"Hazel, look at me," Reyna said. It took a few moments for the younger girl to look up and into the mirror in front of her. Reyna was doing her best to fit Hazel's hair into a ponytail or anything that would keep her hair from flying into her face during her fight. Hazel's hair had always been difficult, but Reyna enjoyed the challenge. "You're going to do fine."
"It's a big fight. I'm the fight before the end of the show," Hazel said softly. She looked back at her legs and awkwardly played with her gloves. Reyna let go of Hazel's hair and grabbed the chair. She turned Hazel around and knelt in front of her.
Reyna enjoyed Hazel. The girl was quite literally the kindest person that Reyna had ever met, not that there was much competition. Hazel had joined their gym almost two years ago, and she joined the Wolves a year after. They were getting close to her anniversary.
Reyna knew that Hazel had a tough life growing up, and they had both bonded over that. Hazel didn't go into too much detail about her past, but she did say that her mother had died when she was young. Hazel had almost died as well, but her older half brother, Nico di Angelo, found her and took care of her. He brought her to Lupa's gym.
Lupa was always taking in strays. Some of them she gave a job to. Others, those with talent, were trained to fight. How Hazel became a fighter Reyna would never know. She was happy for the girl though.
"Hazel, everything is going to be okay," Reyna whispered. She met Hazel's eyes. "You have been training for two months for this. We have been researching for days on end and helping you train. You have to stop being worried, alright? Frank and I will be in your corner. Lupa will as well."
"How are you always so confident?" Hazel asked quietly. She looked down again and slowly put her gloves on. Reyna stood and turned Hazel back around. She started to work on her hair again. "I never see you nervous before a fight."
"Half of the battle is preparation," Reyna answered. "We study the fights of our opponents and look at them for weaknesses. Then, we practice how to exploit those advantages. Those things become second nature to me, and I can just relax. Preparing puts my mind at ease."
It also helped that fighting was something Reyna was naturally good at. There weren't many people who could match her natural skill, and that always made her more confident. The training that Lupa gave her along with their preparations eased all of her doubt. There was nothing for her to worry about. In time, Hazel would have that confidence too.
"You make it sound easy," Hazel said. Reyna smirked slightly, and she finished with Hazel's hair. Reyna walked towards the sink and washed her hands. She stared down at her arm and slowly placed a hand on her elbow. "Where are the others at?"
"Frank and Octavian are learning who Frank's next opponent is," Reyna answered. She shrugged and finished washing her hands. Reyna turned back towards Hazel. "I don't know the details. Lupa should be here soon."
Hazel nodded, and her eyes moved towards the television. Reyna followed her gaze and studied the fight that was about to happen: Clarisse La Rue against some poor new sap that Reyna didn't even know the name of. It was pathetic really. Clarisse was going to eat the girl alive.
Out of the corner of her eye, Reyna saw that Hazel was studying her elbow. Reyna almost grabbed her elbow. Instead, she stuck both of her hands in her pockets and studied the television. Reyna spoke, "I'm going to take a walk."
"Reyna. Wait," Hazel began.
"I'm fine, Hazel. Just going for a walk. It's fine," Reyna said. She bit the inside of her cheek and forced herself to smile slightly. Then, she turned and left the room. Reyna kept her hands in her pockets and sighed angrily.
Reyna walked down the hall and kept her gaze on the ground. It was Clarisse La Rue who had put her out of her commission. Reyna had been cleared by her doctor a week ago, but the doctors for the Wolves had still yet to clear her. She knew exactly why.
Reyna threw her hood over her head and walked down the hall. Some people glanced at her, but no one tried to stop her. Reyna stopped in front of a tunnel that let out to the arena. Her gaze focused on the two fighters in the middle of the cage. She honed in on Clarisse.
Clarisse La Rue was one of the largest fighters they had in the Olympic League, male or female. She was built like an ox and had the attitude of one. Reyna was sure that the woman would fight men if the league would allow her to. Reyna wished that could happen.
As Reyna watched the fight, a small frown came to her face. Clarisse was toying with her opponent. She didn't bother to dodge anything. All she did was block attacks and shove the other girl away like she was a gnat. Another minute or two passed before Clarisse knocked the girl out with a brutal punch to the face.
Clarisse celebrated and laughed. Reyna stepped forward, but a hand grabbed her shoulder. A voice spoke, "What are you doing?"
"Watching the fight," Reyna answered after a few moments. She turned her head and looked at Lupa. Her mentor studied her for a long moment. Reyna looked away from the piercing, almost silver-colored eyes of Lupa. She stared ahead.
"Why are you watching Clarisse's fight when Hazel is getting ready for hers? Shouldn't you be supporting your teammate?" Lupa asked.
"I stepped out for two minutes to take a walk," Reyna said. Lupa didn't say a word. Reyna sighed and looked down.
"Are you going to go out there and confront her? Jump in the cage and challenge her to a fight?" Lupa questioned. Reyna didn't answer. "Do you want revenge? Are you going to ambush her?"
"No," Reyna muttered. She crossed her arms and rubbed her elbow. Reyna turned away, but Lupa grabbed her arm.
"What have I told you about your anger?" Lupa asked. Reyna remained silent. "You allow your anger to control you and cause you to make rash decisions. You don't have to let it. You must rein in your emotions. Now, what are you going to do?"
