Interlude 1:
Yusef Jozka, 13 years old, Jon Cheris' (26th) best friend
Mandatory viewing night 1, District 5
They show his death many, many, many times on the big screen. Stabbed by that District 2 boy on that forsaken float. I don't think that I can look at water the same ever again. Of our group, it's me, Alaina, Hans, and Delancy up here with his two parents. Artair is hugging some of his friends about their main friend Nidawi surviving.
I...I'm glad that Nidawi survived but did Jon have to die? He seemed so sure of himself, so cool, so great, so...so cute.
I pull out my cards and begin shuffling them. I should have given him my joker. I rarely even use it and he likes looking at some of those designs. I bet that he could have started a fire with these cards. Then there's motion that makes me and Delancy look just below us. A reporter comes down and asks for some answered questions.
I look to Delancy and the two of us take a gentle walk. "You two are his friends right? So can you tell us what it's like hanging out with a loser like him?"
"He's not a loser!" I say frustrated. I storm off and leave Delancy with the bumbling reporter. I take my cards and shove them in my pocket.
"Excuse me," I hear a low voice call to me. "You're Jon's best friend, right?"
"Yeah sir," I say. "And you're his dad?"
"Yes," Mister Cheris says. "I know you're really attached to my son. Some may even call it love. I call it that," he says with a low chuckle. I blush. "I don't want to make you embarrassed but I want vengeance. I've always been wanting vengeance. And you want it too, right?"
I nod. "See son," Mister cheris continues. "There are more people who want vengeance. And you and your little group of friends could help us well. We need people to investigate old tunnels where wires were. It's dangerous but the ultimate pay will be our freedom. Do you accept?"
I open my mouth to say yes but he shushes me. "If you do, just show up at my backdoor once the Hunger Games finishes. For the record, if my son reciprocated your feelings, I would have loved to have you as a son-in-law."
Telia Soot, 5 years old, Erudite Soot's (25th) sister
Mandatory viewing night 1, District 12
"He's…" I start to say. The last photo of my big brother appears on screen for a long time and it's intercut with an image of me. I see the camera zooming in on my face before I bury myself into my mom's old dusty dress.
"It'll be better okay" mom says in a broken voice. My uncle and Aunt move over and begin talking to mom. I feel her move and talk. It suddenly becomes a bit quieter and a lot of the brightness seems to go away and my mom tries to guide me away.
The walk home is uneventful. The people don't want to see District 12 so there are no cameras. I wonder if it's because they know we're ugly. Mom and Uncle and Aunty talk to each other a lot when we stop in front of our house. I see a bright light in the distance. It's a small light but it's bright.
I move to it, thinking of how Erudite told me to follow fairy lights because they'd lead me to the underground castle. I'm too young to break the fourth wall so I don't know what fairy lights mean. Something tells me they are willow wisps.
The small fairy light blinks in the darkness before flying away. Erudite wanted me to follow it.
So I could escape. Maybe it's like a firefly. I would not believe my eyes. There could be ten thousands of them. I wipe my eyes and blink again. The fireflies are gone but there are still lights along the floor, each light giving me a hug.
I walk again. Mom and uncle and Aunty are nowhere in sight. I don't know how….serendipitous...it was that I made it here but it might be...supercalifrailisticexpialidocious.
Calico Rayner, 15 years old, Fabian Drason's (24th) friend
Mandatory viewing night 1, District 3
I clench my fists tightly, fingernails digging far into my skin, causing blood to leak. A reporter notices and gives me a napkin before shooing me away. She moves to talk to his crying parents and shoves a microphone in their faces. I pull out a small sketch of Fabian that I was to give him for his next birthday, three months after this date. It's not perfect but it could have been something.
It's only about three blocks away from the town center when I have to stop to take a breath. Home is still some dozen blocks away. I can walk it. But it seems shorter with Fabian at my side.
I put my head down, tuck the sketch in my shirt, and walk with my hands in my pocket. The District is always much quieter when our tributes die. Most of the hums of the thousands if not millions of machines in the District punctuate the night due to running automatically. I look up as I reach every street corner, recalling me and Fabian walking down the streets virtually every day.
"Now that he's gone we're free to talk, aren't we?"
I turn around and see Jordan, leaning against the doorway as a lecherous light casts down upon him. "Leave me alone," I say boldly, beginning to tremble.
