Scarlett Promises

02

A few weeks later, June found herself back in the surprisingly well-kept and commodious gym, and now that she had the opportunity to properly examine the place, she could tell a that a lot of hard work was put into it. The wall to her left was made up of a floor-to-ceiling mirror with a few benches pushed up against it, while to the right, there were countless machines and equipment placed strategically in an orderly fashion that was easily accessible to anyone. The floor was completely covered in soft, padded, grey mats that shined under the bright glow of the white lights. Evidently, the owner, whoever that may be, is very passionate about this gym and its occupants.

June set down her things in a small corner and struggled to tie up her wild mass of curls before starting her normal stretches and moving on to her strenuous exercises that she had mastered over the years. Her toned and lean body easily carried out the moves that had become muscle memory over time. By the time a few hours passed by and her slightly darker skin was covered in a fresh sheen of sweat, she had completed the grueling workout and moved on to her favorite part. The punching bag. June made quick work of taping up her hands and wearing a pair of bright red gloves before walking over to one of the few available bags in the crowded gym.

As she was a lot more focused and not blinded by her raging emotions any longer, all of June's punches and jabs were accurate and full of precision as she focused on her technique and strategy rather than taking out her frustrations in the form of sloppy, aggressive punches. She worked on increasing her speed and strengthening any visible weak spots, as those are the first thing any worthy opponent would focus on. A weakness is not something she tolerated. She needed to be strong. Impenetrable. Infallible.

She won't let it happen again. She can't.

June continued to perfect her moves and adjust any flaws that she noticed until she could see the crowd of people start to thin out and by then it was well into noon. She forced her sore legs to move towards the showers and as fast as she could manage, she took a quick shower and made sure to savor the feel of the warm water soothing her aching limbs. She clumsily dressed into a change of clothes she brought along and returned to the main room. She was nearly finished packing up her bag when she heard rushed footsteps approaching in her direction.

"You have really pretty hair," a young voice said, clearly in awe, "Can I touch it?"

June turned to see a little girl about ten years old, give or take a few years, with little pigtails and a wide toothy smile painted on her cheerful face. Her delicate features were lit up in an expression of wonder and complete adoration. With her tiny hand outstretched, she looked at June, waiting for a silent confirmation to her request. As soon as the latter nodded her approval, the girl wasted no time in picking up the curly strands of dark hair and playing with them, clearly entranced by June's mop of hair. June could only watch as the girl found pleasure in the simplest things, and she wondered what it would be like to feel so carefree without any worries weighing you down.

Several minutes passed by and June began to grow curious of the girl's sudden appearance and lack of her parents' supervision. June quickly adjusted her position before deciding to ask the little girl whom she had yet to learn the name of.

"Where are your parents?" she settled on, although it came out harsher than she intended, "You shouldn't wander off by yourself and talk to strangers." If the girl noticed June's abrupt tone, she didn't mention it. Instead, distractedly mumbled out that they were on their way to pick her up from her self-defense class, which ended earlier than usual today. She also introduced herself as Charlotte, but said that she preferred being called Charlie.