“Good morning, Miss Lílitha Houdge. It is now 6:20 in the morning of November 10th, 2349 in the city of Washington D.C. There will be three inches of snow today and the weather barrier has been disabled. Enjoy the season!”
Lílitha’s small blue feet gently descended onto the soft carpet. She immediately changed into her formal uniform. Her morning was already dampened at the thought of snow. They always turned off the barrier for people to ‘enjoy’ it. What was so enjoyable about cold, white powder?
These next few weeks were about to be more challenging for the Ilamikoan student. She was regretting this decision, but she felt it was appropriate. It was the only way she could finally gain a proper advantage in the Games.
She’d initially planned to go to the small, barely recognized Tathi Fighting Center in her country on Ilamiko, but after she turned of age on her planet, she pushed herself to try a bigger, more recognized school. The best Ilamikoan school, Woegih Academy, required her family’s permission regardless of her age, so she took the first space shuttle out of Ilamiko and looked for a school that would accept her.
Somehow, she wound up on Earth. Being one of the 625 Ilamikoans on the entire planet, she struggled to find a place to live and sustain herself, later applying to the academy. Her relentless training throughout her childhood and teen years paid off, getting her in the school at 5 years old— 15 for humans.
Time had literally flown by. Earth’s time pace was very different from her home’s. She sometimes wondered how her family fared back on Ilamiko, but she would probably never know until she graduated from the academy. None of them had contacted her since she left.
She never understood their logic. How could she differ from the other Ilamikoan fighters on their planet team? Just because they weren’t as widely recognized as the other planets didn’t mean they were wasting their time. She needed to do what she had to in order to prove them wrong. Unfortunately, she would do so through a different planet that wasn’t her first choice.
Being in the human fighting school was a bit counterintuitive to her goal. Fistborn was historic, with over 200 years’ worth of progress, and respected enough to be accredited. But the species bias was real. That new student made everything worse, being a no-name Socializer who didn’t know the first thing about fighting. What a blow to the name.
Either way, she had a better chance of standing out here than the other schools. She could’ve tried Paeseo or Kwantan, but their solar system was further than Earth’s.
She wasn’t about to glitch up her chances like she did last Versus. She finally got on the school team in her second year 1, later the planet team, only to get herself eliminated in the first rounds of the main Versus thanks to her overconfidence. She learned her lesson.
Now, it was time for her to swallow her pride and do something that would either make or break her career. It was a 60/40 chance, hopefully.
She was anxious as she entered the gym for her second period, Combat class. Rosalina’s rose red eyes met hers. The two stared each other down with equal hatred. It was as if they were regressing to their ancient roots, when Ilamiko used to be a slave planet. Lílitha wasn’t sure if Rosalina was following her ancestors in hating them. Then again, she seemed to hate everyone in general.
The woman had gotten herself trapped on Earth through her own free will. She didn’t have the right to take it out on everyone else. As far as she was concerned, it was everyone’s fault but hers.
After she would talk to Harrison, no doubt Rosalina would react. She would probably find it humorous. Lílitha couldn’t wait for another excuse to bite her arm off.
When the first Break finally started, Lílitha headed to the Student Coach dorms. Harrison usually rested there until his next class.
She requested access, waiting outside for a little while until finally being let in. To her chagrin, Rosalina was there, lounging on her boyfriend’s lap while watching the HARP.
“Look what the cat dragged in.” She rose, smirking at the little woman. “What brings you here?”
“None of your business.”
“Come to spend the day with your cheating friend?”
“Hack off.”
Harrison appeared in the teleporter before the argument could escalate. “Hey. What’s up?”
“Could we talk? It’s important.”
“Sure.” They walked off to the training room, which was being used by a couple of coaches. Harrison entered an isolated study room and turned on the soundproofing.
“How is training with the human?” Lílitha asked.
“Good. She’s improved… a lot, honestly. She’s doing her best. The other day, Savage and Gravity challenged her and she did a good job defending herself.”
“Yes, I heard about that. You hear everything about this girl.”
“People like to talk, I guess.” Harrison leaned against the wall. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Well… you know the Versus is soon. Finals are in about two weeks.”
“Yeah, it’s crazy. Feels like we just started.”
“I’m honestly not sure if I’ll make the team this year.”
