Pandora
“You don’t have to come to movie night with me,” I tell Samantha.
The brisk chill in the air makes me wish we’d opted to go through the tunnels, but it’s faster to go outside.
Also, I’ve kind of got a grudge against the tunnels right now. Sure, they’re warmer than the five degrees Fahrenheit winter, but I’ll brave seven minutes of cold over being ambushed by gossip in the tunnels.
The moon is out, anyway, so it’s kind of pretty.
“I know,” Samantha replies. “But I don’t have anything better to do.”
She’s toned her attitude down a bit, especially since the visit home, but she’s still prickly.
And scared.
I know she hates being alone, enough to where she’s willing to go to an indie movie night even though that’s not her thing at all.
“Carly said I would definitely like this one,” I say as I step around a small pile of snow. “But she said that about the last two, and she was wrong. Maybe that means you’ve got a chance of liking it.”
Samantha gives me a skeptical look, but she shrugs as she follows me onto the clearer patch of the walkway. “Maybe.” She doesn’t sound convinced either.
I tuck my hands into my coat pockets. “Fuck, it’s cold,” I complain.
Maybe I can blame the cold on the unpleasant tension in my spine. The air makes my blood literally freeze in my veins.
Not literally literal. Figuratively literal.
I jog forward a few steps. “Come on, it’s too cold for this shit. My toes are developing frostbite.”
I hear footsteps behind me, but Samantha doesn’t catch up to me.
Instead, there’s a sharp exhalation of breath, and I turn around to see what’s going on.
It’s so cold that even time freezes.
Samantha’s eyes are wide. A gloved hand covers her mouth—a hand connected to a tall, masked person.
Their other hand points a gun directly at Samantha’s jaw.
Oh.
Maybe the bad vibes weren’t in my head.
“Lynx, I presume?” I say. I try to keep my voice light.
My knife is in my hoodie pocket, which is beneath my coat. I can’t easily reach it right now. If I attempt to attack, they’ll shoot Samantha before I have a chance to do anything.
“Hands on your head, Pandora,” the attacker says.
My eyebrows shoot up. I know that voice. That feminine voice.
“Pandora?” Samantha asks, her voice quivering.
I wonder how they kidnapped her last time. Was it with a gun to her head? Is this a repeat of the last bad experience?
I raise my hands up to my head. I wish I was one of those women that hid weapons in her hairstyle, but today my hair is loose and the only hair accessory I’ve got is a beanie. Because it’s cold.
“Kind of a low blow, going for Samantha,” I say. “I would have respected you more if you’d gone for River.”
Lynx—Bobbi—laughs. “Maybe I will have him, after I’ve killed you. How’s his stamina? Better than in the arena?”
Anger hazes my vision. Red snow starts to fall from the skies, but I can’t deal with that right now, I can’t lose it, Samantha is in danger.
“You aren’t his type,” I answer. “He told me so as he was fucking me up against the tunnel walls.”
“Pandora,” Samantha whispers again. “I can’t.” Her voice is unsteady, and so is her breathing.
I wonder if hallucinations are closing in on her, as they are for me.
“Oh, come on,” Bobbi mutters. She shakes Samantha’s shoulder, which only makes the gun dig deeper into her skin. “If you’re going to be a sad sack, I might as well shoot you and spare you your pathetic existence.”
My anger sparks again.
Samantha isn’t pathetic. She’s strong.
But she isn’t handling this well. Her eyes tear up, and in this temperature the tears freeze on her eyelashes.
“You want me, right?” I snap at Bobbi. “Let Samantha go. She’s got nothing to do with this.”
Bobbi rolls her eyes at me. “I should let a witness go? Nope. You’re both coming with me.” She jerks her head toward the nearby parking lot. “That way, Pandora. You first. If you make any sudden moves, your friend’s brain joins the rest of the sludge on the streets here.”
Samantha is hunched in on herself, her breathing coming in short gasps.
She’s going to hyperventilate at this rate.
I don’t see how to get out of this. I can’t reach my knife or my phone, the coat means I’ve got limited movement, and anything I do could lead to Bobbi shooting Samantha.
Patience. I need patience.
But I’ve never had a good track record with that.
