Chapter Ninety Six
Primadonna

THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY nothing that could wreck Sydney's mood that day. She woke up feeling on cloud nine, practically bouncing the entire morning all through breakfast, which Johnny would admit was annoying but he was happy that she was happy, so he didn't say anything. Getting into CAL had been one of her dreams and now that it happened, Sydney felt like she could do anything.

She walked into dance that morning smiling which unnerved Sailor a little, seeing as how she was always serious when she came to dance. "What's got you smiling, Brit?" She asked when they were putting on their shoes.

"Only the greatest news of my entire life." Sydney said and her smile grew bigger.

"Diaz proposed to you?"

Her smile fell slightly. "No?"

"Oh." Sailor shrugged and put her other shoe on. "That's all I could think of."

Sydney shook her head. "No, no, I got into CAL!" Her voice went high.

Her friend's eyes went wide. "No shit? Oh my god, Sydney, that's great!"

"I know! I got the letter last night. I hardly slept at all." Sydney continued bubbly. "I feel like a new woman. I practically have everything now."

"You will when you win the Sekai Taikai thingy." Sailor said and they followed all of the girls into the room. "Then you'll have everything. Or should I not speak that into existence just yet?"

"Of course you can," she said with confidence, "I have no doubt my team will win. All of us are strong. Everything will be perfect."

Sydney hadn't heard from Tory since their plan for her to stay the night and she never showed up. She texted her multiple times but never got an answer back and Sydney was starting to worry.

The next day before they went to school, she found Robby in the kitchen grabbing a water from the fridge. "Hey Rob, have you heard from Tory?" She asked him and leaned her arm against the counter. "She won't answer any of my calls or text."

Robby furrowed his brows. "No, I haven't. Thats weird."

She nodded. "Yeah. She was supposed to come by the other night and she never did. I'm a little worried."

"She probably just busy. Her mom's doing better but, y'know, she still has her bother to take care of." Robby reminded her. "Hopefully we'll see her today."

Sydney thought about it and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I'm just paranoid."

He smiled. "Don't be. You should still be happy about getting into CAL." He said and bumped her shoulder.

She smiled. "Oh I am. Trust me. But I would be happier if I could get you to apply anywhere." She emphasized.

Robby shook his head. "Nah, you already know I can't."

Sydney gave him a look. "You can't or you won't?"

"College just isn't in my league, Syd. It's not like I could get in anywhere if I wanted to." He expressed with the slightest of frowns on his face.

She rolled her eyes. "Robby Keene, what do I always say?" She spoke in a mother like tone and put her hands on her hips. "If you want something, fight for it."

He smiled at her. "Thanks, Syd. But all I want right now is for us to win the tournament."

She pointed a finger at him. "We'll do that, too." She said and smiled.

"Do what?" Miguel voiced and walked into the kitchen.

"Win the Sekai Taikai." Sydney answered sanguinely.

"Oh yeah, of course we are." He agreed and kissed the back of her head.

"I'm also trying to convince our good friend here to apply to colleges," she informed and stood by Robby's side, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Which isn't happening." He declared.

Miguel grinned. "It could."

"See." Sydney emphasized and lifted her head, giving him a look.

Robby stood his ground. "You guys can keep trying all you want. It's actually pretty fun to watch."

She scoffed while he laughed. "Whatever. We'll all get what we want in the end. I'm going to CAL—" she motioned to herself with a smile. She went over and out her hand on Miguel's shoulder. "–you are going to get into Stanford. And we're going to the win the tournament and have all the glory in the world. I think that sounds nice." She kissed Miguel on the cheek and left the kitchen.

Miguel formed a frown as the sound of her heels became faint. He leaned against the counter.

Robby noticed his fallen expression. "You haven't told her that you got deferred?" He realized.

"I don't know how. She's so happy about CAL that I don't want her to worry about me." Miguel excused. "I'm just gonna keep checking my email until I hear something. It'll be okay, trust me."

At school, Sydney couldn't find Tory anywhere. Nobody had seen her, actually. She still wasn't answering her many texts and at that point, she was frustrated. "I mean, did I do something wrong? I know I haven't because she won't answer Robby either." She rambled at lunch and threw her phone back down on the table. Sydney sighed heavily.

