by Lan Chan
“You know what they say, the bigger they are…”
He grinned then. A meaty grin with all the confidence in the world that he probably had the right to feel. “I don’t know much, but what I do know is that Void beats esper.”
He barrelled forward this time, faking to the left. When I spun away, he stretched himself taut as he fell. The span of his body took up most of the length of the ring. I jumped to keep away from the reach of his hands, but he was too quick. You don’t see that often– someone of his size with that kind of speed. If I allowed myself to be pulled within his wrestling area, I could kiss consciousness goodbye.
His fist grabbed a handful of my tank top. It tore as he attempted to drag me backwards. Before I even knew what was happening, I was scrambling to get the tank over my head. Modesty be damned.
Clad only in my black bra, I sprinted away. My strip show was a hit. The clapping of the crowd was drowned out by wolf-whistling and cat-calls. I’m an only child with an over-protective parent, and a past that isn’t fit to be mentioned to the justice system. There was a lot that triggered me. But nothing more so than the way Goliath bunched up the black tank in his fist, brought it to his nose and took a big sniff.
It might not have been possible to read his mind, but his intentions were clear in the curve of his lips. Overhead, the stadium lights flickered as my telepathy rolled through it.
The crowd became stunned into awed silence. Every esper in the room could feel the ambient waves of thought as my anger manifested itself physically. Aside from picking up a section of the metal chairs and beating him to death with it, my telepathy couldn’t reach him on a physical level. God, Voids were a pain in the neck.
And that’s exactly what I decided to do. Taking a running start, I bolted straight for him. Undeterred by the display of power, he came at me at the same time. Our bodies converged. I grappled for his arm and used his body as a ladder. My foot touched his thigh. I pushed off, springing into the air. He snatched at my midriff, but without material to latch on to, it was harder for him to take hold.
I hooked my leg around his shoulders and positioned myself in a seated position. His fingers clawed at my jeans, trying to throw me off. The tugging pulled me sideways but I shoved it aside and drew my shoulder back. The electrokinesis began to build inside me, adding to the negligible physical strength I usually had stored up.
When I slammed my fist into his right temple, the blow rocked him sideways. Void or not, his shock radiated through his body and up into mine. I was ready for the physical ramifications but not the way he roared and tried to clutch at his head.
Unwilling to allow myself to be distracted, I came down again one more time. That did it. His body swayed from side to side. The crowd was nothing more than a single voice cheering its bloody intent.
I leapt off him at the last minute, stumbling backward and losing my footing. Even though I was on my ass, the speck of blood on my fist was enough to tell me I’d done the necessary damage. Glancing at my wrist, I couldn’t figure out why they were still intact.
My knuckles should at least be broken or something. He reacted as though I’d mortally wounded him. I shouldn’t be physically capable of inflicting that much damage. As I watched, it almost appeared as though my veins were writhing beneath my skin. I blinked and the image disappeared. Great, now I was losing my mind on top of everything else.
The referee raced onto the stage, calling out his countdown. “…two, one.” The bell rang. “It’s over! The winner is Raven!”
For some reason, he was smiling at me. He urged me to throw my arms up in the air and egged the crowd on in their jeering. Instead, I limped off the side of the ring and walked slowly back to the dressing room.
The adrenaline wore off in mere seconds. It left me weak and hollow. I was already regretting losing my temper and giving away the one thing I could never afford to let others see. No wonder Mum always had it in for me. She was right. I was reckless and sooner or later, it was going to get me killed.
12
Inside the change room, the two remaining fighters eyed me suspiciously. I shouldn’t have come back. This was getting way out of hand and past any point where it would give Naveen and Daisy the money they needed. Hopefully they were smart enough to cash in while they could. Maybe they had left. I could only hope.
Without a clock, I wasn’t exactly sure what time it was. I probably should have already started heading home. This just wasn’t turning out the way I’d wanted. That would teach me not to go off half-cocked because things tended to go very wrong when I was around.
The other fighters’ beepers went off. They made their way out. The guy with the eagle on his chest eyed me as he passed. It had nothing to do with the fact that I wore nothing but a bra on top. His mental probe glided against my mind. I was in no mood to entertain him. There was no mistaking the way his frown deepened when he couldn’t get inside my head. Yeah, yeah. I see you, Reader.
I really needed to eat. There was a vending machine on the far end of the dressing room next to the bathroom. Classy.
Having used the last of my money for Daisy’s food, I slammed my palm on the front of the machine. Sighing, I then swiped it over the keypad, picking what I wanted when the machine registered that I had paid the right amount of money. I chose three candy bars. It was all empty calories, of course. What I really needed was carbs to refuel. For now I’d make do with sugar and trans fats instead. When the edge of my hunger was sated, I trawled the other lockers for something to wear.
Most of them had been emptied out except for a torn T-shirt two sizes too big. It would have to do. There was no way I could wear this in the ring. It was bulky and would be so easy for my opponent to grab. But while I was still in here, it gave me back a sense of calm. That calm lasted about five minutes. The crowd outside roared and stamped their feet so loud it seemed like there was thunder booming overhead.
