The fifteenth day
-Jace Galillei, 18, District 3-
It was impossible for him to know if it was actually the morning when he woke up. He could know basically nothing for sure. He used his ears the best he could, but his ears could deceive him. Especially with how paranoid he was starting to feel. How long has he been here? For all he knew, it could have been three days, or an entire week. Or just an afternoon.
At least he got some form of structure on the thirteenth day. His internal clock was way off, but that gave him a point to reorient onto. He wasn't sure when the ice melted: he would have guessed midnight, but it seemed much too early to be midnight. He was just thinking about munching on a piece of jerky for dinner when it happened. For all Jace knew, he could be fully nocturnal by this point. He hadn't heard another person's voice for days. He'd barely heard his own, as he was too worried that someone would find him if he talked, or if he used the purple bicycle bell Ari had given him.
Like he could know it was purple.
That little thing was his saving grace. He learned to use it to live independently. Hell, before he was reaped here, he was confident that he might be able to live independently someday, if he worked hard enough. Wishful thinking.
Ari sure made him think he could. And while she was the one he trusted more than anything right now, he wasn't sure she was telling the truth about that much. Here was his taste of independence, and he spent every damn second of it wishing for Camellia and Elliot to be back by his side, telling him what time of the day it was and warning him if there might have been a threat.
Not only that, but he thought he could trust them.
Well, apparently you can't, he thought to himself. He should have known better, considering where they were. Something about Camellia made him believe she was genuine. Perhaps it was her great suffering. But, while his suffering may have brought the best out of him, he supposed it could have brought the worst out of her. Apparently it did, as he could barely hold a thought without a headache despite days (likely) having passed since it happened.
And for such the bitter man he'd become, Jace couldn't even be angry at her. Somehow, his fire felt like it was burning out. He had once been so eager to spite those that wronged him and his friends. At one time he was aggressive, he would never back down, and he would never let himself be disrespected. And as much as he wanted to get that fire back, his heart wouldn't light. Sad little sparks of resignation were all he could summon from himself.
Who was Jace to think that he could get out of here? Fuck the fact that he was blind, right now that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was that he didn't want to fight for himself anymore. He was resigned to his fate now that he was alone.
What was there left to reach for? Sure, he would miss his friends, but surely they knew that would be the case when they sent him away. It would suck not getting to Saoirse grow up, but she would have a healthy support system. She was just a little girl, she wouldn't miss him. At least if he died here, he would be remembered fondly. He would be remembered as some kind of fighter, as a spitfire, and not just as that guy that lost his sight in a fight he could have just as easily not have picked…
At least Bec's injuries healed up. And Ari's too. Jace didn't have that luxury.
Not that he could possibly be bitter at his friends who had basically thrown themselves away from him: in Bec's case, quite literally: it was just different. Someone who was born blind wouldn't know what they were missing. But Jace wasn't born blind. He knew he would always miss out. He would miss out on every smile on the faces of his friends. He would miss out on every facial cue, every wave, every motion or signal, he would miss every damn sunrise and sunset, the subtle flush on his lover's cheeks… He would miss everything beautiful.
And as much as he loved them and as much as they helped him, they would never understand how that felt.
At least if he died, he could be remembered as… as someone who did something great.
Yeah, ninth place. Real honorable.
Why should he want to win? If karma went through such lengths to reach him, what was going to stop it from fulfilling its purpose?
The guilt of being the reason for Bec's death would continue to follow him for as long as he lived. Why shouldn't he just resign himself to the death he deserves in this place? Maybe then, the grim reaper would finally leave his friends alone. At this point, that was all that he wanted. He wanted them to leave his friends alone!
A spark.
It wasn't Jace's fault that Bec lost his life. It wasn't Tav's fault, it wasn't Riggs's fault, even though the bastard stabbed him… Ultimately, Jace realized, the only one of those people that had a choice in the matter was Bec.
But he wasn't choosing to die, he was choosing to protect Jace.
Protect Jace from who?
From them.
"It's time to rise up and end it all."
Jace wished he could talk to his mentor one last time so that he could tell Numitor that he was right. It was long overdue. And perhaps, if District Three could have one more voice like his… Well, maybe something could happen. But one thing was for sure: there was no way in hell Jace was going to let the grim reaper come knocking on the door of his best friend's sweet child.