“Oh, come on.”
She shrugged. “I bugged up pretty badly last time.”
“It’s a Chaos Round, Li.”
“Still… there’s no guarantee I’ll get in. And I want to. I have to.” She scratched her head. “So… I thought I could maximize my chances… and join a Guild.”
“A Guild?”
“Your Guild, specifically.” She looked away, feeling her skin go from ultramarine blue to a sky blue; her version of blushing.
Harrison smiled, self-satisfaction seeping through. This irritated the little woman. “Finally coming through, huh?”
“Don’t get cocky.”
“‘Absolutely not. No, Harrison, I can’t join a Guild. I don’t need it. I can fare on my own’.” He chuckled. “I’m not saying you can’t, but… it’s funny.”
“Shut up.”
“That’s what teams are for, I suppose.” He sighed dramatically, smiling wider.
“Harrison, I will bite your head off.”
“Okay,” he laughed. “What changed your mind?”
“Just… seeing how the human has improved… I can’t help but feel a bit…” She sighed. “I just want to be on the team. And if being in a Guild will help her, then maybe I should try. None of the other Coaches will take me, and even if they did, they’re not worth it. I’d rather be with someone I trust— the only one I trust.”
Harrison put his hand on his heart. “I’m so touched.”
She clicked her tongue. “Stop it.”
“Well, you know it’s not guaranteed. We don’t know for sure if Calista will get on the team. I’m sure she will, but there’s a chance she won’t. You don’t have to be so hard on yourself if you don’t make it, Li,” he advised her. “Don’t sweat it too much.”
“Anyway, will you… let me in your Guild?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I? I’ve been trying to convince you since I became Coach.” He messed up her hair. She growled and smacked his hand, baring her fangs. He backed away, smiling. “Sorry, sorry.”
“Okay, then. Thank you.” She exited the small room. “Where do I… sign up? Or… what?”
“Come to Guild Training after dinner. Oh, you might end up being a Favorite, since you’re just the second member. That might trigger… you-know-who.”
Lílitha crossed her arms, nodding. “I saw that coming.” She then shrugged. “I’ve dealt with her long enough. Plus, I like irritating her. It’s hilarious, the way she starts smoking.” She laughed at the thought of the Hajjian woman’s red skin brightening, her eyes glowing with fury. The look on her face… she couldn’t imagine how priceless it would be. Lílitha even hoped she’d explode and set the place on fire; she’d be stuck on Earth for even longer than intended.
“Don’t make her blow up,” Harrison said, as if reading her mind. “I know you can handle yourself, but… you know.”
“I am just following the legal procedures for new Favorites.” She smiled innocently.
The rest of the school day went by in a blur. The classes were now preparing everyone for the upcoming Versus, reminding them of the intensity and confusion of the games. The competition was a lot scarier than anyone could imagine. School could only get a fighter so far.
Harrison didn’t show up in Teamwork class, strangely enough. Calista was there, but Lílitha didn’t tell her the news. It would be strange if she suddenly started talking to her.
Lílitha ignored the shocked whispers and widened eyes on her as she walked through the hallway where the Guilds trained. Rosalina smiled contemptuously at her when she passed. Lílitha didn’t spare her a glance, but gestured subtly. It was an Ilamikoan insult, but the Hajjian understood, the smile instantly wiped off her face.
She reached the orange Kappa door and requested access. She entered, finding Harrison stretching on the mats. There was no sign of the human. “Where’s Medley?” she asked.
“She’s running a bit late.”
Lílitha scoffed and started her own stretches, extending her limbs to their full length. They reached all the way across the room. “You weren’t in class today,” she said.
“I got busy. Since you joined, I had to change up the lesson plan. With finals… SCs have a lot more to do.”
“Did you tell your student yet?”
“I haven’t seen her all day.”
Calista then entered, stopping short when she saw Lílitha. The woman tried not to laugh as the Earthian girl’s face paled.
“Um… hi.” Her voice squeaked. She cleared her throat. “Hi,” she repeated. “Um… what are you… doing here?”
This girl was a serious wimp. They had one fight, for a test. What was she so afraid of? The girl beat Hothead, Savage, and Gravity, and she was still afraid of her? Granted, she was lucky in those fights, but she was brave enough to confront them.
