Renegades: A New Dawn

by Primal WolfBlood

In Part 3 of The Renegade Chronicles, follow the Renegades as they try and recover from the shocking end to The Renegade Revolution, and continue their lives with more action and suspense than ever before, as they learn who the true enemies are, and finally confront Segolia once and for all, to end their clash with each other.

27. A New Blair-ra

Renegades: A New Dawn

Chapter XXVII: A New Blair-ra

As the club began the journey back from Finland, Maddy had one important question. 'So Astrid, what da fook was that big speech about?' 'Sorry, guess I got a little overexcited. It was a pretty big moment for me. I get quite loud when I'm excited.'

Reaching the airport, Jack was smiling, having watched the show. 'We've got a new champion have we then?' Astrid then walked up, blushing slightly. 'No need to blush. I'm just amazed you didn't win anything before.' 'Guess I just needed the right people around me.' 'What's next then?' 'WDC Championship's the aim.'

The next day

With Phil having slept at the base overnight, he returned home the next morning. As he arrived home, Hannah greeted him with a hug. 'What's this about?' 'I'm your fiance, remember? I'm allowed to hug you. Have you eaten?' 'Not yet.' 'I'll put some bacon on then.'

With breakfast ready, they had a chat. 'So, challenging Birchall.' 'The only reason I didn't discuss it with you was because it was a last minute decision.' 'No problem. I totally understand it.' 'I'm going to end him.' 'How's that?' 'It's career vs. career. Either he goes or I never come back. I've got nothing to lose.'

'We will get rid of him.' 'It's justice that I want. But getting rid of him from everyone else would be a start.' 'You're right, and we will get rid of him. I promise he won't get to lay a finger on you ever again.' 'If he does, I'll be the one up for murder. Anyway, you've not told me about your duel yet.'

'What about it – we won, it wasn't especially interesting.' 'Pushing Rio out of the way?' 'I saw Akiza, put two and two together, and seemingly got five.' 'Well done for protecting yourself anyway. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you and I wasn't there.'

'Well you don't need to worry about that do you?' 'I do because it could easily happen again.' 'It's my job to worry about you.' 'I worry about you as well. I'm going to be your wife, I have to protect you just as much as you have to protect me if not more. Ok?' 'Ok. I just want to keep you safe.'

'I know you do. We keep each other safe. And sane.' 'You can say that again.' 'Don't tempt me.' The post then arrived, and Phil got it. 'It's for you.' As Hannah opened the plain brown envelope, she slid the letter inside out, and immediately smiled. 'What is it?' 'It's from the CPS – I've got a restraining order against Rob. He's not allowed within 500 metres of either of us now, and he isn't allowed here or at the base.'

'How would he even know our address?' Hannah was confident in hiding the truth. 'He probably doesn't, but I can't imagine it would be that difficult to find out. Besides, he knows we live near Rochdale, so he could work it out. Point is, he's out of our lives now, soon James will be out of our lives, it's all good.'

In the arena

Astrid was just passing the arena, and looked around for a fleeting moment, just long enough to see Rio defeating a Level 8 drone from 8000 points in one turn. She smiled, and just walked on by.

Shortly afterwards, Blair walked into the arena wearing amber-lensed sunglasses and a significantly smaller cast on her arm from the one she was previously sporting. 'B, you look like a lesbian! 'The Michigan native responded by leaning in, and whispering the word 'Bisexual' down her ear.

'Seriously, what's the need to be dressed up like that?' 'Have you seen how bright it is out there? I nearly went blind when I opened the curtains.' 'That's what you get for sleeping in the spare room.' 'Well if you'd let me room with you I wouldn't have had to.' 'Told you, that's Kelly's bed.'

'Yeah, and Kelly isn't here.' Rio looked puzzled at this. 'Where is she?' 'Another concert. It's just over in Paris.' 'Nice. Kinda wish I was there at the moment.' 'And here I thought you were happy to see me. I can go off you quick.' As she turned her back, Rio became very apologetic, made all the funnier when Blair winked at Taylor, who had just walked in.

After nearly four minutes, Taylor couldn't help but laugh, setting Blair off. 'So we're… good?' 'Ri, I was winding you up. We're fine.' 'Thank goodness.' As they hugged, Taylor smiled. 'Hey Blair, welcome back.' 'Thanks, you do realise I was only gone a couple of days though.'

'So? It's just nice to have you back. How was it?' 'How are funerals normally? No, it really wasn't that bad.' 'I'm glad to hear it, I was thinking about you.' 'It's appreciated but you really don't need to waste your time on stuff like that. You've got plenty yourself to focus on. Anyway, I'd better go. Sakura wants to check my arm again, see if it's gotten worse from not wearing the cast.'

The next day

As the students arrived for the arena course, Phil and Rio were stood, and for once, Coach Robinson was smiling. 'Before we start, I want you to all know that we've got a very special guest today. He wasn't due to be in the UK still, but I managed to wrangle him into booking a hotel for two more days.'

Denzil then started joking around. 'Bet it's going to be a joke with the way he's building it up!' 'Oh, I think you're going to be quite pleased at this one. This is a celebration of being halfway through the course. Ladies and Gentlemen, be humble as you meet one of the few duelists I genuinely consider a peer of myself. He's won the World Championship twice, the All-Stars 3 times, Matchplay 3 times, and he's probably won just about everything else in existence as well. I present to you, the man once described as "the perfect duelist" - Yusei Fudo.'