All he knew was that someone had to end what Numitor started. He was right- the oppression, the pain, innocent lives, everything. And the Capitol showed its true colors that night. It made Jace grind his teeth that they would choose another innocent life to destroy. An innocent life with a goddamn family. A family and friends that thought he would be fucking coming home.
"You're right," Jace said under his breath, hoping that his message would be heard.
"It is time."
His fire burned.
Jace felt newly motivated. He got to his feet, wondering what to do with this newfound sense of purpose. He stepped forward, caught his foot on something, and fell straight on his face.
"Ow!" he said, honestly pretty salty about his epic moment being ruined so quickly. "Wait…" What the hell was this thing? Jace reached over to where his foot caught and felt a metal object. Oh, it felt familiar… Wait. A sponsor package! Yes, that's what this was!
What the fuck? Someone believed in him to send him something? Even though he'd just completely embarrassed himself, Jace couldn't help his smile. This was his turning point.
He unlocked the cannister and opened the lid. Attached to the lid where he could feel it was a piece of paper. It felt like the note was written for him in Braille, but he never really got the hang of reading Braille. He let out a frustrated sigh. If only Camellia were here to read the note to him.
No, he… He didn't need her. She had set her course, and now it was time for Jace to do the same.
He reached into the container to see what he got. But… Am I missing something? There was nothing in the damn thing! Jace felt around the entire thing, even the bottom, and still nothing.
"Is this some kind of a joke?"
Then his ear picked up the faintest buzz.
A sharp pain poked his arm, and Jace rubbed the spot, but the pain didn't seem to go away. He could feel a bump that was only growing. Another identical pain struck his leg.
He realized too late what he had been sent.
"What the fuck?!"
He scrambled back up to his feet, carefully checking his footing, and ran.
Fuck! Another one, this time on the back of his neck.
Fuck it. He whipped the purple bicycle bell out of his pocket. He figured at this point, he was already making a racket, so why not actually help himself?
Shit, those things fucking hurt man. Jace's mind was racing as he went, and as much as he tried to focus on the sound of his bell to navigate the various felted tables in the room, he couldn't help but wonder why the fuck someone would possibly send something like this to him- FUCK!
Jace kept his feet moving, painfully hitting his hip on the corner of a table by mistake, but he couldn't stop now. All the way, he was attacked by the tiny stingers. Sometimes he wasn't sure if his throbbing spots were a new sting or one that was festering.
Another sting, and another, and another… And suddenly Jace wasn't feeling very well at all. His legs felt weighed down, and his head was swimming…
And suddenly, he saw a flash of lavender in front of his eyes.
Wait, what?!
He heard her voice in his ear. "It's the tenth day, it's sunset, and I think it's dinner time. Apple?"
He wanted to tell her no, no way in hell, no thank you… He suddenly crumbled to the floor, blinking his eyes as he heard a voice he recognized too well.
"You can't do this! You can't do this to him, it's not fucking fair!"
Rose… No, Rose, please don't… but he couldn't move his lips to beg her anymore not to fight for him. She didn't need to put herself into danger for him.
Rose's voice was suddenly coated with the sound of another voice, deeper, and together she and Numitor yelled, "This has to end NOW!"
He didn't have the energy to go to them. His head was swimming and pounding. His legs and arms were aching, and frozen in place. He couldn't do as much as move his head, or his lips… Were they swollen shut?
He felt blackness closing in on him.
"Bye bye baby," Camellia said in his ear, followed by a laugh, but he couldn't pick up his head to cuss at her.
Right before he blacked out, Jace heard the sound of footsteps approaching him, the voice of Elliot's killing…
Then, his heart exploded, and he was sent into nothingness.
~.~.
The fifteenth night
-Camellia Gallen, 18, District 7-
Dammit, why did she feel so nervous at every anthem?! She couldn't control the nerves she was feeling at the sight of the darkness up above. She couldn't control how her heart beat, how her palms started to sweat.
The pile of vomit was far behind Camellia now. She was so hungry at the sight of the food that she didn't think twice before eating it: even with the offensive poem that was sent with it. It looked and smelled perfect… She ate a sizeable portion of the meal, planning to save the rest for later. Didn't take too long for her stomach to feel upset, and before she knew it, she had puked out all of the contents of her stomach. At least she had water, to get the taste out of her mouth… Seriously? It had taken all day for her stomach to settle after that. And of course, she wanted rid of that stupid meal. Finally giving her the hope of food, but doing that to her?
