Tiger Lilly

First Blood

Lilly sighed. She was in history, her least favourite class. It also didn't help that she had Miss Simule as her teacher. Her and Miss Simule had...... let's just say they had a history. No pun intended.

"Alright class, this is David. He just moved here from Russia, and only speaks Russian, so let's give him a warm welcome." The class started clapping so I decided to join in.

David sat down in the desk next to mine, putting his backpack beside him. "Previet David, cocktila?" ("Hi David, how are you?")

He looked at me hopefully. (N/A, I'm going to make them speak in Russian, but write it in English for your convenience.) "You speak Russian?" He asked, excited.
"Sure do." I replied, smiling at him. "Lilly, since you seem to speak his language so fluently, why don't you translate for David?" Miss Simule asked, though it wasn't really a question, more of a demand.

"Ok." I said, happy and nervous to be singled out for this. The rest of the lesson went by faster than usual it seemed, maybe because it was fun, talking to David in a different language.

After the bell rang, they all rushed out, happy to be out of school for the day. I headed to my locker to pick up my fighting bag before heading to the car my mom had given me for my birthday two months ago. I always headed to the ring after school for an hour to fight.

As I drove there, I started thinking. I thought about myself  a year ago, and how I had changed. The puppy fat I had then now had been replaced by hard muscle, the
self-criticism replaced by determination to be better. I will never again be that weak, shy, depressed girl. I am strong, and don't care if people think otherwise.

I refuse to give up. It was like one day I just woke up and said to myself, 'I don't want to be this person anymore' and bam, I started fighting. It gave me confidence, something I never had before. I knew I would never be bullied again, partly because I landed one of them in the hospital, but also because they could see I had changed, both physically and mentally.

I had gotten tired of waiting for rescue, so I had decided she would be her own hero. I was not some princess locked up in a tower, waiting for a prince. I am strong, so I could be my own saviour. Alright, that was sappy. Come on Lilly, stop it!

I arrived at The Ring and walked in, heading for the change rooms. After changing, I wrapped her hands and headed out. I was fighting Blaze, but I wasn't worried. I had beaten Blaze many times before.

I walked into the ring, ready to kick butt. Blaze walked in the other side. "Alright everyone, our first fight is between Blaze and our raining champion, Tiger!" Announced Isaac, the owner of The Ring.

"Competitors ready?" We both nodded. "Fight!" Everything seemed to slow down, just like it always did when I was fighting. Blaze lunged at me but I twisted to the side and dodged. As Blaze regained her balance, I threw a fist at her jaw. "Hit" I thought. She stumbled and I took the chance. I kneed her in the gut and then elbowed her forehead. She fell and didn't get back up. I had won.

"Our winner is......Tiger!" Isaac announced as the small crowd cheered. Some people brought Blaze's unconscious form off the mats. "Next challenger, Spirit!" I had never fought Spirit before but I wasn't worried. With his about 6'1 frame, most people would worry, but I knew that my size was an advantage.

My small stature made me fast and able to dodge his attacks. I just had to make sure he didn't land a hit. "Fighters ready?" We nodded. "Fight!" He walked towards me, thinking he could take me. I hated that. I jumped and elbowed him in the nose, knocking him out cold. As he lay there, blood started coming out his nose like a river. "First blood."