Table of Contents

Title Page

Book Details

Dedication

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

About the Author

Fight for You

Kayla Bain-Vrba

Sold off to pay her father's debts, Cherry spends her nights dancing and her days longing for freedom. Determined to break free of her life, she transfers from the dancehalls to the stadiums where all the real money is made.

The only problem with her plan is that she does not know how to fight. In order to learn, Cherry approaches Berlin, one of the best fighters in the stadium. Berlin, however, wants nothing to do with her, and Cherry realizes the hardest fights do not take places in the arena…

Book Details

Fight for You

By Kayla Bain-Vrba

Published by Less Than Three Press LLC

All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the publisher, except for the purpose of reviews.

Edited by J. Ang

Cover designed by London Burden

This book is a work of fiction and as such all characters and situations are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is coincidental.

First Edition June 2012

Copyright © 2012 by Kayla Bain-Vrba

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN 9781620040133

Dedication

For Nate,

The only one who can make me write when I don't feel like it. Thank you for always being my biggest fan.

Part One

Berlin sighed and rolled her eyes as Cherry followed her behind the house, babbling about learning to fight. She ignored Cherry as she removed her leather armor in practiced motions, unlacing her tall boots until they slipped off and loosening the ties on the sides of her shorts until she could wriggle out of them. Despite the lacings between her breasts and the various straps across the front, she unbuckled the choker around her neck and undid the back laces to remove her cropped top.

Reaching for a bucket of rainwater, she poured it over her upturned face, letting the water run down her naked body. Goddess, it felt good. She poured more across her chest and shoulders to wash away the sweat and dirt and realized the babbling had stopped. Finally. She turned and saw Cherry frozen and staring at her. She set the pitcher aside and pushed her dripping red hair out of her eyes. "You want me to train you?"

Cherry nodded furiously. "Yes. I want to be a fighter. I want to get out of The Zone."

Without warning, Berlin launched herself forward, tackling Cherry and bearing her to the ground with no resistance. Wet body pressed firmly against Cherry's, Berlin pulled a face. She hadn't expected much from the pretty blonde girl, but she had assumed she could at least defend herself a little. How long had she been in The Zone? A week? "That's it?"

Cherry's breathing was shallow, and her heart was pounding. Her green eyes were wide, but she couldn't decide where to look—Berlin's face or the bare breasts right in front of her.

Berlin snorted, no longer phased by unabashed lusty looks. "There's just as much skin to distract you in the arena."

Cherry's brain kicked back in, and she squirmed out from beneath Berlin. She was pinned again a few moments later, but not before Berlin saw something that interested her.

"You're flexible," she commented, sitting casually on the grass nearby, arms resting on her updrawn knee.

In response, Cherry straightened out one leg and lifted the other—vertically and perfectly straight.

It was an impressive move; Berlin could admit that. She looked Cherry over, big green eyes and long waves of golden hair around a youthful face. She was short with a full figure, large breasts and a round bottom, but she looked young despite how mature her assets were. She was flexible, though, and in all her years of fighting, Berlin had never seen anyone quite like Cherry. She wasn't a fighter, not yet, but Berlin could make her one. If this girl really wanted to get out of The Zone, Berlin could get her there.

She got to her feet, shaking back damp hair beginning to dry in the sun, and watched Cherry scramble up as well. If Cherry failed, it was no reflection on Berlin. She didn't have anything better to do anyway.

"Fine." She stuck out her hand, and Cherry shook it with surprise. "There aren't any spare rooms in this house, but you can bunk with me." When Cherry opened her mouth to babble her thanks, Berlin held up a hand to stop her. "Don't thank me yet. You haven't seen what I'm going to do to you."

*~*~*

It turned out that the first thing Berlin was going to do to her was run her to death. Out before the sun was up, Berlin set a fast pace from the start—and outlawed talking.

"If you have enough energy to talk, you're not working hard enough."

As they ran through The Zone the village began coming back to life. The Zone itself was split into two parts—one for men and one for women. Mingling was allowed; some couples even moved in together. For the most part, though, the two groups stuck to their respective sections. They didn't trust each other, and they weren't looking to make attachments. They segregated themselves by occupation as well—fighters, dancers, and prostitutes—and they kept to their own.

Cherry had never been through most of The Zone. As a dancer, she'd spent most of her time with other dancers or with the one friend she'd had from another occupation.

By the time they had made their way deep into the men's sector, daily life was already under way. The men held the same occupations as women, and she recognized the stretches of a group of dancers. They passed a few other runners, some sweat drenched, others just heading out. It seemed that Berlin was a common sight in the men's sector; the occasional man nodded at her or even greeted her by name. Seeing Berlin with a companion, however, was apparently not the norm, and Cherry drew intrigued glances when they passed.

As a dancer, Cherry thought she was in good shape, but by the time they finally stopped back at the house Berlin lived in, she was gasping for air and drenched in sweat. She pulled off her shirt and shook out the lightweight material, glad that her tight pants were too dark to show sweat. A few feet away, Berlin had dropped her hooded shirt to the ground and was stretching out her leg muscles. A thin sheen of sweat swept across the dimples of her lower back, visible above the low rise pants she wore. She tugged off her boots to stretch out her feet and calves, and after a pointed look, Cherry did the same.

Berlin offered her a skin of water, saying, "You've got ten minutes. Then I'm going to kick your ass."

Kick her ass, she did. Cherry wasn't sure if Berlin was making fun of her, if fighting was a turn on for her, or if she just got off dominating Cherry, but every time Berlin got the opportunity, she always seemed to be touching Cherry:  a slap or grab at her ass as she passed, a rough close-mouthed kiss when Berlin bore her to the ground, a firm thigh between her own as they wrestled. At first, the intimate contact startled Cherry off her guard, but by the end of the first day, her personal bubble was popped irrevocably.

As exhausted as she was at the end of her first day, Cherry walked to the north gate of The Zone. It was locked, as always; it was almost curfew anyway so there was no one trying to get in or out. She slung her arms through the iron rungs and looked out at the dirt road leading away from her home of the last six years. The sun was setting; in the capitol, families were sitting down to dinner together. She wondered what her father was doing just then, if he was happy, if he was even alive. For a moment, she wondered what she would be doing if she hadn't been sent to live in The Zone until their debt was paid.

Above her, the stars were beginning to appear. She supposed they looked the same in the capitol as they did within The Zone, but inside her cage, they seemed terribly distant and unreachable. Maybe in the capitol people looked up at the stars and didn't feel trapped and insignificant. When she was out there, she knew she would never look at the stars that way again.

Reluctantly, Cherry left the gate and made her way back to her room.

"You almost missed curfew," Berlin informed her when she closed the door of their room behind her.

Cherry didn't answer. It wasn't a question anyway.

Her pallet was on the opposite side of the room as Berlin's, tucked neatly into the corner beneath a single shelf that held her few possessions. Despite the hour, she could hear the muffled sound of conversation coming from the nearby rooms. She was used to the sound. As a dancer, she had lived in a house with twenty other girls, most of them as young as she was. She had fallen asleep more times than she could count to the sound of new girls crying and older girls attempting to comfort them—or telling them to grow up and get used to it.

"You should sleep."

Cherry glanced over at Berlin, lying naked on her belly and partially covered with a blanket.

"We're going running again in the morning before we hit the breadline."

Cherry nodded, suddenly more tired than she could fight. Without bothering to undress, she crawled onto her pallet and tugged the woolen blanket up to her chin, curling up against the corner.

*~*~*

The breadline was chaos.

It was early in the morning, the start of one of the worst mornings of the week. People from all over The Zone milled around in the square, waiting for the few vendors to open their stalls to sell overpriced, low-quality food. Cherry clutched a few coins in her fist because only an idiot came to the breadline with an easily stolen purse.

It was loud and crowded, and as the first vendor opened his stand, a mad dash began as the people hoarded around the food. Cherry pushed her way forward, holding her ground, shoving anyone who tried to cut ahead of her.

Something struck her in the face and she stumbled back. When she righted, she saw two men punching each other, and within moments, a brawl had broken out. There was only a little time left, so she pushed and shoved her way up to the vendor, trading him her three coins for the sack of meal things even as she was jostled and battered. She pushed her way through the crowd, fighting to stay up.

"Clear out! Clear out now! The breadline is closed!" The officials had arrived to put a stop to the fight—and to close the breadline. Cherry hurried back to Berlin's, clutching her sack to protect it from anyone who would try to take it.

Back at the house, Berlin defeated her soundly and left her lying in the dirt as she headed back inside.

*~*~*

"This from your boyfriend?" Berlin asked in a teasing voice.

Cherry glanced up. She was lying on her bed, reading the one book she owned, as Berlin trifled through her possessions. Cherry didn't mind Berlin digging through her things, until she picked up the necklace.

"Don't touch that!" Her voice was sharp and commanding; Berlin raised an eyebrow.

"Touchy."

"No—I mean—that was my mother's."

Berlin pursed her lips but said nothing, simply laid the necklace back down on the shelf, making sure the silver heart pendant lay on top of the coil of chain. Cherry waited for Berlin to ask the inevitable question, the obvious question, but she never did.

*~*~*

"Again," Berlin ordered as Cherry stumbled back to her feet only to be knocked back down. It was late in the week and so far, every day had been exactly the same. Berlin beat her soundly, gave her far less than enough time to recover, and then beat her again. When she had gotten permission from the Lord of The Zone to be trained as a fighter, she had expected more training. If she wanted the get the shit beat out of her, she could have gone anywhere. Instead, she had picked Berlin. She had seen what Berlin could do in the arena, saw her turn into a precise weapon, a skilled animal going in for the kill, and she wanted that for herself. Maybe she had made a mistake. She had thought Berlin had some form of honor, but maybe Berlin was just playing her. Maybe Berlin was toying with her, beating her up for her amusement, and then going to dump her aside. That's what most of the people in The Zone would have done.

All the air was forced from Cherry's lungs as she hit the ground. For a moment, she licked over the blood beginning to rise in her newly split lip and considered staying down.

"C'mon," Berlin ordered, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Back on your feet."

Cherry obeyed and moments later a kick and two punches sent her back down, Berlin on top of her. Berlin swooped in to kiss her mouth, blood and all, and then rolled off. "Again."

Cherry got to her feet but refused to get into position. "No."

Straightening, Berlin kept her eyes cool and careless. "You done now? Giving up on fighting with the big girls?"

