Sunday Morning- Ian Clarke
Pontifex- King of Spades
I wake up that morning to Empress and Dream's calls. The sun rises over the ocean in an oval of oranges, reds, and pinks. The others go to pick up and account for other supplies, but I sit and watch the sky for a second. I listen to the ocean waves gently hit the beach. I hear the birds quietly chirping.
The sky is a rich periwinkle, brightening up more and more with each second. It's a new day here. A cool breeze feels delightfully pleasant.
"Pontifex!" I turn around to where Janie waves her hand in a signal for me to come on already. I climb out of my breathable sleeping bag (that did a pretty good job at keeping the sand off), roll it up, and join the others.
Janie was able to win the battle for the only set of throwing knives. Dream took a hatchet and Empress took a bow and arrows, though looks hesitant on it. Katherine took the axe and insists on using it. I got the spears I wanted.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about that boy from 9 every time a pulse of pain shot through my nose and up to my eye where the girl from his District punched.
But, this is how I chose to prove I'm worth something, and now it's just what I have to do, as much as I may not want to. I keep thinking about the pain I felt when I was just a kid and my brother died to his own hand right in front of my face… I don't like to think about that. Especially not now.
"Well, leader?" Empress crosses her arms and looks at me. I suddenly realize she was talking, and don't really know what to say in response to whatever she was talking about.
"Er, yes."
Empress sighs. "Get with it. We need to know what the game plan is today."
"Right. Well, food and water is important, and we have some supplies to convert the ocean water into drinking water, so that'd be first. And also some house-keeping for all of us, because I'm sure we all stink.
"It's so hot out, we can't help stinking," Dream says. In the time it took me to get our stuff together, the breeze disappeared and by the time we set up the supplies to evaporate the water, we're all going to be stinky, sweaty messes.
"What about hunting, Mega Power Man?" she asks.
"We'll get there. As soon as we're all cooled and cleaned, we're going to venture further in and find some tributes."
"Sounds good to me," Janie says enthusiastically. I really wish she would stop being such a friend. The friendlier she is, the harder it's going to be to see her dead. I quickly shove the thought out of my head. It's lurking there, like a heavy dark cloud, but for now I can try to ignore it.
I walk toward the ocean, the others following with two bowls and a box of plastic wrap. We all pass around one of the full canteens of emergency stock just in case we run out and have to make more. Usually, I would mind at sharing it around without doing as much as wiping it off (because it's almost just like French-kissing each person that drinks from it, duh), but at this point I'm so thirsty that it doesn't even matter.
Bring it on, Bishop, you and me. I dare you.
Then we fill a bowl of the salt-water and put the other bowl inside, wrapping it up with plastic wrap and putting a small rock on top. It's going to take a while, so I sure hope we remember the spot for later.
"Alright, that's done."
"Now let's take a dip while we can and cool off. Because I dunno about you guys, but I'm sweating like a pig right now." The others agree. I strip off my shirt and set it on the hot sand to dry off. Then I strip off my sandals, even though the dry sand burns my feet. I quickly run into the cooler, damp sand, and soon find that everyone else has done the same. Even the girls have stripped off their T-shirts, revealing their very tight sports bras. How can girls even stand that stuff?
Dream and I don't look or particularly care. He's either very polite, or, (like me) (shut the hell up, Pontifex!) just uninterested. Maybe both.
It feels fucking great to be in the cold water. I dive in, not even caring about my hair or appearance or even my tough-guy reputation. I'm just so fucking overheated. I resurface with a sigh of relief. Dream pops up, shaking out his brown hair, and Empress soon after, shaking out her hair and looking pretty relieved. Katherine looks hesitant and just sits further inland, on the wet sand.
But where's Janie?
Suddenly, I feel a splash from behind me. It feels overwhelmingly good. Then I hear a loud laugh. I sigh.
"Oh, lighten up, Ponty." I really wish she'd be less friendly.
Empress jumps on Dream's backs. "Piggyback race!" she cheers. I feel a weight jump on me and giggling.
"Just one race!" Janie says cheerily, "Please? Let's at least get some good memories from this." How very optimistic.