As Yusei walked in, he looked around the arena and smiled. 'Like what you've got here. You didn't mention it was so hi-tech.' 'Well we weren't going to build a new arena with old technology were we?' Meanwhile, several of the students looked totally starstruck as he walked over calmly. And then, there was another surprise.

'That reminds me – I never mentioned what the reward was for finishing #1 on this course did I? Bit careless of me honestly.' He then withdrew a small purple card from his pocket, and Rio pulled another one from her purse. 'These little things are your reward. You probably haven't seen one before, but this is a PWDC Tour Entry Card. This allows you to enter the pre-qualifying for tournaments, which happens online these days. It also confirms you as a professional duellist.'

'Therefore, I am proud to announce that the first ever Advanced Course champion will be given a two season Tour Card, and officially become a professional duellist at the start of next season. The second and third duellists will also be granted an automatic bye to the final round of Tour Card Qualifying at the start of next season.'

Everyone was thrilled at this, and there was one last piece of news. 'The news doesn't end there. The champion also will qualify automatically for the 2017 PWDC World Championships, and will be the 16th and final seed for them. Now that is something to fight for.'

'Now I had to fight for this. I had to fight tooth and nail to get you recognised and to get these guarantees that the grind will be worth it. In return, I really want you all to up your games. Because right now, I see maybe three of you who won't be eaten alive on the tour. You all have 6 weeks now to prove to me, and prove to Rio, that you are the one we're looking for. I want to see your hunger, your fight, and your will to win. So I'm going to warn you now. Anybody who doesn't have the stomach for the fight, anybody who isn't willing to dedicate every last waking moment to being the best duellist that they can be, leave now. Because from now on, you're going to have to prove that you can do EVERYTHING.'

As everyone stayed, he smiled. 'You've just passed the first test. But believe me when I say this: from now on, we are going to cull anybody who is not improving. Anyone we don't think will make the grade. Because it's unfair on you and it's unfair on everyone else that you're taking up time which could be used for them.'

'Anyway, I didn't get Yusei here so we could talk. Today's session is about those duels that you see all the time when it goes scrappy. Perhaps neither duellist is in good enough form to take a risk, or maybe they are both running defensive strategies. In that situation, you need to know how to build the perfect board. Does anybody know what constitutes the perfect board? Fleur.'

'Doing 8000 damage in a turn.' 'It's a good thought, but we're talking in more defensive terms here. Belle.' 'How about a board which locks down your opponent?' 'That is a good answer, not what I'm looking for though. The answer I'm looking for is far more simple than completely locking them out of playing the game. Denzil.'

'Stopping monsters from attacking like.' 'You're not far off. Think – when I say "perfect board", what comes to mind?' With no other answers, he looked disappointed. 'It's the kind of thing you need to understand. A perfect board is a board which cannot be broken by a single card. It needs a combination of cards played in a specific manner.'

'Take for example this example on the screen. Here we have a board of two Solar Flare Dragons in Defence mode, and Scrum Force, Imperial Custom, and a face-down in the backrow.' Myka then shouted out. 'So what's your face-down?' 'That isn't relevant. What is relevant is that it's a card in the backrow. Do you now see why this is a "perfect board"?'

'If you don't, I'll spell it out. With two Solar Flare Dragons, the opponent can't attack as they have no selectable target.' 'Can't they just attack directly then?' 'Old wives tale that. The rules have never worked that way. Now where was I? Oh yes, your opponent cannot attack. With Scrum Force, they can't use card effects to destroy the Dragons as they are both in Defence mode, and can't target with card effects either. Scrum Force protects itself once per turn by sending another Spell or Trap to your graveyard.'

Seeing Jade losing focus, Phil quickly banged on her desk with a metal deck case, waking her up. 'Jade, what does Imperial Custom do?' 'Uh… it protects Traps other than itself from being destroyed.' 'Good. Now look slightly livlier, you're making me tired.' 'Sorry.' 'As I was saying, this requires a combination of cards to get rid of. It requires a card to negate all face-up Traps, then you need to destroy the monsters, and hope that the face-down is nothing to disrupt the play.'

Rio then took over. 'And now for your task today. You all have 20 minutes to come up with the perfect board. Phil, how are we judging it?' 'After the 20 minutes, present your boards to us and we'll set each one up one at a time with the drones. Yusei will then work out how to break the boards. Whoever's board takes the longest to dismantle will move up one place in our rankings. You will also be marked up if you come up with a combo which nobody else does, because we reward independent thinking.'

As they were getting on with it, Phil walked around, and noticed Donny was spending all his efforts on drawing nude pictures of Rio. 'Donny, if you spent less time on your artwork and more time actually doing some work, you might not be right at the bottom of the rankings.'

Everyone laughed at this, but Donny's confidence remained. 'Don't get jealous just because I can do something you can't.' 'Why would I be jealous when I can just get my daughter to draw things with correct proportions.' 'You'd know would you?' Phil smiled. 'Let's just say I've seen a few things.'

'Does your wifey know?' 'Mine does. She knows everything. As I'm reminded quite frequently. Now get on with it, you've got about 9 minutes now.' 'Yeah, because you were talking at me.' 'Well I wouldn't have been talking at you if you were doing what I said. Also, how are you going to make it as a pro if you can't concentrate while somebody's talking to you?'

