Chapter Text
She was alone.
Alone in the seat.
Alone in the corridor.
Alone in the hospital morgue.
In the distance, she could hear the muffled and relentless shuffle of medical staff working tirelessly. She was also aware of her phone vibrating on the seat beside her. But she didn't want to pay attention to either sound. She didn't want to hear anything else. She didn't want to feel anything else. So she kept her head buried in her hands until her neck ached, and then she had no choice but to sit up. As soon as she did, she heard a voice calling her name softly:
“Tory…”
It was a woman's voice. Through the strange fog that clouded her mind, she recognized to whom it belonged. It was Dr. Judith. But Tory didn't want to pay attention to her. She didn't even want to turn towards her. She just wanted to keep staring at the hospital’s hideous green wall until she woke up from that nightmare.
"Tory," the voice insisted, a little louder.
«Shut up,» she thought.
"Tory!"
Her hazel eyes darted towards the doctor. In another moment, that look would have been a murderous glare that would have made that liar of a woman recoil. But now she didn't have the strength to infuse her expression with all the hatred she felt. So she turned away, picked up the bag from the floor, and grabbed her phone. Then she stood up.
“I’m so sorry, sweetie”
Tory stood in front of her. She couldn't look her in the eye, she didn't want to. But she couldn't just leave. She needed answers. She needed to know why that woman had lied to her face just a day ago. Now that bitch would have to tell her the truth whether she liked it or not.
"You said she was getting better," her voice was hoarse and deep, and a thick tear ran quickly down her right cheek, but she didn't back down.
"Your mom had a pulmonary embolism," the doctor began to explain. "We had no idea she was developing a blood clot. And when it broke up..."
CLASH!
The medical supply box on the wall crumpled under the force of the girl's punch, falling to the floor like a discarded toy. The doctor recoiled slightly, startled by her outburst, but remained steady.
"YOU SHOULD’VE CAUGHT IT!" Tory exploded.
«It's all your fault»
"You have every right to be upset!" the woman assured her, trying to calm her down without touching her. "You're grieving. Just try to remember the last five years were a gift. Your mom was... was..."
"I have to go," the girl cut her off. Her voice was a defeated whisper. She pushed past Dr. Judith and headed for the exit.
"Is there anyone we can call?" she heard the doctor ask, her voice filled with worry.
«Fake. If you had worried about her in the same way, she would still be here with me…»
“There’s no one!”
There was no one.
It was already night, and there was nobody when she opened the door to her dilapidated apartment. So many times she had despised that place. In the middle of that dirty and dangerous neighborhood where they had been forced to live since they had moved to the city. She hated having to deal with the bills and expenses of the house. She hated having to go out to work several jobs at once to make ends meet, instead of going out to have fun with her high school friends on weekends. She hated having to cook, clean, and do all the housework by herself. She was only 17 years old, damn it.
But at that moment, in the midst of the darkness and silence that greeted her mercilessly as soon as she turned the key, she felt like the most ungrateful brat in the world.
She would have given anything, anything , just to find the living room light turned on when she got home. Just to hear her mother's weak but melodious voice, calling her from her bedroom and asking her to come in quickly so she could tell her about her day and hug her. Just to scold her little brother affectionately for leaving his toys scattered on the floor...
«Oh no. Brandon»
It felt like someone had kicked her straight in the stomach. She had completely forgotten about him. What kind of older sister was she!? She looked frantically at the phone she still held tightly. No, she couldn't tell him. Not now. And definitely not over the phone.
The day before, she had left Brandon at a friend's house, where he was supposed to spend two nights, as it was a holiday at his school. She had just hung up the call with Mrs. Parton, the boy's mother, just before seeing... A cold shiver ran down her spine from the roots of her hair, and for a moment she thought she was going to vomit. But that would have been impossible: she hadn't eaten a thing all day.
As if obeying her thoughts, her stomach growled. But Tory paid no attention. She could smell the remnants of the last meal her mother had tried to cook for dinner: tomato sauce pasta.
The girl squeezed her eyes shut several times, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to blind her again. She closed the apartment door, which was still open, and turned on the dim yellow light in the hallway. Carefully avoiding the kitchen, she walked down the hall towards her room, but her feet froze as soon as she reached the threshold.
«What's happening to me?»
