Hey folks, I'm back with a super long chapter, sorry about the disappearance again. I think I'm going to commit to weekly updates every Saturday or Sunday, instead of trying to get two chapters out a week. It just makes more sense now these chapters are longer and I can out in more effort to making sure every tribute is looked at in detail. That being said, this chapter is very Aila and Lana focused, which wasn't my intention at all. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this!
Day Two
Jordan
He had barely survived the night, and when he awoke, his vision was still so blurred he had assumed he was dead. Shortly after eating the berries, which he now knew to be Nightlock, Jordan had passed out, sliding slightly down the face of the mountain. He didn't remember any of that, but his body felt sore and bruised and he was a long way from where he thought his camp to be, so that must have been the case. He was only alive because of the sponsor package that had hit him on the head and brought him round a few hours ago. It contained a poison antidote, a small loaf of bread and some cheese. There was no note or name attached to it but someone was looking out for Jordan. The fact that he didn't know who scared him slightly, he had no family or friends back home, no one in District Twelve even knew who he was. He obviously had a fan, and the thought of that made the young man smile.
"Holy shit." Jordan mumbled, pulling himself to his feet, his head spinning. He gripped a sharp piece of rock to steady himself, and when he pulled his hand away, the skin was torn and bleeding. He shook it out, specks of blood staining the floor around him. The man had treated himself to a small selection of his bread and cheese for breakfast, but what he really needed was water. He was still weak and confused. For the first time Jordan realised that being alone in the Games may not be a totally good thing. He knew that somewhere up the mountain were his supplies, what he couldn't gauge, however, was just how far the climb was, and even if he could, he doubted his broken body would be able to make it. Jordan glanced downwards, noticing the ground was only a few metres below. Okay, so he had fallen further than he thought. In the distance, the Cornucopia and the lake next to it was coming in to view. The thought of walking through the arena unarmed scared him, but it was much more welcoming than the alternative of scaling the mountain again.
Jordan wiped his bloody palms on his trousers, looking down once more, before trekking off towards the centre of the arena, praying that there was nobody there to greet him when he arrived.
He should have known he would never have been so lucky.
Jordan spotted the girl from a few metres away, and by that point, it was obvious that she had seen him. What he didn't expect was for her to wave at him and beckon him over. It could be a trap, Jordan was smart enough to realise that, but he had no other option. The girl supported a large dagger, that she could easily throw and kill him at this distance. Hesitantly, he got closer, smiling as he realised the person in front of him was Salome, perhaps the only person Jordan would consider a friend in this place.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen." Salome sang, as she hugged the taller male, much to Jordan's objection. "You've seen better days." She continued, examining the bruises and cuts on his arms and face.
"Well, let's just say maybe I should have spent more time with the books than attempting to decapitate plastic things." He answered, ruffling Salome's hair. "Where's daddy dearest?"
"Not here, thank God, otherwise your head would be nowhere near the rest of you." She walked over to their supplies, handing Jordan one of the many bottles of water they had filled up from the lake.
"Nice spot you've got here." Jordan nodded towards the lake. "That seems to be the only water source in this place. There's nothing up there." He pointed towards the mountains, in the direction he had just come from. "Apart from all my Goddamn equipment." He sighed in frustration, spitting onto the grass, angry at how everything had gone the opposite of his way. "I came back here looking for water, thanks by the way," He paused to wink at her. "And to see if there were any weapons left over, but I see they're all spoken for. Didn't really fancy my chances heading up that mountain again unarmed."
Salome was tempted to push on and ask him what happened, but all the tributes were aware of Jordan's temper, and whilst she knew he wouldn't hurt her, she wasn't sure she was ready to find out just what he was willing to do. "Hold on." Salome disappeared from view, heading inside the shelter of the Cornucopia, emerging a few seconds later with a larger canteen of water and a large axe. "Best I can do. I'm sure dad, sorry Locke, won't miss this too much." She smiled to a grateful Jordan who accepted the weapon, and pulled her in for another hug. Salome was one of his biggest threats here. And she was standing next to him, unarmed. Jordan could easily end her life, yet he didn't want to. Shit, he thought to himself. The last thing Jordan wanted to do was develop a conscience.
Salome and Locke
"Oh. Dad will miss them." Locke emerged from the tree line, sprinting towards Jordan and Salome, aiming his bow and arrow straight at Jordan's chest. "Drop the weapon, son." He spat, not taking his eyes off of the boy from Twelve. Jordan didn't oblige, and instead tightened his grip, preparing to launch the axe through the air.
