Chapter 38 - Posted on ( 6/1/16)
Ebony Williams
District Four Female. 17 years old.
"I'm a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm,
And the scars that mark my body, they're silver and gold,
My blood is a flood of rubies, precious stones,
It keeps my veins hot, the fires find a home in me."
"And when I told Marina about it, she was like, 'No way.' Her face was so red, and it was one of the few times she was ever flustered." Ebony concluded, barely being able to speak through her laughter. Her face was as red as she had described Marina's in her story, though hers was from retelling the entertaining anecdote.
Ebony was reminiscing memories from District Four with Roy. She had just confided in him the most embarrassing story she could remember about her sister. Ebony knew Marina was probably steaming mad for this, double that Ebony was in her place. But Ebony didn't care right now; she wanted to live in the moments with Roy.
Roy's eyes danced with mirth. He chuckled along with Ebony, but they soon calmed down. She asked him, "Any funny stories from District Five?"
The mirth vanished from his startling blue eyes, and Roy became serious as he considered it. "Not really. Life wasn't as exciting as yours was." Thinking about it, Roy barely had time to laugh back home. His life before was filled with death, and drama, and tragedy.
Ebony shrugged. She had been so lucky back in District Four without even noticing it. How was she so blind to the meaning of life and she didn't even notice it?
The duo was silent for a moment, listening to the regular 'forest' sounds. All around the areas that surrounded them, they could hear croaking toads and frogs, deep ones and the kinds that make that whizzing sound that gets louder and then suddenly stops, leaving behind an abrupt silence. Chirping crickets, many different kinds, seem to be closing in, as there were so many of them. Ebony thought she even heard a howling somewhere in the distance. What could that be, a wolf, a coyote, a mountain lion? What is out here in the deep dark forest? Would she ever be brave enough to venture it further?
From her position lying on the floor, still tied up in ropes, she could see Roy next to her, opening his mouth to say something. But, a sudden symphony interrupted what he was about to say. A familiar Capitol symphony.
"The death count!" Ebony said excitedly. Luckily, it was right overhead, so even in her condition (she was still a hostage, of course) she could view it perfectly.
Roy was silent as he stared up at the sky, his neck inclined at the high angle. The Capitol music played for a few seconds more, and the Capitol seal flashed up. Then, to the interesting part: the death count.
Even if they didn't know each other very well, Ebony hoped that Bay wasn't killed. He was such a nice person, not the typical Career. If she didn't win, she wanted Bay or Roy to win in her place.
It went to District Three first, so Ebony still wasn't sure if Bay was part of the three cannons that boomed today. She knew that Huxley, the boy, was killed in the Bloodbath, so that Eudora girl was the only one from the District left. She must have died.
Her suspicions were confirmed once the young girl's face was shown in the sky. Ebony was saddened by the happy, innocent look on the hologram of Eudora's face; she didn't know she would suffer such a terrible fate. During Ebony's time with the Careers, they had singled out Dora to die in the Bloodbath. But Dora had taught Ebony a lesson. It was to never judge a book by its cover.
Dora's face was soon replaced with a strong contender's, which surprised Ebony immensely. It was Isobel Wild, the District Eleven Female. On one hand, Ebony was glad she was out, for two reasons. One, she could stop worrying if Bay had died, but now she could finally relax since it had skipped right to District Eleven; and two, Isobel was a high threat. Ebony wondered who could've killed them. Maybe her former allies, the Careers?
Stop thinking that way. When you leave Roy, you'll go back to them. She chided herself mentally, as she did everyday. But this time there was an echo to her thoughts. But can I bear to part with Roy, after all we've been through? Even Bay and I don't talk like Roy and I do now…
Ebony shook her head clear. She would have to deal with her conflicting feelings later. It would have to wait.
The next face in the sky wasn't as surprising as the previous two. It was Delia Montgomery, District Twelve Female.
Roy commented, "I guess she was all looks, no brains or brawns. I wonder who - or what - killed her."
Ebony shrugged. The Capitol music played, and then stopped abruptly, leaving them to the sound of silence once more. Darkness seemed to be their friend in the arena; the only light that was filtering through the trees were the small illuminations coming from the purple lanterns, and the crescent moon's gleam. Roy leaned over Ebony so she could see his face. This reminded Ebony of what he was trying to say earlier, because the death roll interrupted.
"What were you going to say earlier?" Ebony asked him.
Roy took a deep breath. "I was going to say, that you could go back to the Careers." His blue eyes flickered up and met Ebony's. "If you wanted to."
