Defensive

Kirsty felt the tension throughout the old mansion. It creaked randomly, with every cool breeze coming through the sunlit windows seeming to create noise and motion. Kirsty decided to proceed only as far as the front door. She’d let Roxy make the first move and then go from there. The last thing she wanted was to walk into a trap.

A device dropped to her side. Kirsty’s head snapped towards it as the firecrackers exploded in the hallway. They fired and banged, sending her heart into overdrive. Kirsty flinched and covered her head before she realized they were harmless.

“Nice try,” said Kirsty. “I’m not a scared little girl.”

Kirsty maintained her position next to the front door. She wouldn’t fall for these distractions. She wouldn’t move until Roxanne revealed herself in the wide-open space.

Seconds ticked by, and another set of firecrackers came in. This time, she saw them coming and covered her ears. The bangs went off as expected, and Kirsty stood her ground. Roxy could empty every firework factory in Mexico if she felt like it.

More seconds passed, and Kirsty gazed around, wondering where the firecrackers were being hurled from. She examined the walls and the ceiling, half expecting some hidden hidey holes to emerge, but everything looked normal. This time, she saw the firecracker come from her before it landed. She swept into action, kicking the firecracker far into the living room before it could explode.

Kirsty smiled to herself, knowing she’d got the best of Roxy in this early exchange.

A baseball whizzed through her peripheral vision, slamming into the front door behind her. Kirsty swiveled around and saw the dent it had left in the wood.

“Fucking do something, Kirsty!”

Kirsty turned back and saw Roxy looking back at her from a side door between the staircase and the living room. The door was barely noticeable, blending into the wall with the same paint job. Her first glimpse of the Punk Princess slightly unnerved her as her eyes burned with an exaggerated fury.

“Bingo. Now, you’re mine, Roxy.”