"For God's sake stop it. Both of you stop it." Salome shouted, throwing her arms in the air, and walking straight into the line of fire. If either of them released their weapons now, she would be the only one to get hit. She knew her father wouldn't do it, and Jordan had had an opportunity earlier to end her life yet he hadn't. Salome could only pray that he hadn't changed his mind about that.
"Sal. Move right now. This is not your battle." Locke countered, taking a step towards Jordan. "I don't understand why you can't accept that people are going to die, and we're going to have to be the ones to kill them if we want to survive."
"No, dad." Salome snapped, pulling a knife of her own from her belt, not knowing exactly what she planned to do with it. "He is my friend, and he was doing nothing wrong, so please, just let Jordan go." She protested turning to face the male form District Twelve momentarily. "Leave, Jordan, I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you." She smiled at Jordan as he began to lower his weapon, hoping that it would encourage Locke to do the same. Luckily, it did and Salome let out a shaky breath she didn't know she was holding, as she felt the tense situation be averted.
"Hey, Salome, thanks. I owe you one." Jordan winked at the girl, hating to admit the fact that he had needed someone else to save his life. "I'll see you around." He concluded, taking the water canteen from the floor, and heading off back towards the mountains.
"What the hell was that?" Locke spat at his daughter as soon as the figure of Jordan had disappeared off into the horizon. "What the hell do you think you were doing? That's our stuff, Salome. We're here to win, not be a charity for sad and broken tributes." He walked into the Cornucopia, slamming his weapon on the floor, and taking a long drink of water, too angry to even look at his daughter.
"That?" Salome protested, throwing her hands in the air. "That was me protecting a person that has shown me nothing but kindness. That was me saving the life of someone that wasn't attacking us, wasn't hurting us, someone that just needed some help. You can't just go and kill someone because you want to. You can't hurt someone that was doing absolutely no harm."
"Don't tell me what I can't do." Locke snapped back in response, ((i'm sorry, i had to didn't i…. bonus points to you if you get the reference)) chucking the now empty water bottle on the ground. "You think I get some kick out of making sure the people we're in here with die? Is that how low you think of your father? I do it for you. So you can go home and see Celeste and have a life and a family. It's what has to be done to make sure my daughter can live her life."
"Have you ever asked me, dad? Whether I wanted that?" The anger Salome felt was beginning to disappear, her voice was softer and inquisitive. "Have you ever thought that maybe I don't want to live my life knowing twenty-three other people died for it?"
"Salome." He sat down on the floor, resting his back against the wall of the Cornucopia, relaxing slightly for the first time in days. Locke sighed heavily, resigned to the fact that his daughter would never understand his reasoning. He had never been particularly paternal, he never had the dream relationship with his child, but he had always cared for her, knowing it was his duty to protect her, and at no point was it more necessary than now. "It's not your choice. I'm your father, I decide what happens to you. Whether you want to kill or not is up to you, but I have decided that I want to, I want to do whatever it takes and there is nothing you can say or do that is going to change that."
"Okay." Salome accepted, sitting down next to her father on the ground. She rested her head against his shoulder, and let Locke wrap his arms around her, crying into his shoulder.
Florence, Lya, Flynt and Lilac
"We need to move, seriously. This isn't going to end well." Flynt had pulled Florence outside the cave where they had spent the night, jackets and blankets pulled tight around them, but offering no warmth. Once Lya and Florence had returned, and attempted to patch up their injuries, they had started a small fire. It had been enough to warm them up for a few hours, but it had quickly died out, and they couldn't risk starting another. "Lilac is so cold, we all are. But she's small and there's only so much we can do."
Florence nodded her head slowly. As soon as they had stepped foot here after the Bloodbath, she had known it was a mistake, they all had. But they had no back up plan, no other option, and crossing back through the area surrounding the Cornucopia had been too dangerous. Even now she never wanted to go near that place again. "Okay." She spoke after an eternity, a plan formulating in her head. "We avoid the forest, that's where everyone is, and head up the mountains." She pointed to the peaks that could be seen in the distance. "Set up camp for the night. If we're careful, we have enough water to last us until morning, and then we'll set about finding some, or setting up somewhere closer to a source."