“I’m your new Guild-mate.” She offered a friendly smile. “Surprise.”
Calista forced on a smile and looked at her Student Coach. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“I forgot to message you, I’m sorry. I got busy. Li could’ve told you in class.”
Lílitha scoffed. “I wasn’t going to talk to her in front of Hothead. That’s asking for trouble.” She looked at Calista. “I’m here. Deal with it.”
Calista approached slowly, also getting down to do stretches. Her emerald eyes flickered towards the blue woman every now and then. Lílitha scanned her Guild uniform; a peach-colored exercise bra and matching shorts. The girl really couldn’t let go of her habits at all.
“Okay, Li, let me scan you real quick.” Harrison paused his stretching. He scanned Lílitha with his Versus Pet and entered her into the Guild. The orange Guild patches then appeared on her sleeves and her standard Practicum uniform changed from red, white and blue to orange and white.
“Congratulations,” he said.
“Thank you.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Let’s start. With Calista, we’ve been going over different disciplines. As a main discipline, she’s partial to Lalaasa. With you… well, you like to bite.”
Calista shuddered, as if in agreement. Lílitha covered her snicker, pretending to sneeze.
“Bless you. Li, you’re pretty advanced, and you know your style. I’d say just do what you always do and keep studying any new disciplines you get. Also, you two can spar so I can evaluate both of you.”
“I have to fight her?” Calista asked.
“Do you want to fight the wall?” Lílitha retorted.
The Earthian girl glared at her, finally showing a bit of ‘bite’. Lílitha hoped she’d get used to her. The constant cowering was getting on her last nerves.
She did intimidate her that one time… but that was only because of Harrison. Lílitha cared for that kid, and she wouldn’t let any girl break his heart, if it was the last thing she did.
“We’ll do some warm-ups, then start fighting. You have a chance to show Piranha what you’ve learned since your test, Cali.” He turned to the screens behind him.
After practicing by themselves, Harrison had them do a basic spar against each other. The usual boyish humor in his face was gone, replaced by a neutral, calculating poker face. Lílitha didn’t get a lot of chances to see him be a Student Coach, so this was an interesting side to him.
“You guys ready?” he asked.
The girls nodded. The Earthian looked a bit more focused now, her previous intimidation faded.
Lílitha never really focused on how young the girl was. She was barely 6 years old by Ilamikoan standards. Her impression of her softened just slightly, remembering how naïve she was when she started at the academy.
“Go.”
She let the Earthian strike first. She immediately noticed the change in her fighting style; it was more precise and strategic. There were some flaws in her force, but her balance was fixed and she knew how to move. This was a far cry from her first fight, when her technique was all over the place.
She flipped over Calista’s kick and aimed her foot at her face, stretching her leg to reach her. Calista flipped backwards, cartwheeling and catching Lílitha’s ankle between her legs. However, the elasticity allowed the Ilamikoan to pull it back forcibly and throw the girl off balance.
Still, that was very good.
Lílitha didn’t go easy on her. When the Earthian fell, she followed with a harsh stomp. Calista rolled out of the way in time and got back on her feet in no time flat. Lílitha hid her impressed reaction, punching at her face. Her fist grazed her chin. Calista caught her wrist and threw it down, but didn’t let go. Since Lílitha’s arm was stretched, the motion caused it to bounce off the mats like a rope.
She gasped, the pain shooting up her elbow all the way up to her shoulder. She let her arm retract and pull her towards the human girl so she could punch her with her free hand. The girl let go of her arm, but it was useless, weakened from the snap.
Lílitha then reached up with her leg and wrapped around Calista’s throat. She pulled back and got her on the ground, squeezing, but she was careful to not completely cut off her air supply. Calista stayed still, squirming only slightly. She moved her legs and bridged, using her core strength to try and break free, but she was unable to. She tapped Lílitha’s leg to yield.
She let her go, panting lightly. Her arm was recovering from the fight, regaining its feeling. It was a notorious weakness in Ilamikoans, so she wasn’t surprised that Calista found it.
Calista stood, sweating and panting more heavily than Lílitha. She looked at Harrison, who was evaluating their performances on the screen. “What’s the verdict?” she asked.
“Lílitha, you were going a bit too easy on her,” he commented.
