The two-faced woman

Jimmy tried to stay concentrated on his work. He had a whole lot of preparing to do for the coming semester, so there was no time for distractions.

Distractions like those mesmerizing eyes. The one, pale blue, telling a fairy-tale story. The other green-greyish one, a reminder of a normal life. And not just the eyes mesmerizes him. He loved every little detail about the hot girl in his class. Her bouncy hair, her curved body, the way she smiled…

A student poked his head through the door. Jimmy had missed the knock while thinking about Aliza. His face turned red as he tried to reply to the boy his question. The student left, and Jimmy let his face fall in his hands. He tried to think of cold showers and old ladies to get rid of his erection. This was the fifth time that day already, that he caught himself sexually (and mentally) wanting the girl.

This was a problem.

'I'm not much of the going out type,' Jimmy tried telling the cheery co-worker. The teacher, Walter, had asked him to have a drink at a local place. Well, asking wound involve giving Jimmy an option. Basically he forced him to go. They walked on the pavement, going to a whole new part of town Jimmy hadn't explored yet. It was past eleven, and the air felt chilly on his skin. He pushed his hands deep in the pockets of his trench coat. He made a mental note that he really needed to get rid of the coat. There was a stench about the old thing that didn't seem to go away, no matter how often Jimmy washed the thing. But it had been a present from Amelia, so it wasn't easy to throw the thing away.

'You'll love the place,' Walter said cheerfully. He turned his face to Jimmy. 'You like women?'

Jimmy flushed a little. 'How do you mean that question?'

Walter laughed. 'I mean do you like to watch women do sexy things?'

Jimmy stopped dead on the sidewalk. 'Look, I appreciate you showing me around, but I do not go to…such a den of iniquity. God forbids it.'

Walter gave him an empty look for a moment. Then realisation hit him.

'Oh, no! Jimmy, I didn't mean a strip club! It's different, and actually a lot less sexy than that. Come on, I promise you it's nothing God forbids.'

Jimmy moved along, not quite happy about this. He already felt bad enough for the thoughts he had lately. Now he would have to add this - whatever this was going to be - up to it.

They entered a dark-looking place in a side street. Luckily the heat was on inside, so Jimmy hung his coat on the coat rack. That left him in his plain grey shirt and flannel. He dressed up in suit for school, but he didn't feel like wearing those things in his spare time.

The place was very crowded. And loud. Jimmy guessed ninety percent were middle-aged man. The other ten percent were women who looked like they wanted to be men too. The interior was looking like an old saloon: all things wood and lanterns. Only the bar looked a little newer, with coloured light behind the lines of bottles on the far wall. All the bartenders were male too. Jimmy started to wonder whether Walter had walked in the wrong place.

Then someone talked over the microphone.

'All right! Are ye all ready to welcome our new competitors? It's ladies night, so ladies, come out, come out wherever you are!' the man shouted with a thick, rusty voice. The men started to cheer and laugh and whistle. That was when Jimmy noticed the cage in the back of the place. It was a huge cage, with steel lines. It looked like a boxing place, but rougher and more dangerous.

'Tonight, our first lady is Meredith! Let's hear it up for her boys!'

A woman, twice the size of Jimmy, walked in the cage. She wore a black tank top, in which she exposed her huge rack. Her hair was short trimmed, and her eyes had dark lines around them. She shouted, and it sounded like a roar. Jimmy shivered.

Walter suddenly appeared at his side. 'Cool huh? Tonight is ladies night! I love to see 'em wrestle.'

Jimmy looked at him in disbelief. 'I'm not even sure that is a woman, let alone a lady.'

He laughed and led Jimmy to the bar. 'True that. Wait a little longer. Some of them are some nicer than big Meredith. She likes to beat the crap out of girls. Sometimes even guys.'

Jimmy looked once more at the cage, where a more womanly girl walked in the cage. Still, this woman also looked like she could eat Jimmy for breakfast. He turned away from the cage, focussing on the bartender.

Walter and Jimmy chatted for some time. Walter told him about the students he had to look out for, about the teachers he had to look out for and actually all the other people that had bad days. Jimmy was glad about the advice though, otherwise he could have made some serious mistakes. They had two beers each, to let the evening flow over.

'Auch! That is another victory for Meredith! Who would like to try it next? What lady has got the guts?' the referee yelled.

Jimmy found himself at a loss of things to ask or tell, so he tried to watch the match. Walter stood up to take a closer look, and Jimmy followed.

'Who will get in the cage with this monstrous woman?'

'I will,' a voice spoke up above the shouting. A group of men grew quiet. Then the girl walked to the opening of the cage.

'Sweetheart, we have an eighteen-plus policy here,' the referee joked. The men roared with laughter.

The girl ignored the joke and took the microphone from him.

'I know that. But did you tell Meredith? I think she heard you say 'eighty-plus,' she said with a serious voice.

The laughter broke even harder this time, some men yelling 'BURN!'.

