The twelfth day
-Jace Galillei, 18, District 3-
Jace woke up slowly. In fact, he wasn't even sure what he was waking up to. Was he dead? His body sure felt dead. He didn't even know what happened to him. One moment, he was mourning Elliot… Then, a tremendous pain…
"Camellia?" he asked quietly, feeling around for the bags that were probably spread all around. Surely she wouldn't be sleeping right now if it were only the two of them.
Jace suddenly became nervous at the lack of a response. Was she alright? Did whatever took Elliot finally catch up to them? Jace had no way of knowing for sure what exactly happened. All he knew was that he heard screams, and he felt Elliot's chest raising and falling, even when they were trying to take him away.
He could hear fear in Camellia's voice when she was yelling at him to let go, but she didn't understand. Even if Elliot looked dead, he wasn't. Jace was still with him, with some hope that he could save him, but mostly wanting Elliot's last moments to be spent with his pack… Not up there, being probed at by the morticians that were preparing his body to be sent home. He deserved to die peacefully… He was already afraid, couldn't they hear how afraid he was?!
Jace blinked a few times to keep his eyes from sweating anymore. He couldn't start crying again. He had to make sure that Camellia was alright. For all Jace knew she could be dead too. He was knocked out cold…
He felt around, and jumped a little when his hand touched fabric. It was a bag. Inside, Jace could feel a canteen of water and the bag of jerky they'd won. The next thing his hand touched was the sleek, sharp metal of… What had to have been the fencing foil. Jace carefully felt for the handle, and when he picked it up he was sure that was it. All of the supplies were certainly nice, but Jace was more concerned about finding his third ally. He reached out, crawling on the floor, feeling around desperately. Each second that went by unsuccessful made Jace even more afraid. What if something happened to her!? He wouldn't have known, he was knocked out. His head stung, as if feeling the impact of the metal club against it. Right. It was metal.
Jace felt along the floor, feeling nothing, not even another bag. He turned himself around and went the other way, and still no luck. His heart was pounding in his chest… It seemed that he was all alone.
How could this be? Jace wasn't expecting to be alone this soon…
"Camellia," he said, just a little louder. He knew that he couldn't be too loud as it would attract other tributes. But at the same time, if she had by some mistake fallen asleep somewhere, maybe this would wake her up. "Are you there?"
Still no response for Jace. He could feel liquid rolling down his cheeks and swore quietly to himself. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. Surely they wouldn't have killed both of his allies in one swoop… But Jace hadn't heard any description of the scene until it was too late. Perhaps they thought the impact of the hit was just enough to kill him and didn't check their work after killing her. And Jace wouldn't have even been able to tell her goodbye, or make her last moments peaceful… Did he really let her die alone?!
Jace couldn't even handle that thought. If he stayed on it for too much longer, he would surely break down, or worse, shut down. And he couldn't do that. He had to keep fighting on for his friends.
As he was continuing to whisper and feel along the ground, his memories started to become clearer. The pain in his heart was so real, but right before he was sent out he heard the small sniffle that he recognized from late nights of nothingness and misery. A grunt that he recognized from the training center. The smooth metal impacting him from the very object that had been won with his token…
The confetti cannon.
But… That would mean that his own ally would have betrayed him. Camellia wasn't the type of person that would do that. Perhaps the weapon was stolen from her by someone else… She had no reason to rob Elliot of his final moments with those who had just claimed to be family. She had no reason to hurt Jace: even if he wanted to betray anyone, it would be basically impossible because, if you forgot, he's fucking blind. She would know that.
He was so desperately trying to find a way to rationalize what she'd done. Surely she wouldn't have hurt him on purpose. Maybe she saw something coming and was trying to hit them instead of him.
…Which would have been a pretty dramatic miss because he was hunched over Elliot's body, trying to protect it. And she wasn't blind.
It didn't take Jace too long to run out of excuses. There was no rationalizing what had happened. Ultimately, Camellia had taken advantage of the moment, hurt Jace, and made an escape. And now, Jace was left alone. Why would she do that? Jace didn't know. He never thought she was manipulative or evil, and usually he could hear it in people's voices… Well, he was wrong about her. As much as he hated admitting it. Admitting that she would betray him… And that he was dumb enough to fall for it.
Jace took a deep breath, trying to stop any more tears from leaking out of his eyes. It wasn't fair. He wasn't ready to be alone. But life wasn't fair, and nobody knew that more than him. The kid that was supposed to have an amazing life, and ended up here. Blind, scarred, and in the Hunger Games. Life wasn't fair, and that had never stopped him before.
But that was because all those other times, he had someone there to tackle it with him. Now, Jace was truly alone. He had nobody there to be his teammate in these dark times. Everyone he would meet from here on out had one task in mind: to take his life. There was nobody left on his team, nobody who had his back.
