The fourteenth day
-Harleigh Noheg, 14, District 6-
After that crazy day, she felt like she could sleep forever. Harleigh had to be on her toes all day or else she would quite literally explode. The device that was attached to her pants would beep if she stopped moving, even for just a few seconds.
This morning, all she wanted to do was lay down on the ground here and not move. Her entire body ached from moving for hours upon end. Even when she was eating or drinking, when she was sure she was going to pass out from exhaustion, Harleigh didn't have a choice.
This morning, she was so sore she wasn't even sure she could move. Thank God the sabotages ended at sunset and not at midnight. She wouldn't have been able to make it to midnight. Well, she probably could have. As exhausted as she was yesterday, she pushed through with pure adrenaline and determination. Even when her body was ready to give up, her heart and soul weren't, and somehow that was enough to keep it going until she could stop.
But after all of that grit she had shown yesterday, this morning she could barely move. She had slept well into the afternoon it appeared. The light hurt her eyes, after spending so much time in the darkness. Having solid ground to walk on was a luxury she didn't think to be thankful for until she lost it. She couldn't stop moving, and she couldn't stop sliding around on the ice. It was truly among the worst days of her life: and Harleigh had her fair share of terrible days.
But, it was over now. She could know that in her heart, but not in her muscles. She tried to at least lift her arms, but she felt like they'd been glued to the ground. Even the slightest movement of her legs sent a tight pain, all the way up to her hips. If she wasn't in the Arena she would have let out a moan of pain, hoping that Davidson would hear her and come to her aid. But in the Arena, that would only lead to her death.
It had been four days now since Harleigh had seen any action. Her plan was a tremendous success: more than she had ever thought. She just had her botched weapon and her note set up as a distraction, as a way to get away when she knew that Careers would be near. But when Arden picked up the weapon, something came over Harleigh. The distraction was perfect, she was able to get rid of the mug, and somehow she took down a trained Career. It was a miracle that Remus didn't pursue her: she hadn't pegged him as the type to take revenge like that, and she was glad that her perception was right.
Harleigh never thought that she was special enough to get lucky like that. She was always average at everything, which she usually didn't mind, but in the Hunger Games average wasn't an option. The average died, the spectacular rose. The fact that she even made it to this point was nothing short of surprising to Harleigh. She never considered herself important enough to do something as big as winning the Games.
Of course, there were still at least ten other people that had to go for Harleigh to officially be crowned the winner. She could still fall at any moment at any time. She was trying to realize the severity of the situation and get her body to move. But it appeared that moving her sore muscles took a level of determination that she did not have.
Harleigh sighed and looked up at the lights that shone down on her like spotlights. Spotlights waiting for her to act some more and do something. It had been a couple days, and being a bore to the audience of sickos out there would be dangerous for Harleigh. Although she supposed yesterday's slew of unfortunate events was entertainment enough to placate them all. Lux Hastings seemed to be an intelligent man: smart enough to put tributes exactly where he wanted them, smart enough to orchestrate a show, even with reluctant actors.
Right now, the only thing reluctant about Harleigh was her legs. She managed to push herself up into a sitting position, but a standing position was going to have to wait. She kept on guard as she sat under a table and ate a meager meal...
"Shit," she mumbled to herself. It was a miracle that she had food at all, but this certainly wasn't going to last her very much longer.
Harleigh leaned down to stretch, keeping back a groan as she tried to touch her toes. She felt the stretch in her back and her calves. It hurt so good… Damn. She eased into some other stretches, trying to work her muscles. She leaned forward to massage her thighs and calves, stretching out her back and her arms. Damn, she felt like she was seventy years old. At least if she didn't live to seventy, she would know what it was like in this moment.
She spent the next period of time stretching out her muscles as much as she could manage. It felt like hours to her, but in reality it was only about half an hour. The stretching and massaging allowed her to stand up before the lights began to dim. It was a small victory, but Harleigh supposed she should celebrate baby steps.
Ugh. After fourteen days, baby steps didn't really cut it anymore. Harleigh let out a small groan of frustration. She was so desperate, but at the same time she needed to be smart about what battles she chose. She already got one, but that required a clever plan. She wasn't sure she had the materials to concoct another one. And she was one of the youngest people left: a fair fight wasn't going to end in her favor.
