Eldon Verlice, 17, District Two
Represent Brutus Horatio, Victor of the First Hunger Games
Brutus Horatio, Victor of the First Games, was well known for being a strong patriot, a young man who was more than willing to do his duty for his country. He is still remembered as having one of the highest kill counts of any Victor in history. But what many don't know is that, while Brutus was Reaped, his inclusion in the Games was no accident…
"Eldon, are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be, Soldier Iphron," Eldon Verlice replied, gritting his teeth and steadying himself against the wall behind him.
"Galia, are you ready?" Cyrus Iphron called out into the training hall.
"Yes, Soldier Iphron!" came a peppy voice from somewhere behind a pillar.
"All right. Let's give this a shot."
The lights dimmed to create the atmosphere of a nighttime street. Eldon stuck a hand in his pocket, then rubbed his hands together, applying a glow-in-the dark powder to them that Galia would be able to spot from a distance. After a moment of tense silence, Eldon heard a series of whistled notes, followed by the sound of Galia's feet pounding on the ground. As they'd practiced, he took two steps forward and got into a squatting position, linking his fingers together to form a flat step. Once Galia was within ten steps of him, she whispered, "Ready?"
"Steady," Eldon responded.
"Stepping."
Eldon braced himself. As soon as he felt Galia's weight, he launched himself up, stretching out his entire six-foot-four frame. The combination of his momentum and her momentum was enough to send Galia flying into the air.
SMACK!
Eldon turned around to find Galia stuck to the wall courtesy of the Velcro on her training suit. Her dark hair and the black suit blended into the wall rather well; in fact, it was only thanks to her bright pink hairbow that anyone could tell where she was. "Do you need help, G?"
"That would be nice."
Eldon wrapped his hands around Galia's waist and pulled, wincing at the loud ripping sound he heard before he remembered that it was just the Velcro. As Galia disconnected from the wall, their combined momentum sent them falling down to the ground in a tangled mess of limbs. Eldon tried to roll Galia off of him but found himself unable to shake her off. "Galia, I think we're stuck."
"Stuck? How'd that happen?"
"Velcro."
"Oh."
"Well, that was a good start," said Soldier Iphron, their trainer, emerging from behind the wall. "You have the mechanics down. And I do think that your launch angle was close to right. Let's try it again, except this time, we're gonna move everything about two meters forward. So Eldon, you'll hide behind this pillar here, and Galia, you'll start one pillar back as well. And then we'll go watch tapes and see if we can see anything wrong in your mechanics." He suddenly stopped and looked around, becoming conscious of the fact that he could not see either trainee. "Galia? Eldon?"
"Down here, Soldier Iphron!" Galia called.
He looked down. "What did you two do?"
"I helped her off the wall and we got stuck," Eldon explained, perfectly toeing the line between sheepish and matter of fact in his tone. "The Velcro suit."
"Oh, dear. Well, let's get you unstuck. Can I grab your waist, Galia?"
"Sure. Thank you for asking!"
Eldon watched Soldier Iphron wrap his arms around Galia's waist and pull. But rather than pull Galia off of Eldon, Soldier Iphron pulled Eldon to his feet, Galia suspended between them, her four-foot-nine frame nearly two feet off the ground. "Oh."
"Did she get stuck to you, too?" Eldon asked.
"Yeah. She did."
Galia looked around her. "So this is what it's like to be this tall! That's pretty cool."
"It's better when your feet can touch the ground," Eldon remarked, causing a smile to come to Galia's face. He liked it when she smiled.
"Soldier Iphron!" called a voice from the doorway. Eldon and Soldier Iphron shuffled around to find a woman standing in the doorway, her purple epaulettes indicating that she was coming right from General Sikka. "What is going on here?"
"Soldier Collins!" Eldon could hear just how red his trainer's face was. "We were using a Velcro suit to practice leaping onto walls so Private Vidal wouldn't hit the wall and fall down. But we failed to consider that, when helping Private Vidal down, the Velcro would get stuck to our clothes."
