Chapter 22:
Danila Braeden, District Ten, Age 15
Victor of the 97th Hunger Games
For so long, Danila has had to be strong and she's so very tired of it. Yet she is too stubborn to just lay down and give up. Not when there's only one more tribute left between her and home. She's made it this far and knows her family is counting on her to get back home to them. What a life they'll be able to live with the wealth of a victor. Her younger siblings will be able to go back to school instead of working all day on the farm – they'll be able to hire people to do that work. Her parents can rest more before working themselves to death.
It's a future that's so close she can almost grasp it, but not before she gets through one more tribute.
She knows her advantage is people underestimating her from her small stature. She didn't give anything away in training, not even to the Gamemakers. They all wrote her off until she showed them exactly what she can do. They don't expect her to have the strength of some of the adults in her District, not until she has them in a chokehold and their life is draining away. Who would have thought that wrangling tributes wouldn't be too different from handling pigs back on her farm?
They're surely not underestimating Danila now that she is in the final two.
Just as long as Nahila is still underestimating her. Danila is pretty positive she will be – that girl from Four has been as cocky as can be since the Reapings, so confident that she would win and get back to back wins. Now Danila knows her stubbornness is just as bad, but still, she can use that.
Danila isn't sure where the finale would happen, but she knows it would be soon. She clutches the cleaver in her hand tightly, knowing she needs every advantage she has in this fight. And since the Capitol sent it to her, well she'd be dumb to turn down the free weapon. She waits in the jail cell, the door cracked open just enough for her to slip out should Nahila walk past her. It goes against everything in her to sit around waiting for the older girl to come to her, but it's all part of her strategy. One more thing to make Nahila believe that Danila is weak and got to the finale by pure luck.
She doesn't have to know that Danila took out three of the tributes.
She almost expects mutts to appear at any minute now to lead her to the finale, but they don't. Which means Nahila must be on the hunt and close. So close to victory and getting out of here.
Footsteps echo down the hallway and Danila braces herself to leap forward, putting on a scared face to play up the act. Come on…
Nahila peers into the cell and a cruel smile forms on her face as she yanks open the cell door fully. "Ah, there's the cowering little girl," she says as she blocks the door, holding her spear in front of her. Well that weapon will complicate things a little bit, but Danila is fast. Surely she can dodge it. "Don't worry, I'll end it fast."
"P-please don't hurt me!" Danila begs her as Nahila steps into the cell and the older girl laughs. Good. Cocky and dumb. Danila watches her carefully, keeping her eyes wide and acting afraid as she cowers against the wall, waiting until she gets close enough. One more step…
Nahila pauses when Danila starts smirking at her before she leaps towards the girl from Four, catching her off guard when she swings the cleaver she had hidden. Nahila cries out as she frantically stabs her spear, catching Danila in the stomach as she swings the cleaver into her shoulder. Danila drops the cleaver and grabs the spear with both hands, yanking it out of Nahila's hands as the girl cries out in pain.
The girl from Four kicks at Danila's leg, hitting her in the knee and sending her down to the floor with a yell. Danila wraps her arms around Nahila's legs, yanking hard to bring her down. Nahila slams hard into the floor and Danila moves fast, flipping the girl over and pinning her down with her body. Her arms wrap around Nahila's neck and she squeezes as hard as she can, while the girl from Four starts flailing around, trying to knock her off. "Get off me!" Nahila gasps as she flings her head back into Danila's.
Danila lets out a groan of pain at her nose getting broken and fights through the pain as blood pours down her chin. "Fuck you," Danila tells her as she lets go with one arm to grab Nahila's injured shoulder, digging into the wound with her fingers. Nahila screams in pain and stops moving for a moment as the pain overwhelms her, giving Danila the opportunity to squeeze her neck tightly with both hands. "Come on!"
Nahila's screams cut off and she keeps flailing, but her movements slow as she gasps for air, until finally she stills. Danila keeps squeezing as blood pools around them from both of them, refusing to let go until she hears that final cannon. Even as she feels herself getting lightheaded from her injury.
Boom.
Danila lets out a scream at the last cannon, knowing she has done it. She lets go of Nahila's neck and shoves her away as she stands up, pressing a hand to her bleeding side. The world spins around her and she collapses as the roar of the Capitol crowd cheering for her is played through the arena. They'll fix her up.
She's a victor now.
And there we have stubborn Danila Braeden, Victor of the 97th Hunger Games! Here's one we've seen and heard about in later stories, so it was exciting to finally look at her in her Games!
Not much else to say here. Next up, the woman who brought back the careers.