"Fight with you? You mean, get my ass kicked! How do you expect me to learn if you won't teach me?"

"I am teaching you." Berlin's voice was flat.

"No, you're not! You nearly knock me out a dozen times a day, you're not giving me advice, and you're not telling me anything!"

Berlin kept still and emotionless, waiting out Cherry's outburst. "Fighting isn't about telling. It's about watching. I can't teach you anything you couldn't figure out on your own."

With no warning Berlin pounced forward, grabbed Cherry's ponytail, and let the momentum send her face first to the ground. With a slap to Cherry's bottom, Berlin left the practice area.

Cherry flipped onto her back, staring up at the grey spring sky as she waited for her breathing to return to normal. She could leave. She could go back to the dancers and spend the next decade dancing in bars, chained to a pole. By then, she might have enough money saved up to buy her way home. She could find a new teacher, maybe, someone who would actually help her.

No, she couldn't. She knew she couldn't. She couldn't spend the rest of her life scrounging for every coin she could get her hands on in hopes that one day it would be enough to pay her father's debt. She had to get out, and Berlin was the way to do that.

Slowly getting to her feet, she went to try 'watching' as Berlin had suggested.

Watching was different. She sat off to one side watching two women a few years older than she and found that she could see the way a fighter's muscles moved to prepare for a move. She realized that, in time, she could learn to see the strike before the body followed through. She also began to see patterns and styles; by knowing her opponent, she could not only predict what moves they were most inclined to use but also how they would respond in various situations.

Each fighter had certain quirks and ways she handled her body, and whenever she could get away from Berlin roughing her up, Cherry studied the other fighters' every move. Some of them were cutthroat, perfectly willingly to kill or maim each other for the crowd's amusement, but some were true fighters who still had some of their humanity left.

Apart from the practice area, Cherry found a tree to use as her opponent and began practicing the moves she was seeing.

One late afternoon, Cherry got up the guts to ask another fighter, Mriah, if she could practice with her. Time and again she was soundly knocked to the ground but it was different than fighting Berlin. Mriah moved differently, used her weight to her advantage, tended to lean or react a certain way. In time, Cherry was able to hold her own—not win, but come close.

She watched carefully whenever Berlin fought someone, learning the movements of her body. It was easier to see when Berlin was shirtless, easier still when she fought only in boots and underwear. Cherry could see the ripple of muscle in Berlin's thighs that foretold a change of direction, the way her weight shifted before she kicked, the tightening of core muscles before she took or threw a punch.

Before long some of the other fighters were willing to practice with Cherry, giving her a whole new world of styles to explore.

When she returned to their room one night, ponytail a mess, blood from a hairline cut slipping over her cheekbone, she caught Berlin's eyes on her.

"What happened to you?"

"Practice," she replied shortly and headed to her cot—but not before she caught a hint of approval in Berlin's eyes.

*~*~*

When Berlin caught Cherry's foot to her gut the next time they practiced, she wasn't sure which of them was more surprised. Cherry reacted quickly, keeping her guard up as she dropped to the ground and swept out her leg to trip Berlin as she recovered. Berlin stumbled, and Cherry made her move, flipping up and forward to knock Berlin to the ground, allowing Berlin's body to cushion her fall. She pinned Berlin's arms over her head and boxed her hips and thighs down by straddling them.

Cherry had won.

Berlin kept her eyes and voice steady as she asked, "Was that a fluke? Or could you do it again?"

Cherry honestly thought for a moment. "I could do it again."

Before Berlin could respond, she saw a light change in Cherry's eyes just before she bent to give Berlin a hard and conquering kiss on the mouth. Shocked and more uncomfortable than she was willing to admit, Berlin demanded, "Let me up."

Cherry moved back, her large green eyes wide and confused. "I don't get it."

Berlin shrugged, bringing her walls back up, not letting Cherry see any more than she had already. "You wouldn't. No one would." She walked away, leaving Cherry to watch her go.

Berlin lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling. She could hear the sound of Cherry's soft breathing from the corner.

She wanted Cherry. It was easier to admit than she had expected. Everything about Cherry invited her in:  big beautiful eyes, soft skin, large breasts, round bottom. She was gorgeous; she was sexy.

She wanted to fuck Cherry, but that was it. It was physical attraction, too many hormones running loose with too little clothing. She'd seen girls like Cherry before, though, and girls like Cherry didn't want one dirty night. They wanted things like love and commitment and promises. Berlin didn't want any of those things, ever. Certainly not with Cherry.

*~*~*

It rained the next day, cold sheets of early spring rain that made everything slick and dangerous. Berlin insisted they practice anyway, saying that fights weren't called off due to a little rain. In fact, mud-wrestling often drew the largest crowds.

After the third time Cherry slipped and nearly knocked herself unconscious, and then lightning struck a nearby tree, Berlin finally took pity and let them quit.

In the safety of their room, they stripped out of their sopping clothes and wrung them out before hanging them on pegs to dry. When they were still cold after changing clothes Berlin even started a fire in the small hearth, which they comfortably reclined in front of.

Berlin was a woman of silence, though she hadn't always been that way, but for some reason this silence between them made her uncomfortable and uneasy. She leaned back on her palms, trying to appear casual, and asked, "How did you become so flexible?"

Cherry looked over at her with surprised eyes, not expecting conversation, having grown accustomed to Berlin's stoic silence. "I was a dancer, before my transfer got approved. For six years."

Berlin had guessed as much. Girls like Cherry didn't make for good prostitutes. "Were you any good?"

Cherry snorted, got to her feet, and gave herself some space. She rolled her body a few times to music only she could hear, rocked her hips, shimmied her breasts, and flipped her hair before sinking into a split. She kept her eyes smoldering and locked with Berlin's the entire time, making Berlin's mouth go dry as her heart pounded.

Cherry folded her legs beneath her and shook her hair back, fixing Berlin with a wry smile. "You should see what I can do with a pole."

Berlin swallowed. "I'd like that."

Cherry tried to hide her surprise, not wanting to scare Berlin off. "Okay. Sometime, we'll go over to the dance practice field, and I'll show you."

For a moment, Berlin didn't say anything, just picked at the material over her thigh. Then, "Why are you here?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're good at dancing, and it's not exactly the most uncomfortable lifestyle. Why leave? Why come here?"

Cherry was quiet for a moment. "I'm ready to get out of here. I've been saving, but dancers don't make good money, just the occasional tips. Fighting … that's where the money's at."

"Why do you want to leave now?"

Cherry shrugged. "A million reasons. I don't like being alone. I want to be able to do what I want. I don't want to spend my life in a cage. I want people to see me as more than tits and ass." She stopped, and when she continued, her voice was softer, gentler. "My father lives too far east for me to ever go see him, but I write him every time someone is passing through. He stopped writing back."

"And you're afraid something happened to him."

Cherry nodded, even though it wasn't a question. "I've always been trying to get out. This was just the final push.

"What about you? Aren't you trying to get home?"

"I've got nothing to go home to." The flatness of Berlin's voice closed the conversation.

Before Cherry could think of something to say that would keep their talk from ending, the front door of the house slammed open with a bang. A woman screamed. Berlin covered Cherry's mouth and whispered in her ear, "Don't make a sound."

They waited in silence as heavy footfalls made their way through the house. The footsteps marched past Berlin's door and both women heaved a silent sigh of relief. A moment later, however, they heard another scream.

Cherry squeezed her eyes shut tight, trying to block out the sounds that would follow. The scuffle. The screams. The pleading. The grunting. The crying.

It didn't work. She heard it all anyway as one of the men of higher society assaulted one of the girls down the hall.

She pulled away from Berlin, but Berlin caught her wrist before she could get to the door. "I can't listen to this."

"Then think about something else," Berlin hissed quietly. "You can't go out there."

"I can't just sit here!"

"What will you do, huh?" Berlin paused for just a moment. "Nothing. There is nothing you can do. He's from the upper class; he can do whatever he wants. And if you hurt him, if you kill him, if you get in his way—you'll hang. Is that what you want?"

"It's wrong," Cherry whispered desperately. "This isn't right."

"This is the way it is here. You say you want to get out? Then get out and leave us behind. There's nothing you can do for people who don't want to be helped."

Cherry sat back down beside Berlin but drew in on herself, wrapping her arms around her upturned knees. "This is wrong."

"I know," Berlin said, and then they didn't speak anymore, even after they heard the thugs strut out the front door and out of The Zone unstopped and unpunished.

*~*~*

"C'mon." Berlin caught her off guard one day after practice when the only thing on Cherry's mind was lying down and getting out of the sun. "We're going out. Put on something that doesn't stink." She let her eyes linger on the rivulets of water on the tops of Cherry's breasts, still clinging to her skin after she had dumped a bucket of water over herself before heading inside. Cherry didn't bother covering up and felt her nipples tighten under Berlin's gaze.

"Do your hair!" Berlin ordered. "And your face!"

Cherry set about creating a look that fit Berlin's standards.

Berlin looked her over, taking in the inches of skin visible between her tall boots and short skirt, the casual waves of her hair, and the subtle accents of paint on her face, before nodding. "Let's go."

They walked together toward the gate where a thin man in rich clothes was waiting. The man stayed on his side of the gate, and the two women stayed on theirs.

"This is my sponsor, Lord Davvin. Lord Davvin, my apprentice, Cherry."

Davvin looked her over with dark clawing eyes, his exposing stare making Cherry even more nervous. "Your apprentice?"

"She's a fighter," Berlin assured him, a hint of defensive tone to her voice.

Davvin snorted.

"I didn't look like it, at first," she argued.

He gave a short bark of laughter. "When I met you, you had the eyes of a killer and looked like you'd bite my balls off as soon as speak to me. This girl hasn't even seen a man's balls."

Not helping her cause, Cherry flushed.

"She's not going to fight a man. And she's seen plenty of what women have between their legs."

Cherry's flush deepened.

"Cherry can do things I've never seen another woman do."

Cherry couldn't help but wonder if she was the only one who felt like every word coming out of Berlin's mouth insinuated that they were lovers.

Davvin raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "Show me."

Berlin backed away from the gate and took Cherry with her. "Kick me, high."

Finally feeling a bit more in her element, Cherry aimed a kick at Berlin's jaw. Berlin caught her ankle easily and pushed her leg a little higher, showing Davvin how flexible she was and giving herself a view of Cherry's panty-covered crotch. Jumping into the air and twisting, Cherry delivered a kick to Berlin's shoulder, freeing her other leg as she landed in a crouch.