“I would’ve bitten, but you’re always saying, ‘No biting’.”
“You don’t have to bite. Just use anything else.” He shook his head. “You’re like a cannibal.”
Lílitha only flashed a huge, innocent smile.
“Calista, you did pretty good finding ways around Lílitha’s attacks and defenses. You have to work on avoiding holds. That hold was inescapable, so it’s an automatic loss unless you have a weapon or external force helping you. But good job.”
The period went on. Most of Harrison’s teaching was focused on Calista, but Lílitha understood. He already knew her fighting style, and she was a lot more advanced. Calista needed his help more than she did. The main reason she wanted to join Kappa was to increase her chances of getting on the team again, and to get into the team rounds of the competition.
The previous Versus, Lílitha didn’t have a Guild or any teammates that worked well with her, so she was excluded from that part of the games. She couldn’t find anyone for the Duo rounds, either; she’d cross that bridge when she came to it. But if she could at least get into the teams, she could stay in the games even if she was eliminated in the singles.
They needed a minimum of 5 members… so 2 left. It was a shame Calista’s friends already had Guilds. Maybe she could bully a couple of the wimpier students into joining.
Hopefully, she and Calista could make a good team.
===
Camelithia laughed at the comedy she was watching on the HARP. She was lounging on her sofa, her hair a mess and her PJs wrinkled. She crunched another kernel of licorice popcorn between her teeth.
It was an unpopular snack, but there was something about it that Cam loved. She couldn’t figure out what. No one she knew understood her tastes.
Well, no one she knew understood her in general.
She would be lying if she said her reputation didn’t bother her at least a little. She didn’t make any effort to gain approval from her fellow Guild mates or other people in the academy. She did whatever she wanted to. But sometimes, the rumors she’d hear bouncing around the halls would hurt… sometimes.
She was always the oddball of her family back in Britain. Her family treated her well and loved her for who she was, but she couldn’t help but notice differences between them. Outwardly, they dressed and acted the same. The differences were more internalized. The way they thought, what they believed, their interests.
None of her family ever expressed interest in becoming a fighter. Her siblings were beyond excited, being longtime Versus fans, but they wouldn’t dream of actually participating. They were surprised when she went up to them one day, only 14 human years old at the time, and casually told them she would be a fighter when she grew up. It was hard to believe that was ten years ago.
After two attempts, she was accepted into Fistborn, and in her first Versus, she’d made it to the eighth-finals, impressing the crowd with her iconic dropkick that gave her a call sign. That was impressive for a first-timer. She was determined to achieve better notoriety this year.
Lots of her old, virtual friends from the UK had entered Kingsbury Academy, England’s premier institution of combat. Camelithia’s parents expected her to go there, but she wound up in the American school instead, having moved to the US and gained citizenship after she completed her education. Cam loved her friends, but there were more Seeyastians in the US than Britain, and she never really connected enough with people from her ancestors’ planet.
Despite that, she was still the odd one out. When Calista came, she figured they could be friends. They were both ‘odd ones’. She could imagine Calista was more affected by what people said about her, but she hoped she could help her grow numb to all that. What mattered was that she was a good fighter who could easily kick someone’s face in if they bugged her off.
A message interrupted her show. She sighed unenthusiastically, but opened it anyway. Alicia Gutiérrez, the first Favorite of her Guild, appeared in a hologram. She was one of the few students that liked her, and the main reason why Cam wasn’t as disrespected by the other Etas. “Hey, Cam,” she said. “I’m kind of going through a thing right now… do you mind coming over? If you can’t, it’s cool. It's… you know, boy stuff.”
“Oh, boy,” she said aloud. That on-again, off-again boyfriend of hers. She shrugged and headed out. It wasn’t like she had much to do… except homework, but that was Future Camelithia’s problem.
Alicia was a third-year 1 student, so the Seeyastian had to cross buildings. She wore a thick blue overcoat with white fur trimmings over her uniform. Calista’s fashion skills had really rubbed off on her. Who knew one could experiment so much with clothes?
She took a moment to taste the falling flurry of snowflakes, her feet crunching in the white powder. Winter was one of her favorite seasons. If only everyone at Fistborn were more fun. A snowball fight would’ve been a nice way to destress. Her coat disappeared when she entered the third year building.
