Darlings of Decay

by Chrissy Peebles

  I shook my head. “You probably haven’t. It’s been awhile since I’ve competed. Now that I’m a Black Belt, though, that’ll probably change.”

  “Great. You’d be a good distraction for some of my opponents.”

  I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I just smiled.

  “Okay, you two. Better get going, time’s-a-wasting,” said Master Jordan. “Bryce, if you could work with Cassie on some of her kicks? She may need a little encouragement keeping those legs high up in the air.”

  I just wanted to fade away when I noticed Bryce’s devilish grin.

  “You know, I’m just going to let that one go,” he replied softly. Unfortunately, it wasn’t soft enough because Nora snorted from across the room, and oh how I wanted to punch her.

  “Keep it clean, De Luca,” said Master Jordan. “You don’t want to mess with that one, her kicks are lethal.”

  He chuckled. “Sounds like an interesting challenge.”

  “Well, just never say I didn’t warn you, buddy,” replied Master Jordan. He then winked at me and stepped into his office.

  I think Bryce must have thought I was anxious about sparring with someone more advanced, which wasn’t really the case. It was the way he looked at me that started my heart pounding madly in my chest.

  “Hey, Cassandra, I was just kidding. I’ll go easy on you,” said Bryce.

  “No, don’t. I can handle it,” I replied breathlessly.

  His piercing blue eyes met mine. “Look, I don’t want to hurt you. I’m obviously twice your size and much farther along in my training. You don’t have a chance against someone as formidable as me.”

  My fantasy of him being a total Adonis crumbled, and I stared at him in amazement, wondering if he was for real. I cleared my throat. “You’re serious? You think I’m not going to be challenging enough for you?” I asked.

  “Most women aren’t,” he stated confidently.

  His arrogance irritated me. I’d worked hard on earning my Belt and prided myself on being just as good if not better than many of the guys in my class. Chauvinism was something I simply had no tolerance for. I stomped out the small fire he’d created in my stomach and ignored how cute his butt looked in his uniform. “Well, I think the only thing you should go easy on is your own ego.”

  He gave me a surprised look then chuckled. “Ouch. Man…you are a little wild one aren’t you?”

  You’re going to soon find out, I thought as I put on my helmet and mouth guard.

  Bryce took his time putting on his own gear, glancing at me occasionally with a wry smile. I refused to let him bother me, though. I couldn’t wait to wipe the cocky grin from his face.

  “Ready yet?” I snapped impatiently.

  “Oh, I’m ready alright. The question is, are you ready for me, Wild?” he replied, jumping fluidly to his feet. I had to admit, with his height and combat gear in place, he was intimidating.

  “I’ve been ready. And by the way, I prefer to be called Cassie.”

  He laughed at that, adding more fuel to the fire. I pushed aside my anxiety and let his irritating personality feed my adrenaline. We tapped gloves and I charged after him before he had a chance to study my fighting style. I started with a burst of fast charges and strikes, which took him a little by surprise. I bit my lip to keep from smirking as I circled around Bryce, waiting for his move.

  Bryce nodded his approval then came at me with a roundhouse kick, which I quickly blocked and countered with a couple of moves that would show him how challenging I could be. I jumped up and did a combination roundhouse with an ax-kick. I swiftly followed that move with a hard side thrust kick. This time I couldn’t hide my satisfied grin when I heard him grunt.

  “Okay, not bad,” he said.

  “Told you,” said Master Jordan, who was now standing outside of his office, watching us. “She may have just gotten her Black Belt, but she’s always been a natural martial artist. Her strikes are quick and solid.”

  I opened my eyes innocently. “Bryce, next time don’t hold back. Give me all you’ve got. Or aren’t you man enough.”

  He gave me a crooked smile and opened his mouth to respond when Master Jordan interrupted. “Like I said, keep it clean over there, Mr. De Luca. She‘s a minor.”

  “I’ll be eighteen next month,” I countered.

  Bryce stared at me for a moment, his face crestfallen. “Sorry,” he said. “I thought you were older.”

