COLLATERAL DAMAGE

Summary: Beyblading is known as a joyful sport for kids all over the world. For the children of Balkove Abbey, though, it has become the sole purpose of their existence, and they endure harsh training in order to become the best. It is Boris Balkove's dream to gain power and esteem through these boys and girls, and he manipulates and abuses them in whatever way he thinks necessary.

The Demolition Boys along with numerous other boys and girls are collateral damage on Boris' way to success. Taylor Campbell, for instance, who almost considers Boris her father after her mother's untimely death, almost breaks while trying to live up to the man's expectations. She even dedicates her life to destroy her family as it suits Boris' plans. But inside and outside Balkove Abbey, there are people who love and care for her, and who try everything to save Taylor from Boris and herself.

Part I

Swans mate for life. Taylor liked the idea – always had, ever since her father had told her about it. Two creatures meet and stay together till death does them apart. Wasn't that what everyone was searching for?

Swans mate for life. Closing her eyes, she wrapped her fingers around the bitchip in her palm, and as she concentrated on her breathing, calmness seeped into her, filling her up from her nose and mouth down to her ribcage and stomach as she soaked in the air.

People left. They died. They walked away on you. They chose to go behind your back and betray you. As she remembered the course of her life, the faces of so many people came up. People who had done just that, and she had stayed behind broken and shaking, with a feeling of being inadequate and having nothing under control.

The boy she had considered to be her best friend, her sidekick. Her runaway father. Her dead mother.

But swans mate for life, she thought, and smiled. Aurora, the Swan. Aurora, her bitbeast. Aurora was still there. The mystical creature had looked into the girl's soul within the fracture of a second, and understood … Understood the pain, the loneliness, the craving for something Taylor couldn't name. The bitbeast had stood by her side all these years, had comforted her every night, and fought for her every day.

"We'll be together for life," she said in a whisper – as if she made a vow of love to a spouse. "We'll be together forever." It was the only – the last – thing she believed in.

"Tyson wins! Tyson wins!"

The words rang in Taylor's ears sharply, making her head ache, and at the same time, they didn't reach her. She didn't understand what was going on. Tala turned around from the arena, and looked straight at her. His face was blank. She still didn't comprehend.

"Tyson wins," the annotator repeated, the crowd cheered. All these noises made her feel as if her skull was about to burst.

"Tyson wins?", Ian whispered. "How can that be?"

The next thing she remembered were her legs pumping beneath her as she ran through the hallways of the stadium – the cheering, the celebration, everything seemed to chase after her. The empty look on Tala's face, Ian's voice right next to her ear. And Tyson. His plump little body jumping up and down in excitement, his joy, his … Everything!

What had minutes before been the adrenaline rushing through her body made her now feel sick on her stomach. She brushed her hair out of her face as she stopped at a corner, and pressed her eyelids shut.

"I could have done it," she whispered, "I could have beat him! It should have been me, not Tala. I could have done it."

"Taylor?" asked a calm, frigid voice behind her.

She turned around and screamed: "IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME! I COULD HAVE …"

"Keep yourself together!" Boris' hands shot forward, and he grabbed her harshly around her wrists and shook her once.

"Why didn't you choose me?" she asked through clenched teeth. Even though he was hurting her, that wasn't the reason her eyes burned and watered, she knew. "I wouldn't have lost, and you know it!"

"Taylor, we already talked about it." The man remained calm. "Because of that, see: You would have let your emotions get the better of you. Just like you're doing now."

"No!" She starred at the collar of Boris' shirt and the button border of his coat until everything became blurry in front of her eyes. "No! I would have destroyed him! He deserved it – they all do! I'm … I'm … It's everything I've ever wanted, and you know it! You wanted it too, we worked together on this … So why … This can't be happening!"

"Hush you, little one." He drew her closer and wrapped his arms around her as she leaned her head against his chest. "Hush you now, Taylor. Things are the way they are, and there is a lot of work in front of us, it seems, starting tonight. We can't let that defeat destroy our entire life, can we?"

She sobbed and cried out once. The softness in his voice undid a little of the pain, though. It made her feel more vulnerable, but also stronger when he talked to her like that, and though she realized how childish it was, she wanted more of it.

"Taylor, I really can't have you behave like that now. As you can certainly understand, there are other things I have to take care of." His voice sounded stern again, and he eventually let go of her. "I'll call a driver to get you home right away."

"No." She rubbed her eyes and fought for composure. "I'm fine. I want to talk to Tala."

"No, Taylor."

"But …"

"Taylor," he said sharply and knitted his brow, "Don't you dare disobeying me, especially not now."

She surrendered and nodded. Boris called one of his men on the cell phone and ordered him to come and get the young teenaged girl immediately. He didn't even let her go back to the arena, but made her wait outside for his driver to get her.

On the ride back to the abbey, she felt sick. Tala had had every advantage: She knew how hard he trained each day (almost as hard as she did). They were all raised for this – lived and breathed for nothing else than beyblading.

Tyson was weak. He lacked discipline. He was whiney, and soft. Boris hadn't been able to harden him, while Taylor and Tala and all the others had blossomed under the man's supervision and care. It was not logical! The training they endured day after day … It had destroyed and almost killed Tyson. So how could that battle – years later – turn out this way? With Tyson as the winner and world champion!

The city lights of Moscow rushed past her, and she starred out of the window, remembering how she had seen that scenery for the first time as a small child. She had been amazed by how cold a place could be. It had always been sunny in her Californian hometown, and seeing snow and frost and ice was like landing on a whole new planet, or a remote niche of the world she had known.

Now, she was used to all of this. Since she had moved to the Abbey, she had barely been in town, but she realized she didn't miss anything either. Her world was small, but fulfilling. At least, it had been before tonight. She had had an aim, a purpose. A dream. And every support she could have hoped for.

Boris' man escorted her to her room, where she found a glass of water and a white pill waiting for her on her nightstand. Boris had probably called ahead, and told one of the supervisors to get her something to calm down. Under the suspicious eyes of the driver, she took it.

"Good girl." He nodded and left her alone, much to the girl's relief.

Boris was her guardian. He had taken care of her ever since her mother's death, and even before. He had almost been like a father to her when her own had walked away from his family. He meant well, wanted her not to worry … But Taylor didn't fully agree with him on how he handled the situation.

He should have chosen her to battle Tyson in the first place, and now, he shouldn't exclude her and drug her up. Yet she trusted him.

She lay down on her bed – still fully dressed – and put her beyblade onto her stomach. The bitchip sat enthroned in the middle, and Taylor smiled softly while it was harder for her to keep her eyelids open. She watched her blade going up and down to the rhythm of her breathing.

"Swans mate for life," she whispered to herself, "Don't we, Aurora?" Then, she fell asleep.