TWILIGHT ZONE ➭ COBRA KAI

002

ੈ♡₊˚•. ˖⋆ ━━━━━⠀TWILIGHT ZONE !
▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ ⋯ ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ ˓ 𑁍ࠜೄ
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 TWO ・*:·. ⇌ ஜ .·:*

Giovanna was lying on the cold floor of their hotel room, sweating and dripping from her forehead as she tried to catch her breath. Her legs ached, her core was tight, her chest was sending sharp pains through her body.

Her heart raced uncontrollably, and she felt a suffocating weight on her chest as if the walls were closing in around her. Her mind spun with a whirlwind of thoughts, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. She struggled to take a deep breath, each attempt met with a strangled gasp that only heightened her sense of panic. The room felt suffocating, and her senses were overwhelmed by the pounding in her chest and the cold sweat trickling down her skin.

Giovanna knew she needed to ground herself, so she focused on the sensation of the floor beneath her, trying to anchor her mind. She began to take slow, deliberate breaths, counting each inhale and exhale to regain control over her breathing. Slowly, the tightness in her chest began to ease, and her breathing steadied. The room no longer felt as oppressive, and the pounding in her chest softened. With each deliberate breath, Giovanna felt the panic recede, replaced by a fragile sense of calm.

A soft knock at the door, "Gia?" Her mom called, oblivious.

She took a moment to compose herself before answering, her voice still shaky as she called back, "I'm okay, Mom. Just need a minute." The reassurance felt hollow, but it was enough to steady her. Slowly, she rose to her feet, wiping at her face.

Her mother stared at her, eyes hard as Giovanna swung the bathroom door open. Giovanna's mother didn't move, her expression unreadable. "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked, her voice low and steady. Giovanna nodded, avoiding eye contact, and brushed past her, the weight of the moment still pressing heavily on her chest.

"How was training?" Cecily asked, silently agreeing to drop it for now.

Sucking in a breath, Giovanna reminded herself to focus on the present moment. "Great!" She forced a smile, zipping her suitcase. "Just a tough practice," she muttered, more to herself than to her mom.

"Your father called." Cecily informed, stopping Giovanna in her footsteps. Her brows sinched, "but it's," she checked her watch, "midnight there." She says, frowning.

Her mom hesitated, shifting from one foot to the other. "He needs us to come home."

At this, Giovanna almost laughed in her moms face. Because, hello? Come home? She was due to begin training with her team again as soon as they landed in Chiang Mai for the tournament there. Giovanna's mind raced with questions, but she kept her expression neutral. But, as her father says, she wears her emotions on her sleeve, and right now, she was struggling to keep them in check. The thought of leaving the team, the tournament, and everything she had worked so hard for was overwhelming.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, and asked, "Why?"

Cecily sighed, running a hand through her hair as she slumped on the bed. "He. . . your dad told you about his Karate days, yeah?"

Giovanna frowned, "course he did, he literally has every trophy on a mantle, next to mine. Little strange to me but, I guess if you didn't have any other achievements. . ." She trails off, she didn't want to admit that her dad's trophies meant something to her, too.

Cecily ignores her comment, "he owes an old friend a favor, and you're going to pay it."

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