Not What She Seems

The Final Round (Yaeman's National District Schools Fighting Competition)

"If you had all the flowers in the world, what would you do with them, beautiful?" the mother asked, combing her little girl's hair and putting roses in it.
"Why would I have all the flowers in the world?" the little girl asked.
"Just because." the little girl's mother replied.
"Then, wouldn't I of been hurt, mommy?" the little girl asked again.
"What do you mean?" the mother asked back.
"Some flowers are poisonous, right? So why would I have them?" the little girl questioned.
"True. What about animals?" the mother questioned.
"Too dangerous." the little girl responded.
"Fine. What about power. What if you had all the power you could ever dream of. What if you were able to change the way people think?" the mother pondered, curious.
"More power than I have now?" the little girl wondered. The mother nodded in response.
"Well, I'd do one of two things. I'd either use it for the good of everyone. To make everyone happy so everyone can experience happiness. If I can't do that, then I'd not use it at all. Just because you have power doesn't mean you have to use it all the time. Sometimes, power can be bad. I don't want to take that chance. I don't want to look like a monster." the little girl answered.

*******

DON'T BELIEVE THEM. DON'T BELIEVE HER.
SEE
EVEN
REALITY
REALIZES
ALL
VIRTUAL
EVENTS
NEVER
ALIGN
YOU ARE MUCH MORE THAN YOU PRETEND TO BE.
"Who are you? Why are you in my dream? In my head?"
"Who am I? Oh my, sweetheart, you sure have a lot to learn." Who I assume to be a woman says. All of a sudden, out of the darkness, I see a woman sitting on a chair with her left leg crossed over her right at the knee. I make a mental note in my head about that position. I heard somewhere that sometimes, people tend to cross the leg on their dominant side over their other leg. For example, if you were right handed, from what I was told, you'd most likely cross your right leg over your left. Her head rested on her right hand. The woman has long, pretty, glowing blonde hair, piercing gold eyes, dark eyebrows and dark brown lashes, and beautiful honey skin. Her clothes consist of a formal, long-sleeve white shirt with a black pencil skirt and black flats. She also had double ear piercings which were filled in with red and white earrings.
"I'm not playing around, lady, tell me who you are."
The woman raises her left eyebrow, questioning something.
"Wow. So this is what you're really like behind that mask of yours. So rude and straightforward. Not a good match." The woman's voice sounds familiar. I've heard this voice so many times before, but I just don't know who it is. I think.
I shoot her a nasty glare.
"Like I said before, who are you?"
"Me? I'm everyone you know." she says. Those four (well, technically 5) words chill me to the bone. With each word in that sentence, her voice and appearance change. With the last word, she returns back to her original look, but her voice different. Her voice is now softer, almost so soft you could mistake it for an innocent little girl's voice. Her accent is thick with French, but with a little bit of British in it. I step back, scared.
"Don't be scared. Be strong. Stop playing nice. Let your true colors show. Let them know you're human." She says. Why would I do that? Why would I tell them. If they knew I existed. If they knew people like me existed, we would never hear the end of it.
SEE
EVEN
REALITY
ACKNOWLEDGES
PAEGAN
HAPPENINGS
EVENTUALLY
NEVER
ALIGN
I suddenly bolt awake, drenched in sweat. What was that? What was that dream? I have no idea, but I'm afraid I'm going to find out soon..
****3 days later...
We board the plane for our flight to London with all our luggages and good memories in hold. I smile. That was a beautiful trip. I needed some time to get away from all that drama. Now I have to face some mystery fighter in the finals tomorrow. Then, we advance as a team to the team tournament. The real competition. The flight back home is long, but I stay awake for all of it. By the time we arrive back home in London, it's about 00:40 (12:40) AM. The ride home is another hour, which leads our arrival to about 02:00 AM. I walk upstairs into my bedroom, close the door, unpack a pair of pjs, and slip them on, too tired to take a shower. I plop myself on my bed, exhausted, when Verlynn and Relvin walk in too. I'll train a little in the morning. I think. Before I know it, exhaustion takes over and I'm out cold.
  I jump awake the next morning, realizing I slept in 10 minutes late. I brush my teeth and at the same time, dress myself up. I wash my face and throw on a bomber jacket then leave my room. On the way out, I grab myself three granola bars and then go. By the time I arrive at the school, it's 20 minutes until the match. I make my way towards building E. Halfway to my dorm, I run into Aimare (I•MARE), a friend of mine from grade school.
