LET THE LIGHT IN - SAMANTHA LARUSSO

COBRA KAI
SEASONS 5-6
SAMANTHA LARUSSO X FEM OC
cover by llunaetic

- BAILEY MATTHEWS HAD BEEN cold for years. If you were to ask her when exactly she stopped caring about those around her, she wouldn't be able to tell you. Perhaps it was when Karate stopped being fun, feeling more like a chore than a hobby. Or maybe, it was the dark purple bruises that formed underneath her gi after a hard fight.

After Bailey Matthews wins a Karate Tournament in New York, she's noticed. She knew it wasn't good. It hadn't been good in years. It hadn't been good since the toys on her shelf were traded for first place trophies.

Bailey didn't used to be this cold. She used to know calm guiding hands and warm Californian summers. She used to know kindness, and the sharp giggles of her best friend as they trained with their dads. It was painful to dwell on the past, it was painful just to wonder how her once sunny life turned dreary and cloudy, muddied with the existence of constant kicks to the sternum, punches to the gut, and sweeps to the leg.

When Bailey thought of California, she thought of the warmth. She thought of the laughter, reminisced about giggling, the calm and guiding voices, the kicks that held no weight.

So when Bailey Matthews is scouted by a man named Terry Silver to join one of his Dojos, she jumps at the opportunity.

It might just be the worst decision she's ever made.