When she entered the Women’s Wing, a barrage of loud voices hit her. “-you don’t know anything about me, you caching glitch!”
“I know just enough about you. That’s why you’re like this. You’re scared.”
“Please. Earthian ants would scare me more than you ever would. I’m bugged off because you walk in, soaking up all the privilege, when you had a friend to give it all to you!”
“Says the first seed’s girlfriend.”
What on Earth…? Camelithia cautiously approached. Rosalina and Lílitha stood in the hallway, surrounded by many other girls.
To her surprise, Calista was in the hallway, pressed up against the wall, as frightened as a deer. The minute her emerald eyes met Cam’s pink rhombuses, she hurried over as fast as she could.
“What’s going on?” Cam asked her.
“They just started yelling. I came over to visit Lílitha, then Rosalina saw me, and they started going at it.”
“You’re visiting Piranha? Doesn’t she hate you?”
“She’s part of my Guild now… she wanted to talk about training during Breaks.”
Ah. That made sense. But why would Rosalina be so angry about it? Not only her, but many other Guild girls were in the hall, antagonizing the little woman.
“It’s so unfair that you’re already a Favorite while lots of people are struggling to get a badge. Hillary’s been in Delta since her first year, and she hasn’t gotten one. I haven’t gotten one,” a girl said with disgust. She wore bronze patches from the Delta Guild, under Li Mei’s leadership. Hillary Kaye was in that Guild.
“Maybe she’s struggling because she’s an insufferable likata.”
Cam snickered at the insult. Calista leaned over and whispered, “What the heck is a likata?”
“It’s an insect on Ilamiko. It brings plagues and sickness to whoever it touches. It also makes annoying noises.”
“Oh.”
Rosalina stepped closer to Lílitha, towering over her. The girl didn’t look the least bit intimidated. Even Cam couldn’t be that brave. This woman must’ve been through more than anyone could know.
“If I were you, I’d choose my words carefully,” the Hajjian woman said.
“Why should I? You can’t hit me.” Lílitha widened her eyes so the light could reflect off her black marbles. She twiddled her thumbs and shifted on her feet. “You wouldn’t hurt a helpless little creature like me, would you? After all… I can only do so much to defend myself. My powers are nothing compared to yours.”
“Try me.” Rosalina cracked her knuckles.
“You’ll be stuck here forever, you know.”
“It’ll be worth it.”
“Okay.” Camelithia got in between them. “Can we not do this? I’m sure no one here wants Hothead setting their rooms on fire.”
“There’s shields, you moron,” Rosalina snapped.
“Knowing you, they’ll break.”
“Rosa!” Alicia ran over to intervene. “Are you crazy? You’re going to get yourself arrested! Stop!”
“Why are you so riled up?” Cam asked. “So Lílitha’s a Favorite. So what?”
“It has nothing to do with that. All I have to do is take a look at that disgusting little face, and I feel like exploding.”
“What is your problem? Both of you. This rivalry has got to stop,” said Alicia.
“Oh, it won’t.” Lílitha glared at the Hajjian, smiling demonically. “Not as long as this woman can’t bring down her pathetic ego. She’s just upset because I can always choose to go home and see my family, but she can’t, because she’s an idiot.”
“Watch it, Houdge.”
“Isn’t it true? You were stupid enough to follow your friends. You really thought assaulting someone on another planet would be a harmless crime?”
Camelithia shook her head. “Lílitha, could you shush?” She was pushing Rosalina to her limit.
“And for what? A couple thousand digits. You’re so pathetic. Crying to your family about how much you miss them. You should’ve thought of that before coming here to glitch people up.”
“I said, watch it.” The woman looked beyond enraged. It was amazing how she had controlled herself until now.
“This is hilarious. Knowing what happened, you still lose it so easily. You’ll never see them again if you keep this up. Although, you must’ve been a handful for them. Just look at you. Maybe they’re better off.”
Rosalina grabbed her collar. Lílitha turned her head and bit the woman’s wrist. Rosalina cried out, letting go. She hadn’t used much force, but her fangs were sharp enough to cut her a bit.
“That’s it!” Her face glowed.
“Oh, cache-” Everyone screamed and jumped out of the way as she breathed out a stream of fire. Lílitha had jumped in time, pushing off the ceiling and crashing into Rosalina’s face. She wrapped her arms around her mouth to gag her.