So this was the turning moment then. What was he going to do about it?
Jace had never been the type to give up, and he certainly wasn't about to now.
Perhaps if he were stronger like Bec, he would vow revenge. But the truth was, even if Jace had the chance to hurt his ex-ally, he knew he couldn't. Camellia was just fighting to get home, just like he was. Camellia wasn't his enemy here. The enemy was the one that threw them all into this mess. And no, that didn't mean Ani. The escorts were only moving pieces in this twisted game, just as the tributes were pawns. The fact that she would take advantage of him made Jace angry, sure, but mostly sad. He knew that he was useless to them because he couldn't see, and he hadn't been able to save his ally: or take the blow for himself. At least then he wouldn't have been dead weight anymore to his allies.
You're not dead weight, Ari's voice persisted in his head. But Jace knew he was.
One thing he'd learned after becoming disabled was that the world only looked at him with pity. Anyone who asked him questions about his life didn't really give a damn, they were just acting out of pity. Nobody would ever talk to the man with scary scars and milky eyes. I should be a good person and do what nobody else would. In every interaction, they made themselves heroes. Jace knew it, he could just sense it in their amazement that he didn't just sit around at home all day and vegetate. In those times when he was managing his blindness well, the reaction from people that didn't know was always that of pure astonishment, but then once they knew, their tone of voice changed. Their entire demeanor became different when they realized that the person they were talking to was disabled.
Suddenly, they were walking on eggshells, trying not to make inappropriate comments or figures of speech. Hell, even his own allies did this. It was completely normal. Jace usually pulled out his morbid sense of humor, just for them to know that he didn't mind. But it was exhausting having people constantly wanting to be compassionate to him, or uber cautious around him, just because he was blind.
It was a reality he'd learned to deal with, because no matter how hard he tried, there were some things that he could never change. This was one of them. He had come so far in learning how to manage, how to deal, how to thrive… But now, none of that mattered. He had no idea how he was going to survive this. He was truly alone, no Ari to let him know that he was actually reaching towards a grater and not a mixing bowl, no Elliot to tell him what a wheel said and what was on it, and no Camellia to alert him of an oncoming threat. Hell, maybe she would be one of those threats… And if that were to happen, well, Jace just guessed he'll die.
Well, at least you have food and water, said Erwin in his mind, ever so practical.
I have food and water.
That was strange. Given all the opportunity in the world to collect while he was unconscious, why would she choose to leave him with those things? Maybe she was making a fast escape. Or perhaps, it was done on purpose. Although, if that was her purpose, she probably could have done it without giving Jace a splitting headache.
She just left because he's dead weight now, and left him supplies out of… Pity. If it were Jace that died, and Elliot that was left with her, she surely wouldn't have done that to him. Elliot still had use to her: they could take turns keeping watch, they could stay alert for threats, they could fight for each other. She probably just gave up on the idea that Jace could fight at all after seeing his pitiful response to the threat that took Elliot's life.
And, really, if that were the case, Jace couldn't blame her.
He did fail Elliot. He couldn't fight back, he couldn't sense where the threat was, and if someone wanted to kill him, he would have certainly been dead. Why couldn't they have killed him instead? At least then Elliot and Camellia would have had a chance together without him. At least the dead weight would have been relieved of them, and there would have been no room left for any guilt or pity.
Jace's palms burned from how deeply his fingernails were buried in them. He slowly released his fists. He couldn't blame her for what she had done. Perhaps if he were in her shoes, he would have done the same. Protecting your pack is one thing, but that doesn't exist in the Hunger Games, where only one comes out alive. Jace should have known that from the start. He was sure that Camellia knew. After all, she had suffered even more greatly than him at the unrelenting hands of the Games. She was just trying to keep herself from being martyred as her boys before her have been.
But, as much as Jace wasn't sure his purpose in this world, he wasn't ready to die yet. Maybe he didn't have an idea why he was alive now, but he was going to keep searching until he had one. He may have been discarded, but Jace had been discarded from before, and he'd come back from it. There was no reason that he couldn't come back from this too.
Ari always told him, "the only obstacle stopping you from achieving is yourself."
He wasn't going to stand in his own way anymore.
Jace was going to pick himself up, and do everything he could to get out of here. If not for any reason other than a crippling fear of death, Jace was going to do all he could.
And once he was out, he wouldn't stop until these sick games were put to a halt forever.
~.~.
The thirteenth day
The tributes wondered if they were dreaming when they awoke. The Arena was dim, the surroundings around them looking brown and dark. Not even the wheels or slot machines provided light to the rooms. Some confused tributes took a few steps closer to the dark wheels. What once were good options were now those that nobody would want to wish upon themselves. Those who approached kept their coins close.