The joke was on them, really: she didn't have anything in her stomach.
Now, though, her stomach was hurting her so badly she felt like she could throw up again. It rumbled and bubbled, and simply would not settle down as the infernal anthem of the oppressors began to play.
And the first face was one that she couldn't stand the sight of.
Jace Galillei stared down at her. In the photo, his eyes were full of fire. To Camellia, they looked down on her in rage. He was such a fiery person… She could practically feel his hatred for her through just that one image, taken so long ago.
She had tricked herself into believing that this was never going to happen to her. She would surely get to face him again and explain herself to him right? She always thought that maybe, just maybe, they would get to meet again. That just maybe, they would get to work together again.
But of course they wouldn't. This wasn't a reality show where everything was sunshine and rainbows. It was the Hunger Games. It was kill or be killed.
She'd injured him and left him alone.
And now he had been killed.
Camellia weakly shook her head at herself. How could she betray a friend like that? The more she thought about the circumstances surrounding Elliot's death, the more she doubted her actions. Ultimately, they could have been trying to take him away to prevent the song from finishing. They could have taken him away because they had Camellia figured out, and they wanted to punish her. There was almost no way Elliot looked like he could have still been alive when his limp body was taken away…
Jace didn't know anything about the rebels saving people, as far as Camellia knew… He couldn't have known that he was giving her a sign. What if he was wrong? What if she had left her friend for nothing?
Maybe they got Jace too…
She couldn't help but think about the desperate, longing look in Malloy's eyes when she'd asked him if they could save this group of tributes. That boy always wore his heart on his damn sleeve, even when he was dressed up like a Capitolite. Just thinking about it was enough to make Camellia tear up. But he could never lie to her. The look in his eyes revealed everything he couldn't muster up the courage to say to her face because he loved her so much.
It was foolish, audacious even, for her to hope.
Her eyes filled with tears at the thought of Jace dying alone. She knew how capable he was.
Was it really worth it for me to leave my friend on a whim?
At the time, it certainly felt worth it. But now, now that he was really gone… Camellia wasn't so sure. She just hoped that Wolf knew what he was doing.
She trusted him.
But at the same time, as much as Elliot, Malloy, Syca, and even herself saw Wolf as a superhero, the truth was that he was just human. He could only do so much. As much as Camellia wanted to wake up in a dingy bed in a small room and be met with the other 23 tributes that died, smiling and waving at her, she knew that it wasn't going to happen.
He hung her head as tears slid down her cheeks. This wasn't who she wanted to be. The one that abandoned her friend in his time of need… The one that betrayed the trust of those around her, all to win this… This sick fucking death game! What did she let them make her into!? All for, for what? A childish dream that everyone gets to have a happy ending. The childish hope that, that what, she was just going to run into Malloy's arms and have Jace and Elliot there to clap her shoulders? Why did she ever think they could all be happy?
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Oh, how fucking sick and tired she was of tears. How… How sick and tired she was of fate, how sick and tired she was of getting attached to people, allowing them to have meaning in her life, only for them to be… To be ripped away from her in a quarter of a second!
At least she got to sing to Elliot. At least she got to watch Syca go, with someone holding his hand and telling him it was going to be okay.
Jace didn't get that luxury. He died alone. He died hating Camellia, thinking that she hated him… Probably thinking that she was just waiting for the chance to take him out after Elliot died. And just the thought of that, the thought of his heart being broken, made Camellia hate herself. She hated the situation she was in. She felt like there was no way out of it now.
Suddenly, the ground below her opened, and out of it came a glittering silver cannister. Her lips started to quiver as she opened the lid, worried at what she might find…
She peeked in again, and tensed her entire body from letting out a cry. Inside was a beautifully-crafted origami flower, made in paper that she could just barely tell in the darkness was a soft pink. On the corner were small letters that spelled out, "Unfold me."
Camellia carefully pulled the flower open and read the writing on the back.
Camellia,
I'm the last person you'd expect to receive this message from, but hear me out and keep reading.
Sometimes, the most broken souls, not just you, are the most unlikely people you have ever met. Even the one telling you this. Think about it.
