Ummm, yeah, I should be writing Liar's Princess. Sue me. I wrote this for Caesar's Place September prompt: Bells. Anyway, did you guys know 1=2? I learn weird stuff in my Geometry class...
Bring Bring. Ding Dong. Click Clack. Clang. Bong. Ring, Ring, Ring.
A symphony of sounds, echoing in her ears. She heard them all the time, when she was a wake and when she was asleep. She heard them when she was speaking and when she was silent. She tried to push them away, but she never got them all to stop.
Bring Bring
Wiress ran to the phone, and answered it breathlessly. "Hello, Wiress Kappa speaking, how may I help you." She asked in a sweet voice, like her parents had taught her.
"Hello, my name is Celestia Moore, and I am a doctor in the Capitol. We are so very sorry to report that your mother was sent to our emergency care after one of the Mutts she was designing attacked her. She passed away this morning, despite our best efforts." Celestia's voice carried that odd Capitol accent, Wiress noted.
"Thank you for trying to help her. She was so dedicated to her work. Can I ask what she was designing, or is it classified?" Wiress asked, voice soft.
"Oh, she was so dedicated. We can tell you, of course, we will need years to work out that little bug before we can use it. She was working on a wolf-like Muttation, with the eyes of dead tributes, that would be used for the finale. They were supposed to only react to the Tributes who were still alive, but something went wrong and it turned on your mother."
A wolf Mutt, Wiress thought, intrigued. She loved her mother's work, despite the lives that it cost. There was something about creating that appealed to the fifteen-year-old girl, something that her mother had too.
"That sounds intriguing. I really should go tell my father the bad news, is a funeral date set?" Wiress's voice was a little stronger, not betraying the horror in her heart.
"The funeral will be in three weeks, we will be sending a Peacekeeper to give you more details." The phone clicked as the doctor hung up.
Wiress walked in a daze as woke up her father from a drunken stupor and told him the news. She didn't flinch when he delivered a smack to arm, but she did flinch when he started calling her by her mother's name. The tears came later.
Ding Dong
The doorbell rang, and Wiress rushed to answer it. The Peacekeeper standing outside looked the girl up and down and spoke quietly. "Hello Miss Kappa, my name is Doran Leep. I'm here to discuss the funeral plans for your mother. May I come in?"
"Sure thing, Peacekeeper Leep. Pardon the mess, my mother usually did the cleaning." This was not a total lie. Her mother DID clean the house, but it wasn't ever really clean.
"Please call me Doran. I worked in District 12 before, and they're much less formal." Wiress nodded, distracted. He was nice enough, she supposed.
Doran looked surprised at all the empty liquor bottles, and the motionless figure on the couch, but he didn't say anything. Wiress was thankful, she didn't want to deal with her dad's drinking issues on top of the death of her mother.
" As you know, the funeral for your mother is this coming Sunday. We will be paying for it, and conducting your District's funeral ceremony. It will be closed-casket, and she will be buried in the community Graveyard."
"Is there going to be a headstone?" Wiress asked carefully. She knew what her mother would want on the stone, if there was anything at all.
"Yes, and there will be a spot for you to put something about her." Doran carefully avoided mentioning Wiress's mother by name.
"Well, at least it was memorable. And I didn't look really stupid." Wiress stated. It had been her mother's final joke, the last slap in the face.
"We can get that put on the stone, no problem. You will also be receiving Capitol compensation for the next month while you settle your affairs. Incidentally, it ends just in time for the games."
Wiress didn't laugh. The horrible, awful thought had just floated into her mind. What if she was reaped? Her father would be without money, and she would be six feet under, just like her mother. She might even be killed by one of her mother's Mutts.
Doran sensed she wasn't really paying attention, and left wordlessly.
Click Clack
Marissa Diamond, District Three's escort watched across the stage, heals clacking against the wood. Wiress held her breath, praying it wouldn't be her name picked out. As was District three's policy, the males were picked first.
"Drew Gamma." Marissa spoke in a high, clear voice. A small boy walked up carefully, head held high. He looked to be ten, but he walked from the fourteen year old's section. A girl's scream echoed, and Wiress turned her head sharply.
A girl with golden hair and bright blue eyes was shaking her head quickly. Her screams echoed across the town square. A Peacekeeper walked over to her to calm her down, but she slumped to the ground in a dead faint. Her name was Copper, she was thirteen. She would be Reaped the next year and die, on her birthday.
