District Four Mentor and Ermin's Mother Ula Carp's POV:
I had been congratulated and congratulated so many times in the last 48 hours. Capitolites who wouldn't give me the time of day before were suddenly opening doors for me and wishing me luck, I'd been invited to parties to be passed around and quizzed on my pregnancy by all kinds of strange people. Not one of them asked about my son.
Maggie had been a life saver, watching the games as I'd been pulled from person to person but now I was safe back in my viewing room I let my work become my priority.
Maggie caught me up on the previous days happenings, the girl from six had gone, killed by Diamond who won a fierce looking sword, although Maggie was a bit unsure as to what exactly happened as half of it was cut out of the recap. I thought of all the times I'd seen Casey sitting around the canteen with her escort nowhere to be seen, Looks like he may be in a bit of trouble now. Half of the arena had also disappeared over night, forcing the tributes into a much smaller space.
"They sent the mutts in" Maggie tells me "I think Clos may have got injured and Omri and Spud lost each other in the panic"
"So there's no more alliances?" I ask
"Not unless Omri and Spud find each other and decide to join up again, but were so late in the game now"
I nod and turn to focus on the screen, watching my doomed baby boy. I am happy he's still with us but can't figure out why they have even let him get this far. Surely if Leto wanted him dead he'd be dead by now, I let my mind run through all the possible fates they might have in mind for him, images of my son being torn to pieces by mutts or stabbed through the heart by Diamond and her new sword. I gag for a second before running out of the room without a word to the closest toilet where I am promptly sick, after a moment I compose myself enough to leave the toilet stall and make my way slowly to the sink.
As I stand there staring at my reflection watching tears begin to form by my eyes I'm rudely interrupted by the opening door.
"Ula babe, how are you?" exclaims Silk, the district one mentor she grips me in a hug and I feel her nails scraping on my back, she pulls back and crinkles her nose,
"Have you been sick?"
I nod, "Sorry, morning sickness already" I tell her blinking away a tear.
"Aww darling, let's get you a drink" she smiles and links her arm to mine, we chat about the party the previous night and Silk boasts of the sponsors she got.
"Hermes is useless" she tells me "He just sits in the corner looking grumpy. I don't know what is wrong with him"
There was nothing wrong with Hermes five years ago when he brought you home I think, but Silk was always built for the capitol lifestyle, I think that's why she volunteered for the games so she could visit this capitol and enjoy it. Winning by securing sponsorships and the protection of her fellow district one tribute before she poisoned him as they became the final two, all that was just a perk of her trips to the salons and parties of the capitol.
We arrive in the canteen where us mentors usually end up when were not sat in our separate rooms or at sponsoring events, it's always quiet in here with a ready supply of food. As is usual at this point in the games its empty.
"Sit" commands Silk, I humour her and perch on a chair.
Silk bustles around the buffet tables for a moment and appears with a plate she's tried to give a district four flavour to, two seaweed infused rolls sit next to a tuna pasta salad and a small stuffed crab, with a bowl of clam chowder on the side, in the chowder float small biscuits shaped like fish.
"Thank you, lovie" I smile at Silk and start to sip some of the chowder, I don't tell her how the majority of district four could never afford these luxuries and how the rest of us are constantly searching for food that isn't fish related.
Silk gets herself a small salad and we eat for a moment in silence, eventually she speaks.
"Ula? How did you know Shad was the man for you?"
I think for a moment remembering meeting Shad on the train to the capitol after the reaping, how annoyed I'd been that I had the new guy to mentor me rather than someone with more experience. I remember how he helped me train and impress the audience at my interview and his face as he met me on the hovercraft after the games. I think of the offer Snow made, telling me how Victors were supposed to act in the Capitol, what they were expected to do. I remember laying my head on Shad's lap and crying and I remember his offer, 'I'll marry you and you'll be safe' he told me. We married on my eighteenth birthday and Ermin came nine months later, but I think the moment I truly fell in love with Shad was when Ermin was a week old, I was feeding him as Shad came into the, house his hair ruffled and wet from his swim and a look of joy in his eyes. That was when I knew I'd truly made the right decision.
"It sneaks up on you" I tell Silk, she watches me intently "when you least expect it, but when I saw Shad, I knew"
"So you truly fell in love with him before your games, as he trained you"
"Yes" I tell Silk the capitol mandated lie, there was no point risking her knowing more.
"I think I'm in love" she tells me
"Go on" I humor her "elaborate"
"With Rock" she whispers and I fight the urge to chuckle, Rock never seemed the loving type, but Silks always seemed to be the kind of girl who seems to want a larger man to protect her, no victor should need protecting yet in some way I think we all do.
I nod seriously towards her urging her to continue, "It's just he's from two, would they ever allow it?" she whispers.
"I don't know" I reply "I've never heard of it before, maybe one of you would have to move"
"Maybe we could both move here, to the capitol" she seems excited at the dream like prospect
"Maybe" I reply knowing it'll never happen, "Maybe you should ask him first"
Silk blushes under her thick powder "I hope he likes me too"
"Me too" I agree as I finish my food off.
