Thank you HogwartsDreamer113, Bigpapi1234, PainAndPanicReportingForDuty, Jamez S and QuinnDeRavensborough for reviewing! :)
Some of you may have noticed that I've deleted Gloss' story: Reaching Impossibility. I'm so sorry to anyone and everyone who favourited/followed/reviewed/enjoyed it but I'm really not feeling it. I'm finding it really hard to write from Gloss' POV, so I'm thinking I'll give it a break for a while and see what happens later. I'm thinking that I'll do Johanna's story before Gloss' but once again, I'm not really sure.
As for The Victors Of Panem, I've mentioned this before (I think): the updates will be very, very, very irregular. Coming up with names (damn, that's hard) and trying to think of different arenas each year is a little harder than it seems, haha. But I guess, I haven't been very organised, since new ideas for Trident Boy keep popping up in my head.
BUT, I've had a few story ideas in regards to the Percy Jackson series, which have been stored in my Word Document of "Story Ideas" and I've been dying to write a PJ fan fiction. To any demigods out there, look out for a new story!
So, yeah. Reaching Impossibility is deleted. The Victors Of Panem will hopefully have a new update very soon. Potential Percy Jackson fics coming up soon.
I apologise for the uber long A/N this chapter.
XXXVII. Boom
At this point in time, the only thought that I can fully process is, I shouldn't have given Marlene the broth.
And it's not because of how unappetising it looks - okay, maybe it does look disgusting but that's the least of our issues right now. Marlene had said, "In District Four, we eat frogs all the time."
We do. It's rare but on several occasions, frogs are considered to be prized dishes and it's not as disgusting as many people think it is. It tastes a bit like jelly, really. But now, I think Marlene's ruined frogs for the rest of my life - perhaps, even my afterlife.
Foam bubbles around Topaz's and Lance's mouths and they gag. They claw at their throats, staring up at Marlene with looks of utter betrayal and when they speak, only scratchy noises come out. It sounds worse than an extremely sick person coughing up phlegm. Their eyes bulge out of their sockets and they double over, coughing and wrenching in a fruitless attempt to spit the poison back out. Lance's chest heaves as a sound resembling like a perfect blend of a cough and scream resonates from his chest, and Topaz desperately gasps for air.
Thomas is one smart kid.
Well, it's not like he knew what Marlene was up to. The kid had just wrinkled his nose in disgust and said, "I hate frogs. They're disgusting."
That was also sort of stupid, because everyone knew for a fact that you couldn't take things for granted in the arena. You used what you used, and that was it. There was no time to be picky. He sits on the side, watching in absolute horror as the scene before him unfolds.
The two victimised tributes wheeze, gasping for more air and finally, their inhumane sounds stop. Topaz and Lance collapse onto the ground, their limbs twitching, and purple, red and white foam bubbling around their mouths. Two cannons sound consecutively when their movements finally come to an abrupt stop. Within a split second, Drakula's up on his feet, glaring at me as he storms out of the room.
Five tributes left.
The two days following Marlene's traitorous actions are uneventful. Marlene still walks with a limp - the injury was evidently more painful that she'd initially let on. Her arm and leg have been bothering the both of us, as I've sent all the medication there is and nothing seems to be working. Her scratches have only healed the slightest and it's only a matter of time before something worse than the mountain lion comes across Marlene and Thomas.
On the eleventh day of the Games, the citizens of Capital become restless and Claudius Templesmith finally announces the feast. "You'll find all your necessities there," he says.
"You're not going," Marlene says to Thomas, when she's on her way to the all too familiar Cornucopia. When he opens his mouth to protest, she continues on, "No. You're staying here."
He backs down timidly and asks, "Why haven't you killed me yet?"
It takes her a while to respond. Her forehead creases and purses her lips for a few moments, and when she finally does open her mouth to speak, it's like it almost pains her to even admit such a thing. "You… You remind me of my brother."
"I don't look anything like your brother."
"You're both young, skinny and vulnerable. Close enough."
"But…" Thomas frowns in confusion. "That makes no sense."
Cashmere snorts from beside me and rolls her eyes. "That's one dumb kid you've got there, Joseph."
Apparently, Cashmere's been with me for moral support - and because of the fact that she has nothing better to do than to accompany me. She claims that partying alone is too boring, since she usually tags along with Gloss, Althea, Krystal and I. I don't blame her though, because it's true. It's rather suffocating to stand in a room full of people who look like they've appeared from a parallel universe.
"Look, kid," Marlene says. "You're staying here, okay? I'm going to go because I'm pretty sure you don't need anything. It's probably some actual, good quality medicine that Odair doesn't have access too."
He makes an effort to follow the girl, anyway, despite her comments. "If you come with me, I'll be the one to slice your head off," she threatens, gripping her sword tighter to add effect. Thomas pales and flinches, mumbling, "I'll stay here."
