Chapter 1 - You don’t belong here

Caitlyn rounded a corner, entering a back alleyway in the slums of the city. Her clothes were much nicer than those she passed as she looked around, making her way down the alley. She noticed a few figures lingering around a stairwell. There was a lot of commotion and shouting coming from below. This must be it. She thought to herself as she approached. The figures lingering near the stairwell scattered as she got closer. They stared at her, keeping their distance, as she started her descent. The smell as she entered the stairwell was thick and metallic, and smoke filled the air. The sound of harsh laughter and chatter filled the small enclosed space. She noticed a betting table and a bar in the corner. The place was packed. Caitlyn made her way towards the back, staying along the edges of the crowd. The ground was filled with litter and the fighting ring was already covered in blood. Caitlyn adjusted her coat and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small notebook and a pen. She wrote in quick pen strokes Illegal fighting and betting. Probably no liquor license either. She flipped to the next page as she looked around. Minimal security but crowd-controlled. She quickly jotted notes down as the crowd prepared for the next fight. Cait continued to look around, observing people as they observed her. She knew they thought she didn't belong here. She stood out like a sore thumb amongst this crowd. As she looked around someone bumped into her. "Apologies," Caitlyn said as she briefly looked at the man who bumped into her. He looked like he had seen better days. "I'll forgive you for a dollar." The man joked as he laughed. He smelled of alcohol and cigarettes. "No. Thank you." Caitlyn said awkwardly as she decided to move away, moving closer towards the fighter's entrance to get a better look behind the scenes. As Caitlyn moved closer to the fighter entrance, roped off behind the stage she tried her best to get a better look. She briefly saw someone in another room holding his nose as it continued to bleed, she assumed he must be from an earlier fight. It seemed like there was no real medical care on site, which didn't surprise her. Cait quickly pulled out her notepad, scribbling down more notes. Seemingly no emergency care. Suddenly the crowd erupted in cheers. Cait's head quickly snapped up and she briefly saw a flash of a deep pink color as a woman stepped out into the ring. Her shoulders were broad and her hands wrapped as she pumped her fist up, riling up the crowd as they erupted into another set of cheers. For a moment, all Cait could do was stare. It was like she forgot why she was here. The crowd around her continued to cheer, "Vi! Vi! Vi!" They started chanting in unison. Vi. The name echoed in Caitlyn's head before she quickly snapped herself back to reality, scribbling the name down on her notepad before turning the page. Suddenly the crowd started to boo as a bigger man entered the ring. An announcer came over the speaker system, "All bets are placed. Welcome to the ring, fighters. Let's get this show on the road!" A male voice called out from across the crowd. As the man and Vi started to take their positions Vi's demeanor seemed to change. She seemed quiet and cold as she looked at him, rolling her shoulders slowly and deliberately as she took a fighting stance. The crowd started to quiet down as the fighters took their stances and then breaking the silence was a bell. The man threw the first punch but Vi was faster, quickly dodging him and throwing her own punch. Vi's fist connected with the man's jaw with a sickening crack, sending him stumbling back. The crowd roared as the fight started. Cait's eyes could barely keep up as the fight ensued, Vi landing more punches on the man as her nimbleness dodged his attacks. Then suddenly with a sickening crack, the man landed a punch on Vi, hitting her in the ribs. Cait gasped as she watched Vi get hit, watching Vi's face twist in pain but it didn't take Vi long to recover. Vi quickly bounced back, putting some space between herself and the man. The crowd quieted down for a moment before the man quickly lunged at Vi. Vi was faster, jumping out of his way before throwing her own punch. Caitlyn was trying her best to take notes about Vi, the crowd, and the man but it was too hard to keep up all at once. She watched Vi continue to fight with relentless precision and then finally within a few more minutes Vi threw the final blow, punching the man square in the face and hitting his nose. Blood painted the dirty floor of the fighting ring as the man went down. As he hit the floor the crowd cheered loudly, screaming Vi's name. Vi smirked as she started to relax and turned to exit