Day 5
The day without Syd.
For the fifth day, the girls were now focused on martial arts training.
Sera was sparring with Jody under Marie's supervision, who stood in the boxing ring like a referee.
Marie's training method was simple—teach them all the basic fighting techniques, then let Sera and Jody go at each other to learn through action.
And with just two people in rotation, their progress over the past five hours had skyrocketed.
There was no need to drill military-grade mental conditioning. A unanimous decision had already been made—they'd both passed that stage. After all, they'd survived live gunfire.
As for Jody's legs, that part was a little trickier. But Roxxy volunteered to take a trip down to the isolation cell to recharge her brother's red-aura buff via silicone pellets and bring it back the next day.
"Good. Good."
Marie clapped in rhythm, shouting instructions.
"Faster. Keep moving. Good. That's it. Good work."
Sweat dripped onto the canvas. Sera threw a flurry of punches at Jody, who blocked each one in return. When Marie turned her head for a moment, Sera leaned in to whisper.
"Hey... Jody... What if we just keep pretending to spar, and once we get close enough to Marie—BAM—we take her down."
"Don't."
Jody shut the idea down immediately—and for good reason.
"She's hyper-aware. Even when I attacked her from behind with a distraction, she still turned around in time..."
"So what do we do then..."
"We'll hit her. But not yet."
Jody was confident. And Sera knew exactly why—she'd experienced it firsthand.
"..."
Sera nodded and continued the training.
After class, just before lunch break.
The gym sessions were the only times the girls could isolate themselves from the rest of the group. Mickey Mannix had been watching them since 5 AM that morning. Sera hadn't had a single chance to speak with Jody.
Not even at breakfast.
But now was the chance.
Gym showers.
The two of them slipped away from Marie and headed to the women's locker room.
Jody got straight to the point.
"Sera? What happened last night? You were acting seriously off."
"I was sleepy... like, dead-tired... But anyway, what's this update you've got?"
"..."
Jody still didn't entirely trust her, but she needed to get this out before anyone overheard.
"Okay... I managed to record something."
"A recording? Again?"
"Yeah. It's a conversation between Syd and Marie."
"Marie!? What were they talking about?"
"No idea. It wasn't English... I think it was Thai."
"Any guess what it was about?"
"... I think Syd was threatening her or something... It happened before he got detained."
Jody pulled out her iPhone.
"The audio's muffled. You'll have to try and clean it up. Tonight at exactly 9:10 PM—no earlier, no later—I'll send the file to your laptop. Download it and I'll delete the message right away."
"Through Messenger?"
"Yup... And you can count on me to decode the Thai."
Sera gave a confident nod.
"But you'll have to reverse the file first, Sera."
"Huh? Why?"
"I layered the encryption—just in case Karn's people or anyone from Thrak snoops. I ran the audio through a reverse playback app. That way, if we get caught, it might buy us some time. Or at least keep them from noticing it."
"... Damn... Jody... you're going deep with this..."
But it made sense.
Sera swallowed hard. She hadn't realized Jody was playing this many steps ahead.
Jody: "Let's go."
"Yeah."
As they stepped out to wash their faces...
"Hey Sera..."
While Sera was splashing water at the sink, Jody stood at the one next to her, arms crossed.
"Hm?"
"Are you sure you didn't leave your room last night?"
"!"
"..."
"Of course... I only got up when you rang the doorbell."
"..."
"Is that so..."
Sera cupped water over her face, carefully avoiding any eye contact.
"...Why do you ask?"
"..."
"Was someone in your room last night?"
! ! ! ! !
"..."
"No... I was alone..."
Sera's heart pounded in her chest. But then—she had an idea. A sneaky, borderline exploit of the truth that might just save her.
Jody... she's like Mannix. Once she bites, she won't let go unless you give her a clean exit.
So—
"Jody... don't freak me out again like last time, okay? That thing you said... about seeing... a ghost..."
