Carmen's earliest memory was of her sister making breakfast in the kitchen, the smell of pancakes and bacon wafting about through the air. Her sister was significantly taller than she'd ever be, but at this point, they were too small to care about such things. Alora had to step onto a step stool to even reach the stove, but she was taught right, being careful not to burn herself or spill anything.
Carmen had just woken up, rubbing her eyes, watching, and watching, taking the moment in as the morning light beamed into the room. "Tonight You Belong To Me" played on a record player, an older Hispanic man sprawled across the couch, decently muscular, with frizzy black hair spread out across a pillow on which they were lying.
Bleary-eyed, the man woke up, grumbling to himself. "G-God damnit! A-Alora!"
"Hm~!?"
"W-Why are you playin' this creepy ass shit?"
"But I like it!" She raised her small voice above the sound of her adoptive uncle's swearing, snapping back to the pan in front of her as she flipped the pancakes she was making. "I like the music!"
He clicked his tongue. "You keep playin' shit from my dad's old vinyls..." He jumped off from the couch, kneeling in front of the record player that sat right beneath their TV. He flicked through the records with his fingers. "There's gotta be something better here. By the way, my pops loved all of this old shit here, all of that stuff you'd find in the fifties-- mobster stuff."
"Tío, you couldn't cuss in front of Carmen."
He spun around to look at her. "Yo, Carmen, do you care?"
"Fuck!" Carmen bawked back.
"Carmen~!" Alora whined, passing her younger sister a worrying look.
Their uncle smirked. "I love the spirit~!"
"Fuck!" Carmen triumphantly yelled, arms in the air in victory.
"Go, Cuchita! Go!"
Cuchita —a nickname given to Carmen in elementary school, meaning Little Knife. The adults called her this mostly, but that was because she was small, and whenever she'd hit someone, it felt as if they were getting stabbed. It stuck with her, but it originated from a fight she had with a group of bullies. They were targeting a child with a burn scar that ran across the right side of their face, and, seeing this, Carmen stepped in. At this age, Carmen was unnaturally taller than many kids her own age.
She walked in, towering over the competition, and once it got physical, she put them straight on their asses, showing her early physical prowess early in life.
"Sir! Your niece managed to brutalize two of my students in a matter of seconds!" A teacher protested during the day of the incident, surrounded by bruised children, Carmen sat directly across from them. Her uncle stood behind her chair, lips pursed in annoyance. "We cannot tolerate physical violence of this level in our school!"
Her uncle looked down at her. "You won, right?"
Carmen gestured to her body, revealing no physical injuries. "Indu-- Indub--?"
"Sick."
"Demetrio Gigante Lopez!"
Carmen's uncle, Demetrio, stood at attention, lips pressed together. "What?"
"We are talking about how your niece hurt her fellow students here!"
"Uh... do I need to pay for a hospital bill?"
A nurse, set in the corner of the room, raised a hand. "No... uh... actually, though the bruises are quite significant, they hadn't experienced any physical trauma that would lead to any permanent, or worrying amount of injury-- at most, maybe a concussion."
"I still have to pay for that ri-- Wait, why did you hurt these kids, Carmen?"
She looked up at her uncle. "They were picking on my friend." Her husky voice cracked with each word spoken.
"So, they were bein' big 'ole bullies?"
"Yeah!"
Demetrio looked over to the teacher, voicing their complaints, shrugging at them. "Sounds pretty justified to me. If you need me to pay for anything, though... You know I'll put out." He snickered.
The teacher's eyes narrowed. "The parents could file a lawsuit over this, you know?"
"Look," He chuckled. "We may be in a nicer area of the country, but that doesn't change what legal system we're under, miss. You might come from the states, but that sorta talk doesn't work here!"
Years later: "Welp, I may have lost the lawsuit, but I haven't retired from my MMA career! You girls don't mind movin' over to Cali with me, right?"
The girls-- Alora, now seventeen, and Carmen, now nine years old.
