Inferno Royale

01 | a fallen hero

It was clear that after a really long time, as it seemed, the almighty Skeletor was losing against a frail teenager who used her intellect against his strength. One last blow against his stomach was all it took for her to win, amassing yet another win into her brilliant track record of street fighting.

"And today is the day for a revolution!" the commentator hollered handing her a wad of cash. "Skeletor is defeated!"

Inquiring about her name in an embarrassed whisper, he smiled down at her before turning back to the road and declaring, "Calypso is our new hero!"

Once again, the tranquil twilight was smothered with the howls and whistles of the mundane folks. She shook her head, scowling at how quick they were to change sides, to give up on their beloved hero, Skeletor. A teenager whooping his ass once, was all it took for them to push him aside and lift her to the throne.

Making her way out of the misty street, she sauntered onto the main street, pulling her hood up and tucking her hands into the pockets of her jeans. Her feet lead her to a modest but, wealthy-looking house not to far away from the centre of the city.

The keys jingled in her palm as she pushed the door open and closed it behind her back. Once she was in, she bent down and untied the lace of her Doc Martens to hold them up and walk to her room without waking the other occupants.

But, before she could even pass the foyer, a voice stopped her journey and she turned back, cursing at the wrong timing.

"Where were you?"

"Somewhere," she said, "doing my own thing."

"I'm afraid that is not the answer I would like to hear, Lysandra," the woman who seemed to be in her thirties quipped, her brown eyes sparkling with disappointment.

When Lysandra did not answer, the lady stepped forward, grabbing her chin and lifting her face up. She gasped at the wounds colouring her cheekbones and at her busted lips which were lightly bleeding.

"It's barely been two days since we moved here. How do you even find these fighting rinks?"

Lysandra still said nothing but flicked her eyes downwards onto the ground, her hands entwined with each other. The woman sighed and lightly dragged the girl into the kitchen, pushing her onto the stool of the breakfast bar.

"Jay, trust me, this is not necessary. They'll heal soon enough," the teenager spoke up, earning a glare and a motherly smack on her head from the older woman.

That shut her up and she sat still as cotton swabs were dabbed onto her wounds, cleaning her skin. Satisfied after placing a bandaid on her forehead and having one last look at her lips which looked a little better without the blood, Jade held out an ice pack for her to take. Lysandra spared her a grateful glance and grabbed it, rounding the counter to get out of the kitchen towards the stairs. But, before she could actually go up to her room, Jade padded out of the kitchen, calling for her.

"William and I have been worried about you, darling."

"Don't be! I am perfectly alright," she promised. "Well, I'll be off. Goodnight!"

The woman sighed, knowing that Lysandra was never the one to live under a certain set of rules. She made her own principles and did whatever her heart asked her to.

"Take care of yourself, child," Jade said and offered her a small smile. "William wanted me to let you know that you start school tomorrow."

She nodded, ascending up the stairs to her room. Opening the door with a danger sign pasted onto it, she stepped through the mess that she had made on the floor along with the unopened cardboard boxes lying beside the study desk. Papers and pencils rolled around as she switched the fan on. She paid them no heed as she fell atop the duvet and let sleep consume her.