Chapter 29

13 years earlier.

"Well done Fielding! You killed it in there! Your turns were on point and you nailed that choreography!" Paulo was full of elation as he hugged his dance partner backstage. They both caught their breath back and had a sip of water, in a sweat after their 3 minute performance.

"You honestly think that was good enough?" Blaze questioned, unsure of herself.

"Good enough? Your the best fucking talent that company are ever gonna see! Listen hon, I gotta run to another show now but promise you'll text me the result yeah?"

"You'll be the first to know, partner," Blaze smiled back. "Oh, and thanks for your help! Even though you were late…."

"So? Anyway it looked to me like you were getting extra practice in before I showed up. Is that handsome cop you were dancing with single by any chance? Not that it matters but…." Paulo shrugged, teasing her.

"PAULO?!" Blaze glared at him awkwardly.

"Why don't the two of you go on a date and tell that third wheeler with that cute toddler for a daughter to stop cramping your style…"

Blaze shook her head with annoyance then folded her arms. Paulo never ceased to amaze her in the things he came out with. If there was one friend in her life however, who had the balls to simply blurt out the way he saw the world, it was him.

"Axel and I are just friends…. Colleagues even!"

"Honey, it doesn't take a detective like yourself to tell from how the pair of you were looking at each other that he likes you. Mark my words, it will happen someday! And when it does, I'll be the first to say I told you so!" He cheesily grinned as he waved goodbye.

Blaze forced a smile back, mostly feeling relieved that Paulo was leaving so that he wouldn't put her on the spot again. "Enjoy your next performance superstar!"

Blaze waited a further 10 minutes outside in the hall before she was called into another room by a member of staff. This time, as she opened the door she could see a smaller dance studio than that of the audition one. It had spotless mirrors throughout and a clean pinewood sprung floor.

"Oh, I didn't know there was a second stage to the audition. My partner just left…" Blaze sheepishly said as she walked through the doors. In front of her sat the production director, his two assistants as well as a man and a woman smartly dressed in business attire who were likely to be investors or sponsors.

"That's not the reason why we've called you in here, Blaze. Please, take a seat…" the director, Mr Silva gestured to a chair opposite the panel.

He continued, "these are my two closest assistants, Onihime and Yasha and two of our investors in the theatre company.

"Nice to meet you," the 19 year old dancer politely nodded as she shook their hands.

"As you know, our performing arts company here in Wood Oak City is just starting out, but we already have productions established in LA, Toronto, Atlanta, Paris and even your home city of London. But, our operation here is a low budget one, well for at least the next three years,"

"I don't understand. I thought you were hiring dancers and performers to study and work here in Wood Oak?" Blaze frowned.

"We are. But I'd like to make you a different offer…"

"Really?" Blaze raised her eyebrows, nervous. Her heart pounded inside as she carefully listened to what he had to say.

"See, it's rare for us to come across a unique talent such as yourself. Someone like you who has defied all odds. Someone who grew up with a humble beginning and a tough start in life is rare to find. But somehow, you made it all the way here to Wood Oak City. Now I'm gonna make you a star!" His pearly white teeth glistened with excitement.

Blaze couldn't help but exhale a deep breath, in disbelief at what she was hearing.

"Wow, I err, I don't know what to say right now…."

"Well, Blaze, you are incredible at what you do and we all very much would like to work with you…."

"Oh wow!" She smiled gratefully, taking a deep breath.

"But in order for me to turn you into the next big thing, I need you to move out to LA with us…"

"...LA?" Blaze tilted her head with confusion as her celebratory smile started to fade.

"Yes. I know it will take a lot of adjusting to, but the opportunities out there with our company are limitless. I'm offering you the position as one of our principal dancers. Our company will provide you with a newly built apartment with a pool, a car, free medical services and when there is anything you need, my assistants will be on call…"

"Wait, when is this all happening?" She cautiously asked.

"We're keen to get the ball rolling here, so 5 days maybe, a week tops. There's also a 50K pay cheque in it for you once you sign, and that is before merchandise endorsements. Plus many more perks to the job…" he smiled.

Blaze suddenly paused for a moment, speechless as her hands shook. This was certainly not what she had expected the outcome of her audition to be tonight.

"It sounds wonderful, but…" she paused.
"But what?!" The assistant, Yasha to his right, snapped back.

"But I gotta think about this first…"

"That's a real shame Blaze. What we're offering you is something those hundreds of other dancers out there we met today would only dream of! You have no family here, your job as a cadet pays barely a third of what I'm offering you. What the hell could be stopping you?"

"I err…." she hesitated.

"Last offer!"

"I'm sorry," Blaze sighed as she glanced down at the ground uncomfortably. "Thank you for the offer, I really appreciate it" she politely said as she walked away. She could feel the energy of the director's two assistants watching her every move until she closed the door behind her.

As soon as Blaze reached the stairwell, she clenched her fists and punched the brick wall by her side. At one point she felt like slamming her forehead against it, but instead, she hit her head against her own palms. "What the fuck was I thinking turning that job down?!... Principal dancer for one of the biggest companies in America…. Shit! That was the opportunity I was waiting for and I just fucked it all up!" Blaze swore to herself in frustration.

