Preview: “Fresh Meat”

“So, are you going to help us or not?”

Mia hears the frustration in Dani’s voice, short and strained even as it resonates in the locker room, a cocoon of metal and cement. Her skates are laced on her feet. A star is etched around her eye. But her helmet rests on the bench beside her; her fingers grip the cold steel. Mia knows how important this bout is to Dani—to all the Twisted Sisters—but she still can’t give her an answer. 

Mia hears the crowd in the arena, the pulse of music under the chatter in the stands, the shouts from vendors selling popcorn and hot dogs and cotton candy. The whole town comes to derby night, but Mia never sat in the audience. Even after she joined the team, Mia remained at home, where she should be, right now. 

This was never part of the plan.