As he walked back to the front, Rio leant over. 'So, what did you see?' He curtly replied 'You don't want to know.' 'C'mon, what was it?' 'You REALLY don't want to know.' 'If it was me, I'm not that self-conscious.' 'It's what you were wearing that got me.' 'Please don't say it's a wedding dress.'

'No… it's something slightly more… skintight.' 'Really?' 'Yes. You were wearing your birthday suit.' Confused as to what this meant, Rio walked over, while Phil and Yusei both laughed their heads off. Shortly after, Rio walked back, white as a sheet, and quietly stood next to the other two.

'What… the hell… did I just see?' 'I did say you didn't want to see.' 'I guess you were right.' As the time expired, all the potential boards were handed in, and then set up for Yusei to break through. After they were all done, the results were announced. 'Right, in last place with a board which lasted for 50 seconds, Kenzie.'

This made Mitch laugh. 'Don't laugh Mitchell, yours lasted 61 seconds. Fleur, 2 minutes 8 seconds. Jade, 7 minutes 20 seconds. Mike, 9 minutes 50 seconds. Myka, 10 minutes and a second. Donny, 11 minutes and 11 seconds, longer than you spent on it. Belle, 15 minutes 26 seconds. Denzil, I'm impressed – 15 minutes 29 seconds. And that means that the best board belonged to Brooke.'

As Brooke fist-pumped, he applauded her. 'It took Yusei 21 minutes exactly to work out how to break your board. I'm also awarding an extra mark to Brooke, Denzil, Belle, and Donny for coming up with the most unique boards. Now I don't normally show our rankings, but considering we're halfway through, we… well Rio, thought it might be an idea to show you how you're all doing. Remember, at the end of the course, you will be split into 1-1 duels based on your ranking. Kenzie, can this wait?'

'Just… kinda wanted to point out there's an odd number of people here.' 'Don't worry, if that's still the case at the end we have a few possibilities for what to do about it.' 'Like?' 'That's not for you to worry about. All you need to know is we have plans. Shall we show you the board then?'

'Right, this board is scored based on a descending scale based on how you've done in the practical tests, work, and any extra places or points you've earned. So in 10th, we have Fleur on 11 points. Then we have Mitchell on 19 points, Mike on 21, Kenzie on 24, Denzil on 25, Donny and Myka on 30, Jade on 37, Brooke on 39, and Belle on 41. I would like to point out though that anybody can change their position by doing well enough.'

Mike then shouted in his gruff accent. 'Does that mean Fleur's winning then?' As he laughed, Phil put him right. 'If it turns out she's just been suffering with the world's second worst bout of nerves, because nobody is worse than Lydia, then she might turn out to be the best of all of you.'

'Now the session is ending, but kindly, Yusei has said he's sticking around for about two hours or so if you've got any questions for him. I'd advise trying to learn a think or two. Oh, and Denzil, could you stay back please.' The man from Moss Side looked petrifiied as everybody else dispersed, and Phil went up to Blair, who had been watching the session.

'How are you feeling?' 'Not too bad thanks.' 'Heard you've been a bit ill?' 'Just sick a couple of times. Probably got a stomach bug. It'll pass.' 'I wanted to ask a favour.' 'Go on.' 'It's come to my attention that Denzil is a really promising duellist. He's got his own flair about him and he's got a decent brain. Only thing is, he seems to lack a defensive backbone and he loses focus far too easily. So I was wondering if you could… give him a few pointers?'

'I dunno… I've never been much good at anything like that. Why are you asking me anyway?' 'Simple – because you're the best person for the job. Defensive backbone and focus – the two things that you're the absolute gold standard for. I wouldn't have asked you if there was someone better qualified. But if you don't want to do it, that's totally fine. I understand.'

As he got up, she stopped him. 'Monday lunch, 1pm. But he has to turn up.' They then went over to him. 'Denzil, I've been thinking and decided that you could do with some tuition. Because I don't think we've seen how good you are.' 'Right?' 'Your losing focus constantly is irritating. So I've got you a tutor to improve your focus and your defensive play, which to be frank, is atrocious. They are available on Mondays at 1pm. You in?'

'I guess.' 'Good. Meet your new coach.' Blair then stepped forward, surprising the hell out of him. 'Wait, you're my...' 'Yep.' He then grinned. 'Awesome! Anything else?' 'No. See you on Monday.' 'Laters!' As he ran off, Blair went up to Yusei.

'I thought I'd get to meet you sooner rather than later. Let me introduce myself properly – I'm Yusei Fudo.' He then extended his hand, and Blair shook it. 'Blair Flannigan. Nice to meet you. Is there any chance I could have your autograph? Just I'm kind of a collector.' Yusei took the book, and before signing, flicked through it. 'You've collected a lot of them. Some I don't even recognise.'

'Yeah, I've been collecting them from everywhere I duel basically.' As he signed, he noticed the cast on her arm. 'What's up with your arm?' 'Stupid Staph infection. Cut my arm on a bookcase and didn't get it cleaned out properly. Got worse for months. Now I'm waiting to return.'

'When you're ready, let me know – I wouldn't mind duelling in this place. And duelling you sounds like just the thing.' The thought of this made her blush, but she kept her new-found confidence up. 'It would be an honour to duel you. And even more to beat you. Because I don't duel to come second.' She then left, to rush to the nearest toilet.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the base

Maddy was reading through a fashion magazine when Freja walked up, wearing a tiger print leotard and a pair of expensive trainers. 'Not the kind of thing you read is it? I thought you'd be busier reading that Campaign for Real Ale thing.'

