*Harder! Push yourself harder! You can do this!* the burnet thought to
herself, straining to push her own weight up from the floor. She
succeeded and lowered herself again. Her muscles ached with every push up.
Sweat dripped from her forehead and hit the floor.
"You're pathetic," a voice said.
Ignoring them, she continued.
"I said," he tried again, "You're pathetic!"
She glanced at him. "Oh shut up, Vegeta!"
The verbal confrontation had caused Catie to lose her concentration and she slammed to the ground. She struggled just to prop herself back up on her elbows.
"Ten times normal gravity should be nothing," Vegeta growled as he strolled by her. "I'm wasting my time."
*No!* Catie's mind screamed. "I can do this," she said softly, but with determination.
Vegeta smiled to himself with his back turned to her. *Good, child. Keep that determination about you. You CAN do this. And you will. I'll see to that.*
Vegeta turned suddenly to Jenny, who occupied one corner of the room. "Hit me," he ordered.
Jenny smirked. "As you wish." She lunged at him, throwing her fist towards his face.
He side stepped with ease and watched as she stumbled and fell to the floor.
"You're not trying hard enough!" he barked.
"Oh shut up!" Jenny yelled back. "I'm working my ass off here! Leave me alone!"
"DON'T you EVER yell at me like that again!" Vegeta roared, leaning over and getting in Jenny's face. "I don't give a damn how witty you think you are. That sort of thing will NOT help you in battle. Unless you give two hundred percent, I'm not going to be satisfied. And we are going to stay in here without food, without water and without a break until at least one of you can throw me a decent punch. Do I make myself clear?!"
Both girls cringed and nodded.
"Good."
Catie pushed herself back up on her palms. Vegeta was going to be the death of her, she just knew it. Her shoulders burned from the increased strain on them. Her palms pressed against the hot metal floor. Even the air was heavy. It felt thick and left a sour taste in her mouth. Her lungs struggled to pull in enough oxygen.
Vegeta seemed to notice this. "You have to learn to breathe deeper. Push all the carbon dioxide from your lungs. Soak up the oxygen. That's the ONLY thing that keeps your muscles moving." He knelt next to Catie as she continued to do her push-ups. "Don't breathe from here," he said, placing his fist on her chest, just beneath her collarbone. "Breathe from here," he pressed his fist firmly, but not painfully, into her stomach, just below her ribs.
Catie tried to do as he said, becoming very conscious of her breathing.
"Better," he said. "Much better." He stood again and walked slowly around the two of them. "You have to learn think constantly about your body. Listen to it. It's the only one you'll ever get. Take care of it."
He made sense, Catie had to give him that. She gritted her teeth and continued to exercise. She had noticed a change in herself already. It had been three days since she and Jenny had started training under Vegeta. He had taken both of them into the gravity chamber for hours at a time on all three days. Already, her legs were toning up. Her shoulders looked more rounded and powerful. Before when she and the girls had gone dancing, she would have been tired, worn out and sore after only three hours. Well, not anymore. She couldn't wait to see the other girls again and go dancing.
She began to wonder vaguely if there would ever be a time in which she and Jenny could sneak into the gravity room to practice dancing. She smirked. Probably not. Vegeta would have shit a brick if he found out. That made her want to try it all the more. But for the time being, she had to concentrate on her push-ups. And breathing. God forbid she should not breathe right. But deep down she knew Vegeta was right.
She pushed away from the floor again, breathing as deeply as she could. *Wait until they see me* she thought and lowered herself again. *I'm gonna kick some ass.*
*~*~*~*~
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing."
"I see. So that's the way it's gonna be, huh?"
"Seventeen," Leelee sighed, turning to look at him. "I'm not really in the mood."
The pale-eyed android stared at her for a moment. "What has gotten into you? You're not still upset over that one chick are you?" He sat down on the nearby park bench.
Leelee heaved a sigh. "I know she's okay and everything, but I wonder if she's REALLY okay."
Seventeen snickered. "You're not making any sense."
"I know." She pushed her hair behind her ear and sat down next to him.
He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him.
