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NADIA'S HEART BEAT LOUDLY IN HER CHEST, THE HEAVY THUMPING ALL THAT SHE COULD HEAR AS SHE WAS SEALED IN THE GLASS TUBE. Mags and Marcy watched with saddened eyes as the girl was lifted to the surface of the arena.
The sun momentarily blinded her, but her eyes adjusted quickly. The Martell girl glanced around her to see that she was surrounded by water. She spotted the cornucopia with all the supplies, her eyes landing on a sword; her weapon of choice.
A voice booming from an unknown source caused her to jump. "Let the 75th Hunger Games begin. May the odds be ever in your favor." It then continued by counting down from ten.
The brunette couldn't help but search for Finnick as the voice echoed around her. Her gaze flickered from face to face, as far as she could see, but none of them belonged to the Odair boy. She did, however, recognize Johanna and Beetee from a distance.
The countdown was almost over now and she knew that she had to calm herself down in order to survive.
"5..." She closed her eyes.
"4..." She inhaled a deep breath of air.
"3..." She exhaled.
"2..." She opened her eyes.
"1..." She dived head first into the water.
Nadia swam as fast as she could to the land closest to her, stretching her arms and kicking her legs. Reaching the surface, she pushed herself out of the water and sprinted towards the center to get her sword.
Removing it from its sheath, she blocked a blow from a man trying to attack her. She kicked him in the chest, making him stumble back. Using his vulnerable moment of shock, she swung her sword towards him, slicing his neck open.
His thick, dark red blood poured from the wound and down his torso as he fell to his knees, staring up at the Latina in fear of dying. She payed no mind to him, and instead strapped the sheath for her sword onto her back and focused her attention on finding her allies.
Yells of pain caught her attention and she turned to see Johanna fighting off a man and a woman who were tag teaming her. Rushing over to the trio, she stabbed the woman who was facing away from her through the back. The man then turned and jabbed his spear at her, but the Martell woman instinctively jumped back to avoid any injury.
The District 7 Victor attacked the man, holding him in a head lock as Nadia impaled him with her sword. As he fell to the floor, the Martell girl turned to the other out of breath woman, who nodded her head to the side. "Come on, Nuts and Bolts are this way."
They swiftly ran through the trees, far and deep enough into the forest to not be seen by the other Victors. Beetee and Wiress immediately looked up at the sound of footsteps, a look of relief crossing their faces at the sight of the two brunettes.
"Did any of you see Katniss or Peeta?" The Latina immediately questioned them. "Finnick?" She glanced at the three who shook their heads before sighing in defeat; looks like they were on their own for now.
This time, Johanna spoke up. "We should keep moving."
Nadia nodded in agreement, deciding she'd lead the way. Using her sword, she sliced through the vines and branches in her way, creating a path for the others. Meanwhile, her thoughts consisted of her other allies. Were they alive? Was Finnick alive? Were they okay?Where were they?
The brunette shook her head; she couldn't allow herself to get distracted, not now. Instead of letting her mind wander, she focused on finding a safe place to sleep for the night.
Spotting a small stream, the Martell woman rushed over to it, bending down and using her hand to scoop some of it up. She drank the liquid, closing her eyes in relief that they'd found fresh water; at least they wouldn't die of dehydration.
The artifical sun went down a lot quicker than it normally would, the darkness surrounding the four Victors. They were all silent, except Wiress who ranted to Beetee, though he didn't seem to be in the talking mood either.
Nadia stiffened when the sound of music playing filled her ears, canons going off one by one. She counted each one and once it was over, she broke the silence. "Eight." She scoffed. "Eight people already dead."
"That should be a relief to us." Johanna told her. "Eight less people we have to kill."
The Latina knew she was right, but she couldn't help but be disgusted that most of the people in this very arena would murder without so much as a second thought. She also knew that she was supposed to be like that, to be a mindless killer, to not hesitate when it came to taking a life, but while in the Capitol, she was reminded what it felt like to be humane, and she didn't want to give that up.
The District 4 Victor just sighed and stood from her spot. "You guys get some rest, I'll keep watch." She walked towards a large tree and took a seat at the base of the trunk, eyes scanning the darkness surrounding her.
She sat there for who knew how long before the sound of rustling caught her ears. Turning to the source with her guard up, she relaxed when she saw that it was just Beetee.
He smiled at the woman, pointing to the spot next to her. "Is this seat taken?" Nadia chuckled before shaking her head. The genius leaned against the bark, examining the area much like the Martell girl.
"Couldn't sleep?" She asked.
Beetee shook his head. "No. I never really could without having nightmares after surviving my first Games." The brunette nodded in understanding; she could relate. The District 3 Victor glanced at her, hesitating to speak. "Do you know what they say about you, Nadia?"
She laughed, shaking her head. "What do they say about me, Beetee?"
"They say you're a killer." He started, observing her face for a reaction to the things he was telling her. "They say that death follows you everywhere you go, it's why they call you Reaper. They say you're merciless, heartless." Nadia did or said nothing, just listened.
"But I think differently." He added, surprising her. "I think you feel things, I think you're a very compassionate person. I think that someone forced you to bury your emotions, forced you to kill against your will. I think that you've been doing it for so long that it's all you know; death is all you know." The Martell girl turned her head to look at him. "When I look into your eyes, Nadia, I see a scared little girl who was turned into a monster. People shouldn't fear you, they should fear the person who created you."
She didn't notice that tears were building in her eyes until one slid down her cheek. She was thankful that it was dark and that Beetee couldn't see her face all that well. She hadn't felt this way in such a long time, she hadn't cried in such a long time; for she was a weapon, and weapons don't weep.
"This is who I am now. It's who I'll always be; there's no changing that." The brunette finally said after a long, heavy silence. "You were right; fighting and death is all I know. It's all I'll ever know."
After her words, neither Victor said anything. Hours passed and Nadia glanced at the man next to her to see that he had fallen asleep. She turned back to the woods, noticing the sun rising in the distance.
She gazed at the extraordinary sight; it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever witnessed. The Martell woman did not move one bit as she watched the orange and pink mix with the light blue of the sky, becoming one breathtaking color that the brunette wasn't even sure existed.
The tiniest hint of a smile graced her lips and she suddenly felt at peace. She just hoped that where ever Finnick was, he was witnessing the same phenomenon.