Kelwyn looked to the doors, trying to decide where to go, but they were all now decorated the same: with a dark black skull and crossbones. That couldn't have been a good sign…
Slowly, some of the more astute and thoughtful tributes like Harleigh put together why this was happening: after all, what was the infamous unlucky number? It was indeed the thirteenth day. It didn't take a genius to feel on-edge. For those who couldn't see, like Jace, the rooms were filled with a chilling breeze, suspiciously quiet. The tributes weren't confined, but they were far too nervous to think about venturing too far away.
By mid-morning, the final tribute woke from slumber, and thus the festivities could begin.
"Good morning tributes," Lux said over the loudspeakers, as Eden groggily took in her surroundings. "Please roll for control of the elevator."
The dice appeared in front of each other tributes. The first number rolled was a Coda's lime green die with black numbers, which stopped on the number 11. The boy sighed in disappointment at his poor luck, but was wondering if that would be the only unfortunate luck he'd have…
Other tributes rolled, most of them disappointed about their numbers being incredibly low. The last tribute to roll was Ceru, whose die landed on quite a formidably high number.
"Seventeen."
"Nice one," Lonan said, clapping him on the back. Ceru tensed.
The elevator was sent into a frenzy of light, going and going until it stopped on… Brown.
"Isn't that your color?" Owen asked the boy from Ten, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"It should be," Lonan said. But… It simply made no sense because he rolled… A two. The other tributes laughed nervously. Jace tensed visibly as a speaker on his die announced, "The elevator is illuminated brown." He had a pretty good guess who exactly was brown, and that made him nervous. Especially because he had no way of knowing for sure how close he was to the elevator. It was now one of the only light sources except for the dim generators casting a faint glow in the room.
"Before we continue, everyone must take a spin on a very special wheel…"
The trio and pair of allies gave each other nervous looks as the wheels raised up from the ground. At some of the options, the tributes made faces.
"Please, help yourselves."
There was a long pause. None of the tributes wanted to be the first, hoping they could avoid that fate. After a few seconds passed by, Aika did what she had to. With one press of a button, the tributes cried out as their bodies were suddenly filled with an electric shock. The cries ended quickly, except for one. Celestia was on the floor, screaming and waving her arms. Tears were squeezed out of her eyes. Kelwyn, after recovering from the shock, knelt down and whispered to her. While she was crying and yelling, the first unlucky spin was made by Eden. The wheel seemed to roar as it soared around, and she stepped back, waiting nervously, until it landed on…
Frozen floors.
Eden stared down at her feet, and suddenly, the floor around her began to freeze around her feet. The moment she picked up one foot, the floor underneath of it froze. She picked up the other one, now standing on top of an entire foot of ice. The other tributes were affected similarly, all of them surprised and nervous at this new development.
Camellia then took a spin, shivering a little from the ice under her feet. The wheel clattered around, finally lumbering to a stop…
"Stairs into slides?!" she asked, and suddenly the announcement of what she won was cast for all to hear.
"That sounds like fun," Remus grumbled to himself, finally pulling the wheel and allowing it to spin. The wheel slows, and finally comes to a stop on… What the fuck!?
Wet socks?
Suddenly, inside of his shoes, Remus's feet: his socks: started to sweat. Oh, what the hell?! This was such a specific brand of misfortune, and of course Remus had to be the one to spin it! Ugh. This was the fucking worst.
Harleigh's spin wasn't quite as terrible… Or at least it seemed. Movement tracker. Harleigh wasn't sure what it meant exactly, but suddenly, her body was filled with a pain like she had just moved her previously asleep foot. She jumped back, away from the unlucky wheel, and found that the pain faded away as she stepped away… Harleigh started to figure out exactly what this device was going to do to her. She had to keep moving, or else she would feel that terrible pain all throughout her body… It was going to be a long day.
Coda spun the wheel at the same time, but it spun for a long while. In that moment, he felt so very small, completely at the mercy of the big man. Damn, how he hated it so badly. The wheel came to a stop, and there was a brief, tantalizing pause as Coda read.
"Suddenly… Lube?"
His question was soon answered as the ceiling opened and a stream of the slippery stuff was dumped on Coda's head. It was cold, and slimy, and all over him. Coda gasped, and when he did his mouth was filled with the floral taste of the devil's juice that just fell all over him. A shiver ran through his body. This was so fucking stupid? What, was that funny to you all? Are you laughing your asses of now? Coda's disappointed in you. Coda is ashamed of you for laughing. You have just disappointed Coda. Congratulations, dingus. Coda hopes that you're pleased with yourself. Yeah, go ahead. Laugh it up. The lube dripped off of Coda's suit and dripped onto the floor. Dammit. Go ahead. Laugh, fucktards. Laugh.
Celestia relaxed enough then to get up and give her wheel a spin. The wheel landed on an incredibly annoying panel, and she could see it coming…
Extreme thirst.
