A yawn escaped Artemis's lips as she sat at the table where she had gathered together a piece of bread with fresh smashed berries spread over the top of it. Freshly smashed, as in she took a few and just smooshed them on top of the bread. Not the most nutritious thing to have for a meal and it was hardly filling but it had to suffice.
She woke up with her head aching, she could feel the congestion coming from the time she had spent out in the cold rain. Somehow she knew Gale would find a way to nag her about it.
But not today.
Today she deemed it as her off day. The games were coming to an end with only four tributes left. One of the tributes being her friend. The Capitol seemed to have made an exception to Peeta and Katniss's star-crossed lovers scenario and was allowing two victors from the same District win.
They were the only two left who were from the same District. Peeta's life was left in Katniss's hands now and she couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing. However, he was recovering from his leg wound. He may have a chance to fend her off if she betrayed him.
She shivered under the green blanket she had placed over her shoulders. She looked towards the fireplace to see the embers quickly dying out. The bright, angry, orange colors dwindled vibrantly under the charred wood.
She shuffled her feet towards a small pile of wood to the left of the fireplace and tossed a couple logs into the pit and a few bits of kindling. She poked and prodded at the small flames with a twig of kindling until she deemed it strong enough to heat the house.
She looked over at the pile of wood that was stacked next to the fireplace. Only three logs left. She sighed, the huff of air ruffling her bangs, as she placed her hands on her hips. She threw the blanket off of her shoulders and tossed it on to the small couch. She ached as she slid on her boots, tying them in a knot before slipping on her jacket.
"Leaving again?" Her fathers voice startled her, making her jump. She lifted herself up from the couch to face him. His large build almost taking up the entire space of the doorframe from his room, his arms crossed with a displeased frown on his face.
"I'm just going to get more wood." She shrugged nonchalantly. Her fathers face looked unamused. "Uh-huh." He hummed out. Artemis was sweating under her fathers suspicious gaze. "Artemis Lynn." She rolled her eyes at the use of her middle name. She was not in the mood to get lectured. "Can you tell me why when I was making my deliveries yesterday to Mr. Northcott he told me he saw you with Gale coming out of The Hob?"
Artemis's blood froze. Not only was she poaching illegally outside of the fence but she was also illegally trading game within The Hob with Gale. She would be in trouble for the next century if she told her father the truth. "The Hob? Like where they sell the illegal stuff?" She questioned with a perked brow. Best to play dumb in this scenario. "That's the one." Torq replied, nodding his head. Artemis let out a soft chuckle.
"No." Lie.
"You told me to never go there." Truth.
"I don't want to get in trouble with you or the lowlifes that hang around there." Semi-truth.
"Besides, isn't Mr. Northcott old? He must be seeing things, especially since his wife passed recently." Truth.
Torq crossed the room towards his eldest daughter, his arms still crossed over his chest with an unmoving frown set on his face. He stared down into his daughters defiant green eyes. "Gale hangs out at The Hob. I see him go in and out all the time with game. You're not going out behind the fence, are you?" Torq interrogated.
Once again Artemis's blood felt frozen. He was on to her. She hoped none of her sisters ratted her out. Time to throw him off completely. Artemis let out an audible scoff as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Gale is different. Besides I never go there with him." Torq narrowed his eyes at her. "Then why do you spend all that time in the Seam?"
"I'm working for Hazelle." The lie effortlessly rolled off her tongue. Her face turned pink once she realized what she had said. She had just opened a can of worms.
Her father raised his brows intrigued by this newfound information. "Mrs. Hawthorne gave you a job?" His voice did not seem impressed. Artemis's gaze shifted towards the creaky wooden floors beneath her feet as she shuffled her toes inside of her boots. Gale was going to kill her.
"Y-yes." Artemis timidly answered. Her father didn't look like he was going to buy the lie. She waited for his harsh words, lecturing her about lying. It never came. In fact, he patted her on the shoulder, surprising her. "I'm glad you're starting to work. We could use the extra income. I can't wait to visit you at work." He winked as he proudly adorned her.
He embraced her in a tight hug, squeezing the air from her lungs. Artemis mentally slapped herself, her face becoming hot with embarrassment from the lie she was getting into. "So when do you work next?" He boasted proudly. Artemis stammered before answering him. "Later. Tomorrow. But we'll be busy. We don't really like company-"
"Nonsense. The Hawthorne's and I go back. I'm sure Hazelle will be happy to see me." Her father insisting. Artemis could feel her emotions deflating like a balloon. She couldn't believe the mess she had just gotten herself into.