7 minutes later and several tears later, she reached the bottom of the stairwell and the fire escape out into the street. If anyone asked, her plan was to say she didn't make the cut. Anything was better than admitting to turning down the opportunity of a lifetime. At the time, Blaze didn't fully understand why she said no. All she knew was that she was stuck in a dangerous city, full of crime and hate catching the criminals for peanuts at the end of the month in what felt like a dead end job. No other dance opportunity would ever come as far as this again. She had no family here, a shitty apartment she was struggling to pay rent for and life wasn't what Blaze had hoped for when she first arrived at the land of opportunity.

There were now very few reasons to stay here, but as Blaze exited the building onto the corner of the street, she could see one of those reasons standing right there in front of her. Then everything began to feel better again.

Present Day.

"Are you sure about this?" And do you think you can handle the responsibility?!" Adam folded his arms as Axel and Sammy sat on two of the breakfast stools in front of him.

"Pfft, of course. I trained this one, didn't I?" Axel smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Sammy gave him an annoyed stare.

"Don't act like you were the easiest student! You're lucky I'm a patient man…."

"You did kick my ass out of trouble, I'd admit that, but that's it!" Sammy sighed.

Adam couldn't help but laugh, "you'll have your work cut out with Cherry, she's worse than him! I still think this is a bad idea…"

"What do you expect the girl to do? Sit in her room all day doing nothing!? Come on bro, you know Cherry needs some balance in her life," Sammy argued.

"Not just that. After the other night, it's only a matter of time until the new Syndicate and Washi come back to haunt us. Do you really want your daughter stuck in a situation where she can't defend herself or properly fight back?" Axel asked.

"No, but…"

"Well then you know this is the best option then. Call it payback for letting me crash under your roof all this time,"

"You realize you do still own an apartment a couple of blocks away don't you?" Adam huffed at his friend.

"And if you hadn't rented it out, then I'd still be sleeping under my own roof!" Axel squared up to him.

"I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE COMING BACK! The bills to that place wern't gonna pay for themselves!" Adam shouted.

"ENOUGH! You two are worse than Cherry and her friends!" Sammy stood himself between the two men. "We all want what's best for Cherry, we can at least agree on that?!"

There was a moment of silence between Adam and Axel until they both simultaneously swallowed their pride and shook hands.

"We have to make her think this is her idea though or it's never gonna work…" Adam sighed.

Sammy then turned towards Axel, "what do you think?"

"Leave it with me," he answered. "If the kid wants to learn as much as you say she does, then we'll find out by tomorrow…"

5am, the next morning…

Cherry abruptly woke up from her sleep as soon as her face was drenched in cold water. She immediately sat up in disbelief, wiping the water away from her blurry eyes.

"WHAT KIND OF SHIT IS THIS?!" Cherry shouted with anger, thinking at first that her father or Uncle Sammy were playing some kind of practical joke on her. She instantly gasped as soon as she noticed Axel standing by the door to her room.

"You can't just come in here and throw water on me like that!" The teenager yelled once again.

He folded his arms, staring down at her blankly. "Do you want me to train you to become a fighter, or not?" Axel asked. His words were direct and matter of fact. These were the words Cherry wanted to hear for so long, but she began to feel uncertain as to what she was letting herself in for.

"Yes, I do," Cherry nodded with determination.

"You got 5 minutes then to get ready and come downstairs," Axel replied before he left.

"I'm awake, I'm ready and I'm good to go!" Cherry entered the garden enthusiastically 5 minutes later. She was dressed in her brand new sports wear and sneakers. She also carried on her a pair of boxing gloves, padded helmet, knee pads and a water bottle.

Axel raised an eyebrow, impressed with her keen willingness to learn, however he was about to call the shots.

"Er, kid you won't be needing those. Just the water…"

"Oh!" Cherry's eyes widened, surprised.

"I know you've wanted to train to fight for a long time, and I agree it's the best decision for you. But I do have a few rules first as your teacher…"

"Yes of course!" Cherry nodded optimistically.

"I'm here to help you become the best fighter you can be so that you can defend yourself on these streets and make a difference to innocent people…."

"Totally!" Cherry smiled in agreement before he continued.

"So any task I give you is designed to help you and is for your own good. You can ask questions, but all I ask in return is that you persist and give back your 100% effort and commitment."

"Sounds good! So where do we begin?" She started to jump lightly on the spot.

He gestured over towards 2 large paint cans hooked onto a metal scale either side. "After you've taken three laps around the block, come back and carry that over your back like this with your knees bent."

"Ok, I see. How many reps around the garden should I do?"

"I need you to take it to Zan's lab," Axel instructed.

"Huh? What? Daddy wont let me use the car yet…"

"No. You're gonna carry these there and back…"

"AND BACK?! WHATTT?! Do you know how far that lab is? It's at least a 30 minute walk!" Cherry huffed with annoyance on her face.

