"Dahlia Blossom. Don't let the name fool you. She's better known as the Black Dahlia. And she didn't earn that nickname by smiling and looking pretty."
"She sure knows how to perform for the camera."
"Because she knows how to play the game. She alwa...
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"That stupid boy has gotten himself killed." Victoria growls furiously as they hear the boom of a cannon. The Cornucopia had become significantly more flooded in the last few hours, leaving the two Careers submerged in several feet of water. Their supplies were now soaked through, floating uselessly around them with the graveyard of dead tributes. All they had left was the weapons in their hands and a hunger for revenge. "We can't wait around for the Black Dahlia to strike. We need to take the fight to her."
"That's exactly what got Caspian killed." Ryker argues back, leaning against the edge of the Cornucopia.
"All this time we've been playing into her hands." Victoria grumbles, pacing around impatiently with her knives drawn and ready for battle. "I'm sick of waiting around for her to strike. I want to attack first."
"How do we know that isn't what she wants?" Ryker points out, more threatened by the District Five girl than he's been letting on. The paranoia had begun to sink in for the remaining Careers. The Black Dahlia always seemed to be one step ahead of them. She seemed to know their next move before they'd even thought of it themselves. "She could be waiting for us and we'll walk right into a trap."
Victoria groans in frustration, kicking the water childishly with a huff. "I don't care. I want her dead!" With a loud shout of fury, Victoria storms over to the tunnel in determination. "I'm going to kill her if it's the last thing I do. Are you with me or not?"
Ryker sighs and tightens his grip on the sword. "Let's go kill The Black Dahlia."
•——————•°•✿•°•——————•
After the fight with Caspian, the pair decided it would be best if they move away from the area. Dahlia slung Cove's arm over her shoulder and helped her limp along as they waded through the watery tunnel.
"It's definitely rising." Cove states, glancing down at the water that was now up to their thighs. Soon the whole cave system would be flooded and everything would be sunk underwater.
"We need to get to higher ground." Dahlia concludes decisively, knowing that if they didn't start climbing soon, they would be trapped in the tunnels.
"Lia, I can barely walk." Cove says, hissing as she puts pressure on her injured leg. "There's no way I'll be able to climb."
"We have to." Dahlia insists firmly, refusing to leave her ally behind to drown. "We'll find a way, Cove. I'm not leaving you down here."
"Lia--"
"No." Dahlia interrupts, sensing what Cove was going to say. "I'll think of something... Anything. But I swear, I'm not abandoning you now." Cove doesn't try to argue back, knowing Dahlia won't hear a word of her protest. Instead, she slips her hand into Dahlia's and squeezes three times. The younger girl smiles at the gesture. "Family doesn't give up on each other." They continue on in silence until they find a tunnel leading up to the surface. Dahlia props Cove up against the wall as she stares up at the rocky wall they have to scale. "Now... How do we get you up there?"