"Of course you didn't do anything wrong. She's probably not feeling well." Miguel came up with. "Maybe she's sleeping?"

"Maybe," she sighed again. Sydney shook her head and inhaled a breath. "I'm calm. I'm collected." She said to herself and closed her eyes.

He slowly looked around them.

Sydney reopened her eyes and smiled. "Okay, I'm good."

"Are you ready for the fight between you and Tory?" Miguel asked her and bit into his burger.

"If she shows up then yes. I'm kind of nervous, don't lie." She admitted and poked at her food.

"Nervous for what?"

"I mean, we're both great fighters. Either one of us, Sam and Devon included, have a great shot at making captain. I just really want it."

"Don't be nervous," he said while shaking his head, "if anything, I'm the one who should be worried. I mean, winning the tournament could be everything, y'know? It could be what helps me get into Stanford."

"Exactly." Sydney said and grabbed his hand. "Anything will help. Scholarships, extracurriculars, and the publicity we get will be huge. There's no way they can say no to you."

She missed the subtle way his face fell. "Yeah." Miguel said quietly. His eyes flickered over her shoulder when he saw Robby enter the cafeteria. "It just means I'm gonna have to hear Robby again."

She frowned at that. It was the same situation between Demetri and Eli. She wanted them both to succeed just as she did Robby and Miguel. All four of them meant a great deal to her. But at the end of the day, there could only be one captain and one winner. Whoever it would be would be the one to take it all.

"Hey," Robby said and stood by them.

She smiled up at him. "Hey, Rob."

"I still haven't seen Tory around." He told her and watched her frown. "We're supposed to train at the park later."

"I told Syd she's probably not feeling well," Miguel stepped in. "But, uh, I thought you were coming to the dojo to train with us."

"Oh, well, we figured since we're fighting each other, it'd be best not to show each other our moves." Robby explained.

"I think that's smart," Sydney said, glancing at Miguel.

He nodded. "Yeah, I mean, makes sense."

"Yeah, you better watch out. You're going down this time, El Serpiente." Robby said with amused grin. He knocked his fist against the table and walked away.

Sydney's eyes flickered to Miguel again, waiting for his reaction. She watched his eyes darken. "If they're going to train together, then so are we." He declared.

"Sure," she nodded. "I can get Sam to come, too. Pretty sure Charlie's to train at his home." There was a silence. Sydney reached and grabbed his hand again. "Look, I love you both but what I care about is you keeping your head in the game. Just keep your eye on the prize, yeah?"

Slowly, Miguel half smiled. "Yeah. Vous donnez toujourns les meilleurns conseils." You always give the best advice

"Ooh, très bien." She responded delightedly and giggled. "I think you're definitely winning my dad's love more after watching those French films with him."
Ooh, very good

"They're actually so good," he said with wide eyes. "Especially that one. . .what's it called? Eyes without a face?"

Sydney hummed. "Oh yeah. It's one of his favorites. Speaking of movies, I thought tonight after we train we could watch La La Land because it just came out on Netflix."

Miguel furrowed his brows. "But we went and watched it in theaters? Remember cause I brought the box of tissues and you used them all." He recalled.

She scoffed. "Excuse me, you used them too. But now we can watch it in the comfort of my room. . .avec mes lumières éteintes." She said while smirking. With my lights off

Miguel's eyes went large. "Qu'en est-il de notre parents?" What about our parents?

Sydney's shrugged. "Nous attendrons qu'ils soient tous endormis." We'll wait till they're all asleep

"Sommes-nous en train de nous séduire en français en de moment?" Are we seducing each other in French right now?

She smirked and leaned forward, whispering, "C'est la meilleure façon de le faire, mon amour." that's the best way to do it, love

Making the decision to go to Tory's house was one that should've been easy but for some reason, Sydney was nervous about it. She still couldn't get an answer out of her, neither could Robby. Sydney was afraid something might have happened to her and what kind of friend would she be not to go and check on her?

She knocked on the apartment door. "Tory?" Sydney voiced lightly, leaning her ear against the door. "It's Sydney." There was no answer and she didn't even hear shuffling. "Tory, are you home?"

From inside the house, Tory sat on the floor, her head leaned back against the wall, and her mom's clothes stuffed in a bag beside her. It took everything in her not to get up and answer the door but her mind said no. She didn't feel strong enough to face her.