Marissa Diamond looked uncomfortable, and hurried across the stage and pulled a name out of the bowl with no preamble. Her voice didn't falter as she read the name. Why would it? It didn't effect her?
"Wiress Kappa." Wiress walked in a daze. It wasn't real, it couldn't be. She was half aware of Marissa's heels clicking against the wood as she lead Wiress up the stairs. God, Wiress hated that sound.
After, there were no visitors. No one wanted to say goodbye. Or, that's what Wiress thought would happen. The blonde from the Reaping, the one who had fainted, walked into the room Wiress waited in.
"Drew has been my boyfriend for almost a year." She stated with no pleasantries. "I got the idiot to ask me out after two years of really hard work and I'm not letting some stupid Career kill him. Keep him safe or else."
"I don't know you. I don't like you very much either. And how am I supposed to keep your little boyfriend safe and keep myself alive?" Wiress asked, not meaning to be rude. After her mother's death, Wiress stopped caring about being nice.
"You know, you're a selfish bitch. My name, for the record, is Copper. And I know you can keep him safe. You aren't going to want to come home. Don't screw up." Copper left the room, door slamming with a bang.
After, on the train, there was an unspoken agreement between the two Tributes. Wiress would keep him safe for as long as she could but she wouldn't die for him. Drew would stay alive for Copper, but he would leave Wiress when the numbers were too low.
Their mentor, Beetee Key, was only a couple years older than them. He knew about their alliance, and trained them accordingly. Wiress respected him, more than she respected herself and a lot more than she respected her father.
She wasn't going to win. But maybe Copper would get her boy back. But then again, probably not. It wasn't fair, but it was life. Or, rather, it was a game. A game of death and life. Well, for the Capitol death WAS a game.
Clang
The metal sleeves of Wiress's interview dress bumped each other again. She waited for her turn and spoke about her mother, about her father. She talked animatedly about her misadventures with the Capitol showers, and the somewhat strange first dinner.
"And I didn't know that wine has alcohol in it, we don't drink it in three, so I keep drinking more until Beetee literally had to drag me to my room. I can safely say I learned my lesson." Wiress smiled as the audience roared with laughter.
Wiress had gotten a good reception at the tribute parade, dressed in a costume of woven mesh with gleamed like metal. Her training score, an eight, was fairly good but nothing amazing. But the odds were somewhat in her favor, and she sponsors already.
Sage Hallen, the sixteen-year-old from District One, had offered Wiress a spot in the careers which she had carefully agreed too. Sage was a typical blonde Career, a bit of an airhead with undercurrents of malice.
Lance Mitchells, Caci Marks, and Jet Soar made up the rest of the alliance. Wiress was secretly afraid of them, but she never showed it. She had, however, told them she wouldn't be an easy kill. She knew they didn't believe her, but it was important she was seen as smart, that was her angle.
The interviews were their own,special brand of torture. Wiress found the entire thing utterly ridiculous. It was bad enough they had to play the death game, but they had to play nice with Caesar Flickerman before.
Wiress knew she would never voice this opinion, she cared about her life to much. But the thoughts swirled in her mind, thoughts of rebellion and freedom. She wished, for the first time, the Districts hadn't rebelled and lost. She wished they had fought until one side was gone, so she wouldn't have to kill.
The national anthem blared, announcing the end of the interviews and Wiress left, head still in the sky. Sage raced over to her ally, and smiling sweetly. "Oh, Wiress, you were sooooo amazing! Wasn't she wonderful, Caci?"
"She was great, Sage, but not as good as you." Caci was the polar opposite of Sage. While Sage had ashy blonde hair and pale green eyes, Caci had long, dark hair and sharp blue eyes.
"You were the best of all of us, Cace." Sage linked arms with the other girl and skipped off, Wiress watching the duo critically.
Never before had Wiress felt so alone around so many people. Beetee, fidgety as usual, had given Wiress an awkward hug. Marissa had gushed and given Wiress a kiss on each cheek before flouncing away. Drew gave her a small nod, and she returned the gesture.
Gong
The gong rang out, sounding through the arena. Wiress ran forward and grabbed the first weapon she touched and made the faces blur. She swung her weapon round and round, blocking out their screams. She killed three in the bloodbath.