'Ha ha very funny. I was just wondering what the hell I got myself into with this modelling thing. I mean look at them – most of them make you look like Elvis when he died.' 'What – constipated?' 'No – morbidly obese. Have any of them ever even smelled a rasher of bacon?'

'That's just magazines. Nobody even buys them anymore. Well apart from Universities anyway.' 'This guy you're taking me to see, what's he like?' Freja rolled her eyes slightly before replying totally honestly. 'He's got a reputation for being a bit of a knobhead. But you'll be fine because he likes me.'

'Why?' 'I dunno. Point is, you'll be ok. If I didn't believe it, I wouldn't have suggested it.' 'When you say suggested, you mean strong-armed me into it.' 'If I was doing that I wouldn't have left you like two months. Oh yeah, knew I wanted to ask you something.' 'Freja, you've got the memory of a goldfish. What is it?' 'I wanted to spend some time with Slicer.'

'I told you Fre, Astrid doesn't like being called Slicer, it makes her sound like a serial killer. Besides, she's not on base.' 'Well where is she then?' 'She's gone to a farming expo up in Kelso – apparently she wants to see what cheese they have there. She's absolutely obsessed with the stuff. Like, I've never seen anyone eat so much cheese and still be so in shape as she is.'

'Really don't get it myself.' 'Come on, don't pretend that you're not partial to a bit of cheddar. Everyone likes cheddar. Well apart from hedgehogs, but that's a totally different story I don't really want to tell right now.' 'I don't eat cheese, it would ruin my figure.' 'Cheese doesn't ruin your figure. Which idiot told you that?' 'Read it online.' The president then shook her head. 'Do you believe everything you read?' Chewing some gum, Freja replied 'Not everything, just the stuff that sounds true.'

Outside the base

Rio was having one of her cannabis cigarettes when Hannah met her out there. 'Hey.' 'Helping?' 'A bit. Fed-up of it.' 'The tremors?' 'Makes you wonder what use you are when you can't even keep your own hand still. I guess I got my brain at least.'

'Quite honestly, who cares that you've got hand tremors. It's like people caring that I'm long-sighted – f*ck 'em.' 'Still need to talk to Maddy about the cannabis.' 'Well why don't we do that now?' 'Both of us?' 'You speak quickly when you're nervous – you might need a translator.'

The two of them went back indoors, and went up to the president's office, only to find a notice on the door saying "Feeding Gareth, back in 20." This surprised Rio, who didn't recognise the name. 'Who's Gareth?' 'It's her new Iguana. Apparently she likes the name. Says she's going to get a snake called Dave next.' 'What do we do then?' 'Doesn't say when this was put up, so we wait I guess.'

12 minutes later

Maddy got back from her pet trip in her familiar hoodie. 'Hey Mam, Rio. Waiting for me?' 'No, we're waiting for the Doomsday Clock to reach midnight. What do you think we're waiting for?' 'Ok, keep your hair on… well whatever's left anyway.' 'You said you liked my new haircut.' 'I do. It was a joke. You waiting together or separately?' 'Together.' 'Come in then.'

As the three of them sat down, Maddy took her hoodie off, revealing a baggy purple shirt with the word "Rockstar" on in Comic Sans. 'Don't laugh, it was the only shirt to hand. Bought it when I was 13 and I've lost weight since then.' 'No comments coming. We wanted to ask your permission for something.'

'Right, go on.' 'Rio's been having serious tremors in her extemeties recently.' 'Yeah, me and Sakura have talked about it a little bit. Not easing?' 'No. So I was wondering if I could use these cannabis cigarettes that I've been taking on base.' The reply was quick and predictable.

'No.' 'I wouldn't be asking' 'The answer is no.' 'Why?' 'I'm not having drugs on base.' 'Sakura knows about them.' 'Well you're not asking Sakura are you? You're asking me. I've been through it with drugs before, and I'm not letting any on base again. Unless they are painkillers with a good reason or important medication, I'm not letting any on base.'

'I wouldn't be asking you without good reason.' 'I know that you think you're improving things by using those, but it doesn't work in the long run.' 'I'm not going to get addicted.' 'I'm not saying you will, I'm saying there's a chance and I'm not going to let that get in the way of what we're achieving here.'

All hope on the situation looked lost for Rio, until she started rooting through her pockets and found a small slip of paper. 'I've found it!' 'Found what?' Rio then showed it to her. 'When I got the cig… yeah, Phil worked something out regarding the amount of cannabis.' Maddy then took the paper and read through it several times.

'So he's saying that the amount in there is low?' Hannah then took the paper, and quickly realised what was trying to be said. 'I get it. He's saying that it takes a regular person about 10mg of the active ingredient to start being under the influence.' 'Right.' 'This contains .5mg of it. Just enough to ease off the tremors without causing any actual physical or mental effects aside from that.'

'Right. And how many have you been taking?' 'Depends how bad the shakes are, but usually about 3 a day. Most a day I've taken is 6, but that's because I dropped the first one.' After doing a couple of calculations, Maddy came to a conclusion. 'I'll let you smoke them, but I have strict conditions.' 'Sure.'