"Remember the rules kid? Go now! Before I add another tin to this load…."

Cherry stood with her hands on her hips and her jaw dropped almost to the ground. Following a vent with some inner resistance and her laps around the block, she was determined to prove that she could indeed do this. So slowly, Cherry picked up the scales over her shoulders and followed Axel's orders.

The journey all the way to Zan's lab was a struggle and at times, her legs felt like giving up. What should have been a 30 minute walk ended up taking an hour as Cherry had to stop several times for a breather.

Once she reached the lab, she was even more pissed off when she saw that Axel was already there casually sitting next to Adam and Floyd.

"Is this some kinda joke?" Cherry huffed, now even angrier with her dad and his friends. She stood normally again after heavily dropping the scales on the ground.

"You wanted to train like us, so you got it!" Adam winked, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Fine!" Cherry bit her tongue.

She then carefully picked up the scales once again to return to the house.

"Wait!" Adam halted her.

"What is it now?"

"That wall outside needs painting…"

"And? Do I look like a decorator to you?" She replied, turning her attention back over towards Axel.

"You got an hour to cover that wall in one coat…" her new trainer instructed.

"I just carried your stupid paints for nothing, now your exploiting me as child labour?!" Cherry snarled, astounded with what he was asking her to do.

"Cardio is also important, if you tire out on those streets in front of your enemies, you're dead!" Axel explained.

"Cardio? Have you seen how high that wall is? I'm too short to reach the top! And one hour? That's impossible!"

Axel passed her a ladder "you can use this…"

The teenager gritted her teeth as she snatched it from him. Her shoulders were already sore and her legs were now aching. And now, there was much more to do in the space of an hour.

"Go on, the clock is ticking…."

Cherry swallowed her pride, took a deep breath then reluctantly followed suit.

Surprisingly, the hour flew by as she worked as fast as she could. It was a constant challenge aligning the ladder, then climbing up and down it whilst painting the 10ft brick wall as fast as she could with her aching arms. Furthermore, she was battling with the early morning sunshine already heating up the place and hitting a high temperature. Paying attention to the small details on the wall whilst tired was also a constant struggle for her.

After the time was up, Axel stood from a distance with his arms folded examining the wall. The teenager had done a decent job, but it was only half completed.

"Times up!"

"WHAT?!" Cherry frowned with frustration.

"Take the rest of the paint, go home and take a hot bath. You'll repeat all the exercises again tomorrow morning…."

"Huh? How does this even teach me how to fight?!"

"You'll see…" Axel patiently nodded.

By the time Cherry arrived back at the house, she was exhausted. She had only done 2.5 hours of this so-called 'training' but she was covered in sweat, plus her new gym clothes and sneakers were also stained in paint.

Following a warm bath and a couple of hours of sleep, it was now lunchtime.

As Cherry returned downstairs, she could smell burgers and fries brought in from one of the local shops. Uncle Sammy was home and he was having his lunch in front of the TV.

"Yayyy, oh I can't tell you how good this smells!" Cherry replied as she delved into the takeout bag on the table.

"Err, the rest of that shit is for my friend Bennie who's on his way here…"

"Where's my lunch then?" She frowned, snatching one of the fries from the bag.

Just as she was about to bite into it, her new trainer entered the room.

"No, that's strictly off limits!" Axel said, taking the bag of fries out of her hand.

"I didn't order a nutritionist!"

"Here's your lunch…" he replied, handing her a grocery bag containing some prepped fish, potatoes and green vegetables.

"What am I supposed to do with this!?" Cherry frowned.

"Whatever you want! That's your lunch every day for the next week…."

Cherry tightly crumbled the brown paper bag in one hand, instantly regretting nagging her father all these years about training.

"How am I supposed to know when this is cooked?" She asked, pulling out the raw piece of salmon.

"Bake it for 15 mins at 160. When it easily flakes you'll know it's cooked…"

"Where are you going?" Cherry worriedly asked as he started to walk away.

"To take out this shit!" Axel replied, reaching for a black bag containing all of her favourite candy and chips that he seized from the cupboard.

"Hey! I paid for those with my pocket money!"

"That's too bad then…" Axel casually shrugged as he opened the front door.

"I hate him, and I hate you!" Cherry directed her anger towards Sammy, throwing a spoon at her uncle as soon as she caught him laughing to himself on the couch after eavesdropping. One thing was for sure though, the events of training today certainly brought the girl out of her shell and took her mind away from the guilt and sadness she had been feeling over the past four days.

Author's Notes

So I wanted to start this chapter off with a quick flashback that was linked to a couple of chapters ago containing the previous flash back scene. It was the first time I have done something like this in my stories so I wanted to try it! Even though the main story is set over a decade later, I wanted to give some more background and a little teaser as to 'when it all started' and beforehand.

Also I hope you enjoyed Cherry's first 'training session'. More is coming soon in the next chapter, so please keep your messages, thoughts and reviews coming in and I hope you enjoyed this one :-).