The third night
-Jacques Noir, 18, District 12-
Things had been a bit tense since two cannons went off that their alliance hadn't caused.
The past day or so had been pretty tense in general. Kaelys seemed convinced that they had to start hunting. Jacques could see where she was coming from. They were officially the biggest alliance in the Games. They had five, and the next largest, the Careers, only had four. It made sense that the biggest alliance shouldn't just cower away the whole Games.
The problem was that none of them were Careers. Kaelys was probably the closest thing, as she seemed to know a good deal about fighting. Jacques had seen death and was familiar with it, but he had never caused it. Ollie, Jacques noticed, had gone through some pain in his life, but probably nothing close to this. Jasper and June both seemed hesitant to take lives. Surely neither of them had to do it before.
Kaelys was all business, and Jasper and Ollie were not. Ollie could get serious when he had to, though, a skill Jacques wasn't sure Jasper had. And that may cause some friction in the future. Well, more friction than there already was.
Ollie had wanted to go outside to see the sunset, so the rest of the alliance chose to follow him. Jacques couldn't help wishing that they would give him and Ollie some space alone for just a minute. It seemed that they could never get a moment to themselves. Which was fine and all, but… Still. It was slightly frustrating.
Kaelys passed around some jerky for dinners as the warm, salty, tropical air filled their noises. It blew Jacques's hair slightly, not enough that it was bothersome, but probably just enough to make it look messy.
"It's amazing that this is all fake," Jasper said, sticking a piece of jerky in his mouth as he ate cheerfully.
"It looks so real…" Ollie said, his voice full of wonder. It was cute. "I wonder how they did it." His unwavering curiosity made Jacques smile. He couldn't help it. It was an attractive quality of Ollie's. One of the uncountable attractive qualities of Ollie.
"Capitol technology is amazing," Kaelys said, but she sounded more bitter than anything. "Wonder if that's what they use Uni students for. Snot-noses."
"I would love to go to University someday," Ollie said.
"After seeing Bec's outfit for chariot rides, I wouldn't," Jasper said, with a hearty chuckle. Jacques had absolutely no idea how he was so cheery and animated in a place where he was going to die just like all the rest of them. Well, hopefully not Ollie. Jacques would pick Ollie over anyone else in that Arena. He was obviously the most deserving. He was a strong guy that had a big heart. He would be a good Victor. District Eleven needed a Victor like Ollie. He could go to University and learn a lot and change hearts. Ollie was pretty good at that. After all, hadn't he warmed Jacques's heart? Hadn't he warmed Chervil's frozen heart? He could change so much. Everywhere he went he melted hearts. That's just who he was. Jacques loved him for it.
Wait.
Shit.
Oh shit. What do I do now!? Do I tell him? No, I shouldn't freak him out. I should just wait until he says it first… Shit.
"You okay over there?"
Jacques was pulled out of his thoughts, hoping Ollie, was sitting next to him, couldn't hear his heart beating.
"Yeah. Sorry."
Ollie still looked concerned, which made Jacques's heart beat harder. Before the conversation continued, though, the Capitol anthem started to play and the starry sky was covered by the projection of the seal.
The first face in the sky belonged to the boy from District Five. Jacques wished he could say he was surprised. After what he did, he had it coming to him. That didn't make it any easier, though. Especially for Ollie, who frowned and watched as his smiling face disappeared.
Joule was replaced by Ashlyn.
Jacques's heart stopped. He and Ollie exchanged a horrified look, which was soon exchanged by both Nine tributes.
Jacques felt relieved, mostly. After all, Ashlyn hated him and wanted him dead. He knew, however, that Kaelys wasn't going to take this well. Ashlyn's picture faded and was replaced with the Capitol seal before the projection disappeared.
Slowly, as if agreeing that they'll all go down together, the four of them looked over at their alliance member.