"Oh, for goodness' sake." The woman strode over to the trio and unzipped Galia's suit. "These things have a zipper for a reason."
Galia carefully removed her arms from the suit and jumped down, a thin layer of sweat dripping from her body. "Thank you! I was getting sweaty in there." She turned around and began to help Eldon peel the Velcro off of his uniform.
"Of course. Anyway," the woman continued, as if she hadn't just walked in on what, in any other circumstance, would have been an incredibly awkward situation. "General Sikka wants to talk to you. All three of you."
Immediately, Eldon felt his body tense up. It was highly unusual for those in the underage division of Special Operations to be called to General Sikka; usually, if they were being given official assignments, they would hear from the divisional commander, Commander Stark. If they were called for a conversation with General Sikka, it meant one of two meant one of two things: either the kids were being discharged, or they were being put on a higher-level assignment, one that was normally reserved for adults. And neither of those options seemed particularly attractive to Eldon. Eldon wasn't sure if he was ready to be put on any assignment, much less one that came from General Sikka; the responsibility of such an important task as an adult-level Special Ops assignment was immense, and he knew it would consume him as soon as he received it. But if they were being discharged, it meant that Eldon would have to go home and face the mess that was his family – the mess that he himself had created. And he really didn't know how to even begin fixing that mistake.
"Eldon?" Galia asked, tearing the last little bit of Velcro off of his uniform. "You OK?'
"I'm alright," Eldon replied, bringing himself back to reality. "I'm alright."
"I'm scared too, if that helps." Galia looked up at Eldon, her bright blue eyes filled with worry. Eldon hadn't seen his partner and best friend like this since the first day they met, two scared children with nobody to trust but each other, separated from everything and everyone they'd ever known. "But whatever this is, it's going to be OK. I'm sure of it."
"Are you really sure?"
"I mean, I can't ever be really sure," Galia admitted, attempting to maintain her normal chipper, chattery tone. "But everything will work out the way it was supposed to, right?"
"That's what you always say."
"Well, the more I say it, the more I believe it. Now, let's go." Galia reached her hand up and grabbed Eldon's, holding it tightly as the two left the room. "And if things go bad, at least we'll be together."
Eldon let Galia lead him out of the room, taking care to match her smaller strides as the two walked through the narrow hallways of Thirteen. There was something unique about the girl in front of him; in this dark, underground district, there was nobody who lit up the room like Galia. When the future seemed unclear, there was something about her being by his side that made him feel like everything would be ok.
He could only hope that nothing would change that. At least not for a long while.
Emory Walcott, 18, District Eight
Representing Kerry Walcott, Victor of the Third Games
The first Outer District Victor, Kerry Walcott won her Games thanks to her ability to hide from the other tributes, stabbing her final opponent in the back. When she returned home, she found solace in the alleyways, their crowded darkness granting her more comfort than her opulent mansion could ever provide. And in that darkness, she learned of a new strength, one that has sustained her family ever since…
Usually, when Emory Walcott received a mission, it was under the cover of darkness, in some alleyway where the Peacekeepers would (hopefully) never think to look. He would stand around the corner from his contact, who would either whisper a name in his ear or slip him an envelope with his target. When that wasn't an option, he'd be pulled aside at family gatherings or at large, crowded protests, a sharply muttered name or even just a note slipped into his hand enough to give Emory direction.
Suffice it to say, he'd never been given a mission in a brightly lit house in the middle of the district, and he'd certainly not been given one at Commander Ayers' house.
He'd never even seen Commander Ayers' house before.
Even more unusually, Emory had never received a mission while another mission was still in progress. Normally, he would finish with one target, be relieved, and then have a short break before taking on his new target. But unless he'd totally missed a memo, Emory was still technically shadowing Peacekeeper Lee. And he wasn't particularly interested in that mission being over. Sometimes, he found it tiresome to shadow his targets, whether because he didn't like them as people or because he didn't like the people they hung out with. Other times, work felt dull and tedious, as he trailed people through their everyday errands day in and day out. But his current target was different. Emory couldn't remember ever being so enthralled with the person he was assigned to trail. And he wasn't quite sure what he'd do when his mission ended.