The Eagle Guy walked back into the dressing room. “And then there were two,” he said in a light Irish accent. It tugged at something buried in the depth of my memories.
Suddenly, I was hit with an image of a pub beside a roundabout as the rain came pouring down. As far as I could remember, we’d never lived in Ireland. Maybe I was getting it mixed up with Scotland, where we lived for a short period when I was younger.
I winced at him in lieu of a smile. It wasn’t smart to engage at this point. I wouldn’t put it past him to try and psych me out by chatting. We both knew what the stakes were. There was just one thing I was curious about.
“Why do this?” I asked. He was in peak physical condition. Though he wasn’t as big as some of the other guys, he was well proportioned. That meant power.
“Why not?” he said. He didn’t come over to where I sat so much as moved away from the entrance of the dressing room. Behind the beard, he was probably only about five or six years older than I was. “I’m good at fighting.”
So was I. It didn’t mean it was natural, or it should be done. In another time and place, I could be having the same conversation Mum.
“What about you?” he asked. “You want to work for the Shadowman?... Ah, I see from the look on your face that’s a negative. Why are you here then?”
“I have friends who need the money.”
“So that’s what you’ll take if you win?”
“If I win,” I said. A serpentine smile curved his lips.
“I might not be that smart, but I’m not an idiot either.” He shrugged. “I’ll probably beat you, but it won’t be an easy fight.” He grinned for real, as though the thought pleased him. He really did like fighting. For some people, that was enough.
To my surprise, he tapped at the side of his head. It was the universal esper sign asking for permission to enter my thoughts.
“You’re dreaming,” I said.
“Your loss.”
It would be a tactical advantage to have some insight into his thoughts. I knew he was going to be gunning for me telepathically. If I w
as going to do this, I needed to strike out at him first. Despite refusing his request, I allowed my mind to wander. At the edge of his consciousness, I hovered and moulded my energy to vibe with his. It took longer than usual because of his designation. There was no way I could force my way into his mind without him knowing. I was having the worst possible luck tonight.
Satisfied that my probe wouldn’t raise any of his alarms, I ghosted his subconscious to see what I could find out about his strategy. It became apparent that he kept his thoughts focused as much as he possibly could. All I could really read from him was his curiosity about me. The curiosity took another turn. He was wondering why this interval was taking so long.
Slipping from his mind, I started to wonder the same thing. They were up to something. After the way I’d opened my big mouth in front of the Shadowman, I imagined it wasn’t going to be sunshine and candy.
When the beeper finally went off, I grunted. Stripping the shirt off me, I followed the guy back outside. It was beyond demoralising to be wearing next to nothing and preparing to fight someone with all the physical advantage. To say the crowd was going wild was a huge understatement.
Halfway to the stage, he whipped around. “My name is Callum,” he said. “In case anything happens.”
Do not respond. Do not respond.
“Willow.” Sigh. I just couldn’t get out of my own way.
He nodded. It hit me he was taking me seriously. This meant that he wasn’t going to underestimate me in the ring.
Daisy and Naveen had moved from their designated seats to the second row left vacant by other contestants.
What are you doing? I thought to Daisy. Why haven’t you taken your money and gone home?
I didn’t need the screeching of the overhead speakers to tell me something odd was happening. Before Daisy could respond, our connection was cut off by an impenetrable wall of static. Hell no!
Frantic, I searched around me for the source of the anti-psi tech. Impatient hands pushed me into the centre of the ring. Callum stood staring up at the corners of the arena with mild interest on his face.
When the speakers crackled again, the Shadowman’s voice filled the arena. I thought my knees would give out underneath me.
“Greetings,” the Shadowman’s monotone voice said. Silence descended. Even without telepathy, I could feel the beating heart of everyone in the room as it jumped into their throats. It was not every day you’re addressed by a lunatic. “I trust you’ve been entertained tonight. We’ve had the pleasure of watching a number of talented contestants, but I think you’ll agree the two before you now are especially interesting.”
He waited for the subdued applause to die down. The crowd sat frozen, unsure as to how they should react. That’s often what happened when there were madmen around. You never knew what was going to set them off.
“Now, from time to time, special fighters have graced this arena. I believe we have two of them with us today. I don’t think the League itself could boast a line-up of espers like what you’ve got before you tonight.”
If I wasn’t already frowning, I think my jaw might have popped. Bracing my hand against the ring, I scanned to see if I could spot where he might be making this announcement from. I’d have one shot. With the ant-psi tech pulsing in the background, if I tried to disable it, my reserves of energy would be done for. But I couldn’t stand around waiting for him to reveal to the whole room that I was an alpha EK.
“As much as I’d love to see what that might entail, it’s not the fight I signed up for,” he continued. If the crowd was disappointed, they didn’t make a peep. Neither did I as my breathing stopped, waiting for him to go on. “That’s why, for this fight only, I am banning the use of telepathy.”
You could hear a playing card drop. It seemed to last forever in the vastness of the arena. Dissent began to fill up the space. Anywhere else and there would be rioting. In Melbourne, they weren’t willing to face the displeasure of the Shadowman.
Everyone knew how to keep their mouth shut but me.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” I shouted. “How is this going to be a fair fight?”
