sadie wilson. 18. district two.
day twelve in the arena.
85 add.
original placement: 3rd
She made it back to the Cornucopia first. She found the engraved blades and claimed hers, admiring the way it caught in the sunlight. She read the card left next to their gifts by the Gamemakers.
May the odds be ever in your favor.
As she argued with Caligula, she knew they were.
"I didn't backstab you, Sadie," Caligula said.
She pursed her lips. "Then what were you doing?"
"Coming to my senses," he answered.
Her heart twisted. "Real nice, Cal."
"You deserve honesty," he replied.
She glared at him. "I know."
"I know that I hurt you, and I really am sorry about that," he said.
"If you were so sorry, you wouldn't have done it in the first place," she shot back.
"People make mistakes."
"So you admit it, then? What you said was a mistake?"
"The mistake was dragging you into it. You're my friend, and I didn't mean to hurt you," he said.
"Well," she said, taking in a deep breath, "you did."
"I know," he said. "And I'm saying that I'm sorry."
She gave him a look. "You know this doesn't change what's going to happen, right?"
He took a step back. It made her smirk. "What?" he asked.
"I'm still going to win," she said. "And I'm still going to kill you."
"Sadie-"
"The apology doesn't erase how I feel," she said. "It doesn't erase your choices. And I know you're still going to try to kill me, so let's begin, shall we?"
"Sadie, we don't need to do this," he pleaded.
She waved her hand, eyes narrowing. "I don't want to hear it. I've moved on. You're nothing to me anymore."
"Please-"
"Don't. Bother," she said. "If you care about me the way you say you do, stand still."
"Muir said you were willing to listen," he said.
Her breath caught. She'd forgotten all about that moment with Muir. It seemed like forever ago… her and Muir and Glowla, the alliance that should have been from the beginning. Getting over Cal's departure hadn't been easy for her. Her voice was low as she responded, "Muir was wrong."
"Sadie-"
"I'm done talking," she snapped. "I know you're only doing this, talking to me like this, so you can catch me off guard. Isn't that right?"
He hesitated.
"Good thing I didn't accept your apology," she said. "Looks like it was all lies anyway."
"For the record, I don't want to do this," Cal said. "This feels... wrong."
"Feels just right to me," she snarled. "Would you stop with the bullshit already? It's exhausting."
"You don't need to accept it. It's me now," he replied.
She laughed again, her voice colder than she remembered. "You're not better than me, Cal. If you were, you'd be dead already."
"Sadie-"
"I said I'm done talking," she snapped again. She raised her knife. He shifted into a fighting stance with a sigh, which only fueled her anger even more. How dare he be exhausted after all he'd done. If anyone was tired it should have been her.
Truth be told, she was tired. But Caligula didn't need to know that, and she refused to acknowledge it.
It was her turn to leave him for dead.
And as if reading her mind-
Boom.
"What-" Cal said, turning to look over his shoulder. "Sienna?" he called, panic seeping into his voice. There was no response from the treeline.
Sadie had never been one to waste an opportunity, and this moment was no exception. She lunged forward, stabbing Cal in the back. Served him right for his fake apology. But it didn't matter to her: she'd already taken Glowla's advice and stopped caring. She didn't care what Cal thought or did, as long as he ended up dead.
Right?
Cal shouted with pain, twisting around to confront her. He swiped at her abdomen, and she dodged him in the knick of time, stepping out of his range.
"Really?" he growled, his face contorted with pain. She didn't feel sorry for him. She was just returning the favor.
She narrowed my eyes. "Really."
The fight was on.
She swiped at Cal again, but he was ready this time, and she had to arch backwards to avoid his harpe. She reached backwards, pivoting to avoid another attack from Cal, and pulled her machete free from her backpack, leveling it at his eyes. They began to circle one another. A sense of deja vu hit Sadie once again; how many times had they sparred like this over the years?
It didn't matter. This would be the last.
Cal lunged, jabbing at her torso, but she caught the hook of his blade and blocked him. She flicked her wrist, attempting to twist the harpe out of his hands, but Cal was ready for it and held on. She lifted her machete over her head and lunged toward him. He was ready again, and caught it before she could bring it down. She pulled back, and the circling began anew.
Cal went for the distraction angle again. "I wonder who's still alive," he ventured. His gaze didn't leave her face.
"Hoping it's your little sidekick?" she replied.
Cal gave her a look and opened his mouth to reply. "She's-"
She didn't let him finish his sentence. She lifted the machete over her head again, aiming for his head. He was a little slower this time- too slow. The machete tore into the side of his face, ripping a scream from his throat. He fell to his knees, clutching the side of his head.
For a moment, Sadie just watched.
She didn't know what she'd expected to feel- triumph? sorrow? indignance?- but it certainly wasn't… nothing. She stared at this boy who had once been her best friend, her partner in crime, everything she had, and didn't recognize him anymore. He was a stranger now.
She didn't know what to do with that, so she raised the machete again.
"No!" he screamed, raising his head. "Stop!"
"Stop?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She had half a mind to laugh, but that was when she realized he wasn't looking up at her anymore. He was looking behind her.
Of course.
Fury burned in her veins as she remembered: she had never been Cal's priority. Sadie Wilson had never been anyone's priority- not her parents, who would rather be martyred than raise their daughter; not her brother, who buried his grief in schoolwork; not her aunt and uncle, who always fretted over Matt instead of her.
No. She would never be a priority to anyone but herself. She'd been a fool to ever hope otherwise.
Sadie whipped the machete around, cleaving into the girl from Twelve's ribs. The little girl shrieked and tumbled to the ground. Before she could get up, Sadie rammed the blade into her skull.
Boom.
"NO!" Caligula roared through his half-ruined face. She turned back to look at him, her trusty machete coated with viscera.
And she smiled.
"You said you came to your senses."
She raised the machete.
"Well, I came to mine."
She brought it down on the center of his skull.
Boom.
"Now presenting Sadie Wilson of District Two, Victor of the Eighty-Fifth Hunger Games!"
Caligula, her parents- they were nothing to her now. She felt nothing for them.
Sadie Wilson would never let anyone ruin her like they had ever again.