CHAPTER 10
SIERRA
The day of the qualifiers was here.
The day I’d been secretly training for a year now.
The day that would decide the fate of my future.
The first step on the hard ladder that I had to climb.
And there was only one destination—the podium at the top.
I’d competed in events before, but nothing compared to this level.
This was nationals.
Only the best of the best competed head-on.
The prize wasn’t just about the money and the trophy. It was so much more than that.
It was about pride and prestige, and it was also about representing the country in the world championship. You’d be deemed as the gods of the gaming world.
The title made you untouchable.
Unbreakable.
It didn’t matter if I ranked sixth in the country; the games were always unpredictable.
It was all the trust and faith you put in the game.
In the team.
Till the very end.
Because nerves and fear didn’t have a place in the arena. If the opponents caught hold of it, they would sink in with their sharp teeth and eat you alive.
I dusted my cheeks with an excessive amount of pink blush, gliding it along my nose and my forehead as I stared at my alter ego, Daisy Luna, in the mirror.
Sierra Chan was too soft, bright, and innocent for the gaming world.
A world that demanded resilience, strength, and a stone-cold heart.
I was thirteen when I put on Daisy Luna’s cloak, and suddenly, I was a whole different person.
I became a version of myself that brought the unabashed, unapologetic side that Sierra Chan was too afraid to show.
They called me the “dagger princess,” and it certainly wasn’t because the spellcaster dagger was my favorite choice of weapon.
It was because I landed swift, smooth moves, never missing an attack while mastering the art of the game.
I wasn’t just good with it. I was the best at it.
“You’re wearing makeup.” A low, broody voice halted me mid-step in the living room.
I jumped. Shit, when did he get back? I only ventured out in my full-blown Daisy Luna costume because I thought Matty had gone out.
But he sat there on the couch, twisting a pair of drumsticks in his hands. His eyes trailed over me from head to toe.
I hope he didn’t suspect anything.
I didn’t look that different, but I looked like a typical e-gamer with glitter eye shadow, glowy pink cheeks with a heart stamp, and blush-pink matte lips. My hair was down, cascading down to my waist, with two thin braid pieces framing my face with black ribbons. And unlike my usual hoodie and shorts, I was sporting a skintight black crop top with a slither of skin peeking out from my waist and a short leather skirt with a cut in the front, all tied together with my knee-length socks and Vans sneakers.
“Hmm, yes. I’m going out with my friends. Hence the fashion change.” I let out a shaky laugh.
He nodded.
“Bye.” I waved and started to walk away.
“Sierra.” His voice slithered over the room like an electric current. “Give me your phone.”
“Ah, okay,” I mumbled as I made my way to him.
His eyes never strayed from mine. Unlike me, he was in his usual baggy trackpants and sweatshirt, both in a shade of gray that brought out the sage green specks in his eyes.
“Here.” I extended my phone to him, and right when his hand was about to close around it, my stupid, dumb brain remembered an important detail. “Wait.” I snatched it back to my chest.
My wallpaper.
How could I forget it?
It was a collage of all my favorite pictures of him. And he can never, ever see that.
His hand froze midair as he frowned at me.
“Why do you want it?”
“My number. In case you need me.”
Butterflies. About a thousand butterflies flew around the puddle, which was once my heart.
Did he have to be this stunning and sweet at the same time? I didn’t even think he knew what his five simple words did to me.
“You can just tell me,” I mumbled as I thumbed my phone open and jotted down his number in my contacts.
“I’ll get going then.” My eyes dashed to him, watching me intently.
“Do you need me to drop you?”
I shook my head. “My friends will be picking me up,” I lied. I’d already called an Uber.
He gave me a curt nod. “Okay. Be careful.”
“I will.” I smiled sweetly, and before I could stop myself, I said, “Wish me luck.”
“For what?” He lifted a brow.
I shrugged. “My first day out in the city and all.”
His eyes grew gentle. “Good luck.”
My heart skipped a beat.
Thank you.
“Easy peasy,” Kiki squealed, her pink hair flying everywhere. “We wiped them out in minutes.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled as my eyes went straight to Vincent (Shadow Spider) and Alice (Arachnid Venom), standing with their team, Xerxes—our biggest opponents.
