3 days later at their new Belmont house
"well Miss Marx, I'm happy to hand you the keys to the house and hope you have a speedy recovery, my family are big fans and we miss going to your fights, my youngest wishes to be like you one day, you set a good example" says former owner Lilly Wild as she hands Shelby the keys
"unfortunately it's going to be a long process, the earliest that I'll be able to fight again is mid to late August, though I am training again to build back to the fitness I had before, your daughter is welcome to stop by on days I'm training if you like" says Shelby
"may I ask why you had to put the house up for sale" asks Freddie
"too many bills, ideally the electrical should be updated but it is up to the current minimum code, we couldn't afford to fix what little needed to be fixed because the historical nature of the house means that it costs a lot more than rewiring a new house, though we have been looking to downsize since my two oldest daughters moved out, leaving only my youngest daughter living with me" says Lilly
"you're dating plural Shelby" asks Ariel, Lilly's daughter
"nothing is set in stone and I don't discuss that kind of stuff with my fans or anyone really, I'll be in the training room at the CFC building on Tuesday around noon if you can make it but she can also come over any time she wants, especially if you're busy" says Shelby as Melanie gets her cat carriers out of the car
"are you sure" asks Lilly
"absolutely, though we would require money for food for her or compensation in some way if she can eat the same food we're eating but we have no intention of charging you for having us watch her" says Shelby
"how much money are we talking" asks Lilly
"like twenty to fifty dollars, the latter if she's here for a few days" says Shelby
"I guess that seems fair, hey would you mind looking after her for a few hours, we just moved into our new place and Ariel gets seizures and my husband keeps forgetting about it and turns lights on and off instead of just keeping them on or off while we move stuff in" says Lilly
"is she allergic to cats, munchkins and ragdolls specifically, because my kittens are very friendly but they also love to try and escape and we have movers that will be coming and going all day today" says Melanie
"she has no cat allergies, she's been wanting a kitten for come time, I guess this is a chance to see if she can handle it, I'll be back at six tonight to pick her up" says Lilly as she shakes Melanie's hand and gets in her car and drives off
"your mom will come back right" asks Carly
"always, I have a babysitter but that babysitter is sick right now and she does also have a regular job, mom has never left me with anyone without coming back when she agrees to, besides there's a secret hallway in this house that she doesn't know about that I want to show you…. Omg those kittens are adorable" says Ariel
"movers start moving stuff in, well Ariel it's time we talked huh" says Shelby finally realizing which fan Ariel is
"wait you remember me" asks Ariel
"it took me a minute but I could never forget you Ariel sunshine Montel, what's your opinion on your cousins family" says Shelby as they all head inside and the movers start unpacking the moving trucks
"Sofía's the only sane person in her family, dad was the only one sane in his family except for grandma and she passed away last year, I'm glad she moved away though I do miss her, it was what was best for her mentally and physically" says Ariel
"does the pattern continue" asks Shelby
"thankfully no, my mom had the idea to marry someone who is sane, though my oldest sister does have depression issues she's not insane like most of my extended family my middle sister is an airhead like dad, then there's me, the fight obsessed seizure child" says Ariel
"there are girls your age with seizures that are allowed to fight but only against each other, they make some good money too, it's called the special needs division" says Shelby
"wait I could MAKE money, people always told me I'd be dependent on my parents for the rest of my life, I mean I don't mind it, I have amazing parents but I always feel guilty because my meds aren't covered by my parents insurance and they're not cheap" says Ariel
"the CFC special needs leader would have to talk to your doctor about the severity of your symptoms but if she determines you qualify for the special needs division then your meds are mostly paid for, it would cost a fifth of what your parents pay now" says Shelby as Carly walks over with the kittens
"is the special needs division a real thing, because if it is that's awesome" asks Carly handing the kittens to Ariel
"it's something I asked them to make before I agreed to fight with them, I partly manage it, which is why I get paid what I do, I get an extra twenty grand which isn't affected by me not working, that's how my manager could guarantee Sofía that she'd get her money back once she was safe, she also works with the special needs division but as a trainer for endurance so she doesn't get as much" says Shelby
"so you did have money" asks Freddie
