Free Day
Elijah Axenfros 17, District 7
So, the free day came along. The day they give us to wait for our impending deaths, I guess and tomorrow we are told to hang around in our apartments while they make final preparations. I don't have much chance, I realize that. Especially against those careers. However, if I'm able to keep Conrad alive for long enough to act as my meat shield, I might have a better chance. He was a bit underwhelming with his score but word is he gave the game makers attitude which explains it, I advised him to keep a cool head but ah well. Keeping that guy under control is never easy. I'll last longer than Beckett, I know that. I wish Conrad would just see that he's nothing more than a nuisance. When it comes down to it, I'm not going to be protecting him.
At the start of the day, they fitted us all with these collars and then a virtual map around our wrists. They said if we left the designated areas, the collars would taser us which wouldn't be pleasant. There will also be Peacekeepers watching us at every turn they told us. So, I'm not even going to try to escape it will be a waste of energy. Though, we were given some tokens by the capitol to spend on things throughout the day. I guess they're taking the carrot and the stick type mentality, but no amount of luxury will make us understand why they're doing this to us.
Conrad and Beckett are waiting for me just outside where we're being held on the busy, bustling Capitol street. Conrad is humming against the building, bouncing a little ball up and down. I think he might be the most in his element here of the three of us. While Beckett is just standing with his hands in his pockets, tracing his foot awkwardly on the pavement. When he takes notice of me, he gives me a smile and I return one as best I can.
"Hey, Elijah!" He chirps.
"Hey," I greet back in an upbeat tone.
I glance around at the two of them.
"So… what do we do now?" I ask.
Conrad takes one last bounce of his ball and catches it gracefully in his hand.
"Ya know, back home, me and my buddies came up with this saying – yolo," he explains.
"Yolo? What does that mean?" I ask.
He chuckles playfully to the both of us.
"You only live once… and we may all be strangers but since this is our free day, we might as well try to make it the best day of our lives. What'd you say?"
"Yes!" Beckett exclaims, jumping up and down in excitement.
Conrad scans around the street until I see his eyes seem to focus on a candy store right on the bottom corner.
"Hey, you guys like Capitol candy?" He asks.
"Sure do," says Beckett.
"Haven't tried it yet," I shrug.
"Come on! I'll race you there!" Conrad smiles.
With that, the tall boy takes off enthusiastically with Beckett charging after him through the lively street. I desperately try to keep up with their energy, dodging my way through the crowds of people. They are giving me funny looks as I race past them, with our faces plastered on billboards everywhere we are basically like celebrities at this point so we can't help but get some funny looks.
I notice Conrad slow down intentionally a little before they reach the store, allowing Beckett to overtake him. Beckett throws his arms up in victory!
"Yay I won!"
"Hey guys wait up," I say, panting my way to join them.
"No one beats the racer in a race… well I guess these candies are on me," Conrad laughs, patting Beckett on the shoulder who is still deep in celebration.
"Wait… you're a racer?" I question, perplexed but he has already disappeared into the store to buy the candy.
"Wow… this dude never slows down, does he?" I say to Beckett.
Conrad returns a few minutes later with some large lollipops. Beckett immediately begins gorging himself on it. I am hesitant at first, but I have to admit, it is pretty good.
"So fantastically tasty!" Beckett exclaims.
Conrad finishes licking his fingers and begins glancing around the area again before I am even finished.
"So, what do you wanna do now?" he asks, his question comes before I can even think about anything… I guess that's what he's trying to do, distract us from thinking about the awful fate that awaits us. I do appreciate him for that, but I would like to think about some strategies.
"Race you to that lamppost!" Beckett points, excitedly.
"Actually… why don't we go sit down somewhere? Catch our breath?" I suggest.
Conrad's eyes observe me, I think noticing that I'm not quite on the wavelength of these two balls of energy.
"Sure thing," he turns to a café directly opposite where we're standing.
"How about we go get a drink?" he suggests.
We agree and cross the street towards the café, pushing open the glass door to reveal a room full of people. Their eyes all divert to us. Like we are three aliens that have just walked in. Doing our best to ignore the stares, we sit ourselves down by the window. Quickly, awkward silence ensues.
Beckett is sitting opposite me, rapidly scanning his way down the menu while Conrad is perched next to him, staring out the window onto the street. What did he mean earlier when he said he was a racer?