the ring. Caitlyn started moving closer towards the direction Vi went to, trying to get a better look at her as she jumped out of the ring. Caitlyn pushed through the crowd, desperately trying to see where Vi was going next. She watched Vi talking to some man before he handed her an unknown amount of cash as they moved towards a doorway. Caitlyn's eyes narrowed as she continued to watch them talk from across the gym. She turned her attention back towards the boxing ring, noticing the man Vi fought was just now getting up, no one helping him or offering him medical attention. Caitlyn turned her head back towards the door Vi walked through, unsure where she had gone now. Caitlyn pulled out her notebook and scribbled down notes about Vi getting paid and the man not receiving any medical attention. What should I do now if I want to talk to Vi..? Caitlyn thought to herself as she looked around. She looked down at the rope barrier that separated the crowd from the rest of the boxing gym. This rope can't really stop me from going over it. She thought as she looked back up, noticing a few security guards. But they might stop me, some of these onlookers could as well.. Caitlyn thought as she was weighing her options. To Caitlyn's surprise just as she was about to try and call one of the security guards over she saw Vi emerge from the doorway again. To Caitlyn's surprise, she put her hand up and waved, "Vi" She called out, trying to get her attention. What am I doing? Caitlyn thought to herself as she continued to call Vi's name. To Caitlyn's surprise, Vi looked over at her, making eye contact with her. Caitlyn felt her cheeks starting to heat up as she looked at Vi and she froze for a moment. Vi smirked, her eyes widening in surprise and curiosity. Caitlyn snapped herself back to reality, "Um.. I-I'm a reporter and I'd love to interview you sometime!" Caitlyn yelled to Vi. Vi looked at her curiously before moving closer, "No, sorry. No interviews. But you can take some pictures if you want." Vi smirked at her. "Um.. but I have some things I want to talk to you about in regards to-" Caitlyn said before Vi cut her off. "No," Vi said, her voice firmer as she crossed her arms, taking a defensive position. "Can we move somewhere more private?" Caitlyn asked Vi as she looked around at the crowd behind her. Vi thought for a moment, her face staying stone cold, "Only if you're going to drop your little story you're writing." Caitlyn mulled over her decision, "Fine." I just need to get her somewhere with fewer eyes and ears. Caitlyn thought to herself. "Come on. Let's take this outside." Vi said to her, motioning for Caitlyn to move over the rope and follow her. Caitlyn carefully stepped over the rope separating them as Vi turned to lead her into the back of the gym. They walked down a hallway, passing several doors before reaching a staircase at the end of the hallway marked "EXIT." They climbed up the flight of stairs. Vi pushed the door open, leading them outside into the alleyway behind the gym. "You've got me somewhere more private, now what?" Vi asked Caitlyn as she leaned back against the brick wall. "I want to talk to you about what's going on here," Caitlyn said. "No. I don't want to talk about that or do any interviews for you." Vi said as she crossed her arms, straightening up to a more defensive posture. "You know what you're doing here is illegal right? And people are getting hurt." Caitlyn tried to reason with Vi. "Yeah. That's kind of the point of these underground fights." Vi said to Caitlyn. "You aren't concerned at all?" Caitlyn asked Vi as her jaw tightened. Vi narrowed her eyes, "I'm more concerned aboutHow do you not belong here? Take what you got so far tonight as a win and leave." Caitlyn's eyes widened for a moment, "I could say the same about you. You don't belong here either." "You don't know me," Vi growled, getting more and more defensive by the second. "Well," Caitlyn huffed, "Y-You don't know me either." She said to Vi, not noticing they had gotten closer. "You need to leave," Vi said quietly. "I-I'm not leaving without my story." Caitlyn said firmly, standing her ground, "Something is going on here and I plan to uncover it." Vi smirked, "What, you think you got it all figured out?" She asked Caitlyn. Caitlyn seemed taken aback by Vi's question, "Well." She stammered, "No but I'll figure it out as I go." Vi scoffed and let out a small chuckle as she took a few steps back towards the door, "Do yourself a favor, find a different story. You're gonna get yourself or someone else hurt if you don't." Vi banged on the door a few times. Caitlyn wasn't sure what to say, "I just want to ask you a few questions." The door swung open, "No." Vi said as she grabbed the