Jimmy just stared, not believing his eyes.

'What's your name sweetheart?'

'Aliza Collins,' Aliza replied with a wink.

Jimmy was not able to move or speak. He was nailed to the ground. Aliza, the good student Aliza, got in a cage fight? What the…

'Alright ladies! Let's see some action! Three, two, one…fight!'

Meredith readied her body. She held her hands out like claws. Her jaw was clenched.

Aliza threw her vest in the corner. Now she was wearing a light blue shirt, that hugged her curves. Her hair hung around her face as she leaned forward, ready to engage or defend.

Meredith engaged first. She launched her huge form for the smaller girl. She wasn't just broader, she was also a lot taller. Just when Jimmy wanted to shout something like 'look out!' Aliza jumped out of the way, letting the other woman bang on the steel with her face. Some men laughed, others shouted for action.

Meredith turned around, were Aliza stood, ready to punch her in the face. Then again in the stomach. Then a blow to the kneecaps with her foot. All three happened within a second, before Aliza jumped back out of her reach. Meredith doubled over, but not for long. She pushed Aliza in a corner, trapping her. Aliza received a hard hit to the face. She was too late to defend.

Like it didn't affect her at all, she fell to her knees, crawling under the woman. Once at her back, she kicked Meredith in the lower back, causing her to fall face-forward to the bars once more. This angered Meredith even further. She swung herself around, trying to connect her colossal fists with Aliza's side. However, she was on time to block the punch. Then she punched right back, hitting her in the face. Meredith tried again, and Aliza repeated her earlier motion, causing her to be fine while punching the other woman over and over.

After five times Meredith tried something else. She yanked Aliza back by her long hair, forcing her to her knees. A huge arm surrounded her neck. Gasping for breath, Aliza sat there, unable to remove the arm. The referee started to count down, but Aliza wasn't ready. Tightening all her muscles, she threw the woman over her head with one movement. Meredith ended up on her face. Aliza jumped on her back, pushing the other woman's face in the ground. Meredith tried helplessly to get free, but she couldn't.

'Three, two, one…you're out! Collins wins!'

Aliza raised from the body on the floor. The referee held her hand up in the air. Aliza smiled and cheered with the men. They all shouted: 'Collins! Collins!'

'Are you ready to take on the next participant?' he asked her through the mic.

Aliza panted heavily. 'Hell yeah.'

Another woman emerged from the crowd. Jimmy looked at Walter, standing next to him, cheering for Aliza.

'That is one of my students,' Jimmy told him. Walter looked at him like he stated the obvious.

'Yeah, I know. I have her in my class for two years now. And hell, she is good. She comes here quite often. But most men here are passing through, so every time they think she is weak, because of her small form. But if I was in an ally with her, I'd rather have her on my side.'

For a moment Jimmy's mind thought about the possibilities he could do with her in an ally. He shook it away, embarrassed by his own thoughts. He just stared at the cage.

The new game began. This participant was a lot smaller than Meredith had been. But still, she looked like quite the match. Aliza didn't seem to have any problem with it. She darted away in time, and placed her punches and kicks very affectively. Clearly she had a lot of experience. It didn't settle the uneasy feeling Jimmy had.

After that match – which Aliza had obviously won – they searched for a new participant. Someone from the crowd shouted: 'How about a man?'

Aliza laughed mockingly. 'I thought my last participant was a man, considering the lack of boobs.'

They laughed at her joke.

'I say, let's find a man who thinks he can face me!' Aliza shouted.

Jimmy started to panic. He turned to Walter. 'Does she do that more often? Fighting a guy?'

Walter thought on it. 'I don't think so. Must be new for her.'

Jimmy worried even more. The man that wanted to fight her was quite the large guy. He had a lot of muscles on his arms and thighs. Aliza didn't seem too bothered. She pushed her hair back in a ponytail before facing the man. She taunted him a little before starting the fight. Other than the last two fights, this time Aliza engaged first. She hauled her arm back for a punch. But it was so obvious, that the man could block her easily. Aliza anticipated on that. She pushed her knee into his shinbone.

The man roared in pain and stumbled back. Aliza gave a naughty smirk. Jimmy couldn't help another erection, looking at this coated in sweat, teasing version of his fantasies. But that feeling was still mixed with a feeling of concern.

At one point the man punched her hard in the face. A stream of blood trickled down from her nose. She wiped it away with her hand, taking a moment. Her face became serious. She was done with the guy. She engaged the guy, side-stepping to confuse him. Then, with a steady stroke, she hit him across the chest. It made him disorientated, so that she could do a death strike with her knee in the balls.

The man yelled higher than a teenage girl. He fell down to the ground, unable to get back up. He begged for surrender. The referee held her hand up once more. This time, the guys were a little less excited, since they all felt his pain. But it only made them respect her more. After a moment they started to cheer again.