A few feet away, Berlin got to her feet. "Well? What do you think?"

Davvin moved his eyes back to Berlin. "What do you want from me, Berlin?"

Berlin looped her arm through the gate rungs. "Get me a dozen possible sponsors to show her off to in two days—and none of those assholes who'll rob her blind, or worse."

"What's in it for me?"

Berlin met his gaze levelly. "I'll throw my match against Ashlyn. You'll make a fortune betting against me; no one thinks I'll lose."

Davvin's eyes lit up at the prospect of cashing in. "A half dozen sponsors."

"Ten."

"Eight."

"Done!" Berlin held out a hand and gave Davvin a grip firmer than his own. "Two days."

As she and Cherry walked away, Cherry asked, "Why do I need a sponsor?"

"If you're saving up to get yourself out, it's too expensive to sponsor yourself. A sponsor will give you a cut of his profits. Even more if you rig a match and let him in on it."

"Oh."

"Not all the fights are rigged," Berlin pointed out. "Most aren't. But once in a while, rigging will get you money and the crowd a show. Everyone wins."

"Okay." Cherry wasn't really sure she understood.

Berlin slung an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. We'll get you through this. We'll get you a sponsor, some publicity. I'll keep you safe from whatever your sponsor throws at you. You'll be out of here before you know it."

In two days' time, six noblemen—not the promised eight—were gathered at the practice field, their select bodyguards surrounding them.

As she and Berlin approached the field, Cherry took a deep breath. It was a risk, what she was about to ask, seeing as Berlin had never been forthcoming with praise, but she had to ask. "Do you think I'm ready?"

Berlin gave her a sidelong glance and firmly said, "I know you are."

Her praise gave Cherry all the confidence she could possibly need.

The sponsor show was essentially just practice with an audience. She and Berlin ran drills, showing off Cherry's unique skills and her best moves. She suspected Berlin was holding back but trusted her judgment.

When it was over, she sat off to one side as Berlin talked to the sponsors, and her worry set back in. What if no one wanted her? How long would it take her to get out on her own? Was it even possible?

Berlin came back, a dark haired businessman at her side.

"Cherry, this is your sponsor, Sir Neel. Sir Neel, Cherry."

Neel held out a hand, which Cherry gratefully shook. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir."

He smiled at her, an actual smile that reached his eyes. Maybe he was thinking of the money. "We'll have you in for a fitting tomorrow morning. I must talk to the Lord now to handle paperwork … I don't anticipate any problems, but I'll let you know if any arise. Good day." With that, he swept off, guard following after him.

Cherry turned to Berlin, a confused expression on her face.

"As your sponsor, he gets in on ticket sales and to an extent so do you. I told him you're only a short term investment, and he's eager to make the most of it. I warned him not to mess with you or he'd answer to me."

"Short term?"

Berlin grinned at her. "You're getting out of here, aren't you?"

Cherry's face broke into a beautiful smile. Yes, yes she was.

Part Two

At Neel's order, the two women were escorted into the area outside The Zone to meet with the tailor who would be making Cherry's armor. Neel was already there, going through designs with a middle aged woman with frizzy orange hair.

He greeted them with a smile. "Everything's all set. Emmaline just needs your measurements." He went to wait in another room while Cherry stripped out of her clothes.

The tailor—Emmaline—was thorough and try as she might, Cherry couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as she measured between her legs. When she went to measure Cherry's bust, Berlin stopped her.

Swooping down, Berlin sucked one of Cherry's nipples into her mouth, enveloping it in tight wet heat. Cherry couldn't hold back her whimper of pleasure, but as soon as Berlin transferred her mouth to the other breast, Cherry suddenly remembered Emmaline.

"Berlin!" she gasped. "What—?"

Berlin grinned at her, sly triumph in her eyes. "You're going to be so turned on when you're fighting. Don't want your armor to be too tight."

Cherry fought to cool down as Emmaline finished making notes and hurried to pull her clothes back on.

"All set?" Neel inquired when they opened the door, oblivious to Cherry's blush.

Emmaline nodded. "Should be ready in five days, maybe six because of the chain work."

Neel nodded. "Excellent. Thank you very much." He held the shop door open for Cherry. "I'll talk with the officials, have you in your first fight in about a week." He nodded good day and set off.

"I've been fighting for four years, Cherry, and I've never met anyone like you."

Berlin's unexpected praise and the strange events of the day left Cherry in thoughtful silence until the guards returned them to Berlin's house.

"What did you do before?"

Berlin froze and didn't turn as she asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Before you became a fighter. You said you've been here since you were a teenager." Cherry wasn't quite sure what had given her the motivation to push Berlin lately, but she felt it was her right.

Berlin took a breath and answered, "I had sex for money."

Cherry's eyes widened. "You …?"

Berlin finally turned to look at her. "That's right. When I got here, they sent me to be everybody's wet dream, and to earn my keep I gave people whatever they wanted from me. Until I had Kage."

"You got pregnant?"

Berlin snorted "When I was seventeen. I was lucky it didn't happen sooner."

Cherry wasn't sure what answer she had expected, but Berlin's answer was the absolute farthest from her mind.

*~*~*

A few days later, Berlin came across her writing a letter on the front stoop during her afternoon time. Sitting beside her, Berlin asked, "Who you writing?"

"My father."

"I thought he stopped writing you."

"Yeah." Cherry shrugged. "But I still write him every time I get the chance."

"Cherry … he sold you into this life. And he hasn't tried to pay his debt and buy you back out."

Cherry grew still and quiet for a moment before softly saying, "He's still my father. He's the only family I have left."

Berlin nodded, tracing patterns in the dirt with the toe of her boot.

"Do you remember your family?"

Berlin hesitated then simply said, "Sometimes."

Cherry waited for Berlin to continue.

"I was eight when they died—an ill wind, the doctor said, that killed a lot of people in our town. I was brought to the city to find someone to take me in, but no one did. I ended up in an orphanage, but even when I came of age, no one would hire me. So they sent me to The Zone to keep me off the streets and out of the way of the nobles."

Not knowing how to comfort her, not knowing what would make Berlin run, Cherry laid her head on Berlin's shoulder. Berlin tensed at first, then shifted closer and rested her head against Cherry's.

*~*~*

Neel brought her armor, waiting in the hall while she tried it on. She turned from side to side, watching herself in the small mirror she had on her shelf. It was beautiful and exotic, like a sexualized version of a desert warrior. The green bikini was held together with thin gold chains; green material hung from her hips like a cape, covering her bottom but not her front. The top was the same silky green material wrapped around her breast, with one sleeve. The other side was held up with gold chain matching that around her ankles, wrists, and hips. Finally, a heavy gold bracelet with a green stone was fastened to her braid as an additional weapon.

When she came to stand before Berlin and Neel, Berlin froze. Neil looked delighted, and Berlin … Berlin looked like she'd forgotten how to breathe.

When Berlin finally managed to get a breath, she choked, "Good. She looks good."

Neel nodded. "She looks fantastic. I'd fuck her."

Cherry's spine prickled at Neel's words, but Berlin's breathless reaction gave her confidence.

"She'll lose the first two, marginally but enough to keep her an underdog?" Neel directed his question to Berlin, who nodded.

"I already spoke with Amee and Mriah. It's set."

Cherry wasn't sure what they were talking about, and Neel was already on his way out.

"I'll see you at the fight."

Cherry smiled at him until the door shut, then turned to Berlin.

"You look so hot." Berlin's voice had a rough edge.

"What were you talking about?"

"I'm thinking green and gold around your eyes. Just a touch so you still look young but with a fierce—"

"Berlin! What were you talking about?"

Berlin seemed distracted by thoughts of Cherry's appearance, and it took her a moment to understand what Cherry was talking about. "I told you some fights are rigged. You're going to lose your first two to increase the odds against you and make a fortune when you win the third."

"And everyone's okay with you rigging the fights?"

"Would you complain if you got a guaranteed win?" Berlin gave her a look. "C'mon. Let's go break in your armor."

*~*~*

"What do you mean, he's going to fuck me over?" Cherry accused, eyes flaming. She had almost been asleep when Berlin had decided that it was the right time to let Cherry in on the little secret about sponsors.

"It's nothing personal. Sponsors are greedy; he'll take more than his share. We're nothing but a means to an end for them."

"Then why did you get me involved with them?"

Cherry was furious, standing over Berlin as she lay on her pallet.

"What's the big deal, Cherry? Everyone here wants to fuck you; just don't let him. Everyone here wants to take from you; just don't let him take too much. Everyone here wants to screw you over—"

"I just won't let that be you." Cherry glared, betrayal in her eyes and on her face. She tightened her jaw and left.

Outside, the moon was high in the clear sky, surrounded by clusters of stars. It was cold and windy, and she shivered as she started walking, hugging herself tightly but only partly to ward off the late night chill. It was past curfew and she had nowhere to go, but she needed to get away from that room and Berlin's announcement.

Her sponsor was going to screw her over, just like everyone else she'd met since coming to The Zone? What about Berlin? She trusted Berlin; maybe she shouldn't. Maybe Berlin was just using her too; maybe—

"Hush, Marya."

Cherry drew up short, hiding behind a group of trees as she listened to the soft sound of approaching footsteps. They quickly came into view—two adults and what appeared to be a child, out after curfew. They kept to the shadows as they crept through town, constantly on the look-out, clearly up to no good.

Cherry slunk along the houses, watching the group. Something about them didn't feel right. They were dressed like those from The Zone, but maybe they were upperclassmen in disguise.

"Who's there?" one of them called out, and the entire group stopped, staring at the tree shielding Cherry from sight. "We heard you—come out now."

Knowing it would only make them angrier if they had to come in after her, Cherry stepped out from behind the tree, and finally got a good look at the group. There were three of them—a man, a woman, and a young girl. They clearly weren't from outside The Zone.

"What are you doing?" Cherry asked.

"What are you doing?" the woman retorted. "It's after curfew."

Cherry gave her a pointed look. "I was getting some space. What are you doing out here?"

The woman glanced at her male companion, who hesitated before nodding. "We're getting out."

"You're escaping?"

The woman nodded. "Nataniel's going to distract the guards so that the two of us can get over the gate, and then we'll make a distraction so Nataniel can get out."

"That's crazy! You'll be caught. Stay and buy your way out, like me."

The woman shook her head. "We can't. We have to go now."

