November.

The spite and hatred in November’s heart was overwhelming. The girl she had once loved - the girl who had given her a reason to live - now slashed at her twice, the blade of the sharpened knife barely missing her stomach. It made her sick. Not at the fighting - no she had been in the middle of plenty of violence herself - but at the knowledge of what the two girls used to be.

“Nova and Kat, they were unstoppable.” Nova could hear the chant of the rumours that echoed the dark world every day since the incident. She should have expected it really, it was the dark world after all. Everyone who survived in this place were liars, and once you were involved, there was no getting out.

Kat’s hair thrashed in the open air like fire, the neon reds blinding in a way that stunned Nova every time she saw it. It was chopped roughly so that it was evident it was only styled shoulder length for practical advantages, yet upon looking at it, it stirred something inside of Nova that she once craved, but now wished anything but to feel it.

Nova took two sharp steps backwards, dodging each of Kat’s moves before lunging down and driving upwards with her own dagger. Kat stumbled sidewards, slightly thrown off and only just managing to move out the way of the attack, but recovered quicker than Nova could throw a follow up attack.

“The dark world,” Nova had once explained to Pippa as they began planning a way to take it down after her escape, “is like the dark web but the deals are done in person. I suppose it’s more risky, but more beneficial too. These people who are deeply networked into this world are like any normal person in their day life with a job and a family, but then they come home at night to people in their basement and spend night outs at involuntary fighting rings or bet on which prisoner will survive the longest. But the money can also be made from selling firearms, drugs, people. The dark world is the worst place you can find yourself in, especially if you’re on the wrong side of it.”

And that’s where Nova had been most of her life. On the wrong side of it. Yet she was cunning, smart and most of all observant. The years she had spent there had scarred her for life, yet she had been able to map out all networks, and links in her mind. She had been able to overhear valuable information about places and routines. Although most weren’t aware that a simple girl like her could be such a threat, she had the knowledge to begin to take it all down.

Nova quickly raised one of her daggers and dropped it, drawing Kat’s eyes away from the fight for but a split second, yet that was all Nova needed to find a way to force herself forward and pin Kat against the wall with her second knife to her throat.

Their faces were centimetres away. Nova could smell the luring scent of red haired girl, tempting her to give in. Those stupid, perfect eyes captivated Nova, freezing her still with no words to comprehend her feelings. The line between hate and love was thinner than Nova had once realised. She had always thought it was rubbish, that cliche nonsense, but she understood it now. And it made it hurt all that much more.

“Traitor,” she snarled, and Nova could see Kat flinch. Kat had spent two years with Nova, locked away underneath the house of the most monstrous man involved in the dark world - Vesh. Everyone knew his name. A name that striked fear into all, prisoner and seller alike. Only so few survived more than three months under the care of Vesh, and Nova and Kat were among them.

And everyone new Nova’s name too. She was popular in the dark world. She won all fights, she beat all competitions against all odds, she created such a high reputation that brought Vesh so much money that he simply couldn’t get rid of her.

But the more popular Nova grew amongst the dark world, the more suffering she was put through until finally, she wished nothing more than to be dead. But then Kat came and everything change. She found this new spark to protect those she could, to protect Kat. And although there was very little she could do behind bars, she still found a way to help people.

So when Nova finally figured out, after two whole years, that Kat had been raised under Vesh’s wing and was only originally put there to mess with Nova, the only thing that kept her going then was the pure rage.

Katalina.

Kat could feel the sharp blade press against her neck. It was cold, though she supposed that was unsurprising. The clouds hung heavy in the air and the tiled floor was wet with the previous day’s rain. Mud smudged Nova’s face and tangled in her long black hair, giving her that ravenous, ferocious look she always held when she had one thing set on her mind.

Kat had always admired that about Nova. Once she had put her mind to something, there was no stopping her.

They hung there for a moment, Nova pressed against Kat, deciding what the best course of action was and Katalina took that to her advantage. She shot her head forward and pressed her lips against Nova’s.

Though her own eyes were closed, she could sense Nova’s piercing blue eyes frozen open, and most importantly, the grip on her dagger falter momentarily. Kat took this opportunity to shove Nova harshly, and push her far enough away that she could raise her leg and kick her in the stomach forcefully.