Hopefully, today was not that day.
As Emory approached the house, he heard voices coming through a crack in the window. Odd that they're leaving the window open, he thought. Perhaps I'll listen in. Emory crouched down next to the window and tuned into the conversation happening inside.
"…you sure that this is going to work?" came the sound of his mother's voice.
"Why wouldn't it? It's not like we're going in to this with the intention to do anything necessarily."
"That's a sentence you've never said."
"I know. But If Neelee and Rose stick to their word I see no reason to do anything wild locally. And if we can trust Garnet, the kids we're picking won't have to do anything either. We'll prep them, of course, so they'll be able to act if they need to. But for the first time, I'm kind of hoping they won't have to."
"You're a changed man, Commander."
"This last year has not been easy on me, Walcott."
Recognizing that he was about to overhear a conversation he probably should not be listening in on, Emory slipped over to the door and knocked loudly. "State your business!" called a voice from inside.
"Unclear," Emory responded.
"Name?"
"Emory Walcott."
The door opened just enough for Emory to slide into the house. As it slammed shut behind him, the woman who had opened the door motioned to a sitting room, in which Emory's mother was already sitting, alongside Jensen Ayres, commander of the rebels. Emory had heard of Ayres – everyone involved with Eight's rebels had at one point or another – but he'd never met the man in person. "Commander," Emory said, bowing his head respectfully.
"Emory Walcott. Come sit. I have heard so much about you."
"Really?" Emory could hardly believe it. Nobody ever seemed to know of anything that he did; it had always felt to Emory that all of the meticulous planning before his missions, the ingenuity and flexibility he employed as he carried them out all went unseen. But if the commander had heard of him, and heard so much about you, perhaps there was more happening behind the scenes than Emory had originally thought.
No, that wasn't likely. Why would anyone be thinking of Emory? What had he ever done to deserve someone else's thought?
"I'm just going to grab my daughter and we'll get started."
"No need, Daddy."
Emory barely kept himself from jumping as he turned to see the girl who magically appeared in the doorway. While she didn't seem particularly short – though at his height, everyone was short to Emory – something about how she carried herself made her feel far taller than she was, commanding the attention of everyone in the room without even stepping through the doorway. The girl truly was her father's daughter.
"Look at you, being all on time! Come in, take a seat. Emory, this is Safiya. The two of you are going to be working together in a few weeks."
"Pleasure to meet you," Safiya said, reaching her hand out to Emory.
"The pleasure is mine." Emory couldn't help but notice just how firm her handshake was. He had known Safiya for maybe three minutes, but Emory already knew that the girl was not one to mess with.
"So, let me explain to you two what's going on," Commander Ayres began. "As you both know, the Third Events are coming up in a few weeks. This is the first time that kids who were on Statutes are eligible in Eight, but the Victors are still the ones who are making the final decisions on who to represent our district. Consequently, they are a little bit anxious that we might try to, in their words, 'pull something' in the Events, and so have been hesitant to break from their plan of choosing nine kids about whom they don't feel they have to worry.
"We have been in contact with Neelee Hem and Rose Web on this matter, and after some intense back and forth, we came to a compromise. Under the condition that we not 'pull anything,' they've allotted us four of Eight's nine slots to choose whomever we want to enter the Events. Now, we have no intention of 'pulling anything' if we don't need to, but with a new administration in play, we can't come in and assume everything is going to go perfectly well, as we're still dealing with the Capitol in all its absurdity. And that's where you two come in.