“Someone do something!” Cam looked at a Voraxmartian girl near her. “Put her out!”
“I need water!”
“Kwené!” she called her Pet. The sphere detached from Camelithia’s belt and flew away.
Many cleared the hallway as the two women brawled furiously. Lílitha was whiplashing her fist across Rosalina’s face, breaking her nose and spraying blood everywhere. Calista looked away, sickened at the sight.
Rosalina threw Lílitha down. The small woman rolled to her feet, standing defensively. Calista quickly blocked Rosalina, standing in front of her Guild-mate. “Rosalina, look, I know you’re angry right now, but this is crazy. You need to control yourself-”
“Move!” She grabbed her arm and threw her against the wall. The Earthian girl gasped at the pain.
Kwené returned, holding a large cup of water in a beam. “Here!” She gave it to Cam, who passed it to the Voraxmartian. Using her powers, she expanded the molecules, turning it into a huge, floating bubble.
Rosalina lifted Lílitha by the throat and threw her on her back. She grabbed her wrists to snap her elastic limbs on the floor. Lílitha cried out as her arms slackened.
The Hajjian woman’s face glowed again and she inhaled to fuel her powers. Before she could blowtorch her enemy’s face, the half-Voraxian soaked her with the water. She coughed, her skin sizzling, and stood. Lílitha stayed down, panting.
The girl raised his hands defensively when Rosalina looked at her. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want anything crazy to happen.”
“Crazy? She…” She pointed at Lílitha. “She just… I swear. I will do something about this.” She looked around at the other students, who all stared at her fearfully or cautiously. She scowled at Lílitha and stormed down the hall. The girls parted like a wave, not daring to provoke her further.
“That was crazy. She was going to kill you,” Calista said.
Lílitha sat on her elbows, regaining feeling in her limbs. She wiped the water off her face. “She’s as crazy as they come.”
“Glitch, you provoked her. You should’ve just shut up,” Alicia said.
“She got all crazy when she saw me. She began the altercation. She’s just mad I can see right through her— literally and figuratively.” She stood. “She has a weird skeleton, by the way.”
“What does that mean?” Calista asked, shuddering.
Lílitha blinked. Her black marbles suddenly turned white. The human girl gasped, stepping back. “What the-”
The other girl sighed. “Seriously, human. Study other species. You can’t go to the Versus if you’re so clueless.” She went to her door. “We’ll discuss training tomorrow instead. Go back to your building.”
Everyone murmured as they cleared the hallway. “You good?” Cam touched Calista’s shoulder.
She nodded, still trembling from the confrontation. “Yeah… does this happen all the time?”
“Not like this. Let me take you back to your room. Next time, Lílitha should visit you.” Cam looked at Alicia. “I’ll be right back.”
“You’re fine.” Alicia went back into her room.
Both Rosalina and Lílitha had been in the academy longer than Camelithia had. She knew their rivalry stemmed from their very first year at school. She’d heard enough from the rumors, but for them to hate each other to this extent— something horrible must have happened.
From what she knew, Rosalina was bitter because of her criminal circumstance, and she was also a species elitist, preferring ‘stronger’ people like Klausians or Dnilians. Ilamikoans were classified as a ‘weaker’ species, much like Cam’s own or Calista’s species. There would already be some natural tension there.
Lílitha had come to Earth to get into the Versus, but the reason was unclear. It seemed like a quest to prove herself. There were many students with the same goal, but Lílitha was the only Ilamikoan in the entire school.
The girls would almost always clash when they were together, and that cycle repeated up to now. Cam had heard of and witnessed many incidents between them, ranging from insults to violent exchanges like this one. But the question remained: why so much hatred?
It couldn’t be as shallow as their species. She would know; Hajjians enslaved Seeyastians, too. She wouldn’t hate Rosalina just because she was one of them. She didn’t even hate her, really. Her impression was just a general dislike of her hostile personality.
This academy was filled to the brim with drama. Herself, Calista, Rosalina, Lílitha, Harrison… how many more would become the main subject of gossip for Fistborn? They criticized Socializers, but were they that different?
Versus training was harsh. But social life? How did Calista make that her focus for so long?