'Number 1, you don't smoke in front of the doors. Number 2, no more than 4 a day. Number 3, don't bring the smell in. Number 4, only us three, Phil, and Blair know about this. Number 5, if you get stoned by them, then you're suspended for a month. Understand?' 'Yes.' 'Good. I'd suggest you go before I change my mind.' 'Thank you.' 'None needed. Just go.'

In the arena

Phil was showing his guest around. 'These are the drones I mentioned in the session. They have a variable level from 1 to 10, increasing incrementally in difficulty with wach level. So Level 1 is basically someone who can just about duel, they mostly understand what cards do but they don't know the big combos or how cards link together. I call it the Aster Phoenix level.'

'I was waiting for a comment like that.' 'Then we go all the way up to Level 10 which is like facing one of us really. Simulates the real level that they'll have to face if they're going to be major stars.' 'Any of them faced a Level 10 yet?' 'No – none of them are ready. I'm hoping some of them may be ready by the end of the course, but at the moment I'm doubting that.'

'They seem like a decent bunch.' 'They are mostly, but none of them are really standing out as potential stars. It's important for them to make it, we're going to great expense with all of this and if they don't make an impact then we're not going to be getting the commission, and we're not going to be putting on another course because it isn't worth the expense.'

'I think I've seen a couple of them I like the look of. I've had an idea actually – let me and the boys look over the duels they've had so far.' Phil thought about it, and shrugged his shoulders. 'I'll email the recording files over. Just make sue your pc's security is up, I don't want anybody else getting hold of the files.'

'Yeah it's fine, Bruno's double-encrypted our computers so anybody wanting to get hold of anything has to hack through two lots of firewalls.' 'Sounds nice.' 'Yeah, he's a good dude. Seeing all this is enough to make me want to come back to the pro circuit. See how I stack up.'

'You should come back. It would be competitive. The tour's only getting stronger.' 'If this lot are anything to go by, you're right.' 'Just then, Jaden walked in, and a tense standoff ensued between he and Yusei. After a couple of tense minutes, Jaden broke the deadlock. 'Come back to the tour – I never got to face you.' Yusei simply said 'You got it.' and walked off.

In a meeting room

Hannah had invited Rio into the private room for "a chat". 'So what is it?' Hannah simply produced her deck, and handed it to Rio. 'Once I'm done with James, I'm leaving the pro circuit behind. So I want you to take whatever cards you think will make your deck better.' Full of questions, Rio rewound the proverbial tape.

'Right, why?' 'Why what?' 'Why now, why me, why this, just why?' 'Because I'm not going to need such a competitive deck. Why you? Because you deserve it, and quite honestly, because you need it the most. I want to give back to somebody, and I feel like I can help you more than I can help anybody else. My cards are better suited for your style of duelling and your existing deck, so that however much you take, it will make you better. And that makes me feel better. I'm not forcing you to take anything though.'

'I… just don't know.' 'It's fine. Just let me know when you decide. However long it takes.' 'Thank you… I really don't know what else to say.' 'You don't need to say anything. All you need to do is think about it. You could even take the entire thing if you want.' This left her younger collegue lost for words… for multiple reasons.

'But how would you duel Birchall if you had no deck?' Hannah laughed, her shorter hair ruffling against her shoulders as she relaxed. 'Have you noticed who I'm married to? You don't spend the amount of time I have with Phil and not pick up one or two little things about deck building. Besides, he's always available if I need extra advice.' She then stood up, neatly tucking her chair under the desk as she did. 'Just let me know when you've made a decision. But don't rush into anything.'

The next day

Freja and Lydia were excited for Maddy's day of modelling. Which was significantly more than could be said for their president, who turned up to the base wearing a plain black woollen jumper and dark tinted sunglasses. 'Geez, you look rough.' 'Wouldn't you if you ain't slept in two days? It even hurts to eat at the moment – feels like I'm living through a nightmare.'

'Never mind this, you need to get yourself to the doctors.' 'I'm going to during the mid-season break – I've probably got gallstones. Had 'em before.' 'When?' 'About 3 years ago. Hurt like shit about 4 days, got them removed a couple of weeks later. Barely ate during that time. And the weirdest thing about it was that I actually gained 3 pounds in those two weeks. My body's fucking weird in case you couldn't tell.'

'Sure you're ok to do this?' 'Said I would didn't I? I mean don't get me wrong, I've been dreading this. But I'm a wolf o' my word.' Lydia then laughed. 'What?' 'I've missed Geordie Maddy. Feels like you've been all business recently, we've missed the wild you.' 'Well if I take any shit today I'm going to get wild. How long does it take to get to this place?'

'It's 20 minutes on the bus and then a short walk. They've got as many as 30 models there at any one time, massive agency.' 'Sounds alright I guess.' Freja then put her arm out. 'C'mon, us Northern Girls stick together. The Renegade Mafia.' This brought a smile even to Maddy's face. 'I like it.' She then walked off, laughing and shaking her head. 'The Renegade Mafia. Honestly.'

20 minutes later

Arriving at the studio, they got to the reception. 'Hello, how may I help you?' Freja took the lead. 'We've got an appointment in Studio 4 with Aaron Chambers. I've got my card here.' The man behind the reception took a look at the card, tapped details into the system and then looked at them, still stone-faced. 'Ms. McKinna? And one of you is a Ms. Robinson-Cummings?' 'Yeah, that's me.'