The fights were over. Aliza walked from the cage. The crowd started pouring back to the bar or outside. Some stayed to give her compliments or pats on the shoulder. None of them dared to hit her on the bottom, however.

After receiving some encouraging words, the crowd started to thin out. Someone came in her vision. Someone that caught her interest. Mr. Novak stood there, a little awkward. They had eye contact, and she spotted how pitiful he looked at her.

'Hey Mr. Novak,' she said confident.

He didn't look happy to see her. Shit.

Mr. Clayton rescued her, appearing at her side.

'Hey Aliza! Nice match!' he gave her a quick hug. 'Remind me I don't make you angry.'

Aliza rolled her eyes at him. 'Yeah, you kinda say that every time.'

Walter took a look at Jimmy, who hadn't said or moved. 'You okay?'

Jimmy didn't stop looking at Aliza. 'Can I talk to you?'

Aliza's heartrate increased. 'Sure.'

They walked outside. Aliza tugged her vest and jacket back on. It was quite cold by now. Once outside, Jimmy started talking.

'What the hell was that?' he said breathlessly. The anger was just one layer away from his voice.

Aliza shrugged and crossed her arms. 'What was what?'

'The fighting! You are such a calm, well-educated girl. What are you doing between these filthy men and women that don't even look like women?' He exclaimed while throwing his arms out.

Aliza stood there for a second. Then she calmly replied.

'One: I choose what I do. No one is the boss over me.'

'Two: being well-educated doesn't mean I can't be a fighter as well.'

'Three: Who the hell do you think you are to judge me? You act as if you know me! Newsflash: I met you a week ago!'

Aliza threw it all in his face. She saw him back up, and realising his mistakes.

'You're right. I don't know why, but I just worry about you. When I see you up there…I mean, I can see you are a good fighter. But you can still get hurt,' he said while wiping the nosebleed away with his thumb. Aliza closer her eyes for a second at the feeling of his hand on her cheek. Then she backed up.

'I'm fine,' she whispered back.

The wind gave them both the chills. Aliza hugged herself.

'Shall I bring you home?' Jimmy offered.

Aliza gave him a smirk. 'Your home or my home?'

Jimmy looked lost. He blinked a couple of times. 'uhm…I didn't mean to imply-,'

Aliza laughed and waved it off. 'Just kidding.'

She stared into the night sky. The stars were blazing bright tonight.

'Gisa Na Mals-na Veh Ce.'

'Sorry, what?' Jimmy asked shocked.

Aliza turned her gaze back to him. He seemed so startled. Whatever for?

'Nothing you didn't say earlier,' she shrugged.

Jimmy laughed nervously. 'I'm not even sure I can repeat you, let alone I said it earlier.'

Aliza looked at him with confusion. 'All I said was that I feel like a two-faced woman. You know, the good student and the fearless hun-….fighter,' she corrected herself. He already knew too much, and she didn't feel like needing to explain what she hunted.

'That is not what you said earlier. It didn't even sound like English…or any language I know,' Jimmy stuttered.

Aliza looked at him in disbelief. Then realization hit her like a brick wall. She took a gulp of air, now understanding his fear.

'Damn it,' she whispered under her breath. 'Not again.'

Jimmy took a step towards her. He had backed up slowly ever since she said those strange words.

'What again? What was that?' he asked softly.

Aliza didn't want to explain, but she didn't see a way out.

'Sometimes, I start talking in this weird language without knowing I'm doing it. No one could really repeat what I said, so I seriously have no idea what tongue it is, or why it happens. It's just…odd.'

She looked up at him through her eyelashes. Finding out she fought in cages was one thing, but this was a whole new level of weird. The kind of level of weird her childhood had been…

'Fascinating,' Jimmy whispered.

Aliza's eyes grew. 'Sorry, what?'

'You're fascinating,' he repeated, no shame in his words.

Aliza chuckled. 'That is the second time you give me a flirtation without intending. You better get me home before you make more mistakes.'

Jimmy gave her a crooked smile. 'No, this time it was intended.'

Then he walked down the street, to where he parked his car. Normally he wouldn't drive after two beers, but the effect seemed totally gone after all the weird things he had seen and heard tonight.

Aliza tried to stop the smile creeping on her face, but failed miserably.

What was wrong with her? All she wanted, was to flirt with him. To push him to his limits. Now she felt…a sort of connection with the guy. She didn't want to have feelings for him. She needed to stop herself.

Jimmy brought her to the campus. For a moment she wanted to kiss him goodbye, but thought better of it.

'Thank you for tonight, Jimmy,' she said with a smile.

Jimmy smiled back. 'Sleep tight, Aliza.'

Okay, so I just noticed that the lines I set in word disappear in this story...

sorry for the confusing jumps in time! there used to be lines!

When I have a little extra time, I'll update them.

For the thing she says in the weird language (some of you might know which one it is), it's not a real translation. I tried to find some sort of alphabet, but it's nearly impossible. So I searched for the signs that looked most like the words I wanted to express.