From the other side of the door, Sydney frowned. "Look, I don't know what's going on but Robby and I are trying, Tory. I know you haven't been talking to him either. Whatever's wrong, can you please just tell me?" She pleaded. Silence. Sydney sighed and leaned her head on the door again. "Am I being crazy?" She asked herself. "You're probably not even in there. Or maybe you are. Miguel says you probably feel ill. Or maybe you're just busy. Whatever it is, I just want you to know that I'm here. I've got some exciting news to tell you." Sydney told her, sounding excited at the thought of feeling her that she got into college. "Just. . .don't miss the right, okay? Call me, please."

After an another while of silence, Sydney gave up. She walked away.

When she didn't hear anything else, Tory broke down crying.

It was the day of the fight and Sydney had never felt so ready and nervous for anything in her life. She spent the rest of the night before training with Miguel and Sam. Everything was riding on this one moment, to win her fight and become captain. The only thing that worried her was if Tory was going to show up at all.

Charlie had won his fight against Demetri, making him the first male captain, not shocking most of the them, but Sydney was still proud of him for having the courage to try and win the captain's position. Robby and Miguel would be fighting next.

Sydney noticed the high tension between the two of them that day which confused her because they were just fine yesterday. "Okay, what's going on with you two? You guys didn't speak all morning?" She asked Miguel.

He looked frustrated. "We got into a little fight. It's nothing." Miguel told her, brushing it off.

She gave him a look. "Don't tell me that. You guys can barely look at each other." She said, glancing at Robby from across the yard. "What did you fight about?"

He sighed. "I told him that no matter what happens, that things between us would be okay, and then I told him how badly I need to be captain, y'know, for college. He got mad at me for it." Miguel explained to her, mumbling at the end.

Sydney sighed. "I get it." She mumbled and he looked at her. "He's just struggling to figure out himself out. This tournament could help him in the long run," she explained her reasoning. "But that doesn't mean I'm not rooting for you."

The corner of his mouth curled up. "It's okay, Syd. I know you want us both to win."

"Yeah, but, my heart lies with you. You know this. You have my full support."

"I know," Miguel nodded and smiled again. "Thank you."

Johnny made his way over to them. "Hey, just give it your all. Whether you win or lose, I believe in you. Okay?" He said to Miguel first.

"Thank you." Miguel responded with a serious look.

Sydney watched him leave to talk to Robby. "Just remember what I always tell you, yeah?" She said and looked at her boyfriend again. "Fight for what you want and don't give up."

"I remember." He leaned forward and kissed her quickly. "Don't worry. I got this."

"Miguel, Robby, let's go." Daniel announced and motioned for them to come to the deck.

Sydney stood by Johnny and she crossed her arms, her stomach bow burning with nerves. "I feel like I might vomit." She said out loud.

Johnny side eyed her. "If you do, do it away from me."

Robby and Miguel bowed to each other. At the first punch thrown by Robby, Sydney sucked in a deep breath and held it. Miguel threw a kick at him and Robby managed to dodge but he was able to leg sweep him. Miguel leaned down and hit him on the chest.

"Point, Diaz!" Said Daniel.

"Good job, Mig," Sydney praised and clapped for him but her voice indicated that she was nervous.

The boys stood back up. Robby looked at his teammates and his eyes shifted all over, still not seeing Tory. He caught Sydney's eye, her understanding, and she shrugged.

As their fight continued, it was clear how much Miguel wanted to win. It showed in his movements how ruthless he was being. He earned another point by leaning down on his hand and using his back leg to kick Robby in the face and he landed on the mat again.

"Jesus," Sydney quietly exhaled and rubbed her face.

"This is way too intense." Charlie said out loud with his arms crossed.

Robby got back on his feet and brushed back his hair. The boys circled each other and Miguel threw a front kick and then another, both being blocked by Robby's held fists. Soon, Miguel leaned from to leg sweep him and Robby flipped over him, going on for a leg sweep as well but Miguel was too far to reach.

Sydney sensed that something in Robby had shifted and he was more focused on what was at stake. Her eyes danced between them and she gasped when Robby managed to punch Miguel in the shoulder, earning a point.

Looking over, she saw Tory standing there and Sydney gasped again. She went to her side. "There you are. You are a hard woman to reach out to." She said with the smallest laugh. "Where have you been?"