door, holding it open, "Get out of here." "Wait, I-I'm not done," Caitlyn said as Vi started to go through the door. Caitlyn tried to grab the door as it swung shut but she wasn't fast enough. She huffed. What now? I have to get her to talk to me.. Without anyone getting hurt. Caitlyn stood there for a moment as she thought. A burst of laughter from a group of people walking by brought Caitlyn out of her thoughts. "…Everyone knew she was going to win. There was no doubt about it." One of the men said to the group. "Well against that guy sure." Another one said, "The next fight will be a real challenge for her." "Yeah, bigger crowd, bigger bets, and a bigger payout." A woman in the group said. Are they talking about Vi's next fight? They have to be, right? Caitlyn thought to herself as she listened. She turned around, moving closer to the group. "Who?" She asked them, interrupting their conversation. The group glared at her as she interrupted them, "A bit out of your depth, don't you think?" One of the men asked with a smirk. Caitlyn let his comment go, focused on learning more about Vi, "You said 'her' are you talking about Vi?" she asked them. "Why? You placing a bet?" The other man asked with a grin. "No. I need to know when the fight is." Caitlyn said to them as she stepped another step closer. "Two nights from now. Here again." The woman said as she took a swig from the bottle she was holding. "Shame you aren't placing a bet. Vi's got a real winning streak going. She's gottta go down at some point." The other man said. "I think they're setting her up for a big fight." The woman said. "Who's they? What do you mean?" Caitlyn asked, her voice laced with concern as her facial expressions changed. She pulled out her notebook and her pad. "Something big." One of the men said, "Don't worry about it. We'll all see eventually. And as far as who 'they' is, that's a need-to-know basis, sweetheart." The man smirked. Caitlyn let out a sigh through her nose, I shouldn't push him too much, I don't want to draw attention."Right." Caitlyn said flatly "Well, thank you for the information." She said as she started to scribble down the information. Caitlyn flipped her notebook shut and made her way down the alleyway and into the night. Two days, huh? Perhaps I can figure out a way to get her to talk to me then. Caitlyn thought to herself as she walked towards her apartment. Caitlyn rounded a corner, entering a back alleyway in the slums of the city. Her clothes were much nicer than those she passed as she looked around, making her way down the alley. She noticed a few figures lingering around a stairwell. There was a lot of commotion and shouting coming from below, This must be it. She thought to herself as she approached. The figures lingering near the stairwell scattered as she got closer. They stared at her, keeping their distance, as she started her descent. The smell as she entered the stairwell was thick and metallic, and smoke filled the air. The sound of harsh laughter and chatter filled the small enclosed space. She noticed a betting table and a bar in the corner. The place was packed. Caitlyn made her way towards the back, staying along the edges of the crowd. The ground was filled with litter and the fighting ring was already covered in blood. Caitlyn adjusted her coat and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small notebook and a pen. She wrote in quick pen strokes Illegal fighting and betting. Probably no liquor license either. She flipped to the next page as she looked around. Minimal security but crowd-controlled. She quickly jotted notes down as the crowd prepared for the next fight. Cait continued to look around, observing people as they observed her. She knew they thought she didn't belong here. She stood out like a sore thumb amongst this crowd. As she looked around someone bumped into her. "Apologies," Caitlyn said as she briefly looked at the man who bumped into her. He looked like he had seen better days. "I'll forgive you for a dollar." The man joked as he laughed. He smelled of alcohol and cigarettes. "No. Thank you." Caitlyn said awkwardly as she decided to move away, moving closer towards the fighter's entrance to get a better look behind the scenes. As Caitlyn moved closer to the fighter entrance, roped off behind the stage she tried her best to get a better look. She briefly saw someone in another room holding his nose as it continued to bleed, she assumed he must be from an earlier fight. It seemed like there was no real medical care on site, which didn't surprise her. Cait quickly pulled out her notepad, scribbling down more notes. Seemingly no emergency care. Suddenly the crowd erupted in cheers. Cait's head quickly snapped up and she briefly saw