He nodded, looking between Florence and the opening of the cave, where both Lilac and Lya were sleeping. There wasn't much agreement to be had with the girl's plan, they didn't exactly have much of a choice. It was either stay here and risk freezing, or travel out into the unknown. At least out there they had a chance of survival, whereas here, they all knew Lilac wouldn't survive the night. They had no idea why she was feeling the cold so much, of course she was smaller than the rest, so that didn't help, but her body was suffering more than any of them.
"I'll let the girl's know." Flynt handed Florence her sword, before heading into the cave.
"Flynt," She called, before lowering her voice to a whisper. "Do you think Lilac will be able to walk it?"
"Does she have a choice?" Flynt shrugged, his heart breaking at the thought that she wouldn't. He couldn't leave her, he didn't have it in him to do that, even if he risked his life to protect her. He turned and walked in, and Florence caught a glimpse of him crouching down next to Lilac, rubbing his hands together and placing them on her face to try and warm her up.
"This plan backfired massively. I don't know why I ever thought we could all survive out here." Florence spoke to Lya as she emerged from the shelter. It had been their idea to head this way after they saw everyone run off in the direction of the forest. It was safer out here, they had yet to run into tributes in the snow or be attacked at night, it made perfect sense to stay here. But then there was Lilac.
"Hey," Lya touched her hand to her friend's arm at the sight of her getting emotional. "It was a good idea, no one could have known Lilac would have responded so badly."
"I know." Florence sighed sadly, feeling defeated by the Games on only the second day. She turned her attention away from Lya, and to where Flynt stumbled from the cave, Lilac leaning against his side. The small girl smiled weakly, and Florence walked over to help her steady herself.
"I'll go pack up." Lya stated, squeezing Flynt's shoulder as she walked past. "If we set off now, we'll be able to find a place to camp in the mountains by nightfall, the last thing we want is to be caught in the unknown when it starts to get dark."
"How are you going?" Florence asked Lilac, as she wrapped an arm round her waist to support her more.
"Better than last night." She smiled, more to reassure her alliance than because she actually felt it. It wasn't a complete lie, Lilac was feeling better, but it was by no means good. She couldn't stop herself from shaking, no matter how many layers she was wearing. It was weird, it wasn't like she had never experienced cold like this before. The winters of District Twelve were notoriously bad, and Lilac's family were far from equipt to weather then. But something about the way she felt now was more different than before, almost as if she had caught a fever that wouldn't leave her body. "The sooner we leave here the better, though."
Nautilus and D'ante
The heels of D'ante's shoes were rubbing against the backs of his feet. He fought back the urge to complain, it was the last thing Nautilus needed, especially as he had done such a good job of keeping them alive through the night. D'ante was sure he hadn't seen Nautilus sleep at all, he had instead spent the night guarding the man whilst he grabbed a couple of hours of light sleep after leaving the girl's. Though Nautilus was a few years older than his ally, he was so much fitter. D'ante looked and felt his old age, but if he hadn't known better he would have assumed Nautilus was at least ten years younger than him. He longed for the feeling of youthfulness again, to be able to run without so easily getting out of breath, to swing a bat without the fear of dislocating a hip, to be looked at and not pitied, just seen. D'ante knew he should be grateful and thankful for reaching his old age, it wasn't often anyone got over their sixtieth birthday, especially in District Eleven, but what he wouldn't give for one more day of being young.
"You alright?" Nautilus paused about ten paces in front of D'ante and called back, waiting for his friend to catch up. "Just a little while longer and we'll stop for some food." The pair had been walking almost all day so far, and Nautilus hadn't expected D'ante to fare well, but he would give the man some credit, he hadn't done a bad job. But now, as the early afternoon sun beat down on them, scorching their uncovered skin, Nautilus was beginning to feel the exhaustion. He was used to long walks and exercise, his body still toned and amazingly good for his days, but he knew his counterpart would not be used to the extreme physicalities. If Nautilus was tired, he could only imagine how D'ante was feeling. He wiped the sweat from the palm of his hands on his trousers, thankful that D'ante's slow speed allowed him to stop and take a break.
They may have been walking for hours, but they were creeping along at a slow pace. Regardless of their age, crossing the desert with limited food and water was a tiresome task, even for the fittest individual, and not for the first time Nautilus considered that they had made a mistake taking this route. But he had seen the horrors of the forest the day before, he had seen the way Hypatia attacked without warning, the way she had almost seemed to enjoy watching the girl's squirm, so helpless and alone. He knew probably almost all of the tributes were in there, and running into any of them again was a risk he wasn't willing to take.