Carmen looked to her older sister with a wistful look in her eyes, but Alora smiled in response. She looked over to Demetrio, enthusiastic for their future. "I don't mind, California would probably be nicer than here after all."
"California, it is!"
California was a new start for the family, and unfortunately, the nickname Carmen had acquired during her time in Mexico had stuck with her, even in an entirely different country and state. However, with that, it also became a much more significant part of her character, as she was introduced to various martial arts dojos by Demetrio himself.
She had a talent for the arts, and her uncle was seeking a way to nurture such promise. Compared to her older sister, Alora was significantly weaker physically, but her intelligence knew no bounds. It was as if she sacrificed all of her physical attributes and handed them over to her younger sister. Additionally, after she reached the age of twelve, Alora experienced a massive growth spurt, whereas Carmen's physical growth halted, at least in terms of height.
By the age of ten, Carmen had the strength of the average physically fit teenager. Alora, by the age of eighteen, is now heading into her college years with a 4.5 GPA and a height of 6'5", being gaunt in comparison to her younger sister.
"Carmen, make sure not to hurt them too badly, okay?" Alora tapped her forearm against Carmen's back as she bounced on a sparing mat. "Carmen!"
"Yeah!?"
"Turn around, your belt is coming loose."
Carmen spun around to face her sister, who was set in a karate gi, wearing a black shirt underneath. Alora tightened the young girl's belt around her waist.
"You need to learn how to do this yourself, okay?"
"I do know how to do it, though!"
"Yeah, but it always comes loose. You need to do it properly, not how tío taught you."
"Why shouldn't I trust tío?"
"You should trust him, just on anything that doesn't have to do with his hands. The man is pure brute force, y'hear me?"
"But I like tío."
Alora sighed. "Yeah, I like tío too, but he isn't exactly a reliable narrator. You ready?"
Carmen nodded enthusiastically. "Hmph!"
"Osu! Go get 'em!"
"Osu!"
A young man, about fifteen years old, faced down the ten-year-old fighter, eyes wide in shock. "W-Wait, I-I'm facing this little girl?"
Their mentor spoke up. "No disrespecting your opponent, that could disqualify you."
"Sorry, sorry." They gestured to their teacher, looking back over to Carmen, who stood confidently in a stance. He sighed, taking a stance as well, attempting to level themselves with the significantly smaller Carmen.
Both of them were brown belts, competing to become red belts, facing off against each other in what could only be described as a more disparaging match-up. At least, it would be more fair to say that it was a disparaging match-up for the teen in question, as, in the span of a blink, they were knocked out, sent flying across the sparring mat.
One moment, they stood in front of a child, and the next, they were met by the fluorescent lights embedded in the ceiling of their dojo.
The referee sighed, calling another win for the Garra sisters.
Whispered words flooded the dojo. "Another devastating win."
"How the hell can such a small girl pack such a large punch?"
"I think she could crack a man's jaw without the headgear."
"Is that why she doesn't wear any?"
"I don't think she's ever been actually hurt during her stay here, not a single time."
Carmen hopped back over to her sister. "Do you think I pulled back enough?"
"You're getting better by the day," Alora responded, ruffling Carmen's hair. "Next time, let's try not knocking out the opponent right when the fight starts, right?"
"But it's more fun that way!"
"You say that as if you make it a challenge." Alora chuckled. "Let's go home, Cuchita."
To Carmen, Alora was the best sister she could ever have; no, it was the only sister she had. They were orphaned young, kept together luckily enough, and picked up by Demetrio, who called it a family favor. Technically, they were still related to Demetrio, but he was more considered a cousin to the Garra family line, rather than a direct descendant.
No one else took them in, so he took them in on his own. Demetrio had the free time after all; MMA was a freeform job to him— a bit more constricting now due to the debt he had accrued, but it was something he enjoyed nonetheless.
If it weren't for him, Carmen would've never gotten involved with Martial Arts to begin with, let alone Karate of all things.