Cherry glanced at the little girl and understood. If they stayed much longer, their daughter would be assigned an occupation. "You'll never make it," she tried helplessly. "At least here your daughter will get to live."

"We have to try."

Cherry backed away slowly. "I'm sorry." She ran, not wanting to have any connection to these people. When they failed, she didn't want the guards to have any reason to suspect her as well.

At dawn, a horn sounded, calling all the townspeople to the square. Cherry walked alongside Berlin with a heavy heart, already knowing what they would see. It was no surprise when she saw three people on the gallows, shivering from more than just the early morning wind.

Cherry glanced over at Berlin, whose jaw was tight and eyes were hard. She swallowed a lump in her throat, not quite sure why she was getting choked up over strangers. She had told them not to try to escape; it was their choice not to listen to her.

"—found guilty of the heinous crime of stealing from The Lord of The Zone—" The Lord's personal assistant read off the sentence.

'Stealing from the Lord of the Zone.' Everyone in The Zone was there as a marker, a holder to ensure that their debt or that of a family member was paid. Even Berlin, who didn't have an original fine, had racked up a debt from the cost of living in her years there. If anyone left before that debt had been settled, they were accused—found guilty—of stealing from their overlord.

"—and sentenced to hang by the neck until dead."

The Lord's assistant stepped back, and the executioner stepped forward. He unceremoniously kicked away the crates beneath the three on the gallows, and they dropped with a sickening choking sound.

Cherry looked away, unable to watch as an innocent child was strangled to death. A cheer went up from the crowd, and her stomach clenched. What was wrong with these people, cheering for the deaths of three of their own?

"This is disgusting," Cherry muttered to Berlin.

"This is the way it is."

"No." Cherry shook her head. "Not on the outside it's not. I'm going to get out of here, and I'm never going to watch another person die again."

*~*~*

Cherry didn't sleep the night before her first fight. She lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, a thousand thoughts racing through her head. What was her father doing just then? Was he even alive?

What if something went wrong in the fight? What if she got hurt? What if she broke something? What if she wasn't good enough?

What did Berlin think of her? Didn't she realize just how badly Cherry wanted her? Were her own flirtations just a game? What was holding her back?

About to go crazy, Cherry sat up and pushed a hand through her tussled hair, considering sneaking outside briefly.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

Cherry nearly jumped out of her skin and had to fight to catch her breath. "Berlin?"

Berlin was sitting up on her pallet, watching her. "C'mere."

Obediently, Cherry sat beside her.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Cherry shook her head. "Too many thoughts."

"Like?"

Cherry shrugged "Everything. My family. The fight." She hesitated. "You."

Berlin kept her eyes emotionless. "Turn around."

Berlin tugged her shoulder to get her into the position she wanted and began massaging her shoulders. Cherry let her head drop forward, let herself get lost in the feeling of the warm steady pressure of Berlin's hands pulling her apart and putting her back together.

When Cherry tried to stifle a small moan desperate to escape, Berlin whispered, "Relax, Cherry. Just let go."

Cherry did, and it felt good.

"When you're out on that floor, it's the most amazing feeling," Berlin murmured. "All your thoughts, all your problems, all your flaws … the entire world falls away, and it's just you and your body. You're completely in control of yourself, of your opponent, of everyone watching. It's like you're a god. It's … It's like you're free. You're going to love it, Cherry." Berlin let her hands slide down Cherry's back and fall away. She got up, took Cherry's face in her hands, and leaned in for a warm, lingering kiss.

"Everything's going to be fine, Cherry. Try to get some sleep." Berlin patted Cherry's back, subtly pushing her towards her own bed, and lay down, leaving Cherry alone with her thoughts once more.

Berlin took care of her the next morning, adjusting her clothes and helping with her makeup, forcing her to drain a bottle of water and at least choke down a piece of fruit. Before they left the house, Cherry took a moment alone with her mother's necklace, running her thumb over the engraved silver, kissing the grey-blue stone in the middle that was the same color that her mother's eyes had been.

All the way to the arena Cherry couldn't calm her nerves, couldn't stop rocking back and forth, couldn't get over the overwhelming urge to throw up.

Berlin helped Cherry stretch and warm up to distract her as the arena seats began to fill up, even though Cherry had been stretching out all morning.

"If something goes wrong, Amee still needs to win," Berlin said, giving her last minute advice as the previous fighters left the arena. "Fake an injury or make a mistake. Don't make yourself look bad. Keep the fight close but let her win."

Cherry nodded, desperately trying to take deep breaths, any breaths at all, really. Her nerves before her first dance were insignificant in comparison. Berlin suddenly kissed her hard and slapped her ass as she pushed her towards the arena floor. For some reason, the bit of normality calmed Cherry enough to somehow get onto the arena floor and stand opposite Amee.

Amee was younger than Cherry and as thin as they came, almost like a feral cat. Her fiery hair was wild and raging around her face; her eyes were surrounded by black diamond markings.

When Amee pounced, all thought fled from Cherry's mind and her body took over.

Berlin watched from the side as the thought wiped from Cherry's face. Cherry was good and soon the whole city would know it, too. As fast as Amee was, Cherry's flexibility made the match even.

The fight went on, Amee's speed against Cherry's contortions and even though Berlin knew Cherry had to have been exhausted, she didn't let on in her face or movements.

Just as the crowd began to wonder if the fight would last all day, Berlin saw Cherry open herself up to attack. Amee saw it too, and took advantage, leaping forward to tackle Cherry to the ground, immobilizing her by sitting on her thighs, and declaring her victory by lodging her forearm under Cherry's jaw and pushing back.

When Cherry stumbled over, gasping for water, Berlin helped her spill most of it over her face and gag on the rest. Berlin wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm so proud of you, Cherry." She kissed Cherry's temple. "So proud."

As they waited for the escort that would bring them back to The Zone, Cherry couldn't stop smiling, the buzz in her blood making her feel alive in a way she hadn't in a long time.

Back in The Zone, they spent the afternoon lying under a tree, staring up at the sky.

"I think … I think I'm going to head north, to Valeria, when I get out of here."

Cherry rolled over and stared at Berlin with wide eyes, not quite sure she believed what she thought she had just heard. "You're … you're going to leave? What changed your mind?"

Berlin shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "I dunno."

"Yes, you do."

Berlin gave a half smile. "All right, fine. The way you talk about it, about having a life where people look at you and see something more? I think I want that. I know I want that."

"Maybe I'll come with you."

Berlin tried to push back the desperate longing she suddenly felt and casually asked, "What about your father?"

It was Cherry's turn for a moment's silence while she weighed her options. "After I know he's okay, I could go with you. I'm not a child anymore; I can't live with him forever. I have to start my own life."

"I'd like that."

Cherry smiled brightly and rolled onto her side to look at Berlin. Now that there was someone else to share in her fantasy, she wanted to dream even more. "What would you do, in Valeria?"

Berlin hesitated.

"C'mon. Tell me," Cherry begged teasingly.

"I'd like to open an inn."

"Yeah?" Cherry's enthusiasm seemed genuine, so Berlin went on.

"Yeah. I think I'd like that, to see all the people as they come and go, hear their stories."

"I could dance," Cherry offered.

Berlin laughed. "I thought you wanted to get away?"

"It's different. I like to dance. And I wouldn't have to do it all the time, just when I wanted to. The rest of the time, I could clean tables or cook food. It would be different because you wouldn't make me dance if I didn't want to."

"I could make you do a lot of things." Berlin's voice was quiet.

"Yes. Yes, you could." That was a simple statement of fact, one that thrilled and scared them both.

"I'd never make you do anything you didn't want to do," Berlin said, her voice soft but firm. "Ever."

*~*~*

For her second fight Cherry was fighting Mriah and she was much more comfortable, in part because she knew Mriah well and partly because the initial nerves—terror—had worn off.

The fight went well. She lost, as planned, but it was a good fight. Mriah told her what a good job she'd done as Cherry watched Berlin's fight.

It was brutal and quick. Berlin was in her headspace, and her opponent just couldn't match her technically or physically. In a flurry of swift punches and quick kicks, Berlin's opponent was pinned down in surrender.

Berlin didn't talk much when they got home, just changed into street clothes and packed a bag with a few items and left in the early evening with no explanation but a flat, "Don't wait up for me."

Of course Cherry did. She spent hours with a mug of tea wondering just what Berlin was hiding. It wasn't that Berlin was quiet; Berlin never said much.  There was something in the way she acted, like she was ashamed of something, and the hardness in her eyes had an edge that Cherry hadn't seen before.  Cherry had thought they were past secrets, for the most part; she had thought that with all the recent heart to hearts, Berlin finally trusted her, was finally opening up to her.

Clearly, she was wrong.

It was well after midnight when the door opened. With the moonlight streaming behind Berlin, Cherry couldn't see her face—until she stepped inside.

Cherry gasped; she couldn't help herself. There was blood everywhere, dripping from Berlin's nose and mouth, staining the front of her shirt, congealing across her hands.

Berlin started with a wince. "Cherry." The hesitance in her voice proved that she knew she had been caught and wouldn't escape without an explanation. "I told you not to wait up for me."

"Berlin …" Cherry finally found her voice. "What happened?"

Berlin shrugged, pulling a face at the movement.

"Come here." All of a sudden, making sure Berlin was alright was a lot more important that finding out what had happened.

She settled Berlin in a chair and carefully pulled off her shirt, biting her lip when Berlin gave a small whimper. Fetching water and a cloth, she cleaned away the blood from Berlin's face as gently as she could, wiping away what had run down her throat and chest before dabbing at her knuckles. Berlin's muscles jumped on instinct when Cherry ran her fingers over her ribs, but none of them seemed broken. She wrapped up Berlin's split knuckles before finally turning her attention to Berlin's face.

When she cautiously extended her fingers toward Berlin's face, Berlin jerked away. "Don't. Don't touch it."

Cherry let her hands fall away. "Is anything broken?"

"My nose."

"Your … Bee, I don't … What …?"

Berlin shook her head carefully. "I'll do it." She took a few deep breaths through her mouth, gripped her chair with one hand, and twisted her nose with the other. Her scream made Cherry's stomach roll, and when she opened her eyes, Berlin was so pale she looked like she was going to throw up or pass out. Her breaths were shallow, and her eyes were glassy.

"Bed," Cherry ordered, helping Berlin to her bed before removing her pants and boots. When she began to back away, she was brought up short by Berlin's voice.