D'ante caught up, standing next to Nautilus and placing a hand on his shoulder, panting as he desperately tried to regain some breath. His head was spinning, unable to concentrate on anything, or even understand where they were going, and he resisted the urge to take a sip from their precious water supply. Nautilus made the decision for him, and handed the metal canteen to D'ante. He almost cried as the cold water rushed down the back of his throat, soothing the parched skin around his lips. It wasn't a lot, but the brief pause and drink gave D'ante the will to keep walking, for even a little while longer, the thought of finding somewhere safe of the night, where he could lay down and rest spurring him on.
"I'm good." He nodded slowly, pushing off of Nautilus and standing as straight as he could manage. "We need to keep going. We can do this."
Nautilus set off walking, a couple of paces in front of D'ante, a new sense of life within him, now he knew his friend was faring okay. "That's the spirit, D'ante." He almost shouted, concentrating on the simple task of putting one foot in front of the other. "Just think of the great sleep you're going to have tonight. Hey, D'ante!" Nautilus paused, looking behind him and smiling. "Think of the abs you'll have."
Nautilus was talking to air. He turned round to see D'ante was no longer there, or rather, his head was no longer there. Instead, was the smiling face of Hypatia, a machete dripping with blood now aimed at him.
A cannon sounded, the only reminder that D'ante had ever been there at all.
Aila and Lana
"Aila, they left us for a reason, we should just let them go." Lana protested, as the girl's trekked through the desert, the warm afternoon sun beating down on their heads. After waking up to find Nautilus and D'ante gone, they had set off immediately to find them, knowing that the two being out alone would never end well, but the further they walked, the more it appeared as though they were not going to find them. Lana didn't want to give up, and she knew convincing Aila to do so would only drive a deeper edge between them, but it was getting late and their already limited water supply was running dangerously low. "Maybe we should turn back and try again tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow might be too late." Aila ran her hands through her hair, desperate. She already felt incredibly guilty having left the kids in the orphanage, although that hadn't been her fault, but the thought of D'ante and Nautilus getting hurt because she could protect them just made things worse. "We need to find them today, I'm not heading back until we've found them." She rubbed her hands across her face, clawing at her cheeks in frustration.
"Okay, baby, okay." Lana reached up and took Aila's hands in her own, bringing them to her lips, and kissing lightly. "We'll look for them, okay? But we need to take a break, you've eaten hardly anything all day, the last thing I need is you passing out on me." She moved now to cup Aila's face in hands, kissing her lips, and smiling against them.
The pair walked on or a few minutes, before settling behind a bush filled with red berries, that Aila agreed were edible. It was the best they could do out here in the desert, there were no caves or shelters or places to hide, the only benefit was they could see in all directions making it clear if anyone was coming towards them. Lana held the bottle out for AIla and the girl took a few sips, knowing how precious their supply was, before picking a few berries and sharing them out.
"Right now I'm imagining that this is a beach." Aila laughed, a weird sound given how tense the morning had been and the situation that surrounded them. "I'm sitting here sipping cocktails with my girlfriend, preparing to go for a swim." She kicked her legs out in front of her, pretending to sunbath.
Lana laid down next to her, turning to the side, causing Aila to do the same, and they kissed once more, more passionate and desperate than ever before. "There are so many places I want to see with you." Lana spoke as they pulled away.
"We'll see them all when we get out of here." She answered, running her hands up and down Lana's arms. "And the pros of dating me…" She paused to laugh. "You never have to worry about meeting my family because they're all dead." Lana knew she shouldn't laugh, but she couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her.
The girl's had let their guards down for all of two minutes when the scream rang out through the desert. It was male, and followed by the sounding of a cannon, so Aila obviously assumed the worst, grabbing her weapon and sprinting off, not waiting for Lana, knowing her friend would follow. "Shit, shit shit." She muttered as she ran, seeing figures come in to view in the distance. Aila felt Lana catch up with her, but the two stopped their journey as they saw the body of a man fall to the floor, the head nowhere in sight. "Lana," She whimpered, grabbing onto her girlfriend's arm. "It's them, they're being killed."
Aila was a wreck and Lana knew instantly that she would be useless in a fight, tears were streaming down her face clearly clouding her sight, and she was shaking too much to focus. Lana had already lost maybe half of her alliance today, she could not at Aila to that.