The reigning champions who held the title last year.
Vincent ranked number two, and his sister Alice was close to him at number three. They were a formidable duo in their team and had lightning-fast speed and reaction time, unlike anyone else.
It would be quite a challenge to take them on.
Qualifiers went through like a breeze—just like I’d imagined. This was just a warm-up for the top teams. A perfect opportunity to gauge the other teams, to study them, to know their strengths, but especially their weakness. Because everybody had a weakness, you just had to look beyond their veil of confidence.
“We ranked third on the tally, but there’s still a long way to go,” Tin said. “How do you think we should train?”
Tin was the first gamer friend I ever made. I was playing in an open game world online when we got matched as teammates. Soon, I met Freddy and Kiki through him, and Ken joined us last.
One day, Tin suggested we compete in tournaments, and the rest was history.
Together we were the Voltron Voids, I was the top laner with Tin as my shadow and co-leader, Freddy was our marksmen, Ken the mid-laner, and Kiki, our support. And our team’s biggest strength was the synergy we created in the game; we played together rather than as individuals.
“We change nothing,” I answered Tin before sipping on my Coke. “We stick to what we know and keep going. A last-minute change in our pattern would only derail us.”
“Okay,” Tin mumbled as they all nodded.
Even though I was the youngest, my team respected my word as their leader. They knew I was very good at this and didn’t second-guess my decision. They were all badass gamers on their own. It warmed my heart to know they valued me like that.
It was the first time in my life I felt like that.
I would never let them down, ever.
That was the promise I made to myself.
“Let’s go eat. I’m hungry,” Freddy grumbled, running a hand through his platinum-blond hair streaked with blue highlights, the same shade as the blue leather bracelets he wore. The one he wore to every game without fail—his lucky bracelet.
We all had our lucky objects we wore. Mine was something special from my favorite rock star that I scored on eBay.
“What do you say we get some pizza, your favorite?” Ken grinned, grabbing Kiki from the side, who was already fighting his hold. Ken loved to pull Kiki’s leg, but I think he secretly crushed on her and so did she.
Ken was half-Japanese and half-American from Boston, and Kiki was from Texas, a typical Southern belle, and was a year older than me. But unlike my parents, hers supported her gaming career and were even here to cheer her on.
“Get off me, pig,” Kiki mumbled, blushing as she finally pushed Ken away.
“Si, you coming with us?” Tin’s hopeful brown eyes slid to me.
I hated to disappoint him, but Matty’s apartment was on the other side of the city, and I had to leave now if I wanted to escape the traffic and get back at a decent hour. Plus, I was exhausted. The high was finally crashing down on me.
“No, I’m gonna go home. I’m tired,” I said with a smile as I chucked the soda can at a nearby trash bag. We were hanging out by the concourse, the crowds dying as all the games wrapped up for the evening. Only a few teams and fans lingered about buying merch and taking photos.
“You sure?” He scratched his head, looking wistful. “You can stay with us.”
“Yes, you can.” Kiki jumped to my side, grabbing my hand as she gave me her doe-eyes.
The team was staying with Tin since he was the only one from New York, and he lived pretty close to the arena.
“No, Ki,” I mumbled. “Sorry, I really got to go.”
“But why!?” she whined.
I hadn’t told them the specifications of my living situation yet. They knew I was living with Raphy in the city while he worked on his album. But I didn’t tell them it was with Matt Evans because they knew how much of a crazy fan I was, and right now, the tournament was more important than my friends knowing that detail.
They were all diehard fans of the Four Foxes, but Matty was a very private person, and I wanted to respect his wishes.
“You’re wasting your time here, Luna.” A loud, leering voice snapped my attention from Kiki.
I looked up to see Vincent and his team approach us, sporting a cocky-ass grin on their faces.
“You and your stupid team don’t stand a chance against us,” Vincent commented slyly, flicking invisible dust from his shoulder.
The ease in our group dropped as we all tensed, turning our attention toward the incoming group.
Tin stepped forward, his hands curling to the side. “Like you can speak, Shadow. You’re nothing but a lousy…”
I held up my hand before he could say anything. Getting into an unnecessary beef with the opposite team would do us no good. It was evident that Shadow felt threatened enough to grace us with his presence.