"Come on," Jordan says. "That faggot's gone now huh? He was the only thing keeping me-keeping us together dear."
"I'm not gonna be with you," I say again, trying to turn away. He walks up abruptly, sweeping his arm around the small of my back and tries to lean in for a kiss. I shove him off of me and try to storm away, keeping the tears off of me.
"You know you want me," he says darkly. He's a fast walker and catches up to me quickly. I still remember that day.
Memories of that day are what forces me to push him as he walks up to me. It happens in a blur. He loses his balance, he hits a lantern, the lantern falls and burns him, the fire spreads, and he's immolated. I throw up. It's gross. I run away. I can't look back again.
Ash Elmswood, 17 years old, Juniper Aspen's (23rd) Acquaintance
Mandatory viewing night 1, District 7
"That's all we have to say. There's nothing more," Juniper's father says with a grim tone. The reporters surrounding him just keep pressing forward and forward and he shoves one of them away, causing some of the peacekeepers to get involved. His wife stands off but tries to move forward.
"Hey," I say with a stern tone. "If you're going to arrest anyone arrest those asshole interviews. They were the ones who drove him to push one of them." One of the peacekeepers trying to diffuse the situation casts a disinterested glare and moves off, but the other one moves to question three of the interviewers. "Mr. Aspens, I wanted to-"
"I know you," he says coldly. From what I remember of the man he's shorter than what I remember, and he had a much bubblier deportment than what he has right now. "Juniper is dead and aren't you and your girlfriend going to tell me how bad she was?"
"No sir I was just going to-"
"Can it," he says bluntly. "My daughter is gone. She was training with you yet you pushed her away when she tried to make friends. She got pushed out because of you and your little girlfriend. Bullying stings, and it was all I could do to comfort her."
"Sir, I'm sorry but-"
His wife steps in and holds her hand up to me. "Please, we just want to heal, and we shouldn't open healed wounds. I don't want to see you again." She and her husband walk off to the orphanage. I push my hands together and sigh, walking back to Kara as she sits awkwardly on the steps of her parent's store.
"How...How were they?" she asks feebly.
"Why don't you find out yourself?" I say bitterly.
She doesn't reply for a while, leaning on my shoulder as I do nothing to stop her. "I'm sorry for what i did to her."
"I'm sorry I strung myself along," I scoff.
"Babe?"
"You're really manipulative. I can't believe it took me this long to finally tell you how much you fucking suck," I almost laugh. "I was talking to my friend the other day and he said that you actually were teasing me and him before we started dating, huh?"
"Well, Jull was always a liar."
"How did you know it was Jull? Kara, being a bitch isn't going to help you. IF it takes the death of one of your victims then I can't be with you. Kara… I know you had a crush on Juniper. That's why you teased her." I huff and push her off of me. "We're through."
She sits awkwardly as I stand up. I find the truck to the academy and sit on it, relieved at the weight I lost.
Thorn Hayfield, 17 years old, Ember Hayfield's (22nd) Brother
Mandatory viewing night 1, District 11
"Thorn? Thorn? You're gripping me a bit hard," Durian tells me nervously. I look down to see my knuckles going white and his fingers getting rather red.
"Sorry dear," I say, choked up and swallowing a lump. "It's just-"
"You don't have to say anything more," he says. He's got a deal with his mom to stay with me and the family at the store for the Hunger Games so long as he makes a bit more than usual. When we head up to our house I make sure to open up the back door while he holds my hand, gently.
We get to the table and I slam my hand roughly on the table as the tears begin to fall again. He wraps his arms around me and holds me tightly. "I feel useless," I moan.
"You couldn't have told her otherwise. You and I know that. Thorn, don't beat yourself up please."
"I told her...I told her to play the villain. I told her to be an antagonist, and she angered the careers, it was too much. She had allies but she...she didn't think about them," I say between heaving breaths. "Durian...please...please don't leave."
He remains at my back, strongly wrapping around my shoulders and kissing my temples. "She wouldn't have had to kill. It wasn't your fault. It was...It was the capitol right?"
I breathe heavily and manage to nod tiredly. "I really hate those fuckers. This...this has gone on too long. A century and a half of hunger games and...Fuck!" I slam the table loudly and begin to breathe even harder. "We need to have more meetings, send...send...send more people and more supplies to the out district folk. It's a better life that what we have here."
I push my chair out a little bit, let him sit on my lap, and just bury my face in his strong shoulders. "Rebellion is coming, and I want to see Panem burn," he says.
