Maddy voice echoed down the hallway, bright and unfiltered, the kind of excitement that hadn’t yet learned how to stay quiet in a place like LAW.
“Okay, this place is huge,” she said to no one in particular, spinning on her heel as she walked backward, eyes darting everywhere at once. Posters of past champions, doors labeled with names she recognized from tapes she’d studied, others she didn’t but would. “They’ve got an actual training ring back here, a medical wing that looks like a sci-fi movie, and wait, is that a cold plunge?” She stopped suddenly, nearly bumping into a production crate, then laughed it off, brushing her hair back. There was no nerves on her face—just pure, restless energy. The kind that came from finally being somewhere she’d imagined for a long time. LAW. A place where she can finally prove to herself and others just how talented the next generation can be.
Maddy continues to look around, eventually catching sight of Renee at the end of the hall, the belt dragging along behind her. Maddy’s eyes locked onto it almost instantly—not with fear, but curiosity. Interest. Respect mixed with something sharper. “Oh hey,” Maddy called out, waving casually as if this were just another gym and not a promotion she’d grown up watching.