She cleared her throat a bit, indicating her father to let go. She looked up as he let go of her, smiling endearingly down at her. "I'm going to get some fire wood. Nestle in for the day." She meekly mumbled out. Her father nodded, standing out of her way so she could make her quick exit to the outside world.
The morning air nipped at her skin as she clung on to her jacket stepping outside. She stood for a moment on the front porch, staring off into the distance, processing everything that had just happened. Only one word could come to her mind.
"Fuck." She whispered out, regaining her consciousness. She started down the front steps and rounded the side of her house repeating the profanity. She ran her fingers through her hair as she paced the back of her house panicking.
She was going to lose the first friend she had made on her own in years due to a stupid lie to save her own skin from doing illegal trading. "You look like you're overreacting." A voice said from across the way.
She stopped pacing and glanced over her shoulder to see Beau smirking at her with a dirty pail in his hands filled with feed for the two pigs and three chickens they had. It must've been feeding time.
She glared over at her curly haired neighbor. If they didn't raise their prices she wouldn't be in this situation. She would've never met Gale and things would've been normal. She wasn't overreacting.
She rolled her eyes at him, ignoring his comment as she started to pluck logs from the stack of wood from behind their home. She hurriedly paced towards the side of her house, trying to make it back inside without hitting him.
"Hey. Wait." Beau called after her, his pail hitting the ground with a metallic twang. "Please." His voice sounded like he was pleading.
Artemis stopped dead in her tracks while rolling her eyes, waiting for him to catch up. She turned to greet him with an icy gaze. His face became pinched and nervous. "I want to apologize." He bluntly stated. Artemis scoffed.
"No seriously. I've been taking everything pretty hard too. I don't want you to think that I don't care about you or…him." Beau's gaze looked solemnly towards the ground. "I have hope…that he'll come back…and everything will be the same again." Artemis knows he's trying to stifle back a sniffle as he looks towards the ground.
Beau has been dealing with the lost of their friend as well yet, he didn't go to anyone for help or to let it out like she had with Gale. He trapped himself in his house, not once acknowledging her.
She too knew the jumble mess of feelings he felt that was lying in his chest. She felt it everyday. She felt it when she looked at the bakery. She felt it when she watched her friend fight for his life in the games. Every time his face showed any pain or fear she could feel the jumbled feelings congesting in her chest making its way down to her stomach and twisting it in a knot.
"You're…okay." She said as she pushes back a piece of hair behind her ear. "There's no need to explain yourself." The stood in an awkward silence for a moment as if there were something they wanted to get off their chests but were too afraid to say it.
She started to worry that he had known about her expeditions with Gale since he sold some of their game with his father. "We'll see him soon. I'm sure of it." Beau quipped excitedly, his hazel eyes dancing with joy as they looked at Artemis's tense posture.
She frowned as she thought of the games ending soon. "I have to go. The games should be on soon. It looks like they're ready to end them." Beau's smile faded, his face becoming disheartened a little. "Oh. I'll see you later then." He gave her a small wave. She nodded then turned on her heel with the logs nestled in her arms. They were starting to feel too heavy for her arms to carry. "We'll see if your prediction is right." She called over shoulder.
She tapped her front door with the toe of her boot, asking for someone to let her in. She peered over at the bakery out of habit while waiting for someone to open the door.
Her heart sank.
It had been two weeks since her friend was taken away to the Capitol to fight to the death. Most people should've been over the loss of their friend by now but it seemed like she was wrong. Beau and Gale were both hurting as was she. She was not alone but she felt like it.
The door creaked open revealing Naga with her pale blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun, her blue eyes half open as if she didn't want to be up. Her eyes looked at Artemis with displeasure. "Doing laundry with the Hawthorne's? Really?" She hissed our under her breath.
Artemis immediately hushed her sister, her brows knitting together out of anger. "Don't tell them. You made a promise." Artemis whispered to the older twin, who rolled her eyes. "It's not me you have to worry about." Naga insisted throwing her thumb back into the living room where Artemis could see Katherine sitting on the couch, eyes glued to the telescreen.
