Determination
A silent ring echoed through my mind as I woke up. My head felt numb as I rubbed it. I groaned as my migrane began to increase in pain as I struggled to get up. The floor creaked as I walked into Serenity's room, with the migrane still causing me pain, "Wake up Serenity" I whispered as I gently pushed her shoulder. She did not respond, "Fine, you can sleep 'till breakfast is ready" I said somewhat annoyed. I went into the kitchen and took out a cereal box.
Umex walked into the room and jumped on the counter, "Hey Umex" I said as I petted her head. She purred and swirled around. I could see why Umex and Serenity were the best of friends, Umex was always so playful and lovable. I put down the bowl I poured cereal in and went into my room where Jason slept, "Hey Jason, wake up" I said, tapping his head. He mumbled incoherently and tried to avoid my hand by moving away, "Fine, we'll start breakfast without you" I said trying to lure him out of bed, "Breakfast!?" he yelled as he jumped up. I laughed when he lost control and hit his head on the cabinet, "Aw, fuck!" He yelled, rubbing his head, "Don't curse when Serenity can hear you!" I whispered, "Sorry man" said Jason, rubbing his head. I reached out my hand to help him up, "Sorry, my leg betrays me sometimes" said Jason, "It's alright" I said pulling him up.
Jason and I walked into the kitchen, "These clothes fit me perfectly, are you sure you don't want them?" asked Jason, "No, it's okay" I said, "But they are so cool" said Jason, posing around like he was a gangster. I laughed when he made a ridiculous intimidating face, "Okay, that has GOT to stop now" I said when Jason tried to break dance and hit the refridgerator. Jason laughed, "Yo, what's up homie" he said raising his left arm, "Don't try to be gangster" I said, laughing at his stupid impression, "Man, that refridgerator is the 411" he said. I began to laugh uproariously, this guy was as funny as hell, not saying hell is funny, "What can I say? I am a comedian" said Jason, "Really? I can tell" I said, "But," I continued, "Why are you homeless?" Jason turned away from me, "The weird thing is, I really don't know, one day I am telling jokes, the next day I am on the streets" said Jason, "That's awful" I said.
"So, what are we having for breakfast?" asked Jason, cheerfully changing the subject, "Well, I can't afford anything really THAT fancy, all I got is cereal" I said, "It is alright, I am just thankful for food, doesn't matter what it is" said Jason, "Serenity, get in here!" I yelled. Jason was startled, "Whoa, don't have to yell" said Jason. Serenity obeyed and walked into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes with the Charmander doll I gave her a while back, "Here is your breakfast" I said giving her the cereal. She did not say anything, she just grabbed the plate and took it to the table in front of the T.V.
Then she changed the channel to Teletubbies. I was surprised, she actually did it by herself, "Does your daughter know you fight in these clubs?" whispered Jason, "Never, it would break her heart to know her daddy fights for a living" I whispered.
It was now 9:00, I figured I had the whole day to train for the upcoming match. I had to say, the things people said about Bandage really freaked me out. I knew he was not a new fighter, for he won that million dollars twice in the past. He was a contortionist, people said he would bend his body so much while fighting, his opponent couldn't even land a single blow without Bandage doing some kind of remarkable dodge, "You are going to lose, back out now!" yelled the voice in my head, "Do not discourage me" I said, "I'm not discouraging you, James, I'm with you all the way" said Jason, "Oh no, I am talking to Michael" I said.
Jason backed up a bit, "Wow, you weren't lying about the schizophrenia" said Jason. It took me a while to remember Michael was not real, I forget occasionally, "Oh yeah, sorry" I said, "Well, are you going to train or something?" asked Jason, "You know, I was just thinking about that, yeah, I'm training, just make yourself at home, help yourself to the fridge and the T.V." I said, "Oh, before you leave, thank you SO much" said Jason. I could tell he was grateful, pretty obvious.