Kaelys was frozen. She didn't look angry or upset at all. Her face was set in a stone-hard expression. Only her eyes betrayed her world crumpling to pieces.
"Kaelys?" Ollie asked quietly, but the girl didn't respond. She didn't even look. There was nothing the other four could do but watch and hope she didn't do anything irrational.
"I'm so sorry Kaelys," June said quietly, but the other girl didn't respond to her either. A silence as heavy and dark as the night sky settled between them.
"She only would have hurt your chances at winning," Jacques said, "You know that." All eyes went on him, but he wasn't sorry. He was speaking the truth.
Kaelys clenched her fists. It was easy to tell that she was clenching her teeth too. But she didn't move.
"Do you want to sleep?" Jasper asked quietly. "Or stay up?"
Kaelys didn't look. She kept staring up at the sky, as if still trying to wrap her head around what she'd just seen.
"Kaelys…?" Ollie asked again, his eyes reflecting the heartbreak she must be feeling.
"How?" her voice quavered unlike Jacques had ever heard before. "Who?"
"It was probably Joule," June said. "She probably took him out too."
"Who did this?!" she asked again, louder. "Who did this?!"
"Someone who was just trying to survive, like the rest of us," Jacques said calmly. He could feel three pairs of eyes on him, but he figured that he could speak to Kaelys through the survivalist logic she was obviously familiar with.
Kaelys's entire body was shaking, tears pooling up in her eyes. Nobody knew what to do for her. There was nothing anyone could do for her.
"Take some water," Ollie said. "Take some deep breaths…"
When he tried to hand her the canteen, she hit it out of his hands, sending it to the ground eerily close to the edge of the pool. Good thing it hadn't fallen in. The large canteen was brand new from a sponsor, and Jacques wasn't sure any of the alliance members could swim well enough to retrieve it from the middle of the pool.
"Water won't bring her back!" Kaelys yelled at him, the first tear tracing her cheek. "Breathing won't bring her back!" She was starting to hyperventilate, and Ollie's face grew more and more concerned with each second. She slammed her fist into the ground as hard as she could, causing Ollie and Jasper to jump.
"Kaelys, please-" Jasper started, but Kaelys cut him off.
"Nothing will bring her back! She's gone!"
"There's nothing you could have done," June said quietly.
"Nothing I could have done?!" Kaelys had to stop yelling to sob and gasp for air. "Of course I could have done something!"
"She was stubborn. You couldn't have convinced her to come with us," Jacques tried. He knew that Kaelys wasn't the type of person that needed to be treated gently in the face of despair.
"Then I should have gone with her!"
"You knew this was going to have to happen," Jacques reasoned calmly. "You both chose to separate."
"And I've never regretted a decision more in my life!" she said, angrily wiping her eyes.
"Don't you want to win, Kaelys?"
Kaelys sniffled and made another ugly crying sound. Jacques never thought he would see her like this. She seemed like such a strong person. Why wasn't she trying to hold it all back? She buried her face in her hands, shaking her head rapidly.
Jacques asked again, more sternly. "Don't you want to win?" Kaelys's head slowly raised to look at him, glaring, with eyes full of fire.
"I wasn't so sure I wanted to!" she sobbed. "Are you happy!? I wasn't sure I wanted to win! I just wanted to find her!"
"There's nothing you can do about it now except put yourself back together."
"I was never together!" she shouted, voice cracking. "I was always broken! The only time I was ever 'together' was when I was with her!" Jacques felt warmth slide into his hand as Ollie grabbed it, his eyes misty. "She was once in a lifetime! And I will never find anyone like her again!" Kaelys covered her face again and sobbed.
June stared down at her hands, and Jacques thought he saw a tear drip down and hit them. Jacques had never been the type to be emotional like they were, he had simply learned how not to be.
"I think we should get some rest," Jasper said. Jacques was surprised that he was the one to speak up.
"Rest won't bring her back!"
"She would want you to rest," June said quietly, and the other three nodded in agreement.
