Street Fighter

Reignite the flame

My head was pounding, every time I tried to move it I felt like my brain was sliding from one side to the other. I tried to reach my hand up to touch my aching head but found I was unable to move it.
Opening my eyes fully I took stock of my surroundings, and then mentally swore at myself for my stupidity. I was in a large room, a small square of it illuminated by a single window to my left.
I was unable to see anything else in the room but where the light was. Looking down I could see that I was sitting in a small, wooden chair to the arms of which my wrists were bound and my ankles to the legs of the chair.
Immediately I threw my head back and began wildly struggling against the bonds tying me to the chair and I could have sworn I felt one loosen. Success.
I heard a chuckling from the dark corner of the room. "They told me you were a fighter" the voice spoke out, I was unperturbed. I knew there was somebody else in the room and I was choosing to ignore them.
The being stood up and stalked over to me, baring down upon me trying to make me feel as if I was the prey. I felt a sudden urge to bare my teeth at them but suppressed it.
As they stepped into the light I could see that the person was in fact a girl, she looked familiar but I couldn't place where I had seen her before.
Looking me up and down she began walking out of the light again and away from me, "wait" I called out and the footsteps stopped. "What do you want with me?"
I could feel her smirk although I couldn't see her face to confirm it, "I'll see you once you get out of those ropes" she laughed and continued to walk away until I could no longer hear her footsteps.
Realising I had no other choice and simply could not sit there and wait to be rescued I got to work on attempting to release myself.
Slowly I worked the ropes on my left wrist and as they slowly loosened I was able to use my fingers to push the ropes back and eventually slipped my wrist out without ever having to undo the knots.
I smirked to myself, pleased with my efforts but kept a sharp ear out all the same in case it was a setup. As I crept towards the door though it occurred to me that it would probably be locked.
I grinned to myself and pulled a small bobby pin out of my hair and proceeded to bend it into a shape that I could use if I needed to pick the lock.
Grasping the door knob with one hand and twisting it quietly I got a surprise as the knob turned fully and the door creaked slowly open.
The hallway was darker than the room I had just exited, but as I felt my way down along the walls I could faintly make out the streams of light coming from behind a door.
I stood outside and weighed up my options, eventually deciding that the best choice was just to burst through and hope to catch whoever was on the other side by surprise.

As the door swung open I yelled at the top of my lungs as I sprung through the door, landing just in front of it and crouching down with my arms up in guard whilst my eyes adjusted to the bright light.
I heard a slow clapping to the side of me and slowly I could make out the shape of a large male. If I had been anybody else he would have been a intimidating figure to be looking up at.
"That was the fastest yet" he said with a hint of amusement in his voice as he gestured towards a screen in which they had been tracking my progress.
I ignored him and scanned the room full of people, taking in faces and noting details which could be useful if I ever got out of here.
As I turned I saw a familiar face, which ducked out of sight as soon as they caught my eye. "Lily" I growled as I stood up and stalked over to her.
She was a lot shorter than me and therefore I towered over her as I built myself up and grabbed her collar, dragging her into the open, "start talking" I growled.

Nervously looking around at everybody else gathered in the room and the dirty looks she was getting from some of them it was her turn to drag me off out of sight and into a smaller room just around the corner.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you" she blurted out all of a sudden. "They didn't trust you and wanted to do that little test to learn more about you."
I glared at her, I didn't appreciate being manipulated. "So tell me then" I started, taking a couple of menacing steps towards her and relishing in the fact that she stepped nervously back each time.
"Why play me for the fool?" she started nervously playing with her hair and avoiding any eye contact, "why am I here? What is the bigger picture here Lily?"
As I started down at her, enjoying the extra few centimetres height she licked her lips and started to talk. It all came out so fast and in such a rush that I had to stop her, sit her down and make her start again.

When I had finally gotten everything out of her that she was going to tell me I leaned my back against the wall and slowly sank down until I was sitting next to her.
Determined not to let her know what was going on in my head I kept a straight face but on the inside I was mentally face palming at my stupidity.
She had seen me and through her connections with this gang drew lines between me and the fighter Rogue. A secret I had been striving to keep for several years now, dreading the implications that would come of those two people becoming one. The thing is they now had bargaining power over me.
In return for them keeping my secret they wanted me to join their little gang. With a new, and dangerous member it would boost their reputation and result in them moving up in their society.
This would include me coming along and fighting for them whenever they had a dispute with another gang over territory or any other secret matters unknown to me.
My head was spinning and I needed a moment to process all of this sudden rush of information and the consequences. I would become wanted, more people would learn of my identity and my life would basically become a mess.
I had no idea how many other people that lived with me or went to my school were secretly a part of a gang which caused yet more problems.

Suddenly the door burst open and two of the larger boys stormed into the room, disturbing the peace and quiet which previously had only been broken by the quiet sobs coming from Lily who was dreading what would come of her lapse of security.
"What did she tell you?!" The taller of the two demanded, lunging at me and pushing my back up against the wall whilst holding my throat.
It seems that I had underestimated the size and strength of them. I could barely speak as my windpipe was being squashed, and therefore saw no point in giving in to their demands as it was virtually impossible anyway.
For another few seconds nobody moved, my eyes were hooded over in silent defiance as eyes of the one in front of me slowly darkened with every passing moment.
Eventually his grasp loosened and I fell back down again. Rubbing my now swollen neck I stood up, making sure they were watching as every effort was deliberate and strong.
I was hoping that if I could intimidate them enough they would respect that because as well as I fight if I got into a fight with an entire gang there was a certainty that I would not be leaving alive.
Not that I was sure I would anyway, they had tried to make me a part of their gang and everybody knows that you don't willingly leave.
Inside I was shaking and trying desperately to find a way out but I could find none. I could run but I doubted I could hide, I could fight but I knew I wouldn't win.
Mentally I resolved to work out a solution but for now I walked slowly out of the room, greeting my fate head on and with both fists ready to fight.