His laughter was eerie. “How was it a fair fight before?”
“I don’t know how I feel about that,” Callum said behind me. Like he was the one at a disadvantage! This just got better and better. Without my telepathy, there was no way I was going to have any chance of beating him. In the heat of a street fight, with surprise on my side, I might have been able to pull it off. But after four rounds in such a contained atmosphere, I would go down in the first minute.
“I’m done,” I said. I’d taken about three steps in the direction of the doorway when Mum’s voice overtook the murmuring of the crowd.
“You think you can intimidate me?” she said. “You’ve got another thing coming.”
13
My heart spasmed in my chest. I spun around, trying frantically to locate the source of her voice. Where was she? Why hadn’t she tried to make contact with me? Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Callum take a step back. Not surprising. I’ve been told I have a deranged temper and a face to match. I was ready to rip something apart with my bare hands. The words repeated again.
“You think you can intimidate me? You’ve got another thing coming.” Over and over.
The crowd looked around at each other, confused by what was happening. In the second row, Daisy was on her feet.
“Where is she?” I yelled.
The speaker crackled again. “Win this fight, and I’ll show you,” the Shadowman said. “Lose, and all money is forfeit.”
“That’s not the deal.”
“That’s the deal that’s currently on offer.”
“What do I get out of this?” Callum called.
“I’m watching you.”
That seemed to be enough for him. The anti-psi tech pulsed once more as though someone was turning the dial up a notch. I caught Daisy’s eye. We stared at each other for what felt like forever. No wonder they had stayed. The Shadowman had changed the rules on us. Even though I’d lasted till the end, he wasn’t going to pay them out their winnings.
All of this for nothing. If I didn’t win — and I couldn’t without my powers — we’d walk away empty-handed. From where I stood, I could see Daisy gripping the back of the chair in front of her until the brown skin on her knuckles had turned white. I was about to turn around and place my back to the crowd when she lifted the playing card I had given her. In one swift motion, she tore the thing in two. I wasn’t sure of the message she was trying to impart, but to my mind, it meant she was done with being played. So was I.
“Let’s finish this,” I said to Callum.
The referee rattled off the so-called rules. I tried not to scoff too much. “The anti-psi boxes will be operational at all times. You are not to use your telepathy in any way. Such an action will result in your immediate forfeiting of the match. Understood?”
We both nodded. Callum reached out with a fist. I bumped his with mine. It was something they did in the League. A show of respect for the person you were fighting and an acknowledgement of the skill they possessed.
Crap on a cracker. I couldn’t afford to like him. Not if I was to have any chance at beating him. Was Mum in the crowd? Had she been here the whole time? What did she think of my fighting? What would she look like?
Almost a year on, and I’d grown at least a few inches. The severe bob she made me wear was now a shaggy mane that hung below my shoulders. And ah jeez, could she see me flashing everyone in the arena with just my bra on?
The siren sounded. Just like that, everything but the fight disappeared from my mind. The chances of me winning this were close to zero. The one advantage I had was just stripped from me. Now I was just a skinny girl in a bra trying to fight a guy twice her weight.
Callum approached me slowly. He still acted as though I was a threat, which was nice of him, even if it wasn’t doing anything for my ego. He wasn’t all that much taller than me.
I was pretty toned for someone of my weight, but he was well-honed muscle. The EK gave me added strength, but it also burned through my energy reserves like nobody’s business. Talking was a waste of energy but Callum seemed to have an abundance of it.
“Where did you train?” he asked. He pivoted from side to side to keep himself limber for a quick strike. His face was blank of emotion.
“Nowhere,” I said, doing the same. For a split second, his gaze flickered down to my chest. I flinched. That was my first mistake. He moved as soon as my attention wavered. My arms couldn’t block fast enough. His fist connected with my shoulder. The thing about anti-psi tech was that it broke a free-flowing telepathic connection. When there was skin on skin contact, there was nothing the tech could do to stop the telepathy connecting.
I spun with the force of his hit, staggering backwards. He continued to drive his fists into me while I blocked until my back hit the ropes. Rather than allow myself to be pinned, which would spell the end of it for me, I took a couple of hits to the arms so that I could return a flurry of punches before pushing him back with my elbow.
Around us, the noise from the crowd modulated between hushed anticipation and raucous applause. With my heart thudding in my ears, the pain was nothing more than a dull throb. Tomorrow I would be in for it. Right now, I concentrated on not losing Callum from my sight.
By rights, when we touched, we could attempt to use our telepathy. He wouldn’t be able to get past my shield, but I could give him one hell of a shock. And then I’d be disqualified. Everything I fought for tonight would go down the toilet.
Strategy after strategy popped into my head only to be discarded. While I was trying to find a break to throw a punch, Callum lashed out with his right leg. I braced for impact. Instead of going for my legs or my torso, he changed direction mid-turn and swung for my head. Just before he made contact, my arm came up instinctively. Enough to keep me from being knocked out cold but not enough to stop the jarring force of his blow. The impact shoved me sideways so hard I fell onto the cracked base of the ring. The tang of blood filled my nose. When I lifted my arm, it was bleeding from a gash right across my muscle.