𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐝 || 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘞𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘸 (1) ✓

𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫.

Revna's POV:

I was the one to make the first move, cocking my fist back to punch him. A strangled cry blew past my lips when his fist made contact with mine, my fingers popping out of their sockets and I couldn't tell if they were broken or just dislocated. I held my hand close to my chest, side stepping him when he went to attack again.

We were circling each other once more while my hand throbbed. Taskmaster went to go in for another punch, sweeping my feet out from under me instead and all the breath was knocked out of me when my back hit the mat. He straddled my waist, pinning my arms above my head while I struggled.

Clenching my jaw, I braved for the searing impact that was to come when I head butted him, already feeling a cut bleed down my forehead. The large man stumbled off me and I kicked him in the gut, standing to my feet and smashing his head down upon my knee.

I winced in pain when I felt something sharp dig into my skin, looking down at my knee to see little shards of black glass embedded in my flesh. Looking back up at my opponent, my mouth dropped open when I noticed he had a crack in his helmet, his dark brown eye glaring at me.

Going to side step him again, he seemed to predict my move and grabbed me by the back of my braid, pulling my head all the way back before slamming my face against his fist. My vision was blurry and everything around me seemed to double.

Looking to where I thought he was, I began seeing two of him. I swung at one of his figures, hoping it was the real one. Taskmaster chuckled deeply before I heard the sound of metal scraping against metal. I screamed in agony when I felt something sharp slice into my side, the obscurity of my vision vacant.

Looking down, I seen a very thin blade stabbing me, bringing my arm down upon it I broke it off his suit, slipping it out of me and stabbing it up into his chest. My opponent looked at me and then back down to the blade, slowly pulling it out of his chest and throwing it down to the floor.

I stumbled back a bit but caught myself, raising my fists into the air to show I wasn't backing down. Everything in my body screamed at me to stop, to give up and just let him beat you. I couldn't give up now and I prayed to whatever god was up there that I was beating him down just as badly as he was beating me.

He went to attack me once more before all the lights in the room we were in suddenly turned on, forcing me to squint my eyes.

"That's enough!" Dreykov announced from behind his glass box of safety. I noted that the red haired woman was no longer with them, and Madame B was giving me, what I hoped was, an impressed look.

Taskmaster dropped his hand, picked up his cape and left the room. I dropped down to my knees, feeling the exhaustion and the extent of my injuries sweep over me.

"You did good, my little Raven." Dreykov tilted my chin up with his hand, my eyes barley staying open until I had to close them.

-

My body lurched forward as I yelped in pain, something holding my wrists down and it took me a moment to realize that I was in the room I shared with Yelena.

"Sh, it's alright." Yelena cooed softly, looking towards the door before focusing back on me, "Glad you're awake."

"My head hurts." I groaned, wincing again when she jammed a small needle through the cut on my side.

"You probably have concussion." Yelena mumbled, pouring some clear liquid over my wounds and I hissed in pain, "I thought you were dead when they brought you back here."

"How bad is it?" I asked, slumping my head back against the pillow.

The blonde woman sighed, looking at me for a moment, "There's some swelling on your forehead and you have a cut on the middle of your nose. Your side and hand was the worst and I managed to pop your fingers back in place while you were sleeping."

I hummed, looking at my wounded hand to see it covered in, what looked like, gauze.

"I thought you said they don't help clean us up."

"They don't."

"Then how did you get all this?" I asked, licking my lips and tasting blood from one of the cuts on my lip.

"Dreykov gave it to me." She said simply and that was the end of that.

"Thank you.. for cleaning me up again." I cleared my throat, speaking softly but truthfully.

Yelena nodded, standing to her feet and laying down in her bed, "I'm sure it won't be the last."

-

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I chewed the food I had in my mouth, looking around to see people glancing at me before whispering towards the people next to them.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" I whispered across the table towards Yelena.

Yelena swallowed her food, looking around at all the people staring at us, "You made Taskmaster bleed."

I nodded absentmindedly, "Okay?"

"You don't understand, nobody, not even their favorite made him bleed. You're the first to actually wound him."

My eyes widened at the new information. I was the first?

"When I went in there, Dreykov, Madame B and their favorite were all watching me. Why?"

"Dreykov and Madame B were seeing what your skill set was in hand to hand combat, their favorite was most likely there to see the same. See how much of a threat you are to her."

My lips tugged down into a frown, "I'm not a threat."

Yelena chuckled at that, pushing around the food on her tray, "Maybe you weren't before, but here, they train you to be one."

-

I was wandering around the training room, seeing girls spare recklessly when my eyes drifted off towards the ginger. She was throwing some knives at a target that was maybe fifty feet away give or take.

I hadn't realized that I had waltzed over to her until I was standing right there, watching the knife she had thrown hit the target dead center.

"You're pretty good." I commented, not even getting a glance from her. I cleared my throat and went to go and say something when she cut me off.

"Think you're something special? Just because people are talking about you doesn't mean it's all good things." The redhead spoke, the raspiness of her voice catching me off guard but at the same time, it suited her well.

"I don't think that at all. I heard you're the best one here. I can see why." I replied, gesturing towards the target that sported many, many, knife gashes.

The woman just looked at me with a smirk, throwing the last knife she held in her hand before walking away. I watched her retreating figure until I couldn't any longer, wishing I had asked what her name was.