Keep fighting,
Anakyn
P.S. I'm sorry that I'm sending you this token, not Helen. But I don't want both of you to give up on yourselves, each other, and everything you stand for.
That made her lips quiver more. Inside the box was a lavender token, which she quickly pocketed. She couldn't help but wonder if he had the present lined up for Jace originally… But even so, why should Camellia have it of all people? Was that really what he would have wanted?
As she held the note, she remembered a very specific moment of her brother's life. Watching the look in his eyes when he received a note from Anakyn, who was his escort at the time… She could see in his eyes how much he trusted him, how happy he was to hear from him… Even if she never really got a moment with the young man to tell him, she so much appreciated how he took such good care of her brother. And now, it looked like he was going to take care of her too. She wasn't sure why her of all people: his being close with her mentor was a clue: but surely that wasn't the only reason…
Everything you stand for… Could this mean she was onto something? She reached up and dried her eyes. She didn't know how much he knew… But there was something a little rebellious about having such strong hope in a place like this.
Camellia tried to fold the paper back into a flower, but she wasn't nearly apt enough at folding paper to figure out how it went.
"Dammit… You'll have to help me fold this up again. When I get out of here."
With new resolve, Camellia put the note in her pocket. She was going to continue to believe in herself, and her friends.
That was when the table caught her eye. It was set up suspiciously close to her… Camellia got up and went over to the table. On it sat only a small, clear… Pill. The paper with it read, "TAKE ME." Camellia looked around suspiciously before picking up the cannister.
Could this be a sign? She looked at it questioningly, wondering if maybe, this was supposed to be her ticket out of here. Ani's note certainly would have been sent at a convenient time…
As good of her as it was hope, she had to be rational when her death was on the line.
The only way that she could guarantee getting out of here alive is to win.
She put the pill in her pocket, then turned away from the table and walked back to the place she'd set up camp.
Despite the kindness she'd been shown, Camellia couldn't be sure she deserved it as she lied awake, surrounded by so many supplies she'd been lucky to acquire over the course of the Games.
And Jace… How badly her heart hurt for her friend, and for his family… Why wasn't she there for him?
As the lights began to brighten, she couldn't help but sit awake, wishing, wishing with all of her heart that she could do it all over again.
She just wanted to rewind…
Rewind...
Rewind…
~.~.
The fifteenth day
-Celestia Romilly, 18, District 1-
Celestia liked to think she was a pretty cool and collected person… But now she was freaking out.
Water was the number one source of life. And she had none of it left. She couldn't believe she'd done this to herself… She liked to call herself disciplined, but after her show the other day, she wasn't sure she could claim that word anymore.
At the time, she couldn't help it. Her mouth was so dry, her couldn't control the raging thirst that was consuming her… And she thought that she would be fine, Kelwyn would come back with the water soon… It was like she was overtaken by a completely different person. All of her rationalizations, if you would call them that, at the time, were practically transparent. If only she'd known at the time. And being by herself certainly wasn't helping on top of it.
Celestia let out a small sigh. She was going to have to persevere on her own. She had trained to do this, but she wouldn't deny that District One overlooked this situation in her training. She felt like the blind leading the blind at this point, with nothing to go off of except her own intuition. Whether or not it was trustworthy was questionable to Celestia by that point. She could not dispute the evidence in front of her. She wasn't bull-headed enough to consider herself perfect, after all. She could see that she had flaws.
She knew that she couldn't survive much more than three days without water, though, no matter how much she drank beforehand. It was of the utmost importance that she get something to drink today. Her body was already showing the signs of dehydration: this she knew for sure: not to mention the practically crippling discomfort of constant thirst. If she thought it was bad the other day, she had no idea what the consequences of her actions would be.
Suddenly, the doors closest to her slid open. Celestia didn't hesitate to grab the bow and arrows she was left and try awkwardly to load them. The truth was, the weapon just wasn't for her. She tried practicing with it in the past few days, partly as a way to distract from her dry mouth: and had no luck. She figured that the pillow might have been a better weapon for her than that stupid thing.
But luckily, she didn't need to use the weapon.
"Kelwyn!"
Celestia quickly dropped that lame excuse for a weapon and hurried over to her ally, who was hurrying to meet up with her as well. Kelwyn had his arms open for a hug, while Celestia had hers held out to him for a hearty handshake. Kelwyn closed his arms with a small laugh and went first for a fist bump.