"Yeah!" chimes Empress.
"Alright," Dream says, smirking a bit. "It's not the District 1 way to deny a challenge."
Amongst the doubt and fear of the future and the pain of the past, a grin somehow spreads across my face. "Too bad District 2 is just as competitive." I laugh a little bit. Damn.
"Ready…Set…Go!" Empress chants.
"You didn't set any boundaries or finish lines!" I protest.
"You'd better hurry, Ponty, Dream is ahead!" Janie says. "Mush!" she giggles.
"Hold on tight," I say gruffly, taking off to catch up to the others. I hear Janie laughing and can't help but feel a combination of amusement and overwhelming fear. Empress squeals. "We won!"
"What?! Who said that was the finish!?"
Empress laughs, "Nobody!"
I sigh.
"C'mon, let's get back to the shore so we can actually get something done today." I agree with that, and swim back to shore, Janie laughing on my back. Dream and Empress follow close behind. I dump Janie off in the waist-deep part before diving in one last time (enjoying the cool water) before going back out to the (scorching!) shore and putting my shirt and sandals on. Katherine joins us and we all walk back to the Cornucopia to grab some backpacks just in case.
I heft a spear over my shoulder and start walking, Dream right next to me. I glance over at him, his half-smirk and bright eyes and messy wet hair, and then look at Janie close behind us, and for once I feel completely in-sync with the person I want to be. And the prospect of the Games has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Janie and Empress chat loudly while we walk, and while I want to yell at them to shut up, I also listen to the stories they exchange. I occasionally make a line in the sand with my foot or tell Janie to mark up a rock or two on our way. We walk until the afternoon, the sun blazing hot, and the girls whine that they've sweated at least five buckets (which I would probably agree with) already. We set up camp and I find some fat little groundhog-like things to have for lunch. I hunt, Dream and Janie skin, and we all eat around a fire (even though it feels legit hot enough to cook it on the ground).
After lunch, we all strip off our shirts again and use them as sweat rags as we continue to walk in search of other tributes.
We walk until we see footprints in the sand and quickly follow them, me in the front and the others in a close-behind single-file line. The prints lead to a small cove between beach and whatever's beyond. Suddenly, we hear a surprised squeak and turn around to see Katherine dangling upside-down from one of the branches of a nearby palm tree.
Empress starts to laugh, but covers her mouth to hide the giggles. Dream examines the trap and looks impressed. Janie glances at me for instruction on whether to leave her or start to cut her free. I feel the most asshole-ish smirk in the whole entire world come to my lips, and I let it. Yeah, I might look like an ass, but who doesn't love a good ass?
"Help me!" squeaks Tracey, swinging around but being ultimately helpless. Janie raises her eyebrow at me. I consider the options. We could leave her as bait for whoever made the trap to come back and find her. We could just release her and hide out. We could kill her right here. Or we could leave her up there and walk away.
I decide that she's valuable enough (not because she can do anything, but because she's a good mutual enemy if any arguments arise) to let her live. I let her scream one more time, hoping to summon the trap-setters, before I turn to Janie and say, "Cut her down."
Janie does so, trying to be gentle but not really succeeding in it. Tracey hits the ground and groans. Empress wanders slightly further into the shady trees to let out her laughter, while Dream starts to half-smirk.
Katherine crosses her arms, scowling. Amateur.
I'm not too scared of her anymore, Victor's child or not.
You see, Os was a Victor's child that was trained and knew how to kill. But this girl is such a joke that it just makes me laugh. She couldn't betray or kill any of us, even if she tried. She's pretty funny (not like she tries, it's like the kid from 3), so I keep her around.
Suddenly, we see figures approaching, and all of us get low (Katherine still a bit awkward because of her brush burns from the rope (like Dream didn't get slashed with a sword yesterday).
Tia and Tuesday from 4 and 6 approach, chatting, before they look up, still a distance away. They stop in their tracks for a brief discussion before starting to hurry away from us. The others all look to me, and I don't know what to do. At least we know where they are.
I quickly follow where I saw them start walking, but realize that the beach is more expansive than I thought. I realize that, to my despair, we lost them.
