Jaz jumped up, regretting how fast she did it when her spine twinged uncomfortably.
Expecting Fraya to run across the gym towards her, she was stunned when Fraya jumped up into the air Matrix-style, flying across the room like a pretty, black-haired demon ninja.
Jaz sprang back, moving just in time before Fraya landed on her but not enough to escape a blow: Fraya caught her across the chest. Jaz choked out the air from her lungs and doubled over, only to be cracked in the face by a small iron fist. The force knocked her back against the floor.
She managed to thrust herself onto her feet in a crouched position before Fraya jumped at her again. Jaz ducked just in time, forcing Fraya to dive over her. She grabbed Fraya's hovering ankle and pulled her down. Fraya belly-flopped onto the hard floor with a sickening splat. She craned her head round to meet Jaz's face, her body still flat on the ground; her eyes screaming 'Murder'.
Jaz hauled herself to her feet, trying to get away.
Fraya flipped herself over, landing elegantly on her feet and pounced on Jaz, knocking her to the floor. Her hands found Jaz's bare throat and she squeezed, hard and merciless.
Jaz, pinned on her back, croaked and squirmed underneath her attacker, clawing helplessly at Fraya's arms, trying to pry the Were's fingers off. In a moment of fury, she snarled in Fraya's face and bit down on the flesh of the arm closest to her, crunching down so hard she tasted blood.
Fraya screeched and onlookers gasped. Some even let out a shocked laugh, whilst she frantically tried to tug away.
But Jaz refused to let go.
Fraya panicked from the unbearable pain and punched Jaz square in the face, sending stars shooting across her vision. This caused her swinging arm to put her off balance as she straddled Jaz. Jaz was quick to react, and even though she felt so dizzy she wanted to puke, she used that moment to violently roll herself over taking a startled Fraya with her.
Fraya was now underneath her, her eyes wide. But she still had her hand wrapped around Jaz's neck.
Instincts told Jaz to stay clamped down on Fraya's arm, and her teeth dug in deeper. Fraya cried out; for the first time she sounded horrified, not just in pain. She finally surrendered, releasing her weakened grip on Jaz's throat. Jaz responded by unclenching her teeth from Fraya's bloody arm and rolled back on her knees, spitting out Fraya's blood onto the floor. Fraya immediately kicked away from her, clutching her seeping wound.
Jaz could have caused more damage: ripped tendons and flesh as she released her biting grip. But she didn't. It was to show she still had her self-dignity. She didn't fight for the fun of it. A point directed right at Fraya and anyone else who thought otherwise, including herself.
Fraya's lip curved up in a snarl. She jumped up; undiluted hate consuming her face as she chiselled Jaz with her charcoal eyes.
Jaz got up slowly, wiping Fraya's blood from her lips and the blood from her nose in one deliberate motion. The blood spread across her face, painting half of it red.
Fraya stared at Jaz in bewilderment.
Jaz then saw the burning fire igniting beneath her opponent's stunned expression and in a low voice she warned, “Don't do it, Fraya.”
Fraya didn't listen. She jumped forward again, her uninjured arm poised ready to attack.
Everything Carr had told Jaz, all the confidence he had tried to bring out in her, expanded in her brain like a star exploding. Just before Fraya's fist met her face, Jaz beat her to it, uppercutting Fraya straight in the jaw. The bone made a disgusting cracking sound against her knuckles. She winced at the pain it sent through her hand.
Fraya's eyes stared at her, then glazed over as she lost consciousness. She fell back and almost hit the ground before being caught by Carr. He looked up at Jaz with conflicted eyes. She felt a confusing tingling sensation in her gut. Carr was proud of her and therefore himself, but something else about him made her suddenly feel guilty. Or maybe it was her own conscience. Either way it stopped her from celebrating.
The audience in the gym had on a mixture of pleased, stunned, shocked and a few annoyed faces. The latter were those who had clearly been rooting for Fraya.
Jaz didn't care.
Fraya wasn't unconscious for long. Carr knelt by her as she sat up -not allowing him to help her. Her eyes met Jaz's. Fraya looked at her for a moment as if admiring something from a distance. Then her jaw set in a stubborn line, which only made her flinch in pain.
Jaz was amazed to find she'd fractured her jaw.
Carr led Fraya out -she didn't look at Jaz anymore after that- and when Jaz thought she had a moment to collapse on the floor regardless of who was watching, Nik was in front of her. It took all her leg power to hold herself up. Now the adrenaline was depleting, she was beginning to feel all the pains in her body.
He gazed at her thoughtfully.