"Bar fight."

Cherry turned back. "Berlin, you need to sleep."

"No. I need to tell you. I should've told you." She took a few deep breaths through her mouth, and Cherry came to sit on the floor beside the bed.

"I got in a bar fight. I went and drank too much 'cause I know I don't think straight then and I got in a fight with the first brute I came up with an insult for. I didn't want you to know."

"But … why did you do it?"

Berlin turned onto her back and whispered, "I fight before Kage's birthday every year."

"Why?"

Berlin closed her eyes. "For me. So I don't forget. So I don't make that mistake again. To punish myself for giving him away."

Cherry didn't know what to say so instead reached for Berlin's hand and held it until she fell asleep.

*~*~*

When the day of Cherry's first non-rigged fight dawned, Berlin's eyes were still black and blue, but she could breathe properly again. It was a bit disconcerting at times when Cherry was caught off guard but for the most part she was used to it.

The pre-fight nerves were back. Cherry didn't feel like she was going to throw up, but as she waited in the arena tunnel with Berlin, she couldn't stop moving. She sat down to focus on her stretches as Berlin gave her advice.

"This girl, Ginnifer, is a biter."

Cherry stopped what she was doing. "Excuse me?"

"She's a biter. She's just as likely to bite you as hit you. More, actually."

"No way."

"She might pull your hair or try to scratch your eyes out."

Cherry snorted, returning to her stretches. "Great."

"Yeah. If she comes at your face, close your eyes."

"And you're just telling me this now because …?"

Berlin grinned. "Didn't want you to worry your pretty little head about it, Cherry Babe."

Cherry raised an eyebrow at her. "'Cherry Babe?'"

Berlin laughed. "You called me 'Bee' the other day; I didn't want you to feel left out that you didn't get a nickname, too."

"'Bee' is at least logical—and shorter than your name. And I can't believe you even remember that."

"I was in shock, not drunk, Cherry Babe."

Rolling her eyes, Cherry got to her feet. "I'm going to go let some girl bite me and pull my hair."

As she walked away, Berlin called after her, "I'd bite you and pull your hair!"

"Later, Bee."

Ginnifer was a biter. She bit Cherry and pulled her hair as promised, and the crowd loved it. Cherry did not. How was she supposed to fight such tactics? Bite her back? That was a common suggestion from the crowd.

She stuck with her own tactics, wrapping her body around Ginnifer's to avoid her mouth, matching Ginnifer's blows and delivering her own.

In the end, Ginnifer's biting was her undoing. As she bit down on Cherry's bare shoulder, Cherry swung out with her braid and clipped Ginnifer just above the eye. She quickly followed up with a knee to the gut and a punch that put Ginnifer on her back.

Cherry had just won her first fight.

Berlin was beaming at her when she got off the field and immediately kissed her full on the mouth. "You did good."

"Cherry Babe," Cherry added with a smile, and Berlin laughed.

"You did good, Cherry Babe."

Because Berlin wasn't fighting, there was no need to stick around, and they were escorted back to the house.

Neel arrived in the evening and gave Cherry a pouch of coins. "There's your cut of the winnings. Don't spend it all in one place. Or do. It's your choice."

Peeking in the purse, Cherry's excitement escalated even more—if that was possible; a couple more fights like that and she would be able to pay off her debt.

Cherry couldn't stop grinning, especially when Berlin told her, "Go stash your gold. We're going out to celebrate. My treat."

'Out to celebrate' meant The Zone's pub. It was loud and crowded, but Berlin was able to find them a free table. Beer and food made everything better and just added to Cherry's untamable excitement.

"Still want to see me dance?" she asked, breathless with laughter.

"What?"

"Before, I offered to dance for you. Still want me to?"

Berlin grinned. "Absolutely."

Bouncing, Cherry pushed her way to the pole near the band and requested a heavy dance beat.

Berlin stared at her. Cherry was better than good; she was amazing. Her body control was phenomenal, and as Berlin watched her precise contortions, she couldn't help but imagine what other things Cherry would be good at.

Cherry didn't seem to notice the applause when her number ended, seeking Berlin's reaction. "Well?" She slid back into her chair. "What did you think?"

In answer, Berlin leaned forward to kiss her breathless, slipping her tongue inside Cherry's mouth for the first time. "You're amazing, Cherry Babe."

When she pulled back, Cherry followed, straddling Berlin's lap and threading fingers into her hair to kiss her again. Berlin's hands found their way to Cherry's bottom, fingers spread to hold her close as her thumbs rubbed circles on the bare skin of her hipbones.

Berlin leaned her head away with a groan as Cherry began rocking on her lap. Cherry moved her mouth to kiss up and down Berlin's neck and across her jaw.

"Take me home," she whispered, licking at the shell of Berlin's ear. "C'mon, Bee. Take me home."

Berlin's movements were abrupt when she moved Cherry off her but before Cherry could feel the burn of rejection, Berlin took her hand and tugged her towards the door.

When they reached their room, the mood was shot dead. The door—which they swore they had locked before leaving—was wide open, and the furniture was overturned.

They immediately dug through the destruction to find their valuables, particularly to check the security of their savings. Berlin gave a sigh of relief when she found her decoy gone but the rest of her savings completely safe. Cherry's anguished cry told her that Cherry was not so fortunate.

"Everything, Bee," she cried, throwing herself into Berlin's arms. "Everything I've saved!"

"They didn't fall for your decoy?"

"What decoy?"

"Oh, Cherry." Berlin pulled her closer. "You have to have a decoy, a little bag of money somewhere obvious so they take it and run and leave the rest." Didn't dancers get robbed? Why didn't Cherry know better?

Cherry wailed and clutched at Berlin. "I was going to get out of here. We were going to get out!"

"We're still getting out," Berlin soothed, running a hand through Cherry's hair, all previous thoughts and actions forgotten. "I won't leave here without you. I promise."

Part Three

A pity party seemed due the next day, so after they had returned order to the room, Cherry and Berlin lay side by side on Berlin's bed, drinking and moping.

Cherry stared listlessly at the ceiling, all the fight and life gone out of her. It crushed Berlin's spirit and warned her that Cherry was fragile and needed protecting. She talked about fights she'd been in and things she'd seen, hoping to engage Cherry, but it seemed that nothing would drag her from her wallowing.

Several minutes after Berlin gave up, Cherry broke the silence, asking, "Who's Kage's father?"

Berlin sighed. Her life's story wasn't something she liked to think about, much less share. Trivial stories about fights were fine, but Cherry wanted to know Berlin's secret, Berlin's shame, Berlin's soul.

"Lord Kristofer. I was a birthday present to him from his wife." The words came out before she could remember deciding to tell Cherry what she had never told anyone. Somehow, though, she couldn't—didn't want to—stop. "When I told him I was pregnant, he said I had no proof that it was his and that they'd bought me to pleasure them, not to bear them more bastard children.

"Danni took care of me. He'd always been a good friend to me, and he supported me through my pregnancy. Well, through the start of it. He died in one of those freak accidents where some psycho fucks up their toy and then kills it." Berlin's voice had gone empty and detached, like she was reporting foreign news, not the horrific death of someone close to her.

"I was four months along and all alone. I couldn't provide for the baby; I couldn't raise him here, like this. So when the MacLarens came to me, this sweet, happy, well-off family, and said they wanted to adopt my baby … It was like a blessing. They paid for everything I needed during my pregnancy because I couldn't, wouldn't, work. Not after what happened to me, not after what happened to Danni.

"When Kage was born, I could see Danni in him, just for a moment. Then they took him away from me, and I was all alone. I had to start fending for myself again. I couldn't go back to what I was doing before; I couldn't risk another baby who might not be as lucky as Kage.

"So I transferred to become a fighter. I was so bitter and guilty and angry … I was a terrifying thing back then. And then … And then all my shame and hurt and everything I was feeling went away, and I was empty. I just existed; I was just there.

"And then I met you."

Berlin ended the story there, as if it was actually the end of something and not the beginning, and didn't look over.

Cherry tried to process everything Berlin had said, everything that had happened to her, everything that made her the way she was. It was hard to imagine.

Cherry curled up against Berlin's side, wrapping an arm around her, and burying her face in Berlin's neck. She didn't know why. Maybe it was to comfort Berlin; maybe it was to comfort herself. Maybe she just wanted to know Berlin to know she was there; maybe she just wanted to know Berlin was there. It didn't matter, though, because Berlin wrapped an arm around her, too.

"You could get out of here sooner," Berlin whispered.

"What?"

"If you sold your necklace. I've seen that thing; it's worth more than everything you and I own combined."

"No." Cherry shook her head firmly. "That's the only thing I have left of my mother's. That's the only thing I have to remind me of her."

Cherry went to see Neel the next day, and he agreed to get her more fights as long as she could handle it. She assured him she could. Soon, she was doubling up on fight days, fighting someone in the morning and someone else in the afternoon. The pace was grueling, but the money she was making made it worthwhile.

*~*~*

They asked around about Cherry's money, asking all the other women in the house what they had seen or heard that night. At first everyone just assumed that it was another troublemaker from the capitol, come to mess with a few Zone girls. Berlin, for some reason, didn't believe this and continued her investigation.

It was Cherry who found the truth.

She pushed her way to the front of the breadline, a few extra coins clutched in her fist. Ever since the hanging, the food tax had gone up even higher. Ahead of her, a sandy haired man bought several shares, and when he turned to leave, he grinned at her with crooked teeth and crazy eyes. "Thanks, Cherry."

Cherry felt her stomach drop and was almost knocked to the ground as her attention wavered. She paid for her measly food and fought the crowd to get back to her room.

She slammed the door shut behind her and locked it, trying to keep the memories and the past outside.

"What happened?" Berlin was sitting on her cot reading and she watched Cherry fume.

"Nothing," Cherry muttered shortly, tossing her rations into her lockbox and laying down, turning her back to Berlin.

"Sure, I believe you." Berlin's tone said otherwise. "Did you find something out about the break in?"

"Drop it, Berlin."

"You did, didn't you?" Berlin tossed the book aside, a rarity for a valued treasure. "Do you know who did it?"

"It doesn't matter, Berlin. We're done looking. Leave it alone."

"I'm not leaving it alone." Berlin held her ground. "Tell me what you know."

"I know who did it, okay?" Cherry turned over and glared. "And we aren't going to do anything about it."

"What? Of course we are. We're going to get it back."

"No!"

