Chapter 11: Mags Flanagan
A/N: Managed to sneak in an update, so here's Mags! Pls review and give some new ideas!
Katniss bit her lip. "I wish we'd gotten to know her better."
Peeta nodded. "Yeah, such a shame. She was a wonderful person. No wonder Finnick likes her a lot."
They didn't want to linger too long, though. That would be too painful.
Mags Flanagan
District 4
Aged 16
2 Kills
Marina was sick and tired of watching her tributes die in the arena. So when Mags, a nonchalant but brave girl was reaped, she told herself she was the one who would finally come home. The boy, Lucas, was a terrified, twelve-year-old boy with asthma and hearing problems. He wasn't making it out alive, but she wanted to try anyway. She was desperate for a victor. "Just one person, please?" she prayed as Mags and Lucas went into the Justice Building.
There was a problem. Or rather, a pair of problems. Orpheus and Persephone, the twins from District Two. Two very large, very muscular, and very frightening problems. Lucas wailed when he saw them, but Mags merely snorted. Marina raised an eyebrow. "Oh, them? They're pretty meh," she commented, popping a grape into her mouth.
Marina sighed. "Well, Mags, you can't rule them out just like that. That's dangerous."
Mags grinned. "Oh, don't worry about me. I've got some tricks up my sleeves! They'll be practically harmless once I'm through with them!" Marina hoped she was being truthful.
Training didn't do much to cheer Marina up. Lucas was targeted by the pair from Two, now joined by another set of twins from One, Rockefeller and Rose Carmichael. He ran straight back to the fourth floor, clutching onto Marina, begging for her to take him home. Of course, Marina couldn't. "Hush, now. Just ignore them," she cooed. "You'll be home in no time." It was obviously a lie, but she had to make him feel better somehow. Mags, on the other hand, was no pushover. When the Careers approached her, she blew a rude raspberry right at them. Rose snarled and yelled at her to learn some manners, but Mags just playfully splashed a bottle of water into her face. Rose screamed with rage, and it took the other three Careers half an hour to calm her down. Marina chuckled, then sighed sadly. Mags' stunt would surely not go well with the Careers in the arena.
The private sessions seemed to go well for Mags. Marina noted just how cheerful she looked when she returned. Mags was practically bouncing on her feet. "What did you do?" she asked her.
Mags grinned broadly. "Gave them a good slap in the ass!" Marina gaped at her in shock, but before she could press further, their escort, Kermit, appeared at the door, which sent Mags bolting to her room.
Kermit frowned. "Was it something I said?"
"She doesn't like your, uh, frog-like appearance," Marina told him in the most serene tone she could muster.
Kermit glared at her. "Well, look who's talking. That girl doesn't have any fashion sense! I doubt even our glorious President himself could fix her up!"
The Gamemakers must've enjoyed a slap in the ass. Lucas got a three, which sent him into yet another crying outburst. Marina gave him a warm hug. He deserved some encouragement for once. Mags, on the other hand, kept her eyes glued on the screen as a large '8' appeared. Marina's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "An eight?" she murmured.
Mags laughed and clapped her hands. "Might as well crown me victor now."
I wanted to point out the Ones and Twos got better scores, but decided against going there. But still, an eight's a good Career score, enough to grant her sponsors. All she had to do was play her interview nicely.
The interviews were a disaster. Mags dodged many of Bartomeus's interview questions, and made her own side jokes here and there. It drew a few chuckles from the audience, but most had stony faces. Marina buried her head in her hands. Her only chance of a victor this year, gone. Ringo sat next to her. "Don't fret. Mags will come out in tip-top shape, don't you worry!"
Marina stared up at him. "How can you be so sure?"
Ringo grinned. "I've met her before, remember? She'll saddle up and give those Careers a good slap in the ass, mark my words!"
Marina watched as Mags ascended into the meadow, surrounded by huge swaths of swampy marshland. The Cornucopia gleamed in the middle. Marina's teeth were chattering. Her hands were trembling. She was scared out of her wits. For both her tributes. Draco, on the other hand, was loving it. "Haha, yes! More blood! More glory for the Capitol! Brilliant! President Ravenstill's a genius for coming up with such a fantastic addition to Panem's glorious plans!" She wondered if Draco was actually just a Capitol-made robot, not even remotely human. He was patriotic even by Capitol standards. It was nauseating. Sapphire sat crying in her chair, shaken after a rough session. Onyx was by her side, his eyes stormy from his own experiences. Reyna was rocking back and forth, reciting nursery lines, while Ragnar brushed her hair, occasionally kissing her to calm her down. Draco stared loathingly at them. "Call yourself Careers, eh?" he mocked at the four 'Careers'. "I've never seen a more pathetic bunch in my life!"
Marina knew she had to stand up for them. "Well, I've never seen a more pathetic insect in my life!" she almost screamed. Draco whirled around, gnashing his teeth and snarling at her like a deranged mutt.
"What did you say?" His voice was deathly quiet, but I repeated my insult. He hurled insult after insult at me, until Ragnar pushed him to the ground.
"It's nine against one," he warned. Axel, Hassan, Ringo and Shocker stood behind him, arms crossed, glaring at the newbie victor.