Harleigh sighed again. She knew that she was here for a reason: somehow she had found it in herself to grow even in such terrible circumstances. It only took the most gut-wrenchingly horrifying situation in the world for her to realize that she doesn't have to shut everyone out. It only took being close to death for her to realize that people wanted to be on her team, if she would only let them. She was getting closer to opening up her horizons and even in a place like this, it felt… Good. She was somehow finding the strength to keep growing in the midst of so much pain and fear. It was like she was winning a victory that she wasn't allowed to win. It was, in a way, defiant. But it was a kind of defiance that she held inside of her. She didn't show it off like waving a flag. It was her own personal victory, she supposed.
She knew that Gian was working hard: Amari too, now that Elliot was gone: to get her some more supplies. She had a feeling that either she wouldn't need them soon, or wouldn't be allowed to have them. She didn't trust Lux and his team of monkeys for a single second. Any day now, they could just choose to have all of the water evaporate, and all of the food go bad. It wasn't a matter of if to Harleigh, it was when. No act of cruelty was below them. In order for people to act, they must first be made desperate.
Harleigh had enough of standing around: she knew that she had to ease her body back into moving, as much as she didn't want to. She took a few tentative first steps, and it wasn't as bad as she was expecting. Her body was starting to loosen up on its own, and she was soon walking basically like normal. She still felt a little: or a lot: tight in her ass when she went, but at least she wasn't glued to the ground anymore.
The room was expansive, shiny wooden tables lined with gold scattered all around. She walked for a little while, until she heard the low murmurs of another tribute and quickly stepped back, ducking under a table much to the disdain of her ass and thighs, which protested loudly as the boy from Four pressed the elevator button. He gave one last glance behind his shoulder, and even from a fair distance, Harleigh could see the concern and worry in his face. When the elevator doors opened for him, though, he quickly went inside and pressed the button. Harleigh quickly stood back up when he was gone- wrong move! Well, she didn't know who it was he was looking back at, but she didn't care much to find out. She was just glad that the trained Career didn't spot her.
Then again, he seemed to have a lot on his mind, so maybe she could have had the element of surprise on him.
Harleigh sighed as she walked the other way. How often she doubted her own decisions. Could she have really taken down another Career? If she could have pulled that off, she would surely receive waves of support. But was it really worth the risk to try?
Yeah, you're going to go after an armed Career with legs that feel like they weigh a hundred pounds. It was only natural of her to consider her actions. The Arena didn't give her much to do besides reflect, after all. Why was it she always doubted herself? It was exhausting for her to constantly go back and forth. She had done many great things in her life: especially here, of all places: and yet, she hesitated to give herself credit for some of them. And when her life was on the line, she simply couldn't misstep.
Then again, when she did believe in her own plans, look what happened. She took out a Career! She could be unstoppable…
Harleigh had learned how to trust others while in the Arena… But now, she had to learn to trust herself.
~.~.
-Eden Robins, 13, District 11-
She was starting to get thirsty again. It was a sneaky move to steal that water from the Careers, and she'd gotten away with it too… But there was just barely enough for four days, let alone six. Eden had made it last as long as she could, but it was gone by yesterday morning. She now had no water left… And she had a feeling that the stealing trick wasn't going to work again.
By some stroke of luck, though, she'd ended up next to a survival wheel. Eden only had one token left, and it felt heavy in her hands when she slid it in the slot. This may be her last chance to get water, and she really needed it. She had been brought to the brink of dehydration once already, and her body certainly couldn't take it a second time.
Her heart was pounding as the wheel lit up and she pulled the lever down. The wheel spun around and Eden had a terrible feeling… That was soon proven right as the wheel stopped on…
"Pee bottle?" she couldn't help but ask out loud, as the machine produced a cylindrical tube with a white cap.
"Couldn't they have at least given me like a little potty or something? This is sexist."
Like I'll even be able to pee while I'm dying of starvation. The empty bottle was practically meant to mock her. Eden groaned and threw the bottle in frustration.