"Come on." She whispered, grasping Aila's hand and dragging her towards a conveniently placed bush. "You need to stay here, Aila. I'll check out what's happening and come back."
"Lana please, you have to save them." Aila begged, clawing desperately at the other girl's arm.
"Of course, I'll do whatever I can." Lana hoped she sounded confident because, as she emerged from the bush and prepared to face Hypatia, she certainly didn't feel it.
Hypatia
"I was hoping for a bit of suspense." Hypatia hummed, pulling Nautilus towards her, and holding the machete still stained with D'ante's blood against the man's throat. "But I heard from a mile away, that's not very exciting." She spun round, causing Nautilus to slip, the blade nicking his cheek. He tried to struggle, pulling away from the woman, but it had been almost two days since he had last slept, and he had been walking through the night, his energy was low. Hypatia knew that, so she made no effort to strengthen her hold, why waste the energy and time? Instead, she simply returned the weapon to his neck and smiled. "Take one more step, Lana, and the grandpa dies."
She had promised not to enjoy it. Killing people was something she simply had to do, it wasn't fun, it wasn't some kind of party. But there was something about the power, over being in control of someone's last minutes, something about watching the life drain from someone's eyes that excited her. As ironic as it was, killing made Hypatia feel alive.
"You're sick, you know that, right?" Lana spat, knowing that this was a right she probably could win. If she moved, Nautilus' life was over, something she knew Aila would never forgive her for, and if she did nothing, exactly the same would occur. "Just let him go, he's hardly a threat. No offence." She looked at Nautilus, her heart breaking at the way he answered with a sad smile.
"Lana, just leave me." Nautilus pleaded. "It's okay, I'm ready for this all to be over." He tried to pretend he was okay with the thought of death, but the fear and panic was clear on his face. Any intention Lana had of leaving disappeared in that moment, Nautilus deserved so much better than this. D'ante had deserved better, and Lana had been too late to save him, the least she could do was stand her ground now.
"Oh, Nautilus. It's too late for her to run now, but you knew that already." Hypatia bared her teeth at Lana, threatening her. "Let's strike a deal. Fight me. And if I lose, you and the old man get to walk free, but if I win, then you both die. And then I go and find your girlfriend."
Lana knew she had no choice, if she declined, she and Nautilus would die anyway, she may as well at least try. She nodded, too nervous to speak.
"Well, this'll be fun." Hypatia threw Nautilus away from her, causing him to fall to the floor, before pulling a dagger from her belt, and plunging it into Nautilus' arm, pinning him to the ground. "There we go, now we don't have to worry about you. Onto the main event." She let out a manic laugh, slashing at the air with her machete, edging closer and closer to Lana. The younger girl managed to dodge the initial blow, pulling a throwing knife from an open pocket in her backpack and throwing it at Hypatia, without really aiming. It scrapped her side, and a red stain immediately spread across her shirt.
Lana allowed herself to smile, still not getting too confident, yet feeling slightly better about the whole situation. "It's okay, Aila." She whispered, knowing the girl couldn't hear from her hiding spot. "No more of us are dying today. The same can't exactly be said for you, Hypatia." She spoke louder.
Hypatia was too distracted to listen to the girl's fighting talk. The wound on her side wasn't deep, but she was losing blood quickly, something that could be fatal if she didn't get this other with and bandaged quickly. No more going easy, she decided, lunging forward and slashing at Lana. The girl stumbled backwards quickly, just missing the blade and let out a sigh of relief as she checked her body for gashes, finding none.
"Lana, just leave. I don't want you putting yourself at risk for me." Nautilus pleaded, a pool of blood forming under his arm, trickling down slowly to reach where Lana stood. It wasn't looking good for him, and even if Lana did manage to win, she wasn't sure he would make it through the night, especially without a doctor.
"Shut up, Nautilus." She shot him a cheeky smile, pretending to be preoccupied with talking to him, whilst silently watching Hypatia advance on her from behind. When the woman was dangerously close, swinging the machete above Lana's head, the girl ducked, twirling backwards, so that she was now behind Hypatia. What she hadn't intended, was the machete to slice across the back of her leg as the older woman stumbled. She couldn't think about the pain that seared through her body now, though. This could well be her last chance to take Hypatia down. Snatching another knife from her bag, she charged forward, knocking into the back of Hypatia's knees, causing the girl to fall to the ground. Quickly, Hypatia flipped over, so she was lying on the ground, facing up at Lana, still slashing the machete about. When she paused to adjust her grip, Lana struch, stepping with her full weight on the girl's arm, a satisfying crunch sounding out as she did so. Hypatia dropped the weapon, nursing as she did so, distracted enough by the pain of her broken arm, allowing Lana to bend down and retrieve the machete.