"Emory, your job in the Events is reconnaissance. Stay under the radar, try to get a leg up on everyone to see if anything fishy is happening. This is what you do a great job of normally, so just keep at it. Safiya, you're the spearhead. If it becomes apparent that we need to 'pull something,' you're the one to plan and execute, with Emory as your right-hand man. Our other two representatives are there to support you guys, but their main job is just to be regular competitors.
"Unfortunately, as we know nothing about the structure of the Events, we can't prepare you more than this for your mission. But we are confident in your ability to succeed and keep the other children safe from the Capitol's machinations." The commander paused and leaned back. "Do you have any questions?"
"What happens to my current mission?" asked Emory.
"We'll relieve you of your duties and you'll be replaced by someone else," his mother answered.
Emory had mixed feelings. He definitely did not want to end his current mission. But he would never dream of rejecting a mission. If entering the Events was what he was being asked to do, then that's what he would do.
It was his duty, after all.
And with that, we officially begin Let Him Feel No Pain! I have quite a bit to get through in this A/N so do bear with me through all of this stuff.
First, a small, sappy note (that you might have seen on another chapter dropping today oops). today's chapter is very special for me, as today marks my tenth anniversary here on fanfiction dot net! It's kind of hard to believe that I've been writing for that long. While it hasn't always been consistent, writing has been such a constant in my life that I couldn't imagine living without it. Baby!Goldie would never have dreamed that she'd be able to write and finish three stories, in a whole universe at that, with a whole bunch more on the way. And how could I have known when I started in 2011 how important people from this site would be to me? I couldn't have dreamed of Discord back then, nor really Skype even; that was back when the only instant messaging app was AIM, really. In the years since I've started, I've made friends, lost friends, and made ones who are even better. I couldn't possibly thank all of you whom I've met and gotten close to over the last year plus, but just know that I care deeply about each of you and I am so thrilled to have you in my life. I don't know how much longer I'll be writing, but I won't be stopping any time soon, that's for sure. So here's to the next… three years? Five years? Decade? Who knows?
Now that we have the sappy stuff done, some probably less fun housekeeping things that come along with opening a story, so just bear with me here.
First of all, thank you all so much for your submissions! This is looking like an awesome cast of kiddos, and I'm so excited to be able to bring them to life! These POV kids come courtesy of remus98 (Emory) and a collaboration between me and District-11Olive (Eldon); both non-POV kids (Galia and Safiya) are mine. I hope I did these two justice, and I can't wait to write more of them!
As you might have been able to guess already, I'm going to be introducing the POV kids in order of the Victor they represent. Thus far, I've been able to pair up all the non-POV kids I've received with a POV kid, but that may become less possible as time goes on. My goal for the intros is for paired kids to have roughly the same length, but we'll see how well that works. The target I'm working with overall is 1k words as a floor, and we'll see if I have to put a cap on it. But I also just want to let the words flow as they fit, so a shorter intro might work for some kids! It all depends on how things go over time.
Just like in IDIDE2, I'm not going to be revealing a full tribute list until intros are done. I like these slow reveals because it's more fun and suspenseful, and because it gives me some flexibility with the kids as we go (more on that in a sec). You'll see the list grow on my profile as the kids are introed, and the blog posts will simultaneously go up in the blog thread on Discord! If you have any ideas for a blog quote for your kids, please put them on their forms, both for POV and non-POV kids. Also, if you're not on the Discord server and would like to be, please don't hesitate to ask me for a link! We love new friends!
Finally, if you know of anyone who is interested in having a kid in the story that hasn't gotten to have one yet, please shoot me a dm! I have a small hole that I would be interested in filling with a POV kid, and I'm definitely willing to accept more non-POV kids if people are interested in sending them to me. Hit me up via PMs here or on Discord! I'm not going to put a deadline on non-POV kids just yet, because it will depend on how quickly I finish intros, so watch this space and information on my profile and Discord.
I have so many exciting things planned for this story, and I can't wait to bring them to life! I'll catch you soon with the next pair of intros! Any guesses on the Victors we'll be representing? (You can just guess a number that works very well.)
xoxo, xxxi