Chapter 36 – Come Back

Brodrin had woken up to darkness. He'd lost count of the hours that had gone by as he sat in the black void, reminding himself of what had happened. He's dead. He's dead because of you, he repeated to himself over and over.

He could feel the bandages that had been wrapped around his wrists. For a second, he thought about tearing the bandages off and ripping his wounds open again. Then he quickly remembered Briell and Pell. They hold all of the cards.

Another hour or three went by before a door opened. The light poured in, making Brodrin squint at the indiscernible figure before him.

"Get up Locke," said a voice he'd never heard before.

Brodrin got up immediately. Still, he couldn't make out a face.

The man gestured with a head nod for him to follow. They moved through the brightly lit hallways, with Brodrin following close behind. He stared at the bland white floor as they walked. The one who led didn't even bother to look back at any point. They took two left turns and a right before they stopped. Without hesitation, the man opened the door and walked in.

When Brodrin entered, he felt his body tense up. Everything in him wanted to curl up and run straight for the corner of the room. Trying to keep his head up felt like holding up the world. He looked across the solitary desk in the room. On the other end, the woman who'd revealed her little trick with the dagger sat with her hands folded.

She smiled with false eyes of sympathy. "Brodrin, I'm not going to pretend like we can ever forget about what happened to Kaylor. We both know, you hate me right now. You always will. You hate Aillan too," she gestured over to him.

Brodrin hadn't even noticed him standing completely still with his arms behind his back, fully at attention, looking at no one in particular.

"I'm here to offer you a deal," she said.

Brodrin looked over to the other side of the room where the man who'd led him lounged against a wall and began popping what looked like candy into his mouth. Beside him was shorter man. He instantly recognized the two. Selvand Lesput and Braven Akerrard were supposed to be dead, winners from District 2 who'd died before their time. Yet, here they were.

"I see you noticed our two other guests."

This made Brodrin snap back to attention.

"Their stories will be revealed to you in good time. What you need to know right now, is that you'll be working with them."

"Doing what?"

"Serving the Capitol."

What does she want with me?

Softly he asked, "Pell?"

His fingers sunk into his palms to keep them from shaking.

"She's quite alright. You'll get to see her after I propose my offer."

"Whatever it is, I'll do it. If you let her live, I'll do it."

"That is assuring. Thank you Brodrin." Her voice held no smugness to it. "Aillan, would you be so kind as to escort Brodrin to Penella's room?"

Aillan's eyes widened almost to the point where they just might pop out. "Y-yes mam." He walked past Brodrin awkwardly, looking back to see if he would follow, but he hesitated.

"Briell," he murmured.

"She's the winner of the 72nd Hunger Games. She'll receive the same rewards and benefits just like her predecessors."

"She didn't know anything about what I was planning to do."

"We know. She's a victor now Brodrin. You don't have to worry about her."

"Just don't hurt them. You have me."

She sighed and walked around her desk. Brodrin stared at the floor.

"It pains me to see you hurting like this." She touched his cheek, causing him to flinch.

He shook his head, "I'm fine. Just tell me what to do." He tried to make his voice sound confident. Don't sound too broken. Don't sound too weak. She'll have no use for you then!

"Right now, I need you to go to Penella. She needs you."

Brodrin stared at Aillan's exposed back as they walked down the hall. The two walked for a few minutes without seeing another soul before Aillan abruptly stopped in front of one of the doors. A moment of silence permeated the hallway before he spoke, "These are her quarters. Yours are down the hall."

He nodded.

Aillan kept his chin up, but he couldn't seem to look back at Brodrin. "Very well, I'll leave you to it." He took a step back towards where they came.

"He was good you know. He was truly one of the good ones," he mumbled to Aillan's back. He stopped, but he did not turn around. He took a large breath, as if sucking in all of Brodrin's words, then he continued his rigid walk.

Brodrin opened the door. Pell sat on her square bed in the corner of the room with her head rested on the wall. She didn't bother to look at him as he entered.

He crossed the room and sat on the bed. Then he wrapped his arms around her and held on."I am sorry," he muttered, "I am sorry."

Pell hugged her knees and leaned against the wall, acting as if Brodrin didn't exist.

They stayed like that for a long time with Brodrin awkwardly hugging Pell and her, treating him like he was a mosquito she hadn't yet noticed. Her arms hung from her sides, as if incapable of movement. Yet, Brodrin hugged tightly, trying to convey without words how sorry he was. With every second he wanted his embrace to tell her he knew it was all his fault. He wanted every tug of his arms to tell her how he'd give anything to take Kaylor's place. Each time he exhaled and Pell could feel his chest rise, he wanted to somehow make those breaths explain why he'd done what he did, that they had breathed life back into him just by existing.

"I'll go."

Pell looked at him through glazed eyes.

Brodrin then got up and made his way towards the door.

"We'll come back from this," she said. "Eventually we'll come back."

He turned back to her and nodded without looking at her.

Then he exited the room and walked a bit down the hall until he found his room. When he got inside, he walked over to a corner of the room. Then, as if finally letting go after holding his breath for a lifetime, he cried. The tears streamed down his face as fast as they could come. His whimpers were soft, and his sobs were long. It hurt, but it felt good.