a flash of a deep pink color as a woman stepped out into the ring. Her shoulders were broad and her hands wrapped as she pumped her fist up, riling up the crowd as they erupted into another set of cheers. For a moment, all Cait could do was stare. It was like she forgot why she was here. The crowd around her continued to cheer, "Vi! Vi! Vi!" They started chanting in unison. Vi. The name echoed in Caitlyn's head before she quickly snapped herself back to reality, scribbling the name down on her notepad before turning the page. Suddenly the crowd started to boo as a bigger man entered the ring. An announcer came over the speaker system, "All bets are placed. Welcome to the ring, fighters. Let's get this show on the road!" A male voice called out from across the crowd. As the man and Vi started to take their positions Vi's demeanor seemed to change. She seemed quiet and cold as she looked at him, rolling her shoulders slowly and deliberately as she took a fighting stance. The crowd started to quiet down as the fighters took their stances and then breaking the silence was a bell. The man threw the first punch but Vi was faster, quickly dodging him and throwing her own punch. Vi's fist connected with the man's jaw with a sickening crack, sending him stumbling back. The crowd roared as the fight started. Cait's eyes could barely keep up as the fight ensued, Vi landing more punches on the man as her nimbleness dodged his attacks. Then suddenly with a sickening crack, the man landed a punch on Vi, hitting her in the ribs. Cait gasped as she watched Vi get hit, watching Vi's face twist in pain but it didn't take Vi long to recover. Vi quickly bounced back, putting some space between herself and the man. The crowd quieted down for a moment before the man quickly lunged at Vi. Vi was faster, jumping out of his way before throwing her own punch. Caitlyn was trying her best to take notes about Vi, the crowd, and the man but it was too hard to keep up all at once. She watched Vi continue to fight with relentless precision and then finally within a few more minutes Vi threw the final blow, punching the man square in the face and hitting his nose. Blood painted the dirty floor of the fighting ring as the man went down. As he hit the floor the crowd cheered loudly, screaming Vi's name. Vi smirked as she started to relax and turned to exit the ring. Caitlyn started moving closer towards the direction Vi went to, trying to get a better look at her as she jumped out of the ring. Caitlyn pushed through the crowd, desperately trying to see where Vi was going next. She watched Vi talking to some man before he handed her an unknown amount of cash as they moved towards a doorway. Caitlyn's eyes narrowed as she continued to watch them talk from across the gym. She turned her attention back towards the boxing ring, noticing the man Vi fought was just now getting up, no one helping him or offering him medical attention. Caitlyn turned her head back towards the door Vi walked through, unsure where she had gone now. Caitlyn pulled out her notebook and scribbled down notes about Vi getting paid and the man not receiving any medical attention. What should I do now if I want to talk to Vi..? Caitlyn thought to herself as she looked around. She looked down at the rope barrier that separated the crowd from the rest of the boxing gym. This rope can't really stop me from going over it. She thought as she looked back up, noticing a few security guards. But they might stop me, some of these onlookers could as well.. Caitlyn thought as she was weighing her options. To Caitlyn's surprise just as she was about to try and call one of the security guards over she saw Vi emerge from the doorway again. To Caitlyn's surprise, she put her hand up and waved, "Vi" She called out, trying to get her attention. What am I doing? Caitlyn thought to herself as she continued to call Vi's name. To Caitlyn's surprise, Vi looked over at her, making eye contact with her. Caitlyn felt her cheeks starting to heat up as she looked at Vi and she froze for a moment. Vi smirked, her eyes widening in surprise and curiosity. Caitlyn snapped herself back to reality, "Um.. I-I'm a reporter and I'd love to interview you sometime!" Caitlyn yelled to Vi. Vi looked at her curiously before moving closer, "No, sorry. No interviews. But you can take some pictures if you want." Vi smirked at her. "Um.. but I have some things I want to talk to you about in regards to-" Caitlyn said before Vi cut her off. "No," Vi said, her voice firmer as she crossed her arms, taking a defensive position. "Can we move somewhere more private?" Caitlyn asked Vi as she looked around at the crowd behind her. Vi thought for a moment, her face staying stone cold, "Only if