Okay. I dunno. The first chapter was only supposed to be a oneshot, but I got several people asking me to continue it. So I thought, why not? It probably isn't as good as the initial chapter, but if this one gets the same reception, then I might continue it properly. I dunno. I'm still sort of undecided, but yeah. This isn't very articulate at all I hope you like it! DISCLAIMER: I own nothing at all!
Lily's mother had never been a particularly loud person. Even now, sending her youngest daughter off to an arena to fight to the death, Caroline Evans sobbed quietly. As she was ushered into a small, stuffy room by a pair of Peacekeepers, Petunia walking stiffly at her side, Caroline let tears drip silently from her face onto the thick, worn carpet.
"Mum." Lily stood from her uncomfortable chair, rushing forwards and letting her mother's arms wrap around her. There had once been a time where those arms had been comforting, protective, as if Lily were encased in an impenetrable bubble - now, that whole idea lay in pieces. Her mother's warm hug was nothing, meaningless, insignificant against the Capitol's guns and complete control.
They said nothing for a while. Eternities seemed to pass, Caroline silently weeping and shaking, Lily trying to swallow the lump in her own throat. It was only when the Peacekeepers said "two more minutes" that something seemed to spark.
"Lily." Caroline held her baby daughter at arm's length, looking straight into the green eyes that she'd inherited from her father, the father who was working double shifts at the minor power station near their village. What would he do once he came home, to find that his Lily, the apple of his eye, had been carted off to be murdered? "We will always love you, no matter what. Just try your best. That's all anyone can ask of you."
"Mum." Petunia snapped. "That's crap advice. Listen to me, Lily."
Slightly surprised, Lily turned towards her sister, the polar opposite of her, who was now clenching her jaw, tears threatening to spill out of her cold blue eyes.
"I hate to say this, but... James will protect you. Take advantage of that. You can do this. You can win. I don't care how many years the Careers have practiced for - you're smart, and you're fast. You might not be able to handle a heavy weapon with those skinny arms, but just... be vicious. Explode. Don't hold back. Hold back, and they'll kill you. Got it?" Petunia grabbed Lily from her mother, shaking her slightly. "Do you understand me?"
"Yes. Yes!" Lily nodded, her voice cracking with a sob. It was this unexpected burst of positivity and help from Petunia that tipped her over the edge - her breathing became ragged, tears escaping and racing down her cheeks. "Petunia, I'm so sorry, for everything. I never meant to be-"
"Forget about it. Just come home, okay? Just come home." And then Petunia started to cry, and in that moment where the sisters' broken relationship was finally starting to mend, the Peacekeepers grabbed the two older women and dragged them away from Lily, sobbing and paling in despair. Lily reached out for one last touch, but her hand only brushed air.
James' parents saw him first. The Mayor and his wife were solemn, shell shocked. For a moment, they stood in complete silence, gazing at their only child with expressions he just couldn't understand. He met their eyes wearily.
"James." His father began, frowning. "Your name was in there once. Once."
"I know." said James flatly. "I... I had to do it, Dad."
"No you didn't, James!" said his mother, her voice dangerously high-pitched. "You've condemned yourself to death for a girl! I know you love her, James, but really, that was the worst possible thing you could have done! You could have stayed here and helped sponsor her, for god's sake!"
"Sirius will do that." James said quickly, instantly sure of it. Sirius would take care of them both. Sirius' uncle worked in the Capitol, somewhere in the government. He wouldn't let them starve.
"Will Sirius be there to be our son, too?" said James' father, stern. "Don't you know how we-"
"It's my life, Dad! I want to do this, I need to do this! How could I just let her go? How could I watch her on a screen and be powerless to help? I'll be there with her, I can help her-"
"And then she'll stab you in the back." said his mother haughtily, breathing in sharply.
"No she won't. She'll stab me whilst looking into my eyes, at my request." James finally dropped his gaze to the floor. "This is the last time you're going to see me. Goodbye."
