Casper Chevallier, District 2
Casper stands at the edge of the camp, looking out into the forest that sits around him. Nine. He can't escape that number. No matter how hard he tries, that single number keeps floating around in his brain, reminding him of what's to come.
Nine tributes remain. Eight have to die before Casper can go home. With the rule change, that number decreases to seven. But Casper doesn't want anyone else returning home with him. That spot belonged to Lancia. No one else would deserve it.
He doesn't acknowledge Maeve as she comes to stand by him.
"It's my turn to keep guard. Go rest." Maeve says to him. He shakes his head.
"No." Maeve is taken aback by his reply.
"No? You must be tired." She tries to understand him, understand his mind. But Casper knows she won't ever truly get it.
"I'm leaving." Casper pulls away from the tree and returns to the center of camp. He takes the smallest bag and begins packing it up. Unfortunately, Evan takes note. He wishes everyone was asleep, like Crystal and Alexandrine.
"Where are you going to go?" Maeve asks.
"Anywhere. It doesn't matter to you. I want to leave peacefully, before it comes down to just us." Casper says back, frustrated that the others don't see it. That this Career alliance can't last much longer.
"Well. I wish you the best." Evan says.
"If I see any of you again, don't expect mercy." Casper takes his sword and leaves without another word. Maeve and Evan find themselves watching him as he goes, unable to find words to express their feelings. After the past few days in the arena, it's hard for them to feel much at all.
Yeong-Ja Song, District 3
Yeong-Ja sits in a squatted position, hugging her knees tightly to her chest. She buries her head in her legs, blocking out any potential tears that might come. But she knows they won't come. She has no more tears left to shed.
She shouldn't have let them go to the Feast. She should have protected Thread instead of putting him in danger. She didn't even think he would be in danger, she had him hide somewhere she thought no one would run into. She tried to blame the boy who killed him, but there's no point in blaming the dead. Not in the Hunger Games.
Yeong-Ja has nothing to show for their unnecessary trip back to the cornucopia. She didn't even get to take the supplies off of the boy who killed Thread because of the Careers nearby. She escaped with her life. That's more than Thread can say.
Yeong-Ja pulls herself up, straightening out her back and suppressing her emotions. She's allowed herself her moment of mourning. But weakness won't gain her any favors from sponsors in the Capital, and with the tribute pool so low, she will have to start competing for the audiences' favor.
So she forces herself to stand up and brush away the dirt, sweat, and tears. She composes herself and does what she knows how to do best. Win.
Mako Swanson, District 4
Mako mourns his sister. But he mourns differently than Yeong-Ja. He doesn't accept blame on himself, how could he blame himself? He's never wanted anything but her to be safe and sound. No, he can't blame himself and he could never blame her. So that only leaves one person to blame, and one person that needs to repay. Evan.
Mako has allowed himself to recharge from the fight yesterday with the supplies he did manage to get. Some good medical supplies with less than an ideal amount of food. But Mako tends his wounds and eats some of the food he got. It's hard to swallow, not because of it's taste or lack thereof. Because he's eating alone.
Once he's done, he repacks his belongings. He feels refreshed, and despite everything he's been through, he's never felt stronger. He knows what he has to do and nothing will get in his way until every single tribute in this arena is dead.
He'll start with Evan.
Alexandrine Laurent, District 1
Alexandrine opens her eyes. She takes in her surroundings and the people that surround her. Out of habit, she searches for Crystal. She's about to panic when she spots her friend leaning against a tree just to Alexandrine's left.
It doesn't take long for Crystal to notice Alexandrine. She doesn't hesitate when she kneels down in front of her.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Crystal asks empathetically, unusual for her, but it makes Alexandrine calm.
"I'm, I'm okay. I feel better." Alexandrine responds honestly. She knows she'll never be the same. There will always be the lingering pain, the despair of losing a body part will always be there to remind her of what she's experienced.
"Good. Glad it was worth it." Crystal's light smile takes Alexandrine off guard.
"Hey. You're awake." Evan kneels down alongside Crystal.
"Yeah. Barely." Alexandrine can't help but notice the light in Evan's eyes has been stripped away from him. His positive demeanor is suppressed. She knows the look all too well. What happened when I was out? she wonders.
"Um, thank you. Thank you for going…for me." Alexandrine doesn't know why she struggles to thank them. Maybe it's the years of repressed emotions causing her this uncertainty. But neither of her allies take note.
"You're welcome. Happy to have you back with us." Evan pulls Alexandrine into a hug. Normally, she would refuse this gesture. But she actually finds herself enjoying the human contact.
It's only when Evan pulls away does Alexandrine notice a fourth wheel. Maeve sits leaned against a tree a few feet from them.
Evan and Crystal stand up and return to their posts, but Alexandrine keeps her eyes trained on Maeve. Maeve, who stares off into the distant as if something else has caught her attention, who probably doesn't notice them at all. Alexandrine worries Maeve will snap, the girl never seemed entirely stable before the arena and that's only gotten worse with their time here. Alexandrine isn't entirely comfortable with her being here, but there isn't much she can do about it. So in the meantime, she'll keep an eye on her ally, waiting for the moment she completely snaps.
Hodaka Granger, District 9
Hodaka didn't go to the feast. With the amount of deaths that happened, she knows that was the right decision. However, with her stomach growling every few seconds, she can't help but regret her decision, at least a little.
She tears a few leaves off of the tree that she's perched in, not only to fill her stomach but to give herself something to do. As she chews, a branch snapping in the distance causes her to stop. She listens closer, thinking it was a fluke. But another snap, and another, convince her that it's very much real. And it's getting closer.
Hodaka ducks further in the tree line, hoping to block all line of sight from whatever is coming her way. As the threat gets closer, she can see it's more of a whomever, a tribute. It's hard to tell from her exact position, but she believes it's a male Career tribute.
Alone? Hodaka can't help but slightly adjust to get a better view. Yes, it's certainly a Career. Hodaka struggles to remember his name, but she believes he's from Two.
Hodaka's heart drops when the boy stops moving directly under her tree. She can't make herself any smaller and she can barely stop herself from shaking. What feels like forever passes before Hodaka realizes why the boy has stopped. There's another tribute.
Hodaka recognizes the boy as Warren, she doesn't know why his name sticks out to her. She see's him a dozen or so feet in the distance, distracted by something she can't make out. She wants to yell out and tell him to run, but she can't. It happens in an instant. One moment, Warren is blissfully unaware. The next, the canon fires.
Hey this didn't take me two months! Hopefully the next one will be out in a week or two, but I can't make any promises.
New poll on my profile, go vote!
ALLIANCES
Career Pack #1: Maeve Landstone, Crystal Vine, Evander Floyd, Alexandrine Laurent
Career Pack #3: Mako Swanson
Alone: Hodaka Granger, Yeong-Ja Song, Casper Chevallier
DEATHS
23rd-Pepper Lokma (D7F)
22nd-Hayley Onyx (D4F)
21st-Ashleigh Cane (D12F)
20th-Marshal Woods (D7M)
19th-Crane Bavari (D2M)
18th-Lancia Audren (D2F)
17th-Elise Linderman (D8F)
16th-Eros Herier (D10M)
15th-Mathias Hayes (D12M)
14th-Ashley Oak (D7M)
13th-Minnow Swanson (D4F)
12th-Tristan McKnight (D4M)
11th-Thread Hawkins (D8M)
10th-Adonis Herier (D10M)