Tory looked at her, almost looking as if she wasn't there at all. Her hair was messy and unkept and her eyes were red like she'd been crying. "I was just, uh. . ." She struggled to say.

Sydney frowned. "What's the matter? What's happened?" She asked quickly and touched her arm.

"Sydney," she started to say but her mouth remained open as if the world were stuck in her throat.

Daniel called for the boys to continue fighting. Miguel immediately jumped and did a spin while Robby ducked. When he landed on his feet, Miguel swung his arm and tried to hit him. Robby dodged his hits and did a spin kick as well.

"I'm afraid one of them might lose an eye." Sydney commented lightly and grinned. She looked to Tory and saw that she still looked spacious and she frowned again.

Robby jumped high and kicked Miguel across the face, causing him to fall and land on the edge of the mat.

"Point, Keene!"

Sydney gasped and immediately went to check on him. Miguel leaned up and met her eyes, his expression borderline afraid. "Focus, Mig. Don't worry about anything else." She told him quietly, pressing her hands to the deck. "Clear your wind."

Miguel inhaled air through his nose. His eyes darkened and he nodded. He got back up and faced Robby.

Sydney looked at Johnny and he looked at her as well.

"All right, two to two. Next point wins." Daniel informed.

"Come on, love. You can do this." Sydney whispered and she clasped her hands under her chin, covering her mouth.

When the fight continued, Miguel threw a punch and so did Robby. Then, Robby threw another one and Miguel spun around, ducking down when a kick came his way. They threw more punches and kicks at each other.

"Oh, I can't look." Charlie said and shielded his eyes with the hand that wasn't holding Sam's.

Miguel and Robby managed to both take each other down and they tried to kick each other to get the final point. In unison, they rolled back to one knee and stared at each other. Miguel jumped up and ran at him. Robby grunted and almost tiredly blocked his punches.

Miguel's final move was kicking up his leg and Robby grabbed a hold of it. He flipped himself backward and Robby bent down on his knee and hit him on the chest.

"Point. Winner!"

Sydney let out the breath she was holding and she closed her eyes.

Miguel stood up and let out a heavy breath.

"No hard feelings?" Robby asked hopeful.

"No, man." He answered with a shake of his head but it was clear that he was disappointed. They fist bumped.

Daniel grabbed Robby's hand. "Your male captain Robby Keene." He said and raised his hand in the air.

The team gave him a round of applause. Sydney smiled lightly and clapped as well. They walked off the deck and Miguel went to her side. She placed her hands on his face. "Good job, sweetheart. I'm proud of you." She said gently and they hugged.

"I didn't clear my mind." Miguel told her, his words muffled.

"It's okay. You're still the best fighter in my eyes."

Sydney shook her hands and popped her knuckles. She fired shaking off her nerves. Tory stood by Robby, still looking spaced out and tired, and her curiosity grew more.

"Hey," Miguel said and he put his hands on her shoulders, "deep breaths, yeah?"

She nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah, sure." She inhaled air through her nose, "I'm nervous."

He smiled. "Don't be. You've got this in the bag. Solo mantén la concentración." Just stay focused

Sydney managed to smile back. "Voy a." I will

"Nichols, Frenchy, you're up." Johnny told the girls.

Taking another breath, Sydney made her way to the deck.

"Good luck, Syd." Eli told her.

She squeezed his arm when she passed him. "Thanks." She muttered.

Catching Demetri's eye, he threw her a big and supportive thumbs up making her smile. Sam stopped her before she went onto the deck. "Do what you do best and win, okay?" She said with an encouraging smile.

"You know I will, Larusso." Sydney said back, smiling as well, and they squeezed each other's hand as a good luck sign.

Stepping onto the mat, Sydney and Tory stood face to face. "Ready for this?" She asked her.

"I have to be." Tory answered and the tiredness that was on her face seemed to be replaced with anger.

She furrowed her brows at that.

"You girls ready?" Johnny asked them and they nodded. "Alright. Bow to each other."

Sydney bowed and smiled at her. "No bad blood, right?" She asked.

Tory hesitated to answer. "Yeah." She mumbled.