It took some more coaxing for Kaelys to go back to the area meant to be a dance floor and lay down.
"Revenge," she said, through clenched teeth and a quivering voice. "Tomorrow we get revenge."
"But what about that sponsor note?" Ollie asked, sounding nervously.
"I said, revenge. I'll kill every tribute in here until I find who killed her." Kaelys's voice was full of fire, and the others exchanged a nervous look. With that, Kaelys lay down and closed her eyes.
It didn't take long for her quivering breaths to slow as she drifted to sleep.
After that, Jasper and June lay down wordlessly. They both seemed exhausted and had taken the late watch the night before, so it made sense that Ollie and Jacques would be awake together.
Jacques and Ollie didn't talk. Ollie took his hand and laid his head on Jacque's shoulder, which made Jacques smile a bit. He couldn't help but smile when Ollie was near. He was just so peaceful.
Jacques's mind wandered to what he thought before. The thing that he wasn't sure if he should bring up. It was too soon, surely. There was no doubt in his mind about that. That was why it was such a battle. He wasn't sure what to do.
Then he thought of the events of that night. Kaelys probably wished she had said what she was thinking before it was too late. They were in an Arena. Jacques was going to die. He knew that he had to say it while he could. He couldn't just hold something like that in.
"You awake over there?" Jacques asked, his voice slightly teasing and soft.
"Of course. I wouldn't leave you to watch alone." Ollie gave him a smile that made Jacques smile back.
"I could, though. If you wanted to sleep."
"Nah. I'd rather be awake with you."
Jacques smiled, and his heart started to pick up again.
"Hey Ollie?" Jacques asked, heart pounding. Surely he could feel it. Jacques couldn't help but feel nervous. This was something that was really important. He knew Ollie could feel his hands shaking. There was no way he couldn't.
"Hm?"
Jacques took a deep breath, collecting whatever courage he had left in him. "So, uh…"
"Are you alright?"
"No, I'm fine. I just…" Jacques took another deep breath. "I just… Today, um…"
"Yes?"
"Today kind of made me realize…"
Ollie's face was a combination of confused and concerned as he looked at Jacques with those gentle brown eyes that made him melt.
"Well…" Come on Jacques. Just get it out. He had never felt more nervous in his entire life. "It made me realize that I love you Ollie." Bam. There. It was out. No taking it back now. Shit, what if it was wrong to say? What if-
"Oh…" He looked shocked. Yikes. Bad choice Jacques. It felt good to say it, though. It was out there, and he knew, and that was what mattered. "I see." His mouth went up into a smile and he laughed a little bit. Good sign, right?
"You don't have to say it back. I know it's… It's ridiculous. Guess I just fell fast. I just… Y'know, it's something I wanted you to know, because, y'know, we're here and all-"
"It's okay." With each second that passed, Ollie's smile grew. "I know what you mean. I… Yeah. I love you too."
Jacques couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he interlocked the fingers of his other hand with Ollie's. Both of them were smiling too much for a proper kiss, which made Jacques laugh, which made Ollie laugh, until they were just looking into each other's eyes and smiling like idiots, but happy idiots. Maybe they were awkward, and far from perfect, but that didn't matter because they were together and happy and they were in love. They were really truly in love.
The boat rocked comfortably as Ollie put his head back on Jacques's shoulder and Jacques ran his hands through Ollie's close-cropped hair. It was soft under Jacques's fingers.
For the first time in his life, Jacques Noir couldn't stop smiling. He couldn't help it at this point. Surely he was the luckiest man alive. There was no doubt about that in his mind.
Jacques Noir had always been content, but he had never really been happy. He had no idea there was even a difference until now. But now, now he knew. Now he was able to see the world in technicolor. It was an amazing feeling.
He realized that he would have been nothing but satisfied dying in that very moment.
