THIRTEEN. when the lights fade

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     THALIA FELT sick, and she could spew it all in front of the tall metal doors she stood in front of

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THALIA FELT sick, and she could spew it all in front of the tall metal doors she stood in front of. She should've told Tory last night that she was in this dojo. She had made the ultimate decision last night and told Miguel to tell Johnny—Sensei that she would be coming.

Another girl had joined, Devon Lee. She believed that's what Miguel had said, but she didn't quite know what happened. Her mind raced throughout the night and the car ride here, and she didn't know what she had truly signed up for.

Thaila held her eyes shut, taking a deep breath to try to steady her nerves. She pulled open the metal doors, stepped inside the dimly lit building, and saw the small group of boys standing before Johnny, with Devon in line with them.

"Sorry," Thaila muttered. "Am I late?"

"Just on time, Nichols." Johnny said, turning his attention towards the group, watching from the corner of his eye as Thaila fell into the line. "Everyone, get ready, I'm gonna put you through the wringer. Except for you, Diaz. Up here with me."

"What?"

"The tournament's around the corner. Can't afford you getting hurt." Johnny explained. "Besides, this is gonna get a little dangerous. You be co-sensei today. Sound good?" Without waiting for Miguel to answer, Johnny faced the students once more. "Okay, everybody. Get ready. Let's begin!"

If Thaila knew that this was what she was signing up for, she would've sat this one out. This wasn't normal. None of this was normal, but what was normal? She hadn't found peace since moving to the Valley, so why would she think that anything that happened here would be normal?

She stood in the line with her one arm duct taped to her chest. She rocked back and forth on her heels as she listened to what her sensei had to say... she prayed that it was something logical.

"Cobra Kai pops out your shoulder, be ready to fight with one arm."

Logical... she even prayed about it. None of it made sense. Sand in the eyes, kicking dudes where the sun doesn't shine. Logical... this wasn't it. It felt like child's play, but she was thankful that it wasn't like what they were doing at Cobra Kai.

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