Hey Sunshine

Extra: In Which Inej is a Fighter

E X T R A

KNOCKOUT

in which she is not a lynx, but a fighter

***

Dodging left takes a surprising amount of skill, Inej learns. The girl in front of her is a whirl of punches and kicks and Inej hides her wince as another fist makes contact and breaks skin. It will be a nasty bruise in the morning, one that will slow her down during her next fight.

Forgive me, Inej prays to her Saints silently. The girl in front of her is so young, only around her own age. She still moves like her younger cousin once did though - awkwardly, as if scared of the world approaching her - and it is this resemblance that makes it hard to find it in herself to take the other girl out. A problem, Inej notes dryly, that the other girl was not having by any means.

She pauses for a split second, urging the anger inside her to rise up. It always does - Tante Heleen's smiles, her slaps, her bloody pinches and hugs - will never fail to make it all drown out with rage and Inej prays for herself as the punch lands directly onto the other girl's nose. She prays for the young girl in front of her, falling to her knees with a loud bang.

The next moments come in a blur, as they always do. She is granted her ever growing pile of kruge and just as she is used too, the entire thing is handed to Heleen in less than a minute. The woman herself gives an ever present gloating smile to Inej before hugging her tightly around the waist and hissing sharp reprimands about never being distracted during a fight again. She lets go and Inej walks out and takes a deep breath - her first since the fight.

"Impressive fight out there."

A rasp. Inej's head turns sharply to see a boy on the other side of her, clad in a dark coat that reaches his long legs and a haircut shaved on one side, meant to give him a menacing look she figures. He has cheap black gloves on his hands and emblazoning it all is a silver cane, pushed into the ground and rusty with overuse.

She doesn't say anything - merely looks at this tall handsome odd boy - and he takes this as his chance to go on.

"Inej Ghafa," he says slowly and then waits a beat, as if waiting for something from her. She doesn't respond, but he continues nonetheless. "I can help you."

Silently she stares at this dark boy, who looks about as old as she is. But at the same time there is something different about him and it only comes with living in the harsh reality that is Ketterdam. He is not like the other fools that come to her, waving their hips and hair in a manner they hope is appealing to her.

She will die in a few years if she lives like this. That she knows. Being a street fighter for Heleen is a slow death, a thousand cuts making their way on her and eventually she will fall from them. Something needs to happen and she needs a way out of this life if she wants to return to her home.

This boy may be her only chance at living another life.

Very slowly, she finally gives her response. "What is your offer?"

***

E N D     O F   E X T R A

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a/n: and here are the next two chapters! i was planning on updating two, but then i realized this extra was the actual next one down the chain so i was like, screw that so here is the extra instead! this isn't going to become a thing (sorry if anybody liked this and wanted to continue this - i mean, i might do another extra off of this story line but that in and of itself is improbable). additionally, i'm sorry about how long it took to update this chapter, but on a brighter note, i'm finished with planning out TWVE so we're going to be on a steady roll from here on (cringes because i'm fairly sure i've said this before :( 

additionally, we've officially hit more than five hundred views!!! holy shit this is so cool you guys, thanks so much for every view, vote, chapter, or anything really. *highfives the screen and then winces from the new crack on it*

thanks for reading,

mercy