I pulled my hood over my head and left my house, heading towards our usual fighting spot. It was hidden between a few buildings, with one alley that led to it's opening.
I walked there quietly, keeping my head facing down towards my black converse. I kept myself focused on my destination, preparing for the fights that I may be faced with tonight.
Some people may think I'm crazy for doing this every Friday.
I couldn't stop.
Fighting was my one and only way to find safety in the world of fear that lives within my mind. It's hard to believe that I would consider fighting as safe. I guess in my experience, safe had a different meaning.
The only competition I had to fight against with were guys, most of them within the ages of twenty to thirty.
My opponents all had different reasons to fight, yet the need for cash was their biggest priority. Every round that a fighter wins, they earn cash.
I had my own reasons, and cash was not my priority here. When I fought, I could lower my walls and tear into my opponents. I could improve my defensive skills and learn new methods for fighting.
Maybe one day I could protect myself if the time came.
Fighting wasn't easy though.
There were many times that I would come home with countless bloody cuts and purple bruises that seemed to stain my skin.
I used the Saturdays after the fight to rest and heal. By Monday, I was ready to start the week again and practice after school.
I glance up, taking in the scenery. Loud shouting and grunts that were filled with pain were getting more prominent. I was getting close.
A shiver of adrenaline ran down my spine and my energy spiked. I took in a deep breath of cool air and exhaled, feeling exhilarated.
A small smile took over my face as I rounded the corner, Jason and my group coming into view. They stood in a close group, apart from the other large groups of fighters and bystanders that came to take part in Tonight's fight.
I closed the distance between the group and I, standing next to a very sweaty Jason. He turned and grinned at me.
"Hey Celeste." He sips from a bottle of water, "ready for a round or so?"
He used his arm to wipe off a thin layer of sweat from his forehead.
"Yeah."
I pulled a stray strand of hair out of my face and smiled.
"You win any matches?"
"A few. "
Jason answered with a smile.
"I think I'm done for the night though. I'll just watch out for you now."
I nodded and pulled on my thin black, fingerless gloves. My heart rate accelerated with adrenaline and I smiled at Jason.
"I set you up with an easy win to start you off until others request to fight you. "
Jason smirks, "After watching your performance they'll all want to fight you."
Jason padded my shoulder and I turned to the run-down ring in the back of the alley. I pulled the dark hood over my head more in order to keep it secure. My hair is hidden from view in a tight ponytail, and the black vest that I wore doesn't give away any idea of who I may be.
I make my way towards the ring and see a thin adult nearly my size. He stands tall in his corner of the ring, wearing a creepy smirk.
He has a real fight coming his way. I will not hesitate to take that smirk off of his face by the time I'm done with him.
I couldn't stand seeing people so confident that they would beat me in a fight, without seeing how well of an opponent I could be.
The rusty bell rang outside of the ring, the screams and shouts of bystanders sound all around me. I gained focus and inhaled softly.
I stare at my opponent in the eye, already knowing by the look upon his face that he was going to take a lunge at me.
He grunted as he stormed my way and I quickly ducked under his punch, rolling behind him.
He spins around to face me just in time for my fist to collide with his face.
Smack.
The sound finds its way into my ears and I focused on his form.
He is jolted back, and he holds his nose while I follow my first swing with a storm of strong punches into his gut. My momentum increases each time I make contact.
He swung weakly, trying to make contact with my face.
I dropped to the ground and rolled away from him in a cartwheel.
Having a more petite frame than most opponents often helped me with agile movements and defensive techniques.
He spun quickly, trying to follow my fast movements while I moved around the ring.
I wanted to end this match, by taking him out quickly.
I stood firmly and faced him. I then pushed myself forward in a front flip, being sure to extend my right leg in the process. I make contact with his chest in one strong kick, before landing on the ground.
He grunts and falls to the concrete. A cough leaves his lungs while he tries to catch his breath.
The match leaders counted to ten, and the man remains unmoving upon the ground.
A friend of his enters the ring, helping him up in his defeat. He cautiously pulled him from the ring as I walked over towards Jason on the rail.
He smiled and spoke up,"Nice round Celeste!"
He gives me a quick fist bump and pulls out a slip of paper.
"You have five more requests for matches because of that last performance."
I grinned at him and nodded, my adrenaline not wearing off.
" Can't wait!"
"You earned twenty five dollars for the last fight and these will bring you more earnings if you win. Good-luck."
Jason grinned at me and took a step back from the ring as the pre-fight bell rang.
My next opponent entered the ring.
I ran my eyes over him, looking for what kind of fight I would be up against. He seemed as though he was only a little taller, but weighed much more.
This would be a little interesting. I just needed to keep moving and avoid getting pinned with the heavier weight. One heavy strike from him and I would lose the match.
I took my usual precautions, knowing that he would take the first move. Although he was pretty quick, I already knew how I could beat him.
The round passed quickly and ended with me sending a rough uppercut into his jaw.
