These people are a bunch of weirdos.'
You might be right…when you said before.
'…'
That I might find my people.
'Mmm…you're weird too, I admit.'
That means you are as well, Xin, Hehe.
'But I'm cooler, more cool…'
Yeah, whatever you say, Xin, Whatever you say…