Hey everyone!
Sorry for not updating the other day, I'm still struggling through writers block, and I don't want to write a horrible chapter just to fill in. I think this story deserves better than that.
However, thanks to cheeks42, I was pushed out of the "valley of creative death" otherwise known as writers block.
cheeks42 has left me a wonderful review packed full of ideas, and several of the things she mentioned has sent my stagnant mind on a whirlwind of creation! YAY!
so thank you to cheeks42 for your marvelous ideas and I will be using them in some way in the story.
just wanted to let everyone know, and here's the newest chapter!
Chapter Thirty-Seven: that escalated quickly.
Ariel and I watch as the careers shuffle at the foot of the cliff, unsure of what to do.
I hear the door open, and Poseidon walks in.
"What's going on?"
Ariel fills him in while I watch the screens. Several of them are showing different angles of the meadow and lake, while others are close-ups of the careers at the foot of the cliff, and Ziva and Cecil running to join them. There's also a close up of Johanna, who is easily scaling the cliff, she's already almost at the top. It must be because she's from the lumber district, so she's probably used to climbing.
"What the #$%& are you doing!"
Ziva screams as she reaches the others. Crystal looks up at the cliff.
"Do you expect us to climb up that thing?"
Ziva screeches in rage, and slashes her sword across Crystal's stomach. She falls to the ground coughing up blood.
"No. Now I expect you to die."
She says calmly. Mercury steps forward with his spear at the ready.
"What was that for? She wasn't doing anything!"
Ziva whirls to face him, swords held ready.
"Oh please, that's the point. She wasn't doing anything. We're better off this way, no more useless baggage."
Crystal gives one last gurgling cough, and then her cannon fires.
I stare shocked at the screen showing her. Laying sprawled on the ground, her golden hair spattered in her own blood.
A low laugh echoes from the cliff, filling the valley and sending chills down my back.
"I appreciate the help darling, now I have one less of you to kill."
Ziva snaps her head back, trying to find Johanna on the cliff face, but she's already reached the top, hidden by the trees. Ziva turn back to the others, murder still shining fiercely in her ice blue eyes.
"Listen closely. We are going to climb this cliff, and finish that little *&^!$ off! Next one who complains or hesitates shares Crystal's fate. Are we clear?"
They all nod sullenly.
"Good. Mercury, you're the best climber so you first."
Mercury secures his spear through his pack straps, and starts slowly climbing the cliff.
"See, it's not that hard."
Ziva says confidently, then she slides her swords into the cross sheath on her back, and follows Mercury. The others hesitate a moment, then follow.
"This isn't going to end well. Johanna's got the high ground, and they're sitting ducks right now."
Poseidon says with a sigh. Ariel nods.
"If they keep going like this the chances of a career winning this year decrease greatly."
We watch in silence for a while. Mercury is scaling the cliff without much difficulty, Ziva is right behind him, and Theodor's not having too much trouble. Bernard and Cecil on the other hand, Bernard is all muscle, and heaving his great bulk up a vertical cliff is no easy task, and Cecil has a large gash on one arm, and is stabbed in the other shoulder. Making the climb twice as challenging.
Ariel is tense and anxious, biting her nails as she watches Cecil struggle. At one point Cecil loses her grip, and almost falls before catching herself at the last second. Ariel is so wound up that she bit her lip hard, making it bleed.
Poseidon's watching her worried, after she bites her lip he puts his hand on her shoulder.
"Ariel, why don't you take a break. Finnick and I can cover it for a little while. You should get something to eat and rest."
She tears her eyes away from the screens and looks at Poseidon. He gives her a smile.
"We'll call you if anything turns up okay?"
She seems to relax slightly, giving him at tight smile. Then she stands up.
"Okay. You will tell me if anything happens wont you?"
We both nod. Her eyes wander back to the screens as she slowly backs toward the door. Poseidon stands up, blocking her view of the screens. She blinks, turns around and walks out the door.
Poseidon sighs and sits back in his chair.
"I was afraid this would happen."
I look at him.
"What?"
He rubs his head, slowly answering.
"Ariel and Cecil knew each other prior to the games."
I blink in surprise.
"How?"
"Ariel grew up in a foster home, it wasn't a very happy place for her, and it got even worse after she had Lily. Her foster parents simply said they wouldn't support the baby, so Ariel volunteered for the games, leaving Lily in the care of a friend. When she got back, she discovered her foster parents had replaced her with another little girl from the community home."
Realization hits me.
"Cecil and Ariel are step sisters?"
He shrugs.
"Sort of. Ariel was almost seventeen when she won the games, and after she won she moved into victors village immediately. Since then she hasn't had any relationship with her foster parents. That doesn't change the fact that Cecil and her are related in a way."
I look back at the screens.
