FINAL FINAL CHAPTER: Showdown at the Pasadena Little League Park
Without her teacher around anymore, Nicki pretty much wandered aimlessly for the rest of the day. There was no point in going home, her father was probably asleep and he would only try to talk her out of the fight once he found out she survived the last one. She mainly occupied herself with practicing, finding secluded spots where she could work on her moves in peace and prepare for the final showdown.
As midnight approached, Nicki took the final measure of preparation. She went back inside her house, knowing her father had long since left and wouldn't bother her. She got into some black clothes that she had and grabbed a hunting knife she had secretly bought a couple years ago. Just as she started to head back out...
"Some people told me they thought they saw you today. I thought I'd hang around for a while in case you came back." At the sound of her father's voice, Nicki turned around. She knew she had to get out of this fast; if she didn't make the meeting at the baseball field, Beatrix would leave and she knew she'd never find her again.
"Sorry, dad. I have to do this." "For who? Your mother? She's gone and this isn't going to bring her back. It'll probably just kill you too." "I can't do nothing. She was murdered in front of me, and I swore that day I'd get even. Please believe me, I'm truly sorry about this, but it's something I have to do. I don't expect you to understand." Dr. Bell saw that he was not getting through, and resigned himself to whatever fate had in store. "Okay, then. I know I can't stop you. Do whatever you have to do, just make sure you come back to me. Got it?" "Got it."
Nicki left, and walked to the diamond. She was a bit early, so there was nothing to do but wait. She sat on the bleachers and meditated, focusing all her thoughts and energy on what she had to do. A few minutes later, her concentration was broken. "Sorry to keep you waiting. You want to do this now or later?" Nicki looked in the direction of the voice and saw Beatrix standing there, dressed in black with her hair covered and her face darkened. She knew the answer she had to give. "Right now, bitch."
The two circled around the fleld, the gleam of their weapons the only real sign of where they were. Then they simultaneously headed toward each other, slashing the air furiously. And the air was all they hit; both were skilled enough to avoid the other's attacks, at least for the time being. It seemed the fight would come down to who got tired first.
As they broke off, Beatrix spoke. "You know, when we first met I thought my daughter was dead? You may think you know true pain, but there is no greater tragedy than when a parent outlives their child. That's what I thought your mother did to me." Nicki came back instantly: "Don't bother justifying yourself to me. All that exists right now is what we're doing, and only one of us is going to come out of this."
"There was no justification intended, I was just letting you know your mother wasn't that good a person." "It doesn't matter how bad a person she was, she was still my mother, and you still took her from me!" With that Nicki charged, but Beatrix was ready. She dodged to the side and whacked Nicki in the back of the head with the butt of her knife. Nicki fell to the ground in a heap.
Nicki lay there, realizing what had happened. Beatrix had been goading her into a hasty attack, and it had worked. She was furious with herself for falling for the basic trick. Beatrix stood before her. "I hate to kill someone so young, but I'm not going to have you on my back anymore." Beatrix brought her knife down toward Nicki's head, but at the last second Nicki rolled away. Then she rolled back and sliced Beatrix's arm as she pulled the knife out of the ground.
Nicki stood up as Beatrix cried out and backed off. With a loud yell, Beatrix threw her knife at Nicki. Almost unconsciously, Nicki flipped her knife around so she held the blade, and thrust it in front of her face. Beatrix's knife stuck in the handle. Now Nicki had all the weapons, but the downside was that her one clear visual reference to where her enemy was was gone.
Nicki stood still, listening for the sound of Beatrix's breathing. She found it not a second too late, as soon after came the sound of footsteps charging toward her. Nicki threw her knife, and was rewarded with the dull squish of Beatrix being hit in the stomach with it. She gurgled and dropped to her knees. Now Nicki threw Beatrix's own knife at her, and it buried itself between her eyes.
Nicki fell to the ground as well, overcome by the moment. Her enemy, the killer of her mother, was gone, and it was because of her. She had done what she set out to do, and now she could go through life with a feeling she had been missing for eleven years: satisfaction. However, when she turned to go, she never expected to see what she did.
BB had followed her mother, and now stood just outside the field, watching Nicki. Nicki knew she wasn't in the shape for another fight, so she whipped up something to say that would get her out of there, at least for the moment. "Look on the bright side. You got eleven more years with her than I got with my mother. I imagine you're pretty steamed. I know I was when I was in your situation. But you know, there's an old Klingon proverb that revenge is a dish best served cold. I know what I just did felt a hell of a lot better than it would have if I killed your mother just after she killed mine. Trust me, wait until you've cooled off a little, then come get me. I'll be waiting."
BB didn't make a move as Nicki left the field and headed back home. As she walked, Nicki got the feeling that all this wasn't quite over.