"It's a handshake," she clarified. She didn't hold it against him: it was hard for her to tell what people wanted from her too.
"Oh, right," Kelwyn said, giving her a really nice handshake.
"How are you holding up? You seem to be just fine."
"You look fine yourself."
"Yep. More than fine, actually. Look what I got!" From his coat pocket, he pulled out two little bags marked with red stripes.
Celestia's eyes widened. "You got our food back!?"
"Some of it," Kelwyn said with a smile.
"Did you have to injure someone?" she had to ask.
"No, actually." His face took on a sort of ghastly quality for a moment. Sometimes his face looked like that. It was impossible for Celestia to explain it.
"That's great, though." It was certainly some form of a relief. "One thing, though…" Celestia started, but they were interrupted by the sound of the floor opening and two gifts come up from the ground. They both looked at the gifts in surprise, then each other. Celestia bit her tongue as she went over to the red package.
Boy… Could she use this right now. She was glad that Miracle could come through for her. And the timing was impeccable as well. She opened the case, and staring back at her was…
"Oh." A first aid kit. What? Didn't Miracle see that they already had three of those?! At least this one seemed to have some more supplies in it rather than the basic first aid kits they had. But… Really? That was what Miracle was able to put together the funds for?
She looked to the note for guidance, but that didn't even have any help.
Celestial bodies.
Like all the stars in the sky.
The sun and the moon.
What the hell is this poetic bullshit? Miracle, what was the meaning of this!?
"Look at this!" Kelwyn said, lifting the spear out of the gift cannister.
That was nice and all, but… Celestia couldn't help but cross her arms at that, a wave of icky feelings washing over her. Kelwyn weighed the weapon in his hand, fixing his grip, when suddenly the plastic cap on the end of it fell off and hit the ground. Revealed under it was the tiniest spearhead Celestia had ever seen. No way in hell was Kelwyn actually going to do damage with it. The icky feelings lingered under a laugh from her.
"What the-!?" now it just looked like a little toy in his hands. The proportions were all off. The balance point was also skewed, and Celestia tried to keep from laughing at him.
"What the hell is this?" Kelwyn asked. "It must be broken."
"In hindsight, it's not surprising," Celestia commented. They loved to mess with the tributes in any way that they could. "What does your note say?"
He read it out loud. "Kelwyn for the win! It's the Dream of valid boi. Murder, dock, Murdock?"
"At least yours was encouraging," Celestia breathed.
Kelwyn let out another sigh. "Oh well." But even Celestia could tell that he was bummed. "So, um, what was that one thing?"
She was hoping he'd just forget about that. Shit.
"Our water supply is out."
Kelwyn gave another blink. "Completely."
"I drank it all after you left," she said, her cheeks heating with shame. "I'm sorry. I couldn't control myself." She couldn't read the expression on his face, but she could tell he was thinking about what to say. "I couldn't help it. I was just… So uncomfortable." She was uncomfortable now, too. "And… I hate it!" She didn't notice she was grabbing at her hair until Kelwyn's finger gently touched her wrist. She didn't want to let go though.
"Celestia," he said softly. "I don't mean to… Be callous. But…" he bit his lip. Suddenly, he looked nervous to Celestia. "Have you ever been tested… To see if you're on the… Well… The autism spectrum?"
Celestia's eyebrows creased as she looked into her ally's face.
"That's a random question," she informed him.
"Well, I mean… I… Well…" he released a breath and sat back from her. "I don't know. Never mind."
"I'm not angry Kelwyn." It was important to clarify. "No, I have not participated in any Autism Trials."
Kelwyn blinked for a minute after she said it before giving her another smile. "I just think… Well, maybe after you get out of here, you may want to consider it. I only say so because it might help you understand yourself a little bit more. And mostly, the people around you."
She nodded. "Ah. Okay." That idea made her a little bit uncomfy. Not that being autistic was a bad thing, it just. Well, it was never her thing. And, well, to have that diagnosis: what a terrifying word that was: would be a huge change for Celestia. And she didn't like change very much at all.
"Celestia?" She had apparently been quiet for a while.
"Sorry." She gave him a polite nod. "I was just thinking."
