levi viscose. 18. district eight.

day twelve in the arena.

85 add.

original placement: 4th

Somehow, she'd made it back to the Cornucopia.

The idea of returning had frightened her, but the idea of dying frightened her more. Her mind had become increasingly clouded over the past few days, bits and pieces of memory falling from her reach. She had to focus to remember the shade of Ianto's unruly curls or the way Jess's freckles looked like stars on her cheeks. Salome's voice, so constant once upon a time, was slipping from her grasp.

There was something else, too, someone else…

It was all Levi could manage to stay present. To not let her own mind drag her down. She had to win- she had to. She wasn't ready to face her mother again, to face Ianto again. It was too soon. She'd made promises she intended to keep. She couldn't let them down.

Through the trees, Levi could just make out two figures at the Cornucopia. They were both unleashing weapons- good, one was swinging at the other: at least one less enemy for Levi to-

"Levi?"

She turned her head, startled, just in time to see a small figure with loose blonde braids rush into her arms.

Reflexively, Levi hugged her back, trying to regain her composure. Because inside, she was screaming at herself- how could you have forgotten her, what the fuck are you supposed to do now, she's always been kind to you, she's just a girl-

After a long moment, Sienna pulled away, studying her face as always. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Did I hurt you?"

"How- how are you still alive?" Levi asked, both stalling and genuinely curious.

"I found a new ally," she said, pointing over at the Cornucopia.

Levi looked over at the Careers, doing a double take from Sienna to the Careers and to her again. It didn't matter which Career it was. The whole idea was difficult to comprehend. "What?" Levi hissed, trying to keep her voice down.

"Yeah, I know," Sienna said. "A lot has happened."

"They're trained killers!" Levi said.

"We all have blood on our hands," Sienna replied. "I assume."

Levi hesitated, taking a moment to get a better look at Sienna. Since the Bloodbath, she'd lost a little of her cheeriness, but even since the last time Levi had seen her, she'd become much more serious. The look on her face was one much older than her years, and there was something different about the way she carried herself. She wasn't the crying girl she'd comforted on the first day while Jess and Ianto bickered in the cabin anymore.

Levi's throat tightened at the thought of Ianto. "She killed Ianto," she said. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"I would've done the same," Sienna answered. "And I'm so sorry. I really am."

"I know," Levi said, trying not to let her surprise show. Assuming Sienna was telling the truth- and Levi knew she was- she'd killed someone, and was willing to again. Levi wondered who she'd killed… and how dangerous Sienna actually was. When she and Ianto had first allied with the rest of the Dream Team, they'd never expected Sienna and Salome to last very long. It was harsh, but true. The fact that Sienna was still around meant they'd underestimated her.

Sienna cleared her throat. She glanced over at the feast, and then back at Levi. "I have an idea," she said. "We already have Cal with us. We could ambush Sadie, and then we wouldn't have to worry about her. What do you think?"

"It sounds like a good plan," Levi said. It was true. But she was starting to get nervous about this serious, ruthless new Sienna. Even if they succeeded in killing a Career, what came next?

Sienna smiled at her, soft and shy. It made Levi's heart hurt just looking at her. "Okay, then. You have a weapon?"

Levi nodded silently.

Sienna pulled a knife from her pocket. She gave it a grim look before nodding at Levi. "Let's go."

Sienna turned around, heading towards the treeline. Exposing her back.

Levi didn't want to betray her like this. Sienna didn't deserve this. But then she thought of Ianto, of her mother, and steeled herself.

It would have happened eventually.

She tightened her grip on the knife, pulling her hand up and back as she aimed. She swallowed hard. In front of her, Sienna began to whisper something.

"If I go left-" she began.

Levi brought the knife down with all the force she could muster.

With a scream, Sienna stumbled away, staggering, but the knife had gone deep. She stared at Levi for a moment, stunned, before she began to sway where she stood.

"Levi-"

"Wait-" Levi said, her heart catching in her mouth.

