Tate ran as fast as he could. The leaves hit his face leaving small cuts as he ran, trying to dodge rocks and fallen branches. An arrow zipped near his head, hitting a tree as he passed it, but he didn't slow down. You could see his heart rate at the right lower corner of the screen, as well as his adrenaline and other vital signs. The boy tripped on a rock, most likely fracturing his toes. He stumbled, grunting but just kept running.
"Come on." Lucy muttered, gripping the edge of the pristine leather couch hard, her knuckles white. The screen flashed to another part of the forest, as it followed the girl from District 4 as she ran away from the giant bear mutt that was pursuing her.
The camera switches back to Tate, and you can hear the girl and the bear approaching. Tate stops in his tracks, and so does the career behind him. The girl pivots the other way, making the bear stop and see his new targets in front of him. He lets out a ground shaking roar and run towards Tate, waking his paw across his face, sending him flying against a tree. The career boy behind him shoots an arrow, and another, and another, doing damage but not stopping the bear. It pounces on him and with one large bite, yanks out his right arm, bow and everything.
"Get up." Lucy says to her screen, as if it could hear. Tate is still winded, trying to get up. "Run, damn it."
"Language!" Fulvia snaps. Lucy doesn't care. She can already feel herself start to hyperventilate.
Tate gets up, his head still spinning and starts to run. He makes it to the river, crosses it and collapses when he reaches the other side. He's breathing hard, his toes are still broken but he's safe. Lucy relaxes against the couch and wipes her forehead. Pride swells in her chest for a moment, but she shoves it down just as quickly as it came, and takes a sip of water.
A hand grabs Tate's leg, and he is shoved into the water. He kicks and yells. He tries to grab on to the ground, his nails digging into stone and sand, making them bleed. His assailant is stronger than him, she is more trained than him and better fed than him. The girl from District 4 punches him and smashes his head into the ground and throws him in the water. Limp, he is carried away by waves. He kicks and splashes, but water is in his nose and in his eyes. The flow becomes harsher and he is kicked around underwater by the currents. Before he can regain control, he tumbles down the waterfall.
Lucy feels her stomach drop. It doesn't stop. The air around her is stuck in her throat, and she feels like throwing up. She drops her cup. Water spills all over her dress, dripping on the leather couch and on her legs, into her shoes.
"Lucy!" Fulvia yells but she doesn't hear her. Lucy runs out of the room, nearly crashing into the door. Frantically she presses the elevator button. She still can't breathe. She wants to scream at the elevator to come faster. Everything seems like it's moving slowly. She sees the camera on the ceiling of the roof and wants to vomit again. Her room opens at her touch and she frantically tries to find the button for the music. When she finally does, she blares it as loud as she can, not caring if anyone complains. The capitol rooms are soundproof but she doesn't think it at the time. She can't think of anything but the sounds of waterfalls, trains, and the feeling that the very air in her lungs was leaving her.
Lucy wakes up, 30 minutes later, dazed and confused, her eyes blurry. There's still water in her lungs and she coughs until she pukes whatever little was in her stomach. Snot and tears drip down her face involuntarily. She's shaking.
"Mina?" Lucy knows she shouldn't be shouting but Mina was the only thing keeping her sane at this point. "Mina!"
Lucy didn't remember hearing a cannon but then again, she was passed out for who knows how long, washed up on the riverbank near the sea. She felt tears building in her eyes. The only thing to do now was wait for sundown and look at the sky. If she even lasted that long.
Lucy whipped around at the sound of footsteps approaching, unstrapping the climbing axe from her side and standing at the ready. She tried to appear more confident than she felt, and to not show that her eyes were still blurry and her that her head felt like it was going to explode.
"Hey, put it down." It was the boy from District 4, Garreth. He had a harpoon in his grip. "I just want to form an alliance."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because I was the one who pulled you out from the water."
"I already have an alliance."
"Yeah, the girl from District 6... She never jumped, Lucy. I saw everything."
Lucy felt her eyes tear up and she fell to her knees. Garreth could have well killed her at this point, but he just stood there awkwardly watching her cry. It was going to happen sooner or later but it still hurt. She sunk her fists into the sand.