Artemis let out a frustrated sigh. "I'll talk to her." She stated as Naga let out a snort. "You better."
Artemis crossed the room, grabbing Katherine's attention as she dropped all the wood in front of the fireplace. She could feel Katherine's jittery worried eyes boring into the back of her head as she began stacking the wood into a neat pile.
The news of Artemis getting a job with Hazelle was spreading quickly through the house like a wildfire. Her father was quite the boaster when it came to her.
She brushed off the palms of her hands as she stood up from the floor. She spun around to see Katherine's eyes following her every movement anxiously. She pursed her lips in a thin line before settling in a spot next to her on the couch making Katherine extremely nervous.
Even though she was considered a queen bee in her class, and a nag to her and Naga, she still found Artemis to be intimidating.
Artemis slung her arm around her younger sisters shoulder. "Hey drama queen." Artemis purred out. Katherine sighed and turned her face in the opposite direction of her sister. "I hear you heard about my new job from dad." Artemis's grip tightened on Katherine's shoulder making her feel uncomfortable.
Katherine rolled her eyes. "You're going to get yourself in big trouble Artemis." Katherine nagged staring her down with a confident gaze. She was trying her best to stand her ground, however, her older siblings gaze was quite intimidating. "Okay, well," Artemis clenched onto Katherine's shoulder tighter. "Remember that the trouble that I'm getting into is providing you with food. And if anyone finds out about this, and I mean anybody, I will personally take all of your dresses-"
"Don't you dare bring them into this."
"-and sell them illegally at The Hob-"
"That's so wrong. There's so many creepy people there."
"-and I will take all the money I make off of them and keep it." Her grip on Katherine's shoulder was unbelievably tight that her sister started to whine in pain. "So be that good actress you want to be so desperately and act like I work for Mrs. Hawthorne." Katherine nodded her head obediently to her older sister.
Artemis released her grip on Katherine's shoulder, her threat was made, the point was clear. Katherine rubbed the spot where Artemis's fingers clung on to, the red marks starting to vanish. "Good." She hummed out loud.
She already knew she was in trouble with Gale, there was no need for her sisters big mouth to get her into even more trouble. However, a queasy feeling made its way into her stomach as she thought of herself telling Gale the situation. He wasn't going to take it lightly.
There was an ear piercing shriek of excitement that filled the room. The siblings all rolled their eyes. Only one person could make that high pitch of a sound. Her mother quickly darted into the room, plopping down next to Artemis, wrapping her arms around her face tightly.
Artemis struggled to get out of her grasp, she was sure she was losing oxygen from the embrace. "Mom." She hissed as she pulled away. "I'm so glad you're working with Hazelle. Hazelle and I go back quite a ways. She'll take good care of you." Serena yipped out excitedly while Torq stood behind her with his hand over her shoulder, small smile placed on his lips.
No doubt that they were proud but they were also astonished that someone would take in another person for a job, one that's not in the mine's, at a time like this.
Especially Hazelle. She was the finest laundress in Twelve and could get the coal soot out of any article of clothing.
They had their laundry done by her at least once a month, when they could afford it, otherwise that was Katherine's regular chore. It wasn't that Katherine was particularly bad and washing clothes, Hazelle had more experience and could get the stains out that Katherine couldn't.
"By "way back" you mean when you used to live in the Seam?" Artemis questioned how they had known each other. This was new information to her. No wonder why Hazelle stared at her for a while when she was over at Gale's the other day. She must have reminded her of her father. She was basically a spitting image of him. Serena nodded her head in confirmation.
Artemis felt hot under her parents adorning gazed, smiling sheepishly. "Can we just watch the Games?" She piped up as the Capitol banner displayed on the telescreen playing its trumpeting national anthem.
"My oh, my oh my. What an exciting turn of events these Games have been!" A man with powder blue hair comments with enthusiasm. His name flickers down at the bottom of the screen as Cesar Flickerman. The Capitol's favorite newscaster.
Artemis has seen him wear a variety of different styles for his hair and makeup. From an elegant cream color to a threatening shade of red that made him look like he was bleeding from his eyes and mouth.
He enjoys the Games as much as the Capitol residents, he takes pride in spectating them and shows little to zero remorse for the fallen tributes.
They were all expendable in the Capitol's mind. 24 more tributes will come to them next year to replace the 23 that they lost this year, warming their hearts with adoring stories each different than the last. Each story is a plea for help. The more pathetic a person appears to be, the more likable they are, the more sponsors they get. It was sick.
