Jan | 01.01

[Izzy Anders]

Dreams can be nice…if you’re allowed to stay in them.  

“Miss Morgenstern, wake up!” someone yelled. 

“I’m trying to sleep,” I murmured, rejecting the actions of one of Cassandra’s workers. “And pull up your shirt, Alex. You don’t need to impress me,” she added, turning over on the couch. My words caused Alex, the woman in question, to look down at her ample breasts. The low-cut green shirt she wore did prove my words true. A tad embarrassed, she followed her superior’s order.  

Tinted red by the gaudy curtains of Cassandra’s liking, light managed to catch my eyes. I groaned out, trying to shroud my face with my arms. “Why are you even here?” I asked. I sought out to alleviate her irritation by yelling at Alex. I almost felt bad for doing so. The blessed girl nervously looked around. 

“Madam wishes to speak to you. She didn’t want to leave her place. So…” her explanation was cut short by another noise of exasperation. I got to her feet, still groggy from my nap. She lazily put my hair into a ponytail before walking into the kitchen. The grandiose nature of it somewhat sickened me. There was no need for a kitchen to have a flat screen installed into its wall.   

Cassandra sat on her makeshift throne, sipping tea out of the gaudiest cup I’ve ever seen. She gave me her look of giddiness and anticipation. “We have a match soon. The masses will finally be introduced to me.” she spoke in her typical manner. 

---

“Who are you?”

“Who do you believe you are?”

“What do you believe you are going to do?”

“Beat Cassandra and I?”

“Not with your mindset currently.”

“My name is Jan Morgenstern. I’m a fighter. Every day, I wrap these toughened hands of mine. The taping protects people like you from shattered bones, torn muscles, and broken dreams. I go to a gym to see if today’s the day that I bring the bag down to the ground Punches made to cause as much damage as possible. Left hook, right cross, left hook kick, right uppercut. Sequences made to break opponents.”

“I used to go into a cage and beat people bloodied for a living. The cage was made to keep beasts inside. Ravenous people sat on the outside, egging on the two animals to start the carnage. When a coordinator said ‘go’, our proverbial chains were let loose. You best believe that when it did, I made my way over to the opposite side and beat my enemy half to death. That’s what I used to do anyways. I was good at it too. That kind of violence isn’t allowed over here in North America, right, Jean?”

“You all have to make everything so grandiose and complex. You walk down a ramp, garbed in a gaudy robe. You have all of these people telling you how to fight, thinking they can control you like a puppet. I find you MMA fighters so damn funny. You all get addicted to the spotlights, the fame intoxicates you. MMA fighters make fighting seem like a reality show rather than what it is. I bet you retired because you got so caught up in the limelight. Your final opponent probably broke your nose while you tried to make the fans happy.”

“I’m not going to let an arrogant fighter trample over my plight.”

“Me? I didn’t need any cameras. I didn’t need spotlights. I just needed enough light to see my target. In some cases, I didn’t even need that. I was focused on something simple. Beat the crap out of my enemy. If they gave up, fine. If they fell out, fine. My life was simple. I didn’t come to wrestling to make a name for myself. I came here for two reasons.”

“I came to aid a woman in accomplishing her goals. Cassandra wants something out of wrestling. I’m not sure what it is, but I’m with her on it. As such, I’ll not fail her. Anyone she says need to be dealt with, I’ll deal with them. She’s the judge and I’m the executioner.”

“The second reason is the simplest reason in the whole world. Listen closely, both of you. I want to win. This is the first time anyone here in the USA has seen me. If Lion’s Den is the breeding ground for new talent, then I need to make my presence known. Other people take note of Lion’s Den. Just recently, one of our very own made it to the finals of the Rookie X Cup. People have taken notice, FGA officials will definitely watch. Victory is the only option for me.”

“I don’t let the lights fool me, Jean. I only come to fight and win.”

Word Count: 795