Hopefully, though, he wouldn't have to. Hopefully he could have many more moments like this before he lost his life. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with the man of his dreams before he left the earth.
Don't think about that now, Jacques.
For once, the boy from District Twelve was able to close his eyes and live happily in that moment. The future was not a worry. The past didn't matter. Not with Ollie by his side.
Not in this perfect moment.
~.~.
The fourth day
-Jasper Pearce, 18, District 9-
It had been another long night of silence between him and June. It seemed that now that the cameras weren't in their faces anymore, they'd totally dropped the act. Jasper didn't have the heart to keep it up, and June obviously didn't either. They both knew now that one of them would have to die for the other to win, and that definitely caused some tension.
Then again… They were united under the same District flag. Whether they liked it or not, they grew up together. They knew things about each other that other people didn't know. They couldn't just pretend they didn't have all those things.
Jasper tried to focus on the bright side, though. Free cruise! That was pretty cool, right? Granted, they couldn't actually do much. Especially not with Kaelys in charge of the alliance. Jasper was kind of bummed about that. Shouldn't they at least get to enjoy their time on the cruise ship if it was going to be some of their last days? Jasper wanted to live as much as the rest of them, but he wasn't sure he had what it took to win.
No, he needed to get out of his own head. He would never win if he didn't think like a Victor. Still, though…
Jasper sighed and went to distract himself by helping June wake the others. He knew it was going to be a tremendously long day, and he had no way to prepare for it other than rubbing his eyes and yawning. The alliance had a small breakfast, and there was a horrible silence between them. Kaelys's eyes were still red from her crying the previous night. Jasper didn't really like to think about the events of the previous night. Not that he minded that his female ally was so open about her obvious love for another female tribute, just… It made him think about his own experience. God, that was dumb. There was nothing wrong with it. He was just… Still… It was all jumbled up in his mind.
He hadn't been able to collect his thoughts at all since he'd been reaped. Something was messing with his mind, it seemed. And that something was the resurgence of all the heartbreak and love he had felt towards June. It was like a nasty wound that was reopened within this whole mess. At the worst time possible, nonetheless.
"Still hellbent on revenge?" June asked. Of course she would be the first one to speak in this incredibly tense situation.
"I…" Kaelys sighed. "I'm sorry. My judgment was… Clouded."
Jasper could have done a dance he was so relieved. After all, they didn't even have enough for all of them to even have a weapon. They had three knives and a bow and arrows. One knife had been in the cornucopia, one had been given to Kaelys, and one had been given to Jacques. That meant that one of them would not get a weapon. And it was either Jasper or Ollie, neither of whom would thrive in hand-to-hand combat with an armed Career. It didn't matter if they outnumbered the alliance.
"The sponsor was right," she continued. "The Careers are probably armed and all we have are a bow and a couple of knives."
"And my awesome hat!" Jasper added. At least he could make Ollie smile. One person happier was better than none.
"What do we do then?" June asked, bringing the alliance back on topic.
"I…" Kaelys sighed. "I want to do something. Sponsors have sent us all this stuff. We should do something with it. As long as we don't run into the Careers, we should be fine. Even if we do, at least we have a game plan." They had talked about it. There were four Careers and five of them. Kaelys would take on Luna, Jacques would take Dania, Ollie assisting him, June would go for Attila with her distance weapon, and Jasper, with the knife from the Cornucopia, would take on Ester. "We're big enough to take any other tributes we run into."
"It's a big risk," Ollie said. Jasper agreed.
"The staircase is there," Kaelys said. "We'll go back downstairs. We can choose our battles."
"Sounds good to me," June said, and the others agreed. Jasper was nervous about it, but he knew that they wouldn't win by just sitting around. They had to take action. The more tributes that were slain, the better for all of them. The closer they were to getting back home.
The alliance packed up their stuff and went to the stairwell. Just as Kaelys pushed the door open, the alliance heard voices. Voices that they were hoping to avoid.