  "And where have you been?" Aimare asks.
  "Running away from you." I reply.
  "You can never run away from me, sweetheart." Aimare replies, hugging me.
  "I can't wait for school to start." I state. Aimare shoots me a dirty glare.
  "Well I can still find you!" she exclaims.
"I have to go, Aimare. I have a competition to head to, so see you later!" I say, continuing down the hallway and towards my dorm room. I open the door to see Amorae in my dorm room.
Amorae.
Amorae and her two friends.
"What're you doing in my dorm?" I ask, trying to stay as Yavara-like as possible.
"Your dorm. I'll have you know that Amorae here is moving in. Dorm assignments were changed. This'll be the second year you're not alone, so deal with it." One of Amorae's friends say. I can't blow my cover. I can not snap. That's what mother told me. That's what she said her mother told her.
"Really? Great! I felt so alone with my own dorm! Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a competition to get to." I reply, smiling. They move and one of them intentionally bumps my shoulder as I walk past. I don't show any emotion while they wait for a reaction. I open the door to my bedroom and close it slightly. I grab my bracelet and necklace, put them on, and slip out of my room. Amorae and her friends give me the dirtiest look of a lifetime, but I don't mind.
"Oh, and Amorae?" I ask.
"What." she responds rudely. I spin around on my heel.
"Your birthday is September 9th right?" I ask. She looks at me, surprised.
"How are you so sure?" one of her friends ask.
"Yeah. She hasn't even told us her birthday." the other friend adds.
"S-She's right. It's September 9th. Who told you that?" She asks.
"No one. Just had a hunch." I reply, leaving the room and closing the door. I head quickly to the gym.
  "Everyone get your popcorn! The final round for Yaeman's National District Schools Fighting Competition is starting right now! Can our players please step up to the ring?" the referee announces. I change and step out into the ring.
"So, we decided to spice this match up a little by bringing in a mystery fighter! Please welcome—"
Heart pounding.
"our very own—"
Fingers twitching.
"Mister—"
Crowd cheering.
"Ali Mihn!" the referee announces. Ali (ALLEY) Minh (MIN or MIH•N)? He's the best fighter in the upper portion of the I.K. (International Kingdom. Formerly known as the U.K. Also referred to by some people as M.P.K or Melting Pot Kingdom. It got its nickname because of how insanely diverse it's people and how different it's cities are)! I heard he lives in Mihjoh (MIJ• JO)! That's like 2 hours away! Just to fight a 15 year-old girl? He's 17!
Ali Mihn walks out looking like Ran from the Tower of God with a blue hoodie and black shorts. Ali looks bored, like this'll be the easiest fight of his life.
"Ali, would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself?" The referee asks excitedly, putting the microphone in front of him.
"I'm 16, turning 17 on September 5th. I love dogs and fighting. I don't like fake friends. Fake friends are bad for you. Get yourself real ones who like you. That's all." Ali says, moving his black hair away from his eyes, his voice deep. He walks up to me, sniffs, his nose upturned, and shakes my hand. The lights reflect on his soft-looking, rich, spiky black hair, his pretty, light brown, gaunt eyes standing out from the black. His olive skin glowing under the light. He sort of looked like an anime character. We both walk up and shake hands. He cocks his head sideways at me.
"You look familiar..." he states. I squint at him. Nothing rings a bell.
"Ayli?" he asks. I raise an eyebrow.
"Ayli Liah (LEE•AH). Are you related to her?" he asks.
"Good luck." I say, not answering his question and returning to my side. We're taking too long. Also, there's something off about that boy. Those brown eyes.....they don't look real. They don't look like actual eyes....
"Alright! The countdown is 5 seconds long. Stomach blows are allowed, so I really hope none of you guys ate a big meal. You guys know the other rules! There will be a time out at 5 minute incriminates since the max for this match is 20 minutes! So....3...2...1...go!" the referee screams. Ali dashes towards me and strikes my side. I spin around and serve him a kick in his stomach. He falls down and gets back up. He then tries to straight kick me, but I dodge by going under it. This little game of cat and mouse continues for about 4 minutes. I manage to strike a stomach blow that sends him to the ground. Then, something falls out on the floor in front of him. I bend down to help him and realize he was wearing contacts. He winces, then opens his eyes. His eyes, they're red. Red around the pupil, of course.
