𝔸𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕟 ⟢ 𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕔𝕜 𝕆𝕕𝕒𝕚𝕣

- ȶաɛռȶʏ ʄɨʋɛ

"It's light, no thermal. Desert or tropics, I guess!" Vesper declared, inspecting the outfit Willa had been dressed in. Willa was nervous, but she didn't dare show it. The blonde forced herself to nod, cracking her knuckles.

"One minute until launch. One minute," a voice through the intercom announced.

"Thank you... for everything," Willa murmured.

"Oh dear, there's no need to thank me!" Vesper smiled, her hands gently resting on the girls arms. Willa took a deep breath to steady herself.

"I liked the dress... the gold chain one," Willa softly said. Vesper's smile softened, her usually sharp, mischievous demeanor melting into something warmer.

"The gold chain one?" she echoed, her voice light with a hint of teasing. "It was a masterpiece, wasn't it? Made for someone who could outshine even the Capitol's stars."

Willa gave a small, tense laugh, the sound shaky but real. She glanced down at the utilitarian jumpsuit she now wore, so starkly different from the opulence of her parade outfit.

"It made me feel... strong," she admitted, her voice quieter now. "Like maybe I could be more than they wanted me to be."

Vesper's hands squeezed Willa's arms gently, her eyes locking onto the girl's pale blue ones.

"That's because you are more," she said firmly. "They can dress you up, strip you down, throw you into their little games—but they'll never own who you are, Willa. That's yours. Always."

"Thirty seconds," the intercom voice cut in, the sterile tone slicing through the intimacy of the moment. The countdown loomed, the weight of what was coming pressing down like a heavy stone. Willa exhaled slowly, forcing herself to nod.

"I'll remember that," she said, her voice steadier now. Her hands flexed at her sides, a habit she'd developed to calm herself before battle. "I'll try."

"You won't have to try," Vesper said with a wink, stepping back to give Willa room. "It'll come naturally, love. Just... don't forget to keep your head down when you need to, alright? And stay alive. I'm expecting you back here for the victor's banquet, and I don't like disappointment."

Willa couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I'll do my best," she said. The platform beneath her boots began to hum, a low vibration that traveled up through her legs. The launch was imminent. This was it. There was no more time for words, no more time for doubt.

"Ten seconds."

Willa sighed and took a step back so she was fully in the tube, her gaze lingering on Vesper. For a Capitol citizen, Willa thought she was decent.

"I'll see you later?" Willa said. Vesper nodded once in confirmation.

"See you later, Willa," Vesper said. Willa. That's who she was. Willa. As the platform began to rise, Willa felt the rush of air around her, the blinding lights of the Capitol fading into darkness. The hum grew louder, drowning out her thoughts until she was alone with the echoing drumbeat of her heart. When the world above opened to her, the sun blazed down, harsh and unforgiving, and the arena spread out before her—a sprawling jungle landscape dotted with jagged rock formations.

The Games had begun.

The Cornucopia sat on a sort of rocky island in the center of a lake. Willa's eyes ran over the Cornucopia, looking at the weapons visble to her. Her eyes landed on twin blades tucked away.

"Ten... Nine... Eight..." Willa then looked to see who was next to her. Gloss was to her left and Johanna to her right.

"Seven... Six... Five..." Willa made eye contact with Johanna and gave her a single nod. An unspoken truce between them - a truce to only hurt each other if absolutely necessary.

"Four... three... two... one. Let the 75th Hunger Games begin." At the sound of the gong, Willa, along with each and every tribute, dived into the water. She swam her way to the closest pathway to the Cornucopia and pulled herself up out of the water. She did a quick scan of who was near her, but it was only Gloss.

"Let's go!" Gloss said. Willa nodded, following quickly behind him as they neared the Cornucopia. They were some of the first people to get to the Cornucopia and Willa immediately grabbed the twin blades. Before she had much time to process much else, the cannons were already going off. The chaos seething around her made it hard to focus on the people who weren't near her. She was focused on keeping herself safe enough to get out of the Cornucopia. But once she heard a third cannon go off, the attacks on her started. She knew she wouldn't be able to get out without a fight. The district 8 female, Cecelia, was the one to attack her. She'd already seen Brutus kill Woof, so Cecelia might as well attack someone. But Willa easily overpowered the girl.

Willa's blades moved with precision, catching the light as she blocked Cecelia's frantic strike. The older woman fought with desperation, her attacks fueled more by grief than strategy. Willa dodged, sidestepped, and finally drove the hilt of her blade into Cecelia's stomach, sending her stumbling back.

Another cannon fired. The fourth.

The sound echoed through the arena, momentarily cutting through the chaos. For a split second, both Willa and Cecelia hesitated, their bodies tensed as they processed the death knell of yet another tribute. Willa's gaze flicked toward the source, but there was too much motion, too much carnage to tell who had fallen. That moment of distraction nearly cost her. Cecelia lunged again, wild and reckless. Willa barely twisted in time, feeling the rush of air as the woman's knife missed her ribs by inches. Willa's instincts kicked in. She caught Cecelia's wrist, twisting it hard enough to make the knife drop into the blood-slicked rock beneath them. Cecelia let out a sharp cry, but before Willa could do anything else, a blur of movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Willa gritted her teeth, her grip tightening on her blades. There was no time to dwell. She turned her focus back to Cecelia, who was now scrambling to grab another weapon from the ground.

"Don't," Willa warned, her voice flat, cold. Cecelia froze, her chest rising and falling rapidly. The woman's eyes flickered to something behind Willa, and for the first time, there was a hint of acceptance in her gaze. With one last swish of her blade, Cecelia's hand went to her neck which was gushing blood and the sound of a cannon echoed as she dropped dead. Willa didn't dare let her guilt show. She just coldly stared at the girl's body for a moment before glancing over her shoulder. Three cannons went off almost simultaneously, as the District 6 male, District 10 female, and District 9 female, all dropped at the hands of Gloss, Willa, and Brutus.

"Let's go," Willa heard Gloss call to her. She followed him, meting up quickly with Brutus and Cashmere as they left the Cornucopia. They were a force to be reckoned with.