"Why don't we order some hot chocolate… I love hot chocolate," Beckett suddenly suggests, glancing up from the menu.
Me and Conrad turn to him at the same time.
"Hot chocolate… what's that?"
"Oh, you don't know what that is? Alright, we're definitely having it," he insists.
"Okay," Conrad laughs.
After we've ordered our hot chocolate, I sit back down with the others, clasping the searing cup in my hands. As me and Conrad take our first sips, I notice Beckett's eyes darting between us like an excited puppy. Eager to see what we think.
"Wow that tastes like…."
"Hot…chocolate?" Conrad finishes my sentence for me.
The three of us fall into a chuckle together again. As I stare into the eyes of these two boys, laughing, I'm reminded that I can't allow myself to get too friendly with them. If we were in any other circumstance, I think I would happily call them friends. Even so, if I'm going to be relying on them to survive, at least at the beginning, I do want to know a bit about them. After taking a sip from my drink I place it down again on the table slowly.
"So… you guys missing your family back home?" I ask.
Their eyes shoot up in surprise and then at each other. The question seems to take them off guard. I suppose it brings them back to the reality we're in, but we have to face up to it in my opinion.
"I miss all of them," Beckett mutters, his eyes now moving downwards to the table.
"But especially my grandad. He's the best," he continues, looking up again. Maybe the very thought of his grandad gives him hope.
"And you?"
"My dad's an asshole but I do miss my mum," I admit.
"I used to think of her as a nuisance because she was so overprotective but I guess you don't know what you have until you've lost it," I continue.
"Yeah…" Beckett mutters.
It is then that I think we both realize that Conrad's been silent through this whole conversation. So, Beckett turns his attention to him.
"Conrad?"
Conrad just shakes his head, solemnly. I can feel a new tension creep into the room.
"Oh my God… what happened?" Beckett asks.
Conrad raises his head again and shrugs casually.
"I don't know… I was young when they died," he answers.
"Conrad I'm… I'm so sorry," Beckett mutters, the excited kid I'd known for the rest of the day seems to have gone.
Conrad just shrugs again.
"Don't be. I never knew them so how I could miss them right?"
"Yeah… I suppose," Beckett murmurs softly.
Is it bad that this makes me feel slightly better? Knowing that I won't feel as bad about betraying him in the end. He's got no family to go back to and I have.
"That sucks buddy," is all I say.
"Eh… life goes on," he replies, returning to his upbeat voice.
That statement comes with a little bit of irony given the current predicament we're in.
Before our conversation can continue, we are suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a couple of capitol teenagers.
"Conrad Martell!" They exclaim, enthusiastically.
"Can we have your autograph… we loved your interview," one of them says.
"We're big fans," the other adds.
He blinks a couple of times, taken out of the trance that was our conversation.
"Oh… sure," he murmurs.
As he is leaning across to sign their piece of paper, I want to tell them to fuck off in reality. Don't they realize we are human beings as well and we're going into a death game? Also, it hasn't escaped me that they completely ignored me and Beckett.
"Thank you!" They say, taking back the pen and paper.
"We hope you win!" They shout as they disappear out of the café.
Conrad just looks at us awkwardly…
Serenity Jasper 16, District 9
I take a deep breath, soaking the chilly night air into my lungs. Taliesin or "Bloodtide" or whatever his name is now, is pacing just ahead of me on the luminous capitol street. His interview was shocking yes, he is unhinged there's no doubt about it but I'm taking a gamble just as I always have done in life. If I stay on his good side for long enough, he can eliminate most of the other tributes for me, and then when the time is right, and his guard is down, I will dispatch him. It's a gamble yes but realistically I don't see myself being able to take on all the careers head-on, let alone the rest of the tributes on top of that. This strategy might be doomed to fail but any game of poker I engage in is also. Yet, I always seem to have luck on my side. I feel my lips morph into a slight smirk to my thoughts. I don't want to kill anyone or hurt anyone but I'm starting to face up to the fact that I have to. So, I will need to have a strategy for it.
As my eyes move around the cold Capitol street, I catch the glimmer of white shining armor occasionally on every corner. We are being watched closely.
Loud, echoing music begins to slowly pick up ahead as we reach a busier area and along with it, multi-coloured lights, flashing into the dim, misty air.
Taliesin turns back to me, grinning a little with eyes of excitement. He got us some tickets into a casino and of course, I couldn't resist the offer.