I look up to see an Avox has appeared from nowhere holding a message she passes it to me and vanishes as fast as she arrived, I open it quickly.
'Ermin is near other tribute' it says in Maggie's untidy scrawl.
"Sorry got to go, its Ermin" I tell Silk "I'll talk to you later" I give her a peck on the cheek and rush back to my room. Surprisingly homely food and a bit of ridiculous girl talk has cheered me up a little and given me a new lease of life that Ermin will come home as I and his Father did.
"How we doing?" I ask Maggie
"Okay" she replies "he's getting closer now but I think it's just that Spud kid"
"Should be okay then?" I say and sit down.
We watch as Ermin travels through the swamp in his waders, they are a little too large and must be uncomfortable but they are keeping him dry at least.
"Have you seen Serena?" she asks me
"No" I reply, "not seen her since before the interviews"
Maggie nods, "need to see if she can take a shift watching tonight, we have that thing"
I sigh, another feast I suppose, I regret eating that lunch now.
The second screen that used to belong to Caitlin turns on and we see Spud; he has perched on a raised platform by a pool of water and is filling his canteen.
"Isn't that where he and Omri killed Nolan?" I ask
"I think so, maybe they were planning to meet back there"
"I hope Omri's not nearby" I add, I didn't want Ermin by that boy and his poison. Maggie remains silent.
Eventually Ermin climbs out of the swamp and with his spear in hand he eats some crackers from his pack and sets out along the path; he soon gets in sight of Spud and crouches behind a bush watching him. Spud drops some purifier in his water can and sits by the pool looking around him quickly.
My son takes a deep breath and drops his rucksack behind the bush, he slides a knife into his belt and grips his spear as he steps out into the open.
"Oy eleven" he yells spud jumps to his feet and turns to face Ermin.
"Hey four" Spud says looking straight into Ermin's eyes both boys are of a similar age but Spud is skinny while Ermin is strong. I study Spud for a moment, a dirty bandage is wrapped around his arm where Diamonds knife hit him during the bloodbath, and he is also scratched around his exposed body probably from the tree branches. Ermin looks healthy in comparison, he took a good supply of food from the camp when he and Ryker split up the supplies and has been keeping to the swamp waters to hide his tracks and spear the odd fish to cook.
The two boys circle each other for a moment looking each other over until Ermin runs at Spud, Spud ducks out of the way and shoves Ermin towards the pool of water but Ermin keeps his balance. He spins and swings his spear towards Spuds leg; Spud tries to jump out of the way but falls on the floor. As he tries to pull himself up Ermin pushes his spear into Spuds heart. Boom.
I breathe out slowly and sit there for a moment unsure of what to feel, finally I smile as I watch Ermin collect Spuds small bag and empty's his pockets before returning to where he left his backpack and cleaning the blood from his spear as he watches the claw come down and take Spuds body away.
Suddenly a dart shoots out from Ermin's left hand side, "Omri" says Maggie pointing at the screen that had shown Spud, I see the petite boy from nine reloading his dart gun tears run down his face.
"Come out and face me like a man" shouts Ermin into the trees, Omri answers with another dart which Ermin dodges. Omri looks emotional, he is shaking and tears continue to flow.
"You killed Spud" shouts Omri as he struggles to load another dart, his hands shaking. Ermin moves to the base of the tree where Omri hides.
"It is the Hunger Games. Come down and you can join him" he shouts stabbing his spear up into the tree,
"Or you could come up here" Omri yells back, before firing a third dart, it also misses.
Ermin laughs "thought you were supposed to be a good shot"
Omri mumbles something in reply, and starts to load another dart, "come on nine come and fight me" cries Ermin.
"It's Omri" he shouts
"Don't care, your dead anyway" I feel a little ashamed of my son now, he needs to behave to stay on the capitols good side, they don't always like the cocky tributes. I always used to tell him to mind his manners and not argue with the trainers at the career centre. He called is confidence, I called it rude.
Omri has set up his next dart but doesn't fire it straight away instead he climbs down the tree a little to get a better shot at my son.
"Can you get an antidote ready to send him?" I ask Maggie who nods and begins to search through the catalogue.
He fires the dart it scrapes across Ermin's arm and my son gasps. "Send it" I yell and Maggie sends the vial of antidote, Ermin runs and grabs it and swallows it in one gulp.
"Good job you've got mommy here to help you" chuckles Omri.
The two continue to shout insults at each other and eventually the sun begins to set, the anthem plays and Spuds image is projected on the sky for all to see.
"I'm going to avenge him four" shouts Omri.
Sorry for the sudden ending it ran away with me a bit at the end so I thought I'd cut this chapter up.
A quick recap, 6 are left, Diamond, Clos, Ryker, Ermin, Ava, Omri.
Dead: D2: Nolan, D3: Techa and Cable, D4: Caitlin, D5: Brites and Atom, D6: Ford and Aston, D7: Lindell, D8: Lea and Rolag, D9: Gwenith, D10: Merona and Orford, D11: Maizie and Spud, D12: Brooke and Cole. (17 dead, 6 to go)