Chapter 1: Boring introduction - Where is the magic? (1/2)
The dull sound of gloved fists hitting a sack filled with sand was all she focused on, her own breathing and heartbeat growing distant as her unrelenting assault pummeled into the unfeeling enemy. A beeping sound woke her from the trance, the phone lying on the ground calling for her to stop. Sweat dripped down her brow as she looked around the gym. Picking up the phone, she grabbed her towel and walked towards the exit.
“Bye Mark.” She called out to the bald man engrossed in a conversation near the counter. He gestured to the other man and smiled at her.
“Ilea, hey I just wanted to ask again about the classes. Are you sure you don’t want to try?”
She stopped and looked at him, cleaning her face with the towel, “I appreciate the offer, really. You know I love it but with uni starting next week I just can’t.”
The younger man next to Mark lifted his eyebrows. She was aware of his stare and locked eyes with him until he shifted his attention. “Mark are you kidding me? I’ve been training every day for the past two weeks and you won’t let me join the locals?”
He was obviously upset but Mark just smiled at him, “Jon, I would be careful or she’ll show you the reason why I wanted her to go instead of you or anybody else. Two weeks doesn’t make a tournament ready fighter.” He nodded to Ilea and smiled. Of course he understood but she couldn’t help but feel a little bad about it.
Mark had been there for her but never interrupted other than correcting her form. She had crunched the numbers however and didn’t plan to end up as a thirty year old still working in fast food with a fucked up face to boot. Even if she somehow won at the locals and moved on to become a professional, she wasn’t ready for destroyed knees at the age of forty. The complaining she barely recognized behind her nearly made her stop and reconsider but she had signed up for a different life already. As a hobby, that’s what it will stay.
With what she had in mind she could at least help people with said destroyed knees. Walking out of the gym, she was met by the bright afternoon sun. The walk back to her small one room apartment was brief, her towel dropped on the pile of unwashed clothing near the door. Tomorrow I’ll clean up, I swear. The thought wasn’t meant for anybody in particular, a remainder of the trained shame she should feel at the scene before her.
Sunlight breaking through the half closed blinds illuminated the battlefield of a room that probably hadn’t seen much cleaning in the past couple days or even weeks. Dirty bowls, food packages and bottles littered the table, only interrupted by two screens and a half covered keyboard. The ground was covered in clothes, books and various other things.
Ilea closed her eyes and smiled. It wasn’t the biggest place nor the most organized but hey, it was hers. Undressing on the way to the shower, she reveled in the cold water before searching for her work uniform. “There you are.” Stuffed in a corner of the room, she frowned at the wrinkles on it and threw it on the big pile near the door. Luckily she had three sets, one of them remained washed and at least somewhat straight in the drawer below her bed.
“Good day at shitty fast-food place 87, what would you like to order?” with a monotone voice she greeted the person in front of her.
“Did you just say shitty fast-food place… well whatever… I’d just like a coffee and one of the cheeseburgers. And only a little sugar, I’m on a diet.” the man winked at her as she typed the order into the computer in front of her.
“Anything else?”
The man shook his head “Your company with the coffee, if that’s on the menu?” He smiled at her
“I’m afraid slavery is illegal sir but I heard the chicken nuggets tell some interesting tales.” She finished her typing as he looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“That’ll be 3.99.” Putting the money into the counter she placed the requested order on the tray in front of her, “Have a wonderful day.” A radiant smile with piercing blue eyes saw the customer off as she shifted her gaze to the next one. ‘Another week…,’ she thought. ‘Well not quite.’
“Hey Ilea, you’re not coming in tomorrow right?” Her colleague greeted her as he took over her place a couple hours later.
“Yes, orientation at college.”
He smiled “Oh interesting, so we’re seeing less of your beautiful face around here from now on? Major?”
She grunted and replied, “Medicine.”
“Oof, that’s a tough one. Didn’t think you’d go that way.” The man said making her rise her eyebrow.
She had thought about a major for a while and definitely wanted to go into the health sector. Nursing school was an alternative but her snarky comments would likely make problems with the doctors. Why not infiltrate their ranks then. Tuition was the same and she could think about it in the first semester. Maybe something with nutrition would be interesting as well. Working in a gym sounds interesting too. Therapy or something. First she had to survive the organizational nightmare that was joining the academic life.
“Might change it after a semester or specialize. A lot of the basic classes overlap.”
He nodded and smiled, as he always did. Philosophy majors had a reputation after all. “Well good luck either way!”
A solid ten hours of sleep after her shift had ended, It would take the full force of the sun to wake up what lay slumbering between the numerous pillows on the bed. Not leaving waking up to chance though, the mechanical device next to the bed sprang to life as the room was filled with noise.