"duh but that's where the money I got for Sam came from, I never keep that extra money for myself, I never have, I've always given back, from age twelve to fifteen I donated seventy percent of my income to charities, legally I technically have to start paying taxes this year but because of all the money I've donated I get straight tax refunds for two years, possibly three then I will pay taxes like a normal person, this isn't me, this is the government telling me this, the IRS literally paid me a visit and handed me tax refund forms, pre filled out with the information about my donation amount so I just hand that in when I do taxes and they handle the rest, they said I might get audited because it's a new system but to just give them a specific phone number and it gets handled" says Shelby
"how much would I make" asks Ariel getting excited
"enough to be financially stable all on your own but because you're dependant on your parents you'd need their permission and the fights would be streamed online instead of big events, instead of upfront payment for the stream, even though it is an option for people to pay up front for the streams, the option is left open to donate money, the fights usually happen in prepared backyards, so having them here is now possible" says Shelby as Ariel seems to get sad
"what's wrong" asks Sam
"my mom has no problem with my dream to fight but my dad would rather I just watch them, he thinks I bruise extremely easy" says Ariel
"you just keep those kittens distracted, I'll talk to your parents when they come to pick you up" says Shelby
"ok but my dad won't like it" says Ariel as Shelby focuses on unpacking boxes
6PM
"how is she" asks Mr. Montel
"she loves the kittens and she's doing amazing, she's very responsible, I've never seen them bond with anyone but me but man, they won't leave her alone, they go from her to me then back again, they only just tired themselves out an hour ago" says Melanie
"I have a suggestion" says Shelby
"if it's about Ariel fighting I refuse to allow it" says Mr. Montel
"Hun, you don't know that she can't handle it, you wouldn't even give her a chance, she could have been in juniors already" says Lilly
"there is a special need division, I had the CFC promise to make it as a condition for me, a prodigy fighter signing a contract with their best manager, I run it, alongside Sofía but its merely a business deal, Ariel wouldn't be fighting regular people, she'd be fighting autistic girls and boys, kids with Cerebral Palsy and yes kids with seizures, they're streamed online, Pear is a major donator, there are twenty special needs fighters here in Seattle, twenty in Portland Oregon, ten in San Francisco and twenty in Los Angeles, they all regularly make ten grand a month and all meds are ninety percent paid for" says Shelby
"I still don't understand why she wants to fight" says Mr. Montel
"over dinner she said that a reason you had to sell the house was because of the sheer cost of her meds, she's an amazing fighter, she spared with me before dinner and she almost took me down and that's not an easy thing for anyone to do, even with me like this" says Shelby
"so she feels guilty because our insurance refuses to cover her meds" asks Lilly
"basically yeah, like I said she almost took me down, I would have to talk to her doctor about any seizure triggers as the fights are streamed online from predetermined set up backyards, this will now be one of them but the opportunity is available to have it done indoors depending on triggers" says Shelby
"the thing is we bought a house alongside her best friends family so she gets to live with her, it was the only way we could afford a house, both us and her friends family feel they have feelings for one another, would this fighting division make her choose love or fighting" says Mr. Montel
"it's six days a month and given how physically strong she is I could see her getting tons of tips, based on another girl I got into the program with similar strength abilities and the number of high dollar donations she gets, Ariel's income could be easily north of ten grand, like as in fifteen grand a month at most, she doesn't like that you have to pay for all her meds by yourselves, she says just thinking about it makes her feel icky also so long as this friend is Vivian Sanders it won't make her choose" says Shelby
"has Ariel said anything about Vivian" asks Lilly
"only that her dad would send her to live with his sister if she let herself feel what Vivian wants to feel with her" says Shelby
"so they are in love" asks Mr. Montel
"see the thing is she won't confirm or deny that because she believes that if she says yes you'll send her to live with Sofía's family and if she says no you'll do the exact same thing because you'll think she's lying and she fears they will do something physical to her like rape or something" says Melanie
"I would never let them lay a hand on her, not in a million years, besides Arnie just arrested them for molesting Sofía's little sister for three years, Little Krissy is headed down to Los Angeles while a trial date is set and won't be allowed back until the trials over" says Mr. Montel
"George, please, we both know you have issues with your oldest liking girls, why do you think Ariel is so afraid" says Shelby in a very firm accusatory tone
"look Isabelle fell for a known criminal, a murderer no less, the girl killed her teacher for simply looking at her, it was never Isabelle liking girls that I had an issue with, it was the human being behind the gender that I didn't like" says George Montel