It was both interesting and amusing, but it was a clear threat that they didn’t like us, especially me. I didn’t give a fuck about that.
I stepped forward slowly, smiling. “I think I agree. We, of course, don’t stand a chance against the all-mighty Xerxes. You guys are amazing. I’m a huge fan,” I lied, adding saccharine to my tone. I did study their gameplay, but I wasn’t a fan. They were too boastful and arrogant for that.
Tin frowned at me while Vincent looked taken aback for once. Agreeing with the narcissist was a far reach game strategy. If they had it in their mind that I wasn’t a threat, I could hit them where it hurt the most—in the game. I knew he was too smart for that, but one slip and we could take them down.
“I think Luna here is smart, Tin,” Vincent said, smiling smugly. “You should listen to her. Let’s go, guys.”
And with that, the Xerxes sashayed off like they owned the place. A few fans approached them asking for pictures and signs, which added to their conceited overconfidence.
“Why would you let them talk to you like that, Si?” Tin’s jaw clenched as he regarded me.
I fixed my co-leader with a glare. “It’s for the best, Tin. Remember, we’re at a tournament. The game is more important. If you want to show Shadow who you are, I suggest you do it in the game.”
Kiki, Ken, and Freddy held their breaths as they watched their leaders having a stare down.
“Fine.” Tin sighed, his gaze softening. “I just… I don’t want anyone to talk down on you.”
“I know,” I said with a smile. “And thank you for standing up for me, but you’d only be wasting your energy if you argued with those assholes.”
“I agree,” Freddy added, sliding his arm around my shoulders. “You know best, captain.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t fight the smile that slipped across my lips. “Look, as much as I’d love to stay here with you guys, I really have to go. It’s getting late.”
“Okay,” they all replied, except for Tin, who was staring intently at my shoulder for some reason.
“Hey, Tin.” I waved a hand in front of his face. “I’m leaving.”
Freddy flashed me a smirk before he dropped his hand and stepped aside.
Finally, Tin caught my attention. “Ah, yes, Si. Do you want me to drop you off?”
“Nah.” I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. I’ll call an Uber.”
“Okay, text me when you get home,” he said, smiling softly.
“I will,” I replied, waving them bye as I hurried out of the arena. It was going to be a pain trying to find an Uber with all the crowd exiting the arena.
My app showed that the car was twenty minutes away as I waited at the pickup point, huddling closer to my jacket as a cold breeze dipped the temperature.
All of a sudden, I felt something bump my leg. I rotated to see a small girl, no older than ten, in adorable pigtails, wearing a costume similar to mine, grinning up at me.
An instant smile lifted my lips as I crouched down. “Hey, little one. Are you lost?”
She shook her head, placing a finger in her mouth.
“What’s your…”
“Lylah.” A frantic woman came running over to us. “Lylah, thank God. Don’t you ever run away like that.” She crashed the little girl into her arms.
“I’m sorry.” She looked up at me with an apologetic smile. “She saw you and came running over.”
“That’s okay.”
“She’s your huge fan and wanted to take a picture with you,” her mother explained.
“Yes,” Lylah said shyly, peeking at me from her mother’s arms. “Can I get a picture with you? I can keep it on my desk so I can be like you when I grow up.”
My heart softened. “Of course. But on one condition.” I held up a finger.
Her eyes widened as she peered at me intently.
“You have to promise to be like you instead, no matter what.”
Her lips spread into a wide smile as she nodded.
We took about a dozen pictures with little Lylah, and I also signed some posters for her. I did have my fair share of fans. It was a pretty small crowd compared to someone like Vincent or the top-tier gamers. But day by day, I found my fan base increasing. More people were recognizing my talent, and I didn’t know how to feel about that.
Just as I bid goodbye to Lylah, my Uber arrived.
A heavy log stung my throat the whole way home. Somehow, I knew, even if my mother never supported me, I would be doing this for the rest of my life.
I would try to find a way for this to happen. Giving up gaming didn’t sit right with me at all. My younger self felt proud for inspiring Lylah into a sport that not a lot cared about, and nothing would fill my soul if I could keep doing that.
Forever.