I retreated to my room and sat on my bed, I knew I already had the strength, I just needed to clear out my mind. I guess those yoga classes actually did something for me except partially breaking my back. I got my iPod (Gift from Steven) and put on a peaceful Japanese song. I closed my eyes and filtered my mind. After a few minutes, I don't have a clear mind of what happened, but I am pretty sure I fell asleep because Jason ended up waking me up.
"James? James! Get up man!" whispered Jason. I opened my eyes slowly, "What is it?" I asked, "I was kind of worried there, you were like that ALL day" said Jason, "What the fuck? What time is it?" I asked, "That is what I woke you about, it is 6:40, you are almost late" said Jason, "Oh crap" I yelled as I jumped out of bed and put on my black hoody, "Do me a favor Jason, please take care of Serenity, and for God sakes, don't do anything sexual to her, please man!" I yelled, "Don't worry man, don't worry, I'll treat her like you do, I'm great with children" said Jason, "Good, good, okay, I gotta go, bye honey!" I said, last part to Serenity, "Bye daddy" said Serenity, not really paying attention. I unlocked the door quickly and stormed out. I decided I needed to conserve my strength so I just jogged. The cold air pushed against me as I jogged, it freshened me up. I opened the door and ran through the hallway to the manager's office, the smell of marijuana still overwhelmed me and made it more difficult for me to catch my breath. I opened the door quickly, "I am here" I said, "Good, I thought you weren't going to show, oh, and before I forget again, do you want a new nickname for this tournament?" asked the manager, I was still panting from the run.
I thought of a name out of nowhere, for some reason I found it cool at the moment, "I want my nickname to be Chain Reaction" I said, "Perfect" said the manager as he handed a paper to some guy who walked in, "Now wait 'till the host calls you" said the manager, "'Kay" I said walking out. I stopped, trying to regain my breath. I looked at my watch, 6:58. Gave me some time to regain my energy. I waited for the host to call me, sweat rolled down my face as I had second thoughts about this, "Now, the first match of the million dollar tournament!" yelled someone on the P.A.
"This first match includes former champion 2 years in a row and the man you once knew as "Imperial" I call down, Bandage and Chain Reaction!" yelled the man, "Bandage fights for money to support his brother and sister and Chain Reaction fights for money to give his daughter a good life" said the man. The door in front of me opened automatically and I walked out. I directed my attention across from me and I saw Bandage. I could see now why everyone calls him a freak, he stumbled around so much when he was walking, nothing in that pattern even looked like he was walking. His ENTIRE body was covered in black straps, it seems his skin deteriorated from lack of bathing. His skin was a grayish-purple color. (No joke) I stood in front of him as the referee came to us, "Now, I want a non-weapons fight, drop them now if you have it" said the referee. He waited for a while, we did not do anything, "Okay, back up from each other" he said. We did what he said, "Start the match!" he yelled. The crowd cheered.
A deep fear entered my mind as my opponent opened his mouth, truly by this I could see he was crazy. He didn't even wash his mouth I could tell, I only saw 3 teeth in his mouth. I charged in to punch, once I swung horizontally, he bent backwards so much I missed! The crowd groaned in disgust, "Holy shit!" yelled the host. Bandage lifted his leg in the middle of his bend and directly hit me in the face. I stumbled back, "This guy is crazy" I said to myself. Bandage actually got down on his knees like an Eevee and growled at me. The audience laughed, for a moment I thought they were laughing at me so I charged my opponent. I lifted my leg to kick him in the middle of my run. To my surprise, he actually grabbed my foot, lifted me over him and rammed his head into my stomach upwards. I hit the ground, even more pain than the head in my stomach. The audience groaned and talked in confusement. I got up when the referee counted down to 7. I began to feel humiliated and horrified at the same time.
"Chain Reaction! Chain Reaction!" the audience cheered. I looked all around me, they were actually cheering for me. I was very surprised. I then saw Steven in the audience cheering me on, my confidence went way up there. I looked at Bandage, still in that same stance. I charged him once more, I saw him reach out his hands to grab my leg. In pure reflexes, I jumped over him and punched him in the face. He fell down and got up instantly got back up. I charged him again, but this time he stopped me in my tracks my grabbing my throat. I struggled to get free, but he wouldn't let me get out. He breathed hard and I could smell his foul breath. His mutated skin up close, and the fear of being at his mercy...