They broke. James' mother crushed him into a hug so hard that he felt as if his bones would crack, and his father even gave him a kiss on the side of his head, something he'd never done before.
"Make us proud, son." He said gently. James could hear the defeat in his voice.
Next was Sirius, who only had a couple of minutes to talk to his best friend. They'd met six years ago, when they had been bright-eyed eleven year olds, bundled up by their parents to attend some grand party in the Capitol - they'd long since forgotten what it had been for. James distinctly remembered being introduced to Sirius by each boy's parents, shaking hands awkwardly, and then later trying to out-eat each other with bowls of pink soup dotted with raspberries. James had puked first, into a toilet like everyone else at the party, gorging themselves and then throwing it all up to make space for new dishes. Sirius had held James' rectangular classes as the latter had puked, calmly nibbling at a little roasted bird. That was when James' respect for the other boy had rocketed, and it had only ever gone up since that day. Sirius' family were at an equal social status to the Potters, so the two boys met quite often at different functions, before Sirius' parents moved to District 5 and they became neighbours. Since then, James and Sirius had become inseparable.
And now, at seventeen years of age, James Potter looked over at his best friend, for what was almost definitely the last time.
"Listen, mate-"
"I know. Don't worry. She'll get food, and so will you - I'll do everything I can." Sirius' grey eyes locked onto James' hazel, and they communicated a million thoughts between them in a single moment. "You're a fucking idiot."
"I know. And... I love you, Sirius."
Sirius rolled his eyes, his handsome face contorting into a pained expression.
"You're coming back, mate. You don't have a choice."
"I'm not. Lily is."
"You think she'll go down without a fight? I just hope you don't end up killing each other. That would be a waste."
They hugged, savouring each other's warmth and familiar smell. The Peacekeepers were nicer to them than they were to the average civilian, and so only politely asked them to leave the room and follow them. James Potter and Sirius Black parted, and as they shared one last look of friendship and farewell, James' heart fell at the idea that he'd never see Sirius' easy smile again. He blinked away the growing tears in his eyes.
James was no stranger to a train. He stepped onto the vessel lightly and turned to help his fellow tribute onto it - she ignored him completely, clambering onto the train with her long, pale legs and instantly strutting away. Their escort, Corolea Fulhart, hurried after her, waving her arms at James to follow.
"Children! Follow me, dears!" Corolea squeaked. Her amber hair was curled at the tips, the curved edges bobbing around her shoulders, silver flowers designs tattooed onto her cheeks. Corolea was very cutesy - she had large violet doe eyes and unhealthily skinny limbs. They could have been given a much better escort, but then again, they could have had someone much worse.
"Where're our mentors?" James asked, referring to Kassie Manirium and Lionel Manse. Every child in District 5 grew up knowing the pair - they were the pride of the district, after savage wins that would have made Careers look like toddlers. Kassie was a heavily built woman who had a penchant for thin vests and long ponytails, famous for slicing the penultimate tribute of her Games from throat to groin with a rusty pitchfork, then digging out the entrails and raising them above her head in a victory-induced period of madness. Lionel, a wiry man with a mane of curly corkscrew curls, was renowned for capturing his targets in sloppy nets, then stuffing their mouth with rabbit excrement until they choked. Both were feared as well as respected, portrayed as ruthless beasts who did as they liked about the district. In all honesty, James was quite glad to put off their meeting - Kassie would take one look at his skinny frame and noodle arms and eat him alive.
"They'll meet you at dinner." Corolea responded, knocking James from his train of thought. "Which is in... two and a half hours! I want you both showered and dressed with the clothes on your beds, you're awfully sweaty after today! Oh, the excitement!"
They'd caught up with Lily, but she still refused to acknowledge James' presence, making sure her back was turned firmly towards him. Her long dark red hair rippled in front of him, her battered trainers and faded shorts making her look painfully different to the rich, plush decorations of the train. James felt uncomfortable in his own silk shirt and trousers, imported from the Capitol. Normal people would say it was his Reaping outfit, but he had an embarrassing amount of Capitol-standard clothing in his wardrobe.