"Let's keep walking." Maybe we'll find someone else…
We keep walking until the breeze starts to pick up and the sky starts to darken. Then we follow the markings and path, finding the Cornucopia, our camp and supplies, and our container of now-fresh water. We each get a glorious drink as we pass it around, and I still don't care about the whole other people's saliva in backwash issue. By now, I'd French kiss anyone here if it meant I could have a big lap of fresh water. Anyone.
I make do with what I get, just like I have been doing for the past 18 years. I guess I'm used to it. But thirst is still thirst. When we go through the rest of our supplies that evening, we find another set of bowls, much larger, to convert more salt water into more freshwater.
Then, suddenly, the sun is setting and our first day is over. We hear a cannon as it gets dark. The face of the girl from Five flashes in the sky. And then the moon and stars are out, and it's time to sleep. I feel both frustrated and relieved that we didn't make any kills today.
Janie and I take first watch, and we stay awake under the gentle breeze quietly, in a very meaningful, peaceful silence. She hums something I don't recognize quietly, and I listen to it, feeling very calm. I always laughed when the Victors talked about how much the Arena changed them and made them grow into themselves, but now I wholeheartedly believe it.
Whether it's for better or worse, well there's only one way to find that out, and that's to win.
~.~.
Gio: Joker
I wake up to screaming. It takes a second for the world to become less blurry, but by the time I figure out what's going on, Atty's already trying to get the crying Ori to relax.
"Er, uh, hey, it's okay. It's going to be okay… Ori, listen…" he looks up at me, for once looking utterly and completely helpless. I don't think I ever want him to look so helpless ever again. I never considered myself a people person, but I'm going to have to step up now.
I sit next to him, and take a second of silence before speaking.
"Ori, are you physically hurt? You can nod or shake your head." He sniffles before he shakes his head a little bit. At least he's responding.
I glance over at Atticus, who looks stunned but relieved. I give him a look that conveys that he can go hunt.
You sure? he mouths. I nod. I can't believe I've found something I can do better than the almighty volunteer from District 10.
"Alright, did you see something scary?" I ask. "Is there a threat to our safety somewhere near?"
He hesitates, which I understand. Of course there's a threat to our safety. He shakes his head a bit, sniffling and trying to get ahold of himself.
"Was it a bad dream?"
He lets out a choked sob and nods. "Do you want to talk about it?" It helps some people. I find that telling about it is close enough to reliving it. Maybe he's that kind of person, though. He shakes his head a little bit.
"Do you want to be left alone?" He shakes his head rapidly.
"Alright. I'm not leaving. I'm right here, okay?" He nods a little bit.
I hesitate a little bit. "Do you want a hug?" I ask. I feel like it's the good thing to offer. He nods, so I hug him. He hugs me back. "We're going to keep you safe. We're all going to keep each other safe."
"I…I couldn't keep him safe…" Ori chokes out. "Boy from 11."
I just keep hugging him, searching for words. "That's not your fault." He cries out again and I keep hugging him. "Sh… That wasn't your fault."
He cries into my chest for a while as the sun rises out of the sky.
"It's a new day. It's all going to be just fine." He manages a tiny nod, but I don't think he believes me. Eventually, cries turn to whimpers, which turn into sniffles, and then he goes quiet. We sit for a while longer like that before he sits up.
"I'm sorry…" he says, looking upset enough to cry all over again.
"Hey, it's okay."
"No it's not. I could've lead someone right to us. Gotten us all..."
"Sh. It's okay." I don't like to think about it just as much as he doesn't like it.
Atticus comes back just then, looking awkward but relieved that Ori's quieter. "Hey, kiddos," he says, (I think he's trying to sound gentle), "I caught some meat for us to eat for breakfast."
"Oh. Great!" I feel genuinely relieved at the prospect of having real food. "Except for the fact that I'm not a kid. I'm 17!"
"Still legally a kid."
I sigh, knowing that he's probably stubborn enough to keep this argument up forever. I help Ori up and we all go to sit by the fire. Atty hands us each a piece and we all eat. The meat itself is disgusting, but I suck it up and eat anyways. I'm going to have to have a lot of strength the next couple of days.