Round three passed with yet another win. My adrenaline was building in each round.
Round four.
Round five.
Both were wins.
Fighting was getting easier for me. Every week I had started to become more successful.
Jason smiled at me from the rail as I walked over. I wiped off a thin sheen of sweat from my forehead and adjusted my hood yet again.
I had one more round before heading home for the night. Jason handed me my water bottle, patting my shoulder for luck.
"You have this C!"
I smiled at him just as the pre-fight bell rang again.
When I turn away from Jason, I spot my next opponent. His eyes looked oddly familiar, as the bright blue color stared deeply into mine from a distance.
He ran his hand through his dirty blonde hair that fell into his face. He seemed to be about my age and pretty fit. His muscular abdomen was visible under his shirt.
The last matches I had fought were made up of less fit people, who were not quite as prepared as this guy looked to be. This would probably be my hardest fight of the night.
He nodded at me as the bell rang, and set himself up in a fighting stance. He was definitely more prepared.
I held my ground and raised my fists, waiting for his first move. He approached me more efficiently, unlike my last opponents. He was also being cautious to figure out my style of fighting. Smart.
He was also very quick on his feet and seemed to be well taught.
I rolled to the side swiftly as his fist swung near my face, narrowly missing. I was back on my feet in seconds, taking a swing at him. He dodged and easily maneuvered around me.
I cartwheeled closer to him, sending three solid punches into his gut, dropping to the ground to dodge a defensive swing thrown at me. I felt the space above my head move, just as I dodged the swing.
I rolled out from under him, getting on my feet quickly. I need to focus.
I front flipped, spiraling through the air. As I landed near him I sent a punch into his gut, watching him dodge the one that I attempted to send to his face.
He takes an offensive lunge at me, rather than a defensive one. He then swings his fist at me, only missing by an inch. I refused to let this phase me as I sent another uppercut in his direction.
I saw myself getting closer to being stuck in a corner with no escape. I maneuvered around him to avoid getting pinned.
Just as I had gotten past him, his solid fist struck the side of my face and made contact right above the jaw.
Everything seemed to slow down at that point. The blow rang throughout my entire skull and I felt an instant bruise form.
It's been a while since I've gotten struck in the face. Normally I can dodge all face shots.
The punch thrusted my head back like a leather whip, and I could feel myself collide with the concrete ground before I even realized that I was falling.
My head rung with a new pain, and the concrete felt even harder than before.
For a moment I laid on the ground, unable to move.
My head felt like it had been through a blender. For what almost seemed like hours I remained on the ground, yet I knew that only seconds had passed.
I snapped out of it when I heard Jason shout at me with my nick name.
"C!"
I sat up feeling blood roll down my face. Everything spun for a second and black spots speckled my vision. I then noticed that the crowd had become dead silent.
This was when I noticed another thing, a very terrible thing.
My hood wasn't over my head. The crowd knew I was female.
I cursed softly.
My opponent wore a face of shock and surprise. It was then that I finally realized who he was. He's the guy that I had collided with in the hallway.
"You're - you're a girl...."
He took a step a back. "I just hit a girl."
He repeated this over and over as I stood, ignoring the ringing that I felt in my head. His hands pulled at the hair on the back of his head and he began to pace.
I heard gasps from the bystanders, who had realized who I was. I could also hear the friends of those that I had previously beaten tonight, laugh like hyenas.
They had lost a fight to a girl, and it had hit their egos harder than the meteor that killed the dinosaurs.
I've been through far too much for people to think of me as one of those weak little girls that everyone envisions. I belong to this fighting rink just as much as they did.
I'll show them. I'll show them all!
I lifted my hands in fighting position ready to charge my opponent.
"Are you crazy!?! What are you doing?"
He looked at me in bewilderment, blocking the storm of punches I began to throw at him.
"I'm finishing the fight. The Fights not over until one of us is no longer standing. What difference does it make to you?"
I hit him in the gut.
"I refuse to hit a girl."
He thinks for a moment, blocking me.
"On purpose. If I would have known you were female at the beginning of the fight, I wouldn't have hit you in the first place.
"Alright," I pause, "it's your choice."
I struck him harder, getting multiple shots into his gut and soon other punches began to make contact with his face.
I cartwheeled away and turned to face him, giving him some time to think.
I gave Jason a glance and sent a wink at him.
I rolled forward at my opponent, standing instantly with my hand barely brushing the ground. I first sent a kick into him and followed it with a storm of different punches, repeating it exactly as if at practice.
He groaned in pain, holding his stomach as I lifted my hands up, in position to fight him more. "Let's go. Get back into the fight!"
He then realized that I had been completely serious about fighting him and he stands up taller, raising his hands. His face became serious once again and he began to get back into the fight.
I smiled seeing that he wasn't just going to just let me win.
He shot a punch my way and I dodged it, staying quick with my feet. He swung at me once more.
Right.
Left.
Right.
