Thank you for all the reviews I've gotten so far! It's amazing, the amount of support I'm receiving.
Here's the special chapter I've been promising. It's gonna help boost the plot, that's for sure.
Basileon "Leo" Fungo, 13
District 11 Male Tribute
"What's that?"
Uncle Bam held it up so I could see it better. "It's mushroom."
The mushroom wasn't very big. It didn't look too exciting either. But I had been promised it was special. "What does it do?"
"Well, you eat it." Uncle Bam pretended to throw the mushroom into his mouth. "And then you wait. Then things start to happen."
"Like what?"
"It's...it's hard to explain. You'll have a different experience depending on which mushroom you eat. But no matter what, it makes you feel great. They say it's just hallucinations, but I'm telling you Leo, they're more than hallucinations. Everything bad that's happening...these little shrooms can make you forget."
"Can I try one?"
Uncle Bam laughed. "Maybe when you're older, buddy. Your mother would kill us if she found out...you know what, okay, but just one."
He plucked a second mushroom and gave me the smaller one. It didn't seem like it could do anything special, except taste the way a mushroom should. But I took a deep breath and placed it on my tongue.
What happened next was almost impossible to describe. First the floor disappeared. Then, I felt like I was flying. Then, I was laughing. My body was constantly alternating between sweating and shivering, but I didn't care. I could hear the vibrant colours that danced around me, see the way my giggles turned into shrieks, and more.
It was amazing. I felt no reason to worry. No stress, no anxiety, no problems. This first high, this little utopia the mushroom had created for me was too good to be true.
It was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
I've been chasing that first high ever since.
I've tried all sorts of mushrooms, been on all sorts of trips, but nothing has ever felt the same. Yes, it was still fun, but there was something lacking. There was something missing.
When I ate that first mushroom, I felt no reason to feel any negative emotions. They still blocked those feelings out, just not to the degree I wanted. I'd get high, come off, and still feel upset. I'd still feel anxious. I'd still feel worried, nervous, down in the dumps. I couldn't change that. I felt this way all the time.
You are a Leo, my mother said. This means you are kind, headstrong, and loyal.
I felt like anything but a Leo. I wasn't the brave, majestic lion I had been named after. I was the weak and wimpy cub who hid behind drugs to obscure his problems. I was the coward.
Finally, the elevator stopped moving. I stepped out and found myself on the roof. I didn't let my mentor know what I was doing before I ran off. At this point, there was no use in telling.
Slowly, my feet carried me to the edge. I was moving forward, yet I felt like I wasn't controlling myself. It was as if I was stuck in some sort of trance or daze. Before I knew it, my body was pressed up against the glass railing that went around the roof, to prevent people from falling off.
Gently, I lifted up one leg and felt the bottom of my shoe rest against the top of the glass. I repeated the process with my second leg. Once I was standing up, a sliver of doubt crossed my mind.
Why am I doing this? Well...why would I want to keep going? There was nothing left for me back in 11. My mother would just accept this is a sad superstition and move on. Uncle Bam would just wolf down mushrooms like nothing happened. Was that all I was really fighting to go home to!? Mushrooms!?
My feet slipped and I jumped off. Before I knew it, I was falling.
No, not falling. Flying. I was flying.
It was an incredible feeling. An ultimate high.
It was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
Fjord Hemmings, 19
Victor of the 6th Annual Hunger Games and District 4 Mentor
This would be my first time actually getting to meet the other Victors and I was extremely nervous. Oscar had offered to go with me, but I told him that I would be fine by myself. Now, as the elevator rose, my stomach had twisted itself into knots.
Finally, the doors opened. In the middle of the grass-covered rooftop sat a wooden picnic table, shaped like a circle. Already, five people sat around it, laughing and chatting.
"Okay, get this. You know what Vermont said was the latest trend in the Capitol right now? Makeup. And I'm not talking about the normal makeup either, I'm-" Arley cut herself off upon seeing me standing there. At once, everyone turned to look in my direction.
"Um, hi!" I gave a small wave. "Am I late?"
"Actually, you're right on time." Sliver glanced at his watch. "We were just about to start. Come sit."
I took the only available seat, right between Sliver and Paisley. Once I was settled, Sliver stood up and clapped his hands. "As the President of the Victor's Council of Panem, I declare the opening of this meeting. As you all know, we have a new member sitting with us today. Everyone, please give a warm welcome for Fjord Hemmings."
Foxy, Claymore, and Arley gave me a round of polite claps. Paisley just...stared. She had leaned in rather close, staring up at me with a dreamy smile on her face. Was she alright? I was about to ask, when I noticed the goofy smiles all around.
"Paisley has a crush on you!" Arley sang.
"W-what? No! I do not!" Paisley folded her arms, but she was clearly blushing.
"Oh, come on, look at your face! Someone's looking for a fun night with a District 4 beauty!"