"..."
Sera knew it wasn't a ghost. It was Mickey. But if she could use that moment as a cover...
"..."
It worked. The air around Jody shifted. For her, that was a plausible explanation.
"... Or maybe it was someone else... I dunno... did you see it again?"
Sera pressed the advantage.
"..."
Jody nodded slowly.
I'm so sorry, Jody!!! It was a fake ghost this time! I'm sorryyy!!!
"... Ugh, don't tell me it was... it was in my room!?"
"No... I heard the sound in the hallway. But you were acting strange, so I thought someone might be in there with you..."
"Come onnn! That's creepy! Who would it even be!?"
"... I don't know. Maybe it was Karn."
"... O-oh... right... huh..."
Sera nervously played along.
"How about this... just in case. If someone is in the room with me next time, or if I can't talk right then... we should have a second code. What do you think, Jody?"
"... That's actually smart."
"Let's call it... 'Maybe Tomorrow'?"
"Alright. Works for me—"
Marie: "Hey... what are you two up to?"
Sera: "Wah!? N-nothing! Nothing at all..."
.
.
.
Lunchtime.
This time they changed things up. Roxxy Barrett brought the two older girls outside to chill in the snow-covered forest and enjoy the crisp, clean air.
Sera was stretching out near the roadside path, a bit away from Jody.
"..."
Inhale...
"..."
Jody tilted her head back, letting the sunlight filter softly through the trees.
It was so quiet. So peaceful.
She loved it.
It felt like she'd left the chaotic world behind... stepping out of time.
If only moments like this would last forever...
She wished Syd were here beside her...
He'd probably enjoy this kind of peace too.
He'd be sprawled out in the snow, half-asleep and one with the sky...
If only...
If only I'd been stronger...
Syd went to prison because of me...
Jody stared at the sky, her eyes blank. But somewhere in them... a fire sparked.
A cold, unwavering fire—the kind that lit when you've made a decision deep inside.
Marie...
That magnetic aura of hers...
Tup... tup... tup... tup...
Small, soft footsteps trudging through snow approached.
"..."
Jody stopped her thoughts and turned to look—
It was Roxxy Barrett.
"What're you doing out here alone?"
"It's peaceful."
"...And what are you thinking about?"
"Just... stuff."
"About Syd getting locked up?"
"..."
"......"
That's Roxxy for you... Always right on the mark.
Tup... tup... thud...
The girl leaned against a nearby branch beside Jody.
"Didn't I say not to worry? My brother and solitary confinement go hand in hand. Just think of it like he's revisiting old memories."
Then Roxxy handed Jody a red-aura-infused silicone bead that she'd retrieved from her brother in isolation.
Jody took it and slipped it inside her coat.
"What did you mean when you said Syd used to get locked up all the time?"
Jody looked up, changing her posture to sit with her knees hugged.
"Why? Curious?"
"Just a little."
"..."
"Well, fine. I guess there's no harm in telling you..."
Roxxy began casually.
"These days, he's a lot more chill. Back before he met you guys? If he was quiet, it was only until someone pushed the wrong button—then he'd snap. That's who he was."
"And now he's just a calm guy with... a temper?"
"Something like that."
She dug her hands into her coat pockets.
"When I first joined the organization, he was still like that. If anyone messed with him—he'd leap at them. But it got better with time."
"He really loves arguing, huh... From what I've seen."
Jody smirked.
"Annie lets you guys run wild... I mean, Syd talks to her like he's petting a cat. Hand on her head and everything."
"Isn't that normal for Westerners like you?"
"...We still respect our parents, y'know."
"...Really? Huh..."
Roxxy raised a brow in surprise.
"Annie... your mom... She does everything purely based on reason, doesn't she?"
"...What makes you say that?"
"...I don't know. It's just a feeling."
Jody gazed off toward the road ahead.