Keeling over and coughing, Nova stumbled backwards, trying desperately to recover as quick as she could. Kat couldn’t deny how good it felt for their lips to touch again. The tension in the air was too thick for even Nova to cut through.

“You don’t understand, I had to do it,” Kat hissed, taking this time to gain composure, similarly to Nova.

“Like you have to try and kill me now?” Nova scoffed in return.

“I didn’t know any different,”

“Bullsh-“

“Nova, please listen to me! I didn’t want to, you need to believe me. I’ve been raised to think this shit was okay, of course I’m going to be messed up. But the longer I spent with you, the more I realised how screwed this whole thing was-“

“Screwed. Screwed?? You think??”

There was a short, aspirated sigh. It was clear Kat had her reasons but she knew Nova couldn’t bare to hear her justify them, because she knew she had hurt Nova and that was the most painful thing she had ever experienced.

“Nova I would have told you if I could, but he would have punished me and you. He would have killed someone to make us sorry, you know that. And how could I help you get out if we couldn’t actually see each other and if he knew??”

Kat could see Nova was conflicted. It was almost as if there was a battle going on inside her brain. Oh how she wished she could see what she was thinking.

Nova lunged all of a sudden, a new load of rage urging her recklessly forward. Katalina took a step forward and twisted her body so that it missed the dagger jarred forwards, and pressed their bodies together. Using the momentum of Nova’s agile speed, Kat was able to spin them both and lay on just the right amount of body weight so that they came crashing to the floor, Nova on the bottom - knife ripped away from her grip as she fell down - and Kat on the top.

Kat’s own dagger was gripped tightly in her own hand and pointing firmly at Nova’s stomach, daring to press down whilst their eyes were only an inch or so away once more.

Nova laughed.

“Because you precious Vesh is forcing you to do this isn’t he? Go on. I wasn’t to hear you bull excuses.”

Kat was angry now. Her dark blue eyes were squinted as if blocking the non-existent sunlight from her view, and her face crumpled to show a mix of hurt and exasperation.

“You don’t understand!”

“What don’t I understand Kat, please do share.”

“I need Vesh to believe I’m still on his side. I can’t take down the networking of the dark world if I’m dead or kicked out.”

“Are you though? Are you still on his side?”

“Of course I’m not. You really have that little faith in me hm?”

“Yeah I do. I thought it was rather unsurprising really considering how you betrayed me. You know Kat, you are the only person who has been able to deceive me. And you did a good job too. I mean two whole years and I never suspected a thing. You even made me believe you loved me-“

“I did- I do. Nova you have to understand-“

“Stop saying that!” Nova’s voice was loud now, and angry, but Kat could hear the sadness every time her voice broke. “Stop saying that. I get it. I understand. But you hurt me. Can’t you see that Kat? You betrayed my trust, you lied to me, you sided and helped the man who has tortured me for years. How can I trust you after that? How can I love you?”

Kat felt like she couldn’t breathe. She may as well have been stabbed, she would have rathered it.

“You- you don’t love me?”

Kat stared down at Nova, her face unreadable but evidently full of emotion.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to but I- I don’t know.”

There was pause, silence filling the air all around them as they just stared into each other’s eyes. Kat wished she could pause that moment.

“You need to let me go,” Nova spoke, her voice scarcely a whisper.

“You know I can’t Nova. If you go in and Vesh finds you, he’ll kill you. If you go in, and all the others don’t come out with you, the rest will be killed. If you go in and everything goes to plan, Vesh will know I’m on your side and all this work to take down the dark world will be gone.”

Nova didn’t say anything in return but Kat could see millions of thoughts bouncing around her head.

And then all of a sudden, Nova’s hand was armed with a knife that was flying towards her. Shit. Kat had forgotten about the knife that Nova had dropped earlier. It must have been close enough for Nova to reach it.

Kat rolled quickly onto her back on the soaking floor, the attack dodged. But now Nova was on top of her and the knife was hovering over her heart. Nova was in a sitting position, back straight up and boot stretched out to pin Kat’s armed wrist to the floor.

“I don’t care what you say Kat. I’m going in no matter the cost. I’m not like you. I don’t let my friends rot in the bottom of a basement.”

Nova raised her arm before driving down the base of the knife around Kat’s head. The last thing she saw was Nova walking towards Vesh’s building. She pleaded to the world, to fate, that Nova would be okay.

And then her world went black.