"It's just like, ever since she left, everything's been nuts here," she muttered miserably. "I haven't spoken to Catie or Jenny since. And Lord knows where Sabriena's been." She paused and looked up at Seventeen. "Did you know that Hollister is having a sale and Sabriena turned me down on a shopping spree, even though she knew? That's not like her at all."
"She and Lindsey have known each other a long time. They've gone all through high school together. She's probably not taking this very well," Seventeen said. "But you all need to get over it. She's not dead."
"She might as well be," Leelee mumbled, staring down at the ground.
"Leelee!" Seventeen snapped. "Knock it off. She's not dead. You'll see her again soon. I give her a week and she'll be back. She just needed some time away from Chichi. And I don't blame her a bit. I'm surprised she lasted as long as she did in that house."
Leelee giggled. "Yeah, that's the truth."
"She'll be back soon. So stop worrying, okay?"
Leelee nodded. "Okay." In the back of her mind, though, she wondered if what Seventeen had said was true. And, in a way, she found herself wanting to return home as well.
*~*~*~*~
Loud music echoed throughout the whole lookout. Piccolo couldn't take it anymore and, to tell the truth, it was bothering Dende and Mr. Popo as well.
Piccolo followed the sound until he reached Sabriena's room. The song "Burn It Black" blared over her speakers.
Angrily, Piccolo shoved the door open to find Sabriena furiously beating the punching bag that hung from the ceiling. He didn't even know she had put one up.
# I sow these streets with my own blood it seems
my soul is feeling unkempt and bare.
I'm just like you I'm complicated too.
jealous knives in my back to spare. #
Piccolo watched as the young girl pounded the bag over and over again, throwing punches and kicks at it relentlessly. At first, he thought she was just exercising. Then he saw the look on her face. It was one of pure anger. Her teeth were clenched as she threw a spinning heel kick at the bag, swinging the target wildly as her foot struck it. It was then that he realized that the music she had selected meant something as well.
# I'll burn it black as sin, falling off the wagon again.
burn it black as sin, lost my head.
you've got one shot left and now you're done
you'll turn your back on everyone
burn it black as sin, time to...#
"Sabriena," Piccolo said above the loud music.
She turned to him, her normally bright green eyes glowing dark with a hatred he'd never seen in her before. "What?" she spat, her voice laced with venom.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?"
"You've been in here the passed three days."
"Good for you. You can count," she said, turning back to the bag. "Would you like a cookie?"
Piccolo huffed. "What has gotten into you?"
# I feel your doors slam in my face
somehow I can't replace this lust that I've found.
I'm just like you my spirit's broken too.
burn my bridges into the ground.#
"What do you think?" Sabriena snapped. "I'm pissed!"
"You need to knock this off."
"And you need to screw off."
Piccolo narrowed his eyes at her. "Straighten up. And get a hold of yourself."
"Shut up! Go away! I hate you!" she screamed. She picked up an empty glass and threw it at him.
Piccolo ducked and the glass shattered on the hard marble floor behind him.
"I can't believe she left me!" Sabriena screamed, turning once again to her punching bag. "We both came here together! Fuck that. I'm so mad at her!"
"Why?" Piccolo asked.
"Because I know where she is!" she screamed. "She's back at the house with Anarchy 99 and I'm still here! This is a load of crap!"
"Anarchy 99?" Piccolo questioned.
"Our group back home," Sabriena said, grinning in spite of herself. "Partying, racing, stunting . . . And what am I doing? Sitting on my ass!" She slammed her fist deep into the bag. "It's not fair! She's back home with D and Sam and Yorgi and X. That's it. I'm going home."
"No, you're not," Piccolo said. "You need to stay here."
"Why?" Sabriena demanded.
Piccolo didn't really have an answer for that. "The other girls need you."
"So they can come with me, too," Sabriena declared. "I'm sure Jenny's ready to go back and see Kolya again."
Piccolo blinked. Jenny? Leave? The thought had never crossed his mind. Panic suddenly overtook him. "Jenny wouldn't leave."
"Bullshit," Sabriena said, stopping her bag and walking passed him, out into the rest of the lookout. "She came here with me and Lindsey. She's part of Anarchy 99, too. You think she'd stay here? What for?"
"Well," Piccolo hesitated. "For me."