"Go," Kaelys said, "Hurry."
Kaelys slipped through the door first. Jacques put a hand on Ollie's back and gently led him through the door next, following close behind. Jasper let June go in front of him, for whatever reason, when he heard a voice shout, "There!" Jasper cursed under his breath. They were spotted.
The alliance was flying down the steps, skipping steps on the way down.
"They spotted us!" Jasper called, and he heard the door open as his feet hit the first platform.
"Head out!" Luna's voice cut through. Soon, Jasper realized that battle was unavoidable. He caught up with the others, who were panting.
"Bec!" gasped Ollie.
"What?" Kaelys asked.
"Bec is w-with them," he said. "We- we don't out number them like we thought we did." He sounded defeated. They barely had time to think before Luna came flying down the stairs. June pulled back an arrow and shot, which landed in her shoulder and caused her to scream.
"Shit," Kaelys hissed.
"What do we do?! I don't have a weapon!" Ollie gasped.
Jasper watched in horror as Jacques put his knife in Ollie's hand. "Take it."
"Jacques-" Ollie started, wrapping his hand lightly around the handle. Jacques dropped the knife as Luna caught up to them. Kaelys charged at her, tackling her to the ground. The other Careers appeared soon after. Jasper's hand clutched the knife tightly, shaking. June pulled back an arrow and shot at Attila, which flew right past him.
Jasper charged at Dania, who jumped down the stairs and collided with him, sending the two of them toppling down.
The stairwell echoed with screams, but Jasper couldn't focus on them. Dania fought fiercely. She sent her hatchet flying towards Jasper's head. He moved his head as much as he could, the hatchet catching on his ear and causing him to scream as his vision was pounded with black. He struggled against her fiercely strong grip as he heard his allies crying out for help.
"Y-out cut my hat!" Jasper said, trying to focus on anything but the pounding of his pulse. "How rude!"
Dania didn't even flinch at his joke, keeping a hold on him. As she shifted her balance to haul her axe up, Jasper was able to throw her small weight off of him. His body quivered and he blinked black spots away as he got to his feet. Before he knew it, though, she was charging at him again, looking fiercer than ever. Jasper feebly put up his knife and glanced around at the rest of the battle in the few seconds he had.
Dania's hatchet was raised and she ran towards him at all her might. Jasper raised his knife, his legs quivering. He braced himself, trying to ignore the sticky red that was pulsing down the side of his neck and soaking into the collar of his T-shirt. Each heartbeat brought more pain as the air hit the muscle and bone of his skull in a way that it definitely shouldn't have. Part of him was trying to think of a joke to use. Maybe, he thought, if I joke, she won't kill me. After all, what was more humanizing than a joke? Surely she would realize that he was a person just like her, and didn't deserve to die. They'd been through all of this together, after all. If he could just appeal to her human side, maybe he could get out of this. As blood poured down his neck, gushing out of a hole where his right ear should have been, he knew that his fighting would certainly not be enough to hold her back.
The only joke he could think of was "I'm holy," but he had a feeling that was both lame as fuck and copyrighted. He would have to fight until he could think of a way to win her over. As unlikely as that seemed.
Jasper had his knife up, focusing on taking deep breaths, but before Dania could strike, she was thrown to the wall by Kaelys, whose hands were covered in blood. Jasper, shocked that Kaelys still wasn't fighting the Career, looked over at Luna's body, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide in shock as she lay in a puddle of blood, multiple stab wounds gushing out blood and a knife handle sticking out of her back.
Jasper had just noticed Jacques's body, covered in blood, his face frozen. June shot another arrow that whizzed straight past both Attila and Ester, who screamed.
Kaelys slammed Dania against the wall and yelled, "Let's go!" Her allies didn't have to be told twice. Ollie was already on his way down the stairs and out the door, June right behind him. Kaelys hurried down, and Jasper turned to go, run as fast as he could, when pain exploded in his back and sent him to the ground. He spit up his own crimson blood and realized that he'd been struck.