"You ready for a little game?" He asks, now grinning profusely.
"I was born ready," I respond.
It's cliché yes but I'm enjoying keeping up this confident persona around Taliesin. Deep down I feel just as lost as anyone else, but he continuously brings out this side of me. This mischievous, daredevil who I wasn't entirely sure was there. I think he might know what he's doing but maybe he might not want to bring her out. He may be shocked at what he gets.
Eventually, we find ourselves in a queue of people, leading to the shining lit casino, flashing with amber lights. Inevitably, we receive many glances from the people around us. Most of their eyes quickly dart away when we catch him staring. We both hit it off fairly well in the interviews from what I'm told. It's hard to get used to the fact that I'm basically a celebrity now. It's nothing I ever wanted. I just want my simple life back in District 9, looking after my brother and occasionally gambling but alas. Taliesin seems to be enjoying all the attention he's getting on the other hand. He's soaking it up like a sponge. No matter how charming and confident he presents himself as, that shows me that he's insecure on some level deep down. Something I could exploit.
Just ahead I notice another pair of tributes in the line as well. It's the girl from 5 and the boy from 12. Heather and Charon. The ratchet pair. The boy always stands out by his long silver mane that he seems to pride himself on. They are both about to step up into the casino, but the large security guard holds his hand out to stop them in their tracks.
"Tickets please," he demands.
"Or there's no way you're getting in."
I notice the boy's head tilts to his ally and then back at the security guard.
"Yeah, I've got my ticket…" he answers, reaching into his coat.
"Right here," he pulls out his middle finger instead at the man.
"Get lost," the man sighs, pointing in the opposite direction.
The two of them disappear into the night, giggling.
"That was a good one," Heather laughs, resting her arm on Charon's shoulder as they stumble off.
Boy, they are insufferable yes, but amusing I have to admit.
Taliesin presents the guard with our tickets, and so as I enter the building my ears are swamped with the sound of loud music and my eyes dazzled with bright lights. The Dens back in district 9 has nothing on this place but nor does it need it. I'd take that any day over watching capitolites gorge themselves on all the artificial luxuries of this place.
As I scamper through the large crowds trying my best to go unnoticed however my eye is caught by a large game of poker being held by the most prestigious-looking capitolites. I stumble my way to the bar beside Taliesin who, is already busy filling himself with whisky. I lean on the bar with my right elbow as he takes a final sip from his shot glass, slamming it down. His now orange glowing eyes, reflected from lights in the casino and burning like the fires of hell, turn their attention back to me.
"You're not gonna have a drink?" He asks, quickly receiving another from the bar staff.
"I doubt they'll let me here, I'm not old enough… besides, I need to stay focused for the games," I answer.
He takes another sip, his eyes still gleaming somewhat menacingly.
I clear my throat. Here's my chance.
"Can I ask you something blunt?" I ponder over all the music.
He nods faintly, appearing a bit caught off guard.
"In your life have you ever really told the truth?"
He is about to take another sip but pauses. His lips pause and extend into a smirk before finally guzzling the whisky. He lets out an exaggerated exhale and slams in on the bar.
"What are you trying to do miss poker girl? Figure out when i'm lying," he laughs.
Wow, that was fast, he really is two steps ahead of everything.
"It's called at tell and too late… because I already did," I say, raising an eyebrow victoriously.
"You paused before taking that last sip. I wager you were trying to figure out whether to give me an honest answer if that's even possible for you."
"Very clever," he smiles.
"But fortunately, I've figured out yours as well."
What?! That's impossible! I don't have a tell.
"You pace your right leg when you're nervous… I bet that's your "tell"," he continues.
Most of the time when I'm playing poker, I'd be sitting at a table, thus my leg was hidden from my opponent. Of course! I think back to what my brother told me that one time.
"You're pacing your right leg… you only do that when you're nervous."
His little voice flashes into my head for a brief second before I am returned to the present moment, staring at this menace in front of me.
"Well, looks like we're even then," I say, tilting my head playfully.
"Looks that way," he grins.
There is a brief silence while he turns his attention back to order a drink. Then he leans on the bar with one elbow, closer to me this time.
"You know why I like you, Serenity? I think you're reckless and I think it will make you an asset," he says calmly, beginning another sip. In response I raise my eyebrows at him, I'm accepting the challenge.