They got in their fighting positions. Sydney inhaled another deep breath. You got this. When Johnny yelled at them to fight, Tory immediately jump forward and kicked at her. Sydney moved out of the way just in time and threw her fist to which Tory blocked and she went in with a front kick. Sydney grunted and did the same thing back, Tory blocking her foot with her fist.

Tory spun around and kicked at her but Sydney managed to duck down and it went over her head. Sydney followed up by swiping her leg out from under her and she fell to the mat, leaving an open hit on her chest.

"Point, Benoist!" Johnny yelled.

Tory quickly got back up, her movement so fast that Sydney blinked multiple times and she slowly stood back up.

"Good job, babe!" Miguel praised and clapped.

They got back in their positions and before Johnny could yell fight, Tory had already tried punching her with a loud grunt. Sydney swiftly leaned her upper body back and then stood back up. They went back and forth and Sydney grabbed Tory's fist that was out. She raised it and spun herself around so that her back was facing her and she kicked her leg back into her stomach.

Tory stumbled back but recovered quickly. She dropped down and tried to leg sweep her but Sydney jumped in the air and did a front flip over her.

"Whoa! That was cool as hell." Charlie gasped and hit Demetri on the arm.

They threw more punches at each other and Sydney started to notice how aggressive Tory was being, more than she already was. She could practically feel the smoke coming off of her face. It was almost like—

With another punch thrown at her, Sydney blocked it but Tory came in with a low punch to her stomach and when she faltered, Tory's fist collided with her jaw.

"Point, Nichols!"

Out of nowhere, Tory kicked her hard in the stomach and Sydney stumbled back, almost falling backward if she didn't catch herself. Her eyes went wide.

"Holy. . ." Miguel started to say in shock. He shared a look with Robby.

Sydney stared at her in disbelief, her hand hovering above the spot where she hit her. She recognized the look on Tory's face, the look she'd seen multiple times, and she was taken back to the last All Valley tournament when Tory hit her in the chest.

"Uh, ref, that's a little overkill. That should be no point." Daniel stepped in from where he stood by Amanda.

"Yeah, yeah, I got this." Johnny dismissed him and he turned to Sydney. "Frenchy, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Sydney responded, her eyes still on Tory, the emphasis only knowledgeable to her.

"Listen, that's a warning. Next one's a dedicated." He warned the blonde and stepped back.

Tory bounced on her feet, ready to continue, and Sydney wondered if there was a chance that she wanted to hurt her for real.

When Johnny yelled at them to fight, the two of them circled each other. Sydney steadied her breathing and forced herself to not think about any thing else but what was at stake. She wanted the captain position more than anything and if she had to fight hard, she would do it.

Sydney kicked at her twice, Tory knocking her foot away with her hand and wrist. Tory came in with the punches and she dodged them high and low. When their hands were raised above their heads, Sydney brought knee up and lodged it into her stomach. Then, she stepped back on her other foot and kicked her in the stomach again, causing Tory to stumble.

"Point, Benoist!" Johnny yelled again.

"Good job, Syd!" Eli yelled from the crowd.

"That's my girl!" Said Sam with a large smile.

Sydney breathed heavily and leaned her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Catching Tory's eye, she stood up straight and got back in her stance, blowing hair out of her face.

Tory spun around and kicked at her. Sydney's foot blocked hers and she stepped forward, throwing a punch to which Tory ducked under. Tory jumped in the air and did a spin and Sydney slid under her, coming up the other side. Grunting loudly, Sydney blocked all of her hits and she grabbed her wrist, holding it in place and the two of them stood there making eye contact. There was hurt in her eyes, Sydney observed. There was anger and vexation written all over her face.

She brought her other hand up and Tory quickly blocked her hit by grabbing onto her worst. She raised hers to hit her but before she could, Daniel grabbed her hand and stopped her. "The fight's over."

Tory ripped her hand away. "That's not fair. That could have been a point!"

"Mr. L, what are you doing?" Sydney asked him.

"What the hell are you doing, man? I'm the ref. I'll decide when the fight's over." Johnny stepped in.

"I'll explain. I promise." Daniel said and went to guide him away.

"Don't stop the fight. Please." Tory begged.

"Tory, what's wrong?" Sydney asked her, stepping forward in her direction. "Why are you so upset?"

"We can't do this right now. Not in front of everybody."

"I-I can't explain it right now." Tory stuttered and took a step back.