What the hell was she supposed to do now!? Eden sat on the ground by the wheel and pulled her knees to her chest. This was totally unfair. Why the hell would they rig this game against her? What had she done wrong?!
Did they find her out?
She was so careful… Surely they wouldn't suspect her. She had acted so well, after all. No, there was no way… But the Capitol was just as sneaky as the rebels. They could have had a double agent, they could have had someone with that information. It only takes one person to destroy an entire organization, cause so many deaths…
Just look at Numitor.
But was this whole act really worth it? Look at where she was. She was alone, she had no food or water, and it may have all ended up being pointless because she could be forbidden from winning if they knew… And well, that was a lot to handle.
No, she was strong… She was always good at putting on a poker face, and her wide eyes could always get her out of trouble…
But the truth was that she was just a kid. She acted out of necessity, having acquired such a high amount of pressure. And here, in the Arena, it was so much worse. All of the pressure was amplified. Eyes were watching her from every angle. And if she made one wrong move…. Well, her death would be guaranteed.
And as she sat there, in thought, she couldn't help but wonder if this strategy had gotten her anywhere. She'd completely failed to get anyone to be on her team because she acted so pathetic. She could have had a competent ally, maybe they could have gotten water…
No, she would have only gotten attached. And that was the thing to avoid in the Games. She knew from the very beginning, and Chervil couldn't stress it enough… she trusted Chervil's judgement.
Her choice of ally in Union was short-lived, and she didn't even get to capitalize off of his wealth of supplies like she had hoped. Then, she found Burton, but he didn't last long. Now, there was nobody left that would take Eden for her wide eyes and innocent act. And she was left with nothing.
At the time it seemed like such a good idea. After all, she always used her innocent act to trick Peacekeepers and wealthy folks. It would work here too, right? She quickly learned that she was the small dog. And these people weren't gullible like them.
And… Well, when she used her little girl act in the District, it was always for a good cause. It was for a group of people that were fighting to end this heartless slaughter of children and teens- many of them putting themselves in great danger for it. It was to advance a cause that she cared about, because they were making life better for people. And here… well, the act wasn't for any of that stuff. It was just for her. It was because she thought that she deserved to live, and this was the right way to do it. She manipulated Union into dying for her, and Burton on top of that. They were nothing to her but meat shields. And that part of the plan worked, of course, but… Well…
She wondered if she was just playing into the Capitol's hands. This was what they wanted her to do. They wanted her to put aside all of her empathy and look out only for herself. They wanted her to manipulate the people around her into trusting her, only to leave them behind. When she thought of it that way, it didn't seem like a great cause at all. Was her family disappointed in her? All she ever wanted to do was help. And when she got out of here, she was going to help, right? She was going to continue delivering messages for the rebels, and she would give back to the cause even more! That was why she was doing it… Right?
Who was she kidding? If she got out of here, her life as a rebel would be over. After what Numitor did, they would surely be keeping an eye on the Victors. She would be high-profile, and suddenly her childlike charm wouldn't work anymore. Everyone would know who she was, everything she did. There was no possible way she would be able to do anything for them anymore. And she always knew it, too. So if she wasn't a rebel messenger, well, what was she? What good could she do? She was truly just a kid. And suddenly, being a kid wasn't a strength anymore.
How could she possibly go back to her District and face Union's family after what she did? How could she face June and Prentice: two of the only Victors that were even close to her age anymore: after she played Burton like that? He was a soft heart and a trusting soul. Eden's heart was cold and solid. And that was exactly what the Capitol wanted from her, wasn't it? That was what they wanted from everyone they put into the Games. They wanted to turn District on District like this. As long as they did that, the Districts would be kept quiet. They would continue to be oppressed. That was what she heard, anyways, and now that she was here, she understood what Alder was saying. He was right.
But how could a family forgive someone like her? What Panem needed was a Victor with a soft heart. Someone that could unite, rather than separate. Someone that wouldn't leave resentment in the wake of their Victory… Only resentment for the Capitol, and what they make us go through. She reckoned that Numitor had a soft heart: she could always see it in his face. But the fact that he was a Capitolite sparked too much resentment in the hearts of the people who would have united under him.
