I hope you enjoy the first chapter to my story! I had a hard time deciding on the title, which still might change.

This story starts out at the end of Season 1, during the Russian tournament. By the end of the story, it'll be right before Season 3, in what I like to call the "summer break" between seasons.

The first couple of chapters are short, but they'll get longer!

Note: *..*indicates their special connection...I'll say no more!

Reviews are welcome, even anonymous ones!

Disclaimer: I don't own any Beyblade characters. Only Jessy and Draiza.

Chapter 1

"Damn it!" I mumbled to myself as my blade crashed into his. He was good, I'll give him that. But I was better.

"Draiza! Come on!" I yelled. My black and red blade smashed into his in a rapid succession and the match was over. I smirked as the boy, a few years younger than myself, was dragged off. I rolled my shoulders a couple of times and reached out my hand to catch Draiza. I turned to the man behind me.

"Well?" I stared at him coldly.

"Very good," he smirked back, running his fingers through his hair. "In fact, I think you'll make a great addition to the Demolition Boys. They'll be quite surprised at the tournament to discover our hidden secret."

I stayed silent, watching him. This was what I wanted, right? To be on Boris' prized team? Knowing I was the only girl who has ever made it this far in the Abbey, I simply replied, "Excellent."

He dismissed me with a wave of his hand.

"Go get ready for our guests. They should be arriving soon."

I pulled out my shitty iPod and put in my ear buds. Blasting rock music, I walked back to my room to change. "Room" is a term I'll use loosely. It had four walls and a door, I suppose. A makeshift bed, which was actually a board attached to the wall with a foam mat on it. There was a dresser and a single light bulb dangling from the ceiling. I should feel privileged. Most of the boys didn't even have this much. Except his precious Demolition Boys. They actually had decent rooms. Something to look forward to, I guess.

I sighed as I changed, thinking of the boys. Tala. My oldest friend. He saved me from a life far worse than this. Bryan, hesitant to allow me a modicum of trust when I first arrived here ten years ago; now we were like siblings. I was the youngest in our group, only eighteen. Ian always had something against me. Probably because he was the last one to arrive, and me being female should have made me lesser than him, but I wasn't. Spencer got here just before I did, so we were the closest in experience.

As I walked down the hallway to the front doors, I heard my name.

"Jessy." I turned and faced Tala, softening my gaze slightly.

"Tala," I replied, inclining my head. We fell into step with each other. We were silent, but our minds were not. We've had a connection since he first found me. We could…talk…in a way, within the relative safety of our minds. Speaking out loud wasn't safe.

*Where were you?* he asked.

*Battling.*

His eyes widened ever so slightly.

*Some kid who thought he was a big shot. I took him down. Now I'm one of the Boys.* I could feel his internal smirk.

*About fucking time,* he said. *You've only been better than us for years now. About time he figured it out.*

We walked, making random conversation, until we emerged outside. It was a pretty alright day. Snow swirled around lazily. We went around the buildings to the back of the compound. There were a few benches here. This part was for "rest" as Boris put it. There wasn't really any rest here, though. We didn't have a day off from practicing, today being the only exception. We were to meet our guests later, if everything went according to plan. So we had the next few hours free.

Here at the Abbey, we were trained like soldiers. We were meant to destroy our competition and we couldn't ever lose. If anybody lost, they were "punished" by being taken down into the dungeons where Boris chose what to do with us. I'd been down there once. I shivered at the memory.

Tala gave me a concerned look. I shrugged it off. We were sitting now, enjoying the outdoors, I suppose. We didn't get much time for rest. At any moment, Boris could decide to throw you into a battle with a kid who thinks he's ready. Or, if he's feeling particularly curious, he'll drag you into one of the labs, where you'll be made to do any number of things. You'll be poked, prodded, injected with countless needles full of who knows what.

Sometimes you'll have to attempt to exercise, or he'll make you battle other lab rats. Or he'll make you battle launchers that shoot blades so fast you have to be at the top of your game to smash them all. This is difficult depending on the drugs you've been injected with.

So far, I've been the only one here to pass all of those experiments with little to no side effects. Sure, it's hell on the body. Especially when the drugs make you slower, but I know what happens if you're not fast enough, or strong enough, at any given time. I've only lost a battle once. Kai. I shook my head to clear the face from my thoughts.

*Hey,* he spoke gently, pulling me out of my reverie. I nodded slightly. He knew where my mind wandered. He could see the images in my mind like they were right in front of us.

We speculated on who our guests would be for the next hour or so. Then, we started talking about the future. We were all of age now. Would we continue to stay here, or move on? What plans did Boris have for us next? Would we ever be able to break free?

These questions we only ever spoke about in our minds. We couldn't actually ask these questions, even if it seemed like it was just him and me here. The walls have ears. Literally. Boris has the whole place bugged with microphones and cameras. He sees and hears everything.