The Silver Blades

Humble Beginnings - chap 1

At school

Roxy's POV

We entered the room and it dropped silent, fear and reluctance entered everybody's eyes. We weren't bullies, nor were we unjust people, we just possessed a look of intimidation. We walked to the lockers when Rose headed in Diego's direction and left us once again. Doesn't matter anyway, it gives Raven and I more time to talk about the match tonight at The UnderDogs. Ever since Rose got herself a play toy, she's been distancing herself. She's always with him, and never with her friends; the ones who saved her. Sometimes, it's as if she barely notices us. We're still best friends but we aren't as close as before. Diego just...doesn't seem like the right guy.

I asked Raven about what our strategy should be and how much she's betting on me and Rose tonight. It wasn't the usual though, she said something about tough opponents but I'm pretty sure it's to scare us so that we don't stop training. At this point, we're the champions so losing is not an option.

Raven's POV

The match today wasn't going to end well, I feel guilty about lying but I know in the future they'll thank me for signing us that deal. We're not desperate, but we need to hold onto as many opportunities as possible. Sometimes, they don't understand my reasoning behind my actions, but this is for their own good. As long as everything goes to plan we should be safe, I hope...

Rose's POV

I waited at Diego's locker but he didn't show up. Maybe he skipped? It doesn't matter; he's probably just prepping for the match tonight. I overheard a conversation between Raven and the owner. It sounded serious and I can't help it but I just feel like something is wrong. Raven hasn't said anything personally to us yet, so it's probably nothing. She tells us everything... right?

Roxy's POV

We all met at lunch with Malika and Kiara joining us, the full gang usually never gets together because of our different classes. We work together, and we work together well. Kiara's the getaway driver when we get ratted out to the police at The Underdogs and Malika's kinda just there studying. She's super smart so her role in our group is to be the tech-girl, where her skill of hacking and disabling tech comes in handy. Raven helps manage our finances and betting to make sure we don't get scammed. I usually just fight and scrap for extra money, so I can help pay the rent. Rose sometimes does matches but it's not her main priority. Raven had borrowed some money from her extremely rich parents in order to be able to afford an apartment but money doesn't last forever. Trust me I know. My childhood was rough. I grew up without a happy home and no parents. I lived on the streets, surviving on scraps and tiny donations from strangers. Luckily, the local fight club took me in, aka The Underdogs. I eventually learnt to master all types of martial arts after the vigorous training I had to undergo and eventually acrobatics.

Raven's POV

My mind was racing with all the thoughts and bills, the envelopes were piling up and soon we'd have to give up everything. This isn't how I'd imagine the future but honestly, it isn't all that bad. My foster parents treated me with respect but I needed my independence. Growing up I didn't really have a hard time but there was always something that I was missing. Don't get me wrong - I'm so grateful for my foster parents, after all, they provided me with good care. My childhood was nowhere near as bad as my friends'. But still, I just couldn't stay and be cooped up I guess. I eventually started training in self-defence because I knew there were gonna be troubles ahead, I just had a feeling. That's when I met Roxy and ended up helping out and financing her matches.

Rose's POV

Everybody seems tense for some reason and I'm getting really stressed out, especially with Kiara asking about the stupid French homework. I feel kind of ignored as Diego still hasn't responded yet he's online. I then look down at my silver heart necklace and know everything is fine. Roxy, Raven and I all share similar silver necklaces, we got them straight after Raven let Roxy and I stay in her apartment. They represent us as a group, and that we're always here for one another. I moved because my parents were arrested after they were finally caught being abusive and treating me like I was worth nothing. like I wasn't their child, a mere outsider who apparently didn't deserve a future. After I got into too many fights and realised how wrong they were treating me, I had to do something. I started training and building up strength, this is where I ran into Roxy and Raven. They helped me overcome them and escape. My parents managed to leave the prison undetected and the police are still looking for them. I know I don't need to fear them as I could easily beat their ass up right now.