Looking into his face, Celestia could see the subtle differences in his features from when last they'd seen each other. His eyes were just a bit more sunken in. His lips were just a little more chapped, his skin just a little less… flushed. His breathing a little bit faster, more troubled.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
"Of course," he said, but there was something about him that wasn't entirely there.
"Don't lie to me."
Kelwyn's face and body showed all signs for fear.
"When was the last time you had something to drink?"
Kelwyn met her gaze and gave a small shake of his head. She had a gut feeling.
"Well, we shouldn't sit here much longer." Celestia stood up and Kelwyn stood too.
She couldn't help but notice how his movements were slower and more hesitant.
"You saved me once. Now I'm going to save you."
With a resolute nod, Celestia lead the way and Kelwyn followed her.
They didn't even reach the elevator before her eyes set on them. Was she hallucinating?!
"Kelwyn!" she gestured and ran towards the showcase. Standing on a golden pillar were beautiful cannisters, decorated red and green. Celestia wasn't even thinking when she reached into grab one, but the shock to her hand made her whimper and pull it away.
"Careful," Kelwyn said, holding up his sword in a defensive position.
"I don't understand," Celestia said quietly. Kelwyn put his sword through the barrier, and a spark of electricity exploded off the end of it, causing Celestia to jump backwards in shock at the sudden bright, blinding light. It hurt her eyes… She rubbed them gingerly as Kelwyn stepped closer to the pillar.
"What do you want from us?" he asked quietly. He looked as if he were about to pounce on the pillar, but took another deep breath. Celestia blinked a few more times, and that was when she saw the dark things on the other side.
"Kelwyn…" she said quietly.
He followed her gaze to the table that sat next to the pillar. On it rested a gun and a single bullet.
"No." She could barely hear him say it. Kelwyn went around the back of the machine and slowly picked up the piece of paper decorated with green and red trim.
"Here's quite a thing to think,
You two deserve a nice, cold drink.
If it is water you'd like to get,
You will have to play a round of Roulette."
No…
"Come on, let's go-"
Kelwyn was loading the revolver.
"You're not serious," Celestia said, hurrying over to him. "Come on. We can get water from somewhere else."
"This might be our only chance," Kelwyn said.
"No…" Celestia frowned. "It's too risky. Come on, let's go somewhere else."
"It'll be worth the risk." His face and tone became equally dark as the bullet clicked into place.
"Kelwyn…" she frowned and looked away from him. This couldn't be. There was definitely another way for two trained Careers. "No…" She turned away from him. She couldn't handle this thought. She couldn't stand to…
"Celestia."
She turned back around. He was still holding the gun, but this time he was also holding the piece of paper. Celestia came closer, and read the final stanza of the poem.
Russian Roulette is just no fun
Unless you give your ally the gun.
Her eyes widened and she stepped away from him. "No…"
Kelwyn gave her a solemn nod. "Yes."
"Let me put myself on the line."
"No way. Come on, we're running out of time."
Celestia felt bile rising in her stomach. Nobody at the Academy ever told her what to do when her ally wanted her to risk shooting his brains out!
"How do you know you'll be alright?!" she asked him, biting her lip.
"I don't. But I know that if I'm not okay, then you can win this thing Celestia! And, well… I'm okay with that too."
"Kelwyn…"
"I never deserved to win as much as you do Celestia. When you were on the brink of dying… That's what I realized. And the other day made me realize that there are others that are more worthy than I am. I'm a disgrace to my home District. A disgrace to you as my ally." His eyes were filling up with tears. "Celestia, please. I want to take this chance. And if I die for you, I don't care. I'll be happy, because I'll be dead, and I won't have to live in this fucked up world anymore. I won't have to keep fucking up every single thing that I'm asked to do. I won't have to keep being a failure to my parents, to my brother, and to my family. I always fail them, and I thought for just one time maybe I could succeed… M-Maybe my whole life was so shitty, but now would be my time to shine. Th-That now would be the moment I actually get to make my family and friends proud of me." He looked down and shook his head. "No."
"Yes. Yes, Kelwyn, yes."
He shook his head again. "No matter what I do, misery finds me. Karma will always be out for me. But it's my own fault. I brought it all on myself. I robbed this spot away from someone that actually would have had it in them to make this District proud. How selfish."
"Where is this coming from?" she asked him. "Come on, you know you can do it. You… You've always known you could do it."