When Wiress met up with her alliance, they were laughing. Wiress joined in, the sound echoing in the empty, blood-stained field. The alliance watched as the fallen were shown in the sky. Drew had been killed, the first face to appear in the sky.
Twelve others, besides Wiress's three, had been slaughtered. Fifteen childen were sent home in cold wooden boxes, but all that mattered was that Wiress wasn't one of them. She did, however, think of Copper. And then she pushed the thought away.
Later, much, much later, Wiress was walking alone. She had claimed she was going to find berries or roots or even a Tribute, but really she wanted to be alone. The dark, dark nightlock berries she found were perfect for her plan. One could kill a full-grown man.
She could, possibly, slip the berries into the other's food. She wouldn't though, she liked them too much. Sage, with her quirky smile, was always up to anything. Quiet Caci, cold eyes analyzing everything, ready to fight. Lance, warmer than she thought a Career could be, always gave her a hand when she needed it. And Jet, in a quiet way, was the mastermind behind their group.
It was that night, at perhaps three, when she heard the voices. Caci and Sage were on guard duty, watching the small, bright fire. Their arms were linked, Sage's head was on Caci's shoulder. Wiress didn't move, listening to their words.
"I love you, Cace, but we can't do this. Only one wins, and I know it won't be us." Sage spoke hollowly.
"Sage, we could kill them all now, make it to the end. You know we could. And then you could go home and be happy. You deserve it more than me." Caci argued in a whisper.
"I don't want to win. I don't want it to live, I don't want any part of Him around me. You know I don't want to keep it." Sage spoke brokenly.
"Sage, sweetie, it's your baby too. You can't get up. You have to fight, for me if not for yourself."
It really was a favor, Wiress supposed, the next night when she was on watch duty. The shiny silver blade in her hand made tiny cuts in the dirt. It would be best if she killed them now. Sage could be with Caci, Lance and Jet could fight and spar. She was just helping them now, because they couldn't do it later. Or that was what she told herself as four cannons fired.
Ring Ring Ring
The phone on the wall never stopped ringing. Wiress couldn't stand the constant sound. It was always reporters, asking a barrage of questions. Her father never called, he was dead. They said he drank too much, but she knew Snow had killed him. A reminder to keep her alone.
The voices still haunted her. She could see the haunted look in Copper's eyes, the look that lasted up until she was killed in the final two of her games. Sage and Caci, replaying their conversation. Lance, Jet, all the others, taunting her, stalked her through the days and nights alike.
She didn't know when the pain started grounding her, but she knew it helped. Mind-numbing pain kept the voices away, she liked that. Beetee, her old friend, didn't like it. He hated the angry red lines along her arms.
"Wiress, you have to stop." He told her one day. "The pain doesn't keep them away." She didn't know how he would know.
"Don't want..." Wiress started, wide eyes blinking slowly. Beetee nodded, taking her bony hand in his.
"I know you don't want to stop, but you have too. Stay strong, for Copper and Drew and Sage and your mother."
"They haunt..." Wiress protested, the words fading away.
"They haunt you because you let them. Be stronger than that." Wiress nodded numbly. She retreated back into her house and thought about his words.
Later that night, her nightmares were different. It wasn't the dead and the fallen, dying over again. It wasn't her father hitting her mother. It wasn't the wolf-mutts tearing her mother's face to delicate shreds. It was the sound, echoing in her mind.
Bring Bring
A telephone, ringing, announcing her mother's death.
Ding Dong
A doorbell ringing, a Peacekeeper talking about funerals.
Click Clack
Marissa Diamond's heels clicking as she pulled Wiress Kappa from a bowl of names.
Clang
Wiress's interview dress, all silver metal and sparkles with metal sleeves.
Bong
A gong announcing the start of the Games.
Ring Ring Ring
Bells were ringing in Wiress's head. Telephone bells, wind chime bells, doorbells. The sound that was once so sweet haunted the young Victor. The sound mocked her, the tinkling reminding her of laughter of Tributes on a bloody battlefield.
The sound of bells followed her. Sometimes it was quiet enough, and she could get almost a full sentence out. Sometimes it became to much and her words faded out. Sometimes the ringing was too loud, and she didn't say a thing. Years later she would have a new sound. But for now it was bells.
Tick Tock.
Get it? Well, whatever. Review please, with your critical opinion.
Much love, Shine