  “So?” I shrugged. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  He frowned and took a sip of water. “Forget about it,” he said. “Let’s just keep practicing.”

  We spent the rest of the time practicing front, roundhouse, and tornado kicks. I could tell that Bryce still wasn’t being as aggressive as he could have been, but by the end of the class, both of us were sweating and out of breath. When we were finished, he removed his helmet and wiped his forehead with a towel.

  “Wow, I’m really impressed,” he said. “You snap those kicks quickly and your balance is right on. Plus, I haven’t met that many other opponents with as much power in their roundhouse kicks as you.”

  “So I was a little bit of a challenge? Even for a girl?” I asked.

  His smile fell away. “For anyone. Cassie, I’m sorry for sounding like a complete ass earlier. You obviously put me in line.”

  “You weren’t a complete ass,” I said dryly.

  He bit back a smile. “Really, I’m not such a bad guy once you get to know me.”

  I shrugged. “If you say so…”

  “I’ll be back tomorrow evening, if you want to stop in and practice again.”

  “I’m not sure if I’ll be here tomorrow, but thanks.” I replied, removing my chest plate.

  “Okay, well maybe I’ll see you around.”

  I nodded. “Sure. Good luck with your next tournament.”

  “Thanks.”

  I grabbed my gym bag and started stuffing my sparring gear into it. Mae, Master Jordan’s girlfriend, walked over and congratulated me on getting my Black Belt.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  As usual her makeup was flawless and she was dressed like she’d just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Her exotic Asian eyes glinted with amusement.

  She motioned towards Bryce. “So…you like that boy?”

  “What?” I shook my head vehemently. “No…he’s just an instructor.”

  I could tell by her expression that she didn’t totally believe me. Neither did I for that matter.

  “Cassie, you…very pretty girl. You should let me shape your eyebrows and give you manicure. I will do it, no charge. Men like beautiful nails and tidy eyebrows.” Mae owns the nail shop in the same mini-mall as the karate studio.

  “Oh, no…that’s okay, Mae,” I replied, now feeling self-conscious about my eyebrows. I realized my nails were a lost cause, but I thought I’d done a pretty decent job plucking my own eyebrows.

  She unexpectedly grabbed my hand and looked at my nails. “No. You come and let me do this for you. Your nails are…ugly. This is my treat for earning your Black Belt. Tomorrow night?”

  Embarrassed and defeated, I accepted her offer. “Um, okay. Thank you?”

  Master Jordan joined us and put his arms around her. “Better listen to Mae. She won’t accept NO for an answer.”

  “Either do you,” she replied firmly.

  “What can I say, Mae? I didn’t want you to miss out on having such a great guy. Besides, you know you couldn’t resist me. You finally said yes.” He was actually pretty good looking for someone in their thirties. Blond hair, blue eyes, and kicking body, he kind of reminds me of Paul Walker, from the “Fast and The Furious.”

  She chuckled. “I gave in so you’d stop embarrassing me at my shop. How many times a week did you ask for both pedicure and date?”

  “I thought you liked massaging my feet?”

  She looked down at his feet. “I got tired of looking at your corns.”

  Master Jordan’s face fell, but
I could tell he was amused. “Corns? Mae, you’re killing me!”

  Mae and I burst out laughing. She then grabbed him around the waist and dragged him away while he pretended to pout.

  I walked through the locker room and into the entryway, where Nora was standing. “So, that new instructor was smoking hot,” she said. “Did you get his number?”

  I scowled. “No! Are you kidding? He’s an instructor. Besides, he’s kind of annoying.”

  She smiled. “Well as annoying as he was, he certainly couldn’t keep his eyes off of you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That’s because we were sparring, Nora.”

  She shook her head. “No, it was more than that.”

  Her words pleased me, though. I was a little intrigued with him; there was no denying that. But he was an instructor and too arrogant for my tastes.

  “You need a ride home?” I asked her.

  “No, Scott’s going to give me a lift.” This time Nora’s cheeks turned bright pink. “It’s no big deal. I guess he doesn’t live far from my grandma’s. Anyway, I was wondering if you’d want to hang out this weekend? My dad sent a copy of his latest CD. We could listen to it and order a pizza or something. If you don‘t have anything else going on?”