"I don't want to die," she whispered.

"Wait, no-"

Sienna fell to the ground in a heap. Blood was everywhere- she must have struck an artery or something- and Levi crashed to the ground beside her, sobbing.

"I'm sorry- I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it, don't die-"

"Shhhh," Sienna mumbled, reaching up to touch Levi's face, dragging blood across her cheek. "It's… okay… okay?"

"It's not," Levi cried. "Please don't die."

Sienna's pale gaze locked with Levi's, and a shaky smile slipped across her mouth before fading into the seriousness Levi knew so well. She had just gotten Sienna back, just recovered her from her own shattered memories. Levi wanted to look away, but Sienna's gaze held firm. "You go win now," Sienna murmured. "Please?"

"Sienna-"

"Please?"

"Okay," Levi whispered, giving in. She owed her that much. "I will."

Sienna's eyes slid shut.

Boom.

Levi shuddered, gasping for air through her sobs. She held Sienna tightly, not her long-lost ally anymore but the broken body of the girl she'd killed. The girl she'd promised she'd win.

How many promises would Levi make before she realized she couldn't keep any of them?

She let herself weep for only a minute, then eased Sienna's body back to the forest undergrowth.

Boom.

Two people left now.

One more kill between Levi and her promises.

Could she really do this again?

She squeezed her eyes shut, pushing back the fogginess that threatened to overcome her. She couldn't afford to sink into her own mind. Not now. Not when she was so close. She turned her head, opening her eyes enough to search for her last obstacle. She could still see the Cornucopia from her position- there was a body on the ground, a larger version of the one just a few feet from her, and someone else on their knees, their back turned to her.

Wincing, she pulled the knife from Sienna's back and stood. She would need to do this quickly. Before the other tribute caught on to her presence. Before she succumbed to her own mind.

Silently, she left the trees behind.

One step at a time.

Her mother had told her that once.

When life gets overwhelming, ignore all the other stuff. Just focus on the step in front of you, and then the one after that, and then the one after that. And then, guess what? You're walking.

She'd used the advice before, many times, to rejoin the world after her dark patches. It was the little things- changing her clothes. Brushing her teeth, her hair. Showering. Drinking water. One step at a time.

That was how she arrived at the Cornucopia- step by step.

The figure hunched over the dead body was a girl with red hair, her braids eerily similar to Sienna's. A burly blond boy laid limp in front of her, and she was trying to catch her breath. Her back was soaked red, and it seemed to Levi that the pain was hitting her now. Her breathing was ragged.

Crunch.

Levi cursed silently as the girl twisted around to look at her, malice glittering in her eyes. "Little sidekick-?" she started to ask, but the sight of Levi cut her off. "You're not Twelve."

"No," Levi replied, not entirely sure what to do. This was not part of her plan. "I'm not."

The other girl raised a brow. "You killed her?"

"Um… yes?"

That seemed to satisfy her. "Good."

Levi, thinking the wiser of continuing this conversation, didn't waste time in tackling the redhead. The other girl flailed wildly, reaching for a weapon, but for once Levi was stronger. She'd made it through the arena relatively unscathed- at least physically- and the redhead had not fared so well. Also unlike the redhead, Levi didn't need to grab a weapon- it was already in her hands.

So she rammed it into the girl's throat.

The redhead choked, mouth flying open with surprise and blood. Levi stabbed her twice more for good measure, until-

Boom.

"Now presenting Levi Viscose of District Eight, Victor of the Eighty-Fifth Hunger Games!" the announcer shrieked.

Levi slid off the girl she'd killed and rolled into the grass, staring at the sky, waiting for the hovercraft to lift her from the arena.

She'd done it.

She was alive.

She'd kept her promises.

Levi Viscose closed her eyes. Let the adrenaline fade. The sleep that her insomnia had fended off for the last three days finally intervened, and when the darkness came, Levi let it wash over her, a welcome reprieve from her living nightmare.

She'd won.