CHAPTER 4
A teenage boy in the corner blew a whistle, “Begin!” Outside the cage, the kids Maya taught after school huddled together. A little army of minions, they chanted with violent glee, excited to see their teacher spar. Lio snapped her focus to Maya who pushed herself into the center of the mat. Not a great start, Lio chided herself. Maya continued her forward motion and threw a strike aimed at her head. Lio shifted her weight to lean away from the hit.
A second fist came from the right and Lio barely caught it with her forearm. With both arms thrown, Lio anticipated the left kick that Maya sent out. She dropped her body, avoiding the hit, and threw all of her weight towards the leg Maya balanced on. Risky, but Lio needed the center of the mat. She hit a wall of muscle, Maya brought her extended leg back to knee her in the side. “Uhhff,” the pain in her ribs brought an involuntary noise. She wrapped her arms around Maya’s hips and dug her feet into the mat, her thighs straining. Maya’s center of gravity shifted and her hold gained momentum.
They toppled to the floor, Lio tried to tuck her head but a fist connected with the side of her face. Stars danced at the edge of her vision. She grappled with Maya trying to pin her arms, twisting her legs around Maya’s to stop her from rising. But Maya was stronger. She broke her hold and landed an elbow between Lio’s neck and shoulder. Pain radiated down past her collar bone. Her grip loosened. “Oooh,” the kids outside the cage reacted with sympathy.
Lio felt Maya’s muscles coil, ready to elbow her again. She couldn’t take that hit. Lio pulled back and they both scrambled up to a standing position. The risk was worth it. She widened her stance, now in the center of the mat. Maya orbited her, juking throws and looking for inattention or a weak spot. It would have been too easy for Maya to pin Lio to the wall of the cage. In the center, Lio could depend on her only advantage: her reflexes. Lio saw Maya’s right foot drawback, a promise that a real hit was coming.
Maya’s leg rounded brutally fast and connected with the back of Lio’s thigh. Her leg was still stinging when she had to bring up her fist to protect the left side of her face. Another jab followed from the right. Maya’s strikes flurried around her, she blocked all of the hits directed at her joints or face but she was still racking up blows to her forearms, sides, and legs. Maya was power and her offensive was ruthless. Lio needed to do more than block and dodge.
Lio used her forearm as a shield again, the muscle already sore from the previous strikes. She had to act now. Lio threw up her right knee to fake a kick, smiling when she saw Maya raise her shin to block. She let her foot lower into a southpaw stance. Keeping her momentum she hooked her right fist at Maya’s face. It was an assault on the left. Maya brought her fists up to block the left side of her face, leaning her face away from the hit. Her blow busted apart over Maya’s defense. But that strike hadn’t been her goal.
At the same time, Maya had leaned away, Lio straightened her left leg, bringing it into a high kick that connected directly with Maya’s face. With her fists on her left, Maya couldn’t block. “Woah,” the kiddies chimed in. Maya tucked her head, likely stunned. Lio used her opportunity to land another hook on the side of Maya’s face. Maya’s form compressed a bit more, Was she winning? The children’s voices became nervous as they encouraged their teacher. Lio saw Maya’s foot swivel, shit.
Maya sprung, both arms open. Lio tried to meet the grapple, locking her arms around the back of Maya’s elbows, she was shrugged off easily. The kids began to cheer. Maya lowered her shoulders and roped her arms around both of Lio’s legs, oh fuck. Maya dropped to one knee and heaved Lio’s legs into the air, a full take-down. Lio hit the mat with an audible smack. Her breath knocked out of her, Lio struggled to bring her forearms up to block Maya’s fists. Maya kneeled over her, Lio’s torso pinned, forcing her to take some direct hits to her face.
She wrestled Lio’s elbow forward between her hips. Lio tried to tuck it back against her body but Maya had ratcheted it up away from her center. She bucked her hips, knowing what was about to happen. Maya slid her right knee up towards Lio’s head, looping her elbow between Lio’s body and her arm. Lio crossed her arms together, throwing her elbows frantically.
The small squeals of children filled the air. Maya’s knee swung over her body on the other side of her trapped arm. Maya switched her grip and began to extend her spine and legs, dragging her arm from the area in front of her torso. Shit, shit, shit.