Claymore rolled his eyes. "And I thought you weren't straight, Arley."
"You're just jealous that my girlfriend thinks I'm the better riot in the sheets!" Arley jabbed her finger into Claymore's face. He just snickered.
"Humph. You last what? Only two minutes? Please! I can do waaaaay better than that-"
"Sorry to ruin the little conversation here," Sliver interrupted. "But I think we should all refrain from talking about our sex lives until after the meeting is over. If anyone has any real issues to discuss, don't be afraid to bring them up."
"Let's address the elephant in the room here." Arley was focused on Claymore again, but her voice was no longer flirty or playful. There was a strong note of accusation in her tone. "Like the fact he's been training kids to volunteer for the Hunger Games!"
"What!?" Claymore spluttered. "Since when have I ever done that!?"
"Since you guys built that Academy, that's when!" Arley's eyes narrowed. "Oh, don't play stupid, Claymore. Volunteers like that don't just come out of nowhere."
"No, you don't play like that. I built that Academy to turn the fine young men and women of today into the Peacekeepers of tomorrow. And if some teenager wants to abuse the equipment we have and train themselves for all the wrong reasons, then I can't control that! I've already told them that it's a big mistake, but neither of them will listen!"
"That isn't your fault." Foxy muttered. "But don't you think you should at least make the effort to sort things out?"
"He isn't gonna make any effort," Arley spat. "I bet he's already planning an Academy course in which he teaches his charges how to snap a 12 year-old's neck."
Foxy frowned. "Arley, that's extremely uncalled for."
Everyone seemed on edge, I fidgeted nervously.
What is even happening?
Claymore groaned loudly. "Do any of you get it!? I believe in authority and discipline, and that's what I teach at my Academy. I do something for the greater good of Panem. And did Victoria take these lessons and treat them as training? Yes. Am I happy about it? No! But there's only so much power I have in my District! There's only so much I can control over the attendees!"
Arley crossed her arms. "Come on. He evens admits to owning the Academy. You're looking shadier by the minute, Regans."
"No Dawson, you're just being stubborn."
Paisley's hands were covering her ears. "G-guys, stop it!"
"That's enough, you two!" Foxy warned.
"Why are you allowing this!?" Arley shouted. "Why are you allowing him to have this advantage over us!? Why are you allowing him to get away with it!?"
"Oh my flipping Snow, Arley, it's not my fault!"
"It's unfair!"
"Stop!" Paisley wailed.
Arley and Claymroe continued to shout in each other's faces. Paisley whimpered loudly. Foxy jumped in, attempting to pull the two Victors apart. I didn't know what to do. All the accusation Arley was making, all the ways Claymore deflected them...was any of this true?
Claymore was now standing up. He looked ready to attack, until Sliver slammed his fists on the table.
"SHUT UP!"
Silence. We all stared at Sliver in shock.
"I don't know where this came from, but I will not be tolerating any nonsense in my Council. And whether you like it or not, we're all adults here, so grow up!"
Arley opened her mouth to argue, but Sliver cut her off.
"Listen, I'm taking care of Christopher this year and I will be doing everything I can to help him succeed. The same goes with Christof. And in your districts, I bet you all want to help your tributes too. But I don't see how any of you are getting anywhere when you're all fighting like a pack of goddamn animals! Claymore, Arley, start acting your age! Foxy, you know better than get carried away like that! Paisley, show some dominance if you need to, and what on Earth is he doing here!?
I glanced behind me. Basileon, the small boy from 11 had just arrived on the rooftop. He kept his head down, somehow managing to ignore us. Slowly, he walked on by.
"Does Charlemagne know?" Arley asked, but nobody answered her. We all kept our eyes on the tribute, who was now standing at edge, by the railing.
Why is he climbing...wait!
Foxy made the connection the same time I did, jumping from his seat, yelling, "Stop him!" He and Claymore bolted for the railing. But just as they reached him, Basileon was already falling.
? place: Basileon "Leo" Fungo, District 11. Jumped off the rooftop of the Training Centre.
Geez, it's not even the Bloodbath and I'm already killing kids off. But Leo's death helped kickstart the plot I had going alongside the Games and eventually merge the two together. I did feel pretty bad about this decision, because Leo was such a detailed character and I did like him an awful lot. Astrology and mushrooms are not something associated together, but they worked perfectly for his character. I'm sorry Platrium, that Leo's time in the Games is over before it even started, but I hope you know he was great and you'll continue to read the rest of this story. I like to believe there is an afterlife for all deceased tributes, so maybe he'll be there, chilling with Desmond and talking about mushrooms with Pellia.
Ooh, cliffhanger! Looks like the mentors are in some hot water right now!
So...what did you guys think? About the sudden death? The tensions between Victors? Do you like the direction the story is heading?
Don't worry, training is up next and those will be normal chapters. Can't have everybody dropping like flies before the Games begin.