"And you know why I like you? I think you're a bit of a vicious bastard, but I am enjoying your company at the moment, I don't know why" I retort.
He finishes his sip, cackling wildly at my bluntness, enjoying it. I'm not usually a mean person but he seems to be bringing the worst out of me. Maybe that's a good thing, I am going into a death game soon and maybe the worst of me is what's going to get me through it? He could be doing it on purpose? Trying to force the worst out of me?
He throws down his final glass and diverts his eyes around the room. Most of the other careers refrained from drinking and not just because like half of them are too young but it of course could hinder their performance in the games… but not Taliesin. He called me reckless but he is calling a kettle black it seems to me.
"You fancy a game?" He asks.
"You won't beat me at poker," I chuckle with a wink.
"Not poker."
"What then? How many coins in the jar? balloon pop?" I ask.
"No, no… whack the rat," he suggests.
"Alright then," I agree.
We head over to the whack the rat game where we are each given a wooden club. The objective is as follows, a stuffed rat is slipped through a tube with a single hole, we have to guess when to strike it.
I manage to hit the first few strikes but miss the third. He slips his bat into his hand and stumbles over to the game. However, before he can have his turn, he is approached by a young capitolite man with some cotton candy. The young man's eyes are flirtatiously drinking in the celebrity career in front of him. Taliesin takes note of his new company and the cotton candy in his hand.
"You've been lucky," Taliesin comments.
"Maybe I'll get luckier still," the capitolite responds, his eyes moving up and down Taliesin lustfully.
Taliesin laughs.
"You can hit me up after the games if you like," he answers, waving the capitolite away.
"So confident you'll win huh?" I remark.
After the game I find myself sitting outside alone on the dimly lit street. Taliesin disappeared some time ago, I'm not sure where.
I'm huddling under my jacket from the cool night breeze. The breeze brings a freshness to my mind. Free from the lights, from the noise, and from him…
Taliesin is very intense and sometimes it feels like he's invading my thoughts with his gaze just like the loud music invades my ears.
"Hey, it's Serenity, right?" A deeper voice from behind interrupts me from my thoughts.
I shift around. The tall district 11 boy is behind me. He holds his hands behind his back with a certain amount of pride and his head is held up high.
Even though I am exhausted from all the events of the last few days I give the young man a smile to be polite.
"Yeah… Harrison?" I recall his name just in time.
He nods with a smile and takes a seat beside me on the curb.
"I just thought you could use some company that isn't…" his eyes move back to the casino, scowling.
"Old Mr Bloodface back there," he continues, chuckling a little at Taliesin's over-the-top alias.
"Also, since we're with the careers maybe the two outliers should stick together?" He suggests.
I glance back down at the pavement, shrugging a little.
"I… I don't know if I can afford to trust anyone else," I answer bluntly.
"I mean you seem like a nice guy but given that we may be having to kill each other eventually can you blame me? Would you trust anyone?" my voice raises a little.
"From your experience are people worthy of trust? Are people bad or good?" I ask him, hammering my point home. I don't really know why I'm saying this to him, we barely know each other but it's something I've needed to get off my chest for a while and he's the only one here.
He simply shakes his head.
"No, they're just people… good people can do bad things and bad people can do good things. But to fulfil your goals… to survive sometimes you have to sacrifice your humanity," he answers.
Marissa Grey 17, District 4
I spot the way to the bathroom just to the right of the club building. My feet prance towards it however in my carelessness I accidentally barge into someone's shoulder. I twist around only for it to have been Tatiana. Her eyes are lit up with surprise under the lights however she appears apologetic.
"Marissa! Sorry about that," she laughs.
"No worries! Funny seeing you here," I comment.
She chuckles a little but seems to brush off the question.
"Well, see you around!"
The noise of the Capitol music begins to blur out behind me, as I march down the passageway towards the bathroom. Peacekeepers are positioned all along the corridor, adjacent to each other as to remind me where I am. I force my way into the bathroom. My hands clasp the cold bathroom sink, the mirror lies directly in front of me, so that my own blue eyes are now staring back at me. I'd been hanging around with Jade all day and I've had my fair share of her for today. I like her in small does sometimes. It's not that I enjoy some of the things I've said about Henry or anyone else. I'm just trying to mold into the group as best I can and right now Henry is the runt of the litter, sadly. I do feel a little bad but given that I may be having to kill him soon, I don't think I have to feel too awful about making fun of him. This is about survival, after all, there's no place for kindness.