Sabriena laughed at him cruelly. "Whatever! Dude, I know her and her friends are definitely more important to her. If I leave, then more than likely, she'll leave too. And Catie. And Leelee. Who knows? Maybe even Kristen and Lia will come just for the heck of it. All I'm saying is that Lindsey started a chain reaction. I'm leaving. I need to call Jenny and tell her what's up."
Piccolo realized that what she was saying was probably true. "Sabriena, don't you touch that phone."
"Try to stop me," she challenged.
"As you wish," he said and tackled her.
"Jerk! Get off of me!"
Dende and Mr. Popo ran up to see the humorous site that was before them. Sabriena squirmed beneath Piccolo, desperately trying to reach the phone while he lay on top of her, pressing her to the floor with his weight, doing his best to keep hr from the phone.
"What in heaven's name is going on?" Mr. Popo asked.
"She's being a brat," Piccolo answered, still struggling to keep her under him.
"Let her up," Dende ordered.
"Don't tell me what to do," Piccolo hissed.
"She can't breathe!" Dende protested.
Piccolo sighed and heaved himself to his feet.
Sabriena lay flat on the floor, gasping for air. Dende knelt next to her. "Are you okay?"
Sabriena nodded. "But he's not going to be." She started to lunge at Piccolo, but Dende caught her.
"What's the matter?"
"I want to go home."
Dende sighed. "I figured. Look, we'll get you home soon. Just give us a little time, okay?"
Sabriena's nostrils flared, but she nodded. She set her jaw and marched to her room.
"What are you doing?" Piccolo asked. "If she leaves, then so do the rest of them."
"Look, she's going to go home eventually. You know that. We'll drag this out as long as possible. Maybe then she'll change her mind. That's all I know to do."
Piccolo huffed and walked away.
"Oh, dear," Mr. Popo said sadly. "This place will seem so quiet without her."
Dende nodded. "Maybe we can change her mind." *I doubt it though* he thought to himself. And he was worried about what might happen if he drug it out too long. Deep down, he was afraid of her. Especially after how she had stood up to Piccolo. He had seen her temper and he knew how stubborn she was.
Sighing deeply, Dende turned and walked away. *If only Chichi could've kept her mouth shut.* But he knew that would never happen.
"You're pathetic," a voice said.
Ignoring them, she continued.
"I said," he tried again, "You're pathetic!"
She glanced at him. "Oh shut up, Vegeta!"
The verbal confrontation had caused Catie to lose her concentration and she slammed to the ground. She struggled just to prop herself back up on her elbows.
"Ten times normal gravity should be nothing," Vegeta growled as he strolled by her. "I'm wasting my time."
*No!* Catie's mind screamed. "I can do this," she said softly, but with determination.
Vegeta smiled to himself with his back turned to her. *Good, child. Keep that determination about you. You CAN do this. And you will. I'll see to that.*
Vegeta turned suddenly to Jenny, who occupied one corner of the room. "Hit me," he ordered.
Jenny smirked. "As you wish." She lunged at him, throwing her fist towards his face.
He side stepped with ease and watched as she stumbled and fell to the floor.
"You're not trying hard enough!" he barked.
"Oh shut up!" Jenny yelled back. "I'm working my ass off here! Leave me alone!"
"DON'T you EVER yell at me like that again!" Vegeta roared, leaning over and getting in Jenny's face. "I don't give a damn how witty you think you are. That sort of thing will NOT help you in battle. Unless you give two hundred percent, I'm not going to be satisfied. And we are going to stay in here without food, without water and without a break until at least one of you can throw me a decent punch. Do I make myself clear?!"
Both girls cringed and nodded.
"Good."
Catie pushed herself back up on her palms. Vegeta was going to be the death of her, she just knew it. Her shoulders burned from the increased strain on them. Her palms pressed against the hot metal floor. Even the air was heavy. It felt thick and left a sour taste in her mouth. Her lungs struggled to pull in enough oxygen.
Vegeta seemed to notice this. "You have to learn to breathe deeper. Push all the carbon dioxide from your lungs. Soak up the oxygen. That's the ONLY thing that keeps your muscles moving." He knelt next to Catie as she continued to do her push-ups. "Don't breathe from here," he said, placing his fist on her chest, just beneath her collarbone. "Breathe from here," he pressed his fist firmly, but not painfully, into her stomach, just below her ribs.