"Are you okay?" I ask. He nods reluctantly. I off him a hand, letting him put on his contacts before trying to help him up, but he declines. He gets up, stretches a little, and then gets right back into the game. All of a sudden, he's up and running and serves m a punch, but misses. Then, they call timeout. I grab my water and start drinking it when Salene rests her head on the fence.
"You're not even trying, Aulelei. I'm not impressed. Relvin says he's getting bored too. Spice it up a little, will you?" Salene asks.
"I'll try." I reply. I turn around when Salene taps my shoulder.
"Oh, and Aulelei?" Salene asks.
"Yes?" I question.
"Don't play like your in the silver league when you're really in diamond. Go half power. Don't mess up. Also, it turns out Mavaro has alternate passwords now, since there was an update allowing you to have up to 20 numbers, letters, and/or symbols in your password. It's now 19051818011608051401." Salene instructs. I nod.
  "I won't. Salene, something weird happened. I saw him fall to the floor and something fall out, contacts. He's Emilen. Then he tried to punch me. The thing is that I feel that wasn't real, like I spaced out." I confess.
  "Maybe a vision?" she suggests.
  "Maybe, it seemed so out of place though. I got to go before they start the match." I say. She waves goodbye as I walk away.
  "Round two. Ready....fight!" the referee announces, blowing his whistle. Ali dashes after me, throwing me what seems like 5 blows per second. I fight back. After what seems like forever, I fall down, drained. Clearly Classic Fighting (fighting skill taught in most fighting classes) isn't going to work. I sigh and get back up. Alright, clearly it's time for some DMA, or Diversified Martial Arts. DMA is a fighting style that originated in France in the 1700s and is the French version of MMA. The only difference between the two is DMA is more aggressive than MMA. Diversified Martial Arts takes Taekwondo, Taekkyeon, and others and sorts out the good moves from the bad ones and replaces the bad ones with different moves to prevent a comeback. Some MMA moves originated form DMA, such as the low kick, which was originally called the zero straight kick, and the straight kick, which was called the straight 90 kick, or the 90 kick. I'm way better with DMA than MMA because I originally learned DMA. DMA is also very helpful when playing another sport feet-related because DMA also helps you become ambipedal, or able to kick with both feet. Acupuncture points or meridian points are also a skill in DMA, and the referee said meridian points are allowed, but I won't use them. I plop myself up and prepare myself again. Ali comes in for another attack and I smile. Ali tries to hook me in my side. I position my hand on his left knee, and using it, do a front flip and position my hands on his shoulder, do another front flip, and knee him in the back. He falls to the ground, but gets back up instantly.
"Oh! What a shocking turn of events! It appears the first quarter was all just an act!" the referee announces. He was right. It was just an act. I see Salene smile from where she's sitting. I'm not going half power, though. That's too high of a power change from the first quarter to this one. Everyone knows it was just an act, but that's too high to call it such. People'll think that I am Humaveran or Angelikan or something. Verlynn'll get what she wanted, and I don't want that. So I'll go 10%, see how that works for him.
****Armiah
"So, what're you doing?" I ask.
"What do you mean?" Avarra asks back.
"About Verlynn." I specify.
"Oh, I don't know. She's too nosy, that's for sure, and it's rubbing off on them." Avarra says, sounding annoyed.
"Ouch, that's tough. Having to take care of a mini Aymara and you can't prevent her from doing anything or else she'll get even more curious." I comment. She nods.
  "I feel something bad is going to happen. One of these days she'll remember. Doesn't matter if it's a dream or just randomly. She will, and what a hot mess it'll be when everyone's told the real story. When everyone finds out that I never really cared. That it was all just an act." Avarra says.
  "I bet you'll be grinning ear to ear at you were able to fool her all this time. I can just imagine what the look on her face'll be when she finds out the two friends she somewhat trusts the most have been just playing with her. Testing her. Man, you're gonna have a field day." I state.
  "I will. How long do you think I'll have to keep up this "Avarra" act?" Avarra asks.
  "I don't know, Avocado. Probably no more than two months." I answer.
  "Two months? Why is that?" Avarra questions.
  "Because you and Mila (ME•LAH) are to meet up in Paris, France. Standing right in front of the Eiffel Tower. Then, you're supposed to receive an award and help from France's scientists and researchers for further things you want to do and, in turn, you're supposed to stay loyal to France as long as you live. Then, to show how "close, honest, and friendly" you are with Mila, your to share a hotel room with her as you tour France with her too. France knows who you are and they will broadcast. So, going this way, you won't have to keep this act up for long." I explain.