Unfortunately, he'd missed the majority of what Corolea had just said. With a flourish and a squeaky "Remember! Two and half hours!", she ushered them both into their separate bedrooms on the train. James closed his door, stood there for ten seconds, then exited back into the now empty hallway, taking his long strides to the door directly opposite his, where Lily would be ... what would she be doing? Crying? No. Cursing her luck that he was there with her? Probably... but he felt no shame. There wasn't a single ounce of regret burning within him. He completely and utterly felt that he had done the right thing, that to volunteer as a tribute was truly the only path he could have walked.
"Lily?" He said, resting his forehead against the wood of her door. "Lily? Please open the door."
Silence. There was a thump as something fell onto the floor.
"Lily, please! Are you just going to ignore me for this entire thing?"
"Fuck off, James."
Well, that was a start.
"Lily." How many times had he said her name in the last two minutes? "We both know I'll just use my extreme manliness to break this door down if you don't open it."
Nothing. So, humour wasn't going to do it for him this time either.
"L-"
The door was wrenched open and swung inwards, James falling forwards. He grabbed blindly for something to stop him landing flat on his face, grabbed Lily's boob by accident, then grasped her arm. Steadying himself, he straightened up to flash Lily a charming grin, but she jerked her arm away.
"You're a fucking arsehole, James Potter," she fumed, glaring. "Why did you have to volunteer? Why?" Then she was flying at him, beating her fists on his chest, suddenly beginning to cry like a leaking pipe, sniffing and punching simultaneously - James tried to catch her flailing fists, feeling them hit several sensitive spots before he finally managed to grasp them, holding Lily's clenched hands in front of her face. Then the leaky tears evolved into a full blown waterfall - he felt the life and energy drain out of her and she collapsed onto him, switching from attacking him to seeking his comfort. James could only imagine how she must be feeling - she was furious at him, of course she was, but she felt sick, she felt weak, and most importantly, she felt scared.
Neither of them said nothing. She simply sunk into him, soaking a patch of his t-shirt with tears before her eyes dried up. The train rolled onwards, but Lily and James were back in District 5, frozen, not quite accepting their fate.
After a while, Lily jerked away from him.
"Sit down, James." She sat down on the bed and patted the spot beside her. He sat.
"I hate you."
"I know."
"I can't believe you did something so stupid, James."
"How could I watch you fight for your life on a stupid TV?"
"So you decided to watch me on location?"
"I'm going to make sure you win."
"That's pretty egotistical. How could you possibly take on four huge Careers and the other tributes?" James scowled at that.
"I can do it. As long as we're together."
"Don't you understand, James? You want to die to keep me alive. I want to do the same thing for you. You've made the situation worse."
"Your odds are better now!"
"No they're not!"
"You're not dying for me."
"Oh, you think you can just boss me around? Fuck you, James. I can do what I want, and I want to save your life even though you carelessly threw it away."
"We're just gonna have to agree to disagree." He noticed that her hard expression had softened. "We can work together in the arena."
"And then one of us dies."
"Not one of us. Me."
"That's what you think."
James raised an eyebrow at her. Lily ended the conversation by getting up and walking past him.
"What are you doing?"
"Having a shower." She said simply, kicking off her trainers. James grinned.
"Can I join you?"
"No."
"Why not?!"
Lily only smiled sweetly at him, ripping off her socks and disappearing into the bathroom.
She's only playing, James thought, waiting for her to come out again and beckon him in with her. He sat, waiting, until the door opened again.
"I knew you'd-"
He only saw Lily's pale arm as she opened the door a crack, threw her clothes outside, and slammed the door shut again, the lock clicking into place.
Damn.
Lily felt sick as she dressed in the soft, light brown trousers and white t-shirt that had been laid out on her bed. James had gone, presumably to shower and get dressed himself. Oh, how she'd enjoyed rejecting him. Serves him right for being a douchebag.
Another wave of nausea hit her again. What was she going to do? Of course, she hadn't fancied her chances at the beginning, but with James... now they were zero.