I blocked each one, liking the challenge. He grinned and sent out quicker swings, challenging me.
I rolled backwards away from him, getting some space between us and standing to my feet.
I then took the offensive position and front flipped towards him. I hit him in the stomach with a swift punch from the right.
He fights me off and got a couple good punches near me.
I spun around and sent a quick kick into his chest, knocking him to the ground. My head rang once more as I stood, waiting for him to stand.
He wasn't moving and I though I may have killed him for a second. Just a second.
It wasn't until after the bell rang, which signaled that I had won the fight that he opened his eyes, grinning at me. That faker! He faked it.
I pulled my hood back over my head and stomped away from him.
He was still in perfect fighting condition, yet he gave up. I have to admit that he was pretty good at faking his loss though.
I rolled my eyes and cleared my mind, walking over to Jason.
He held a damp rag in his hand and my water in the other.
"You okay C?"
He pulled a chair out for me to sit on and handed me my water.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
I took the water, thirstily drinking from it. I felt a cold rag touch my forehead where it hit the concrete.
I hissed in pain, not noticing that I had even injured myself there. The spot throbbed and the last of my adrenaline began to fade, allowing my injuries to catch up to me.
Jason cleaned the blood from my forehead and started tending to the swollen bruise where my opponent had hit me.
"No, you're not just fine. You should come back to my place and I'll fix you up there. It's better than fixing your wounds in the streets."
I sighed knowing that I couldn't disagree with Jason. He always got his way in the end.
"Fine." I smiled and swiped at a stray hair in his face.
Jason grinned and helped me up.
He flicked his head, the stray hair falling back into his face. He then tossed the blood stained rag into a bin that he always brought to the fights.
He started walking by my side, down the street and the rest of our group went their separate ways.
I briefly glanced back at my opponent, who was watching me walk from the alley.
That guy can really hit.
That's when a thought stopped me in my tracks.
He knew about my fighting secret and about who I am. If he doesn't keep his mouth shut, the whole school will know about my fighting.
That cannot happen.
Jason held an ice pack to the indigo bruise on my jawline. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and I leaned on Jason's shoulder as we walked away.
-
Jason jokes around with me the entire trip to his house.
He chucked about the surprised reactions of the opponents that I had beaten after they realized that I was female. He rose his voice three octaves when he was mocking them.
"I just got beat up by a girl, oh! The horror! My life will never be the same! I must go cry to my trainer now!"
I laughed and smiled at his immaturity. I had to agree with him because they were more than just surprised when they found out who I was.
"You haven't taken a hit like that in weeks!"
Jason grins and hands me some Advil from a medical pack that he had at his house. I nodded in agreement. I was going to be sore tomorrow...
Jason had a great way of making me feel secure, and for a second or so I can let a fragment of my old self shine through my defensive barrier. I immediately cover that part of me up, knowing that getting close to people can be dangerous.
He's the only person who has heard me laugh since my kidnapping. My laughter is never forced or fake around him.
Jason had a way to bring some of the good out of me.
After talking with Jason a little longer, he decided to walk me home. He handed me my earnings for tonight's fight and waved at me before I walked into the house.
I entered the house, knowing it was past 11 o'clock at night.
I walked past my mother who sat in the kitchen. I was surprised she was still up, she normally went to bed early.
She glances over my wounds, and I could see the hurt that reflected in her eyes.
All I wanted to do was run over to her and give her a hug. I wanted to tell her that I was fine and to tell her what happened. I wanted to tell her I am safe now.
Yet, I can't even tell myself those things.
I miss her. I miss both of my parents.
I knew I couldn't approach her though. My world was too broken and dark for them. It's better and safer for them to be distanced from me. In case if he ever found me again.
I settled into my warm bed, dreading the nightmares that awaited me. I can't escape them.
I run my fingers over the swollen bruise on my face and cringe. I would definitely be much more sore tomorrow, than I am today.
I stared to close my eyes and I let in the first image that came to mind. The familiar blue-eyed boy returns to me from my memories and his dirty blonde hair falls around those eyes.
A calm feeling takes over and my eyes close. A half smile resides on my face and I fall into a deep sleep.
I sleep so deeply that it feels as if I had been awoken in some way. It feels as though I had stirred the consciousness of a long lost friend, an old reflection of myself.
This feeling brought a sense of safety to the barriers that claimed to protect me from myself, and it chases away my deepest fears.
I slept that night without any nightmares.
I haven't slept without the nightmares since before my kidnapping. I've truly forgotten how amazing and peaceful it is to sleep soundly.
That's only one of the many things that I miss about my old self.
-
Hey readers!!!
So how's the book so far?
I'll try to update ASAP...
I also wanted to thank my active readers who have voted and commented. I'm really surprised at the outcome of this story and I didn't expect that many reads.
I've spent every little spare piece of time thinking of ways that this story could improve in the next few chapters. I'm really starting to enjoy writing this book.
Well, thanks again for reading! :)