Reyna stared at the desk in front of her and tried to clear her thoughts. If it wasn't for the fact that she needed to be sober and in complete control of herself, she would have already downed a bottle of alcohol. Lupa did have some strong bottles in her office, but those were only for special occasions.
Reyna rested her face in her hands and sighed angrily. Part of her anger was directed at Frank. He was being a complete idiot and not taking her advice. Why couldn't he just listen to her? If he did, all of their problems would be solved.
Then, there was this stupid charity event for the gym. Between the investments that Lupa made and the cut from their salaries, Lupa had enough money to keep the gym going for one or two generations. She still hosted these events with officials from the Olympic League and donors. And also city officials.
Lupa did a lot of things for the city. She helped out at charity events, donated to multiple charities, and even ran one of her own. Lupa helped out with troubled kids by offering them self defense classes for free. There were even times when she paid for scholarships for kids who otherwise couldn't afford college.
Reyna knew she wasn't the first troubled kid that Lupa helped out. Lupa seemed to pick up all kinds of different kids. She gave them odd jobs around the gym. Some used that time to get clean or get their lives back on track. Others took the money and got into more trouble. As far as Reyna knew, she was the only one of those troubled kids to become a fighter.
Reyna didn't believe in luck or fate. Everyone had to earn their way in life. But, it almost felt like there was some kind of divine intervention when it came to her meeting Lupa. If Reyna hadn't tried to mug Lupa, she would probably still be on the streets or worse.
A glance at her watch showed the party would begin in an hour. The servers were already setting up, and they all knew the drill. Octavian wasn't there, so Reyna had to be the host. She would go around, chat up all the special guests, and try to not make a fool of herself. This was going to be a disaster.
There was still a final walk to be done. Reyna had to make sure that everything met Lupa's standards. As she went to stand, her hand drifted to her pocket. She grabbed her phone and leaned on the desk. Reyna dialed her sister's number and tried to calm down.
Her heart felt like it was starting to race. A pit of nervousness began, and she pressed her fist against the desk. This was still so difficult, but she had to go through with it. They had taken a huge step forward at dinner and talked once or twice since then, but Reyna hadn't reached out to Hylla. She had to do that and prove that she cared for her sister.
It only took a few rings for Hylla to pick up. Her sister spoke, "Hey, Reyna. How are you?"
"I'm not great," Reyna answered after a few moments. She sighed and sat back at the desk. Reyna studied Lupa's closed laptop and the stack of mail on her desk. She just needed something to distract her from her current conversation.
"Is it about your fight?" Hylla asked. Reyna raised an eyebrow. She didn't realize that Hylla even cared about her fighting. Her sister never showed interest in her career, and Hylla made it pretty clear that she didn't like the idea of her younger sister getting punched in the face for a living.
"Not my fight. Frank, the other fighter, didn't listen to me," Reyna said. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down. Why was it so hard to talk about her feelings? "He signed up for a fight that he can't win."
"You're mad that he didn't listen to you?" Hylla asked. Reyna made a noise of confirmation. Hylla chuckled. "You hated it when I didn't listen to you when you were younger. I can only imagine you're worse now."
"But I know better," Reyna said. Hylla made another noise that sounded like she wasn't trying to laugh. "I'm serious, Hylla. He's going to get his ass kicked."
"And, you've never signed up for a fight where you knew you would get your ass kicked" Hylla questioned.
"No one can kick my ass," Reyna muttered.
"Other than the fights you lost," Hylla commented.
"Those were by decision, and it was close matches. Wait. Have you watched my fights?" Reyna asked.
"All of them," Hylla answered. Reyna stared at the ground and blinked a few times. Hylla watched her fights? "I still think I could take you."
"You watched my fights," Reyna repeated.
"Of course I did," Hylla said. "We may have had our issues, but I'll always support you. The only fight I missed was when that Clarisse fighter broke your arm. If I hadn't been out of town, I would have visited you in the hospital."
"I'm sorry," Reyna said suddenly. She collapsed in the chair. "I'm a terrible sister. I never asked you about your life or anything about you, but you keep tabs on me. I'm sorry, Hylla."