"June!" he choked, hoping she could hear him. He had to give her his backpack. She'd die without it and they both knew it. It had the most important item in it. With the last of his strength, Jasper threw the backpack. Before he could see if she caught it or not, another strike to his head caused his vision to turn to white.
He had so much left to do. So much left to say. And he hadn't gotten to live any of it.
In the blink of an eye, it was over. He was nothing but a cannon.
The Careers had taken another.
~.~.
The fourth night
-Dania Lidano, 18, District 2-
Three faces. Dania was surprised there were only three. Although she had a feeling everyone came out of that battle worse-for-wear. Dania had a terrible headache, and all of her allies, even Bec, had gashes and slashes fixed by some of the bandages they'd gotten from the Cornucopia.
Dania was still trying to get the entire story of what happened. Jacques immediately targeted Ester. She had minor wounds, but he'd been killed quickly by Attila. In Attila's brief distraction, June hit him in the thigh with an arrow. It didn't do much to stop him, but her arrow work and agility kept her from tackling her. He wasn't fast enough to keep up with her.
Ollie fought Bec. That was the most confusing part. Surely Bec had the ability to take out Ollie. Bec was a fighter and all Ollie had was a knife. It was all beyond Dania. Why wouldn't Bec kill Ollie and get one step closer to going home?
Maybe the same reason Dania… Well, never mind.
Meanwhile, Dania had fought Jasper. She got a hit in on the side of his head before he threw her off and Kaelys attacked her. Dania had hit her head when Kaelys slammed her against the wall, and by the time she'd gotten it together, the alliance had run away. Well, all except for Jasper, who was slain easily by Attila. Attila looked mad.
The anthem played and all three faces were shown in turn. First, Luna, the powerhouse from District Four. Simply outmatched by a tribute with an equal level of tenacity. Dania was a bit confused about how Luna had lost that fight. The Games were unfair. Dania knew that much for sure. Next, Jasper. And finally, Jacques. Ester said that he didn't even have a weapon when he charged. Could that be a self-sacrifice? Dania wondered. She was suddenly glad she wasn't blinded like the rest of them were.
True, it still hurt to think about Miya losing her life. Miya didn't deserve to die so early, that was true. But Dania wanted to win for her. And for Maggie, too. The lovely Capitolite she met at the party. Plus, Dania was determined to be part of Nona and Carlen's wedding party someday. She had everything to live for. Everything outside of these walls. She wasn't living for anything inside this dome except for herself.
Which meant that she had to make smart decisions. Dania knew that a concussion was very possible, and she should be careful how she approaches the next few days. Almost half of the tributes were gone, after all. Ester and Attila were obviously loyal to each other, and Bec was not to be trusted. And with Luna gone, Dania's real allies were quickly thinning out.
She was alone on watch that night, and had plenty of time to think. They had ended up in the fitness center on the third floor before the rest of them couldn't stand to move anymore. Here they had started tended to their wounds until all of them were too tired to go on. Dania was the one that had to stay up on watch, because she only had a few slash marks on her arms. And this annoying headache.
Dania knew what she had to do. It was a risk on all levels, but if it worked, it was the clearest path to Victory.
Dania looked at her allies one last time, taking a deep breath and shifting slightly. None of them moved. Dania stood up slowly. Still no movement. Dania wrapped a backpack around her shoulders as quietly as she could. Her heart pounded in her chest as her allies didn't move. Dania took a step towards the door to the stairwell. Nobody moved.
Without a second thought, Dania slid through the doorway, never looking back.
From there, her goal was obvious. Dania went down the stairs, heart still pounding as she held her hatchet.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her.
Dania whipped around, ready to fight. It was nothing. She took a deep, quivering breath and turned back around. Only being paranoid, she thought to herself, sighing.