"Any last words?" Lana hissed, inches from Hypatia's ear. "Actually, you don't deserve that courtesy." SHe held her finger to Hypatia's lips, before standing up, clearly seeing the fear in her eyes. "Checkmate." She shouted, before bringing Hypatia's own weapon down on her neck, time and time again until the head was severed. A cannon sounded, marking the tenth casually of the Games.
Aila emerged from the bush, running over and hugging a blood stained Lana. "You did it." She whispered, before turning to see the state of Nautilus. "Oh God." The crouched down next to him, noticing how pale he was, and how dry his lips were. Lana walked over, taking a sip of water, before giving some to Nautilus.
"He needs a doctor, I have no idea what to do." Lana felt tears stinging at the corner of her eyes, all she had done to keep them alive was pointless if Nautilus died now.
"Ezra!" Aila screamed. "We need to get the knife out and find Ezra."
Ronin and Ezra
He was never going to fire it, but holding the weapon made him feel more confident. The cold steel of the slingshot was going warm in Ronin's hand, but it felt good to know that he had at least a small chance if a fight broke out. They had heard the noise in the bushes about five minutes ago, yet no one had emerged. For a moment, running had seemed like the best option, but he and Ezra had built a small camouflage shelter here over the last day, it was too good to lose. So Ezra had set off to scout the area, whilst Ronin stayed at base and prayed. He was getting the hang of the whole God thing, and it felt strangely comforting to believe that there was something out there greater than him, even if it had subjected Ronin to the dismal life he was leading. The noise came again, closer this time, and Ronin fought the urge to call out, failing,
"Hello? Who's out there?" He intended to shout, but it came out more as a whisper.
"Ronin? It's me, Ezra, don't shoot." Ezra emerged from the shrubbery, his hands slick with blood, and Ronin began to panic, rushing over, and dropping his weapon in the process. "Don't worry, it's not mine." He smiled weakly, turning rough and pulling the branches from the tree back to allow three figures to walk through. Aila and Lana stumbled forward, supporting a very bleak looking Nautilus, he arm leaking blood across the floor. Ronin sprung into action, setting about clearing a space on the floor of leaves, shrugging off his jacket and laying it down, so they could set Nautilus upon it. He helped the girls lower the older male to the floor, whilst Ezra sanitised his hands as best as he could in the corner.
"The knife hit an artery." Ezra explained squatting down next to Nautilus. "Outside, I could sew this up no problem, and he would be fine. But…" His sentence dropped off as he saw the worried looks from the others.
"But what?" Nautilus spoke for the first time, lifting his head slightly to see everyone. "But what?" He repeated, pushing on.
"But in here, I can't do anything without the risk of the wound becoming infected." He sighed, tipping back on his heels. "I don't have any supplies, the best I can do is wipe it down and bandage it up and hope that the bleeding stops itself."
"So do that?" Lana snapped, sounding more harsh than she had intended to. Aila walked over and wrapped her arms around Lana's waist from behind, resting her head on the girl's shoulder. "Sorry. Thank you for helping us."
"It's fine." Ezra pulled himself to his feet, walking over to the girl's and talking in a hushed whisper. "'I'll do everything I can. But infection is already setting in. I'm sorry, but all I can do is make him comfortable."
Aila let out a choked sob, and it was now the time for Lana to hug her. "Thanks, Ezra." Lana smiled across at the man. "Anything you do is better than we could have. Come on," Lana led her girlfriend over to where Nautilus lay, falling in and out of consciousness. "Let's just sit by him and keep him company."
Ezra felt his heart shatter. He was used to patients dying, but not with something as treatable as this. He cursed himself, if only he had been nearer where Nautilus was injured, he could have tried to stop the bleeding earlier and give him a better shot. He kicked at a tree, serving only to bruise his foot.