"to be fair she got off on probation because it was found that he was indeed molesting a few of his students, for all we know she thought she was next and her parents are actually nuts just like your sister" says Shelby
"has she actually said as much" asks Lilly
"no, she committed herself to a mental facility and put herself on complete lockdown, she hasn't seen daylight in four years, I know this because her doctor is a friend of Arnie's" says Shelby
"how did the doctor come to this conclusion" asks George
"her drawings and the fact that she's tried to stab herself down there several times, there is evidence that he groped her though" says Shelby
"what evidence, because Isabelle always says she loves Diane and won't look at another girl until she gets to talk to Diane" says George
"he kept her after class, faked letting her leave then choked her with his arm and squeezed her chest sexually, at which point she revealed the location of the camera in the classroom and he immediately let her go, he was seen rambling and pacing for the next ten minutes, had she not killed him the principal would have taken him to court over groping her along with what he did to the other female students" says Shelby
"is there any other evidence, Ariel's friend says you've had a private investigator talking to the principal" says Lilly
"Isabelle was one of the teachers victims, he molested her on three occasions, the principal said that he praised Diane for killing the teacher and he posited that Isabelle being one of the teachers victims could have in itself been the reason Diane killed him" says Shelby
"if you were in Diane's shoes, would you have done the same thing" asks George realizing he misjudged the situation
"I'd have snapped his neck instead of stabbing him, it's a much quicker death, in my eyes the sooner he was out of the world and gene pool the better" says Shelby
"wait did he make some student of his keep his rape baby" asks Lilly
"yes, thankfully not Isabelle, her family believes that every pregnancy has to be taken to term if medically possible, whether it's the result of rape or not, she had the baby then immediately turned herself in to the medical health care facility that Missy and May were in and like Diane she doesn't want to leave, ever" says Shelby
"she took the baby with her right, in your opinion should Isabelle and Diane date" asks George
"because of the situation she didn't get to take the baby with her but the mental health facility sued the family and got the child and are now helping the girl raise the baby, on Isabelle and Diane, it's not up to me, the facility doctors may not let Diane date anyone without clearing them first but they will at least allow Isabelle to spend time with Diane, which is the right thing to do, especially if Diane killed the teacher to protect Isabelle, which is entirely possible based on the drawing the doctor sees Diane draw" says Shelby
"does Diane show any inkling of having feelings for Isabelle, because I'd be ok with them dating because it seems I've severely misjudged Diane, on another note do you think Ariel and Vivian would be good together, I trust your opinion, I no longer trust my own" says George
"Diane's feelings are pretty raw right now, she does seem to feel like you've punished her so if the feelings are mutual between Isabelle and Diane, Diane won't do anything without an apology from you and your permission, as for Ariel and Vivian I don't see Ariel doing much, not without your express support, she's showing signs of being a little, which means that in times of stress or emotional distress she reverts to childlike word phrasing and actions, the moment I brought up Vivian she started referring to you guys as 'mommy' and 'daddy' where she usually says 'mom' and 'dad', every single word until I changed the subject was very childlike, she even started sucking her thumb" says Shelby
"yeah she does do that a lot, I just never knew there was a word for it but the moment I'd ask the doctor about it and start to say the word thumb she freaks out and tells the doctor I'm lying then glares at me to make me shut up" says Lilly
"sounds like she doesn't want the diagnosis, a doctor would call it psychological regression but calling it little instead is easier and based on that reaction she saw that some adults find a 'child' who regresses like her and May do sexually stimulating so chances are she didn't want a target on her head as she isn't exactly great at seeing through people's ulterior motives, to be fair neither is May" says Shelby
"oh so it was about keeping a target off her head and not actually about not getting the diagnosis" asks George
"more than likely, when you get home, talk to her about it, ask her why she doesn't want people knowing she sucks her thumb, it's possible that Vivian does it as well and her parents talk down to her about it, talking to her about it should have been done before you thought to bring it up to a doctor because Ariel could have taken it as you taking away control from her and becoming a controlling helicopter parent, Ariel and Vivian deserve you and Vivian's parents to be transparent about your concerns about their health, the more they understand that you're on their side the better they'll be and the more open with you they'll be, now she's actually quite tired, the kittens chased her around for half an hour so let her know you need to talk to her but let her know it won't be until morning, it will give her more time to prepare" says Shelby