Berlin blinked. Cherry had never spoken to her like that. "What's going on, Cherry? Tell me."

Cherry sat up and rubbed at her face. Maybe it was best just to get it over with. Berlin wouldn't stop pushing until she got what she want, and if Cherry just told her, then she could be done with it.

"I know him, okay? The guy who robbed me. He was after me, not you or anyone else in the house."

"Who is he?"

"His name's Derik. When I was a dancer, I was assaulted. The boy wasn't from the capitol; he was from The Zone. I fought back. The boy died. Later, I found out that he wasn't right in the head—he was crazy. His brother's nuts too, and his brother has always held it against me. This isn't the first time he's done something to me."

Berlin visibly pulled back. "You killed someone? A kid?"

"I was a kid too!" Berlin was holding this against her? Berlin was blaming her for trying to keep herself from being raped?

"Cherry …"

"What?" Cherry held her head high; she wasn't letting Berlin tear her down, not over this. "I did what I had to do. If the capitol boys ever come for you, you'll do the same."

Berlin's eyes widened. "I'd hang for that. People have had their way with me before. It'd be no different."

Cherry gaped. "It's rape! It's wrong! Why can't you see—I did what I had to do, I didn't do anything wrong."

"What did the judge say when they tried you? You didn't hang."

"I was never tried. Derik never told anyone."

Berlin stared at her for a moment, then lay down and turned away.

Cherry curled into a ball in the corner, wondering why Berlin not understanding threatened to rip her apart.

*~*~*

It didn't take her long to notice Berlin's new boundaries. Cherry could do whatever she wanted, but Berlin kept her hands and her mouth to herself. It was an understatement to say Cherry was unhappy about the change; Berlin's flirtations had become a regular—and enjoyed—part of day to day life. Berlin's newfound boundaries were a little too late coming; Cherry was already head over heels.

When Cherry threw herself into Berlin's arms after a triumphant victory, Berlin forgot herself, picking Cherry up to wrap her legs around her hips, pressing her against the tunnel wall and licking into her mouth. She came back to herself when Cherry moaned and rocked her hips, and she moved away so suddenly that Cherry fell to the ground.

Berlin tried to look away, but the image was already burned into her mind:  sweat soaked Cherry sprawled on the ground, panting, gazing up at her with dark hungry eyes. "Damn it, Cherry—"

"Stop." Cherry got to her feet and put herself in Berlin's face. "It's okay for you to want me. I want you, too." She leaned in for a lingering kiss.

When Berlin didn't respond or reply, Cherry picked up her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and left Berlin to watch her walk away.

*~*~*

One day, as they were escorted back to The Zone after having Berlin's leathers altered, a little boy ran across their path and crashed into Berlin's legs before his fearful mother ushered him away from the two Zone girls. Cherry caught sight of Berlin's dark expression and kept quiet.

Berlin kept quiet as well, but her silence didn't make her blind. She saw every mother and child out and about, saw every doting expression, saw every gleeful face. She heard every laugh, every cry, every gentle reprimand. Nearby was a young woman, younger than she was, resting on a bench while she rocked her sleeping baby. Across the street was a woman holding hands with her two skipping children. Ahead was a woman laughing as she tickled her child almost to tears.

Berlin had never had—and would never have—any of that. She would never play with her son, never hold his hand, never make him laugh. She had held him one time, just once, before the MacLarens had taken him away forever.

She would never have what these women had, and it seemed that the universe had made it its mission to repeatedly shove that knowledge in her face until she choked to death on it.

By the time they reached home, longing hurt had given way to bitter rage. Berlin threw her repaired leathers into a corner, and that release felt so good that she flipped her cot and knocked her belongings off her shelf, not slowing her rampage until she had overturned all her belongings.

Cherry stood back, watching with wide eyes, as Berlin's bottled emotions broke free. "Berlin—"

"Shut up, Cherry."

Cherry actually gasped, but she pressed on, stepping closer. "Berlin. Listen to me. This isn’t helping anyone; you're only making things worse for yourself by keeping—"

"You don't get it, Cherry."

"Yes, I do. I know—"

"You don't know anything!" Berlin screamed, eyes wild. "I lost my son. My son. Oh, poor baby, you're not free to go where you want? Someone is always telling you what to do? So what? You're just a little girl, Cherry; you will never understand. You want to get out of here? Well, I gave away my son, and I am never going to get him back. You've had everything handed to you on a silver platter; your life has been perfect compared to mine! You don't understand what it feels like; you've never loved anyone the way I loved my son. You're just a silly naïve girl who's never lost—"

Burning pain spiked across Berlin's face, and it took her a moment to realize that Cherry had slapped her.

"At least your son isn't dead." Cherry's voice was low and deadly, and Berlin gaped at her. "Come with me."

When Cherry's fingers wrapped around Berlin's wrist, she resisted, until Cherry spun back to face her. "You come with me, Berlin; you come with me now."

Unable to fight the iron strength in Cherry's eyes and voice, Berlin did.

Cherry led her from the house, practically dragging her across their cage by her wrist. At the simple graveyard at The Zone limits, Cherry let go of her, and Berlin followed her to stand before a tombstone.

Berlin bent to make out the engraving, but Cherry knew it by heart. Tifani Goldstein. Trevr Goldstein. Together Forever.

Berlin huffed. "Great, Cherry. What does—?"

"No." Cherry's voice was firm. "You don't get to be angry here."

Berlin pressed her lips together, biting back a snappy retort and waited until Cherry finally explained.

"Tifani got here a year or so after me. She was even younger than I was, barely fifteen, but she looked older, more mature. They made her a prostitute when she got here. Beautiful Tifani, with the sweetest smile I'd ever seen and the prettiest laugh. They made her into a whore." Cherry spat out the hated word.

"She died inside a long time ago, long before her body did. What she was doing, the guilt, the shame, the pain, the loss, the meaninglessness—it killed her. Her heart died because she was feeling too much to survive but not enough to live.

"She got pregnant but she kept working. She was going to get her baby out of here. For the first time in a long time, Tifani was alive again.

"We were working so hard … and then she got sick, and all our savings went to the doctor to try to keep her alive."

Cherry paused, taking slow, even breaths. "She died in childbirth without ever getting to see her baby, holding my hand as she bled out on the floor. The doctor couldn't save her. I held her dying baby in my arms for four hours while he cried for his mother, too weak to survive. I felt him shake when he had no more tears, no more voice, no more air, and I felt him go still and cold in my arms." Cherry let the warm tears run down her face silently.

"And when I buried them using every coin I had left to buy them a stone, I buried them alone. In this entire city—this entire country—I was the only one there to say goodbye."

For the first time since beginning the story, Cherry looked at Berlin. Her eyes weren't sad or angry, no rage or mourning; they just were. "Don't ever say that I don’t understand loss, Berlin. I just haven't let it win."

*~*~*

Berlin was conflicted again, even more so than she had been when she first realized she wanted—but couldn't have—Cherry. Then, it had been simple. No, Berlin, you cannot have her; you'll destroy her. By taking her to the graveyard, Cherry had changed everything.

Cherry had been exposed to the soul-crushing loss Berlin was made of and had proved herself to be immune to the infection. Cherry was stronger than Berlin had ever thought, more resistant, more resilient. Cherry wasn't as weak as Berlin was; maybe …

Maybe Cherry would be okay. Maybe it was okay for Berlin to want her, to be with her. Maybe they could really be together.

The thought was mind-blowing.

*~*~*

"Have you ever been in love, Cherry Babe?"

Cherry smiled at the nickname, no longer a tease, and stretched out a little more under the tree she and Berlin rested beneath instead of practicing or doing anything at all, really.

"When I was six, with the girl next door."

Berlin laughed. "No, I mean really love someone."

Cherry thought through her wording before saying, "Never before, no."

They were quiet for some time before Cherry got up the nerve to ask, "Could anyone ever compare to Danni for you?"

"Danni was the greatest man I've ever known," Berlin said slowly. "I loved him, but I was never in love with him. We took care of each other, but we were never lovers. We were like family."

"Have you ever been in love?" Cherry whispered.

Berlin rolled over to meet Cherry's eyes and carefully said, "Never before, no."

Cherry wasn't entirely sure how it happened; she just knew that she couldn't be so close to Berlin anymore without doing something. She reached up to wrap her arms around Berlin's neck, pulled her down, and kissed her until they were both breathless.

Berlin pulled back a bit, looking into Cherry eyes as they tried to remember how to breathe.

"I love you." Cherry watched for Berlin's reaction, saw her eyes go even darker.

"Goddess, Cherry, I love you, too."

Then they were kissing again, and it was completely different from the last time. This kiss was filled with heat and intention, a touch of desperation mixed with an overwhelming need, and it went on and on and on.

"Berlin," Cherry gasped, pulling her mouth away. "Bee."

Berlin slowed, resting her forehead against Cherry's as they shared breath. "Yeah?"

"Make love to me."

Without a word, without an argument or cocky remark, Berlin took Cherry's hand and led her home.

Things settled down after that day with surprising ease. The tension had been broken and replaced with something far sweeter and more fulfilling for both women, and a feeling of home surrounded them both.

Days came and passed; arena fights came and went. Slowly but surely their savings were growing while Cherry worked double time to make up for her setback.

It was amazing to Berlin just how similar her life was to how it had been before Cherry. She ate and slept and fought in her own little world, but knowing that Cherry shared that world with her gave everything meaning. She had a purpose; she was not only living again but living for something, for someone, with someone.

The bitter mourning for her son began to dissolve, replaced by a refreshed view of life and the world, a fight to not only survive but to live.

Berlin had never been happier, and it was all because of Cherry.

*~*~*

Cherry gasped, gagging on the water Berlin offered her. The fight had been extensive and taxing; every muscle on her body was sore and aching. She coughed up several mouthfuls before she managed to get any down.

"Goddess, Bee," she panted, "that was—"

"I know." Berlin took the water and gave her a push back onto the arena floor. "Knock her out, Cherry Babe!"

Cherry stumbled, caught herself as Bela entered the arena, and stumbled again.

Bela was a beast, easily six feet tall with rippling muscle over every inch of her body. Her thighs were comparable to Cherry's waist; her upper arms were comparable to Cherry's head. As she approached, Cherry was literally overshadowed.

Cherry swallowed, hard. Whereas most fighters were built with pure sex appeal, Bela the Bull was built to conquer. Hers was the rare sexual fantasy, but she was popular nonetheless.