"Alright." She said. Her legs wobbled as she stood up again, wiping furiously away at her eyes. "Where to?"
Lucy woke up the next day to knocking at her door.
"Ms. Kent! Wake up! You'll be late for your interview!"
Lucy groaned and looked at her clock. It read 10:30. The interviews were usually held the morning after the death of the last tribute she mentored, at 11:00. She would know. In her 5 years as mentor, not one tribute from her district had survived. She wondered how many more would die before she herself was dead.
"I'll be right out!" She groaned.
"Make it quick!" Fulvia said through the door, once again. Lucy ignored her and sat up on her bed. She still had her dress on from the night before. She promptly took it off and made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She sighed heavily at the sight of her own reflection. Her skin was paler than usual, with large bags under her puffy bloodshot eyes. She used to have a small scar on her left eyebrow from when she fell down a tree during her short lived childhood. She rubbed the spot where it used to be. The capitol had removed it after her games, along with every other imperfection on her body.
Her stylist stopped by her room and gave her a yellow dress that sparkled black along the belt line. It made her waist look small and ruffled out, making her feel like a fairy in a lullaby. It was beautiful. Lucy wanted to cry again. She wanted to set it on fire. But she didn't have any other dresses. Part of her just wanted to show up in pants and boots but she knew that could never happen. Lucy sucked back her tears and put on a fake smile. She knew how to do that. That was how she won the games after all. It was a wonder how she even recognized herself in the mirror at this point. Either a shell or a mask was all that she could see now.
"I must say, Ms. Kent, your tributes survived much longer than last year's, and much more the year before that. You're becoming quite the mentor." Cesar smiled at her, and she forced one back.
"Thank you, Cesar. I'm very proud of District 12's performance this year in the games."
"Indeed you should be. It's been years since someone from your District got to the top 7… besides you of course. And, you did without a mentor. How incredible is that?" They both paused for applause from the adoring crowd. Lucy smiled at them. She hated them all. "Truly incredible."
"You're too kind." Lucy still surprised herself at how good she was at this.
"So tell me, Luce, what are your big plans for the future? I've heard rumors about a brand new album release."
"Actually Cesar, the album's track is almost completely finished and a music video is already in editing process."
"Can you give us a little sneak peak? I'm sure the crowd would love to get a taste of your voice tonight." The crowd cheered her on."
"Oh Cesar, I would love to, but you know my producer would kill me. But I promise it will be out soon and will totally be worth the wait. And upcoming shows for the album are sure to follow, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to see me live."
"That's wonderful! Are you giving away free tickets again?"
"Absolutely! I want to give everyone an opportunity to come to my shows." Everyone in the Capitol, that is.
"You really are the Capitol's brightest star!" He paused for the applause once again. "So now that the games are over, what are you planning to do this summer? I know your birthday is coming up soon. Planning on spending it with someone special?" The audience cooed at his insinuation. Lucy's heart beat roughly inside her chest. She paused longer than she should have. Suddenly she could feel every eye in the room staring right through her.
"…I, oh no. I just plan on spending a few quiet days to myself. Just me and my piano, and perhaps the beach. I only have a few weeks before I'm back on my feet again finishing up my new album and preparing for next year's games. Hopefully I can find someone to mentor alongside me for a change, then I could have more time to focus on my music."
"I'm sure we would all love to see what you could do with more free time on your hands, but it's hard to imagine these kids being mentored by anyone else. Such a dedicated mentor, you can really see all the love you have for the games. It makes me hopeful for an even brighter future for Panem."
"You give me too much credit, Cesar. It's because of our growth as a nation that we can see more and more prosperity each year from Districts that normally wouldn't be seen as competitors." Lucy lied through her teeth. She tried many times to become numb to it, but the lies would still sting every time they left her lips. Lucy remembered when Paul and Rory had to carry bodies out of the orphanage when one of the kids didn't show up. She remembered every face. It was the reason she was here in the first place.
"I couldn't have said it better myself." He kissed her hand. "A cheer for-
"Lucy Kent! District 12!" The audience applauded eagerly. A stagehand nudged her to step out onto the stage. The lights were blinding and she could barely see a thing. Cesar kissed her hand and gestured for her to sit down.
