𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐝 || 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘞𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘸 (1) ✓

𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞.

Revna's POV:

I was startled awake as an alarm rang loudly throughout the building. My chest heaved up and down and I looked over towards Yelena, giving her a questioning look.

"Relax. They're coming to uncuff us. Then we eat and since you're new, they'll see what you can do first before deciding where to start."

After she was done talking, a guard came in and uncuffed us. Once he left the room, I sat up and looked at my still bleeding wrists.

"What happened?" Yelena pointed towards the wound.

"The cuffs dig into my skin, cut a little deeper than I thought." I explained, pushing a strand of my raven hair behind my ear.

"You should wrap it up. They won't do it for you." Yelena shook her head, walking over to my pillow and taking off the pillow case, wrapping it tightly around my wrist.

"Why?" I asked.

Once she finished tying it off, she just looked at me, "Because they don't care about us."

I nodded slowly, "Thanks.. for doing this." I gestured towards my wrist.

Yelena nodded and swiftly left the room. I followed her since I didn't know where I was going. She didn't saw anything to me when i appeared next to her side. We passed through the main training room it appeared and my eyes scanned over the ground before they caught sight of a red head, her long champagne red hair flowed down her back, her bangs sticking to her forehead from all the sweat.

She was very fluent in the way she wielded the staff, sparing with five girls. The other girls had knives and I realized they didn't care if they cut or bruised the other. They were all ruthless but the ginger was more quick and agile, her brain planning her next moves as she knocked them all down.

"Who's she?" I asked the blonde next to me.

"Their favorite." She replied gravely.

I raised an eyebrow at her in question, turning back to look at the ginger. The woman stood, looking at all the other woman she had just beaten down. She smirked to herself, pushing the damp strands of hair out of her face. She must have felt eyes on her because she looked up and towards me, holding my gaze until Yelena dragged me off to eat.

"Don't even think about it." Yelena mumbled, handing me a lunch tray and grabbing one for herself.

"What?" I huffed.

"She's there favorite. She's the best of the best and if any distraction comes to her, then it's punishment. Don't talk, look or touch her and you'll live to see another day. Maybe." Yelena mumbled the last part and I gave her a look, grimacing when a clump of food was dumped on our plates, the smell was foul.

Yelena and I both sat down at an empty table and began eating. Whatever this food was, it went down with difficulty and the aftertaste was gruesome.

"So what exactly are they going to do with me?" I asked, pushing around the "food" on my tray.

"They'll put you through different categories. You'll start with hand to hand combat, then go on to weapons and then when that's over, they'll see how agile you are. They'll figure out if you're still worth their time after that and if it's a yes, they'll train you even harder."

"And if it's a no?" I licked my lips, anticipating her answer.

Yelena shrugged, "You become an example."

I nodded, paying attention to my food as I took a few more bites. I knew how to use a gun, but I've never used it in the way they probably wanted me too. I just hoped it would be enough. All I had to do was please them while trying to figure out how to escape, go back home to my mother and sister. If they were still alive. My heart ached at the thought and so I tried not to dwell on it too much.

"No matter what, don't show them you're afraid. That's how they separate the weak from the strong." Yelena said before getting up and walking away.

After breakfast was over, I was escorted to a room full of all the new girls that were chosen with me. We were sat in alphabetical order by our last names and had to wait for them to call us.

I could tell each girl was anxious, tapping their legs up and down in a nervous habit. We all wanted to make it, but even I could tell which girl probably wouldn't and which one would. I felt sorry for each one that I didn't have time to feel sorry for myself.

"Liv, Revna." My name was announced over the speaker and I got up in shaky legs, exhaling a deep breath before pushing my shoulders back and walking confidently out of the room.

A guard pushed open the door for me and I stepped through, noticing the spotlight lighting up an all black mat with, what appeared to be, a red black widow symbol in the middle. I looked around the room and noticed a glass panel above, Dreykov, Madame B and even the ginger from earlier, all standing up and watching.

Dreykov smirked at me and turned his attention towards the mat. Another door opened and in strutted a tall figure. When he got closer to the light, I noticed he was decked out in metal armor with blue and orange accents. He had a helmet on and the eye part of it was tinted black. The man shrugged off his navy blue cape and tossed it to the side, immediately stalking around me.

I stood in one place, my heart hammering in my chest. This guy was big, standing a few inches taller than me. He carried himself with such arrogance and pride told me that this was going to be an easy fight for him. I tried to stand tall, to show that his size or stature didn't bother me in the slightest.

"Don't show them you're afraid."

Yelena's words kept echoing around in my mind. The masked man stopped circling me like I was his prey, standing in front of me as if waiting for me to make the first move.

"Revna, allow me to introduce you to Taskmaster." Dreykov spoke over the speakers, and just like that the fight had begun.

a/n: double update because why not. Hope you're enjoying the book so far!