  That was surprising. “I might be able to Saturday night. I’ll call you.”

  Just then Scott walked up and hip-checked me. “Hey, girl, you ready for prom?”

  “Almost,” I replied.

  Nora’s face fell. “You guys are going to the prom together?”

  “Just as friends!” we both said at the same time.

  Her face brightened immediately. “Oh, well that’s cool! Have fun.”

  “You’re not going?” Scott asked Nora.

  She shook her head and began picking at lint on her karate uniform.

  “Why not?” he asked.

  Nora sighed and lifted her arms up. “Are you kidding me? Could you picture me at prom?”

  “Actually, yes I could. I’m kind of shocked that nobody asked you,” replied Scott.

  Nora rolled her eyes. “Don’t be. It really isn’t my thing anyway. Look, we’d better get going. I have to check on Grams, make sure she’s okay.”

  “No problem,” said Scott. He turned to me. “I’ll talk to you at school tomorrow.”

  “Bye, you guys,” I said. “I’ll catch you tomorrow, Nora.”

  She nodded and I watched as they left together. When he opened the passenger door for her, she appeared surprised, then flashed him one of her rare smiles. It suddenly all made sense to me; Nora was totally into Scott, and seeing the way Scott responded to Nora, he probably felt the same way.

  Chapter Four

  When I picked up Allie from her dance class, she was unusually quiet.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked her.

  “Yeah,” she replied, laying her blond head back against the seat. Normally she was a chatterbox, so I knew something was bothering her.

  I turned down my radio. “Spill it…what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.”

  Allie and I didn‘t always get along, but she’s still my little sister and I don’t like seeing her glum. “Okay. But if you need my advice on anything…”

  She let out a dramatic sigh. “Well, if you really want to know…” Then she rambled on about some boy she had a crush on at school. Apparently he teased her in front of everyone, completely humiliating her. “He actually said I was high maintenance!”

  It took all my will to hold back my smile. Obviously he knew Allie pretty well. “Listen, boys your age are clueless. Forget about him and focus on something else, like getting good grades, or hanging out with your friends. In a couple of years, the guys will be following you around like puppy dogs.” It was true, with her blond hair, blue eyes, and radiant smile, she had absolutely nothing to worry about.

  “You sound just like mom,” she pouted.

  I cringed, although I agreed with my mother on this one. “Well this time she’s right.”

  Allie fell silent again and took out her cell phone. A minute later she was on the phone with Kylie, Paige’s younger sister. They were close friends. They chatted for a few minutes, making plans for the weekend. When she hung up, she was her usual upbeat self.

  “Kylie wants to see a movie this weekend and have a sleepover.”

  “That sounds like fun,” I replied.

  Allie‘s eyes lit up. “Hey, you should come over, too. We could order a pizza and swim in the indoor pool at night. It‘s so cool.”

  Paige and Kylie’s mother, Kristie, just recently married this rich guy named Dan. He owns several restaurants in the area and they now live in a huge mansion with two swimming pools, a tennis court, and a shooting range. Allie spends more time there than she does at home.

  I narrowed my eyes. “Kristie is going to be gone? That could lead to trouble.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, looking cross.

  Kylie is a nice girl, but she tends to attract trouble, even when she isn’t looking for it. My mom says that Kylie reminds her exactly of Kristie when she was little. Our moms had played together as children, and I guess Kristie had been a real hell-raiser growing up. Frankly, she’s still pretty feisty and you never know what she’ll say or do next. Kylie has the same fiery spirit as her mom and it’s gotten both Allie and herself in trouble in the past.

  “Forget about it. Well, it sounds interesting but I promised Nora I’d hang out with her Saturday night. She‘s depressed about her dad being away. She lost her driver’s license a few months ago and doesn‘t have many friends.”

  “Nora? Awesome, invite her too! I’m sure Paige will be fine with that.”

  I snorted. “Unlikely. Nora scares the crap out of most people. I can’t imagine Paige being thrilled about her coming over.”