"So Ms. Kent! It's a pleasure to meet you." She remembered what Fulvia had told her. Smile, be polite, be pretty.
"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Flickerman." Caesar laughed, his eyes shining with endearment.
"Oh don't be silly, dear. You can call me Caesar."
"Alright, but only if you call me Lucy." He chuckled and nodded.
"You've got a deal, Luce. May I call you Luce?"
"Of course. It's what all my friends call me back home." Lucy was surprised at how well she was keeping her composure. Perhaps it was all those years outtalking peacekeepers and convincing Rory and Paul to let her go out and play.
"I think it's very suiting. It's cute but it's still tough, don't you think?" Caesar asked the audience, which got him sounds of approval. "I believe you've got a fan following already. You're a very pretty girl and well-mannered too."
"Thank you, Caesar." Lucy smiled and blushed..
"So, how old are you again?"
"I'm 15."
"Yes, very young and bright. And you've been living in an orphanage all your life, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"And how is it? Living in an orphanage?"
"Well, it's like having one big family that is always changing."
"Really? That is not an answer I would expect."
"It's run by very nurturing people, which I think makes a difference, although we have struggled to get by in the past." Lucy's heart caught in her chest when Caesar's eyes widened just slightly. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to bring up on national television. They never talk about starvation or poverty on television.
"But things are better now?" There was a warning in his tone.
"Yes, they are better. I have been putting my name up for tesserae for all the children since I was 12." Lucy said. It was a risk but maybe the audience would sympathize with her kindness.
"Really? That is quite remarkable. Perhaps it's why you're here today."
"That's why I wasn't surprised when they called my name."
"Well, on the bright side, if you go home you will never have to worry about tesserae again." Cesar smiled and paused. "If you don't mind me asking, Luce, it's clear to see you have a big heart. Do you think that will be a hindrance during the games?"
Lucy paused for a moment and looked at the crowd. One wrong answer and she could lose this entire thing.
"It won't be easy, but I think when it comes down to it, I will to anything it takes to bring the prize back to my district and to my orphanage."
"Indeed, strong motivation like that is not something to be overlooked." Cesar kissed her hand one last time. "It's been a pleasure talking to you tonight. Lucy Kent everybody!" The crowd cheered once more and just like that, she was escorted off the stage.
That night, she found herself in her usual club. An underground venue, smaller than your average Capitol night house but big enough to attract a significant amount of people. Of course, no one knew that she went there, at least she hopped no one knew. Her long haired brown wig, thick rimmed glasses evidencing that she would like to keep it that way.
Security let her in with ease and she made her way to her usual stool at the bar, where Aella greeted her with a knowing smile. The bartender promptly set three shot glasses and filled them up, each with a different colored liquor. Lucy downed all three with ease.
"Rough day?" She asked.
"Make it a triple dose today."
"I'm on it."
So Lucy downed 6 more. She was on her 7th shot when a young woman sat down next to her.
"Barely 5 minutes in the club and already drinking your way into a stupor?" Lucy looked to her right, at the woman. She wore a black top that stopped in the middle of her torso, high wasted black leather pants with a thin red belt, and an oversized black and choppy cardigan, with red boots and red lips to match. Her hair was long, black and thick, as were her eyelashes. Her skin was deep olive and bared no imperfection, as far as Lucy could see through her current state and the half-darkness of the club
"I don't see how that's any of your business." Lucy chided herself for the rude response after it left her lips, but she didn't fully regret it.
"You're right. It isn't any of my business. I guess you can just call me curious. It's hard to see how such a beautiful girl like you could be so sad on a day like this. I mean the Hunger Games are in full swing so who wouldn't be celebrating?" Lucy noticed the sarcasm in her tone but it was subtle enough not to pass off as anything unusual. She had discovered in the past few years that some people from the Capitol had their own sort of rebellion. Especially people who were like her. People who came to places like this.
"If you knew who I was, I don't think you would be surprised."
"Can I get to know you then?" The woman quirked one perfectly modeled eyebrow.