I take a step in the direction Bobbi told me to go. I end up walking sideways so I can keep an eye on Samantha as I walk.
Bobbie pushes Samantha forward.
“Who put you up to this?” I ask as we approach the parking lot. “George Bouchard?”
“None of your fucking business,” Bobbi answers.
“Is he your sugar daddy? Do you suckle at his cock while waiting for orders?” I ask. “I won’t judge if you do.”
I was hoping to get a rise out of her, but Bobbi laughs.
“You really want to get mouthy with me right now? While I’ve got your friend’s life in my hands?”
Samantha’s eyes are still wide, too wide, with terror. “I can’t go back,” she pleads. “I can’t do this again. I’d rather die.”
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I don’t know what to do.
For the first time in ages, I’m completely lost.
“I can help with that,” Bobbi says. She raises the gun.
“No!” I shout, sprinting forward. “Don’t!”
Bobbi cusses and pushes Samantha at me. Samantha crashes into my body, and we both go down hard.
I need a second to catch my breath. Samantha whimpers beside me.
Before I can get up, Bobbi stomps her foot down on my hand.
I cry out in pain.
“Shut the fuck up,” Bobbi growls.
Samantha scrambles, trying to get up, but she slips on the ice and stays down on the ground.
I shake my head and tug on my arm. Bobbi puts her entire weight on my hand. It’s almost funny. Didn’t River and Blaze break someone’s hand? I can join the club.
I get onto my knees and wrap my other arm around Bobbi’s leg, pushing with all my might. I don’t have a lot of leverage, but since all her weight is on the other leg—the one stomping on my hand—she’s forced to shift her weight.
She growls and grabs my head. My beanie slips off.
It’s probably still cold, but I can’t tell anymore. My breathing is coming in hot, while my hand and arm are on fire from the pain.
“Fucking…” Bobbi steps off my hand.
I start to stand, but Bobbi backhands me with the hand holding the gun.
Blinding pain flares out through my head. Literally blinding, not figuratively. I brace myself on the sidewalk.
Something red drips onto it.
That’s probably not a hallucination this time.
“Pandora!” Samantha cries out again. She starts to crawl toward me, but Bobbi only has to look in her direction to paralyze her.
We’re really going to have to work on self-defense training to raise her confidence.
Then again, confidence doesn’t help much when you’re dealing with a gun.
I reach into my pocket, only, god dammit, it’s still not the right one because everything is underneath the coat. My knife, my phone, my charm. I go for my zipper.
Bobbi grabs me by the hair and punches me in the face.
I take back what I said about the previous blow being blinding.
This one hurts worse. Forget period cramps or getting stabbed, I think getting my nose punched in is probably the worst pain I’ve ever experienced.
I bet it’s right up there with childbirth or getting your finger chopped off.
Somebody screams.
Probably not me.
I don’t know how I’d be able to scream with my nose stuffy and bloody.
Bobbi goes to punch me again, but someone grabs her arm.
Samantha.
Her eyes are wide and wild as she struggles to pull Bobbi off of me. “Let go of her!” she yells.
I grin crookedly at her. “Hey. Good… good job.”
Glad that some of my lessons paid off. Women helping women, amiright?
Also, women beating women, but let’s ignore that part.
Bobbi’s expression gets furious. “You really want to die? Because of Pandora Pavone? Her family has done more and worse, you know.”
“Pandora saved my life,” Samantha says fiercely, and it’s her turn to throw a sloppy punch directly at Bobbi’s face.
Bobbi easily deflects the punch, but it does mean she now doesn’t have a free hand.
She holstered her gun to punch me, I realize.
I force myself to get up, despite Bobbi’s hold on my hair, and I grapple her torso. She grunts, but with her larger bulk and extreme training, I don’t have a chance of toppling her.
“Get out of here, Sam!” I shout.
“No!” she yells back.
Bobbi suddenly bends forward and grabs me.
I gasp as she lifts me up. I twist my fingers around her clothes, but it’s no use. I’m left dangling upside down, my spine bending awkwardly. I see Samantha through my blood-hazed vision.
Bobbi lifts me higher.
She’s going to slam me down onto the concrete.
My head is going to split open.
I start laughing.
What a fucking pathetic way to go.
I really did think I would die in a much, much cooler fashion.