  "Shoot. I need to find a way to figure this out, and fast." Avarra says.
****Yavara
  "And he's down for the fourth time! Will he get back up?" the referee asks. He and the crowd start to count. As the referee and the crowd hit 7, Ali gets up.
"So you were acting before. Nice to know, Ayli's little sister." Ali comments, his voice so deep it sounds like a murmur. I charge at him and fake an elbow throw to his side. He reflexively blocks it by making an X with his arms. I duck under and strike a blow on his left arm. From what I can tell from how Ali fights, he's naturally ambidextrous, but often uses his right hand more. His left arm is his backup arm, but it is also used for blocking and throwing out quick strikes. If I injure his left arm, then I'll have a better chance at winning.
"You're not denying it. So that means you are her sister." he says.
"No, I just don't care." I respond. I elbow him in the back. He bends over momentarily, then quickly stands up straight.
  "I've came to far to lose to you." Ali pants.
  "That's too bad." I reply, low kicking him.
  "My mother said I can't lose. If I do, she'll be disappointed. Things get bad if she's disappointed." Ali states, elbowing me in my side. Very bad, huh? Very bad? Well then, this battle'll be nerve-racking for you really, really soon.
****??????
  "What're we going to do about this?" she asks.
  "I don't know. Well, Aussilena (AH•SIL•E•NAH) or Avarra, whoever she is, will figure something out soon." I reply.
  "Are you sure?" she asks.
  "Absolutely. Hey, hey no don't do that. That's not good." I say, noticing my little brother, Johan (JO•HAH•ON) going through my stuff. He looks up at me and giggles. I pick him up and put him on my lap.
  "Aww, this is so cute. Two of the three Princes together." Aussali (AH•SUH•LEE) comments.
  "Yeah, yeah. It's not so cute when you have to reorganize all your stuff." I say.
  "You, sir Jiahnes, are a rude boy." Aussali replies jokingly.
  "No, little Johan over here is a rude boy. Might as well call him Hans!" I joke. (AUTHOR'S NOTE: Get it? Because Hans is the bad guy in Frozen and Johan was being bad, and Han is in Johan, so you can, like, call him Hans. Y-Yeah? Haha I'm so funny. Everyone gets it, right? *looks around at lunch table and finds self completely deserted* Alright then, I'll go.....just gonna go disappear behind a computer screen and type my story. Can never be a comedian.....)
  "Get out. Just get out. Right now." Aussali states, pointing to the door.
  "No, I'm staying right here." I answer back. Aussali frowns, clearly hoping I'd go. All the while Johan is poking me more and more.
  "What?" I ask, now getting annoyed. He points to something crawling on the wall. A spider. Johan starts to cry. I get up, pick up a shoe, and smash the spider on the wall with it.
  "Ssh, don't cry. It's gone. The spider is gone. It won't hurt you anymore." Aussali says, comforting Johan. Slowly, his tears came to a halt. I sigh, remembering the situation at hand.
  "Aussilena, Avarra, whoever you are, I hope you have a plan for this." I mutter.
****Yavara
  After a while, when beads of sweat are trickling down the side of my head, I finally accept the fact that fighting him alone like this won't work. I'll have to use meridian points. I'll have to break my number one rule.
  "I guess I'll have to break my number one rule." I mutter. I dash towards him, full speed and low kick him in the shin, then do a front flip with his left shoulder as my foundation. While doing a front flip, I press hard and make sure to strike a pressure point and when I land, give him a punch in the back. Ali's shoulder goes numb. From there, I duck a hit he throws me and spray him with hits. It's not long before he falls down. Before I know it, they've counted 7 seconds.
  "8!"
  Excited.
  "9!"
I can do this.
  "10! He's down! Yavara Cyvaira wins the school finals!" the referee announces. Ali gets up and shakes my hand.
****Ali
  Mom'll be disappointed, but she'll be shocked about what I think I found out. That fighting style, the way she fought, it was all too familiar. I may not have a lot of memories of such, but I still remember. It looks like I found her. I'm coming for you, Milamorra Jiahnes. I will find you, and I will expose you. Imagine what'd happen if your family found out. Children, if you have any? That'd be disaster out. They deserve to know, though. Just like I deserve to know why my mother is lying to me.