Riggs was a soft-hearted Victor, but the fact that he took out Nerio from revenge and won with the notoriously outspoken and controversial June nullified that quality of him. This Games was the only hope left for uniting the Districts, otherwise this would just keep going, on and on, without any end. Kids will keep turning their back on each other, stirring resentment as they do, and nothing will change. Eden had fallen into that trap long ago. They won't be forgiven, they won't forgive themselves.
Was Eden really it? Was it worth her trying to get out of here anymore? Just the thought of feeling the sun on her skin, the wind in her hair, made her eyes ache for tears to shed. She so badly wanted to get home to her friends and family. She wanted to be that person, the person that lead Panem into a new age… But she just wasn't sure it could be her.
Then there was Chervil. He'd be mentoring by himself for years and years on end if she didn't win and return home. Union had gone out so early, she was really his only hope. She was sure he was working so hard to get her some much-needed water, but she wasn't exactly giving him much to vouch for. Her little act didn't work on her fellow tributes, but it also didn't work on the Capitol. Even when she played the games they wanted her to, she still received nothing. What would it take for people out there to believe in her!?
And why the hell did she even care what the Capitol thought of her? It was exactly what they wanted her to think. She was at their mercy, just like they wanted. She had been stripped of her beliefs, just as they wanted. She was a pawn.
No matter if she escaped the Arena or not didn't matter anymore.
She'd already lost.
~.~.
-Remus La Rocque, 18, District 2-
Such a wonderful night, turned so… Terrible.
Remus was still shaken. Arden pretended to be unbothered, and even though he could tell that she was shaken, she refused to talk about it and went straight to bed. Odin wasn't much in the mood to talk either, so he retired early.
Remus will never forget the pain in the escort's eyes as the two of them sat out in the room together. Both were still dressed in their party clothes, but neither was feeling very festive. Remus could sense that something was wrong. He was always a softer type, especially around his beloved Valerie. If only she were there to reassure him… Even just her presence was always so calming to Remus. Of course, he was glad that she wasn't there to be endangered by the gunshots, but he found himself feeling particularly lonely that night. He knew he would be back to her soon, but… Well, did he know?
"I ran away…" the escort's voice was small as a mouse, which was completely unlike him.
"You did what you had to," Remus said. "You got-"
"Don't."
Remus took a deep breath. "I'm sure they will call soon."
"I should have gone to them. O-Or, I should have gotten you two and Odin, not the other way around…"
"You couldn't have known that was going to happen."
Demetrius bit his lip and hung his head. Remus quickly realized that he did know. But… Why… Remus frowned.
"But I didn't know Numitor was going to pull that… That BULLSHIT!" The remote he was holding was suddenly flung across the room, clattering on the TV stand, and the tears were flowing freely. "I wish I could have run into the chaos…"
"It wouldn't have done anything," Remus said quietly. "You would have gotten hurt. Demetrius, she knew that you have duties as an escort that come first…"
"I was supposed to protect everyone under my watch. That includes…" he hiccuped and squeezed more tears out of his eyes. "Dammit…" He balled his fists tightly.
Remus frowned, not knowing what to say. But he suddenly began to wonder if this was how his love Valerie was feeling right about now. Did she regret letting him go to this death match?
"There's nothing more to be done," he said, both to the young escort in front of him and himself. "You acted the way that you acted, and now all that's left to do is continue on forward, and hold your sweetheart in your heart forever, until you are reunited."
"I will never…" his voice weakly trailed off, and he put his head into a pillow. Remus's heart was soft for the man, having just found love, and having this happen so suddenly… But something else was bothering Remus.
"Demetrius…" he said gently, "If you knew about the song… Why didn't you tell anyone?"
Demetrius took a deep breath. "I wasn't about to put Pluto in danger. I trusted their judgement. And if Numitor hadn't gone and ruined it…" he was gripping the pillow so tightly Remus was worried he was going to break the television with it. "The bastard escaped from it too," he said. "I saw it." He let out a low sob, trying not to wake Arden or Odin, as if they were actually sleeping. "They wouldn't have hurt anyone."
"You're saying you don't disagree with them."