"Whoa, whoa, hold the phone." Ebony said, in an incredulous tone. "Don't you have worse plans in mind for me? Like, aren't you going to kill me?"
"Well, I'm going to untie your ropes, anyway. Then you're free to go wherever you want." Roy shrugged and kept a casual tone, but Ebony knew how hard this was for him.
This was going to be as hard for her as it was on him.
He gripped his knife tightly, and began sawing at the ropes that bound her wrists. His dagger was sharper than anything he'd ever used, coming from the Capitol, but the rope was even more durable. Maybe this could take a while.
Ebony leaned her head back, thinking of the Careers. Could she really return to them? Was it possible? Roy's offer seemed too good to be true. She thought of Clarence, the calm yet high-standard-setting leader; Jayda, the sweet yet sour District One Female; Vulcan, whom she never really liked, but learned to respect; Hestia, the mysterious and strong faithful follower of Clarence; Bay, the unlikely Career who was kind and laid-back; and...herself.
She was stuck, in between two worlds. It was a huge dilemma, harder than any decision she could ever make. On one side of the scale was Roy. Once again, she never talked to anyone she way she did to him. It was so easy to laugh together, share funny stories together, and just, well, be together.
On the other side, were the Careers. They were the threats to look out for in the Games, and they always had the best of everything that tributes could have; the most attention, previous training, and mostly good looks. They, on a regular basis, got kills. They were well-liked.
But did all of that matter, when friendship came first?
Roy was making good progress on the ropes. They were coming apart in his hands. He concentrated on cutting the ropes, and tried not to meet Ebony's gaze. "I have to get this over with." He said, ending the silence. He seemed almost awkward now. "You were the first friend I ever really had, so I would really want you to stay, but you don't have to."
She looked at him, her expression softening. "Roy, I'm not going back to the Careers." Ebony said, with a smile playing on her features.
Roy finally looked up at her, trying to gauge if she was kidding or not. She looked completely serious. Roy smiled and began to laugh - for no apparent reason at all.
Ebony started laughing too, and even though they were so loud, they didn't care if anyone could hear them. They had each other.
And that was why Ebony liked being Roy's friend.
Clarence Reiss
District One Male. 18 years old.
"We are never, ever, ever getting back together,
We are never, ever, ever getting back together,
You go talk to your friends, talk to, my friends talk to me
But we are never, ever, ever, ever getting back together."
Clarence released a long breath. A breath he didn't know he was holding.
Ebony was still gone. Everyone in the Pack was starting to give up hope for their lost ally, saying that it maybe wasn't worth it. But Clarence disagreed. A Career was a Career; they had to find her.
Vulcan was still being no help. Suggesting things, ordering his allies to do things; in other words, trying to take over his job. He wished he could just skewer Vulcan through the heart with his sword and he done with it.
His followers were getting restless. They were tired of looking for Ebony. They wanted kills, mutts, or anything else to disturb the search. It was like she was just, well, gone. She was nowhere to be found.
The death roll had been shown. All of the Careers had stared up at the sky solemnly, as the faces of Eudora Macintosh, Isobel Wild, and Delia Montgomery flashed by. None of which had been killed by the Careers.
Clarence needed to go tribute hunting - but by himself. He was tired of Vulcan, and namely the rest of the alliance, complaining. He needed a break from the world, and he needed to do things by himself, become a tad bit more independent.
Being the leader of the Pack was a lot more complicated them he had ever fathomed before.
Clarence ran his hands through his hair to look presentable, and stood up. "I'm going tribute hunting, and alone." He announced to his alliance, looking pointedly at Vulcan. "I don't want any funny business going around here while I'm gone. Got it?"
He glanced around to see if anyone would dare disagree with the legendary Reiss. Jayda rose up, off the ground where she had been sitting cross-legged moments before. "Clarence, I think I should go with you." She said. It wasn't a suggestion, it was more like a command. "You don't know what's out there. We Careers depend on each other."
Clarence shrugged. He wouldn't mind Jayda's company - she was his District Partner, after all. "Well, suit yourself."
He gazed out to the rest of the alliance. Hestia was leaning up against a nearby tree and was breaking into a pack of crackers that had been in her backpack. Bay had tore a piece of bark off a tree and was using it to sharpen his spear. And Vulcan was just sprawled on the ground, looking irritating, as usual. Clarence barked out orders. "Hestia, you're in charge until I get back. If anyone tries to do anything, kill them." For good measure, he added, "Without hesitating."
Hestia gave him a little salute. "Got it."