Tatiana and Franz stuck together for the whole day as far as I know. Well, at least until a moment ago. Perhaps Franz was with her as well but this doesn't really seem like his kind of place if I'm being honest. It seems their relationship is somewhat improving which could be not so good for me. If they end up being the most functional pair, they could pose a serious threat to the rest of us. Then there's my District partner Taliesin, hanging out with Serenity, probably the biggest wildcards of these games. Henry and Harrison meanwhile seem to be left on the sidelines for now.
All of a sudden, my reflection blinks back at me, forcing me back to reality. I've probably been in this bathroom too long now, lost in my thoughts. People may have started wondering where I am. I was just enjoying the silence and my own company is all. The reflections of the water always brought me peace from my home life, from the constant berating by my parents and sister.
When I step back through the door into the corridor I am met with an eerie, chilly silence, gushing through the corridor towards me. The Peacekeepers on either side have mysteriously vanished. Why? They were supposed to be watching us at all times. I slowly pace my way forward towards the music, feeling slightly unnerved.
To my left, my eyes catch what looks like… white boots sticking out from a janitor's closet! Is that a Peacekeeper? Is he asleep or…
My gut is wrenched with sickening nerves, I pick up the pace now eager to just get back to where people are…
I am almost at the end of the corridor when a large man, dressed in a balaclava over his face emerges in front of me. I stop dead, stunned with shock. Then, he raises up a handgun to my face and mutters the words.
"The Storm is coming…"
Is this it? Does my journey end here before the games have even begun? No it can't be.
SLICE
A shuriken suddenly embeds into the side of his neck before he can pull the trigger! Blood spurts out everywhere! The tall man gargles a little under his mask before collapsing down to the floor to reveal Kate Wakai behind him! Her eyes lit up with fire, her hand still outstretched from throwing the shuriken.
"I told you not to stay out too late!" She exclaims.
All I can do is let out a gulp, still frozen in shock.
Suddenly enough assailant leaps out from the side, Kate quickly draws a sword to slice off their gun hand before they can fire! More blood! She then slices the assailant's neck before quickly releasing another shuriken at a third one to her right. They both fall to the floor almost as quickly as each other.
"Get behind me!" She orders.
Without a second's hesitation, I dart behind her while she readies herself for more attacks, sword in one hand and a shuriken in the other.
"What's going on?" I demand to know.
"Follow me," she says, completely ignoring my question.
Two more masked assailants jump out in front of us however two shurikens are thrown into them faster than I can blink and they both crash down to the club floor.
I follow her back through the club, pushing through the crowds of people while screams and gunfire begin erupting around the room above the music.
Another masked gunman pushes through the crowds, just as he spots me. A young silver-haired capitolite draws a dagger from his sleeve and stabs the assassin through the heart! This capitolite gives me a slight nod before disappearing into the crowd.
Then I turn to catch up with Kate just as she stops dead, staring into the exit corridor. So, I try to press again for more answers.
"Hello… information please?"
Still, she ignores me, all she does is grab my shoulders and turn me around as more gunmen start firing from the exit. We race now towards an emergency exit on the right.
"Hey!" I voice calls from on top of the stage.
We turn. There is a final assassin standing on the stage with a gun drawn at us! Kate intercepts me however before he can fire another taller man jumps out from his right and grabs his gun, landing a right cross into his face. The large man who I think is the District 6 mentor, turns to face us and sends Kate a quick nod.
Kate then grabs me and shoves me towards the emergency exit onto the street outside. Peacekeepers are now closing in around, assault rifles in hand, ready to storm the club for any remaining assassins.
I stop beside Kate on the street panting along with her.
"Kate…"
Her battle-tired eyes turn to me, she simply looks irritated if anything.
"… you saved me," I pant.
Her face remains emotionless. The District 6 mentor and the mysterious silver-haired capitolite then join us again on the street, patting Kate on the shoulder.
"Chiron, Grey… let's get her out of here," Kate pants.
"You ok?" Chiron asks her.
"Remind me to request a pay rise after this," she quips back, wiping the blood off her face.
"It's not safe here, we gotta go," Grey says.
After Kate hands over her bloodied sword to the Peacekeepers, we make off back towards the apartments. They are about to take us all into custody until they realise who we are. After apologizing, a few of the peacekeepers escort us back, keeping a tight perimeter around us.
