Queen

Chapter 24: Nightmare

I drank some water and made my way towards the washroom. It was six in the morning. Getting freshened up, I changed into my gym outfit and started my daily work out.

Around two hours later, I received a call from Uncle Tom to inform me that Logan had arrived. I changed into my casual outfit and left my apartment. Since Uncle Tom's office was not too far, I decided to walk rather than taking my bike.

Fifteen minutes later, we were all seated in Tom's office. Uncle Tom sat in his usual chair while Logan and I sat opposite to him in separate chairs kept next to each other.

Logan cleared his throat and began to speak but Tom cut him off.
"I know you have a lot of questions but you need to hear me out first. Okay?"

Logan shut his mouth and simply nodded.

"The USFC stands for the Underworld Street Fighting Championship as you already know.
This competition is held once every two years. Fighters from all over the country participate in this event. To avoid any problems, this competition is always held in one city", he glanced at me before continuing, "Beaufort."

I clenched my fist remembering that place and trying to avoid thinking about the past. I looked up to see Logan staring right back at me. The look he gave me made it clear that he knew what was going on in my mind. It was as if he could see right through me. I shifted in my seat ignoring his stare that started to make me feel uncomfortable.

"Before beginning with all the rules and regulations about this competition, I'll tell you the main reason why I want you to participate.", Tom continued. " The USFC has a committee of eight members. These members are the main sponsors. Since they are the sponsors, they have the opportunity to send any two players to participate. The main issue out here is that it's compulsory for each sponsor to send two players. If they fail to do so, they will lose their membership."

Uncle Tom paused and I continued.

"Uncle Tom is a member of the committee and he needs to send two players in the competition. Both the players are going to be living in the same place when the competition starts. They will also be training together. Since nobody except you know about the secret behind Raca, we cannot risk sending some other fighter with me out there. You don't have to fight, you can back out during the day of the match except for the first round. We just need you to be there with us so that we are allowed to enter the competition."

By the time I finished, Logan's expression was blank. As if he was lost. He gulped and spoke, "That's... a lot of information to take in."

I nodded in understanding. The room fell silent. The only sound you could hear was the ticking of the clock. Logan seemed to be in deep thoughts. After a moment, Tom broke the silence by clearing his throat.

"You don't have to give any decision right now. You can take your time. The competition starts in the month of August. It's the end of May now so we still have two more months to prepare. I'm hoping for a good response son. I really need you." He spoke with pleading eyes.

I looked at Logan and said,  "Uncle Tom's right Logan. You're our only way of entering the competition. We cannot risk disclosing my identity to anyone."

"So all I have to do is enter my name in this championship and go on a free trip to Beaufort with you?", He asked with a smug smile. I narrowed my eyes at him but sighed eventually. "Well if you put it that way, that's right.", I said.

Uncle Tom looked between us. He smirked and raised his eyebrow while I just rolled my eyes. Men.

"What about the first round?", He asked looking confused.

"Except for the championship, there's a lot of underworld business that goes on out there. People place bet on their favorite players. Since new players participate every year, there is a qualifying round where the audience gets to see your fighting skills so that they can decide whom to bid their bets on. It sounds simple but the underworld business is a lot more complicated. It's better to stay out of it.", Uncle Tom replied.