No. Lucy answered in her head. She looked at the girl again, with her lopsided glistening white smirk, flirty face and mesmerizing curves. You wouldn't want to know me anyway. At least not the real me. And yet, Lucy slid her 9th and final shot across the bar table. The woman caught the glass, and gave one of many more triumphant smirks before taking it to her lips.
"Can I sit here?" Lucy looked up from her food tray. It was the girl from District 6, Lucy remembered. They had talked briefly just before the chariot ceremony. Today, on their first day of training, she looked much different. Her strawberry blonde hair was up in a simple bun, which was in disarray after training, yet suited her somehow. With lack of intricate clothing and layers of makeup covering the girl, Lucy noticed her skin was ridiculously freckled. Sweat made strands of hair stick to the back of her neck and her cheeks were rosy.
"Yes." Lucy figured it was good to make allies since her district partner was already sitting with the careers. His muscular physique made him quickly accepted in their pack. Lucy wondered absent mindedly what people would think if he killed her and came home to be the first winner for District 12. It would probably make for a good show. The girl sat down.
"I'm sorry about your District partner." The girl offered. Lucy shrugged.
"I'm sorry about yours." She answered. The girl looked back and glanced at him. He sat alone, shivering, not touching his food. "Morphling?"
"Yeah… it's quite abundant in District 6." She replied, poking at her food.
"I'm sure it would be in District 12 too if we had enough food to eat." The silence was heavy for a few moments. "I'm Lucy."
"Mina."
Lucy's head spun, as the woman pushed her against the wall of her apartment. Her lips found Lucy's neck and then her lips, and her hands gripped Lucy's waist against her own. Lucy took off the woman's cardigan, which was already half off anyway, and discarded it. The woman expertly unzipped Lucy's dress and soon it joined the cardigan on the floor. Lucy's senses exploded as she felt hands grip her bare skin. Her stomach, her hips and moaned as she felt nails dig into her back painfully. Lucy's hands reached for the other woman's pants, frantically unzipping it. Soon they both were in nothing but their underwear, the woman stopped and took in what was in front of her.
Her dark eyes scanned Lucy's body hungrily and although causing deep arousal, it also caused a twinge of fear to pass through Lucy. She suddenly felt like prey, and she loathed that not every part of her hated that feeling right now. Maybe fear was becoming her new normal. Maybe that's what was familiar now. Either way, Lucy let the woman push her against the wall, and bruise her lips once more.
She was dizzy. The alcohol in her system wasn't as strong as it had been earlier that evening, which was both a blessing and a curse. It made her more acute to her senses. She could feel the sweet taste of mint of the woman's tongue against hers, she could feel the soft lace of her bra brush against her own breasts, and she could smell the expensive perfume she was wearing, but having a clear mind also made memories harder to avoid.
"Bed." Lucy breathed into the woman's mouth. She cringed at her own voice, and how weak it sounded but at this point she didn't fully care. The woman happily obliged. She grabbed Lucy by the hand and led her to her lavish room and pushed her forcefully onto the king sized bed.
When Lucy answered the door in the middle of the night, she wasn't expecting the person on the other side to be Mina. She certainly wasn't expecting Mina to push herself into the room, close the door behind her and pull her into a kiss.
Lucy's stomach fluttered at the feeling of lips against her own. She closed her eyes, and tentatively held the other girl's waist. Her knees weakened at the feeling of Mina's tongue in her mouth. She hadn't kissed anyone since she was 13, and it felt so different it was like it was new again.
"Stop." Lucy said, pulling away from the kiss. Before she did, she knew what she was going to say when she broke the kiss, but the sight of Mina so vulnerable made her forget again.
"I'm sorry, I didn't- I thought that. Oh my god please don't tell anyone. I'll do anything-" Mina stammered, her eyes tearing up.
"Mina it's ok. I'm not telling anyone." Lucy took the other girl's hands in hers, knowing all the self-loathing going through Mina's head firsthand.
"Please tell me you feel it too." Mina said. She couldn't meet Lucy's eyes.
"I do." Lucy pushed a strand of strawberry blonde behind the other girl's ear, causing her to look up at Lucy again. "But we can't."
"Why not? Because they would kill us? Shun us? They're already doing that. They already do that every day."
"Because… Only one of us is going home." Lucy said. Mina was silent. "It's not smart to get attached. We haven't even known each other for that long."