By, James Williams
Umex walked into the room and jumped on the counter, "Hey Umex" I said as I petted her head. She purred and swirled around. I could see why Umex and Serenity were the best of friends, Umex was always so playful and lovable. I put down the bowl I poured cereal in and went into my room where Jason slept, "Hey Jason, wake up" I said, tapping his head. He mumbled incoherently and tried to avoid my hand by moving away, "Fine, we'll start breakfast without you" I said trying to lure him out of bed, "Breakfast!?" he yelled as he jumped up. I laughed when he lost control and hit his head on the cabinet, "Aw, fuck!" He yelled, rubbing his head, "Don't curse when Serenity can hear you!" I whispered, "Sorry man" said Jason, rubbing his head. I reached out my hand to help him up, "Sorry, my leg betrays me sometimes" said Jason, "It's alright" I said pulling him up.
Jason and I walked into the kitchen, "These clothes fit me perfectly, are you sure you don't want them?" asked Jason, "No, it's okay" I said, "But they are so cool" said Jason, posing around like he was a gangster. I laughed when he made a ridiculous intimidating face, "Okay, that has GOT to stop now" I said when Jason tried to break dance and hit the refridgerator. Jason laughed, "Yo, what's up homie" he said raising his left arm, "Don't try to be gangster" I said, laughing at his stupid impression, "Man, that refridgerator is the 411" he said. I began to laugh uproariously, this guy was as funny as hell, not saying hell is funny, "What can I say? I am a comedian" said Jason, "Really? I can tell" I said, "But," I continued, "Why are you homeless?" Jason turned away from me, "The weird thing is, I really don't know, one day I am telling jokes, the next day I am on the streets" said Jason, "That's awful" I said.
"So, what are we having for breakfast?" asked Jason, cheerfully changing the subject, "Well, I can't afford anything really THAT fancy, all I got is cereal" I said, "It is alright, I am just thankful for food, doesn't matter what it is" said Jason, "Serenity, get in here!" I yelled. Jason was startled, "Whoa, don't have to yell" said Jason. Serenity obeyed and walked into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes with the Charmander doll I gave her a while back, "Here is your breakfast" I said giving her the cereal. She did not say anything, she just grabbed the plate and took it to the table in front of the T.V.
Then she changed the channel to Teletubbies. I was surprised, she actually did it by herself, "Does your daughter know you fight in these clubs?" whispered Jason, "Never, it would break her heart to know her daddy fights for a living" I whispered.
It was now 9:00, I figured I had the whole day to train for the upcoming match. I had to say, the things people said about Bandage really freaked me out. I knew he was not a new fighter, for he won that million dollars twice in the past. He was a contortionist, people said he would bend his body so much while fighting, his opponent couldn't even land a single blow without Bandage doing some kind of remarkable dodge, "You are going to lose, back out now!" yelled the voice in my head, "Do not discourage me" I said, "I'm not discouraging you, James, I'm with you all the way" said Jason, "Oh no, I am talking to Michael" I said.
Jason backed up a bit, "Wow, you weren't lying about the schizophrenia" said Jason. It took me a while to remember Michael was not real, I forget occasionally, "Oh yeah, sorry" I said, "Well, are you going to train or something?" asked Jason, "You know, I was just thinking about that, yeah, I'm training, just make yourself at home, help yourself to the fridge and the T.V." I said, "Oh, before you leave, thank you SO much" said Jason. I could tell he was grateful, pretty obvious.
I retreated to my room and sat on my bed, I knew I already had the strength, I just needed to clear out my mind. I guess those yoga classes actually did something for me except partially breaking my back. I got my iPod (Gift from Steven) and put on a peaceful Japanese song. I closed my eyes and filtered my mind. After a few minutes, I don't have a clear mind of what happened, but I am pretty sure I fell asleep because Jason ended up waking me up.