"Don't you understand!?" he snapped at her, which caused Celestia to step away from him. "I could never do this, alright?! NEVER! And I ALWAYS knew it!"
Celestia stood completely still, save for the tears that were forming in her eyes.
"Don't be stupid, Celestia. I was always a dead man and you know it. I'm a poser, alright? All that stuff has just been an act. I acted my ass off because I thought I fucking deserved this Victory. And now that I'm here, I realize that you know what, I fucking don't. I hope that bullet lines up so you can shoot me dead. Then we'll both be fucking happy."
Celestia stepped forward and took the gun.
She spun the chamber.
Took a deep breath- in, and out.
Gave it another spin, for good luck.
Looked at the details of her ally's face: the few tears that were streaking his cheeks as he let out another dry sob.
"No… We won't."
She pulled the trigger.
With a loud crack, crimson shot out of the side of Kelwyn's head, and his body immediately sunk over. Brain matter fell to the ground around him, his face stuck in that resolute position of anger.
A cannon boomed immediately.
Celestia let out a howl, of shock and horror. The loud shot rang in her ears, and she collapsed to the floor. She couldn't control the vibrating of her vocal chords as she screamed and rocked on the floor, grabbing her ears tightly, her ears which throbbed and rang and stung. She couldn't control how tightly she grabbed her head, the smell of blood reaching her nose, and yet she couldn't control herself. She squeezed her aching eyes shut, tears that couldn't form trying to push their way out.
Another loud, booming noise made Celestia cover her ears and scream again, wishing for it to be over, wishing for it to be quiet, wishing for her head to feel okay again…
…
It was dark when she finally came to. She was exhausted, as if she hadn't slept for very long. The only indication that Kelwyn had died was the liquid stains that remained on the floor beside her.
She felt nothing. She simply walked over to the case of canteens and picked up the two large canteens that rested there.
She felt nothing.
She took a big gulp and then controlled herself to small sips.
She felt nothing.
Celestia walked away from where her died calmly.
She felt… nothing.
She set up camp.
She felt… nothing.
She heard the anthem start.
She… She felt… nothing...
She saw his face in the sky.
She felt everything, and yet she couldn't understand what she was feeling.
So she didn't.
~.~.
A/N: So we get a 2-in-1 for action, angst, and death here! I hope you enjoyed and are ready for more action from here on out!
And next chapter we are already at the Final 8! I will do final 8 interviews, but I'm going to try and keep them nice and simple and not too long. Then, we'll have… Something exciting happen to the final 8. And we will hear from people I know we haven't in a while.
CQ: How is Celestia going to cope? Or is she?
Now for eulogies. Ugh, these deaths were almost impossible to decide, and so painful to write. I'm not ready to start losing so many of your precious children.
10th Place: Kelwyn Murdock, District 4- Shot by Celestia Romilly, D1
Dreamer! We both knew it was coming, so I decided to go ahead and give you a new placement out of the whole deal. I loved every single second I got to spend writing Kelwyn. He was a unique character and had qualities that aren't typical of a Career. I love his many friends and family, and the unique relationships he had with each. I love his relationship with Celestia, and I can't believe that you decided to take this amazing and valid boy and doom him into my hands. It was hard for me to figure out a fitting end for him, and though this one was sad, ultimately it was his time and he couldn't get the help that he so badly needed. He will be missed terribly by me, the readers, and by the people that knew him. Thanks so much for him Dreamer, and as always for your friendship!
9th Place: Jace Gallilei, District 3- Killed by Tracker Jackers
This was another absolutely devastating decision that I had to make. Unfortunately there were 9 tributes left, and only 8 slots in the final 8 (obviously), and I decided to go this direction with Jace. As much as his fire was flaming, it wasn't meant to be. He got a bad spin on the gift wheel and he ended up on the same floor as Lonan thanks to the elevator not moving, which is a recipe for disaster. I loved writing Jace every moment that I was able to. From the very beginning I knew his end was going to be absolutely devastating for me and I wasn't sure if I was able to do it. So I stalled for a long time, but now was the time for him to go. He couldn't defend himself and figured out what was in the cannister far too late for his own good. Thanks for this bitter boi Mik, and I hope you are well.
See you probably less soon than a day lol for the Final 8 interviews!