She stepped out into the restaurant, tables set up daintily in the dark room. Dania hurried through, peeking out the doorway with a back to the wall. She thought the second floor was mostly clear, but she could never be truly sure.
She went into the art gallery, keeping her weapon.
This isn't going to work, she thought with despair. I could get myself killed.
But she had to try.
She Went into a shop, and was shocked at the sight she was met with. The floor was covered in blood, and all around were pieces of a broken… Something. Dania turned away from the shards, quickly hurrying out of there. The room reeked of blood. She wondered if someone had died there. It seemed pretty likely.
She exited the shop carefully and crossed the room. Taking a deep breath, Dania pushed the door to the casino open.
The second she stepped in, Dania was thrown to the ground, the wind being knocked out of her as she gasped.
"Wait!" Dania yelled urgently. Wicke looked exhausted and was holding her knife dangerously close to Dania's neck. The District Two girl started to feel seriously afraid. Maybe this was a mistake.
"What do you want?" Wicke asked quickly, staring down at her with intense, cold eyes.
"I want an alliance," Dania said quickly. Wicke liked things to be straightforward, so Dania tried to be as upfront as possible.
"Why?"
"The Careers are a shit show."
"No lie, but why?" The knife was practically touching Dania's neck.
"You're trained and vicious and so am I. There are still twelve left. I want someone to be loyal to only me and in return I'll be loyal to only you."
Wicke's face betrayed nothing. Dania was starting to wonder if she should fight back and just get it over with.
"I saw you," Dania continued. "That's how I knew where you were. I kept it in mind. I knew from the beginning I was going to ditch them."
"Why?!" Wicke still didn't trust Dania.
"Because you have obvious talent and drive… And… Acacia. I want revenge. Don't you?"
There was a long pause. "Yeah."
"You're not going to take down Chance and Nerio alone. No matter how stubborn you are."
Wicke hesitated a single second before she put her knife away and got off of Dania. "You're right. Your logic seems sound."
Dania smiled. "Awesome."
Wicke gave a small smile back.
"You look exhausted," Dania noticed. "Have you slept at all?"
"On and off, but not really."
Dania smiled a bit. "Figured. You can sleep if you want. I'll take watch."
Wicke gave a small smile back. "Yeah. Alright."
Dania breathed a sigh of relief as Wicke immediately fell asleep. She had no idea how this crazy plan worked, but she was glad it did.
The other tributes better watch their backs.
Both of them were fire.
And the fire would destroy everything that stood in its way.
~.~.
A/N: MY FEELS! AGHHHH! But… Hey, I'm back at it! My semester is finally over so now that I'm on break I should be able to update more! Here's to hoping… This story's getting incredibly intense and I can't wait for more action! We haven't even gotten to the really good stuff!
So, what did you think of this chapter? I hope you enjoyed it! And I'm so, so sorry XD (but not too sorry, lol). And now, *sniffles*, my eulogies.
15th Place- Jacques Noir, District 12, Killed by Attila of the Windy Plains, D10
I knew Jacques would die pretty early just because he was so accepting of his inevitable death and, being in love with Ollie, would be nothing but content dying for him. I just had to give him the happiness of being loved for a little while before he was killed. He was such a fun and unique character and I'm so glad that I got the honor of writing him for this crazy journey. Thank you so much for him, Pi. It really hurt me to do this, trust me. He was super unique and everything about him was so much fun. His legacy will certainly live on through Ollie, and there is still plenty of plot left in his death.
14th Place- Luna Pentti, District 4, Killed by Kaelys Deinard, D3 (?)
I'm sure that this was a shock for many of you. I was debating who to kill, because I couldn't imagine the Careers getting out of a battle with vengeful Kaelys unscathed. Luna had an amazing plot and amazing potential to win, but ultimately she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, fighting the wrong tribute. I'm so sorry it had to end this way for her. She deserved a much more epic death than she got, but there are still some questions to be answered about her and she will still contribute to the plot. She really should have gone farther, but I've had to make a lot of tough decisions about character deaths in this story and this was just one of them I had to make. Thanks a lot for her, Rose! I hope you'll stick around for answers and submit another great character for the sequel to this story!