"We should probably find a water source," he says. I nod, "Right." Hopefully getting up on our feet make us feel better.
We share the canteen of water (they let me drink first and try not to touch their lips to it… God bless them…) before setting off to find a better source. We have five large canteens that are full, but they won't last long in this heat.
Atty starts walking and the two of us follow him. As the afternoon sun beats down on us, I buckle down and strip off my shirt, though I feel extremely insecure about it. For one, I'm not all that much to look at as it is, and it's even worse when my scrawny, pale (for my complexion, at least) little torso is exposed. Not to mention that Atticus is super built and muscle-y, which just adds to the insecurity.
Ori is the last to strip, and I feel slightly better after that. He's not quite as scrawny as I am, but still not as impressive as Atty.
We walk until I just can't anymore and Ori collapses next to me, relieved. Atty looks like he was doing just fine, but stops with us. We pass around the canteen and split some jerky before it's time to make my tired body walk again.
You know what really sucks? Sand. I hate sand. I'm never ever going to the beach ever again. If I even live, of course. I'm sure whoever makes it out of here alive is going to fear the beach.
Suddenly, Atty takes a sharp turn and starts walking faster. Ori and I have to run to keep up with him.
"Aha!" I notice a small pool, almost like a fountain (without the spout, though) within the comfortably-shaded area. The shade is considerably cooler, so the three of us put our shirts back on. It's so nice here…
Atty buries his face in the pool and shakes out his shaggy black hair. He resurfaces, a relieved grin spreading across his face. "It's… It's fresh!"
I think that's the fastest I've ever gotten down on my knees, and I quickly crawl over and bury my face in the shallow water. It's cold and when I drink some, it's fresh. I hear a trickle as more fresh water comes in. Atty goes over to get his backpack, where the canteens are, and gets them all out to refill them.
"Go on, kiddo," he says, nudging Ori a little. "It's great."
"I-I'll just drink from the refilled canteens," he says, sounding pretty uncomfortable. Atty shrugs, refilling the canteens and tossing him one.
I shake the water out of my hair, feeling sand in every crevice of me and feeling really annoyed. I try to focus on the positives, and I think it helps.
The sun starts to set, so we don't wander much farther.
"I'm gonna scout around and see if I can't find some more meat for dinner."
"I'll come with you!" I say, getting up. "I want to see for myself." I want to be able to do something.
"I'll guard our stuff," Ori says, taking the sword. He doesn't sound very keen on going far from that spot.
Atty starts walking and I follow. He grabs me by the shirt collar and pulls me closer to him.
"Hey, thanks for this morning," he says quietly.
"Huh?"
"With Ori. I…I'm not that great- scratch that, I'm no good- at dealing with crying people, so thanks for saving us there."
My heart pounds and my ears ring with his words.
"I dunno if I'd call it saving…"
He pats my shoulder. "You did good, kiddo. Take some credit for it."
I smile a bit, but feel overwhelmingly happy on the inside. "Oh… Okay." Then I make him pat my other shoulder.
Suddenly, we hear a rustle in the bushes. Atty pushes me behind him, holding onto the knife tightly. It's no kind of wild animal, it's a tribute.
Tiffany from District 5 stares at us with wide, wild eyes. She's all cut and scratched up, wounds gushing blood all around her arms, legs, neck, and especially her face.
She stares at us, her eyes glazy and wide, losing their life.
"They're coming," she gasps, "They're coming for me…" She waves a pointed stick around. "They're coming!"
"What's going on!?" Atticus shouts, "What's coming!?"
"THEY'RE COMING!"
"What-" Atty keeps me behind him. "What? Are you alright?"
"They're coming!" Suddenly, she tackles Atticus, screaming. "They're coming to get me! They're coming!"
Atticus snaps into combat, plunging the knife into Tiffany's chest and shrugging her off of him. She hits the ground hard and wheezes, her eyes immediately glazing over. We hear a cannon.
I can't do anything but stare, wide-eyed, at the corpse on the ground, all scratched up by what looks like some kind of twig. Part of me wonders what the hell happened to her that drove her to this. The other part never ever wants to find out.