"I don't care. If I die tomorrow I want to die knowing that what I feel isn't wrong. I don't know you. I don't know what your life is like. I don't know what your favorite color is. But I do know that we are stuck together in this awful fucking blood pageant where lying is the only way out, and you're the realest thing I can cling to right now. I refuse to keep living a lie. If I die, I want to die honestly." Mina's green eyes stared piercingly into her own blue ones. Lucy stared at them intently, both mesmerized and scared.
She had noticed every glance and every touch these past few weeks. They had not strayed from each other's side once. The connection she felt to this girl was unbelievable and if she let this happen the damage would be unrepairable. This girl was a risk to her survival and the smartest thing she could do was kick her out of the room and find another alliance. But staring into her eyes at that moment, Lucy knew that if she did that, she would be lying to herself, and to Mina. It presented her with a choice: lie to survive or live the truth, even if she ended up dying for it.
"Kiss me."
Lucy woke up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat. For a moment she didn't remember where she was and nearly jumped out of her own skin when she noticed she was naked. The soft groan of the woman beside her, however, brought her back to reality.
Lucy didn't even know the woman's name, she realized. And in turn, Lucy didn't think she ever mentioned her own.
As silently as she could, Lucy retrieved her discarded clothing around the room. She took one last glance at the woman before leaving. She looked peaceful and content, and still beautiful. She had been pleasant and charming through the evening, and Lucy might have thought to stay until morning but she didn't. She never did.
"I never got your name, you know?" The woman said, her voice raspy from sleep, just as Lucy was about to leave. She turned around.
"… Lucy."
"Winner of the 39th Hunger Games?" Lucy cringed, but wasn't surprised.
"Yes."
"Huh, I wonder what the President would think of it: Lucy Kent, victor and queer. Nice wig, by the way." The woman said with a certain tone of victory.
"He already knows." Lucy answered.
"Can't say I'm surprised. I won't tell anyone else." She offered sympathetically. "The name's Samira but my friends call me Sam."
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Sam."
"You too, Lucy. I'll see you around." Sam stated, rather than asked. Lucy allowed herself a small smile, nodded, and stepped out the door.
"Hello." Lucy stepped into the room hesitantly past the two guards who stood stoically at the door. "What a surprise, President Snow. I hope you've found everything to your liking."
"Very quaint, I will say, although could be very lonesome here all by yourself." The young president was standing up, brushing his fingers across the bookshelf. He stopped, looked at her and rubbed his fingers to clean away the dust. "Tell me, how many girls have you fucked here so far?"
Lucy's heart rate jumped and she could feel her face turning pink beneath her pale skin. Her palms were already sweating before she walked through the door and now she could really feel them.
"-I don't know what you mean, s-"
"Do you not really? Let's refresh her memory then. Gentlemen?" The guards turned on the video on the already set up projector. "Have a seat, Ms. Kent."
Lucy did as she was told, and looked at the screen. She cursed in her head. It was the room she stayed in during her Hunger Games. It was her and Mina kissing, taking off each other's clothes... You could hear every word and every quiet moan. You could see everything from the camera suspended on the ceiling.
The guards looked at it, the President looked at it. Lucy pretended to look at it, her eyes glazed over, blurry with tears, the feeling of longing, shame, and violation swarming together all at once in her head and in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to scream.
President Snow paused the video, then took a piece of paper from his pocket, and began reading it out loud:
"Grieve. I know it's what I need but I just don't know how… let's see: We're still too young, this is too much But I still know that there must have been something that I could have done." He looked up at the girl in front of him. He continued. "A bit grim, don't you think? Let's see another one…"
"I paced around for hours on empty, I jumped at the slightest of sounds… And all the kids cried out 'please stop you're scaring me'. I can't help this awful energy. Goddamn right you should be scared of me. Who is in control?" He chuckled but his eyes held a sharp danger that chilled her to the bone. The next verse he recited was spit out with poorly concealed, very vivid anger. "I'm well acquainted with villains that live in my head. They beg me to write them so they'll never die when I'm dead"
The air was thick. Lucy was afraid to even breathe too hard.