"Please, girls. Off the deck. Let's go." Daniel tried urging them.

"Don't tell them what to do. I'm their Sensei too."

"Well then end the fight."

"Why? Why do we have to end the fight?" Sydney questioned with hostility, confused on the situation.

"Because my mother died!"

At Tory's outburst, all eyes now turned to her. Sydney's face fell drastically.

"Tory," Daniel said and walked up to her. I'm. . .I'm so sorry for your loss. But we can't continue this fight."

"Tory, I'm so sorry," Sydney managed to speak and she walked her way.

"No, Sydney, stop." Tory said and raised her hand, stopping her.

"This is not the time," Daniel continued.

"Yes it is! I have to fight now." Tory spoke desperately.

"I-If she wants to fight, we can fight." Sydney stammered, glancing at both the Senseis.

Daniel shook his head. "No, Syd, I'm sorry. Not now. Sensei Lawrence, some help here, please."

"Sydney's right," Johnny agreed with her, "it's not up to us. If Nichols wants to fight, she should."

"Listen, we'll find another way to appoint the captain—"

"Find a way? No." Tory raised her voice, her eyes starting to water. "No! You don't understand. None of you understand!" She yelled, casting Sydney a look. "My mom, she would have wanted this. If I don't fight. . .I have to do this. I have to do this for her. I have to fight."

"Tory, let's just take a second and—" Robby tried to say.

"No, Robby, no."

"Just breathe."

Amanda stepped forward. "Tory, I know what you're feeling, okay? But I also know that you're not in the right headspace to decide." She spoke softly.

"No, you're only saying that because you want her to win!" Tory yelled, pointing at Sydney.

Sydney blinked, hurt crossing her face and she didn't know how to speak.

"Because at the end of the day, you'll choose her over me. You'll always choose her over me!" She continued to yell out of hurt.

Daniel shook his head. "No, it's not that, Tory."

"Hey, we're not taking sides."

"You sure about that?" Johnny said smartly.

Sydney looked at him. "What?" She said in shock. She walked up to Tory again. "Tory, please, we can keep fighting."

"No!" Tory shouted at her, now crying. "Will you stop, please? You want this fight to be over? Fine. It's over."

She pushed through Robby and Amanda and ran down the steps of the deck. She pushed her way through the team.

Nobody moved, all of them in shock. A shaky breath slipped past Sydney's parted lips. "Tory, wait!" She yelled and ran down the steps of the deck "Syd, hold on," she heard Miguel say but she ignored him. Sydney chased after Tory. "Tory, please!"

"Leave me alone, Sydney." Tory pleaded and exited the backyard.

"No!" She yelled. "I've been trying to talk to you for days now and I find out that your mom died? You've been suffering all alone?"

Pausing, Tory spun around and faced her. "Yeah well guess what, Sydney? I've been suffering my whole life? Something you'll never understand." She shot at her.

Sydney blinked multiple times. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you don't understand how I'm feeling!" Tory yelled and pointed at her. "So stop trying so hard to understand."

"Tory, I'm your friend—"

"No. No, you're not. You're not my friend. You're Sam's friend. Your Robby's friend. You're all of their friend!" She continued to yell while crying, her words hurting her. "When push comes to shove, you'll always chose them before you chose me."

"That's not true!" Sydney matched her tone, her voice breaking. "Tory, I want to help you—"

"Well you can't! You can't help me and I don't want anybody's help!" There a heavy silence, both of them in tears. "Don't call me. Don't text me. Don't come to my house. Just please leave me alone." Tory broke down and walked away.

Sydney stood there with tears rolling down her face and she was in complete shock. She was wounded deeply by her words and Sydney wondered if she had gotten it completely wrong. Were they ever really friends? Was their apologies to one another fake? Had she been clueless to what was going on the entire time?

She entered the backyard again to see everyone still standing there. Her teary eyes and red face was on display for them to see. "Sydney," Amanda said first when she saw her.

"Just—" she tried to say but the words got stuck. She went by Robby and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." She whispered shakily.

"Don't. Don't be sorry." He told her, placing his hand over hers.

"Syd, what do you want to do?" Johnny asked her, taking in her distressed state.

"Die." She answered and sat down on the deck, crossing her legs and she put her face in her hands.

Miguel sat with her and he put his hand on her back.