Love and Danger in the Arena || Lamina X OC

chapter thirteen || bloody like her hair

Coral's gaze bore into Michaela, the air tense with a swirling storm of emotions. Michaela unleashed a torrent of screams and glares upon Coral, who stood below with a side bleeding, and a bloody face, Coral bent down to reclaim her trident, a symbol of the violence that had unfolded.

With determined grunts, Coral maneuvered through the chaos, pushing two boys aside, and leaving Tanner and Treech in her wake. Tanner dutifully trailed behind, but Treech, anchored by a sense of responsibility, called out, "What about Mizzen?"

"He's gone, Treech. One less burden. He was just a child, not much help," Coral replied dismissively, her words carrying the weight of cold authority. Treech's eyes lingered on Mizzen's lifeless form, a stark reminder of the fragility of life in their harrowing reality.

Swiftly, Treech reached Mizzen, lifting the fallen boy with an unexpected gentleness. Placing Mizzen under the flag among other bodies, Treech retrieved Mizzen's hat, an act of reverence for the boy who going to be remembered as forever thirteen. Coral, undeterred, continued her relentless march, leaving Treech to grapple with the weight of the past and the unfolding present.

Bottles scattered, and questions hung in the air as Coral confronted Tanner. "What do you think you're doing?" Coral demanded, her anger palpable.

"Drinking?" Tanner retorted, brushing off her concerns.

"I want the water," Coral asserted, her determination unyielding.

"You just said, 'Watch the beam,'" Tanner laughed, inciting snickers from Treech. Coral, undeterred, approached Tanner, piercing him with her trident. Treech gasped, taking a step back, grappling with the brutality unfolding before him.

As Tanner grunted, the trident embedded in his body, he fell to the floor, his gaze meeting Coral's. "Maybe I do deserve a lot of what's happened," he conceded, "But I don't deserve this." His eyes shut, and his body slid further along the trident, it was a gruesome sight.

Disgust etched across Coral's face as she pulled the trident from Tanner's lifeless body. No mercy, no remorse. "At least my trident will keep a memory of him," she mused, examining the blood-stained spikes with a detached fascination.

The scene shifted as footsteps echoed through the arena. Wovey, the small girl from District Ten, entered the stage. Coral gave chase, and Treech, torn between loyalty and curiosity, glanced back at Lamina and Michaela before reluctantly following Coral.

Michaela's attention shifted to Lamina, perched on the edge of a beam. "Lamina?" Michaela called out, her voice cutting through the ambient chaos.

Lamina, her response barely audible, replied, "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Michaela inquired, her concern genuine. Lamina's response came in the form of a deep, long sigh, a release of the burdens weighing on her.

"He didn't deserve it," she whispered, her words carrying the weight of guilt and sorrow as she referred to Mizzen.

Lamina's grief hung in the air, a palpable force that Michaela couldn't ignore. "I didn't want to, believe me, and, hell, I regret it. I feel so fucking guilty about killing him. He was just a kid, he had his whole life ahead of him. But, so do you," Michaela argued, attempting to rationalize the unforgiving choices they faced in the arena.

"He was so young. The way he died, imagine how much pain he must've been in," Lamina cried, her vulnerability laid bare. The connection between them, forged through shared trauma, resonated in the heavy silence.

"Lamina, baby, it was either you or him. Even if he was still alive, Coral would've just killed him anyway. And you know that's the truth; do you think she's going to keep Treech alive if they're the last two?" Michaela reasoned her words a painful reminder of the inevitability of violence in their fight for survival.

Lamina shook her head, a reluctant acknowledgement of the harsh reality that defined their existence in the arena. The unspoken understanding between them lingered a shared burden that transcended words.

"Of course not. She wants to win, she'll do anything. So, don't blame yourself. And don't blame me," Michaela emphasized, attempting to alleviate Lamina's burden. Lamina sat there, head in hands, pushing hair out of her eyes as another sigh escaped her.

A shared silence enveloped them, the unspoken tension hanging heavy. The distant whirring noise disrupted the quiet, drawing their attention upward. A helicopter, an unexpected visitor in their deadly game, hovered ominously, carrying a large wooden box.

Michaela's gaze dropped, capturing the unfolding drama below. Coral and Treech emerged from the tunnel, eager to unravel the mystery of the helicopter. The small girl from District Ten, Wovey, joined them, waiting for the box to descend.

As anticipation mounted, Treech and Coral approached the enigmatic container. Wovey, her curiosity piqued, touched it, attempting to open it. "Can I go home now?" she asked, addressing no one in particular.

A pause preceded the box's explosion, revealing a swarm of rainbow-coloured snakes. In a heartbeat, they claimed Wovey's life. Treech, closer to the beam, began to climb it swiftly. Coral sprinted, but the snakes, faster, struck her down.

As Treech got to the top, he extended his hand for help, Michaela and Lamina looked at him.

"Shit, help me!" Treech pleaded, his hand dangling in the air. Michaela, caught in a moment of hesitation, was abruptly shoved aside by Lamina.

Lamina seized Treech's hand, pulling him up. A fleeting smile passed between them, swiftly replaced by a sharp slap. "That's what you get for leaving me," Lamina declared, a mix of anger and relief in her eyes.

Michaela, dumbfounded, surveyed the scene. She peered over the edge, the rainbow-coloured snakes surrounding the beam, a barrier preventing their ascent.

"Hey, Michaela," Treech greeted, rubbing his neck, a tinge of shame in his demeanour. She looked at him, fury in her eyes, but it softened as she saw the happiness in Lamina's eyes at his presence.

"Nice to see you again, Treech. Thankfully, alive," Michaela acknowledged, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

"Not for long, though," Treech reminded them all, the impending fate casting a shadow over their reunion.

"Oh. Yeah," Michaela responded, glancing at him before turning her attention back to the uncertain horizon. The snakes lingered below, a constant reminder of the brutal reality they faced.

The arena, an unforgiving battleground, held them captive in a dance of survival, where alliances formed and shattered, and the line between friend and foe blurred in the face of an uncertain.

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the next chapter is the last chapter!!! :0