Catie tried to do as he said, becoming very conscious of her breathing.
"Better," he said. "Much better." He stood again and walked slowly around the two of them. "You have to learn think constantly about your body. Listen to it. It's the only one you'll ever get. Take care of it."
He made sense, Catie had to give him that. She gritted her teeth and continued to exercise. She had noticed a change in herself already. It had been three days since she and Jenny had started training under Vegeta. He had taken both of them into the gravity chamber for hours at a time on all three days. Already, her legs were toning up. Her shoulders looked more rounded and powerful. Before when she and the girls had gone dancing, she would have been tired, worn out and sore after only three hours. Well, not anymore. She couldn't wait to see the other girls again and go dancing.
She began to wonder vaguely if there would ever be a time in which she and Jenny could sneak into the gravity room to practice dancing. She smirked. Probably not. Vegeta would have shit a brick if he found out. That made her want to try it all the more. But for the time being, she had to concentrate on her push-ups. And breathing. God forbid she should not breathe right. But deep down she knew Vegeta was right.
She pushed away from the floor again, breathing as deeply as she could. *Wait until they see me* she thought and lowered herself again. *I'm gonna kick some ass.*
*~*~*~*~
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing."
"I see. So that's the way it's gonna be, huh?"
"Seventeen," Leelee sighed, turning to look at him. "I'm not really in the mood."
The pale-eyed android stared at her for a moment. "What has gotten into you? You're not still upset over that one chick are you?" He sat down on the nearby park bench.
Leelee heaved a sigh. "I know she's okay and everything, but I wonder if she's REALLY okay."
Seventeen snickered. "You're not making any sense."
"I know." She pushed her hair behind her ear and sat down next to him.
He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him.
"It's just like, ever since she left, everything's been nuts here," she muttered miserably. "I haven't spoken to Catie or Jenny since. And Lord knows where Sabriena's been." She paused and looked up at Seventeen. "Did you know that Hollister is having a sale and Sabriena turned me down on a shopping spree, even though she knew? That's not like her at all."
"She and Lindsey have known each other a long time. They've gone all through high school together. She's probably not taking this very well," Seventeen said. "But you all need to get over it. She's not dead."
"She might as well be," Leelee mumbled, staring down at the ground.
"Leelee!" Seventeen snapped. "Knock it off. She's not dead. You'll see her again soon. I give her a week and she'll be back. She just needed some time away from Chichi. And I don't blame her a bit. I'm surprised she lasted as long as she did in that house."
Leelee giggled. "Yeah, that's the truth."
"She'll be back soon. So stop worrying, okay?"
Leelee nodded. "Okay." In the back of her mind, though, she wondered if what Seventeen had said was true. And, in a way, she found herself wanting to return home as well.
*~*~*~*~
Loud music echoed throughout the whole lookout. Piccolo couldn't take it anymore and, to tell the truth, it was bothering Dende and Mr. Popo as well.
Piccolo followed the sound until he reached Sabriena's room. The song "Burn It Black" blared over her speakers.
Angrily, Piccolo shoved the door open to find Sabriena furiously beating the punching bag that hung from the ceiling. He didn't even know she had put one up.
# I sow these streets with my own blood it seems
my soul is feeling unkempt and bare.
I'm just like you I'm complicated too.
jealous knives in my back to spare. #
Piccolo watched as the young girl pounded the bag over and over again, throwing punches and kicks at it relentlessly. At first, he thought she was just exercising. Then he saw the look on her face. It was one of pure anger. Her teeth were clenched as she threw a spinning heel kick at the bag, swinging the target wildly as her foot struck it. It was then that he realized that the music she had selected meant something as well.
# I'll burn it black as sin, falling off the wagon again.
burn it black as sin, lost my head.
you've got one shot left and now you're done
you'll turn your back on everyone
burn it black as sin, time to...#
"Sabriena," Piccolo said above the loud music.
She turned to him, her normally bright green eyes glowing dark with a hatred he'd never seen in her before. "What?" she spat, her voice laced with venom.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?"