Samantha rushes Bobbi, shoving against her side and causing her to drop me onto the icy pavement instead of slamming me down.
I manage to get my arms over my skull right before impact. The heavy coat saves some damage, but I’m going to be honest, it still fucking hurts.
I’m also out of breath. The blood trying to fill my nostrils is not helping in that regard.
“Pandora!” Someone shouts my name, but it’s not Samantha. This voice is definitely male, and it’s followed by the rush of footsteps in my direction.
“Fuck!” Bobbi goes for her gun again.
I wonder why she didn’t shoot me from afar.
It would have been cleaner.
Neater.
I’d never have seen it coming.
I struggle to stand, until somebody grabs my arm and helps me. I glance up.
Asch.
I smile. “Hey, boyfriend,” I say, but it comes out strangely garbled.
I hear a commotion not far away, and I glance aside to see River in close quarters with Bobbi. Every time she tries to aim her gun, River finds ways to redirect her arm.
“Here, let Blaze help you,” Asch says. “I’ll help River.”
He lets go of me, and for a split second, I feel like I’m falling through the concrete floor.
Blaze gets his arms around me and catches me.
“Fuck, Pandora.” Blaze’s cologne penetrates the smell of blood. It’s not a bad blend. Very us. “I’m glad we made it in time.”
Samantha rushes up to us, her frozen tears shimmering on her red cheeks. “Are you okay?” she asks, her gaze darting between us and where Asch has engaged with Bobbi alongside River.
Am I okay?
My face is a mess, my vision is a blur, my chest is tight, and it still hasn’t stopped snowing blood.
That doesn’t even cover all the rest of the ways I’m messed up.
“Yeah,” I answer. I try to smile, but for some reason that hurts.
The look on Samantha’s face tells me she doesn’t believe me. “We need to get you to a doctor,” she says. “You’re bleeding.” She glances back at Bobbi, Asch, and River. “And call the police.”
“Nope,” Blaze says immediately. “No cops. Not unless you want to risk getting locked up and staying there.”
I nod in agreement, which was a mistake because my head only gets woozier. “No cops. Snitches get murder, Samantha.” I remember something through the pain. “Sorry I called you ‘Sam’ earlier.”
Samantha lets out a strained laugh. “Yeah, somehow, that was the least of my worries.” She hesitates. “Do I even want to know what she meant about—” She cuts herself off and shakes her head. “Never mind. What do we do?”
“Asch and River can handle themselves. We need to get Pandora to safety.” Blaze places a hand on my back, and I’m about to tell him off about trying to start something while River and Asch are busy.
Then he scoops me up, bridal style.
Oh.
I rest my head against his shoulder. “Blaze, I’m fine. Go beat up a woman.”
“Nope. You’re the priority,” Blaze answers. “For Asch and River, too. They can’t fight if they think you’re in danger.”
I scoff at that. A bloody snowflake lands on Blaze’s cheek, and I cover it up with my finger. “I was never in danger. I’m invincible. Immortal.” I frown. “Wait, Pandora wasn’t a goddess. Papa didn’t think that one through.”
Samantha shakes her head. “Let’s go,” she says. “Back to the dorm? Is it safe there?”
I laugh and shake my head. “There are rats in the walls there. Or bobcats. Lynxes. Same difference.”
Blaze grimaces. “My place.”
I hear Asch cry out. I whip my head in that direction to see what’s going on. If Bobbi hurts them, I’m going to have to murder her properly.
But Blaze turns and carries me off, away from the fight and toward the parking lot.
I slap Blaze’s chest and try to escape his hold. “Blaze! We need to help them!”
His grasp is strong, and he doesn’t even stumble when I hit him again. “I’m helping you. Now stop making your injuries worse.”
This isn’t right. I’m not supposed to run from danger.
I’m not supposed to abandon anyone.
But I don’t have the strength to fight him, not even when he passes his keys to Samantha so she can drive us away. He gets us both into the backseat, and he never once lets go of me.
“I’m going to murder you if anything happens to them,” I growl at him.
Blaze kisses my bloodied face. “That’s fine.”
No, it isn’t.
I want all of them.
I need all of them.
If I don’t have them, I’m going to completely fall apart.