13th Place- Jasper Pearce, District 9, Killed by Attila of the Windy Plains, D10
I am… So sorry David. I honestly didn't have Jasp dying in the plan. I was going to have him live and realize that he and June needed to make amends, but… As I was writing him, I went with my gut, and that was what it was. I thought his death would drive June's arc more. It was an interesting situation because the crowd all liked Jasp better, while you're partial to June. So we're going to see what happens from here. Anyways… I have no words for Jasp as a character. I don't think I've ever received a character for my SYOT that I was able to… Speak through. And Jasp was it. He was always easy to write with because I understood everything he was going through. I kind of took him my own direction because I just… Damn I love him so much! And I was able to reflect everything I was feeling through him. Which is an honor that no other character has really received. I put pieces of myself into every character I receive, but Jasp is special because I put everything into him. I really, really loved this sweet boy that just had to keep smiling, and I respect his tenacity to be brave in the face of heartbreak. He was a Victor consideration for a LONG time, since I got him, but ultimately I followed my gut. I hope you don't mind how I ran with him and how he reflected me. Thanks for this special tribute, David. Hope you stick around to see what happens to June and submit another amazing character to this story's sequel!
As for the prices for items, I've decided I'm pushing it another death because one more and we're halfway through! And I feel like that's a good time to start upping the prices. So buy while you can! The has/needs list is not exactly updated, so I'll try to work on that after this is posted.
Scores:
66samvr: 64
aceswims: 30
AKLNxStories: 145
Alecxias: 2
AllHailTheNerdiness: 215
AmericanPi: 5
Apollo's Slytherpuff Daughter: 113
Astralium (Guest): 10
Becksheart: 4
bLizzieard: 100
bobothebear: 14
calebbeers21: 6
Cass: 154
Cloe: 220
Coolgal02: 61
CrissKenobie-the-Numenorean: 110
Darkflame324: 10
DaughterOfTigris: 265
david12341: 230
deathless. smile: 15
District7axemurder: 15
Dreamer: 610
dreams and desperation: 120
Emrys Holmes: 98
TheEngineeringGames: 333
epictomguy: 24
XxXFangirlonlineXxX: 32
Feniks16: 10
Fire'sCatching: 5
GalacticCoach: 58
Golden Moon Huntress: 149
goldie031: 264
hopefuldreamer1991: 344
Jeptwin: 2
judmud: 4
jul312: 25
Kate: 843
Lady Lysa Arryn: 127
Legend: 654
Littlefoot876: 10
Little Knight Mik: 84
Master Maedhros: 10
MissVolturiKingsfan: 10
Mockingjay (Guest): 10- assuming that the guest review after is yours
Mystical Pine Forest: 50
Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: 4
OncerTillTheEnd: 4
paperairline: 24
xxPeppermintxx109: 159
Platrium: 279
Programming: 7
TheReaper94: 2
rosecatforever: 350
Rosemarie Benson: 12
ShunKazamis-Girl: 26
Silverdust64: 10
Singlewave: 15
stop-pulling-on-mariazell: 30
SparkALeah: 15
Sparky She-Demon: 34
tracelyn: 95
TyeTheLurker (Guest): 65
XxVallirenxX: 49
VeneratedArt: 110
the victor of panem: 71
watercolorgalaxies: 4
We're All Okay: 71
W. R. Winters: 316
Xechaste: 4
youngpatriot: 44
Chapter Question: How did Luna lose to Kaelys? Was it a fair fight or were there other factors at play? Will Dania and Wicke stay together? Are they both being honest? What will happen to Bec now that he's alone with Estilla?
That's all I gotta say for now. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next chapter!