He wanted to die. So did she. It'd be a battle, but Lily knew she'd come out on top. She'd win. She'd win and she'd lose, simultaneously. She remembered Petunia... Just come home, okay? Just come home. What would they do without her? Mum and Dad still had Petunia. They'd still have a daughter. James' parents... they only had him. Yet another point to justify her reasoning.
I don't want to think about it. If she thought about it, she'd spiral into a pit of despair and be killed at the Cornucopia within five seconds. She needed to keep her head.
Lily's hair was still damp when she arrived for dinner, due to the extremely long shower she'd had. She didn't want to see James, which was strange - sometimes she just wanted to lie with him and bask in his familiar, comforting presence to melt all her worries away; other times, she'd rip his head off if she laid eyes on his stupid face at all.
Corolea was already seated, fiddling with the fruit bowl in the centre of the table. She beamed at Lily as she entered and sat at the mahogany table, slightly unnerved by everything. The life she was used to was simple and uncluttered - bare wood and battered furnishings, a crackly television with a bent arial and stained kitchen worktops. This was almost surreal - the train decorations glimmered with precious metals and jewels, even the candle-holder, which was encrusted with tiny diamonds; the fruits in the bowl looked plump and juicy, as opposed to the limp, bruised counterparts she was used to at home. She picked an apple up and bit into it, experimenting - sweet juice exploded onto her tongue, and Lily had never tasted anything so sweet. Corolea giggled at her expression.
"Don't look so amazed, dear! People might think you're a savage!"
Lily nodded and swallowed, trying to eat more daintily. It was hard when the thing you were eating was the food of the gods.
James entered ten minutes after he. He looked good, more so than usual, but Lily resisting the urge to grab him and kiss him right there. Half of her was fuming at him, the other half almost glad he was there. But no, that was sick, that was inhumane to think - she was glad he was being taken to an arena to fight to the death? It made her stomach swirl to think of him in so much danger. He'd be a prime target, too - he was too skinny, and too appealing to sponsors. The Mayor's son who volunteered so he could be with his girlfriend, and good looking to boot. That stupid smile of his always did land him in more trouble than it was worth.
James and Corolea exchanged greetings, and together they waited for their mentors. James sat beside Lily, slouching in his chair and ruffling his mane of dark hair so unnecessarily that she almost slapped his hand with her spoon. He caught her eye several times, obviously still sulking that she hadn't let him in the shower with her. Tough shit.
Kassie and Lionel arrived fifteen minutes after James. Lily had seen them before, but they were truly terrifying - decked in animal print, studs and ripped denim, their mentors grinned at them with toothy smiles, seating themselves opposite Lily and James.
"Well, well!" said Lionel, picking up his cutlery as Avoxes melted into the room, their platters holding steaming bowls of soup. "Our tributes for this year, eh?"
"Yes, sir." said James, stopping himself from nodding to the Avox serving his starter. That'd only get the poor thing in trouble.
"Sir? What's this 'Sir' rubbish? Call me Lionel."
"And I'm Kassie. I'm sure you know that." Kassie narrowed her eyes at Lily. "Skinny. Hair's gonna stand out like a beacon in the arena, you better smother it with mud when you're in there. You fast?"
"Kind of?" Lily didn't really know. Her reflexes were better than anyone's she knew, but what was that to a Career?
"She's fast." James confirmed.
"And you're... together?" asked Lionel, raising an eyebrow. James hesitated, obviously not wanting to say the wrong thing.
"Yes." said Lily, smiling at him. James' face melted into an expression of shock and relief - she reached for his hand under the table. He met it, and their fingers locked together.
Kassie tutted.
"That's gonna be a problem. At least you'll be loyal to each other... but hey, you're not the worst we've had. You could win, if you wanted." She said it as if it were a choice, or a children's game that they could opt out of at any times. "And you, what are you like?" That was directed at James. He replied smoothly.
"I'm smart. So's she. I could handle a knife pretty well, I reckon, but I haven't had much experience."