Clarence and Jayda turned and walked deeper into the forest. The silence was penetrating them, and it felt like someone was watching them, getting ready to stab them in the back. Neither of them made a move to break the ice. Tribute hunting came before talking and having fun.
After what seemed like countless hours of nothing, Clarence froze and pointed up ahead. "There." He whispered, barely audible in attempt not to be heard by the humans - or creatures - lurking about.
Almost as an unspoken agreement, both of them strapped on their night vision goggles and peered through them. The darkness was no longer a problem as soon as they had the goggles on. An illumination of three figures were outlined. Clarence could tell that from their body type, that there was two boys and one girl.
The two District One tributes snuck up closer. Once they were near enough to hear the conversation, Jayda and Clarence pressed themselves against the tree, to try to disguise themselves as much as they could.
"I don't like it here." A female voice complained. "I feel like we're being watched somehow. We should move."
The two Careers exchanged eye rolls. If only the girl knew just who was watching them.
A heavy sigh came next in the discussion. This time, an agitated, exasperated male's voice spoke up. "Azalea, we moved three times today. You always feel like someone's watching us."
The said girl, namely Azalea, insisted. "I'm doing it for a good reason."
The trio remained silent after that. No sounds of moving or scuffling issued, so that must have meant that they stuck with the agitated-sounding male's plan. Clarence and Jayda glanced at each other, knowing that they might not have a lot of time left.
Clarence whispered softly, so that only they could hear, "Let's surprise them. Try to kill them all. If we do, three less competitors in the arena." Jayda bobbed her head up and down to show her agreement.
The duo, stealthy as a spy, ducked from their tree to the next. They continued doing the action throughout until they were at the tree located right behind the group. Clarence hoped the unknown alliance hadn't been alerted to another presence lurking throughout their territory. Luckily, the shadows seemed to have concealed the two Careers.
Clarence, with his free hand that was not gripping his silver sword, held up three fingers. He mouthed to his District Partner: "On the count of three." Jayda understood immediately and unsheathed her double swords from their holders. She had the option and luxury to equip her bow and arrow or katana instead, but she enjoyed the double swords the most.
Clarence slowly brought one of his fingers down, his sign now showing a two. Then a one. Then none…
The two of them immediately jumped out of their hideout, and right in front of the alliance. Their three opponents screamed and tried to pick up their weapons from the floor. But it was too late.
Jayda Newell and Clarence Reiss were upon them.
Jayda Newell
District One Female. 17 years old.
"You're hot and you're cold,
you're yes and you're no
You're in and you're out,
You're up and you're down."
Jayda multi-tasked and managed to disable the girl and one of the boys whom she suspected to be the District Eleven Male for a few moments: she kicked her leg out just as the girl began to run, causing Azalea to trip over it and fall to the ground. Then, the District One female spun the boy around at the same time so that this back was pressed up against the tree that she and Clarence were hiding behind just seconds earlier. Jayda shoved the tip of one of her double swords in front of the guy's throat, while she kept the other one at her side but ready to swing if necessary.
Clarence had managed to capture the other boy, whom was light-brown haired and gray-eyed. He held the boy by his wrists, which he had forced behind his back.
"Now that we're all here, tell me your allies' names and your name." Jayda started the 'pleasant' conversation, prodding her boy 'prisoner' to speak by shoving her sword ever so closer to his throat. One more centimeter, and the tip would dig into his flesh.
"Quince Lazarre." He whimpered, almost going cross-eyed trying to look at the sword, which was inching closer to his throat. The said Quince continued. "Azalea and Lignite are my allies."
It was easy to depict, out of the remaining two, who was Lignite and who was Azalea.
Jayda looked over at Clarence, wondering what to do next. He didn't pay any mind to her; he seemed to be deep in thought. Suddenly, his face lit up, meaning he had an idea. Clarence smiled in quite an evil way, and went on with his idea. "Well, we're going to play a little game."
Azalea, Quince, and Lignite looked uncertainly at each other, but listened to Clarence's proposal nevertheless.
"A game where one of you three die at the end." Clarence finished, that evil smirk back on his face. Gasps arose from the three of them, but Jayda silenced them with one, harsh look. Clarence was not done yet.
He continued, "Each of you have to vote someone in your alliance to die. They will be killed, and the rest of you will be spared. No voting to kill yourself. You must choose one of your allies instead."
Jayda thought that this might be Clarence's best idea yet. He was doing what he did best, and this way of killing one of them would be the perfect way to entertain the Capitol.
He began by pointing to Azalea. "Who do you vote to die?"