But he doesn't.
He waits for three minutes before following Marlene in the exact same direction she'd headed off too. I scope out the other tributes. The two from Three and Eleven seem to be fairing okay with a throwing knife and axe respectively, and Dee is well… Dee: strong, healthy, bloodthirsty and wields one sword. As dusk rolls by, the wind rushes past, even in the desert and Marlene shivers. Her jacket had been torn to shreds from the mountain lion and her attempts to nurture her leg back to normal, so I send down a warm but flexible jacket, which uses up most of the remaining sponsor money. I've realised that as the Games progress, all items become more expensive.
When she receives the jacket, she breathes out a sigh of relief and gratitude, pulling it on hastily. She prepares herself - sheathing her remaining dagger, slinging the last spear behind her back, raising her sword up and moving into a running start-up stance. She even goes as far as cracking her neck and her fingers, as if saying, 'Game on.'
Tonight, the Cornucopia's been covered in a large, ice dome, which encases the items inside. There are still two minutes until six and the remaining mentors as well as the others who've gathered to watch the finale, are pondering over how exactly the tributes are going to retrieve their goods.
A hushed silence falls upon us as we watch the ice shatter under nothing but air. Shards of ice clatter against the tundra and desert, signalling the beginning of the end and all the remaining mentors are quite literally, on the edge of their seats.
The boy from Three is the first one up and running. As he sprints across to the Cornucopia, a sadistic smirk slowly forms on Marlene's expression as she runs after him and slips one knuckle-duster on, onto her right hand. Beetee, who's on Cashmere's other side, shakes his head and sighs.
If I'm being honest, I'd rather her ditch the goddamned knuckle-duster. Her sword is more valuable at a time like this, and with the addition of the other weapon, it's too clunky and bothersome.
Despite the bothering injury Marlene has, she sprints faster than the kid and tackles him down, footy style before pulling a Dee move and smashes her fist against his head. Blood splatters onto the ice as she slams the boy onto the ice several times until his cannon sounds.
Thomas streaks across the desert and when Marlene turns around to scream at him, she's facing the girl from Eleven who waves an axe around. She manages to move out of the way in time to avoid any damage to herself. Strands of her jet black fly everywhere, as the axe slices through the unruly mess of Marlene's hair and when the girl launches herself towards Marlene again, my tribute manages to grab a hold of her wrist, twisting it painfully until the weapon falls out of her hand. Seeder's girl looks up in fright as Marlene stabs her sword into the ice. "Don't kill me!" she wails, tears threatening to spill.
A small smile tugs on Marlene's lips and she watches the girl in amusement. "I don't know; I kind of wanted to play around with you for a bit."
"Actually, I probably will," she adds, quickly and takes a quick scan of the arena. "Especially since my main threat isn't here yet. So, why not mess around with the puny filth?"
You stupid idiot, I think.
Sure, Dee still hasn't reached the clearing that opens up to the Cornucopia but it'll only be a matter of time. She's probably hiding behind a bush, watching all the events and saving up her energy for the end. Even the mere thought of that makes my blood run cold and I shudder slightly.
Marlene straddles the girl in a position much like she'd done with Orion, pinning her to the ground so effectively that she can barely squirm. She laughs airily, bringing her dagger out, and tosses it up into the air before catching it by the blade. "Let's get started, shall we?" I can almost picture the Capital citizens squealing delightfully as Marlene slices open the girl's cheek, running the sharp blade across her jaw and down her neck. She presses the tip against the girl's jugular vein and the girl releases a loud whimper.
Cashmere's left me by now and she's over with Seeder, comforting the elder woman as she watches her tribute suffer from the hands of my own. Marlene's hand drags the dagger down the girl's chest and draws - or rather, carves - a funny shape on her stomach. "You should be lucky that I haven't left you for Dee to deal with," Marlene murmurs as she continues drawing random lines on the girl's body. As disturbing as it is, I suppose this is Marlene's sort of personality - threatening, fierce and vicious, as opposed to how she's been around Thomas. I shouldn't be so shocked or disgusted.
"Jus-Just kill me already," she gasps. "Please."
As Marlene smirks, a loud pair of thundering footsteps sound, quickly followed by a thud and a cannon. The screen beside mine turns black and Joseph leans back with a sigh. Marlene's smirk fades away and her facial features hardens as she sinks the dagger into the girl's body, unleashing an ear-piercing shriek. With one last painful, crunching punch to the face, the girl's cannon booms and Marlene tosses the knuckle-duster away, grabbing a hold of her sword.
Barely a moment later, Dee's grabbed the front of her shirt, lifting her about half a foot off the ground. Marlene's eyebrows shoot up in surprise and her eyes flitter to the right where Thomas lies with a spear through his neck. "Thomas, you idiot," Marlene groans.
