Red
Chapter 1
By Razzbairee
Disclaimer: I don't own DOA. Read & enjoy for God's sake.
Red
Chapter 1
By Razzbairee
“Jann Lee! Jann Lee!”
Amidst of all the commotion, I could hear someone calling my name.
“Jann Lee, behind you! Look! Quick!”
What?
I could barely tell what was happening. All I could feel was my arm being grabbed, my back hitting the floor, my leg being grabbed, then a sharp pain up my spine. I couldn’t move after that.
“Jann Lee, get up!”
I can’t.
I was lying there on the floor when I saw a pair of high heels land right by my head. Soon afterwards, there were a pair of boots then they disappeared. I thought I heard someone scream, but it was muffled by the sound of electricity. Then that was it.
I sat by the table in the room I was staying in. I didn’t bother turning on the lights. I wanted it dark & gloomy, just how I felt. It was dark out, too. But there was artificial light from the other buildings nearby that lit up a part of the room from the window nearby.
Lost . . . again.
It was the second time Lei Fang & I lost a team match. I didn’t know what was wrong. I kept blaming myself, because I was the one who was beaten first, leaving Lei Fang to fend for herself. It was all because me we lost. Every single time, I insisted on staying in, thinking that I could get a few hits in before I tagged out. And every time I was wrong.
Lei Fang had came in my room to check on me. She wasn’t angry. Well, she didn’t show it. But I knew she was. She didn’t want it to show, because she already knew it was all my fault & she didn’t want to rub in it.
“It’s just two matches,” she said earlier, “At least we know our mistakes & won’t make them again.”
My mistakes, you mean.
I never understood why she was so nice all the time. You would think she would explode on me by now. I would rather have her tell me it’s all my fault instead of it’s our fault. It wouldn’t hurt my feelings . . . But another thing I didn’t understand was why couldn’t I get a few hits in? Was I not watching my opponent? Was I overconfident?
What’s wrong with that? I have to believe I can win in order to win, correct?
I stood up from the chair & looked out the window. I was thinking too hard again.
“Would you shut up already? You’ll turn into an old man if you constantly think like that.”
That was Lei Fang told me once. I was telling her what I thought would happen to our town back in China if people continue to harass each other like they do. There was a lot of that. A bunch of lowlifes with no lives.
I decided to look onto the city. We were in New York in America for part of the tournament. The X Octagon was in America & where Lei & I lost. New York City was no different from Hong Kong except the English lettering all over the buildings & the Americans. I didn’t really feel uncomfortable in New York City. I hadn’t explored it yet, but later I would. We were in the nice part of the city, but just like Hong Kong, there is an ugly side somewhere.
Tina, Bass, & Zack must be happy to be back in the Americas . . .
Most of the tournament wasn’t in the Americas. And I knew how it felt to be homesick. When we were in France for part of the tournament Tina was complaining about the food: how French pizza shouldn’t even be called pizza, stuff like that. I saw the difference between the Americans’ pizza & the French. Helena was happy to be in France, of coarse. I remembered how happy Lei Fang was before her solo match against Kasumi, the runaway. She wasn’t even nervous or anything. She was too happy about her & Helena’s trip around Paris. I was surprised she even won that match . . .
Maybe happiness does help . . .
No, I couldn’t think like that. I always kept a straightforward face during a match. Being happy would just distract me. I had to be serious in order to concentrate.
I looked down onto the passing people & cars below. Of coarse, they looked like tiny ants from my floor. And all the bright lights from the billboards & such. It wasn’t bright enough to light up the whole city though. Or cover the stars. There weren’t that much of them out that night, I noticed.
I put my forehead on the window just staring at the people & lights. It seemed like the lights were getting brighter & turning white, engulfing all the people, cars, buildings, everything even the sky. Just getting brighter until all there was left was white. And I soon forgot all about my mistakes earlier.
“Psst . . . Psst, Jann Lee! Are you up?!”
Lei Fang . . . That woman . . . Why must she torment me?
“I’m up now,” I said as I picked up my head off the pillow then my chest off the mattress.
“Do you want something to eat? Tina is taking me & the rest of the girls -well, except Ayane & Christie, of coarse- to go get something to eat. Do you want something to eat? I’ll bring something back for you.”
She had her head in my room.
I didn’t lock the door . . .?
I asked myself what time I had fallen asleep while rubbing my eyes. I was still tired.
What time is it?
As if reading my mind, Lei Fang said it was eight twenty seven then asked me if I wanted something for the third time. I shook my head no. I didn’t want a woman running out & getting food for me when I could be doing it myself. I needed to explore anyway.
“Suit it yourself,” Lei Fang said, leaving me in the room.
I sighed then looked around the room. There was no use going back to sleep. When I was up, I was up.