Due to his profession, though, he was barely home, leaving Alora to take care of Carmen on her own, which wasn't as tricky a task as it seemed, though it got in the way of schoolwork at times. All they really needed, though, was a lovely home to stay in, and money, and Demetrio never left them poor.
It was a good life, even if it was a bit challenging for Alora to balance her schedule among work, college, and her sister. At ten, though, Carmen was self-sufficient enough to lighten Alora's load.
"Okay, make sure not to open the door for anyone you don't know unless they're the mailman! If you do go out, make sure to stay within the neighborhood and avoid straying too far. If someone does try something, hurt them as bad as you can and run away, okay?"
Carmen saluted. "Okay!"
"Cuídate, hermana." Alora kissed Carmen on the forehead before heading out for her classes, leaving Carmen on her own.
At eleven years old, Carmen could recall the exact moment when their family began falling apart. Both nineteen and eleven years old, respectively, Alora was walking Carmen home, keeping a tight grip on her sister's hand.
Just as they reached Demetrio's home, Alora led Carmen inside when they were interrupted by a voice behind them. "Oh~! What a coincidence!" Alora spun around to look at the source of the voice. "Didn't know we were in the same neighborhood, Alora!"
Carmen turned around toward the direction of the voice as well, spotting a young silver-haired man wearing loose-fitting clothes. Daniel Emilio Diaz; College Delinquent, someone who couldn't grow up from their more violent, High School phase of life. Fighting, acting like they're in a gang, but absurdly wealthy, unreasonably so.
Despite all of this, to those on campus, along with Alora themselves, they weren't necessarily a bad person. He would help where he could, offer advice to others, and even dispense cash to those in need, all without expecting anything in return.
Despite these facts, ever since Alora had become associated with Daniel, one month at a time, Carmen's older sister would become increasingly worn down by life and the people around her, as if a sudden, unknown burden were weighing on her back, affecting her both mentally and physically.
With that, Alora grew distant.
"Mija..." Carmen squeaked, catching Alora looking through various documents set out on their kitchen counter.
Alora looked down at her sister. "What's wrong, Cuchita? Do you need something?"
"Are you... Alright?"
Alora laughed. "Yeah, I'm alright, Cuchita. I've just been... I've just been stressed out lately, okay? Assignments up the ass-- Oh! Sorry, assignments up my bum, and stuff..." Alora chuckled.
"I know what ass means, sis."
"Y-Yeah, but you shouldn't be sayin' any curses, you hear me, Carmen? It's not polite."
"Other kids curse all the time, though? Plus, tío doesn't ever care."
"Yeah, but he's... y'know... tío. He's all... He doesn't care about being polite-- a rebel type, y'know?"
"Uh... anyways... y-you haven't been looking so good."
Alora's eyes flicked back to the document right beside her, swallowing. "Uh... yeah... Like I said-- swamped with assignments."
"Will you be able to come to my championship match?"
Alora smiled. "Of course! Of course, I can come. What day is it again?"
"Friday."
"Yeah! Yeah, absolutely! I would never miss it!"
"You missed the last one, though..."
Alora's chest felt almost as if it had been stabbed, wincing at the comment. "I... I'm so sorry. That was... I won't miss it this time, okay? Plus, isn't tío coming? We could make it a family get together~!"
"Yeah! It's been a-- It's been a while since--" She hopped up onto a stool beside her sister. "It's been a while since we've just... been together... and stuff..."
"Yeah... yeah, it has, hasn't it. Both tío and I have been... utterly swamped with work, so it'd be a good time for us to all just... relax, hang out together like the good 'ole days back in Mexico, right?"
"Yeah!"
"You gotta make sure to win, of course. Don't wanna sour the mood."
"When have I ever lost!?" Carmen laughed, kicking her feet.
"Never... cause you're the strongest little girl I've ever known."
"Loving the confidence."
Alora snickered at the comment.
***
Demetrio's hair was set in corn rows, a smirk stretching out a moustache that sat above his lips, and he sat close with his adopted niece. "Alright, Cuchita! You're aimin' to be a champion, yeah!?"