"I'll be with you."
Carly Allard, 32 years old, Jensen Allard's (21st) Mother
Mandatory viewing night 1, District 8
Long after the crowds have gone, long after the peacekeepers have herded many of the rowdy people from the night, I finally begin the walk home. I wipe my eyes every couple of steps. The last...the last part of my life, just...gone. Killed in a battle with that asshole from District one. Jensen. Jensen. Jensen. Jensen. I don't want to forget his name. I dont' want to forget his name I don't-
The madness of my thoguhts ends when my hand is five inches from the door to open the apartment buidling. I hear footsteps behind me. Could it be Jensen's father? The abstard who ruined me? The one who made me unable to care for his bastard?
No.
"Hi," a girl says. She's not much older than Jensen, and she has some bags with her. "I was...I was waiting for you," she says quietly. "My name is Jasinta. Jensen was my second best friend and-"
It's all I need to hear. I hug her tightly as she drops what's in her bags. "He has friends…"
"Well it's..it's really just me and Hector who are friend wit him but-"
"He had friends," I say with a smile on my face.
She looks at me with a smile and picks up the bag. "My dad is willing to give you a job. Just as a cleaning lady. He works in a small...small gorcery store. He can pay you in packages for a while and then give you money."
"I'll...I'll meet him tomorrow," I say. "Thank you for being a friend." She walks off.
The door behind me opens. I look around fearfully. It's...it's the doorman and the owner of the apartment building with his...his daughter of five years. "Ms. Allard," he, Qwentin, says with that warm, welcoming tone. "Congratulations on your new job. I'm...I'm sorry about your loss."
I freeze up with the bag of groceries in my hand. "Hey, let me help you take that up," he says, offering a small smile. He's dressed in more casual clothing, just a white t-shirt that fits him kind of tightly. "I have to let you go though, but...I can always help out with your apartment." His little girl...Zelda...touches the buttons to the elevator and takes us up. "I'm always willing to help. You uhh, no offense, you look like you need it."
I offer another genuine smile to him. He reciprocates. He smiles. Just like...Just like Jensen used to.
Hey Guys, Hopps here
When I said I'll be updating quickly I guess I meant it! This chapter is where eulogies are going to be in the notes, so without further ado...
26th- Jon Cheris; Golden Moon Huntress left three great characters and unfortunately I had to kill off one of them. I see a lot of myself in Jon, but he made an excellent first death. He had an easily resolvable plot for the beginning and I can see him propelling his allies to a lot of growth, and that's what I wanted out of first kills, characters who could grow others. Thank you Golden Moon Huntress.
25th- Erudite Soot; SparkALeah, thank you for such a fun character to write. I was able to step into a comedy zone with him and he became a hit with the viewers. Unfortunately he was kind of obvious, but Telia is off in a different, better place now, and it's thanks to the mentor-ship of her bigger rebeller brother. I loved writing Erudite but it was his time to go.
24th- Fabian Drason; Reader Castellan, If you're still reading this, I regret to tell you that Fabian is gone. He could have gone so much further, in fact all six of these deaths could have, but I wanted to drop the numbers to 20 and Fabian was an easy choice, the second to last bloodbath to pick though. He had a lot of room for growth and I only hope that you could see what I had for him.
23rd- Juniper Aspens; Hungergamesandjessie had such a fun character. I loved getting into her mind and writing just what was there and she could really flower out on her own. I had much more planned for her but she was the last bloodbath to decide. It wasn't easy but she lit up the arena for the short time she was here, and left a magical paint through it all
22nd- Ember Hayfield; Juud108 gave me 2 awesome characters but I had to pick one to die and unfortunately Ember, despite her strength, was the first to go. I realized that Juniper could be the one she killed due to her dislike of the careers but I hope she came off well. Ember was fun to write for her 'villain' status. She may have been a 'villain' but she had people rooting for her.
21st- Jensen Allard; Elim9, what can I say about Jensen? He was relatable, and he was troubled, and he had a past. I loved all of that about him and it was a blast writing from a kind of bleak perspective, but I just had to add his friends in. Jensen's personality was something I could easily envision and I had fun writing him. Thank you.
Thank you to these 6 submitters for 6 great tributes so far. And I'll see how long it takes to get out the chapters for the next day of the Hunger Games
Hopping out
Hopps