Cherry's last thought before the fight started was that she should have kissed Berlin goodbye.

The fight was over in a matter of minutes but not fast enough for Cherry. Bela pounded on her, beating her down again and again with a ferocity that even a fully rested Cherry would have had trouble competing with. As it was, Cherry was not one to give up and kept coming back for more, even when her body screamed at her to stay down.

When it was over, she barely managed the dozen foot drag before collapsing into Berlin's arms.

"Never again," she croaked out, shaking her head as Berlin poured water over her, waiting for her throat to be fully functional again. "No more."

She choked on the water but forced it down anyway, gasping and sputtering, before setting off stiffly.

"Where are you going?"

"To find Neel," Cherry answered. "I have to catch him before he leaves, or these double fights will be the death of me."

*~*~*

Cherry was pacing back and forth in the arena tunnel, but Berlin was completely at ease, even as Cherry rambled about fight options for the pair of them.

"Did you know about this?" Cherry demanded, turning on Berlin, hands on her hips.

Berlin couldn't help the grin that broke across her face. "Yes."

"I knew it! I knew something was going on. You've been acting funny for days, and I told you I was on to you. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't need to know." Berlin's shrug and voice were too casual.

Cherry narrowed her eyes. "Berlin."

Berlin couldn't keep up the façade and laughed. "You're funny when you get worked up like this."

With an indignant shriek, Cherry launched herself at Berlin, knocking her from her seated position to one sprawled across the dirt.

"Hey! Hey! Save it for the match!"

With one last jab to Berlin's ribs, Cherry got to her feet and strutted onto the arena floor.

The crowd went wild when Berlin followed; somewhere among them, two sponsors were preparing for big winnings.

As they circled, Cherry informed her, "I'm not going to go easy on you."

Berlin grinned. "I might have to, to make it seem like a fair fight."

With a cry, Cherry threw herself at Berlin's legs. Their fight had begun.

It was long and exciting, and the audience was certainly getting their money's worth. Berlin and Cherry were evenly matched, Berlin's forethought and strength against Cherry's reactionary contortion. They knew each other's moves and thought processes intimately; there were possibly no better-paired fighters in The Zone.

That was what the advertisements had said, and it was proving to be true.

Each time it seemed a breath away from ending, the fight would change. Berlin had Cherry in a chokehold so Cherry flipped up and over Berlin's head, breaking free. Cherry tangled around Berlin, pinning her, but Berlin flexed and kicked her way through Cherry's weak spot.

Just when Cherry thought the fight would only end when both of them passed out from exhaustion, Berlin stumbled, opening herself up wide for attack. Cherry pounced and a flurry of kicks and punches later Berlin lay pinned beneath her.

Cherry's cut of the prize money was quite impressive—even after her sponsor took an additional share for no reason—and she babbled about the fight ceaselessly as she and Berlin stripped out of their armor and cleaned up. Cherry trailed off when she saw Berlin smiling to herself and demanded, "What?"

"Nothing. I haven't heard you like this since we first met."

Cherry's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You're changing the subject. There's something else."

Berlin turned away, the half-smile still on her face.

"Did—Did you let me win?"

Berlin just grinned in response, and Cherry tackled her without thought or warning, knocking the air out of her when they crashed to the floor. She hadn't fully registered the fact that they were both naked until Berlin's slick thigh slid between hers, making her breath catch.

A naked wrestling match ensued, punctuated with little gasps whenever sensitive areas were teased. Finally though, Cherry emerged victorious, straddling Berlin's hips and holding her wrists above her head.

"You let me win," she panted accusingly.

"Not this one."

Cherry's eyes went wide. "You did let me win!"

Berlin smirked up at Cherry's astonished face, wriggling a little to test that she really couldn't move. "What are you going to do about it?"

Cherry's slow grin was hungry and dark. "We're naked, I'm on top of you, and you can't move. I'm going to do whatever I want." She ducked her head to take one of Berlin's nipples into her mouth and sucked hard.

Berlin arched her back as much as she could, a strangled cry escaping her throat, and Cherry's grin widened. This was going to be fun.

Part Four

"This is it, Cherry Babe!" Berlin tossed the final coin onto the pile she had recounted three times. After months of savings, Berlin could finally buy her way out.

To celebrate, Cherry swung herself into Berlin's lap and kissed her thoroughly. Berlin was too excited to focus.

"We're going to get out of here." She couldn't stop grinning at Cherry. "We'll pool the money from the rest of our fights and buy your—"

"No." Cherry shook her head. "Absolutely not."

"Cherry—"

"I'll buy my own way out, Bee. I'm not taking your money." Her voice softened. "Save it for later. Your inn won't be free. Save up for that."

*~*~*

It should have made a bigger impact on Berlin as Cherry began to change. She should have noticed sooner; she should have been on her guard. Still, Cherry had so much fight, so much determination … How was Berlin to know she'd grow comfortable?

Once upon a time, all Cherry could talk about was Valeria. They'd lie awake late at night, making plans and sharing dreams. They made plans for Berlin's inn, choosing foods and tableware; they dreamed about what colors would be in the rooms.

As time dragged on, these conversations became few and far between before finally stopping altogether.

Cherry had become comfortable in The Zone.

*~*~*

Berlin found Cherry on the house steps one afternoon crying over the letter in her hands, and her heart sank. "Oh, Cherry, I'm so sorry." She sat beside her, wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her close. Cherry, however, remained stiff and unyielding.

"I was going home to him." Her voice was flat as she pulled away. "I was strong for him. I was going to get out of here and make sure he was okay. I was going to take care of him."

"I know, Cherry. I know."

"No, you don't know!" Cherry snapped. "He's not dead; I wish he was. He abandoned me!" She crumpled the letter into a ball, threw it as far as she could, and stormed into the house. Berlin retrieved it before following.

Inside, Cherry stood in the middle of the room, not going anywhere, not looking at anything.

"Cherry, what happened?"

Cherry looked up at her, eyes red and wet from tears and rage, her hair disheveled, her face a mess.

"My father hasn't written me in a year. A year of me worrying my ass off to get back to him; a year of me going out of my mind with fear. He gave up my life to this to pay his debts because he couldn't handle my mother dying, but I was a good daughter for him. Letters and thoughts of him kept me alive, and now," she gestured to the wrinkled paper in Berlin's hands, "now, he's 'severing ties' with me! I've been gone for years, he says; it's time to accept that I'm not coming back. He's accepted it and moved on with his life; he got married to a girl barely older than me! My letters only drag them down, and he doesn't want me to contact him ever again. I'm not his daughter anymore."

Cherry gasped for air, suddenly unable to get enough, and collapsed to the floor, sobbing and screaming, "He was my father! I was his daughter! He abandoned me!"

Berlin immediately dropped to her knees beside her and held her tight as Cherry clung to her.

The tears kept coming no matter how hard Cherry tried to stop them. Years of memories bubbled to the surface, making the betrayal even harder to bear.

Every time she thought she had hiccupped herself under control, a fresh wave of tears dragged her under again.

Berlin got her into bed somehow and lay beside her, holding her tightly all night.

When Cherry finally had no more tears to cry, she curled up against Berlin's chest. "None of that matters anymore. As long as I'm with you, I would be happy here forever. As long as I'm with you, nothing else matters."

Berlin's breath caught, and her heart began to race. It had finally happened. She couldn't run, even as desperately as she wanted to, but as soon as Cherry fell asleep, she made her escape.

Wandering through The Zone in the dark, well after curfew, made it easier for Berlin to breathe but not any easier to think as the barrage of thoughts kept up their assault of her mind, screaming blame. You idiot! This is your fault! You destroyed her!

As much as Cherry would counter these accusations, Berlin knew they were true. She had poisoned Cherry.

She had known from the start that Cherry was too good for her, too pure, too spirited. Berlin was dark and tainted, and by loving Cherry, by allowing Cherry to love her, she had passed on her disease and infected Cherry.

She should have recognized the signs as complacency began to set in, as the fight leaked out of Cherry. The signs had been there all along, right in front of Berlin, and she'd been too love drunk to see them.

Cherry had given up double fights. Of course it was too much for her to fight twice in a row, but as long as she had spread out her fight times, she would have been fine. Instead, she had given up, taken the easy road, feeling less rush to leave. Berlin had enough money to leave and then some; she hadn't needed to fight anymore so she hadn't. She hadn't complained when Cherry pulled out of a few fights to spend more time with her, even though in the back of her mind she had known that Cherry wasn't making the money she needed to get out.

Cherry had stopped dreaming of freedom; it was finally clear to Berlin. Cherry didn't need to leave anymore; being with Berlin had sucked the need right out of her.

Berlin was disgusted with herself. The monster inside her had eaten the beauty out of Cherry.

Everything within her screamed for her to go back to Cherry and live with the way things had become. She and Cherry could be happy together in The Zone, fighting regularly to provide a comfortable life for themselves. Why leave? Why take the hard road and face the unknown? Cherry would be happy—a deluded happiness, but happy nonetheless.

Wasn't that all that mattered?

Berlin stumbled, feeling hot tears leak from her eyes as she realized the truth.

Cherry was all that mattered, Cherry being beautiful, happy, alive. Nothing else mattered, not really, but Berlin couldn't help but feel that Cherry was making a terrible mistake—and that by letting her, Berlin was doing something even worse.

*~*~*

Things between Cherry and Berlin became tense after that. Berlin was dissatisfied and felt she was doing the wrong thing standing by and letting Cherry have her way. For her part, Cherry didn't understand Berlin's sudden discontent. Neither of them discussed it, assuming that the other would figure it out on her own or get over it until Berlin came in from the practice field one day to find Cherry painting the walls of her room. That was when she snapped.

"Just make yourself at home, why don't you?"

Cherry turned around suddenly, taken by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe you should buy furniture too and hang some paintings on the walls."

"Berlin, what are you talking about?" She pushed the hair out of her eyes and in the process, smeared white paint over her left eyebrow.

"This!" Berlin's sweeping gesture encompassed the room—and Cherry. "You've gotten complacent! You've given up! We're never going to leave this place—because of you!"

"I'm happy," Cherry retorted. "Not that you would understand that. I've been dancing my ass off for years; I'm taking a break."

"No. A break is skipping a fight or two. You haven't even practiced in weeks!"

"So what?" Cherry stepped closer, refusing to back down. "I don't want to fight. I've saved enough money to live on for a while. What's the point of putting our lives in danger if we don't get to enjoy the prize?"