Reyna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She imagined herself storming out there and hopping into the cage. Then, she would beat Clarisse to a bloody pulp. But, that was illegal, and Lupa would be disappointed. Reyna opened her eyes and spoke, "Nothing."
"Let us go back to Hazel then. I am sure she is a nervous wreck," Lupa said. Reyna nodded slightly and allowed Lupa to lead her away. They walked down the hall in silence, and Reyna lowered her hand from her elbow. She placed her hands into her pockets.
As they walked, Reyna became lost in thought. When she had been a teenager, she was a hot-headed kid who got into arguments with her older sister at every moment. Hylla was so consumed with working enough jobs to keep the two afloat that she neglected Reyna's feelings. It only got worse with each month that passed until it blew up into a huge fight, and Reyna stormed out of the house. Hylla yelled after her that she never wanted to see Reyna again.
It was an explosion of anger from both of them, Hylla obviously expected Reyna to come back home, but Reyna didn't. She still wasn't sure if pure teenage brashness, anger, or pride that had consumed her, but she didn't come back home. She lived on the streets for a few months, barely scraping by.
Reyna remembered the day that everything changed. She had been trying to sleep in an alley outside of a restaurant and wait for one of the cooks to leave her a few scraps of food. When a woman had been dumb enough to walk into the alley to take a call, Reyna decided to mug her. It would have been enough money for food and maybe even a decent bed.
Reyna pulled a knife and tried to grab the woman. Before she could even blink, she was pinned to the ground with her knife pressed against her jugular. Reyna remembered looking into the silver eyes of the woman, and at that moment, she had expected to die. Then, the woman let go of her and stood.
Instead of fleeing for her life, Reyna just stared up at the woman and asked her how she had done that. The woman tossed her a business card and then left the alley. A day later, Reyna walked into Lupa's gym and began her new life.
Lupa gave her a place to train and live, in exchange for working at the gym and being a sparring partner for Lupa's Wolves. Reyna had trained for four long years just to get a chance to begin competitive fighting and have the chance to join the Wolves. During those years, she had reconnected with her older sister. Their relationship was still strained, but Reyna kept in touch with her sister. Hylla was the only family that Reyna had. Well, Hylla was the only family she knew.
When they made it back to the locker room, Reyna grabbed the door handle. Lupa suddenly placed a hand on her arm and spoke, "I don't want her having another chance to hurt you."
"I can handle myself," Reyna muttered. She tried to open the door, but Lupa didn't let her. Reyna turned. "Clarisse is nothing more than a coward. That is why she pulled that shit."
"And who is going to stop her from doing it again?" Lupa questioned. "She was only suspended. There were no consequences for her actions."
"I know," Reyna muttered. Lupa let go of her arm, and Reyna opened the door. The two stepped into the locker room. Frank and Hazel were both staring at the television. Reyna turned her head and looked at it as well.
"Hey Reyna, we should go outside," Frank began. Reyna ignored him and stared at the replay of the fight that had happened almost three months ago. She was aware of someone talking to her, but she just focused on the television.
Reyna still remembered the day well, but watching the television caused her stomach to flip. She watched herself circle Clarisse. During the first round, Clarisse's nose had been broken, but she returned the favor by splitting Reyna's lip in round two. The fight between the two had been brutal for the first four rounds, and the fifth was proving to be no different. Clarisse took every blow that Reyna delivered, and she gave as good as she got.
In the fifth and final round, Clarisse managed to wrestle Reyna to the ground and somehow locked her in an armbar. If there was one thing that Clarisse did not use, it was submissions, so none of the preparation had covered it. Reyna didn't think that Clarisse even knew what submissions were. It wasn't like anyone could properly hold on to the woman's tree-like limbs.
Then, Clarisse locked her in that stupid armbar. There were only ten seconds left in the round, and Clarisse spent half of the time properly locking Reyna into the correct position. Reyna had seen the clock, and she knew there was a chance to win by the judges' decision. That was why she didn't tap.
Reyna stared at the television and watched the timer count down. The rounded ended, and a buzzer sounded. Clarisse didn't immediately pull away, and the referee tried to grab her. Clarisse glanced at the camera. Then, she broke Reyna's arm.
Reyna remembered the explosion of pain in her arm, even though it caused her to blackout from pain after it happened. She remembered the agony she had been in for the next hour as she was rushed to the hospital. Anger filled her veins. Reyna looked back at the television. This was the first time she had watched the fight, so she didn't know anything that happened after.
Clarisse let go of Reyna and stood. She backed away and had a grin on her face. Gwen immediately jumped into the cage and shoved Clarisse backward. She got into her face, and the two got into a heated argument. Clarisse ended up laughing, and Gwen shoved her back again. Before the two could come to blow, officials and some security rushed the cage and separated them. Gwen then went back to Reyna's side.
In all of the chaos, Lupa had helped Reyna to her feet and helped her walk out of the cage. Hazel immediately helped her, and Gwen took up the rear. Reyna didn't remember any of it. The television paused, and Frank spoke, "Found the remote."
The room was quiet for a few moments. Reyna stared at the paused television and then turned. Her friends were staring at her. Frank was gripping the remote and looked nervous. Hazel looked concerned.
"What are we waiting for?" Reyna asked. She looked between them. Her eyes focused on Lupa, and she swallowed back her anger. "Hazel has a fight to get ready for."