"The Capitol seems to be in love with these clever lyrics. Sadly, their true meaning really only serves to show the pathetic delusions of grandeur of a powerless little girl. Remember, my dear, the only reason you have power is because of me. Don't ever forget that again." He was at a safe distance to her, but it seemed like his voice was looming all around her. "I hope you said your goodbyes because your production team will not be returning to work, or anywhere else for that matter. From now on your new team will be assigned by me."
He stood up from the chair, making Lucy flinch slightly. He clicked the play button on the remote once more and threw it on her lap on the way out.
"Consider it a gift. Maybe this way you want be quite as lonely."
The train ride back to District 12, at least the some of it that she could actually remember, was uneventful. Besides Fulvia screaming at her to stop drinking, not much could be said for it.
But Fulvia could go fuck herself. Lucy never did well on trains, anyway. Luckily Capitol technology helped the ride be almost completely silent besides a few bumps here in there, but even so, by the end of the trip Lucy was just glad to pass out on her own bed.
The next day she drank ginger ale and made her way through town. Sometimes people would stare. Sometimes they would point and whisper, thinking she wouldn't notice. Today, most of the town was indoors, as the Hunger Games was still taking place. The Peacekeepers were supposed to send everyone who wasn't watching back inside but they knew who she was and usually didn't bother her.
Lucy walked through the Seam, the market place, the plaza… Everything seemed still and quiet. Although it was peaceful, it wasn't enough to rest her mind. She fidgeted, getting up from the park bench and continuing her walk, this time to her old childhood home.
"Lucy!" Rory greeted her at the door with a long hug and ruffled her short hair. "It's so good to have you home again, kiddo. Come on in. I'm sure Paul and the children will be happy to see you."
The children were all gathered around in the main living room area, watching the games. They had mattresses and pillows set up everywhere. It wasn't something they enjoyed doing but the risk of them getting caught not watching it was too high, and they couldn't leave the children on their own, even if it meant making them watch other children be killed on live broadcasting.
"Lucy!" One of the children shouted, running towards her. Soon, all the children followed, causing Lucy to smile as she almost got tackled onto the ground.
"Hey everybody! I missed you." She did her best to hug them all and listen to the children's updates on their lives while she was gone. Tabitha lost her first baby tooth, Samwell broke his arm, and Robin sang at a recital at her school. It was a lot of information to take in but Lucy love it nonetheless.
"Come on, children, settle down. Let her breathe." Paul said from behind the swarm. He held her face in his big hands and smiled. "Every time I look at you I can't believe how much you've grown."
He hugged her warmly. The earthy smell of his old coat made her whole body relax, even if only for a brief moment. "It's good to have you back. How was the Capitol?"
"Dreadful, as usual."
"As I thought. Make yourself at home, I'm taking the kids back into the living room now."
"But I want to talk to Auntie Lucy!" Tabitha protested, followed by the agreement of the other children.
"You'll have plenty of time to talk to her during dinner, alright? Let's go now."
Paul steered the kids back to watch the games. Lucy went into the kitchen and helped Rory and Enton, the oldest child of the house, prepare dinner. She zoned out the sounds coming from the living room TV and focused instead on the soft humming being emitted from Rory's throat, the sizzling of food on the fire and the steady rhythm of her knife as it sliced the vegetables and hit the wood underneath. It brought a smile to Lucy's face. The children always had enough to eat nowadays, and although she lost so much of herself, she was glad some good could come of it.
After the children went to bed, Lucy stayed with Paul and Rory and played cards. They talked about their daily lives and told Lucy to come by more often. They said that every time she visited.
But she couldn't risk it. She couldn't risk someone finding out about them. Lucy didn't even know why or how or if the Capitol would care about two random men in the middle of the most insignificant District running an orphanage as long as they didn't cause and upstart. Lucy didn't know but she was scared. Maybe it was the uncertainty that made her anxious but either way. She didn't want them receiving any sort of special attention because of her.
She kissed them goodbye and returned to her home in the Victor's Village. She remembered passing by it at night before she was in the games, and being afraid of it as a child. It was dark, gloomy and abandoned. Even though she lived there now, it still felt abandoned and much too big. The wind whistled through the leaves and moved the branches. The other children used to say that the spirits of all the dead tributes haunted the Village but Lucy wasn't scared of spirits anymore.