Lydia then joined in. 'I'm Freja's twin – it should say in her notes that I'm allowed in.' 'Certainly. I'll let him know you're here.' He then picked the phone up. 'Hi, this is Joe from Reception. Could you let Mr. Chambers know that his 11:50 appointment is waiting? Thank you.' He then looked back up at them again. 'You wait outside the studio until he's ready.' 'Thanks.'

As they made their way up the stairs, they started bitching about the receptionist. 'Someone likes his job don't they? Don't think I ever met somebody so miserable.' 'That's Joe. He's annoyed because a couple of other girls called in sick due to getting run over on a hen night, so he's had to cancel his holiday and is instead working 11 days in a row. He's not usually that snappy.'

'Know anything about him?' 'Only that he's a big cricket buff. Supports Leicestershire. I did ask Phil what that meant a while back but he couldn't stop laughing. You ever played cricket?' 'Yeah, like in school. I was actually good at it.' 'Well you're good at everything physical aren't you?'

'It was only that and athletics really. Everything else I was just kinda meh at.' Just then, a dark, handsome man in an expensive suit walked by, and smiled at Maddy. 'Big girl – nice curves.' Freja then popped her head in. 'Matt, I told you before – you don't chat girls up by talking about how big they are. It really puts them off. Sorry, Maddy, this is Matteo. He's a dance instructor, but he also works here as a camera operator.'

'I know a thing or two about cameras myself. What type do you use here?' 'We use an EOS-Mark III for all the major shots.' 'Never used the Mark III. I've got the Mark II at home and absolutely swear by it, despite the slightly dodgy zoom lens. Although that could just be because I dropped it off the side of a wall this one time. Anyway, I'm Maddy.'

'The name is Matteo. But everyone, they call me Matt. Why? I have no idea? But I do not question, sounds cool.' Going all shy at attention, Maddy tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled. 'Never met a proper Italian Stallion before.' 'Pardon?' Freja then appeared underneath Maddy's arm. 'She means she fancies you Matt', before going on to make highly irritating smooching noises, causing Maddy to punch her on the nose.

'I'm sorry, she doesn't know when to shut up.' 'It's fine. I know people like that. You here to model?' 'Yeah, it's my first time. I'm only doing it as a favour.' 'You should do more often. You look excellent.' Starting to blush, Maddy smiled at him, made her excuses, and ran off. Before following her, Lydia made sure to give Matteo Maddy's phone number and email address.

Outsie the studio, they caught up with each other, and Freja resorted to hyperactive, annoying type, singing 'Maddy's got a boyfriend' while prancing around the upper floor like a dancing fairy on sugar. 'Shut it Fre! I ain't got a boyfriend.' Lydia then nudged her in the shoulder.

'You know, you don't have to go all shy when a guy gives you some attention.' 'I have no idea what you're on about.' 'Well between tucking your hair behind your ear, blushing, and panicking when Freja spoke, I think there's evidence to suggest otherwise. Like the only other time I've even seen you like that is when you're with Sean… Ho...ly…Shit' Lydia suddenly exclaimed, having accidentally stumbled into one of Maddy's greatest secrets.

'Don't say a word.' 'You… and Sean?' 'Don't say a word.' 'Why? You can tell us anything! What's even the point of us being friends if you can't talk to us' Getting severely annoyed, Maddy bit back. 'Fine! I fancy Sean, I find him cool, and not only that, I tried to kiss him the day after Mam died, but he rejected me. Is that better?'

Instead of replying, Lydia put her arm around Maddy. 'Why don't you try talking to him again?' 'He rejected me once didn't he?' 'Yeah, that was just after Hannah was shot. You said it yourself. He was never going to take advantage of you being emotional was he? Sean 10 years ago, maybe.' Their conversation was interrupted at it's peak by a skinny, dark-haired man in his early 30s walking out.

'Hello Freja.' 'Hi Aaron. This is Maddy, she's the one I told you about.' The director looked thoroughly unimpressed at the sight of Maddy, but having made a guarantee, he lived up to it. 'I see some things we can do. Right this way.' As they walked in, they saw skinny girls ranging from mid-teens to early 30s posing and walking around, as well as a few guys who more resembled perfectly-proportioned waxworks than actual humans, making Maddy immediately feel out of place.

'Right, as this is an introductory session, I will guide you through the processes we go through here. First we will take some measurements off of you, and then we will pick out a series of outfits which we think will suit your body style. Make-up will be applied between each shoot as well, and by the end, you should have your own portfolio to take back with you. And if you choose to continue in your modelling journey, then that will only increase. Any questions?'

'A couple. Firstly how long does all this take?' 'Our shoots like this last no more than about 90 minutes. It may be shorter, depending on how long it takes to pick out outfits and how long it takes to get the perfect shot.' 'And the make-up, do I get any say in how it's applied?'

Aaron laughed at the thought. 'No, our make-up team will sort that. Rest assured, they only use appropriate amounts. The magazines and websites we work with don't like to see our models looking like an advert for Maybelline.' 'Wait, did you say magazines and websites?'

Freja then reassured her. 'Don't worry about it – they aren't allowed to sell any images of you without your permission. You'd have to sign a form confirming that.' 'Thanks.' 'Now just a few details before we start. Your name, date of birth, and your height if known.' 'Can give you my weight as well since you're gonna be measuring that, measured it myself the other day. I'm Maddy Robinson-Cummings, born on the 14th October 1998, 5ft 4in, and I weigh 14st 11lbs. Or at least I did before breakfast, might weigh more now.'