you're going to drop your little story you're writing." Caitlyn mulled over her decision, "Fine." I just need to get her somewhere with fewer eyes and ears. Caitlyn thought to herself. "Come on. Let's take this outside." Vi said to her, motioning for Caitlyn to move over the rope and follow her. Caitlyn carefully stepped over the rope separating them as Vi turned to lead her into the back of the gym. They walked down a hallway, passing several doors before reaching a staircase at the end of the hallway marked "EXIT." They climbed up the flight of stairs. Vi pushed the door open, leading them outside into the alleyway behind the gym. "You've got me somewhere more private, now what?" Vi asked Caitlyn as she leaned back against the brick wall. "I want to talk to you about what's going on here," Caitlyn said. "No. I don't want to talk about that or do any interviews for you." Vi said as she crossed her arms, straightening up to a more defensive posture. "You know what you're doing here is illegal right? And people are getting hurt." Caitlyn tried to reason with Vi. "Yeah. That's kind of the point of these underground fights." Vi said to Caitlyn. "You aren't concerned at all?" Caitlyn asked Vi as her jaw tightened. Vi narrowed her eyes, "I'm more concerned aboutHow do you not belong here? Take what you got so far tonight as a win and leave." Caitlyn's eyes widened for a moment, "I could say the same about you. You don't belong here either." "You don't know me," Vi growled, getting more and more defensive by the second. "Well," Caitlyn huffed, "Y-You don't know me either." She said to Vi, not noticing they had gotten closer. "You need to leave," Vi said quietly. "I-I'm not leaving without my story." Caitlyn said firmly, standing her ground, "Something is going on here and I plan to uncover it." Vi smirked, "What, you think you got it all figured out?" She asked Caitlyn. Caitlyn seemed taken aback by Vi's question, "Well." She stammered, "No but I'll figure it out as I go." Vi scoffed and let out a small chuckle as she took a few steps back towards the door, "Do yourself a favor, find a different story. You're gonna get yourself or someone else hurt if you don't." Vi banged on the door a few times. Caitlyn wasn't sure what to say, "I just want to ask you a few questions." The door swung open, "No." Vi said as she grabbed the door, holding it open, "Get out of here." "Wait, I-I'm not done," Caitlyn said as Vi started to go through the door. Caitlyn tried to grab the door as it swung shut but she wasn't fast enough. She huffed. What now? I have to get her to talk to me.. Without anyone getting hurt. Caitlyn stood there for a moment as she thought. A burst of laughter from a group of people walking by brought Caitlyn out of her thoughts. "…Everyone knew she was going to win. There was no doubt about it." One of the men said to the group. "Well against that guy sure." Another one said, "The next fight will be a real challenge for her." "Yeah, bigger crowd, bigger bets, and a bigger payout." A woman in the group said. Are they talking about Vi's next fight? They have to be, right? Caitlyn thought to herself as she listened. She turned around, moving closer to the group. "Who?" She asked them, interrupting their conversation. The group glared at her as she interrupted them, "A bit out of your depth, don't you think?" One of the men asked with a smirk. Caitlyn let his comment go, focused on learning more about Vi, "You said 'her' are you talking about Vi?" she asked them. "Why? You placing a bet?" The other man asked with a grin. "No. I need to know when the fight is." Caitlyn said to them as she stepped another step closer. "Two nights from now. Here again." The woman said as she took a swig from the bottle she was holding. "Shame you aren't placing a bet. Vi's got a real winning streak going. She's gottta go down at some point." The other man said. "I think they're setting her up for a big fight." The woman said. "Who's they? What do you mean?" Caitlyn asked, her voice laced with concern as her facial expressions changed. She pulled out her notebook and her pad. "Something big." One of the men said, "Don't worry about it. We'll all see eventually. And as far as who 'they' is, that's a need-to-know basis, sweetheart." The man smirked. Caitlyn let out a sigh through her nose, I shouldn't push him too much, I don't want to draw attention."Right." Caitlyn said flatly "Well, thank you for the information." She said as she started to scribble down the information. Caitlyn flipped her notebook shut and made her way down the alleyway and into the night. Two days, huh? Perhaps I can figure out a way to get her to talk to me then. Caitlyn thought to herself as she walked towards her apartment.