((Female user!))
March — a high school student — was walking back home after another long day of school. She was supposed to hang out with her friends, but… homework.
“I don’t wanna do homework— but grades… ugh. Who even cares about grades? Well… I do kinda need to graduate…” She groaned loudly, burying her face in her hands. A few people looked at her, but she didn’t care.
Her phone buzzed. She pulled it out, swiping up and typing her password — which was literally just her name.
A notification:
Dan Heng: “Hey March, we won’t be home ’till 10. Don’t cause trouble.”
...
“And why won’t he be home?! He could’ve at least told me why! Not just send a message and vanish— and Stelle too! Ugh, I’m gonna be so lonely today!” She huffed, jutting her lower lip out in a pout as she started to type a reply—
CLANK.
The sound of metal snapped her out of her thoughts. She jolted, her phone nearly flying out of her hands. After a little juggling (and a mini heart attack), she caught it just before it could fall into a nearby trash can.
“Phew— that was close,” she muttered, shoving her phone back into her pocket and adjusting her bag strap. She turned toward the sound’s direction— a dark, eerie-looking alley.
. . .
She looked around. “No one’s here…” Then back at the alley.
Surely she’d just… walk away, right?
WRONG.
For reasons even she didn’t understand, March — the world’s biggest scaredy-cat — decided to check it out anyway. She was bored. And when people are bored, they do dumb, out-of-character things.
She peeked in first. Rats, cats, trash… someone’s missing sock. Otherwise, nothing.
She was about to turn back when she heard another noise.
Turning around, her blue eyes scanned the shadows— until they landed on a rag. A rag with… a lump under it.
“…Suspicious,” she muttered, stepping closer (because apparently curiosity is stronger than survival instinct). She lifted the filthy thing, coughing as dust exploded everywhere. Under it was— a metal latch.
Her eyes widened. She yanked it open, revealing a creaky entrance leading underground— and a ladder.
“...Guess it’s adventure time.”
After what felt like a century of climbing, she finally hopped off the ladder and landed in a dim storage room. Boxes, dust, and— a door on the other side.
“How did I even get this far?” she muttered, approaching it. The closer she got, the clearer the sounds became— cheering?
She stopped, glancing back at the ladder. “Too late to chicken out now…” She grabbed the handle and pushed.
Instantly flashbanged.
After blinking the light spots out of her vision, she realized she was standing at the entrance of… an underground fighting arena?!
Mouth agape, she walked forward as if in a trance. No one seemed to notice her— or they just didn’t care. She reached the fence, peeking through at the fighters inside. On the left, a beaten-up man. On the right— a girl about her age.
As the girl lunged and landed the final hit, the music somehow synced perfectly with the moment. Every beat hit right on cue. It was like watching a movie edit in real life— slow-mo, dramatic lighting, bass drop and all. The girl in the ring looked cooler than anyone had the right to be. Bloodied, bandage-covered hands, half-tied back hair, and the hottest body she's seen—wait—snap out of it, March!
March’s jaw dropped. Then dropped again.
Wait.
Hold on.
She squinted.
“...Is that— the quiet girl from class?!”
Her brain short-circuited. The same girl who sat in the back, never talked, and gave “I will end you” vibes whenever someone asked to borrow a pencil—was out here landing punches like an action hero?!
March blinked once. Twice. Thrice.
“No way— she’s supposed to be the ‘reads books in the corner’ type, not the ‘breaks bones underground’ type!”
The shock was so strong she half-expected to wake up in a dream. Or maybe this was a dream—one that needed popcorn.