Carmen nodded. "Yeah!"
"So hold yourself up taller~!"
Carmen's eyes flicked to the door of the dojo. "Where is...?"
"Oh! Alora-- she'll be here soon. She texted me earlier. Look, you don't have to worry about her! You just gotta focus on the fight. I'll make sure to try and keep in contact to see if she makes it on time, alright?"
A referee stepped up onto the mat, motioning to Carmen and her opponent, who easily trumped her in size.
"Oh, shit! It's starting, go get 'em, okay!?"
Carmen bit down on her lip before pressing her lips together into a half-smile, hopping off into the middle of the room.
Demetrio sighed, straightening himself out as he checked his phone incessantly. "Maybe I gotta force her to take a break... fuck... where are ya...?"
Carmen and her opponent squared off with one another, circling each other in the segment of a mat they had taken up within the room. Her opponent aimed for simple strikes, attempting to slowly accrue points over time through yuko's slow pace, or by gauging the distance through kicks.
Carmen shot forward through, breaking their defense. She missed the body, striking her opponent's shoulder, the hit being hard enough to cause her to stagger momentarily. She shot back, avoiding a counter kick to her torso in turn.
Demetrio smirked, mumbling to himself. "Oh, this is a tough one..." He sighed, his smile quickly being pulled into a frown as he glanced over at the phone in his off-hand. "Where the hell are you, girl?"
"Ippon!" Carmen is knocked to the ground by her opponent, feet swept right out from under her. She jumped back up, regaining her stance.
"Play more aggressively, Cuchita! You got this! He's in the lead! Pick up the pace~!"
"Yuko!" Carmen straightened herself up, hopped forward, almost like a blur, as she struck her opponent in the chest, jumping back in time as a point was called for her side. They jump in again, "Wazari!" A kick to the torso-- Carmen is picking up the pace, managing to make up for the point disparity between the two parties. Along with that, Carmen, compared to her opponent, had much more energy to spare, as the adversary in front of her was slowly being worn down by the heavy blows of her attacks.
The young man opposite Carmen jumped in, attempting to grab her, making a move to sweep her back onto the floor. As he shot in, she bounced back, causing her opponent to stagger, straighten, and get caught by a kick to the head from Carmen. As he dipped below her chest, and as Carmen distanced herself, she lifted her leg, seemingly aiming for the torso.
Her opponent instinctively made a move to protect their body, and using that momentum, she spun her leg past their defenses. "Ippon!" She flew into the air for a moment, carried by the speed at which she spun both her leg and body into a question mark kick.
The crowd gasped, both Carmen and her opponent moving back to their respective sides of the ring. Carmen now had two points in the lead, whilst her opponent had three points total from their previous sweep.
Demetrio leaned in, speaking to Carmen. "You need to reel it back a little. You're hurting them too much, okay?"
Carmen nodded.
"You wanna knock them out of the park, not knock them out." He pulled back, giving her a thumbs-up, and they continued their exchange.
It was inevitable when your opponent appeared to have significantly more stamina than you. Carmen pulled her punches a bit, but it didn't matter much; a well-placed strike is a well-placed strike, and her expertise in Martial Arts assisted in this. Carmen won.
As she won, she looked out to the crowd, the entrance to the dojo, the window providing a view of the outside parking lot, anywhere. She searched as long as she could for her sister.
After everything was over, Demetrio waited outside with Carmen, anxiously looking down at his phone as a listless Carmen looked out to the streets beyond, cars passing on by creating blurs of red against the black of night.
"I'm sorry Alora couldn't come..."
"It's alright... she's busy..."
"Yeah, but she promised." He clicked his tongue. Demetrio proceeded to look at his phone, his eyes half-lidded for a moment before widening slightly, as he received a call from Alora herself. He answered, "Where the hell are yo--" A stunned silence followed.
The rest was a blur, followed by the hush of a morgue. "--Severe blunt force trauma to--Along with bruising lined along the torso and sto--Lascerations in the a--" In and out, muffled one moment, and clear the next.