I follow them closely now through the dark street, feeling little more than a child being protected by her parents. Peacekeepers are hasty to close in around us, escorting us along the way.
We arrive back late at our apartment but just before the stroke of midnight. Taliesin, Rico and our escort have already gone to bed it seems. Chiron disappeared back to District Six's apartment, but Grey stayed with us. Kate plonks me down on the sofa and then strides into the kitchen, wiping the remaining blood off her with a towel. She then presses her hands onto the kitchen worktop, silently inhaling through her teeth. Then she goes to the fridge and begins rummaging around. My attention turns back to Grey who sits down opposite me on one of the seats, his eyes are lit up almost playfully like he's enjoying the excitement of the night. I think he's the only one.
POP
Kate pops open a bottle of some kind of spirit and begins sipping on it with the bloodied towel still around her neck.
Grey turns to her.
"You've had a busy night," he smirks.
"Shush you," she points, still taking a sip.
"This was supposed to be my day off," she complains.
"I'm sorry… who's this?" I ask, turning back to the amused capitolite.
"He's a friend," Kate murmurs, from the kitchen area.
Grey shifts back to me enthusiastic.
"Marissa try to remember… did you see anyone you know at the club tonight?" He questions.
I just shrug, my lungs are still filled with panic.
"I don't know… I was too busy trying not to get killed," I respond.
Kate strolls back over to us from the kitchen, bottle still in hand.
"Grey we should wrap this up now… the investigators will be here soon and they'll have a lot of questions."
He nods in agreement.
Conrad Martell 18, District 6
The rain patters against the side of the window in the dark night as our last free day comes to an end. Filling this otherwise silent corridor with the gentle sounds that it produces. Beckett is sitting opposite, slumped on the floor against the window. His bright brown eyes are twitching nervously, darting around constantly and frantically twitching.
"A honeybee can fly at 32 kilometers an hour," I hear him mutter.
He's nervous… well of course he is! He should be terrified! He doesn't stand a chance against some of those people or most of them. I've got to say something, something to make him feel better. Think Conrad! But what is there to say? What can I say?
Suddenly Elijah comes stumbling in with a glass bottle of beer in his left hand looking exceedingly off his head.
"Hey Frosty," I call to him by his nickname.
"Where… where did you get that?"
He drunkenly shrugs.
"From my escort's fridge…"
He collapses down in between us and just about manages to steady himself. I don't really blame him under the circumstances, but I really wish he wouldn't drink around Beckett. Having a drunk guy as company is the last thing he needs right now.
"Beckett… would you like something from the vending machine?" I ask, to break the silence.
His head turns back to me with a nervous smile.
"Yes please!" He beams.
"Can it be something chocolaty?" He requests.
"Not a chance," I laugh, standing up.
I disappear behind the corner to where the vending machine is and slot in the last of the coins, they gave me for the free day. The sounds of the fizzy drinks and chips hitting the bottom are the only sounds heard in the corridor. After collecting them up and smiling thinking about the simple joy it will bring Beckett, I begin to hear raised voices as I return, well Elijah's.
"When are you going to grow up?" He growls at Beckett as I turn the corner.
"What's going on?" I demand.
Elijah switches his attention to me.
"Could you just tell him to shut up about bees?"
He turns back to Beckett who, has fright in his eyes and shock by Elijah's sudden change from a friendly demeanor to hostility. They say when people are drunk their ugly side comes out and that is what's happening to Elijah right now for sure.
"I mean… do you not understand what's happening? We're all going to die soon and you're going on about bees."
"Hey! Leave him alone!" I order.
His non-soba eyes move back to me.
"Everyone has their own way of dealing with things so just back off!" I continue.
"When are you going to quit pretending this world isn't a fucked up place huh?" He starts on me.
"Remind me again what happened to your parents? Oh, that's right, you don't even know."
"I'm about to kick your ass," I warn him sternly in response. I don't care that he's drunk, he's going too far with this rant.
He pauses and nods solemnly.
"Yeah… I'm the asshole," he says sarcastically, with some sadness in his eyes, instead of drunkenness for once in the conversation. Then he stumbles up and away into the darkness.
With a deep, frustrated sigh I sit down again opposite Beckett and start to sip on the drink I purchased.
"Don't worry Conrad… it didn't bother me… what he said," Beckett mutters to me, staring out the window again.