"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Lucy asked as Mina opened the train's control panel.
"We could get around so much faster with this thing." Mina responded.
"But why would we need to? We can just set up camp somewhere and stay for a while."
"We can't stay still forever. It's already the 11th day of the games but you know people get bored quick and you know what that means." Mina fidgeted with the cables. "Damn. Cable's fried. Do you have wire in that backpack?"
"Yeah." Lucy opened the bag and handed the wire to her.
"Thanks." Mina said, and began working.
Lucy took the climbing axe that lay at Mina's side and stood watch by the train's door. Something wasn't right, Lucy could feel it. 10 minutes passed, then 20, and still nothing.
"Mina, come on. We should get out of here."
"I think I almost got it!"
"You said that 10 minutes ago. And you said it yourself, people get bored." Lucy reasoned. Mina let out a sigh of defeat.
"Alright." Mina took the wire and put it back in the pack before putting it over her shoulders. "Where too? There's no going back the way we came."
"Yeah…" The wall they climbed had nearly sent them down with it. It was much too unstable. "I don't know."
"I have an idea. How about we walk on the tracks?" Mina suggested.
"I don't know, it seems old and unsafe." Lucy looked at the moss and grime on the track. The wood supporting it looked moldy.
"Everything is unsafe, Luce and it doesn't look like there's another way out."
"Alright." Lucy agreed. Although she felt uneasy, Mina was right.
They began their tread on the tracks. The tunnels smelled old and felt claustrophobic but they could already see the light at the end of it. The tracks ran right through the mountain and across a river into the valley on the other side. The morning air was cold as it hit their cheeks but the view was quite a sight.
"It's beautiful." Lucy said. "Kind of makes you forget where you are for a moment doesn't it?"
You could see the military base in the mountains, covered in snow. On the hills leading up to it, the suspended hillside village with odd rooftops and crumbling statues. The river below them just a bit further out raged and dropped to the ocean side, where old cargo ships were stranded. Nearby you could see the shanty town, which reminded Lucy of the Seam. All around were tall evergreen trees and you could feel the cold humidity in the air. Vapor left their mouths as they spoke.
"Yeah." Mina stopped, and Lucy followed suit. They stood side by side for a moment taking it all in. Lucy took Mina's hand in hers and interlaced their fingers. Mina smiled at her, and Lucy smiled back. They resumed walking, hand in hand.
The tracks beneath them began to shake. Mina's eyes widened as she recognized the sound of what was approaching. And just like that, their moment of peace was gone.
"Run."
They sprinted. They hadn't even crossed half of the bridge. They both realized that they would never make it in time. As she ran, Lucy scanned her surroundings. It was much too dangerous to climb down the thin wooden poles, as they were covered with a thin sheen of ice and was warped and week with the passing of time. Ahead was the river below them. Lucy turned her head. Mina was falling behind next to her with the weight of the backpack.
"We can jump into the river!" Lucy shouted.
"What? That would kill us!" Mina's voice was strained. "I have a better idea!"
"What?" Lucy yelled above the noise. Mina was falling further behind and the train sped into the light, out of the tunnel. Mina dropped the bag on the ground and sprinted faster to catch up so Lucy could hear her. She kept yelling but Lucy couldn't make it out. The train was getting closer and closer by the second.
"Lucy!" Mina screamed, but it was too late. Lucy jumped into the air and straight down to the river.
Lucy screamed involuntarily as she fell, but her voice got stuck in her throat creating an unpleasant and terrifying lump. Pain shot up into every part of her body as she hit the water. Underneath, she struggled to find the surface, feeling water fill her lungs, burning her nose.
Lucy gasped and coughed at the surface. The rapids kept pulling her under and she felt completely disoriented. Mina was nowhere to be seen. Before she knew it, Lucy was falling again. It was a smaller drop this time but she still felt the wind being knocked out of her again. There was ringing in her ears. Lucy had swallowed too much water. Keeping her head above water was an almost impossible task. The rapids became quicker and Lucy was powerless against them. She felt something hard and sharp hit her head and then the world went black.