end of the line | katy

Katy had half a mind to punch that Adroxis girl in the face.

She couldn’t hate Fleur for saving her. She truly couldn’t. But Katy hated that she did it with a smile, like placing herself voluntarily into a life-or-death situation was just a fucking Tuesday. Every year, it felt like more and more people were just throwing their lives away simply because they could, or maybe the powers that be that had chosen Katy had decided it was their time to go.

Katy couldn’t see the keepers’ faces beneath their masks as she approached the justice building, but she could tell they were probably judging her. She flicked her wrist toward the entrance, eyes narrowed. ”Yeah, yeah, I’m here of my own free will. Y’all better let me out of here when I’m done.”

They didn’t bother to at least chuckle before pushing the door open, allowing her to step forward into the foyer. The hall was dimly lit like something out of a storybook, the kind where the kid got eaten by a wolf or a bear at the end or something. No porridge for empty bellies here, only the aching for something - someone - your eyes may never feast on again. Hello even if Adroxis made it out alive, Katy was content to forget about her existence.

But for now, she had questions that needed answers.

Her escorts stopped near the room that must have been Fleur’s, manned on either side by two keepers standing so statue-like that Katy wanted to kick them just to see if they reacted. Katy was passed off like a child between two separated parents and the door opened, and there she was, slumped in an armchair, brows raised.

Katy waited for their company to leave before crossing the room to hover over the girl, arms crossed. ”I’m the one you saved. M’just trying to understand why.”

Fleur straightened up, probably to make herself seem taller. Yeah, Katy knew the song and dance of most people in Nine by now. Wanting to seem tough when they were a wreck.

”Is this your way of saying thank you?” the other girl ventured. Her frilly dress looked like a bleeding wound on that old armchair. Wonder what it’d be like to watch her bleed out.

”That your way of saying you’re welcome?” Katy huffed. ”Don’t wanna be rude, but still end up being an asshole anyway?”

”I didn’t mean to offend.”

”Answer the question, Adroxis.”

Fleur’s eyes darted around, and Katy wondered what the hell she was running from.

”It was just something I had to do,” the girl settled on, and Katy rolled her eyes.

”It’s your civic duty to volunteer?”

”I don’t know about civic, but it was a duty.” She’d steeled her expression now, looking through Katy rather than at her. Fine. Be that way.

Katy backed away, lowering herself into the opposite chair. ”Listen, we only got two minutes in here and we already used one. I don’t know what’s goin’ on in that pretty lil’ head of yours, but I just wanna know if you know what you’re doin’.”

”Of course I do,” Fleur answered nearly automatically, and Katy sighed.

”You’re fulla shit, Adroxis,” she said. ”But you’re the reason I’m still breathin’ right now, so… thank you for havin’ a death wish.”

If Fleur reacted to that, Katy didn’t notice. The silence marinated around them for a few moments, before the girl spoke up again.

”Can I know more about you?”

Katy snorted. ”What for?”

”So I can know whose life I gave back?”

Katy heard muffled noises from the hallway and hauled herself to her feet before the keepers could. She walked to the door, glancing back over her shoulder just as it swung open.

”No,” she said, and then she was gone.