Union of the Stars: The 220th Hunger Games
Side Stories
These were originally posted on my tumblr (mihanada) but after deciding to write ficlets for each tribute in addition to a growing cast of side characters, I figured it would be best to migrate the rest over here so it's easier for readers to keep track of them. I will continue to post them to tumblr as well, mostly because each one gets a nice cover picture.
Be aware that absolutely none of these will make sense unless you read the Union of the Stars.
All major spoilers will be marked! Please skip the ones marked (light spoilers) if you don't want even an inkling of what's to come. A few are marked (major spoilers), so read at your own discretion.
1: Flash Fire - Brandon Barksdale
How Brandon came to despise the Mu…
Work on the farm is a constant and nearly endless stream of hard work under an unforgiving sun. District 10′s flat expanses of land used to raise livestock provides no shade whatsoever, except in the moving shadows of the barns and houses. The rest is pasture for the livestock.
Bran is thirteen and more than old enough to herd the sheep alone. One of the farm's many herder dogs is enough company for him. In fact, the dog is probably more reliable than Bran's older brother, Camden, who acts like being sixteen means he knows just as much as the older stablehands and workers.
Bran doesn't even know what Camden is rambling about a few yards away, but does admit his brother is great at carrying a conversation all by himself. The chatter is completely unnecessary, though. Bran wishes Camden would just save his breath.
A series of sharp, rolling barks from the other side of the herd catches Bran's attention instantly. He straightens, immediately breaking into a jog to see what has the dog in an uproar. The herder dogs are normally quiet; they only bark when they sense a threat.
"Aw, she's probably barkin' at a coyote again. Leave it, the others will take care of it," Camden says lazily as Bran ignores him and races off down the field. "Bran! Get back here!"
The dogs are well trained and Bran knows the one they're working with today. He sees her tail lashing aggressively as she barks in the direction of the barn. Bran slows down as he reaches her side, eyes sweeping over the entire wooden structure for something - a curl of smoke, maybe.
There is nothing. Nothing he can see and hear from here, at least.
"Stay," he orders the dog. She falls into a sitting position, but her ears are still at attention as she watches him walk closer to the barn.
Wild coyotes sometimes sneak into the coop and kill the chickens they keep for their own consumption. Maybe one has snuck inside. Bran doesn't hesitate to run up to the doors. Standing tall and speaking in his best imitation of an adult's deeper voice is usually enough to scare them away.
However, he hears voices on the other side of the door. They're faint, but he can make out the angry shouts that bring him back to sleepless nights in his former home. His father, irate as he interrogated his wife about her whereabouts for most of the night. His mother, barking at them for reasons he can't even remember.
Bran knows that they're probably screaming at one of the new stablehands. The farm recently hired a few more to help during the busiest seasons, throwing the entire hierarchy of the place out of balance. He rolls his eyes as he pushes the doors open. That's why he prefers to work alone with the animals.
Indeed, he sees five regular workers cornering a young boy just two years older than Bran. He must have messed up something. Bran scans the room and finds a broken halter laying on a pile of hay. That explains it.
All of the regulars are older than either of them by at least four years, but Bran isn't to back down just because the others are bigger and stronger than him. He walks into the barn intending to tell them to just get back to work when he hears the boy shout, "Leave me alone!"
Bran is about to break into a run, forget warning them off, but he never gets a chance. The entire barn seems to shiver just then, the wood groaning all around them.
"There you are!" Camden exclaims from behind him. He grabs Bran's wrist and drags him back outside.
Bran twists free of his brother's hold and snaps at him, "Get off me!"
A second later, the barn shrieks. Then it snaps.
Bran turns around so fast that he doesn't know what he is staring at, at first.
The sturdy wooden panels snap outwards, like something huge kicked it from within. Camden grabs Bran's arm and drags him away to avoid the flying bits of wood. Even though Bran wants to stand his ground, half of him agrees that whatever is happening is out of his control.
A loud, splintering crash shoots across the flat fields around them. It's followed by screams, horrible, twisted screams like the ones Bran hears on the Games every year.
He watches with horror as parts of the barn collapse outward, as the boards suddenly burst into flames.
"Wh-what the hell…" Camden gasps, releasing Bran enough for him to squirm out of his brother's grasp and get closer. "Bran! Where the hell do you think you're going?"
Getting closer, Bran sees the source of the destruction standing untouched amongst the rubble. It's the boy from before. The stablehand. He's - he's not right. He's surrounded by flames glowing yellow, and as Bran stands there, he watches as the boy falls into a crouch and screams.
His screams seem to make the flames wake up even more. They rise into the air, forcing Bran to stumble away.
He hears a terrible moan cut through the sounds of creaking wood and flames crackling in the air and sees one of the regulars at the edge of the destruction. He is completely pinned beneath splintered wood that cuts into his body. A red puddle of blood grows beneath him.
The haze of horrified curiosity breaks over Bran's head in an instant. Fear slams into him as he watches the boy - no, the Mu - throw his arms out with a scream, making the rest of the east wall collapse. The only to escape the fire and carnage was a stablehand Bran has known for years. He runs in the direction of the farmhouse, where there will be a phone and backup against this terrible creature that has just emerged from among them.
Bran, for once, lets his brother drag him away.
All he thinks about for the rest of the night is the broken screams and groans of pain, the sight of wood ripped through those men's bodies like wet paper.
What gave him - it - the right to snatch their lives away just like that? Sure, they could be unfair, bullies, sometimes. But that just meant they deserved a good beating in a fight, not to be slaughtered like the animals they raise for meat.
Bran doesn't eat much that night. He can smell the scent of burning flesh in his nose still. Even his twin sister's prodding can't get him to budge.
"Leave me alone, Cori," he says later, after dinner. It's a nice night, too. Taya put together a decent meal of roasted chicken and bread for them. It's not something she gets to do often.
Slowly, the hatred brews in his chest. The Capitol is right. Mu are deceptive, dangerous creatures. They shouldn't even exist. Nothing in nature should be able to cause such mass destruction in such a small amount of time.
Before, Bran didn't think too hard about it. Mu are sent to the Games every year. He's always thought they looked a bit pitiful, but the display of their destructive powers in a contained arena is proof that they deserve to be there, to some degree. Now, Bran is certain of that.
Brandon Barksdale belongs to Golden Moon Huntress.