"Sir, are you sure she should be--
Demetrio growled. "It's her fuckin' sister, at the very least let her see them one last time..."
The cause of this tragedy was evident and apparent. Regardless of their niceties, shows of kindness... There was only one man, and his gang, who it could all lead to; they were caught in the act after all. Someone found the incident and reported it to the police.
Charges were pressed, and after a grueling three-year court battle, Demetrio lost the case. It should've been a slam dunk, but Daniel's charges were somehow dropped suddenly. One moment, this man, this man who had murdered, who Demetrio saw as his own daughter, was at one moment about to have a life sentence dropped onto him as more evidence of previous crimes he had committed had emerged. The next moment, he was a free man, practically exonerated of all charges pressed against him.
It wasn't even Demetrio alone; Daniel had predatorized hundreds of men and women. An entire community practically emerged, chomping at the bit to tear the man to shreds... and yet he walked free.
At fourteen years old, Carmen Azalea Garra, now known as Carmen Alora Garra, appeared at one of Daniel's hangout spots. It was a shot in the dark, and his entire posse was there to back him up, drinking, smoking, having a laugh as they always had before.
Where Carmen stood, there was no need for any further investigation. It is what it is. She knew it, the courts knew it, yet here he is, laughing, drinking... living.
Demetrio was left destitute and broke after the lawsuit had passed, along with the families that had joined together to take this one man down. All the evidence showed that everything Daniel was was simply a ruse, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
A man noticed the young girl peering into their hiding spot, an abandoned school building away from the wider world. Their little paradise. "Hey, should you even be here?" He snickered, grabbing Carmen's shoulder. "Look at this, I found some Middle School ki--"
Demetrio knew, even at a young age, that Carmen was powerful, unnaturally so. Alora knew this as well, but she was cautious of this power. She knew that Alora had to reel herself in, to control herself. That sort of strength was never meant to be wielded by human hands, especially not those of a teenager.
POP!
The man's head rocked ot the side, falling limp onto the floor, hand still gripping onto Carmen's shoulder. For a moment, the room paused, everyone turning to see one of their friends slumped on the floor.
"Yo what the fu-" Before the words could come out, right across from her, standing up from a barrel they were sitting on, another one down. POP! Their body spun straight into the ground, headfirst.
At that age, Carmen's full strength was equivalent to that of a Heavyweight MMA fighter, but imagine all of that weight and force given to a child. The speed of a child, the force and strength of a grown man, weighed about three hundred pounds. That's a monster, no? Even then, though, even if this child had the power, strength, and durability of a Heavyweight fighter. Against numbers, it meant almost nothing... almost...
Carmen, at fourteen years old, left with only a broken arm, a zygoma fracture, and a dislocated pinky toe, whilst Daniel's skull was rendered into pulp. What had happened to these people, from an outside perspective, could've only been described as an attack by a bear —a violent, ravenous bear. Yet, shockingly enough, Daniel was the only casualty in this excursion.
Carmen was found four days later by a search party after she had gone missing days prior. When asked about the events that had occured during her days in which she had been missing, she couldn't recall a thing; along with that, there was no feasible way anyone, police, or otherwise, could have, or would ever have assumed that Daniel's death could've been caused by the bare hands of a fourteen-year-old girl that could barely reach the shoulder height of an adult man.
There wasn't enough evidence to find on her either; not a fingerprint, or a drop of blood could be found at the scene. A miracle of circumstances. No reason to honestly suspect her, unable to find anything tangible, and along with that, no memory of the event to boot.
All that was left was the aftermath.
Demetrio effectively abandoned Carmen in California once she had turned fifteen years old. Raised by the community around her, she continued to pursue martial arts, using her fighting talents to pay for college.
She was now on her own in the world, even stronger than before, and continuing to grow even stronger.
In 2024, Allegra Caccia, a Forensic Pathologist, happened upon Carmen and her exploits, now following her for reasons unknown.