Lio linked her hands together trying to stop the move, but Maya also knew her tricks. Maya clamped a hand on the caught arm, preventing Lio from turning out of the position. Secure in her hold, Maya began to recline, extending Lio’s arm in a bar-hold.
Lio winced as the tension in her shoulder socket became taught. The kids were yelling in a frenzy. Damn it, Lio thought. Maya finalized the hold by changing her grip again, tucking her legs against Lio’s neck, and straightening her arm painfully.
A whistle sounded.
Maya’s grip released and Lio’s arm fell to the mat limp.
“Ughh,” Lio groaned. She heard Maya’s breathy laugh on the mat next to her.
She pulled her mouthpiece out, “You’re a monster.” Lio panted, not moving from her place on the mat.
“You know you love me,” Maya said from above her, face dripping with sweat but bright and energetic. She reached out a hand to help her up, yanking her to her feet.
“Yeah, yeah. Do the parents know you’re running the kids-meal version of street fighter in here?”
“Hey, hey, hey - the Silvas are pillars of the community. Besides,” She turned to face the children, who had begun to circle them with elated chatter.
“What’s the Silva way?” Maya asked her students expectantly. The students froze, stilling themselves with attention. Completely transformed from the little gremlins that were cheering at her defeat.
“You must discipline yourself,” Their small faces answered seriously.
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“Before you discipline others.” The tenor of their voices rang out in unison.
“Perfect!” Maya smiled like a mother hen and the children beamed back. Lio was familiar with the Silva way and its violent implications. She held in a laugh. Maya dismissed the kids who broke off into groups, mimicking different parts of their spar. “What have you done?” Lio laughed, toweling the sweat from her face and limbs. She picked up their water bottles, handing one off to Maya.
“I am happy for you.” Maya looked at her, eyes gleaming with sincerity.
A knot formed in Lio’s throat. She still wasn’t ready for this conversation. Maya’s obvious emotion caught her off guard.
“But, I will also miss you. A lot. Like every day-” Maya stopped abruptly, unable to continue. Tears welled and trailed down the planes of her face.
“Me too.” Lio managed before sniffling. Her eyes burned, watery. She hadn’t known what to say now or yesterday. She felt a tightness in her chest that had nothing to do with their sparring match.
“I don’t know how to say good-bye.” Lio pleaded, her voice breaking on that hateful word. Her tears flowed in earnest now. How could she say goodbye to Maya? The person who had been her friend, her sister, even if not by blood. Kind and lovely Maya, who had shared her own home, bringing warmth to Lio’s broken childhood.
“So-” Maya took a steadying breath, struggling to speak over her tears.
“So- we don’t say goodbye.” Maya tapped into an inner strength. She looked at Lio again, a brightness, a surety in her expression. Lio was bewildered, her own insides splintering.
“We don’t say goodbye. We say, until then.” Maya’s solution was beautiful. Like a wish, shared.
“Until then,” Lio echoed, testing it. It didn’t hurt to say, not like goodbye. Goodbye was your chest imploding like grief and loss would carve out your insides. She repeated the new phrase internally. It felt sad, yes, but hopeful.
“Until then,” Maya stuck her fist out, pinky extended. Lio laughed at the gesture. She mirrored the movement, linking her scarred little finger with Maya’s. They stamped their thumbs, just like all of the other promises they had kept as children.
Lio’s future was unknown, a fate submerged in chaos. Maya and Lio shared a laugh, spitting into their palms, smiles shining over their tears. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to come back regularly to Earth. Hell, she didn’t even know if she would make it into the RI. The friends shook hands, dragging their palms back into a faux-explosion. But she would try her best, she had wanted this for as long as Maya had wanted to run her own gym. And it was comforting to know some things would never change.
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It had been almost a week since Lio and Maya had sparred. In less than two days’ time, she’d go to her local terminal, meet some Rhoth personnel, and begin her new career as a mercenary. Over the last six days, she had quit her job, closed and emptied her bank accounts, and helped Maya run the gym downstairs. It had been easy to tie up her old life, with one glaring exception: her parents.
She hadn’t been able to go over or talk to them. Unsure of what she should say but also not sure if she had anything to say. Lio had talked it over with Maya, and while she wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk to her Mom, the same wasn’t true for her Dad. She wanted to give him an explanation, in her own words, on why she wouldn’t be around. She looked at the time on her phone, 7:07 pm. He should be off work by now.