"The prize is getting out of here! The prize is Valeria! We won't get to enjoy it because you've given up!"

Cherry glared at her, jaw clenched. "Get away from me."

Berlin glared in return, bit back a retort about never getting away, and then simply left the room.

*~*~*

They still weren't speaking the next morning, and Berlin left for the arena alone.

She was distracted, she reasoned; that was why it happened. That and the fact that Mae, the girl she was fighting, still held a grudge about Berlin humiliating her with defeat years before.

She wasn't entirely sure how it happened, but one moment Mae squeezed her powerful legs tight around Berlin's chest, and the next, her chest exploded in agony. She lay on the ground, barely able to breathe, not sure she wasn't dying, and wondered where Cherry was. Two fighters—she couldn't make out their faces—lifted her, and she cried out in pain.

"She needs a doctor," one of them said.

"No," Berlin said, barely able to hear herself over the roaring in her ears. "Take me to Cherry."

*~*~*

Cherry gasped when Amee and Mriah laid Berlin on her bed, followed quickly by a doctor. She gaped, barely comprehending as Mriah told her that Mae had tried to squeeze the life out of Berlin. And then Cherry was left alone with Berlin, the doctor, and the horror of what had happened.

Cherry held Berlin's hand as the doctor wrapped her ribs tightly to hold them in place. She was right there the entire time, but part of her was far away. Over and over she played the fight in her mind, imagining all the ways it could have gone even worse. Berlin could have died—she almost had and there was no guarantee her injuries weren't worse than they looked. Cherry could have lost her forever … and it was entirely her fault. If she hadn't grown complacent about leaving, if she hadn't given up, Berlin wouldn't have been in the arena at all; she would have been in Valeria, happy and safe.

Berlin had almost died because of Cherry's stupidity.

How could she have let herself get to that point? Only a few months before, getting out of The Zone had been the most important thing to her. When had that changed? Yes, Berlin had made her happy, had made her life about something more. But how could she have let herself believe that just because The Zone had become bearable that she was happy?

"There doesn't seem to be any internal bleeding," the doctor announced, abruptly pulling Cherry out of her thoughts. "I'll check in tomorrow to be sure. Three of her ribs are broken and there's a fair amount of bruising. No fights any time soon. I'll leave these to help manage the pain."

"Thank you," Cherry said distractedly. She took the pill bottle he offered but only had eyes for Berlin; she barely noticed when the doctor left.

Berlin looked horrible. She was paler than Cherry had ever seen her, her skin ashen and clammy. Her face was tight with pain, and just the sight of her filled Cherry with guilt.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, gently brushing a few stray red hairs out of Berlin's face. "I'm so sorry, Berlin. This is all my fault."

Berlin's eyebrows drew together, but when she spoke, her voice was tight and weak. "What are you talking about?"

"I gave up, just like you said I did. For the first time, life here was tolerable and I let myself believe I would be happy here. We would be in Valeria by now if I hadn't given up." There were tears in her eyes but she refused to give in to them. "We're going to get out of here," she vowed. "I'm going to make it happen."

She curled up alongside Berlin like a little girl, careful not to touch her injured chest. Through the pain, Berlin smiled, then finally allowed her heavy eyelids to sink closed. Her Cherry was back.

*~*~*

It felt wrong, standing alone in the arena tunnels before her first fight. Berlin was home, lying in bed, and Cherry certainly didn't begrudge her that. Waiting without Berlin, however, made her feel uneasy. Ever since she had started fighting, Berlin had always been there with her—talking her through the fight, giving her pointers on her opponent, distracting her from her nerves. This time she had no one, and try as she might, she couldn't shake the feeling of wrongness.

The fight was fast and flurried, and Cherry barely remembered any of it. Her opponent was some brutish thug, and unnerved and determined, Cherry caught her off guard and knocked her out in two and a half minutes with only some bruises and a split lip to show for it.

The second fight was a disaster. Maybe she was too self-confident; maybe she was just outmatched. Either way, the brute she was fighting threw her around like a rag doll for ten minutes before finally knocking her unconscious. Other than a severe dose of cuts and bruises, she left the fight with two bruised ribs, four broken fingers, and a fractured or severely bruised collarbone, the lot of which locked her out of the fight bracket for four weeks.

Cherry wanted to get her final fight over, busted bones or not, but Berlin told her not to. Cherry had seen firsthand what came of not listening to Berlin and held her tongue. Berlin needed the extra weeks to finish healing before they sailed for Valeria.

Berlin's recovery was slow, much slower than Cherry's; the years of wear on her body were taking their toll on her healing process. But Cherry stayed beside her through it all and never gave up. She practiced every day, even though she couldn't practice with Berlin, and slept gently curled alongside Berlin every night, dreaming of the day they would leave The Zone for good.

*~*~*

Cherry was getting out; she and Berlin were getting out. That was the only thought on her mind as she stretched for the fight. There was no loss in her plans—it was win or die, as far as she was concerned.

The woman she was fighting looked like a sorceress from the southern deserts, shiny scars tracking across the dark skin over her muscles. She was impressive, that was for sure, and Cherry allowed herself a moment to marvel before throwing herself into the fight.

The fight was long. It seemed like the tall woman never stayed down, and Cherry began to wonder if her opponent would even accept defeat before death. The thought made her stomach roll.

The endless barrage of attacks was exhausting, and Cherry was quickly covered in a sheen of sweat. She had to remind herself to be careful so as not to slip.

The sweat proved to be the downfall of her opponent, who kicked out and her foot slipped against Cherry's slick chest, throwing her off balance. Cherry dove as the desert woman fell to the floor, aiming a kick at the bones outside her eye socket. The woman dropped, but this time she didn't get up.

Not even noticing the crowd erupting in the arena, Cherry dropped to her knees, immediately feeling for a pulse. She was so relieved when she found one that she could have cried; the feeling only intensified when she collected her prize money.

She hurried back to Berlin. They were getting out of The Zone.

*~*~*

Berlin was half asleep when she heard the front door slam open. No screams followed; all the girls were either training or at the arena. She was alone.

Of course it was her room that the capitol boy broke into. He had a sneering grin and dark gleaming eyes when he saw her lying on her cot, still bruised and tender. He didn't even speak, just pounced like some giant cat, holding her down with one arm as he fumbled with her clothing. Instinctively, Berlin froze. He was from the capitol; he could do whatever he wanted. She closed her eyes. He ripped her shirt rather than pull it over her head; she shrunk away from the filthy touch of his fingers on his skin.  Then he reached for her pants.

Years of violation rushed over her.  All the men and women she had serviced since becoming a woman filled her mind, the memory of the touch, the tastes, the sounds.  Memories of lying, of pretending, of pushing away the guilt and shame and loneliness that threatened to rip her apart and take away anything human inside her.  She had meant nothing to them; they hadn't loved her, not like Cherry did.

Cherry. She belonged to Cherry. Her body was not for this boy to defile; she was not his for the taking. Not anymore.

"No!" She screamed and fought, and the boy laughed. As injured as she was however, she was a pro and more than a match for this rich kid. A few swift punches and a well-aimed kick, and he was scrambling from her room, calling her all sorts of dirty words.

She hesitated for a moment, her breathing shallow, and realized just what she'd done. She'd attacked an upper class man. When it finally set in, she lay back on her cot to wait. There was no point in doing anything else. When the officials came for her, she didn't even fight them, just let them take her away.

*~*~*

The door was broken down when Cherry returned and Berlin was gone. Fearing the worst but knowing that The Lord of The Zone kept tabs on all his place markers, she ran to find the officials. They would know where Berlin was. She was too valuable for them to lose track of.

Berlin was leaving the judge's office when Cherry found her. Cherry threw herself into Berlin's arms, ignoring Berlin's reflexive wince, and immediately asked, "What happened?"

Berlin buried her face in Cherry's shoulder, clutching her for what would probably be the last time. "You were right. When the capitol boys came for me, it was different. I couldn't let them have me. I'm yours."

Cherry pulled back, terrified. The feeling overwhelmed her, but it didn't hide the tug at her heart from Berlin's words.  I'm yours.  But this was not the time for that. "Berlin, you—but— Are you going to—to—"

Berlin nodded. "At dawn."

"No!"

Berlin held her close. If these were her last moments, she wanted to feel Cherry's body pressed against hers, to die with Cherry's warmth still in her skin. "It's going to be alright, Cherry. Take my money and get out of here."

"Berlin … no …" How could she even think of leaving?

"I didn't kill that boy, but I hurt him bad. They fined me, on top of my debt. I have until dawn to pay both or I'll be terminated. I'm more trouble than I'm worth."

"Berlin…"

"It's going to be okay, Cherry."

"We're leaving. Now."

Berlin shook her head immediately. "No. I won't try to escape. I won't let you hang too."

"No—we're going to pay our debts." Cherry reached into her pocket and took out her mother's necklace. "This will be enough to pay your fine. It probably could have paid for half your debt."

"Cherry, that was your mother's."

"It doesn't matter." Cherry met Berlin's eyes, her mind made up. "This is my past; you are my future. This doesn't matter anymore. I won't lose you."

Berlin clutched Cherry. "I love you, so much. You're it for me."

"That's good.  Because you're it for me." She smiled at Berlin, a smile full of love and happiness, and Berlin felt like she was truly alive for the first time.

As the sun set, Cherry and Berlin marched hand in hand out of The Zone, unstopped as they passed through the gates and into the capitol beyond. They were free women—no longer belonging to The Lord of The Zone but belonging to each other. Cherry wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Fin

About the Author

Ever since she was a little girl, Kayla has been living in daydreams. They started out innocently enough—little dreams of being a world class gymnast or Olympic figure skater—but quickly escalated to grand fantasies of star-crossed lovers, bad boys with hearts of gold, and far-fetched chance meetings with that perfect stranger. For as long as she’s been able to read her own writing, Kayla has been writing short stories about anyone and anything that finds its way into her fantasy world. Her three loves are music, writing, and art, and the man of her dreams will both inspire her best work and encourage her crazy ideas, hopefully without getting to say “I told you so” too often. (She wouldn’t complain if he was tall, dark, and roguishly handsome too.) When she isn’t writing, Kayla enjoys late night conversations, cuddling, singing to the radio, and long car rides with no destination. Best of all is when she can have all four of these at the same time.

Kayla loves feedback! Please email any questions or comments to kaylabainvrba@yahoo.com.