"James? James! Get up man!" whispered Jason. I opened my eyes slowly, "What is it?" I asked, "I was kind of worried there, you were like that ALL day" said Jason, "What the fuck? What time is it?" I asked, "That is what I woke you about, it is 6:40, you are almost late" said Jason, "Oh crap" I yelled as I jumped out of bed and put on my black hoody, "Do me a favor Jason, please take care of Serenity, and for God sakes, don't do anything sexual to her, please man!" I yelled, "Don't worry man, don't worry, I'll treat her like you do, I'm great with children" said Jason, "Good, good, okay, I gotta go, bye honey!" I said, last part to Serenity, "Bye daddy" said Serenity, not really paying attention. I unlocked the door quickly and stormed out. I decided I needed to conserve my strength so I just jogged. The cold air pushed against me as I jogged, it freshened me up. I opened the door and ran through the hallway to the manager's office, the smell of marijuana still overwhelmed me and made it more difficult for me to catch my breath. I opened the door quickly, "I am here" I said, "Good, I thought you weren't going to show, oh, and before I forget again, do you want a new nickname for this tournament?" asked the manager, I was still panting from the run.
I thought of a name out of nowhere, for some reason I found it cool at the moment, "I want my nickname to be Chain Reaction" I said, "Perfect" said the manager as he handed a paper to some guy who walked in, "Now wait 'till the host calls you" said the manager, "'Kay" I said walking out. I stopped, trying to regain my breath. I looked at my watch, 6:58. Gave me some time to regain my energy. I waited for the host to call me, sweat rolled down my face as I had second thoughts about this, "Now, the first match of the million dollar tournament!" yelled someone on the P.A.
"This first match includes former champion 2 years in a row and the man you once knew as "Imperial" I call down, Bandage and Chain Reaction!" yelled the man, "Bandage fights for money to support his brother and sister and Chain Reaction fights for money to give his daughter a good life" said the man. The door in front of me opened automatically and I walked out. I directed my attention across from me and I saw Bandage. I could see now why everyone calls him a freak, he stumbled around so much when he was walking, nothing in that pattern even looked like he was walking. His ENTIRE body was covered in black straps, it seems his skin deteriorated from lack of bathing. His skin was a grayish-purple color. (No joke) I stood in front of him as the referee came to us, "Now, I want a non-weapons fight, drop them now if you have it" said the referee. He waited for a while, we did not do anything, "Okay, back up from each other" he said. We did what he said, "Start the match!" he yelled. The crowd cheered.
A deep fear entered my mind as my opponent opened his mouth, truly by this I could see he was crazy. He didn't even wash his mouth I could tell, I only saw 3 teeth in his mouth. I charged in to punch, once I swung horizontally, he bent backwards so much I missed! The crowd groaned in disgust, "Holy shit!" yelled the host. Bandage lifted his leg in the middle of his bend and directly hit me in the face. I stumbled back, "This guy is crazy" I said to myself. Bandage actually got down on his knees like an Eevee and growled at me. The audience laughed, for a moment I thought they were laughing at me so I charged my opponent. I lifted my leg to kick him in the middle of my run. To my surprise, he actually grabbed my foot, lifted me over him and rammed his head into my stomach upwards. I hit the ground, even more pain than the head in my stomach. The audience groaned and talked in confusement. I got up when the referee counted down to 7. I began to feel humiliated and horrified at the same time.
"Chain Reaction! Chain Reaction!" the audience cheered. I looked all around me, they were actually cheering for me. I was very surprised. I then saw Steven in the audience cheering me on, my confidence went way up there. I looked at Bandage, still in that same stance. I charged him once more, I saw him reach out his hands to grab my leg. In pure reflexes, I jumped over him and punched him in the face. He fell down and got up instantly got back up. I charged him again, but this time he stopped me in my tracks my grabbing my throat. I struggled to get free, but he wouldn't let me get out. He breathed hard and I could smell his foul breath. His mutated skin up close, and the fear of being at his mercy...
By, James Williams