Demetrius's grip on the pillow softened. "Well, after this stunt they pulled, I do disagree. Violently crying oppression is ineffective at best, traitorous at worst." He stomped his feet on the ground. "And why he would betray his home like that… Pawn off someone else… Is absolutely beyond me." Remus could feel the anger radiating off of him. Remus couldn't help but agree with that much: he didn't like too much anger, but the fact that he would endanger so many people like that. "But… From being with Pluto, I've learned a lot about the culture of District Two. I've… Seen the worst of it, unfortunately."
Remus cringed at that. He completely understood.
"I just wish that people from your District could have something to put their time and energy into something that isn't a Training Center. I don't want to see anyone else be damaged as much as Pluto was by it. I'm sure you understand that."
Remus didn't hesitate before nodding. "Of course. I had no interest in the brutish nature of the Games, but this was the only way for me to be something. And I decided… That was worth risking death and leaving my sweetheart behind for. I wish there was another option for me."
Demetrius, face tearstained, gave a simple nod and a hard swallow. "If Pluto could have become famous for playing music before the Games, they wouldn't have been forced into it, and the nightmarish things they had to do just to live… And you as well. It gives me as someone… Taking care of you… something to think about. I couldn't take care of her…"
Remus looked around the room nervously, worried that they were being watched. "Well, it's a big day for me tomorrow. I'm glad we had this talk though." Remus walked over to his escort and put a hand on his shoulder. "She understands." Demetrius buried his head in the pillow and sobbed quietly into it. Remus ordered a glass of water for him and went back to his own bedroom.
"Valerie…" he said quietly, taking a shaking breath. "I will come home to you, mon amour…" He had no other choice…
But all night, Demetrius's words stuck in his mind.
He was feeling foolish now more than ever. How did he think that some money would be worth risking his entire future with the one he loved? That night with Demetrius, Remus learned how hard it was to find love. How lucky he was for having someone he was so ready to marry waiting for him back home. And the thought that he was willing to put his life on the line like this…? Maybe she was right in her fears. After all, his two trained allies had been overcome so easily. Just as fast as a flipping switch. Who was to say Remus wouldn't soon follow them?
He was now alone, just like that, the only person able to look out for his own wellbeing. Even if he sought out Kelwyn and Celestia, he knew what they were thinking. Who, they would think, could possibly take out two trained Careers like that except for a trained tribute? They would never believe what he had seen with his own eyes. It wasn't worth trying to convince them otherwise. At this point, he had to be smart about his battles.
But, he also hadn't done much since the Bloodbath. Possibly because the Gamemakers blocked him and his allies from it, true. But also, he had to step up pretty soon. He was confident in his abilities, after all. And he was the only person with both of his weapons of choice of the trained tributes. Overall, Remus wasn't in too bad of a position. Yes, it definitely sucked having to wear wet socks all day: the worst was when it would leak through his shoe and stick him to the icy floor- ugh, just thinking about it made him shudder. But he was sure that others had much worse to suffer through. And by now, his socks were almost dry. He wiggled his toes and it still felt moist, causing him to cringe a little bit.
Dammit, how he wished that he would have had one of the two damn hairdryers they had. It would finally come in handy for something. Somehow Celestia and Kelwyn got them all in the split. How he wished he could use its warm air to dry off his poor toes.
He knew that he had to do something to prove his worth soon. He needed Valerie to see that he was working on coming home to her. And as much as he didn't want to, that meant he would have to go hunting, and make a kill.
Remus sighed, his heart so very conflicted. He didn't like the idea of taking a life, but he knew how to do it cleanly. He could have done it cleaner if he had poison like he preferred, but even with just a weapon, he was trained to know how to end it quickly, humanely, and perhaps most importantly, cleanly. But at this point, he wasn't afraid to get a little bit dirty if it meant being in his Valerie's arms the next day.
Suddenly, the ground at his feet opened and something came out of it. Remus perked up at the container, sporting an orange two on it. Remus never would have thought that orange was his color, but he was starting to feel more confident that he could pull it off.
Inside the cannister was a token unlike the ones that Remus had seen before. It was orange still, his color, but this one was engraved with a shape. A star, specifically.
