[i]Twelve participants...[/i] that was more than Fiona had expected, and enough to tell her that she would definitely be fighting in this tournament. She had no idea where exactly her popularity would land her, but somewhere just inside the top ten seemed like a safe bet. And with how Mark explained the matchups, that would mean she'd be up against a top five opponent. [i]Thrown into the fire against Raven Veyn, or Abby Beatific before I can get anything figured out with Keysha, maybe an immediate rematch with Elina... who knows?[/i]

There wasn't much point worrying about it until the votes were counted, but Fiona was already feeling motivated to get back in the gym and get training again. The first round matches would be starting on Friday, and there was no guarantee that the scheduling would give her a week off after her loss to Elina.

She picked her phone up off the couch to read Kendra's text. [i]I guess so,[/i] she replied, [i]and somehow I doubt this tournament will be the end of it, no matter who wins.[/i]