"It's okay, Reyna. Just calm down," Hylla said softly. "All of that bad stuff is in the past. We have plenty of time to catch up because I'm inviting you to dinner tomorrow. If you're free."
"Yeah. I am," Reyna said. She rubbed her forehead. "I just need to finish some things at the gym and not blow up during this stupid charity thing."
"Just keep your cool," Hylla said. "Oh. If anyone asks you, do not tell them that you are only there so you don't get fined."
"Not you too," Reyna groaned. Hylla laughed, and Reyna rolled her eyes. As she went to respond, she heard a knock on the office door. It opened, and Reyna watched a woman walk into the room. "Hey. I have a guest. Text me the details."
"Alright," Hylla said. Reyna held onto the phone until Hylla hung up. She let out a small breath and pocketed her phone. It took her a moment to look at the woman that stood at the door.
"How can I help you?" Reyna questioned. The woman seemed like she was staring at her, but dark glasses covered her eyes. She wore a pinstripe suit and held a few envelopes in her hand. The woman had olive skin that reminded Reyna of Nico's, but it was slightly darker. Her lips were settled in a frown.
"Where is Lupa?" the woman asked after a few moments. She pushed her sunglasses up, and for a brief moment, Reyna thought she saw the woman's black eyes. They had to be just a dark brown though. The only person with black eyes that Reyna knew was her sister and maybe their father. Reyna couldn't remember what he looked like, and they didn't have any pictures.
"Out of town," Reyna answered after a moment. She looked the woman up and down. The woman studied her and raised an eyebrow. "She had a family emergency. Is there something I can help you with?"
"No," the woman said stiffly. Her accent was pretty strong and sounded Italian. "I'll just talk to Octavian."
"He's not here," Reyna said. She wanted to tell the woman to get out and stop bothering her. Instead, she walked towards the woman and held out a hand. "I'm Reyna. One of the fighters here. I'm watching the gym for Lupa, so I can help you with whatever you need."
The woman took a step backward and looked like she had been hit with an electric jolt. Reyna lowered her hand and placed both hands into her pocket. This was awkward. The woman looked like she had seen a ghost.
"Can I take anything from you?" Reyna slowly asked. "Or do anything?"
The woman still didn't answer, and Reyna would be lying if she said she wasn't getting frustrated. This whole pretending to be nice thing sucked, and she hated talking to strangers. This woman only made everything worse by not helping at all.
Reyna studied the woman. The only people who were allowed into Lupa's office were fighters or people that had actual business with Lupa. They would have to go through the receptionist to get a badge, and the receptionist was very choosy about who she let through. So, how was this woman special?
"No," the woman finally said. She turned and went to march away. Reyna raised an eyebrow and barely resisted the urge to raise her middle finger as well. She was very glad that she didn't when another person appeared at the door. "Lupa?"
"Lupa," Reyna said. Lupa's hood was thrown over her head, but Reyna could have sworn there was a look of concern on her face. "Is everything okay?"
"No," Lupa said softly. Her eyes moved in between the two of them. "Did something happen?"
"I was just looking for you," the woman said. Reyna rolled her eyes since the woman couldn't see her. "I didn't realize you weren't here."
"I had a family emergency," Lupa stated. She nodded towards the woman. "Allow me to talk to Reyna. Then, you and I can have our conversation."
The woman nodded and walked out of the office. Reyna leaned on Lupa's desk and crossed her arms. She spoke, "Is that your friend?"
"An old friend," Lupa said after a few moments. She studied Reyna and walked towards the other side of her desk. Lupa sat down and pulled her hood back. Her eyes looked like they were red from crying.
"Is everything okay?" Reyna asked. She pushed herself off the desk and sat in one of the chairs. "What happened with your family?"
"My mother passed away," Lupa said softly. She turned in her chair and grabbed one of her most expensive bottles of scotch. Lupa poured a little in two glasses and passed one to Reyna.
"I'm sorry. I know you two were close," Reyna said. Lupa nodded and downed her glass. Reyna took a sip of her own and almost cringed. She wasn't used to alcohol this strong.