Cesar goes on in depth of how Katniss is his favorite tribute, as she is with everyone else in the Capitol. There is a brief moment where he acknowledged every fallen tribute, even showing their grimacing deaths, then he reiterated the new rule that the ever so kind game makers made as an exception to Katniss and Peeta where they both can go home together.
All they had to do was kill two more people. Artemis couldn't even imagine Peeta killing someone. He was too innocent. Too soft. Yet, she didn't put it behind her, he did make it this far. Katniss had killed. Multiple tributes. Purposefully or not. That was on her hands.
She watched as Peeta and Katniss trudged through the dark, looking around themselves anxiously, as if they had known something bad was going to happen.
"Ah yes, they have a right to be on the watch," The sound of Cesar's voice broadcast over the screen where Peeta and Katniss lurked. "The game makers did say they wanted to throw something...extra...near the end. It will be fascinating to see how the tributes react to it." Artemis rolled her eyes.
If only they could hear Cesar's voice dripping in delight in the arena, they would know what's coming.
The camera angle moved to where the tribute from District Eleven was shown, carefully holding out a weapon as a caution. Artemis could see the fear in his deep dark eyes, he was on full alert.
There was a rustle that came from beside him in the bushes that made him jump to the side to see what it was. He had just missed it. His hands were shaking.
Two more things rushed past him on the opposite side of the bushes, making snarling sounds. Artemis's brows furrowed as she tried to catch a glimpse at what creatures were zooming past him. Whatever they were they were closing in on him.
Hunting him.
An involuntary shiver made its way down her spine. She was nervous just watching the tribute. She couldn't even fathom her fear for Peeta at the moment but she knew he would soon have to face whatever is lurking in the shadows.
Suddenly something popped out of a bush at the tribute, latching it's sharp teeth around his hand and tearing it to shreds. A mutation, or a mutt, created to look like an oversized wolf.
He couldn't hold in a scream, he immediately let out an agonizing screech before another animal appeared and grabbed his other arm, shaking it around and tearing his flesh apart.
Artemis closed her eyes and covered her ears as if it would help her drown out the screams but she could still hear them echoing in the back of her head. The gore on the screen was enough to make Katherine gag from beside her.
"They just get more ruthless over the years." Her father whispers out under his breath, his voice full of disdain. As the tribute screams the screen is split to show Katniss and Peeta stopping in the midst of their trek and listening on one side and the career from District Two sitting on top of the cornucopia, stopping from sharpening his sword to listen with a smirk on his face.
That was the tribute that sliced Peeta's leg open with that very sword, leaving him to get blood poisoning. Artemis wished the tribute was out of the arena and in Twelve so she could knock the daylights out of him. He was cruel and sick, snapping some kids neck, stabbing another's stomach, slicing a young boys neck open, it made her blood curtal.
Peeta was going to have to face off a sadistic tribute with an injured leg. The sounds of the mutts hot on their trail made Katniss and Peeta glee towards the cornucopia where another predator awaited its prey.
Peeta held his conjoined hands out for Katniss to jump on to hoist herself up into the cornucopia. She quickly pulled him up after her, just narrowly avoiding the mutts. Peeta leaned back away from the edge, panting, as the sound of barking and whining dogs came from below.
There was a strangled cry that came from Katniss as the tribute from Two grabbed a hold of her neck. Artemis wondered how Gale felt about that. She wondered if he wanted to fight for her as much as she wanted to fight for Peeta.
Her best friend rushed the career, tackling him on the top of the structure. Katniss tried to shoot at the career but she failed. She reached for another arrow as the career grabbed Peeta by the neck, threatening to snap his neck.
She stopped dead in her tracks, arrow pulled back on her bow as she stood and watched the career hold Peeta in his grasp. Peeta's face was red, he was gasping for air while the tribute continued to banter with Katniss.
Artemis covered her eyes. She couldn't watch anymore. She didn't want to please the Capitol by watching her best friend die like she pleased them by watching her cousin die.
She thought of the time she was young with Peeta. She thought of where they had been when they first kissed, she was only seven and he had unbelievably accused her of carrying cooties. In order to prove she didn't she had kissed him hastily and he giggled as he retreated back with his face blushing. It was the most abrupt and short thing to ever happen in their friendship and it had never happened again.