"You can't let this get to you." Ronin walked over and placed a hand on his friend's back. "I know how you're feeling. You're feeling exactly the way I felt about Vivian, like you didn't do enough to help or protect them. You told me that I couldn't blame myself, and now I'm doing the same for you." He paused, knowing his speech was having no effect on Ezra. Ronin hadn't assumed it was, he still hadn't fully come to terms with what had happened to Vivian, he hadn't let it go or forgiven himself, so expecting Ezra to be over Nautilus already was asking too much. "Look," He tried a different approach wanting to do all he could to help the man. "How many other tributes do you think would go to all this effort to help their opponent? We all like to think we would, but when letting him die takes you one step closer to victory, we would all choose that." Ronin paused, placing his hand in the centre of Ezra's chest. "But you didn't Ezra, you're doing all you can to save him, because you're a good guy, and nothing that happens here will ever change that. And who knows, Nautilus might make a recovery, and it would all be thanks to you."
Without saying another word, Ezra pulled Ronin into a hug, ruffling his hair as he did so. "You're a good kid, Ronin."
As Ronin though more about the whole situation, he began to realise just how sick and twisted it all was. "D'ante lived a full life, he probably helped and was loved by hundred's of people. But out there, he died alone, with no one he had shared his life with by his side. They probably had no idea he was going to die then, hell, they will probably hear about his death for the first time when this is aired tonight. Isn't that just disgusting? Nobody knows he died, and they will find out with the rest of Panem. It won't be a private moment, they're won't be a time for them to grieve alone. That's it, Ezra. And no matter how much we try and help and save people in here, exactly the same is going to happen to us." He finished his emotional rant, all the while Ezra had been holding him to his chest.
"I know. I know that's exactly what's going to happen." Ezra's voice was smooth and emotionless despite the anger he felt over it all. But that doesn't mean we don't try. We do all we can to make sure these people survive as long as they can."
Alfred and Newton
A comfortable silence washed over the pair as they set out preparing the evening meal. It made a nice change from the uncomfortable silence that had usually surrounded the boy's in their previous lives. It was strange how similar the boy's were despite being brought up in vastly different Districts. They were both awkward, and not entirely in touch with their social skills, and they both had a deep affinity for learning. It was weird, but the more Alfred got to know Newton, he was sure that had the boy's met a few years ago, his life would have changed drastically. He wouldn't have felt like an outcast, there would have been someone at his school like him, someone that was too smart for their age and would rather spend all night reading, than gracing parties with their presence. Alfred smiled at the thought of it, the thought of having a real close friend that he could share things with and be himself around, without the fear of being judged.
Alfred picked up the chunk of stale bread from his pack, it was the last of their food supply, and cut it into slices, beginning to toast it over the small fire they had constructed. The lack of food was worrying, but that was a problem for tomorrow. It was getting dark now, and all they could do was eat was was left, and wait for the faces to appear in the sky.
The Capitol anthem erupted through the area, causing Newton to jump. It had been silent around him, and the sudden change in that frightened him. He caught Alfred laughing at him from across the fire, and picked up a stick to throw at him before pulling back the one he held over the fire, a slab of bread fastened to the send. Newton cursed, in the distraction he had burnt the bread, his only food. What he wouldn't give now for a slice of cheese to place on top, or some jam or marmalade to spread across it. Hell, even butter would be a more than welcome addition. It had only been two days since their last Capitol meal, but it felt like an entirety ago. Newton felt his mouth water at the thought of the Capitol breakfast that had been served to them that final morning. Bacon and eggs and sausages, and bread that wasn't stale or burnt but instead ladened with every single topping you could wish for. He also remembered how the fear he felt for the impending Games has stopped him from eating as much as he would have liked. Newton regretted that now, and probably would for the rest of his life, however long that was. He let out a small moan as he imagined the food he would eat if he somehow made it out of here.
"Wow." Alfred's attention was drawn away from the sky, where he awaited the revelations of today's deaths, by the strange noises Newton was omitting. He was only watching to make sure Florence's name and face wasn't up there. "Toast really excites you that much?" He winked, confused by the new person he had become. He was still the same nerdy, anxious, passionate, awkward boy he had always been, but the Games were beginning to show him that he could be all that and still have people that liked him, people that wanted to spend time with him and get to know him despite all his strange quirks. It was almost freeing, recognising that, and in a twisted way, Alfred was thankful that the Capitol had revealed that to him.