Remus's brain immediately started to race. He had seen a star recently. Oh yeah, that wheel that shot his token back into his eye. Remus instinctively rubbed his eye where the token had hit. That token hadn't had the star on it, though… Hm…
Inside, he found a piece of paper, which he quickly unfolded. The handwriting was pretty hard to read considering it was done in orange highlighter…
She understands.
-Pluto
Remus smiled a little bit, breathing a sigh of relief at the signature. He was hoping so much that Pluto was okay, but it was impossible to know as they'd left in such a hurry. Regardless, he was surprised that they were still mentoring. Then again, Remus was sure that they would take any excuse to be near Demetrius at this moment.
"Thanks Pluto," Remus said, offering a small smile. "I know she understands. But I'm going to make sure she understands that I'm going to do what I have to in order to be with her."
He took the coin and went to the nearest place he'd seen one of those machines: not too far away from where he'd ended up after the weirdness of yesterday. Remus smirked a little bit and put the token in. The machine didn't react for a moment.
"Oh, I'm not going down there to look again," Remus told the wheel, and as if in response, it lit up into action. Remus took a deep breath, his eyes glazing over all of the options, and pulled the lever.
The wheel went around and around and stopped on…
"Take one supply of choice from a random tribute."
Remus watched as the wheel lit up in an array of colors that eventually slowed until it stopped on a cool brown light. Ugly, for sure, boy was Remus glad he wasn't brown.
The list of supplies possessed by this tribute appeared in the center of the wheel in front of him. Remus read them over. Aha, very nice! This tribute had food. Remus's poor mouth was getting tired from only eating peanut butter, and the way it stuck to the roof of his mouth and his cheeks… Bleh. But apples would definitely help break up the peanut butter. The tribute had water as well, but Remus had that and he was sure that canteen was likely not completely full anymore anyways. He made his decision and clicked it on the screen. In only a few seconds, the supplies were delivered to him. Remus smirked and immediately took an apple to bite out of. Sure, hunting would be more of a challenge with one and a half bags of apples, but he would take it. He unloaded the rest into his backpack.
And that was when he saw something move.
A new fire of determination filled his chest as he grabbed his rapier. Even with the extra weight of his backpack, he wasn't going to slow down! The girl was eventually cornered, her eyes wide and filled with tears as her face was stained. She obviously wasn't handling the pressure of the Arena well. Remus didn't say a word to her, he simply did what he was trained to do.
Eden crumpled to the floor, gaping, and Remus knew that he had given her a quick death as the cannon boomed soon after. He didn't even get the chance to move away from her body before she was retrieved by the hovercraft.
It happened so quickly, Remus wasn't sure what to think. One thing was for sure, though. He was one step closer to Valerie.
She understands.
Right now, that mattered more than anything.
~.~.
A/N: Hi, I'm back after a mini hiatus. Many of you know that I took a break from ff after feeling uninspired, and now I'm back to pick this story back up! We get to hear from some characters we haven't heard from in a long while as a nice return into this story!
Thanks for your support. Know that the action is going to continue from here on out. (Which also means: Sponsor while you can!) The Games are not going to last forever, I promise. I want to keep on writing chapters so that Sons of Light can be out by the end of summer, but we will see how that happens.
Anyways, these were 3 very different POVs, but I hope you liked them!
Chapter Question: Were you surprised at the reveal that Pluto's alive? I really had a hard time thinking of one lol so that's what you get.
And sadly, I must now do a eulogy:
11th Place: Eden Robins, District 11- Stabbed by Remus La Rocque, D2
From here on out, every single death I have to choose is a nearly impossible decision. There were so many great characters. Eden was greatly loved and supported by basically all of the readers, but the truth was that from here I didn't really know what to do with her. I'm sorry this scene was so quick and anticlimactic, but sometimes it has to be that way… Eden deserved better, but she was young and confused and just trying to keep herself afloat in the end in an extremely high-pressure situation. She did the best that she could given the circumstances, but eventually I knew she had to crack. It's been such a joy to write her and she can be very proud for making this far. Thanks so much for her Paper!
Thanks for your support and I will see you with an update hopefully soon!