It seemed like the air was suddenly missing. She took a deeper breath, but her lungs felt like two sacks of sand inside her chest.
«It hurts»
She placed her hand over her heart, but it wasn't there. How strange: now she felt it in her ears. Her heartbeats pounded like hammers. She couldn't hear anything else around her.
«No»
Her room began to blur, and then she felt as if her brain were melting and spilling out of her skull.
«No!»
Desperately, she opened her mouth, searching for oxygen, but it seemed to never arrive. Everything was spinning, and she was forced to drop her phone and hospital bag to the floor to hold onto the doorframe.
«I'm going to die»
Trembling, she fell to her knees. The pain in her chest only grew stronger.
«I'm going to die!»
And she was sure she would. She was going to die right there. Her mother had done it right at the other end of the hallway. What was going to stop her from doing it? Who? She was alone. Just like her mother when she found her. But who would find her if she died here and now?
«Ah!»
She wanted to scream. But nothing came out of her mouth except for short gasps for air.
In just one second, all the horror she had lived through in the last few hours crushed her with the weight of a rock. She was face down on the floor, struggling just to breathe. Her black-painted nails dug deep into the carpet, as she felt like she would fall into an abyss if she let go.
«No! I can't die!»
She forced her mind to notice the air passing through her nose and throat, to feel it filling her lungs and expelling it, just like she did in karate class.
«Think of Brandon. You can't leave him alone. He needs you»
With effort, the pressure she felt in her chest began to ease.
«Think of Robby. Of the promise you made yesterday. You can't fail him»
Her lungs lightened. The air seemed to enter now, reviving every space in her body.
«Think of everyone at the dojo. Sam and you just made up. Things are going to get better…»
«Yes, everything is going to get better…»
She exhaled deeply as she sat up from the floor.
She was still trembling like a leaf. But now she felt she was regaining control of her body. At least partially. She dragged herself away from the doorframe of her room and sat down with her back against the hallway wall. Ironically, its coolness comforted her, even though she was freezing after that strange attack she had just suffered. Perhaps because her mind could also think better in the cold.
After doing a few more breathing exercises, she decided to start with the most urgent thing: what was she going to do with her brother?
It seemed like a miracle that just before the disaster, he had asked to spend the night at a friend's house. She didn't even want to think about what would have happened if Brandon had been alone with her mother when... But she had to tell him at some point. Surely social services would soon find out and come to her house. She didn't want an unknown agent to give the news to the little one, but…
«I don't want to do it either»
But she had to. And she knew it. She would have to look straight into her eight-year-old brother's eyes and tell him that their mom, with whom he shared the same smile and the same kind and generous personality, was gone.
«And she's not coming back. Never again»
Thick tears ran down her cheeks again. This time she let them flow and didn't stop crying and sobbing until she felt an immense thirst and her temples were as stiff as wood. Then everything seemed to fall into the most absolute silence and stillness.
Her phone vibrated again. She didn't know how much time had passed. But it didn't seem like too much. She looked at the illuminated screen without thinking about anything in particular and picked it up from the floor.
It was Robby. She vaguely remembered agreeing to meet him to train that afternoon... at the park? She wasn't sure anymore. She knew that tomorrow would be the day they’d finally find out who would be the captains to lead the Miyagi-Do team in the Sekai Taikai. They had all been dreaming about this international tournament for months. It was an unparalleled opportunity. A unique trip to Barcelona to compete against the best fighters in the world. In front of thousands of viewers and a bunch of sponsors who would undoubtedly be watching everything closely, hoping to find young talents to offer their contracts. Something like that could change anyone's life. Make their future much more promising…
«And what do I care?»
A promising future? She didn't want it anymore. Money and recognition? They would have been more useful before. What good would it do to fight and win a stupid trophy now? The day before, she would have done anything to go. But now it was as if everything had stopped and nothing made sense... Let Sam keep the captain's position. A world where her mother no longer had a place shouldn't have room for karate tournaments either.
But there was Robby. And there was the pact they had made. She stared at his name on the screen and almost felt annoyed to read it. Before she was aware of what she was doing, she hung up. Anyway, what would she have told him? That she was quitting? That now everything seemed like child's play? That she hadn't gone to their training that afternoon because she had found her mother…?