Newton laughed, choking on a crumb of bread, and coughing, grabbing onto the rock he sat on to steady himself. Unable to speak, he picked up yet another stick and launched it at his ally once more, hitting Alfred in the shoulder. He wasn't paying attention however, instead staring at the sky where today's fallen were announced. Hypatia and D'ante. Only two. Whilst Newton was relieved that it was just two, he felt strangely disappointed, hating himself for it. It just meant that there were still twelve other people out there, twelve people that would have to die for him to ever have a shot at getting home. He wasn't capable of killing, despite what had happened in the Bloodbath, and the longer the other tributes stayed alive, the longer they were in this hell. For Newton, it wasn't even about getting home. It was about this all being over. He almost envied Vivian and Dina and Doug, envied the fact that they had died before any of this had even started.
Gamemakers
"Hi Mox, sorry..." An intern stood sheepishly in the doorway to Mox's office, a collection of papers in his hands. "I just need you to sign off on these plans, if you don't mind." Mox was notoriously stern and the younger workers tried to avoid her, the young boy here had obviously drawn the short straw. She wasn't an unkind woman, she was just driven and determined, often scaring off many of her inferiors.
"Get Clem to do it, he's the bloody Head Gamemaker, not me." Mox shook her head, dismissing the kid, she didn't have time for this. The Games were in full swing, there were a thousand things she had to handle before the show aired tonight, none of which she had started. The Capitol was becoming increasingly worried that the Games didn't have enough flare. A majority of the older and younger tributes had already been killed off, which should have been expected, but they were the ones that were supposed to bring the excitement to the Games. Instead, things were looking stale and boring, something that would only add to the already decreasing viewing figures. They needed an idea fast, an idea that Mox had been tasked with finding.
"You... you haven't heard?" Leroy stammered, a few papers falling from his arms.
"Haven't heard what?" Mox pressed, walking towards him. She was always one of the first to hear Capitol news. Not only were people scared of her, so made sure she was always in the loop, but they trusted her. Mox was renowned for her loyalty to the Capitol, ironic now seeing as her partner seemed to be breaking all the rules. They came to her for help, the shared things that would otherwise be private, so the fact that there was something she didn't know, made her feel on edge.
"I shouldn't tell you if you don't know, I'm just an intern, it's not my duty." He trembled, the dominating woman just a few steps in front of him. "I'll get Mr Chamberlain, he probably wanted to tell you himself." Leroy nodded frantically, backing away to the door. "Let me set these here.." He placed some of the papers on a filing cabinet, before anymore could fall to the floor.
"Leroy. I am your superior. It is an order for you to tell me." Mox grabbed the front of the boy's shirt, pulling him towards her. "And you tell me now."
"Um." Words never came easy to Leroy, especially not now. He debated running, he knew the kind of trouble he would be in if he revealed private news without the Ministers approval. And besides, there was probably a ceremony set up already, he didn't want to ruin the surprise. But then again, Mox was terrifying, he had no doubt that she would end his life if she didn't get what she wanted. Okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but she scared him nonetheless.
Mox pulled tighter on the collar of Leroy's shirt, and suddenly his mind was made up. "Clem was arrested. You're the Head Gamemaker now." He blurted suddenly, the shock causing Mox to stumble back slightly. "Congratulations." Leroy added, quieter, a shaky smile on his face.
Mox dropped the boy and ran to the bin in the corner of her room and promptly threw up the contents of her lunch. She had done this. She had sold out the man she loved, her best friend, her reason for waking up. And yet, she couldn't help but feel happy. She had made it, she was the top, her dreams were a reality, but did she really want it if Clem wasn't there to celebrate with her? Did she want to win if it meant the love of her life lost?
Tributes Graveyard
16th Place: D'ante Fertu (D11M)- Awww D'ante, what a guy. I feel like i didn't explore his character enough, but he was sweet and caring, but he never had a chance :(
15th Place: Hypatia Mayfair (D1F)- When I initially received Hypatia's form, I wasn't entirely sure what direction I was going to take with her character. She was a determined killer, but at heart she had morals and boundaries. At one point she was going to win, but she was reckless and didn't really think things through, so sadly, she had to die.
Day Two is done, and we lost two more tributes, the heartbreak is real, but there are still 14 more left, all with stories, I can't wait to tell! This neared 8000 words, which is the longest chapter so far. Let me know if you like it being one long chunk, or you would prefer it split up into two parts, like the first day. So next chapter is a little Capitol checklist, where we learn what's going to happen to Clem, something I'm so excited to write, I've been planning for this point for a long time, and it's finally happening ahhhhh!
I hope you are all well and safe and positive, and looking forward to the days when things start going back to normal. Thank you for your continued reading and reviews of this SYOT, and I hope you find it entertaining.
Until next time,
Alice xxx