"She strikes me as the type of adult who, no matter how bad a fight gets, would never end an argument with 'Because I'm your mother.'"
She went on.
"I bet everyone respects her. She's probably what people today would call an ideal adult."
"An ideal adult?"
"Someone calm. In control. Can command attention without shouting. All reason, no nonsense... I want to be like that someday."
"..."
Roxxy didn't respond. She was quiet for a while before she finally spoke again.
"Even if he seems like that... Syd loves our mom a lot."
"Yeah... I could see that. Otherwise, he wouldn't have kissed her cheek in front of everyone."
Jody smiled softly at the memory, then looked at Roxxy with curiosity.
"Tell me more. I want to know."
Roxxy stared down at her... then decided to tell her.
"In Thai culture... there's this insult."
"What kind?"
"'Your mom's dead.'"
"...Your mom's dead?"
"If someone said that to you, you wouldn't care, right?"
"...Not really. It'd be like someone saying my coat is blue."
Jody tugged her coat. Besides, her mom was dead.
"Not for Thais."
"Huh?"
"It's drilled into us from birth. If someone says your mom or dad's dead, it's like pressing our berserk button. We'll throw hands on the spot."
"For real?"
"If I had to translate it into English, it's closest to 'motherfucker.'"
"Ohhh... I get it now."
"But Western insults are like, 'your mom's fat' or something, right? Ours go straight to 'your mom's a whore and she's dead.'"
Roxxy added,
"It's the same category of insult, but not the same weight. Between being called a hippo and being told your mom's rotting in hell—one clearly hits harder."
"Why though? Is it the curse part that stings?"
"It's... hard to explain. To us, parents are sacred. So we attack each other by attacking what we respect most. It's like calling someone's mom a prostitute."
"Oh..."
Jody nodded, mouth slightly open.
"The thing is... if anyone insults our mom, Syd goes ballistic. Worse than what you saw yesterday."
"...Seriously?"
"Him hitting Marie? That was him still holding back."
Roxxy continued,
"Last year, we were at a Loy Krathong festival on a bridge near the Thai-Laos border. Biker punks showed up—blond hair, loud music, fireworks, all that."
"Uh-huh..."
"They bumped shoulders with Syd. He didn't react because Annie was there. But then... one of them said, 'Your mom's dead and was a whore.' And touched Syd's head."
"...And then?"
"What else? He threw them all off the bridge."
Roxxy said bluntly.
"It was chaos."
"Syd fought the bikers?"
"Five-on-one. He tossed every last one of them—bikes and all."
"What about the girls?"
"Didn't matter. They went down too. Pretty sure one broke her neck and got paralyzed. Emergency services thought it was a car crash."
"Nobody died though, right?"
Jody asked, concerned.
"Some might've wished they had."
"All that... because someone insulted Annie?"
"..."
Roxxy nodded.
"And touched his head."
"!?"
"Syd has this rule—he never bows to anyone. If someone touches his head and they're not close to him, it's like smearing shit on his face. Instant knockout."
"..."
Jody was speechless.
He did all that... just because someone insulted his mom? And touched his head?
Wait... touched his head!?
Wait a second—
Jody realized.
"!"
She's done that. Many times.
Roxxy saw the look on her face and understood she'd finally caught on.
"At first, I was surprised... why didn't you end up kissing concrete like the others?"
"...Why do I feel like you kinda wanted me to?"
Jody joked, grabbing Roxxy's hand to help herself up.
"Would've been fun to see."
Roxxy smirked as she helped her up gently.
The afternoon had arrived—it was time to get back to training.
"Come to the dining hall tonight. Tell Sera too."
"Why?"
"There's a surprise."
"Oooh? What is it?"
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise."
"...I'll be looking forward to it, Karn."
Pat, pat.
The two walked out of the woods. Roxxy stayed behind, hands in her coat, watching the girls disappear into the lobby...
"..."
"...Jody... You're carrying a lot right now..."