The brown-haired girl squeezed her eyes shut, maybe hoping it would be just another bad dream. But when Azalea opened her eyes again, she was still facing the decision of killing one of her allies. Her brown eyes started to tear up. "I can't decide." She said, in a stressed tone.
Lignite looked at her, pained. Quince remained emotionless, though his body language suggested he was feeling discomfort at his ally Azalea's indecisiveness.
Jayda clucked her tongue. "Now, now." She purred, in that sticky sweet way of hers. "You will be killed as well if you can't decide." Clarence nodded his approval at the new rule.
Azalea sighed heavily. In a voice barely audible, but Jayda could tell was filled with regret, the brown-haired 16 year old said, "Quince."
Quince recoiled at that. "Me?" He asked, losing his emotionless expression. "Azalea!"
"You never done anything for us." Azalea retorted. "You just care about yourself! You don't talk to us anymore! We are not your slaves!"
Clarence seemed amused, but stopped them nevertheless. "Come, now." He chided. "We must move on. What about you, Lignite?"
Lignite frowned, but the decision mustn't have been hard to make for him. He made his choice quite quickly compared to Azalea's dilemma time. "Quince." Lignite chose, not meeting his 18 year old ally's eyes.
Quince let out a guttural growl, almost like an animal's. Jayda could just imagine how frustrated he was feeling, how Azalea and Lignite had both voted to kill him. She wondered what he had done to earn his ally's distrust.
Clarence clapped his hands together, an excited look on his face. "We needn't continue. We have all the votes that are necessary." He turned to Quince, with almost a knowing look on his face. "Time to say bye, Lazarre.
"Any last words you want to say to him?" He asked the Parker male and Sequins teen. They both shook their heads at the prospect.
Jayda took pity on them. They really didn't have to witness their former ally's death, even though it would have been fun to watch their expressions. "Run along." She told them, almost in a bored tone. "Next time we meet, we will draw blood."
The duo didn't have to be told twice. Both brown-haired teenagers turned on their heels and sprinted away, never looking back over their shoulder.
Clarence looked over at Jayda. "Do you want to do the honors?" After all, that's what a good Career leader did. Jayda nodded and took up her sword again. Clarence stepped out of the way so she could do it.
Jayda stabbed one of her swords into his throat, and watched in satisfaction as blood starting pouring from the wound. Quince turned pale, like he saw a ghost, as he started choking on the metal and blood. Lack of oxygen made him stumble to the ground.
Jayda was having much fun, but she wanted to end his misery. She quickly got her other sword and stabbed it into Quince Lazarre's heart, ending his life instantly. Boom.
She stepped back, admiring her handiwork. Then she pulled both swords out of her victim, and stared at the blood coating the two weapons. The blood of Quince.
Clarence and her shared a smile, an almost crazed smile. "One down, ten to go."
And that exciting thought would keep them awake for hours.
Song(s) Used -
Ebony Williams: "Yellow Flicker Beat" (sung by Lorde)
Clarence Reiss: "We Are Never Getting Back Together" (sung by Taylor Swift)
Jayda Newell: "Hot 'N' Cold" (sung by Katy Perry)
11th - Quince Lazarre - D11M - I loved Quince. I think a lot of people liked him, as well. He was such a cheerful, optimistic boy, but the Games surely had changed him - inside and out. He was an example of what the Games could do to someone. He was one of the first tributes I gotten, and he was such a thrill to write for. Quince Lazarre was amazing. I hope his brother and his family can sort out their problems. I'm so sorry VeneratedArt for Quince's death, and for all you readers. But I promise Quince will be remembered forever.
Hi! So, another death this chapter! I told you I promised lots of death on Day Five. District Eleven is out now...did anyone suspect Quince's death coming so fast?
I hope you like the remaining tributes. Any predictions on the Victor? Any people you would like for Final Five? This story is getting closer to its completion!
Happy June, everybody! In just a few short more days, will be the third month anniversary of A Spell Broken!
May the odds be ever in your favor!
Tributes:
Clarence Reiss
Jayda Newell
Hestia Gabbro
Vulcan Hardy
Ebony Williams
Bay Riverside
Eudora "Dora" Macintosh
Huxley Cathode
Kinsie Surge
Dylan Tweed
Rosemary "Rosie" Fields
Casimir Moretti
Casey Taurus
Roy Lentz
Zoe Mercedes
Louis Lindbergh
Celine Woodman
Rowan Mattock
Azalea Sequins
Quince Lazarre
Lignite Parker
Taurus Whittaker
Isobel Wild
Delia Montgomery