mattress in the main room. Thoughts of the fight, of her father, of her family, kept her awake just as much as the lack of small limbs jabbing her in the side or face.
She rose as soon as faint light began to trickle into the room. Hart wanted to be out of the house before her siblings saw her. They had gotten used to the way her father looked when he came home from a fight, bloody and bruised. Little Penny had never seen him any other way. But they had never seen Hart injured like that, and she wasn't eager to introduce them to the idea.
She crept out of the house, leaving her mother to account for her absence. Hovering by the checkpoint, Hart shifted uneasily under the bindings wrapped around her breasts, as tight as she could get them by herself. She wore Duncan's sweatshirt again. It made her feel stronger, like his power as a fighter might linger in the fabric, rubbing off on her skin. She drew it closer as she waited, breathing in her father's scent.
There had been tearstains on her sisters' faces when Hart slipped past them that morning. Her heart ached to think of them crying themselves to sleep, longing for a father that was never coming home again.
She knew the most important thing about training with Leo was learning how to win. If she was going to fight, she needed to know how to come home to her family.
It was late morning before Leo turned up, leaving Hart slumped against the fence, aware of every glance from the checkpoint guard—looking at her short hair, her baggy sweatshirt, her bruised face. She hoped he saw a rough-and-tumble boy and not a foolish girl in over her head.
"Hey, kid."
Hart scrambled to her feet.
Leo grinned at her through the fence, his crooked features even more prominent in the daylight. The man had taken a lot of hits, Hart could tell.
"You ready to get started?"
Hart took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be."
Leo approached the guard, papers in hand. "Sorry it took so long," he whispered to her across the checkpoint. "Had to get all the forms and everything. A nightmare."
Hart didn't even know how one went about getting a pass, but it looked like the guard was branding dozens of documents with official-looking stamps. Messy, crabbed handwriting scrawled awkwardly over the papers—Leo obviously wasn't desk-bound frequently.
After a minute or two, the guard looked up, sizing Hart up. She tried to stand taller under his gaze. "Bit small to fight, ain't he?"
"There's more to him than meets the eye," Leo laughed. The guard shrugged and handed Leo a small card. "Keep him in line, or it's you we'll come after."
Leo nodded and the gate opened, allowing Hart through. She looked down at the rectangle of paper that Leo thrust at her in wonder. There was her name and a very official looking stamp. Clearance between Gutter and Alley, Open .
She could hardly believe it. The fence was one of the major features of her life, an insurmountable barrier that kept her in her place, always on the outside looking in. Until now.
Leo led the way through the streets, twists and turns that Hart tried to memorize. The building they stopped at was just as run-down and dingy as she expected. Leo had warned her that his operation was small, after all.
Leo unlocked a heavily-graffitied door with multiple keys and let Hart inside. The door led directly into to the gym: a tiny ring and some equipment dotting the walls.
Punching bags, weight benches and jump ropes littered the room. Hart wound her way through them, following Leo up to the ring.
"I'll work with you today, and then I want you to come with me to a fight tonight," he said. "Watch what they do. The best way to learn how to fight is to watch another fighter."
Hart looked at him speculatively. "You used to fight?"
Leo smiled ruefully, a hand coming up to his crooked nose. "What gave it away?"
Hart laughed, ducking her head.
"But yeah, I did. For years. Earned enough to buy this place."
Hart's eyebrows rose, impressed. That was a tidy
She rose as soon as faint light began to trickle into the room. Hart wanted to be out of the house before her siblings saw her. They had gotten used to the way her father looked when he came home from a fight, bloody and bruised. Little Penny had never seen him any other way. But they had never seen Hart injured like that, and she wasn't eager to introduce them to the idea.
She crept out of the house, leaving her mother to account for her absence. Hovering by the checkpoint, Hart shifted uneasily under the bindings wrapped around her breasts, as tight as she could get them by herself. She wore Duncan's sweatshirt again. It made her feel stronger, like his power as a fighter might linger in the fabric, rubbing off on her skin. She drew it closer as she waited, breathing in her father's scent.
There had been tearstains on her sisters' faces when Hart slipped past them that morning. Her heart ached to think of them crying themselves to sleep, longing for a father that was never coming home again.
She knew the most important thing about training with Leo was learning how to win. If she was going to fight, she needed to know how to come home to her family.
It was late morning before Leo turned up, leaving Hart slumped against the fence, aware of every glance from the checkpoint guard—looking at her short hair, her baggy sweatshirt, her bruised face. She hoped he saw a rough-and-tumble boy and not a foolish girl in over her head.
"Hey, kid."
Hart scrambled to her feet.
Leo grinned at her through the fence, his crooked features even more prominent in the daylight. The man had taken a lot of hits, Hart could tell.
"You ready to get started?"
Hart took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be."
Leo approached the guard, papers in hand. "Sorry it took so long," he whispered to her across the checkpoint. "Had to get all the forms and everything. A nightmare."
Hart didn't even know how one went about getting a pass, but it looked like the guard was branding dozens of documents with official-looking stamps. Messy, crabbed handwriting scrawled awkwardly over the papers—Leo obviously wasn't desk-bound frequently.
After a minute or two, the guard looked up, sizing Hart up. She tried to stand taller under his gaze. "Bit small to fight, ain't he?"
"There's more to him than meets the eye," Leo laughed. The guard shrugged and handed Leo a small card. "Keep him in line, or it's you we'll come after."
Leo nodded and the gate opened, allowing Hart through. She looked down at the rectangle of paper that Leo thrust at her in wonder. There was her name and a very official looking stamp. Clearance between Gutter and Alley, Open .
She could hardly believe it. The fence was one of the major features of her life, an insurmountable barrier that kept her in her place, always on the outside looking in. Until now.
Leo led the way through the streets, twists and turns that Hart tried to memorize. The building they stopped at was just as run-down and dingy as she expected. Leo had warned her that his operation was small, after all.
Leo unlocked a heavily-graffitied door with multiple keys and let Hart inside. The door led directly into to the gym: a tiny ring and some equipment dotting the walls.
Punching bags, weight benches and jump ropes littered the room. Hart wound her way through them, following Leo up to the ring.
"I'll work with you today, and then I want you to come with me to a fight tonight," he said. "Watch what they do. The best way to learn how to fight is to watch another fighter."
Hart looked at him speculatively. "You used to fight?"
Leo smiled ruefully, a hand coming up to his crooked nose. "What gave it away?"
Hart laughed, ducking her head.
"But yeah, I did. For years. Earned enough to buy this place."
Hart's eyebrows rose, impressed. That was a tidy
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