"fair enough, I'll take your advice and see if I can get that medical information to you for the special needs division thing" says George
"send it to the CFC people here in Seattle, tell them I sent you, none of the fighters can know that I get the final say assuming the CFC is comfortable with the medical information, the doctor can't leave anything out of the report, it has to be a transparent report with his medical opinion on her stability and overall health, without it being transparent we can't guarantee that the CFC will let her fight" says Shelby as she motions for Carly to bridge Ariel over
"I think we wore her down a little" says Carly as Ariel hugs her mom, bites her lip then hugs her dad
"we have a surprise for you sweetie, walk to the car with us" says Lilly as Ariel follows her to the car
"thanks again for bringing all this to our attention, we really appreciate all that you do for everyone, I don't think people appreciate it as much as they should" says George
"I stay out of the news about it for a reason, people are quick to judge, if they knew I fostered an environment for kids like Ariel to fight they might think I'm trying to groom them in a sexual way because that's what most people think the CFC did to me, I wear the bare minimum because it's what I'm comfortable in, people think I wear the bare minimum when I fight because they think the CFC wants to sexualize fights, I mean they're not wrong, they hold yearly bikini fights but all fighters consent to it, that's the one summer fight theme event that I don't partake in because I feel that bikinis themselves are sexualize and people don't see the difference between them and underwear and bras, the difference is consent" says Shelby as George nods in agreement
"ok before I leave, what kinds of fights would she be partaking in if she gets in" asks George
"one of the monthly fights in warmer areas is pool fights, we give them pool noodles and they try and make the other person slip, mind you it happens in two feet of water and they wear body suits that get inflated from the waist up as well as head protection but those events only happen during the summer here in Seattle, the rest are the basic fight in the ring fights, all but one are in backyards, usually those of the fighters but if Ariel gets in, her fights will mostly happen here, in a controlled environment" says Shelby
"ok, last question I swear, what are the clothing requirements, like what will she have to wear, she's not fond of showing skin" says George
"all female fighters wear full coverage outfits unless it gets really hot out, even then the top has to cover the bellybutton and the bottoms have to be at least knee length, whether that be skorts, skirts, leggings or shorts or any combination of them, so long as they don't overheat" says Shelby
"ok, we'll be in touch, and again, thanks, you might have just saved my family" says George as he leaves and Shelby closes the door
"he doesn't know you go to nude beaches does he" asks Carly
"you were there, we went together two days ago, I have those four walls for a reason, I love the feeling of being on a beach and with nothing on if I can but I don't like eyes on me, I don't care if people find that out, the point is I like privacy, if the Lakeside house was bigger we'd have gone there, it has its own lake access but it's not bigger, the only people I want seeing me naked are you, Freddie and Sam, that was the deal we reached yesterday when you proposed a one week plural relationship test, I stand by that deal Carly, if people find out I'm in a plural relationship I don't care but nobody I don't want to find out will absolutely not find out it's a sexual relationship, for all the CFC cares its purely a non sexual, kissing only relationship, they honestly don't care thankfully" says Shelby
"then why did we have to tell them about it if they don't care" asks Carly
"medical reasons, first contact in case I get hurt, that kind of thing, the female fighter scene is a pretty tight knit community, you know everybody and you keep secrets from the public if a fighter wants a secret kept hidden, for example when Eliza got pregnant she was still fighting, she didn't want anyone but the CFC finding out, her opponents were notified so they would avoid any stomach punches on Eliza, after two months she went public but until then her fans were in the dark" says Shelby as Sam walks over with Freddie
"why keep it a secret and why wait two months to say anything" asks Sam as Melanie and May put the kittens to bed
"because the CFC has a two month cut-off after the fighter finds out they're pregnant, they get paid more to make sure they have enough money to make it to term without borrowing money, it's a mandatory report system, all the female fighters agreed to a two month limit on hiding pregnancies once we find out, we can deny until then but at the two month mark we have to come clean, anyway we should head to our room, tomorrow is the big test" says Shelby
"okay" says Carly as they all follow her to their room