  “Just check,” Allie pleaded. “It would be so much fun! I haven’t been to a real slumber-party in ages. It’s usually just me and Kylie.”

  Shrugging, I said, “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

  “It’s going to be so much fun!” my sister replied all giddy. She turned on the radio and started singing and bouncing around to the music. “Hey, it’s your song!” Ironically it’s called “Wild Ones” by Flo Rida, and she’s always playing it for me on her iPod.

  “Allie, don’t forget to check with mom, too!” I yelled over the music

  She nodded, then leaned over and gave me an unexpected kiss on the cheek. Unlike me, she wasn’t shy about showing affection to anyone. “I get to hang out with my sister,” she sang. “The Wild One!”

  I smiled at her. Allie was growing up quickly, but to me, she’d always be the mischievous imp dancing around in her crooked tiara and Little Mermaid gown.

  ~~~

  Later that night, when my mother read the information about the flu shot, she was furious. She crumpled up the permission sheet and tossed it into the garbage. “It’s ridiculous. They can’t enforce this. I’m calling the school.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Mom there’s nothing you can do. Maybe we should just get the stupid shot.”

  Mom put her hands on her hips. “Are you kidding me? Absolutely not! Did you notice how our family hasn’t come down with anything yet? It’s because we don’t get those stupid flu shots. If we did, we’d probably be as sick as everyone else.”

  “Sorry…” I mumbled.

  Allie pouted. “Mom, I have to go to school. There’s a major test next week.” I also knew she didn’t want to be away from her friends or the guy she was crushing on.

  Mom put her arm around Allie‘s shoulders. “Don’t worry about it, sweetie. I’ll make some calls and get this taken care of.”

  I got up off the couch and stretched. “Well, if I can’t go to school, I’m definitely not hanging around Daycare Central,” I said.

  “I’m sure you’ll find something to do. Otherwise you can run some errands for me, like picking up your prom dress.”

  Although I wasn’t thrilled about wear
ing a dress, my mother had helped me choose one that I actually liked; a strapless, coral-colored chiffon gown that made my waist look smaller and my skin look tan.

  After dinner, as my mom disinfected the daycare area of the house, I took a shower, then retreated to my bedroom and turned on the television. There were news reports on every channel covering the flu epidemic. On channel eleven, Eva King’s mother, Veronica, was interviewing a spokesperson from the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (C.D.C). I actually like Eva’s mother, who I’d met back in grade school at a birthday party. Although she’s somewhat of a celebrity, she never once acted snooty or cold. In fact she was really sweet to everyone, unlike her daughter.

  Veronica definitely wasn’t herself today; she looked sick and miserable. Her normally tan face was pale, her nose bright red, and her blue eyes watery. Usually she looked so professional, with no red curl out of place.

  “This is Veronica King, and if you’re just tuning in, I have Dr. William Blake from the Centers for Disease Control on satellite. We‘ve been discussing this new flu virus that people are referring to as ‘The Creeper’, because it starts out slow and then hits its victim pretty hard. Does that about sum it up, Doctor?”

  “Correct,” replied Dr. Blake stiffly. He was over fifty, slim, with little round glasses and wispy grey hair that didn’t quite cover the bald spot.

  “Thank you again for joining us, Doctor. As I mentioned, this virus has been spreading at an alarming rate. It’s affected the entire country,” she croaked and then cleared her throat. ”Excuse me. I mean the entire world. The big question tonight is, how do we control this growing epidemic?”

  “That’s easy, Ms. King, we control it by making wise decisions; like getting vaccinated. It’s imperative, especially for our elderly and small children.”

  Veronica’s eyes narrowed. “And you stand behind this vaccine one hundred percent? Earlier we heard from other medical experts stating that they don’t feel the vaccine is having a significant enough effect on this particular virus. Millions of people have still contracted severe flu symptoms even after getting vaccinated. Emergency rooms have been flooded and can’t even care for their patients properly. They’ve had to turn people away. Let me ask you this, is the CDC working on improving the current vaccine?”