Atticus peers down at the blood staining his shoulders and arms. Then he looks at me, his eyes devoid of any panic, alarm, or worry. "You okay, Kiddo?"
My heart forgets to beat. My eyes are wide out of fear and panic. I can't believe that just happened…
I stare at my shoes and just try not to cry. "F-Fine." He gives me a gentle, sympathetic look before he pats the center of my back.
I swallow a lump in my throat, fighting the tears. As he said, he can't deal with crying people. I have to try to stay strong for him.
Atty kills a rat and a large bird-like creature. "Let's just tell Ori this guy was a hard kill," he says, holding up the bird. I nod a little bit as we start to walk back.
"Wh-What do you think she was…" I ask, biting my lip.
"She kept asking about drugs, so I would guess withdrawal. And… Don't you remember that interview? She was so distant…" He looks at me and I can tell by the look in his eyes that he know I don't want to talk about it. So he drops the topic and we get back to Ori.
He cries out and runs to us, taking us both into a tight hug.
"Woah, kiddo! Wh-What's wrong!?" Atty asks, stunned and glancing at me. Ori's arms are tight around us.
"I h-heard a cannon a-and I panicked… You guys… You're safe…" He hugs Atty and buries his face in Atty's shoulder, letting out a little sob. "I was s-so worried… Please… Let's never separate like that again…"
"Uh, sure thing." Atty awkwardly hugs him back and pats his back. Ori runs to me and hugs me tightly next. "I'm sorry I'm so high-maintenance, but God I was really scared…"
I nod understandingly . "Don't worry about it," I whisper. I didn't consider that at the time, but now that he mentioned it, I know that if I were in his shoes, I would've panicked, too.
"Come on, now, let's have some late dinner."
We heat up the food, and as we eat, the Capitol anthem plays and Tiffany's face flashes in the sky. My stomach turns and I know that I'm not going to get any sleep tonight.
"I…I don't want to sleep…" Ori says, his eyes bloodshot and his cheeks tearstained.
"I'll take first watch," I say quickly. He glances over, looking sad, but nods. "Okay…"
"You'll be fine, Kiddo," Atty says, "Remember, we're here for you."
The other two lay down, and at least pretend to sleep.
The night that follows is very long. I hear a noise and quickly grab the sword, making a full circle around the area to check for tributes.
Nothing.
I sit back down.
Did I check behind that bush?! What if someone's waiting there!? I get up and make another round.
Two.
Still nothing, so I sit back down. Then, I hear something else and quickly get up, making another circle.
Three.
I just can't sit still. Even when I try, I can't. I'm on lap number 43 when Atty wakes up. "Eh?" he mumbles quietly. "Oh," he stretches, "Go to bed, Kiddo, I'll take it from here."
"No you won't, Atticus Hollow, no you wont!" I snap quietly.
"Woah, it's really fine, relax."
"I'm only on lap forty-three, go back to bed! I'll be ready later!"
He blinks, "Oh, uh, okay…? Are you sure?"
"Yes!" I snap. Atty rolls over and goes back to sleep as I finish out the rest of my laps. When I whisper to wake him up, though, I find that he hasn't really slept at all.
"Go to bed, Kiddo. Night." I nod a bit. Ori whines a bit, whether in sleep or awake, and I lay down, trying to get comfortable and close my eyes, just trying to black out without any dreams.
~.~.
A/N: This story is actually named after an instrumental piece of music, in three movements, and I highly suggest you listen to it! So each chapter is going to have a song name for it that was kind of the inspiration.
Also, while I'm here, I want all my submitters and readers to check out the roleplay forum I'm on! I would LOVE to see you all there trying out for a character, and it really does serve as great inspiration for writing with your characters! The link is on my profile, I believe, and if not I will put it there.
Also, if you send the tributes sponsor gifts, they will get them and it will affect them, but I'm going to touch on it later. Now, I'm going to write whatever I feel like writing that correlates with the cards, so we'll just have to see what we have in that respect.
Next chapter, I'm going to make a list of things that the different groups have and what they need.
Chapter Question: Who do you predict will die next?
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