"We spent every major holiday together," Lupa said softly. She poured herself some more scotch. "In five weeks, it will be my first Thanksgiving without her."
Reyna nodded and watched Lupa down her next shot. She wasn't sure what to say. Lupa always talked fondly of her mother, and they were extremely close. Reyna was almost a little envious of their relationship, but she didn't envy the pain that Lupa felt now..
"You could have taken more time off," Reyna began. Lupa shook her head and looked at the pieces of mail. "Lupa, let me do this charity event. You just stay here, okay?"
"You hate parties like this," Lupa said. Reyna nodded her agreement. Lupa leaned back in her chair. "I admire your willingness to host the party for me, but I can handle it. I need a distraction. First, the two of us must talk about what happened."
"I know what I said to the press was dumb, but I-"
"You are supposed to be a leader for this gym," Lupa said. Her voice was sharp enough to cut through Reyna's confidence. Her shoulders drooped, and she looked at the ground. "The others look up to you as a leader and a family member. You are supposed to guide them especially when I am gone. Instead, you tore Frank a new one about his decision to fight, and the press even has video of it."
"They will spin it into a story that will distract the two of you from your fights," Lupa continued. She stood, and Reyna shrunk further into her chair. "We all are supposed to support each other even if we don't agree. You didn't do that. Instead, you shut Frank down at every turn. He looks up to you, and you told him that he wasn't good enough."
"I-"
"You didn't want him to fight Michael Kahale because you thought he would lose and have his confidence destroyed. Would losing destroy his confidence more than someone he admires telling him that he is not good enough and that he is destined to lose?"
Reyna felt her face turn red, and she stared at the ground. Lupa walked around the desk and didn't stop her barrage, "Whether I believe one of my fighters can take on another or not is irrelevant. I will only nudge them in a direction, but in the end, they have the choice. I will not treat them any differently or yell at them for going against my wishes. You need to learn that even though you are the most senior fighter here does not mean you know everything."
"You could learn a few things from Annabeth Chase. She believes that a fighter should challenge themselves with every fight they take," Lupa said. Reyna glared at the ground and winced as Lupa knelt in front of her. "Which leads me to why you decided to fight Silena Beauregard. I figured that you would want to fight Clarisse La Rue again. Or, is taking out her friends enough for you?"
"I'm just fighting a submission specialist," Reyna muttered.
"Who so happens to be the best friend of Clarisse La Rue and her sparring partner," Lupa continued. Reyna closed her eyes and didn't say a word. "I can guess the next two fights of yours will be against Clarisse's other sparring partner and a third would be against her boyfriend if you were allowed to fight males. Why are you holding back from fighting Clarisse?"
"You wouldn't let me," Reyna muttered.
"I would let you. I would not like it to be your first fight back, but I would have allowed it because I allow all of my fighters to choose their fights. Is that understood?" Lupa questioned. Reyna didn't answer, and the room fell silent for a few moments. She finally nodded. "Look at me."
It took Reyna a few moments to open her eyes and look at Lupa. It took even longer to speak, "I'm sorry."
"I am not the one that you should apologize to," Lupa stated. She stood and turned away. Reyna looked down again. "One more thing. If you're going to reprimand someone, you do it with just the two of you. Not in front of everyone else. How you feel now is how Frank felt in front of the others."
"Yes Lupa," Reyna mumbled. Lupa walked back around the desk and sat down. She poured more alcohol for both of them. Reyna didn't take it. She just stared at the ground and felt how red her face was.
"Drink," Lupa said. Her voice was much more gentle now, but Reyna didn't move. She just stared at her hands and thought over Lupa's words. Reyna suddenly stood and walked towards the door. All she needed was some fresh air. "Wait."
Reyna gripped the door handle but didn't open it. Lupa continued, "How is your relationship with your mother?"
A bitter laugh left Reyna. She turned and looked at Lupa. Between the lecture and question about her mother, Reyna's emotions felt like they were being blended inside her. Reyna hated to be lectured by Lupa, but she hated her mother even more.
