The Dark Side

Prologue

As she falls down on the cold, hard floor, she finally accepts that this is her life now.

A six-year old at a boxing match may seem odd to anyone's eyes but this is a usual occurrence at this particular arena.

"C'mon Caroline! You can do better than that! What have I taught you? Did I ever teach you to give up?"

Caroline struggled to push herself up. Before she could move her arms, three seconds has passed.

Her opponent was declared winner.

She lost.

~~~~~~~~~~

Back at training grounds, Caroline was punching a dummy. It's insides were splattered along the area and she felt minimum pride in that small accomplishment.

Caroline was ten. Four years since her humiliating loss to Brian, who was six years older than her.

She focused her attention on the dummy, sizing up the body. She delivered a swift kick to the abdomen, the dummy bouncing backwards then bouncing back to its original position.

Caroline blew a stray blonde hair away from her face as she made her eyes into slits. Her concentration was admirable. She gave a sharp right hook aimed at the chin while red stuffing came out, acting as blood. She almost smirked. Almost.

Her eyes trailed over to a trophy rack on the far side of the room, serving as her motivation. Not that she needed any more motivation. She has made it her life's mission to...

The blonde took off her boxing gloves then closed her eyes and sat down on the floor. She was exhausted after six straight hours of non-stop kicks and punches. She sighed.

This is her life now.

~~~~~~~~~~

"And the winner is... Caroline Gordon!" Her45th win.

The fifteen year old remained impassive as she was handed the trophy. She raised it up and in return got a wild applause.

People roared and praised her and yet, no emotion could be derived from her face.

Don't get her wrong. She was proud of her accomplishment. But it wasn't like she has someone to celebrate her victory with. So why be happy?

When she went home (or what she called home) that night, she did her usual ritual: shower, brush teeth, pajamas, sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

This is what Caroline's life looks like from the outside.

But on the inside?

You can never imagine.