Aaron then took the details and had a chat with the rest of his team. 'Hey Mads, can you listen in on what they're saying?' 'No, there's too much going on. It would just be like a total jumble of everyone's conversations.' Lydia then went to business for herself and moved closer to the conversation, under the guise of writing a research report.

'Mr. Chambers, how can we help?' 'We've got another ordinary here. I wouldn't ordinaliry have allowed her beyond the doors, but she's a guest of Freja, so if I offer her something here then Freja will stay with us. While she's happy, I'll get her to sign a waiver allowing us to start modelling lingerie with her.'

'So what would you suggest for this ordinary then?' 'Try some of our plus collection – we might as well salvage what we can. Who knows what might happen – she might turn out to be decent.' He then turned around, seeing Lydia writing. 'I'm sorry, we don't allow reporters in here.'

'Me? I'm not a reporter. I'm studying business at college and we were told to make notes on how a business in our local area operates on a day to day basis. I didn't tell you because the last time I tried to do this with another place they started acting all strange.' 'Well we will act just like normal.' 'Thanks.'

As Lydia returned, she reported what she had heard to Maddy and Freja, with the younger twin being shocked. 'You're kidding? Nobody says that about Maddy and gets away with it!' Maddy then nudged her in the ribs. 'Calm down. The last thing you need is to lose this contract.'

Aaron then came back, and Maddy stood up. 'Shall we?' 'Yes. Right this way. We have selected a broad range of styles for you here.' The three of them then walked over towards a green screen, with the changing rooms just behind. 'This is where the magic happens.'

The Italian stallion from earlier then appeared behind the camera. 'This is Matteo, he's our lead camera operator. He's going to be taking the photos of you today. So if you would please.' The two of them then started, while Lydia watched on in concern.

As Maddy came out in her first outfit (a long, black sleeveless dress), Lydia audibly gawped at her curved figure walking through. While Matteo was taking the photos and Maddy twirled, ponytail chasing after her, Lydia took a couple of her own photos to mark the occasion. After this, the wolfblood sat on a small, white chair and smiled as more snaps were taken.

Her next outfit was a white and black striped shirt. The director wanted her to laugh, but due to nerves, she couldn't muster anything. That was until Freja started whispering funny jokes from behind the screen, forcing giggles out of her, resulting in surprisingly natural-looking photos.

Following this was her third outfit. But after a couple of minutes there was no sign. And then there was a shout. 'Fre, could you lace the back up please? Pulled me shoulder.' After that disaster was averted, she walked out in a corset-style dress, laced at the back with a pair of fishnet stockings. As she walked around in it, more pictures found their way onto the camera.

A plain white button-up shirt and pigtails then came next, and she sat elegantly, while Matteo moved around to get the best angle of the model and the shirt. As he did for a more revealing number, her brunette hair lightly teased and the shirt stitched lightly, showing patches of her delicate skin.

The second last outfit for the day was a candy pink full body dress with collar, accompanied by a pink headband, and at the request of Aaron, a pink feather boa. She was clearly less comfortable with this outfit, but still played ball, and with a mirror behind her, posed cutely.

Finally was a simple blue and grey crop-top, revealing a toned body, muscles clearly evident. She posed athletically, and then started to let her wolf come in, crawling towards the camera as if she was possessed, allowing for some great close-ups to end the shoot.

15 minutes later

As Freja's shoot ended, the girls regrouped next to Aaron's computer. 'So what did you think?' The dickhead director smiled at them. 'I was impressed. I think you're a little bit of a natural. In fact, we'd like to have you back. Now Freja, have you thought about that waiver yet?'

Her reply was blunt. 'I'm not stripping off for anybody.' 'You could make lots of money.' 'Yeah, I could make money as a prostitute. Doesn't mean I'm doing it.' Disappointed, Aaron continued. 'So Maddy, we'd like to have you back in the future with just a couple of modifications.'

'Modifications? I'm not some robot.' 'Please, it's minor in the grand scheme of things. All we are asking is that you fit our ideal image by dropping a little weight, say, 4 stone? Also you need to do something about that hair, a peroxide blonde would be nice. And while you're at it, we'd pay for you to get yourself some very high quality breast implants.'

Maddy wasn't having this. 'I ain't losing 4 stone, I ain't dying my hair, and I sure as fuck ain't getting a boob job.' 'Come on now. You are a natural. You're just a little bit… fat.' At this point, Freja had heard enough, and grabbed a piece of paper, before scribbling down furiously on it and then handing it to Aaron.

'What's this?' 'It's a resignation notice. I'm contracted for four more shoots, and after that, I'm not coming back. Because she is beautiful, and nobody calls her fat on my watch. There are some things more important than looks.' Aaron found this rather amusing. 'And where will you go?'

Matteo then walked over. 'I know a couple of places. I may help you?' 'Sure.' The douchebag angrily turned around to his continental employee. 'Matteo, don't do it. I am your boss' 'And you didn't give me a contract. I work here 15 months, you give me no contract, and now you give me no pay. Let me go, or I call the Police, tell them you pay yourself all the profits.' Not waiting around, the girls left, as Aaron looked on in absolute disgust.