"You're going to die," Dee says quietly, yet ever so threateningly.
And then, Marlene explodes. "You fucking bitch!" she screeches. "I'm going to kill you! You know, I was actually hoping to save Topaz for the end, because Althea Yule, female tribute from District One fucking mutilated my brother, but I thought, 'She's too easy'. I'll save you for last."
She yells a string of profanities, kicking and punching manically at Dee and when she's finally dropped to the ground, her fists clench around the handle of her sword, her knuckles turning white. She doesn't hesitate to raise her sword up, advancing towards the larger girl.
"Chick fight!" Haymitch, being the drunken bastard he usually is, cheers. Cashmere shoots a dirty look at the guy - neither of us are particularly fond of him - and squeezes my shoulder, comfortingly. She doesn't tell me that Marlene will make it because that could be a lie, but I'm grateful for that because I don't need any false hope, especially at this point in time.
Marlene's at a huge disadvantage with her injuries and her smaller frame, but even with these deterrents, she's as agile as she usually is, though she often grimaces with each step she takes. Her parries and strikes are weak and Dee catches on quick. The larger girl fakes right, before ducking to swipe at her opponent's left calf. Marlene releases a scream, both pained and angered, and falters momentarily but persists on.
The Mentor's Room is quiet, with only the sounds of clashing blades and laboured breathing from the girls on the main screen. Their spar lasts for a while - seventeen minutes - before Dee has Marlene unarmed, and pinned against the side wall of the Cornucopia with a sword to her throat. Sighing in defeat, my eyes stay glued to the screen as Marlene momentarily glances at the weapon held to her neck and takes a sharp intake of breath. Her eyes close and when they open again, I see fear, something I've never seen before, as well as a fiery determination that keeps me on my feet, hoping that she'll get up and storm to victory.
Because if she doesn't, I swear I'll bring her back to life and kill her myself.
"Any last words?" Dee sneers.
Marlene sneaks her hand into the palm grip of her second brass knuckles, ducking underneath Dee's arms and punching her square in the face. Dee roars in rage. With one hand, she clutches at the torn skin and bruised eye, and with the other, she waves her sword around and slices across Marlene's stomach a few times - thankfully, not very deep.
Dee claws at her eye, which is a bloody mess with red liquid dripping down her split cheekbone and smashed nose. Her eye doesn't even resemble an eye anymore. Long gone are the brown eyes; it looks as if that portion of her face was a pig's insides being cut out. Several mentors wince with unease at the ungodly sight.
Just as Marlene rears her arm back another time, Dee once again grabs a hold of the front of her shirt but this time, she tosses Marlene a few metres ahead of her. She lands rather awkwardly on her left side, crushing her left arm and leg - the side that's been inflicted with the most wounds - and her head smacks against the thick trunk of a tree.
Marlene's eyes flutter shut.
"Fuck," I curse. "No, no, no. Come on, Marlene."
Nothing. Absolutely nothing happens. "Get up."
The cannon booms and my screen fades into an empty pit of black.
And I stare at it for seconds, minutes, maybe even hours - at least, it seems like it. I'm frozen on the spot. Dee's and Enobaria's whoops of victory only send adrenaline pumping through my veins, and I just want to kill them. I want my trident and I want to do what Marlene did to the girl from Eleven. A hand squeezes my shoulder and whispers something I can't make out into my ear, but I just stare.
A ringing sounds echoes in my ears, constantly pounding and pounding, until I feel the urge to smack my head against the wall repeatedly. Shivers wrack my body. But it's not cold, I think. Marlene Summers can't be dead, can she? The girl who I'd grown up with - kind of, the girl who attended the same classes at me in school, the girl who constantly made empty threats, the girl who'd grown a soft side over the past few weeks is dead.
Maybe it's the serum messing with my mind or maybe it's because of the lack of sleep, but it seems surreal. She'd managed to beat everyone in training, even several mock Hunger Games, which were created to essentially test the survival of the fittest, and everyone was so sure that Marlene would come home. But now she's just… dead.
"Come on, Finnick," Cashmere says. "It's over now."
It's over now, I think to myself. It's over.
It's fucking over.
I close my eyes for a few moments, attempting to collect myself back together, to make sure I'm at least, the slightest bit decent to face the other mentors. Suddenly, Cashmere gasps. "No way."
God answers me for the first time. When I open my eyes, the screen's alive again and Marlene's rolling onto her back with an agonised moan.
She's alive.
A/N: I don't actually know what happens when you eat a poison dart frog but I searched everywhere on the internet and found nothing, so I made it up. I hope you like the cliffy I left you with ;)
PS. Please don't try and experiment with poison dart frogs to see what results from consuming them.