"You've been in here the passed three days."
"Good for you. You can count," she said, turning back to the bag. "Would you like a cookie?"
Piccolo huffed. "What has gotten into you?"
# I feel your doors slam in my face
somehow I can't replace this lust that I've found.
I'm just like you my spirit's broken too.
burn my bridges into the ground.#
"What do you think?" Sabriena snapped. "I'm pissed!"
"You need to knock this off."
"And you need to screw off."
Piccolo narrowed his eyes at her. "Straighten up. And get a hold of yourself."
"Shut up! Go away! I hate you!" she screamed. She picked up an empty glass and threw it at him.
Piccolo ducked and the glass shattered on the hard marble floor behind him.
"I can't believe she left me!" Sabriena screamed, turning once again to her punching bag. "We both came here together! Fuck that. I'm so mad at her!"
"Why?" Piccolo asked.
"Because I know where she is!" she screamed. "She's back at the house with Anarchy 99 and I'm still here! This is a load of crap!"
"Anarchy 99?" Piccolo questioned.
"Our group back home," Sabriena said, grinning in spite of herself. "Partying, racing, stunting . . . And what am I doing? Sitting on my ass!" She slammed her fist deep into the bag. "It's not fair! She's back home with D and Sam and Yorgi and X. That's it. I'm going home."
"No, you're not," Piccolo said. "You need to stay here."
"Why?" Sabriena demanded.
Piccolo didn't really have an answer for that. "The other girls need you."
"So they can come with me, too," Sabriena declared. "I'm sure Jenny's ready to go back and see Kolya again."
Piccolo blinked. Jenny? Leave? The thought had never crossed his mind. Panic suddenly overtook him. "Jenny wouldn't leave."
"Bullshit," Sabriena said, stopping her bag and walking passed him, out into the rest of the lookout. "She came here with me and Lindsey. She's part of Anarchy 99, too. You think she'd stay here? What for?"
"Well," Piccolo hesitated. "For me."
Sabriena laughed at him cruelly. "Whatever! Dude, I know her and her friends are definitely more important to her. If I leave, then more than likely, she'll leave too. And Catie. And Leelee. Who knows? Maybe even Kristen and Lia will come just for the heck of it. All I'm saying is that Lindsey started a chain reaction. I'm leaving. I need to call Jenny and tell her what's up."
Piccolo realized that what she was saying was probably true. "Sabriena, don't you touch that phone."
"Try to stop me," she challenged.
"As you wish," he said and tackled her.
"Jerk! Get off of me!"
Dende and Mr. Popo ran up to see the humorous site that was before them. Sabriena squirmed beneath Piccolo, desperately trying to reach the phone while he lay on top of her, pressing her to the floor with his weight, doing his best to keep hr from the phone.
"What in heaven's name is going on?" Mr. Popo asked.
"She's being a brat," Piccolo answered, still struggling to keep her under him.
"Let her up," Dende ordered.
"Don't tell me what to do," Piccolo hissed.
"She can't breathe!" Dende protested.
Piccolo sighed and heaved himself to his feet.
Sabriena lay flat on the floor, gasping for air. Dende knelt next to her. "Are you okay?"
Sabriena nodded. "But he's not going to be." She started to lunge at Piccolo, but Dende caught her.
"What's the matter?"
"I want to go home."
Dende sighed. "I figured. Look, we'll get you home soon. Just give us a little time, okay?"
Sabriena's nostrils flared, but she nodded. She set her jaw and marched to her room.
"What are you doing?" Piccolo asked. "If she leaves, then so do the rest of them."
"Look, she's going to go home eventually. You know that. We'll drag this out as long as possible. Maybe then she'll change her mind. That's all I know to do."
Piccolo huffed and walked away.
"Oh, dear," Mr. Popo said sadly. "This place will seem so quiet without her."
Dende nodded. "Maybe we can change her mind." *I doubt it though* he thought to himself. And he was worried about what might happen if he drug it out too long. Deep down, he was afraid of her. Especially after how she had stood up to Piccolo. He had seen her temper and he knew how stubborn she was.
Sighing deeply, Dende turned and walked away. *If only Chichi could've kept her mouth shut.* But he knew that would never happen.