Draco huffed, but didn't dare object. I smirked, and put my focus back on the Bloodbath. Lucas was already dead, slashed by Rose ten seconds in. I sighed, choking back a sob. But Mags was still alive. She's grabbed some fishhooks, knives, a loom, iodine, and some yarn, an odd choice of supplies, but she's a smart girl. I trusted her completely. She dashed straight into the swamps, away from the raging Bloodbath. Nine tributes in total were dead, and the four Careers prowled the Cornucopia for supplies. "Orpheus," Persephone called out. She motioned for him to follow, and they whispered quietly with each other. Meanwhile, Rose gave Rockefeller a nod, and they approached slowly, swords raised. I gasped right before I saw what happened. They were backstabbing Two. Orpheus and Persephone's headless bodies slumped to the ground, as the twins from One whooped and danced in triumph. I ran for the bathroom to vomit. It was too much. As I ran, I could hear Draco screaming in rage in the Mentoring Room, and the sound of furniture being broken.
Mags spent all her time weaving baskets. She was perched atop a tree, humming quietly as she weaved. She was an expert at this. They were woven so tightly, not even water could seep through. After weaving one basket, she went fishing. She didn't need sponsors, I could tell. She chowed down some fish she caught as she waited for the Games to pass her by. Two other tributes had died of starvation and two more died after eating poisoned insects, but Mags would not join that list. I smiled. Maybe, just maybe, I'd found my victor.
My smile faded when the Gamemakers announced they were releasing crocodile mutts. Mags had been making a few traps around her location, so I wasn't too worried, but still, there could be trouble lurking below the waters. Four tributes were killed by the mutts and Rockefeller was so badly injured, Rose had to put him out of his misery. She looked miserable, and raged for blood. I gritted my teeth. Rose already had a vendetta against Mags. Things didn't look good as Rose snarled, muttering something about wanting to tear Mags limb from limb as she trudged across the marshes.
The first person to wander near Mags was the boy from Nine. He clutched his sword nervously as he surveyed the area, grunting and panting as he went. "Come on, where are you…" he murmured, his teeth chattering. The Gamemakers had decreased the temperature of the arena. Mags managed to weave a scarf, but I sponsored her a jacker anyway. Better safe than sorry. The boy, Sorghum, tripped over a line of yarn stretched across some reeds, and fell face first into the marshes. Mags swooped down from her tree, and with her basket, whacked him to death. I winced. It was brutal, but necessary. It wasn't as if I hadn't killed three tributes myself. And considering the fact that the tiny boy from Three had died of hypothermia, my kill count would definitely beat Mags'. Still, this was wrong. Children killing children, just plain wrong. As a heavy gust of wind blew Mags and Rose closer to each other, I hastily sponsored her a sword. She had to get in there with a weapon.
Mags watched as the sword dropped in front of her. She grinned, but to my surprise, shook her head. "Thanks, Marina, but I won't need it," she declared, ignoring the sword and swinging the basket back and forth. It was spiked with fishhooks, but was nothing against Rose's arsenal of weapons. I gaped at her, my mouth trying to form words, but opening and closing like a fish. My victor was dead.
Hassan put an arm on my shoulder. "There's always next year, Marina," he sighed. But there was no next year. This had to be it! I was sick and tired of watching kids die! Mags had to be the one! I held my head in my hands, hoping for a miracle.
My miracle came soon enough. Mags found Rose first. She was shivering. She'd lived a life of comfort, never wading in cold water before. But we, the fishermen and sailors of Four, this was home turf. Mags was in the pink of health while Rose was on the verge of hypothermia, and was bleeding from her injuries while fighting the mutts and the Bloodbath tributes. Rose had her back turned, allowing Mags to jump in and whack her in the head with her hooked basket. She was dead in an instant. It took me two full hours of staring blankly at the screen to process just what had happened. I. Had. A. Victor. Finally, someone was coming home!
The interview with Bartomeus was similar to her previous one, but this time I could laugh at her witty responses. I chuckled as she cracked a few puns about District One, which neither Sapphire nor Onyx seemed particularly bothered about. But when she started about District Two, I could see Draco's fists clenched with rage as she rambled on about how despite training their tributes, Two had less female victors than Four, a fishing district. It didn't stick well, and was the main reason why Four lacked any victors for nearly twenty years, until some siblings reignited Four's flame, but unknowingly pushed us into the Career alliance. But that's another story. In the meantime, I was happy to kick back and relax with Mags as we talked about the latest gossip, the other victors, and of course, a potential rebellion.
Katniss had to wipe away a tear as she gazed at Mags. "A victor 'till the end."
Peeta smiled ruefully. "She was very brave indeed. Four were lucky to have her."
They had a moment of silence for their fellow victor, then moved on. Peeta flipped the page, revealing a dark-skinned girl with cunning eyes, smiling at the camera as she held an apple. "Orchid Bloom. District 11's first victor."
VICTORS
District 1-Sapphire Huntington(4), Onyx Hibonite(9)
District 2-Ragnar Sveinsson(5), Reyna Boudicca(6), Draco Hadley(10)
District 4-Marina Bluebell(1), Mags Flanagan(11)
District 5-Shocker Crimson(8)
District 7-Hassan Greenwood(2)
District 10-Ringo Alvarez(7)
District 12-Axel Millar(3)
A/N: So, as I said, I may not update for a while, but I'll definitely try to sneak in an update here and there! Pls review and tell me what you think! Stay tuned for Orchid! Cheers :)