Without her teacher around anymore, Nicki pretty much wandered aimlessly for the rest of the day. There was no point in going home, her father was probably asleep and he would only try to talk her out of the fight once he found out she survived the last one. She mainly occupied herself with practicing, finding secluded spots where she could work on her moves in peace and prepare for the final showdown.
As midnight approached, Nicki took the final measure of preparation. She went back inside her house, knowing her father had long since left and wouldn't bother her. She got into some black clothes that she had and grabbed a hunting knife she had secretly bought a couple years ago. Just as she started to head back out...
"Some people told me they thought they saw you today. I thought I'd hang around for a while in case you came back." At the sound of her father's voice, Nicki turned around. She knew she had to get out of this fast; if she didn't make the meeting at the baseball field, Beatrix would leave and she knew she'd never find her again.
"Sorry, dad. I have to do this." "For who? Your mother? She's gone and this isn't going to bring her back. It'll probably just kill you too." "I can't do nothing. She was murdered in front of me, and I swore that day I'd get even. Please believe me, I'm truly sorry about this, but it's something I have to do. I don't expect you to understand." Dr. Bell saw that he was not getting through, and resigned himself to whatever fate had in store. "Okay, then. I know I can't stop you. Do whatever you have to do, just make sure you come back to me. Got it?" "Got it."
Nicki left, and walked to the diamond. She was a bit early, so there was nothing to do but wait. She sat on the bleachers and meditated, focusing all her thoughts and energy on what she had to do. A few minutes later, her concentration was broken. "Sorry to keep you waiting. You want to do this now or later?" Nicki looked in the direction of the voice and saw Beatrix standing there, dressed in black with her hair covered and her face darkened. She knew the answer she had to give. "Right now, bitch."
The two circled around the fleld, the gleam of their weapons the only real sign of where they were. Then they simultaneously headed toward each other, slashing the air furiously. And the air was all they hit; both were skilled enough to avoid the other's attacks, at least for the time being. It seemed the fight would come down to who got tired first.
As they broke off, Beatrix spoke. "You know, when we first met I thought my daughter was dead? You may think you know true pain, but there is no greater tragedy than when a parent outlives their child. That's what I thought your mother did to me." Nicki came back instantly: "Don't bother justifying yourself to me. All that exists right now is what we're doing, and only one of us is going to come out of this."
"There was no justification intended, I was just letting you know your mother wasn't that good a person." "It doesn't matter how bad a person she was, she was still my mother, and you still took her from me!" With that Nicki charged, but Beatrix was ready. She dodged to the side and whacked Nicki in the back of the head with the butt of her knife. Nicki fell to the ground in a heap.
Nicki lay there, realizing what had happened. Beatrix had been goading her into a hasty attack, and it had worked. She was furious with herself for falling for the basic trick. Beatrix stood before her. "I hate to kill someone so young, but I'm not going to have you on my back anymore." Beatrix brought her knife down toward Nicki's head, but at the last second Nicki rolled away. Then she rolled back and sliced Beatrix's arm as she pulled the knife out of the ground.
Nicki stood up as Beatrix cried out and backed off. With a loud yell, Beatrix threw her knife at Nicki. Almost unconsciously, Nicki flipped her knife around so she held the blade, and thrust it in front of her face. Beatrix's knife stuck in the handle. Now Nicki had all the weapons, but the downside was that her one clear visual reference to where her enemy was was gone.
Nicki stood still, listening for the sound of Beatrix's breathing. She found it not a second too late, as soon after came the sound of footsteps charging toward her. Nicki threw her knife, and was rewarded with the dull squish of Beatrix being hit in the stomach with it. She gurgled and dropped to her knees. Now Nicki threw Beatrix's own knife at her, and it buried itself between her eyes.
Nicki fell to the ground as well, overcome by the moment. Her enemy, the killer of her mother, was gone, and it was because of her. She had done what she set out to do, and now she could go through life with a feeling she had been missing for eleven years: satisfaction. However, when she turned to go, she never expected to see what she did.
BB had followed her mother, and now stood just outside the field, watching Nicki. Nicki knew she wasn't in the shape for another fight, so she whipped up something to say that would get her out of there, at least for the moment. "Look on the bright side. You got eleven more years with her than I got with my mother. I imagine you're pretty steamed. I know I was when I was in your situation. But you know, there's an old Klingon proverb that revenge is a dish best served cold. I know what I just did felt a hell of a lot better than it would have if I killed your mother just after she killed mine. Trust me, wait until you've cooled off a little, then come get me. I'll be waiting."
BB didn't make a move as Nicki left the field and headed back home. As she walked, Nicki got the feeling that all this wasn't quite over.