Two weeks later (Sunday, October 31, 2021) - Long Island City, Queens, United States

“Hands up!” And Craig followed with a flick jab and a “gentle” body blow.

“Ufff” Ella completely lost her breath and landed on her ass.

“You are strong for your size. And your reflexes are on fire. You also don’t make the same mistake twice.” He looked at her sitting on the ground, “well three times anyway.”

“Three things for you to work on: You aren’t keeping your core tight enough when you strike or defend. And you overreacted to the jab opening yourself up. Finally your stance is a bit too even. Remember we talked about it - take a comfortable step forward and out - those are your corners for stance.”

“Push-ups!”

Ella got in a plank and waited for the call, her sweat was dripping down her face and arms. The cold chill from the open door giving her goosebumps.

They did more push-ups than she thought she could. Next the ab work that was religion to Craig.

A recovery drink and fifteen minutes later she was under a bar trying to get her squat form correct.

“Have you been here everyday?” Craig asked.

“Just about. Commute from the Village sucks though. So been alternating here and another gym in Manhattan and the school gym.”

“You need to slow down. You can’t go zero to hero right away. Frankly the progress you have made in three weeks is disgusting. You should be crawling on the floor. That attack freaked you out, huh?”

He had been dancing around this topic for a while now.

“Yeah a bit. But I also just realized I needed to be stronger and more prepared. Plus it is kind of fun. And I come out here since where else am I going to get free training from someone as good as you?”

—-

Later that day - NYU; Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, United States

She knocked at her mentor’s door. “You called, professor?”

“Yes, come on in! Sit down. And I told you to call me Anatoly.”

The professor waved her to a seat which Ella quickly cleared the journals and papers from as well as a half-eaten lunch underneath that looked about two weeks old.

“Hmm. Still good?” He chewed on a corner of the sandwich. “Nope” and unceremoniously put the bag to the side to get buried again in papers pending archeological investigations.

Ella sighed a bit and got up to throw it out. In the hallway trash of course since the regular trash bin was overflowing. The sign on the door said “No cleaning” since the professor didn’t want his previous organization system disturbed. Or maybe it was a composting pile.

His bald head reflected the fluorescent lights above as he contemplated her over his readers and he steepled his hands.

“So. What are you going to be for Halloween?”

Ella blinked, “I hadn’t thought about it yet. My friend, Charlie, is freaking out about it and said waiting til the day before was irresponsible.

“Well. It is today so that is even more irresponsible. Go out and have some fun. You come in and work from 9am until long after I leave. You need to take a break.”

Later that day - Ella’s Studio; Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, United States

Ella looked in dismay at the costume that Charlie had bought her.

“Isn’t it amazing? I had to go all over to find something as amazing as this so late. And it is my gift to you!”

“Ummm. Well. I like the gift. But… It is a bit.”

Jade piped up, “it is super-ho level.”

Charlie eyed them both. “You think?”

“Look, I appreciate it and all. But I am tired. And I was going to hit the gym tomorrow morning early.”

Charlie’s eyes were downcast, “but, but, I looked everywhere and I, I payed a lot for this!”

Ella squirmed. There was no way she was going out in that ridiculous costume. It was something one of those dancers would wear to Carnival in Rio. Charlie’s shoulders were shaking. Was she crying?

Charlie burst out laughing. “This is my costume dummy. I knew you didn’t have the guts for this amazing, no, glorious outfit. Your costume is here.” And she handed over a bag.

Ella looked inside.

That night - Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York, United States

The Halloween party was spilling out the door into the stairwell, merged with the party that was happening one floor below. Part of the crowd was bouncing along with the music 1although room was tight.

All except for Charlie, who had plenty of room. The broad swathe of glittering feathers fanned behind her taking up a full six feet. She had added googly eyes to the peacock feathers which made them ridiculous. Every time she turned she ended up brushing someone with them at least. They were so eye catching you almost didn’t notice the lack of other clothing. Well except for the guy she was getting sloppy with on the dance floor.

Ella’s catsuit costume was perhaps a bit too skintight for her comfort, she felt like she was going to bust out of the front at any point and she kept having to pull the front zipper up. Ella suddenly had the horrible thought that Charlie would totally sabotage the stitching for laughs, and that thought made her clutch her arms around her tight, which then exacerbated the whole problem. And well, she had put on a decent amount of muscle. Craig had accused her of taking steroids given how strong she was in just a few weeks.

Ella was just getting into the rhythm of things when someone grabbed her arm, and she came face to face with Jae-Young.

“Hey, I’ve been looking all over for you! Something is going on. Something from, well, you know.”

She tailed him out of the party to the streets and watched him slip off his ring. He looked at her, “only night I can do this in public. Now do your glowy eye thing”

Ella focused and also relaxed, trying to find that state she had been practicing in the mirror each day. She could feel it when her eyes started to glow this time. The crown settled on her head. Both came amazingly fast and stronger than they ever had before.

Under her eyesight she could see colors flickering all over the street. She looked in the sky and could see wraithlike figures soaring over the sky, one flying right overhead that looked remarkably like, no was, a Chinese dragon? It’s scales glimmered gold with a red mane and it shed glitter as it flew through the sky which drifted down and coated the street they were on like snow, if invisible and intangible to most.

“What the fuck!”

“I know, right?”

A passing group in costumes trudged through the not-snow, kicking up mounds of glitter, saw her and bowed to one knee (where they had a knee). Again, the colors of the rest of the world felt washed out as even the costumes they wore had a vitality that was ineffable. A toad, a bear which seemed to be missing a tooth, a snake, a turtle and a raven smoking a pipe2. As they stood back up, Ella’s breath caught as what were costumes became no longer costumes but they actually became their animal guises. The bear reached to its mouth and pulled out another tooth and presented it to her with a certain amount of formality — well as much formality as a bear could have. She grabbed it inelegantly and somewhat belatedly with a hesitant “thank you.”

They waited expectantly, each down on one knee, and Ella realized it was for her. She waved them on, and they resumed their trek through the magical glitter snow. As they drew apart, their reality of their natures faded away and they looked like any other costumed person except for the strange way they navigated. The non-magical seemed to walk normally through the snow as if it wasn’t there — and it wasn’t for them — but for her and the others, it was real.

“Let’s go…” Jae-Young grabbed her hand and they began to run through the piles of glitter, laughing like children. The glitter gently tingled when it touched her, like gentle static electricity.

Every so often another mysterious being would come close and bow to her. She would gather what dignity she could when not throwing glitter at Jae-Young to accept their wordless bows and let them go on their way.

“Global” by Lil B

The only hint is that they are in Manhattan.