Lorenzo's daffodil

1

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SEVEN MONTHS BEFORE.

ROSALIA.

Breath... Breath Rosalia breath...

I inhaled, I stared at the large man staring back at me. I could not smirk this time because I knew what was coming, I knew what he was going to try to do. I swerved as soon as he sank his large sweaty hands against my head. I slammed my leg against his left leg, making him fall to his knees and huff.

I ran quickly and pulled his head before ramming my knee into his nose, he screamed mixed with the scream of the dreadful audience watching me beat a grown man, twice my size. By now, his nose was broken by me.

He was on the fall, trying to get a swing at me but I did not allow it, I slammed my fists against his face and it connected with his jaw. I was petite and I tried to make my blows as powerful as possible, but against a man like the destructor, it would not do much. He tried to regain his balance but I would not allow him, I had it all planned in my head. I was winning,  I was gaming more ground. If I knock him out I would be winning about 30 grand, I would not allow him to get back up. I needed that fucking money, it would do a lot in my life at the moment.

Before I could swing another punch, he grabbed my hand and looked up into my eyes. Fuck! My punches did not seem like they did much. Steadily, I tried to calm my heart rate, he slammed his large hands against my face and I fell back. Thankfully, it was not hard enough to knock me out. It was hard enough to do as much damage to my jaw as possible. He was playing with me, I could tell. I was not going to allow him to do it, fuck with me.

I propelled myself before he could slam his fist again into my face. I slapped his back, doing the same thing that he was trying to do with me. Fuck with me, I was going to allow him to get away with it.

I slammed my fist against his head. I heard a large crack coming from my hand. Fuck! My hand was broken! I could not give up! I could not fucking give up! I continued chanting to myself remembering what was at stake if I lost the fight. I tried again but he was faster this time. He grabbed my neck and slammed me against the cage, knocking the air out of my lungs. I huffed as my eyes unintentionally closed.

The crowd rumbled and cheered as he started squeezing the life out of me. There was no winning his fight. I could not lie to myself, I was not going to win the fucking fight. I slammed my hands against his own, but it was not enough, it was not enough to stop.

I swallowed, and a shiver went through my body. He was going to kill me, I was going to die in his hands, fuck. The look in his eyes, the way his lips curled in pure disgust, malice, and something else. Something more sinister. Lust. Lust was riddled all over his gaze. I needed to get the fuck away from that bastard. I slammed my hand this time harder on his face, and he growled, tightening my fear.

Fuck! He was not going to let me go! I was going to die! Nobody was going to save me. Nobody was going to come for me.

How the I get here you may ask? Well, it all started a few months ago. I was a normal law-abiding citizen, well a very fucking poor semi-law-abiding citizen, when my friend Carly -I cannot call her a friend, more like an associate- informed me about a new way to make money. Fast way to make money, that I would be able to pay my debt to someone very high and influential, and also pay my fucking rent and maybe have a little extra to fucking eat.

The solution was underground cage fighting. It was not uncommon in this city to do it. Everyone was doing it, or well that was what I was told when I started. At first, all was going well. I got cool fast cash that allowed me to pay the debt I owed a very highly influential person. It also helped with rent and eating, sometimes I even had enough money to go to our local theatre and watch dramas. The remaining went to my abuela and her cancer treatments.