"He's not wrong though. Sometimes I feel like my whole life has been just one messed up thing followed by another," I ponder ironically, out loud to him.
"Good things happen too you know Conrad," he suddenly chirps, lifting the mood a little.
I turn my head back to him.
"Yeah, like what?"
"…like meeting me," he smiles warmly.
I can see in his eyes that he is sincere, and I have no answer to that. Only a crushing feeling in my heart. I'm not sure what off entirely. Happiness, sadness, anguish… at what he just said.
With a chuckle, I toss him a bag of chips and watch as he devours them in roughly 30 seconds. We then spend the rest of the evening just gazing out the window together at the rain until it's almost midnight. I know my presence is helping to comfort him so I stay here as long as I can.
At last, realizing that our team will be wondering where we are and that the free day is almost "up" I push myself back up and dust myself off. He does the same.
We are expected back in our apartments before midnight, otherwise, there will be trouble. Not that I care that much, I mean what more can they do to us?
Two more days. I feel an electric spike of anxiety shoot through me at the thought of the day that awaits. I thought the pre-games would go so much slower than this, but they haven't. I watch Beckett begin to waddle off into the corridor before coming to a halt and suddenly turning to race back to me! He wraps his arms around me and buries his head into my chest.
"I'm scared Conrad," he cries.
"Me too," I admit.
I kneel down to his level with my hands on his shoulders, staring him dead in his frightened eyes.
"Listen to me… I'll protect you in the arena ok? I'll find you. I promise!"
"I always keep my promises."
He nods solemnly and wipes a tear from his eye.
"Ok."
We say our goodbyes until we probably next see each other at the launch. As I wander through the dark corridor the conversation replays itself in my head. Why would I make a promise like that? That I'm not sure I can keep. What are you doing Conrad? You idiot. You don't know you can protect him.
The elevator is only a few meters away now, but a dark figure suddenly appears from the shadows and intercepts me. It's the boy from 4. Taliesin. What is he doing?
"The rain gives a certain ambiance to the night… don't you think?" He comments, his voice reminds sounds like that of a snake. Sly and sinister. His brown eyes are encircled by dark shadowy eyebags. He doesn't look entirely soba either…
Thinking it was obvious that I don't have time for this random conversation with the District 4 boy in the middle of the night. So, the only reply I give him is
"Excuse me," while going around him to the elevator.
"It's Conrad Martell, yes? I asked my mentor about you. A street orphan from District 6 who earned his fortunes from racing and now you're competing in the biggest event in the country… quite an incredible story huh?"
I turn back around to face him.
"Can I help you?"
His grin extends across his face.
"I've seen the way you handle things and I like your attitude… I'm going to give you this one-time offer to join me… to join us…"
I can tell something's up with him. I don't like him one bit.
"Sorry… I've already got an alliance," I tell him.
"You mean the kid?" He scoffs.
He moves closer towards me with his hands arrogantly behind his back causing more unease to flood through me.
"Think about this carefully. I don't have to be your enemy," he continues.
"I know my enemies when I see them thank you very much," I reply, wanting to cut this conversation off.
He freezes, surprised. Almost like he looks hurt that I've rejected his offer and seen through him… no he looks shocked. He twists his neck and readjusts his composure.
"You're not that smart, are you?" He jabs.
"Nobody rejects an offer from me… when I win the games, I'll make sure you're forgotten. It will be as though you never existed… I'll write you out of the history books," he growls, losing his composure, his lips quivering.
"That's fine by me Taliesin… because I can't read," I jab back sarcastically, with a smile on my face.
Of course, that's not entirely true, although I dropped out of school, I can read to a solid degree, but I just wanted to undermine his threat with a snarky comment to show him I'm not afraid of him. I've dealt with plenty of people like him back at home who just want to run their mouths. I think I see in his eyes that he begins to realize this and so he readjusts his composure to a calmer demeanor.
"It seems then that this incredible story has come to an end."
"After all, not everyone gets a happy ending," he smirks, cutting deep into me.
That was a warning, I know it, but I'd still rather be fighting those who I know are my enemies head-on than having them stab me in the back. I turn to the elevator and press the button to my floor…
Hey everyone long time no see lol. This is a Nautics exclusive chapter. Only 1 chapter left then the games have officially begun! This was the first time I've written one of these kinds of chapters and I highly enjoyed it hope u do too!