The sharp pain she had felt in her chest during that unexpected attack returned suddenly, as if a dagger had been plunged into her heart. She held her breath and forced herself to take her mind off it all. She had truly felt like she was dying. She didn't want to go through that again.
Then her gaze fell on the hospital bag, which had been left slightly open when it fell. It contained some of her mother's belongings from the times they’d had to hospitalize her. On the outside it read: Nichols, G. Grace Nichols. But Tory's eyes, swollen and red, fixed on its interior, on something she hadn't noticed. Inside a small transparent bag, along with her locker keys and health insurance card, there was a small bottle cap. The top had been completely painted with a purple marker.
She grabbed it and looked at it, frowning. Why did it seem so familiar? Then, as if a spell had transported her to the past, she returned to that very moment…
"Tory...!" a voice called out.
The warm light of that summer afternoon filtered through the curtains of the house. Its rays kissed the carpet on which she was lying face down. She was about five years old and was painting on the floor, moving her little legs up and down. She felt lighter, safer, and sadly... happier.
"Tory...?"
Now she recognized it perfectly. It was her mother's voice. Sweet and affectionate. And there she was, beautiful, with her curly blonde hair, just like her daughter's, pulled back in a high bun. She was sitting in front of her on the floor, folding clothes with her back against the sofa. Her eyes radiated all the love she had for her, brighter and warmer than the sunlight coming through the window.
"What are you drawing, sweetie?"
With the enthusiasm and speed that only a little girl of that age can have, free from the weight of work and adult worries, Tory got up and brought the drawing to her mother. She had done it on the back of a take-out food box. Even back then, they were missing basic materials for many things at home... But they managed. They always did.
"Wow!" exclaimed Grace, marveling at the three figures with crowns drawn in colored crayons. "Is that a queen and her princess?"
"Mermaid princess," the girl clarified, with a serious face.
"Oh, yeah, of course, I can see her little tail right there!" her mother replied, pointing to it. "And who is this?" she asked, now pointing to the third figure, represented with slightly darker skin, a pair of black eyes, and much shorter black hair.
"The prince," Tory replied, "he’s gonna fight anyone who tries to hurt them”
"Well, it’s beautiful," Grace smiled. "But why do they need a prince to fight for them?”
The little girl turned her gaze to her mother, intrigued.
"How about the queen and the mermaid princess learn to fight for themselves?"
"But… They don’t know how"
"Well, not yet, but... Maybe they can learn. Together."
Tory's fingers curled around the small plastic cap.
"How does that sound?" Grace asked her, and tickled her lightly, making the little girl giggle.
But then her eyes fixed on her mother's right forearm and her face darkened. Three deep scars marked it. Like the claws of a wild animal that had attacked her... Although Tory knew very well that it had been caused by something much worse than an animal...
"It’s OK, sweetie," the woman assured her. "Life dealt us a bad hand. But we can change that... ‘Cause we’re fighters now!"
Mother and daughter smiled at each other.
Then Tory bent down and picked up a plastic bottle cap from the floor. She also took her favorite marker, the purple one, and completely painted the top. Then she handed it to her mom.
"Until we learn how, this magic jewel will protect you," the girl explained.
Grace looked at her for a moment with troubled eyes. But then she recovered:
"You're a pretty amazing little girl."
Tory smiled from ear to ear and hugged her mother with all her might.
"And mommy loves you so much..."
She had never felt so happy.
She had never felt so miserable.
If she had any more tears to cry, she would have. But she was empty. Or at least that's how she felt. She still held the purple cap between her fingers. A magic jewel... A prince who would protect them... None of that existed. Nothing and no one had been able to protect her mother. And nothing and no one would protect her.
But something had changed.
«I'm a fighter now, Mom»
She had never given her mother many details about her karate training. The last year and a half in the Valley had been a real madness because of the fights between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai. And she hadn't exactly been a secondary character in all that drama... Of course she didn't want to worry her sick mother any more than she already was. So she had decided to keep everything to herself. She wasn't a child anymore. She knew how to take care of herself.
«And now is the time to prove it»
As she made this decision, she squeezed the cap tightly in her fist. A wave of fire spread through her body and then she knew:
«I'm going to win the Sekai Taikai»
~END OF CHAPTER ONE~
Chapter Two coming up next