Group POV

We're just eating peacefully when Kayden and Kayla come to our table, we already knew we were going to be pissed off. We saw through Kayla's fake smile and her greasy 'strawberry blonde' ginger hair. She used to be our friend but then she stabbed us in the back and told the headmistress about our 'extracurricular' activities. After that we got Malika and her tech skills to erase all evidence. We were cautious and never trusted that bitch again.

Kayla's POV

I looked at their smirking faces. They managed to escape my exposure last time but not for long they're going to pay for my embarrassment. I can't believe they were gullible enough to actually trust me. You see; they think they're so cool but they're all broken on the inside. They won't even know what's coming next. I'm smarter than they think I am and I will destroy their reputation.

Roxy's Pov

The day seemed to drag on longer than expected. Especially Physics. After we all said goodbye I hopped on my motorcycle whilst Raven drove Rose back in her new Bugatti. After I reached the gym I parked up and headed inside. I spent hours practising different styles as I had a bad feeling about tonight, maybe the opponent was going to be really strong as Raven said. When I got back to the apartment I freshened up and got on my black sweats and my mask. I had to be cautious as I don't want to cause Malika more trouble and get her to erase more footage. Shoot I forgot today I was supposed to babysit the neighbours kid, it wouldn't matter if I cancelled right? Anyway Rose and Raven were waiting in the car so I rushed outside. We headed to the Underdogs. Rose and I both exchanged glances as we could tell we were thinking the same thing, something was wrong - we're probably just psyching ourselves out though but I should ask MJ (head of the underdogs) if there's been a change of plan.

Raven's POV

There was tension during the drive, silent flares were pricking at the back of my head and I could tell they were on to me. At last, we reached, the awkward silence would finally be gone and would be filled with roars from the crowd. We all said the secret code and entered. There are safety precautions we have to follow to keep the club off the radar, after all, we can't exactly have the cops on our backs. Roxy and Rose practiced some quick sparring so that they'd feel more comfortable before their big fight, my nerves rose by the second , every second time inched quicker to the match. I got all the bets and votes collected per usual and discussed general things with MJ but nothing could make this anxiety go away. I went to de-stress in the practice room for a quick workout to calm me down. Kick boxing was the most affective way to shake off my unwanted nerves. The silence of the room was serene it was just me focusing and practising, the one thing I was sure would bring my mind at peace.
The calls and cheers started so I quickly rushed back inside. There were two masked figures in the centre asking for a match against Rose and Roxy. They were a lot taller than our fighters, perhaps males? I may have seen them before, in the gym but my mind was clouded with mist. Confusion spread on the crowd's faces whilst they stared at me. And for once, I had no clue what to say.

Rose's POV

A double match? No one ever mentioned a double match, maybe that's what Raven and MJ were discussing. Why didn't they tell us though? It's okay because these masked people don't stand a chance, I'm absolutely confident. Our skills are superior in the ring. Just looking at the way they're standing tells me they're sloppy fighters. What's kinda creeping me out is how they know our names, it's not as if we go blasting them around like "LOOK AT ME GUYS IM A BADASS FEMALE FIGHTER WHO DOES ILLEGAL CRAP'. I looked at Raven for some sort of closure but she avoided eye contact. Something was off, I knew it. I decided not to confront Raven after all, maybe this is just a part of one of her secret plans. After MJ somehow agreed to let us take on the newbies we started to discuss our strategy. It was decided I'd do a double kick to injure them both quick and Roxy does the signature one hit double kill and game over right? A pit fell into my stomach, this has never happened and for some reason, a cold shiver travels down my spine. Even with all this, the cries of the audience reassures me whilst the lights fade. When we were expecting them to come back on with a bright light it turned pitch black! We couldn't see anything and before I know it, I feel a jab in the arm. My vision and stance become blurry. All I can hear is the panic in everyone's voice. I just manage to reach Roxy and (maybe) Raven's hand before I'm fully unconscious.