"We'll see about that when we get to the Capitol." Kassie began to dig into the pork that was laid in front of her, after finishing the soup in ten seconds flat. "So. Tips. What first?"
"The Cornucopia." Lily said immediately. "What do we do?"
Kassie and Lionel chewed for a few moments, sizing up their tributes.
"With your frames... I'd say run. Or take something. Whichever."
James raised his eyebrows, unimpressed.
"That's not really an answer."
"Yes it is. It's your choice."
"But you're our mentor."
"Yeah. I guide you. I'm not gonna tell you how to do everything, cause everyone's different, yeah?"
"Is that why there haven't been any District 5 winners since you?"
"James." Lily hissed. Don't annoy them.
To her surprise, Lionel laughed.
"Alright, little boy. Here you go. When the countdown stops, run. Run for your life, literally. Get the closest thing and get the hell out of there. Don't try to get any of the good stuff. You just need some basics to help you get by until you settle in the arena."
Lily visualised the moment. Surely she could run a little further, get something good? She'd grown up watching the Games. Some people got out of there alive with something good. Could she be one of them? She chewed venison thoughtfully.
"Oh no, little girl," said Lionel, fixing her with an admonishing glare. "Don't try anything risky. The closest thing, then out. Got it?"
There was a split second of tension as Lily considered arguing - then James squeezed her hand, and she nodded, ducking her head and eating some more venison. It was exquisite, as was all the food they'd been served - and just rich enough to make her teeter on the edge of being sick.
The dinner passed with the same sort of conversation, with the occasional addition from Corolea. Don't die. Don't make noise. Don't build a fire. Avoid camping on the floor... all basic things that Lily wouldn't have done anyway. This beginning session was almost boring, if the impending doom that was surely coming hadn't hung over her head the entire time.
After a pudding of fruit, cream and swirls of chocolate, Corolea declared that dinner had finished. Kassie and Lionel, with one last analysing look, said goodnight and left the carriage. Corolea gave the tributes a slightly nervous look and left too, with a squeak and a "Good night, dears. Have a good, um, night", as if they were about to go at it like rabbits once they got to their rooms.
James and Lily left together. Lily kept silent, sensing James' hesitant behaviour.
"So... we're still together?"
"Of course we are, you tosser."
"So."
"So."
"You gonna go to bed?" Lily gave him that look.
"James. We're being taken to an arena to murder other teenagers or be murdered ourselves, against our will. Do you really think I'm in the mood?"
"Oh. Yeah, of course. I just thought... cause we won't have much time together..."
"And whose fault is that?" Lily turned to go to her room. James grabbed her wrist.
"Lily, come on."
"James, I don't want to-"
"No, I'm not on about that. I just... I just want to start working together. As a team. I know I made things worse, in one respect... but I made them better in another. Come on, you have to admit that. Maybe... maybe there's a chance we could both win?"
Lily narrowed her eyes at him.
"Don't raise your hopes, James. There have never been two winners. And there never will be." James' grip on her wrist had slackened, and she shook him away. "Please. Don't... don't get hopeful. It'll only make it worse."
"Yeah, it was stupid of me to say... I'm stupid."
"No you're not." She almost smiled, her lips twitching. "You're the most intelligent person I know. Apart from me."
He raised his eyebrows, hazel eyes twinkling, all seriousness of the situation dropped.
"Oh, really? I'll contest that."
"You're on, Potter." WIth that, she slid her arms around his neck and brought his face down to kiss him. He responded eagerly, hands sliding around her waist. The kiss was far from gentle - it was passionate, angry, made even more urgent because of their newly numbered days. Lily kicked her door open, pulling him inside. They ended up lying on her bed, and with every minute she felt more and more relaxed, loosening until she was completely comfortable, almost happy, her skin starting to burn at James' touch. With him, she felt... she felt like she was home. Lily made a decision, and promptly began to unbutton James' shirt. He broke off, surprised.
"Are you sure? I don't want-"
"Shut up, James. I want." She crushed her lips against his, ripping his shirt off.