"I heard."
"He wasn't just my coach."
She looked down.
"He raised me."
Silence filled the room.
"When he died, everyone wanted me to continue. Sponsors. Promoters. Trainers. They told me I was too talented to stop."
"But you stopped."
"I had another reason."
Samuel waited.
Lena took a breath.
"I was pregnant."
Samuel's eyes widened.
"Ava."
Lena nodded.
"I was twenty-five. Everyone told me my career was over."
"Was it?"
"No."
She smiled faintly.
"I chose my daughter."
Samuel looked at the photograph again.
"Do you regret it?"
"Not for one second."
"Then why come back now?"
Lena looked toward the training floor.
"Because Ava is old enough to understand that her mother had a life before her."
Samuel nodded.
"And because?"
Lena hesitated.
"There are things I never finished."
"What things?"
She didn't answer.
Before Samuel could ask again, the front door opened.
Derek entered.
Then Marcus.
Then Jonah.
They stopped when they saw Lena.
Derek looked uncomfortable.
"Morning."
Lena nodded.
"Morning."
Jonah scratched his head.
"About yesterday..."
"You don't need to apologize."
"I was going to."
"Then don't."
He looked confused.
Lena smiled.
"You learned something."
Marcus laughed.
"That's one way to put it."
Derek looked at her.
"How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Fight three people without really fighting."
Lena thought about it.
"I watched."
"What?"
"You."
Derek frowned.
"You watched us?"
"Before we started."
"What did you see?"
"You commit too much weight when you attack."
Derek became quiet.
She turned to Marcus.
"You drop your right hand."
Marcus stared.
Then Jonah.
"You don't trust your left knee."
Jonah's smile disappeared.
Lena continued.
"You were all trying to beat me."
She looked at them.
"I was trying to understand you."
Samuel smiled.
"That's the difference between knowing techniques and knowing fighting."
Derek crossed his arms.
"So what happens now?"
Lena picked up her bag.
"Now?"
She smiled.
"Now you train."
The Challenge Nobody Expected
News spread quickly.
By the following week, everyone at Blackstone knew about Lena.
Some respected her.
Others didn't.
The most skeptical person was the academy's owner, Richard Stone.
Richard had built Blackstone into one of the most respected combat academies in the region.
He was sixty-one.
Former military.
Strict.
Traditional.
He believed fighters should earn respect through competition.
When he heard about Lena, he wasn't impressed.
"One exhibition doesn't make someone a champion."
Samuel disagreed.
"You should have seen her."
"I saw the recording."
"And?"
"She was cautious."
"Exactly."
Richard shook his head.
"She didn't finish anything."
"Because she didn't want to hurt them."
Richard laughed.
"That's not fighting."
Samuel looked at him.
"Maybe that's why you need to see her fight."
The opportunity came sooner than expected.
A national martial arts organization announced an invitational tournament.
Blackstone had three competitors.
Derek.
Marcus.
Jonah.
The academy needed a fourth participant.
Richard chose Lena.
She refused.
"No."
"You've already shown you're capable."
"I'm not interested."
"You don't get to hide forever."
Lena looked at him.
"I'm not hiding."
Richard smiled.
"Then prove it."
She shook her head.
"My daughter comes first."
"Then bring her."
Lena froze.
Richard continued.
"Let her watch."
Lena thought about Ava.
Then she remembered something.
Ava had recently asked why her mother never talked about the past.
Maybe it was time.
"Fine."
The tournament was held three weeks later.
Hundreds of people attended.
Lena arrived with Ava.
Her daughter held her hand tightly.
"Mom."
"Yes?"
"Are you nervous?"
"A little."
Ava smiled.
"I knew it."
Lena laughed.
"Why?"
"Because you're squeezing my hand."
Lena loosened her grip.
"Sorry."
"Don't be."
Inside the arena, the atmosphere was intense.
Fighters warmed up.
Coaches shouted instructions.
Crowds cheered.
Derek, Marcus, and Jonah were scheduled before Lena.
All three won.
Then came Lena's name.
The announcer paused.
"Lena Brooks."
The crowd reacted.
Most didn't know who she was.
Her opponent was a twenty-seven-year-old fighter named Natalia Cruz.