She dialed his number before she lost confidence. The line picked up but the receiver was silent.
“Hello? Dad?” Lio chewed her lip anxiously.
“Hey Peanut, one sec-” Her father was whispering, she heard the familiar thwack of their back screen door. Mom must be there too. She waited patiently as her father likely lit a cigarette.
“How ya doin’ Peanut?” Her dad’s voice was warm with concern.
“I’m … alright.” It felt like the best word to describe Lio’s current state.
“Listen, Dad, I need to tell you something.” Lio paused. She changed the hand that held her phone, wiping the sweat there onto her pants.
“I applied again to the Rhoth Initiative. And… I made it past the preliminary testing.” She threw out the information with the last of her boldness. She heard her father take a long drag.
“Well, congrats hun. I know you wanted this. And if you’re happy, I’m happy.” And he did sound pleased. His words lightened her. Like she had dropped the final weight preventing her from enjoying this moment freely.
“I’ll miss you Dad.”
“Oh, I’ll miss you too Peanut. But we both knew this was going to happen one day. Since you knew they were taking people up through the stars, that was all you ever wanted. Heck, even before the Rhoth came down you were ob-sessed with space.” He chuckled, likely remembering all the time they had spent hunting stars and planets in their pajamas. Before her mom had broken her telescope.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come back over.” Lio’s guilt swelled when she imagined leaving her father to deal with her mom alone. It made her want to weep.
“Listen, Lio, what your mama did was wrong. I’m sorry I didn’t stop it first. When I finally got her pulled off you, you were gone. I didn’t expect you to come back. I wouldn’t have wanted you to.” Her dad’s steady voice soothed and absolved her.
“No- Not that I didn’t want to see you- I do.” He stumbled trying to correct any misinterpretation.
“I know dad, I know.” While she had blamed him at times for her misery during childhood, she had always known her dad loved her.
“So when do you leave?” Her dad asked taking another drag of his cigarette.
“The 8th,” Lio answered simply.
“Oh,” He exhaled, “So soon?”
“Yeah. Listen, Dad, I don’t know if you can or want to- but Maya and I are going out to dinner tomorrow. We were thinking hibachi or maybe a nice steak house. Could you, or do you think you would want to go-”
“I’ll be there hun.” Her dad answered, settling Lio’s nerves.
“Okay! I’ll text you the details when we decide where we’re going.” Lio smiled buoyantly.
“Thanks for inviting me.” Her dad said. Lio puzzled at his tone, he sounded upset.
“Of course Dad, I love you,” Lio said like it was obvious.
“I love you too Peanut.” Her dad cleared his throat. The screen door cracked again.
“What are you doing out here Tony?” She heard her mother’s shrill voice in the background.
“Just smoking a cig, Marcia. Steven is on the phone, I have to work a double tomorrow.” Her dad took another audible drag.
“Well, you tell Steven he better be paying you overtime.”
“You heard her Steven, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Her dad’s lie passed smoothly.
“Bye Dad, I love you.” Lio knew he couldn’t stay on the phone.
“Yup, you too.”
“Why didn’t you say it? What if he doesn’t give you the overtime? Tony, I swear-”
The line disconnected. Lio stared at her phone, the profile picture of her father lit the dark room. It was a picture of her father and Lio holding their homemade orrery. They had spent all summer building a mechanical model of the solar system. The intricate pieces spinning and rotating around the sun with precision.
Things had been better then, Dad still had his job as an engineer. Her mom had even taken the picture. But that was before the Rhoth, before her mom had become an alcoholic. Her mom had blamed the Rhoth for everything bad in their lives. And Lio had viewed them with wonder and joy.
Lio pulled the covers up around her. There was some sick irony in that. She pushed the thoughts from her mind. She didn’t want to think about her mother. She was meeting her Dad tomorrow. Maya and Lio would hash out where they were going in the morning.
A nice steak sounded good, medium rare, seasoned with coarse pepper and a pat of butter. Yeah, definitely steak, she thought. She turned on her side, hugging a pillow. Lio drifted off to sleep hoping there would be beef in space.