When they had exited the building, Maddy seemed concerned. 'Did I just cost you your job?' 'No, I chose you over it. There's plenty of other agencies around. Just need to contact them.' Matteo then passed, and handed the three girls a post-it note each. After a quick argument, they decided that they should reveal in alphabetical order.

'So Freja, what is it?' 'It's the names of a few local agencies which are hiring. Lyds, what's yours?' Holding back laughter, she replied 'His phone number.' This surprised her sister, who was rather expecting Maddy's note to contain the number. 'So what does yours contain Maddy?' 'Link to some dropbox thing. And there's a message at the bottom in Italian.'

Lydia then held her hand out. 'You learn a lot working in an Italian restaurant.' Maddy passed the note over, and Lydia read it. 'I lupi non mi spaventano.' 'Any idea?' 'Yep. It translates as "Wolves don't scare me." As they stared on in confusion, Matteo looked back, and winked.

When they got back, the "Renegade Mafia" immediately went to the office, where Maddy typed in the internet link. 'What is it Maddy?' 'It's all the photos from today.' She then looked around suspiciously. 'Including some taken on an iPhone. Now I only know two people with an iPhone, and one of them is currently in Canada. Any suggestions Freja?'

'It's not me.' 'You're the only other person I know with an iPhone.' 'Don't have mine anymore, I gave it to Lydia last week because I was buying myself a stronger one… oh… sorry?' Lydia then held her hands up. 'I took them because I've never seen you in a dress before, ok?'

Instead of being annoyed, she smiled. 'Think I was about 9 the last time I wore one. Might have to more.' Freja looked confused though. 'It's strange – he doesn't normally store the pictures on his computer. He usually just saves them to a hard drive. Wonder how he got the photos.'

In the city centre

As the rain drove down in the centre of Newcastle, Matteo was talking to someone under the hood of a thick raincoat. 'Pictures?' 'Where you requested.' The envoy then handed back the hard drive, and took her hood down to reveal that it was Jodi with her hair down. 'Those girls, they are something special.'

'They are.' 'These jobs, they exist?' 'They do. I've… made sure that you've got a good job to go to. Pays better, and the boss is just… so loyal to you all.' She then handed over an envelope. 'That's the money you requested for the job. It was a pleasure doing business with you.' She then put her hood back up, and vanished into the dark evening. As Matteo looked at the envelope, it had an "R" scrawled on it in red lipstick.

The next day, Nottingham

With the trials being held in Nottingham, Maddy had been drawn in the final session, meaning she'd know if her time was good enough. As she watched everyone else race, she got increasingly nervous. And then it was her turn.

As Maddy warmed up for the race, Jana came over to her. 'Remember – head up, don't go too fast, and if you feel any muscles let go, just coast to the end.' 'Yeah, I know. It's 200m.' Just then, Phil and Hannah rolled up in their Aston Martin, with Hannah dressed in a fur coat and sunglasses.

'Sorry we're late, there was an accident on the A1(M), so we had to take the A19 around Harrogate.' 'Just glad you're here.' 'What – you thought we were going to miss this?' Just then, there was a call. 'Can all the 200m competitors come and get their starting positions please.'

A couple of minutes later, Maddy was walking by the track, wearing a dark-blue shirt. After taking a deep breath, she walked towards the starting blocks, as everyone else started to arrive. A couple of other racers gave her funny looks, not expecting a less-lean opponent.

With everyone on the starting blocks, it became clear that Maddy was the only one not wearing spikes. 'On your marks. Get set.' As the starting gun went off, Maddy got a bad start, her back foot slipping slightly on the damp ground. But she put her head down, and started surging through the field, her powerful legs pounding the track, and the race ended with five of them crossing the line almost together.

After the race, nobody seemed to know who had won. While the organisers watched the slow-mo footage back, Maddy walked over to her parents, who were stood with Lydia who had also come (Freja was busy searching for a new modelling agency). 'I'm sorry.' 'What you sorry about?'

She then sat down and had an isotonic. 'Got a terrible start. That's what you get for not wearing spikes.' 'Why aren't you wearing spikes?' 'They feel like they're digging into the ground rather than helping. If I'd seen the weather then I might have included them anyway.'

The tannoy then went off. 'Can all competitors please come to the referee's office.' As they did, everyone watched on with baited breath, as Hannah's phone buzzed. Before she could check it though, there was a call. 'Hi Blair.' 'Have you got the result yet?' 'It looked like a 5-way dead heat. We're just waiting for the results now.' 'Let me know when you've heard anything.'

'I will do. What's that clanging by the way?' 'Oh that's just me, I'm baking.' 'Blair, the last time you baked anything Rio threw up just by looking at it.' 'Yeah, well I'm following the recipe this time. Gramma was an amazing cook, so I've got to pick up the slack for the family now. Anyway, got to put this in the oven. Love ya bye.'

Just as she came off the phone, Maddy came walking up. 'So how did you do?' 'Won the heat, 3rd overall.' She then smiled. 'I'm going to the World Athletics Championship!' As everyone celebrated with her, Hannah quickly checked the notification, finding it was an email from an address she didn't recognize. It simply read 'Last chance – split up with him and come back to your one true love, or he faces the consequences.' She put her phone away, and thought no more of it.

Next time: Rhydian's next challenger is determined, Maddy finds herself torn between two worlds, and Phil pays for his wife's inaction in Renegades: A New Dawn Chapter XXVIII: Cloak and Dagger Backstabber