"No wonder she's been so nervous about her safety."
Poseidon nods.
"Apparently Ariel was Cecil's role model, and that's why she volunteered for the games."
That explains a lot of things; Ariel's breakdown in the train, her scream when Johanna cut her, and even though I wasn't there for a lot of training, I could tell she favored Cecil over Theodor.
"I'm afraid if Cecil dies, Ariel is going to go into shock. She already has issues with getting too attached to the tributes."
Poseidon is clearly very worried about her, and now I am too.
"What do we do if she does go into shock?"
Posiedon shrugs.
"It's only happened once before, took her almost a week to snap out of it, then she watched the screens obsessively until the killer of her tribute died. That's why she doesn't mentor much."
I nod.
"No wonder you sent her out."
He sighs again.
"I just hope she'll be alright."
The careers are almost halfway up the cliff by now, and Cecil seems to be doing a little better.
"Once she gets to the top we can send her some medicine."
I hadn't even thought about sponsors. At least we have plenty of gifts lined up.
After a little while, the careers have almost made it to the top of the cliff. Mercury is still in the lead, followed by Ziva and Theodor, and Bernard and Cecil have caught up as well.
"She's not getting away this time."
Ziva hisses from between her teeth.
Poseidon laughs.
"Yeah, just like the other three times."
I chuckle.
"Apparently third time's not the charm."
Mercury pulls himself up, and grabs onto the ledge. After a little scrambling, her levers himself up, and rolls onto the plateau. He slides on his belly back to the edge, and holds his hands out for Ziva. She grips his hands, and he pulls her up. She immediately stands, and draws her swords, taking several steps into the woods.
"Hey, don't you think we should wait for the others?"
Mercury calls after her, she turns around and glares at him.
"Right. I'll just stay here and help the others up, we'll catch up."
She turns back around, and pushes deeper into the forest.
"Bad idea going into Johanna's territory alone."
Poseidon mutters, and I switch my attention from the cliff climbers, to Ziva.
She's advancing quietly into the thick woods, her eyes darting back and forth.
The loud snap of a twig breaking rings out through the trees. Ziva stops, turning in the direction the sound came from.
"Come out you little &%*$ I know you're there!"
She waits for a minute, then takes a step forward. Everything happens so fast, it's almost to quick to catch.
A long splitting crack sounds just above Ziva, and she looks up, horror spreads across her face, and she steps back quickly, her foot catches on a root, and she falls down. A huge branch comes crashing down, crushing her legs and pinning her to the forest floor. She screams like a tortured animal, and tears instantly start running down her cheeks.
Johanna drops out of the tree where the branch came from, and cocks her head at Ziva.
"You weren't supposed to move. Oh well, at least now you'll suffer."
She walks over to where Ziva is laying, purposely stepping on the branch that has her legs are pinned under. Ziva screeches as Johanna leans her weight against the branch.
"You know, I was going to kill you instantly. Quick and painless, well mostly painless. But after you stopped me at the cornucopia, invaded my camp and tortured me. I changed my mind."
Ziva stares at her with pure hatred in her tear filled eyes. Johanna smiles, and continues as she walks around Ziva.
"Although, if it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't have cut my hair, so I guess I have to thank you for that. It fits me so much better than what I had before."
Ziva sobs, and tries to push the branch off her legs. Johanna picks up Ziva's twin swords, and examines them.
"Nice blades, not my style though. I would go with a nice battle axe or hatchet any day. They are useful though."
She stabs the sword in Ziva's jacket sleeve, pinning her arm to the ground. She hops over to her other side, and does the same to her other arm.
This results in more screams and tears from Ziva. Johanna laughs, and crouches next to Ziva's head.
"Who's crying now? Funny how people always judge a tribute by how they act. Take me for instance, everyone assumed I wouldn't make it past the bloodbath, unfortunately you did too. Now you see my true colors, no more the cringing sobbing little weakling, now I'm your worst nightmare, the one with a perfect ability to murder."
For the first time, I see fear in Ziva's eyes. Then Johanna pulls out her knife and with one quick slash, she slits Ziva's throat.
The cannon doesn't sound, and Johanna waits for a minute. *boom* Johanna smiles, and stands up. Then as an afterthought, she bends down and cuts away Ziva's shirt below her ribcage, then she cuts something into her stomach. She stands up again, and wipes the knife on her pants, then she glances behind her, and runs deeper into the trees.
In a few seconds, the rest of the careers come running to the scene. They freeze when they see Ziva, staring at her body for a few minutes.
Cecil walks closer, and looks at the writing on Ziva's stomach.
"Play fair."
She turns back around, and the remaining careers look at each other for a minute.
"Time to split up?"
Mercury asks. They nod, and after a moment or two, they all scatter into the trees.