A Fighter's Story

Chapter 12 (4/5): Game Start!

"READY!" a young referee stood with the crude ball in hand.

Rosa sat on the dirt at the front of the crowd. She patted the soil, "Take a seat. Next round's starting soon." With a reluctant smile, Jessie took a seat beside the Brit. As she got comfortable, she felt another presence join them. To her right sat the jolly green grin of Pac. That silent cactus gave a vacant stare as his hollow eyes followed the movements ahead.

"SET!?"

The players got into position. The bystanders cheer for their chosen teams to win. Jessie and Rosa tried their best to scream over the crowd. Pac just happily clapped with the atmosphere.

"BRAWL!"

The ref tossed the ball into the middle of the meadow. Before the ball could bounce twice Nita was already atop it. Her mouth watering as her fingers reached for the orb. Then just as she could feel the tiny hairs on her fingertips brush against the ball's leather wrapping, it disappeared in a flash.

Though she lacked the speed to stop him, her eyes followed the smallest Cal boy's movement. He gave her a vulgar gesture as he disappeared into a bush with the ball. With a low growl, she gave chase only to be interrupted by a blow to the back of the head. She easily shook off the shot, turning to see the middle child grinning with pride. She took a deep breath, cracked her neck, then raised his smile with a ghastly grin.

The youngest Cal brother disappeared into a bush with the ball. His snickering smile watching the battlefield closely. The bystanders were trying to balance their focus between Nita's fight with the middle child and gathering info as to what the youngest was doing inside his bush.

The youngest boy noticed the eldest brother standing near their start, acting as a goalie. He saw the city boy slowly making his way forward. His laughter only grew at the clear path he had to their goal. After catching his breath, he moved for the ball again. But he was unable to find it in the brush.

He rummaged around for a sign of the beaten ball. Finally finding it sitting against the large dirt mound he was using as cover. After gathering himself he gave one final inspection of the scene outside. He still saw the city boy standing on their side of the field. "Alright..." he said in that annoying voice. "Ready."

A large hand clasped onto his shoulder. A high-pitched squeal leaving his throat at the sudden contact. He couldn't bring up any of his limbs in defense. He turned to see Smokey's haunting smirk, "Set."

On the sidelines, Jessie was getting impatient. She jumped to her feet, "COME ON! FIGHT ALREADY!"

"Wow, luv. Weren't you just worried about his safety?"

"I'm tired of waiting for something to happen. Why is he just standing there?"

Rosa looked at the two boys, "He's probably waiting for some help with the oldest brother." She examined the differences between the two. While Tyler was surprisingly built for a boy of his size, the eldest of the Cal's was a behemoth by many standards. Even the men of the village knew better than to blindly raise the boy's ire. "I mean, don't get me wrong. Tyler is a right impressive bloke, but. What he's looking at is a man."

She scoffed at the outrageous remark, "Please I've seen Tyler take on guys twice as large and win." As Jessie finished her unintentional praising of Tyler, they saw the youngest Cal brother's body roll out the grass. "Oh, I forgot about him."

Smokey followed soon after, casually dribbling the ball forward. With his arrival, Tyler sprinted into action, joining Smokey at his side. The villager inspected his pale ally, "Where is Nita?"

He pointed a finger behind him. Smokey took notice of Nita's grappling contest with the middle child. The girl had the larger boy in a rear-naked-choke, the boy tapping out desperately. Tyler sneered, "In a tussle with Russel."