She loved him in a different way, like a family member. She couldn't even think about kissing him romantically now.
Artemis opened her eyes just as Katniss shot the career in his hand causing him to jump in pain, dropping Peeta in the process. He slipped off the edge, falling into the teeth of the mutts.
Artemis jumped from her seat with a wide smile on her face. They did it. Peeta was coming home. She was going to kiss his stupid face until it turned as red as it did the first time. She wiped the tears that were falling from her eyes off on her sleeve as she watched Peeta grasp onto Katniss in a tight embrace as the dark nighttime arena shifted to the soft light of morning.
"That was an amazing game. Up until the end it had me on the edge of my seat," Cesar announced, his glee in his voice showing through. "But I did just get word that there is an announcement that is going to make things more interesting for the star-crossed lovers." His voice sounded cynical.
Artemis frowned and refrained from rejoicing as she pondered what the Capitol had in store for the two. What more could they want from them?
The crackling of an announcement being made in the arena made its way to her ears, though she wished she hadn't heard it. "Attention tributes," The voice rang over them. Katniss drew an arrow to her bow, ready to pounce on whatever was making her stay in the arena a moment longer. "The previous revision to the rules where two tributes of the same District can go home has been revoked. Only one may survive. Good luck."
"No." Artemis breathed out as she watched Katniss and Peeta look at each other in shock. Her hands balled up in fists at her side. Of course they would pull something like that. There was no way he could make it.
He was injured and lacking a weapon while Katniss was a prowess of killing. Her hope had vanished. She couldn't even look Gale in the eyes of his friend won instead of Peeta. She would be devastated.
"What's this?" Cesar's tone of voice brought Artemis's attention back up to the telescreen. She watched as Katniss pulled out a handful of berries from her jacket pocket. She recognized them instantly from what Gale had taught her. Nightlock.
They look like black blueberries but are extremely poisonous, it could kill someone within minutes. That's how the tribute in District Five went out. She had done it on purpose. What is he doing! Artemis's heart was pumping rapidly as she watched him hold the berries close to his mouth.
"One." Katniss counted, her grey Seam eyes boring into Peeta's. "Two." Peeta breathlessly said, plucking at Katniss's hair. "Three." Katniss whispered, as she tilted the berries towards her mouth along with Peeta's. "Stop!" The booming voice of the announcer bounced throughout the arena. On command Peeta and Katniss stopped, the berries just at their lips. "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Victors of the seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games."
Everyone in the room cut their prying eyes away from the screen to look up at Artemis. Tears of happiness were pouring out of her eyes, her mouth gaping open out of surprise.
He did it. Her best friend had won. He was coming home. Her heart was overflowing with relief as she watched the telescreen promptly state his name and Katniss's name as the winners of the 74th annual Hunger Games. She felt like she could cry for eternity out of happiness and relief. There would be no more stress and no more worry now that he was coming home.
There was a rapid knocking at the door. She instinctively knew who it was. She leapt over the back of the couch, running towards the door. She only saw Beau's smiling, excited freckled face for a moment as she threw the door open.
She couldn't contain herself as she jumped up into an embrace, wrapping her arms and legs around his torso. "He did it!" She screamed as Beau toppled backwards off of the porch with her. Even when everyone doubted him she knew that Peeta would come out on top.
She breathlessly laughed as the tears seeped out of her eyes. Beau wrapped his arms around her waist as he laid down in the dirt with his childhood friend sobbing on top of him. He patted her back in reassurance.
He was happy too of course but not happy that he was laying on the ground. "He's coming home!" She shouted happily readjusting herself so she was straddling him. "He's coming home!" She repeated as she shook Beau's shoulders. He smiled lazily up at her, grabbing her shoulder as well. "I know, I know!" He replied with a soft laugh.
As Artemis rejoiced with Beau she didn't notice the grey eyes that were placed on her from down the street.
Gale smiled warmly as he watched her sob tears of joy on top of the butchers son. He sighed softly to himself as he placed his hands in his pockets, he had ran all the way to Merchant's square to see if she had heard the news.
Of course she did.
Now everything could go back to normal. She'd live out her days in Merchant square with the new victor and he'd go work in the mine's wishing he'd be in Merchant square with a victor. He turned on his heel and started to walk back to the Seam.