Chapter 2: Badlands

(Nakia Waters)

“One... two... three... four,” Nakia counted as she went on her morning run, looking down at her wristwatch. She wiped the sweat from her brow and breathed heavily, slowing down until she stopped. She bent over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Looking up, she scanned her community of trailer homes and the children playing outside.

Nakia, a former mixed martial arts champion at a young age, had left that career behind to be closer to home with her sister and mother on the reservation. Now back from her run, she stood in her living room, staring at the MMA championship belt she had once won.

Nakia walked further into her family home toward the bathroom, tossing her used towel into the laundry basket. She grabbed a clean one with her calloused hands and wrapped it around her neck.

“There was another message for you today,” said Nakia’s sister. She was sitting on the couch, wrapped in her Pendleton blanket with her nose glued to her phone.

“Don’t tell me it’s that guy from the gathering. He’s been calling me all week,” Nakia said, rolling her eyes. She reached for her MMA title belt. She took great care of the replica, keeping the gold plates polished and shiny even if it just sat on a shelf collecting dust now.

“More like a month now. This time he showed up at the door asking for you,” her sister said.

Nakia’s eyes widened. She turned and rushed to sit beside her.

“He what? Was it him? Did you recognize him?” Nakia was concerned it might be her ex, the one who used to obsess over her. Then again, there was that guy from the gathering who wouldn’t leave her alone either.

“It wasn’t him,” her sister mumbled, her eyes still locked on her phone. “It was the other guy. He was wearing a suit and carrying a small bag. He looked young... and he gave me a T-shirt.”

Nakia crinkled her nose in confusion, wondering who it could be.

“He looked fancy, wearing all black. I thought he was from the government or something. Mom was freaking out, thinking it had something to do with Dad’s land,” she added.

Nakia sat up straighter, more curious now. “What T-shirt?”

Nakia saw a black T-shirt lying across her sister’s legs with Thunderbird written across the middle.

“What does he want with you?” her sister muttered, sitting cross-legged and gently rocking as she played on her phone.

“He’s a wrestling promoter. He wants me to join his roster,” Nakia said. She let out a huge sigh, her lips puckering in thought. She was still overthinking whether joining a wrestling promotion was the right move.

“You? A wrestler? Ayeeee!” her sister laughed.

“He’s trying to put together an all-female Indigenous promotion. Kind of like that Star Gold Promotion wrestling you watch,” Nakia said.

Her sister perked up. She was a huge fan of Japan’s Star Gold; all she ever did was watch Japanese wrestling, K-dramas, and K-pop.

“I thought you quit MMA to stay home with Mom and me?” her sister asked. She finally put her phone down, looking slowly at Nakia.

Nakia could tell it upset her. She could always read her sister; whether she was mad, sad, or frustrated, she could never hide it well.

“I told him that. He said I could come home whenever I want, even for holidays. It’s a once-a-month gig. But for the first few months of training, I’ll be away.”

“Since Dad passed, everything has changed. I don't see him sitting in his spot watching football anymore. Mom is always working, and you're always gone,” her sister said.

Nakia reached over, putting her arm around her sister. “It won't be easy at first, but there’ll be perks. Free shows for Mom and you to come watch me,” Nakia added.

Her sister smiled a little as she wiped tears from under her glasses.

“Is that why you’ve been training? I’ve seen you out running a lot. Like back in your MMA days,” her sister said.

“When I get my first paycheck, we’ll go on vacation. And besides, Mom won’t have to worry about bills. I won’t be coming home all bruised up like I did with MMA,” Nakia said. She hugged her sister, who smiled back.

“Are you gonna use your MMA name, or change it for wrestling? I’ve got ideas,” her sister muttered. She looked up at Nakia. “Remember that time we went camping and that herd of bison scared off the dogs?”

“You mean the protest?” Nakia replied. She remembered arguing with her mom about taking her sister to that event; she had thought her sister was too young and it was too dangerous for her.

“Well, you know when they were shouting Life Water at the camp? I was thinking... You should go by Nakia Waters,” her sister said.

Nakia thought about it and liked the idea.

“Your finisher could be 'The Badlands,' since you always tell people you train out there,” her sister added.

“That was just a joke I used to tell people,” Nakia laughed. “But it does sound good.” She had once told a scout she wrestled coyotes out in the scrub brush just to see if he was gullible enough to believe it.

Nakia got up from the couch, fixing the blanket and fluffing the pillows. She playfully tossed one at her sister.

“You could also use your MMA submissions, the ones you used to do on me,” her sister said, smiling, her eyes peeking from behind the pillow now covering half her face.

Nakia walked over and stood at the entrance to the kitchen.

“Don’t tell people that. I was just messing around with you,” Nakia said, taking an apron off the hook and slipping it over her head. “After we have breakfast, we need to finish the yardwork today,” she called out, her voice fading as she walked into the kitchen.

Nakia began prepping breakfast like she always did, while their mother slept through the morning after another long night shift. The sound of the knife against the wooden cutting board echoed through the quiet house, competing with the distant hum of the refrigerator.

She thought about going back to MMA, but she also truly wanted to try the pro wrestling route.