Chapter One

Sia pressed her back against the wall rewrapping the boxing bandages around her hands. They were already coming apart and she immediately made a mental note to get new ones if she didn’t want scars running around her knuckles. The screams and the shouts of the underground boxing ring had never been louder. Many a times she wondered if these people generally had a good lung capacity or their lungs were forced to expand its capacity.

Sia chose to believe the latter though; none of them looked healthy enough to have good lungs; nobody in their right sense of mind would come to an underground boxing ring every day to watch people fight, kill themselves and then yell on top of their voices.

Anyone who wanted to be healthy would do that.

She didn’t see the skinny woman walking towards her and blowing wisps of smoke into her face. A frown immediately crawled up Sia’s face as she turned to the woman with displeasure written all over her face.

“How many times will I tell you not to smoke into my face?” Sia asked but not moving an inch from where she was standing.

“It’s almost your turn” the skinny woman replied ignoring the displeased look on Sia’s face.

“He brought some bulky girl to fight today” she added turned to meet Sia’s ever displeased eyes.

“I told you to get it away from me” Sia replied. The woman glanced at the cigarettes in between her fingers and then at Sia’s displeased face before rolling her eyes and flinging the cigarette into a nearby dustbin. Both of them ignored the fact that the cigarette had landed exactly inside the dustbin even though they were both few meters away from it.

“I’m particularly hungry today; so make it quick and fast” she said as Sia heard her name being called. She tied the bandage around her hand well before turning to the woman.

“I’m hungry myself” she replied before walking into the crowd that started making way for her amidst shouts and screams that threatened to deafen her ears drums. If her ears drums were going to be deafened, Sia was sure it would have taken place months ago.

Stepping into the ring and Sia found a much taller and bulky girl standing in front of her. The latter had a mischievous grin on her face and her eyes ran all over her as if accessing her.

“I’ve heard about you” the girls started sneering while she spoke.

“I’ve never heard about you” Sia replied wearing a blank face which made the other girl’s face morph into annoyance.

“Not to worry; after today. You’ll forever remember my name” the girl sneered and another look of displeasure crawled up Sia’s face. As soon as her ears registered the sound of the bell; she slid across the ring kicking the other girl off her feet and pouncing over her to give her series of blows. The other girl wasn’t fast enough but managed to push her away after flinging her hands everywhere and landing a blow on her face.

Sia realized that there was blood in her mouth and her look of displeasure was further intensified as she spat it out. The other girl had managed to get on her feet and her face was bloodied already, her previous sneering and grinning face had been replaced with a hateful and weary one.

Injuries to her face were the kind of ones that Sia hated the most; she would have to start cooking up a perfect lie in advance. Everything in the world could Sia’s forte but lying; wasn’t one of them.

Both girls rushed at each other throwing blows and head butting each other. Still irritated at the fact that she got a cut on her lip; Sia found an opportunity and grabbed her arm while she was throwing blows and threw her over her shoulder very easily. The fact that the girls was much taller and had more weight than her didn’t seem to exist that very moment.

Without further delay, she climbed over her delivering series of punches to her face and stomach. She had no idea how much she had punched or how long she had delivered blows to the other girl all she knew was that they had pulled her from the girl and the other girl laid on the floor unmoving with her face bloodied.

Jerking her hands away from the person that was about to announce her the winner, she jumped out of the ring swiftly and adeptly walking towards one of the dark rooms in the hallway. She pushed the door open and immediately walked to the mirror taking a good look at her face and the cut on her lip, she winced lightly while touching it.

Slowly unwrapping the bandages around her hands, she washed the blood off her hands quietly with a blank look on her face. She splashed water repeatedly on her face and used her shirt to wipe her face clean. She had just finished changing her clothes when the door opened and the skinny money walked inside. She leaned on the wall, another cigarette in between her fingers.

“That was a good fight” she started.

“I see you got mad when she busted your face” she added laughing quietly.

“Well, Bald Tom is throwing a fit because you’ve rendered another one of his fighters useless. Asking for some sort of compensation” she said and Sia grabbed the bag on the table before dropping it over her shoulders and walking to the skinny woman.

“Useless? He should be grateful I didn’t send them to the King of heaven” Sia spat snatching the pile of dollars in her hands and walking out of the room. Despite far from the boxing ring, her ears were still greeted with the screams and shouts of the boxing ring.

By the time she stopped a taxi, her whole person was already shrouded in a black hoodie and a face cap.