Something they programmed into Celestia made her mouth quite dry after that. She was parched. She knew that this was going to be quite a long day as she uncomfortably reached for the thermos and had a drink. That drink didn't work, though. Neither did the sip after it. Celestia hated being uncomfortable, but she would have to ration smartly, and try to work through it. At least she had Kelwyn with her… Somewhere, that is.
Lonan was the next to come forward and spin the wheel. It could have been far worse, he thought, as the wheel stopped on the panel that read "Clown Costume." Before he knew it, the clown costume appeared, and stuck to the outside of his clothes like a magnet. Giant red clown shoes enveloped his own, and he felt like he'd just grown in circumference in the baggy clothes with giant pom-pom buttons down the front.
"What? Now big red nose to go with it?" The rubber ball flew out of the center of the wheel and hit Lonan in the face before bouncing back to the ground, causing his allies to both burst out laughing.
They wouldn't be laughing for long, though. When Ceru spun his wheel, it landed on one of the scariest panels for him…
Paralysis.
It didn't take long for Cerulean's entire body to go numb, and he crumpled to the floor with a small whimper. Owen's eyes filled with tears at the scary sight, but he couldn't focus on that for too long. He spun the wheel, and it landed on a panel with pictures on it… The first of a pair of handcuffs, and the second a red string, tied in a bow. The panel on the wheel read, "Please stand by."
Owen's heart immediately started to flutter with nerves, his mind racing to figure out what it meant for him…
Kelwyn quickly spun after as Celestia whimpered on the floor, desperate to prevent another electric shock from setting her off again. Thankfully, Kelwyn knew what to do, kneeling by her and giving her quiet, reassuring directions for how to calm down. Kelwyn's wheel slowed, and then landed on… Aha. The flashy outfit panel.
Suddenly, Kelwyn's outfit started to glow. It glowed brighter and brither until it practically lit up the whole room. Then the lights started flashing. Kelwyn immediately jumped behind the wheel, worrying about how Celestia would react to it. She was just starting to calm down…
He wouldn't have to worry about it for much longer as Jace takes his unlucky spin. The wheel doesn't spin for too long before it stops on the panel that Lux was most hoping it would…
Scatter all tributes.
The tributes were taken by a ladder sent down from the hovercraft that shocked them on place before they could try to escape. The tributes were lifted around the Arena, all of them to different places, away from their allies and friends, and away from each other.
Well, most of them were brought away from each other. However, Owen was not so lucky. In fact, he was placed right next to another tribute. A tribute that hurt his eyes quite a lot. Ow! Geez. That was bright. Owen tried to run, but comedically was pulled back with a strong pull on his arm… That was when he noticed the handcuff on his wrist and on Kelwyn's.
"Please don't kill me!" Owen cried out, suddenly terrified. He stole this guy's food just the yesterday!
"We're red-stringed," Kelwyn says, gesturing to the shining red object tied around the handcuffs. "That means if you die, so do I." He punctuated his sentence with a small sigh.
"Oh."
Neither boy was all too happy about this unwelcome turn of events. Especially because Kelwyn was like a human disco ball, hurting Owen's eyes, and practically screaming for tributes to come attack them. And if Kelwyn gets killed, apparently that means that Owen is also dead meat. And if he wasn't dead meat through the day, what was going to happen when they weren't red-stringed anymore?! Oh God.
Oh man. This was going to be such a long day for so many of the tributes. From Harleigh jogging in place and breathing heavily to Celestia staring down the thermos, trying to will herself not to take another drink. Remus was pouting with his wet socks, and Lonan looked comical as he set off with determination towards the elevator. Ceru couldn't move even if he wanted to, and Coda was absolutely dripping wet and miserable, goddammit. Not to mention how the tributes were slipping and sliding around the icy floors. And even if they wanted to use the stairs… That was a no-go at this point. Or maybe it was a fun time. Depends on who you ask.
The consequences of this unlucky day have yet to be explored…
And the chaos has only just begun.
~.~.
A/N: Here's a short chapter for you all! Not my personal favorite work in that second POV, but it gets the job done. SOMEONE FINALLY GOT LUBED! Hurray! Also, we get to see the chaos of unlucky day 13 unfold even more next chapter, which is why I tried not to highlight the really fun ones too much before. I made a lot of plans made for this story, but I think I'm going to have an impromptu check-in to solidify the plans.
So for CHECK IN #3 (I think?), send me which unlucky twist is your favorite and if you want to, come up with an Arena gimmick in this chaos! (No guarantees we'll see any in story, I'm just curious and like creativity lol)
CQ: Whose twist POVs would you like to see? I think I need to add one more so that we're not having really short chapters like this one haha. Unless you like the shorter updates I guess.
Anyways, no eulogies, but a lot of bad luck. See you all eventually for another update!