"I know you're probably going to tell me that I should forgive my mother and try to talk to her because I never know what could happen. I get that you had a great relationship with your mother, but mine was a piece of shit. She left Hylla and I in the hands of our father, and she knew that he was mentally unstable. She just abandoned us," Reyna said.
"Who just abandons their kids?" Reyna demanded. She stared at Lupa and swallowed painfully. Reyna walked towards Lupa's desk and grabbed the glass. She downed the alcohol and placed the glass back down. "My mother just left us when I was a baby, and she never told us why."
"She tried to send me some kind of check when I first started in the gym. I don't know how she found me, and she didn't even put a return address," Reyna muttered.
"I remember," Lupa said softly. "I don't think I have ever heard worse cursing, and you threw your shoulder out when you flung that weight across my gym. Then, you tore up the check and stormed outside."
"I did," Reyna said, and her eyes looked off in the distance. The feeling of tearing up that check had been so satisfying. When she made it outside, she lost that feeling as she found the nearest alley to collapse in and cry miserably. Seeing that check had just been some kind of insult. Her mother left her as a baby and figured that she could just buy Reyna off. Her mother acted like money would make everything better. All it did was make everything worse.
"Bribery isn't going to make any of that better," Reyna muttered. "I'm not magically going to forgive her for just abandoning us."
"Calm down," Lupa said softly. "I didn't mean to get you all worked up."
"My relationship with my mother is nothing like yours," Reyna said. She rubbed her forehead. Lupa stood and walked towards her. She grabbed Reyna's shoulder.
"I should check on things. Will you be okay?" Lupa questioned. Reyna nodded stiffly. "You should go home then. I will handle things here."
"I'll see you Monday," Reyna muttered. Lupa tightened her grip on Reyna's shoulder. Then, she let go. Reyna turned and left the office. She found the woman standing outside. The two of them made eye contact before the woman walked into the office.
Reyna stopped walking and looked back at the office. Then, she walked down the hall and towards the exit. A soft sigh left her, and she stared at the ground. Her mind was jumbled along with her emotions. She wanted to punch something and just get away from everything, which was wrong.
Reyna didn't like that Lupa lectured her, but she knew it was coming. That made sense. The thing that didn't make sense was Lupa asking Reyna about her mother. It was so out of the blue, and it completely threw Reyna off. The woman was waiting outside the office, and she had black eyes. Could that woman be?
No. That was insane. Right? That woman couldn't be Reyna's mother. Lupa would have told her. This wasn't something that Lupa would keep secret. For all Reyna knew, it was just some stranger.
As she tried to shove her emotions down, Reyna walked towards the receptionist. She leaned on the counter and spoke, "That woman certainly has a stick shoved up the wrong area."
"You're telling me," the receptionist said. She bit her pencil as she focused on her computer. "She's pretty mean. Doesn't talk to any of us and just goes about her business."
"Who is she?" Reyna asked after a moment. The receptionist shrugged. "No clue?"
"She just comes and goes as she pleases. Lupa and her have dinner every Thursday night," the receptionist said. Reyna nodded. She grabbed one of the candies that were set out and slowly unwrapped it. Maybe, she was looking at this the wrong way.
Lupa told them a lot about her life, but she never mentioned anything about dating anyone. Reyna knew that Lupa had never been married, but she also didn't know what Lupa's preference was. Maybe, the two of them were dating. It would explain the dinners every week and why the woman had free reign of the gym. Still.
"Do you know her name?" Reyna asked. The receptionist shook her head. Reyna nodded and pushed herself off the counter. "Have a good weekend."
"You too, Reyna," the receptionist said. Reyna turned away from the desk and chewed on her bottom lip. Then, she glanced back at the front desk and checked the visitor's logbook. When she didn't see any names for that day, she turned and walked towards the parking lot.
Reyna glanced at the few cars that were in the parking lot. There was only one that she didn't recognize. Reyna walked towards it and glanced around. Then, she took a picture of the license plate. After that, Reyna made her way to her car. Her plan was to calm down. Then, she would figure out exactly who this woman was.