Trigger Warning: Torture, some mentions of suicide and a heck of a lot of trauma.
Obsidian Gaillet, District 1
"In your eyes
Black diamonds
I could die."
Big Thief, Black Diamonds
I think I've made a mistake.
I was the star of the academy. They sold me the Hunger Games dream. They told me that I could outrun death. They told me that I could outfight him too. They told me I could have it all - money, power, fame - and I believed them.
I believed that I was invulnerable.
I was wrong on all counts.
I can't run because my legs are tied together. I can't fight because my hands are bound behind my back. Death is staring me down with dark, vacant eyes and I can't even move.
And she's female.
I'm pretty sure she's the District 9 girl. Her name's Baba Yaga or something like that. I can't be expected to remember all the outliers' names at the best of times. Let alone now. My head is still pounding from the drugs she'd slipped into our food.
It says a lot about an outlier when they kill slowly. Most of them are so desperate to get the games over and done with. Baba Yaga could've poisoned us and I wouldn't have minded. Partly because it's the quickest, most merciful way she could've killed us, the big, scary Careers.
Partly because I'd be too dead to mind.
But, instead I'd woken up slumped against a wall to the sound of Filigree's muffled screams as Baba Yaga cut her apart. It can't have been more than a few hours ago but it feels like forever. As I'd overcome my drowsiness, I'd realised that the five of us were being held prisoner by a serial killer. I don't know where, though. The arena's a giant abandoned prison, with so many places to hide.
Now Monomachus and I are the only ones left. It's been agonising, watching all my allies be slowly tortured to death by a silent, serious girl. I know I can't resign myself to death but all I can do as Baba Yaga turns her knife on Monomachus is scream for help. Even then, there's a strip of tape sealing my mouth shut.
I don't know if Mist can even hear me. I don't know if she's even still alive.
I don't know if she thinks I'm worth saving.
My only hope of survival is Mistral Float, the girl from District 4. Her voice rings in my ears.
"I'm worried about Bagelle from District 9. Why would a girl volunteer in a prison uniform if she's not dangerous?"
I remember other things as well. The first night in the arena, when Mist and I had talked and my heart had started beating faster because I'd thought she'd kiss me. A week later, after a large number of outliers had mysteriously died, waking up to find the Mist had vanished and a cold emptiness had settled in my bones.
I hope she's okay. I hope she wins if I die. She's pretty and smart and dangerous and all the things a victor should be.
But I'm alive and I don't want to die. I can't die. Not now.
After trying to drown out what feels like a lifetime of screams from Monomachus, silence fills Baba Yaga's - or Bagelle, as I remember Mist calling her - lair. My ally won't last much longer.
I'll be next.
Please, Mist, I silently beg. Please save me. I should have told you that you were smart and beautiful while I could still speak. Please, I know you can hear me. Don't let me die."
I can't tell how long I'm sitting there, terrified out of my mind, as Monomachus slowly dies. The seconds seem to stretch out.
The cannon fires.
It's my turn.
Bagelle turns away from my ally's corpse and turns her attention to me. Her cold, blood-slick hand grasps my chin, forcing my head back. I can see a strange look in her black eyes. Wonder. Fascination. Longing.
She thinks I'm pretty.
That's why she saved me until last.
I let out a small, hysterical sob as Bagelle traces her knife gently along my throat. I know that my death will be twice as long and tortuous as my allies'.
I don't want to die. I don't want to die. Please don't let me die.
Then, suddenly, Bagelle cries out and pitches sideways. I blink back tears to see a spear sticking out of her side. A cannon fires.
"Obsidian?" A voice calls. A girl's voice.
Mist!
"Mmph!" I cry.
Suddenly, Mist is right beside me, peeling the tape away from my mouth. I've never been so relieved in my life.
"Are you okay?" She asks, gently. "Did she hurt you?"
I shake my head. "I-I was so scared. I couldn't... I couldn't..."
"It's okay," Mist starts cutting the ropes around my wrists. The moment my arms are free, she lets me cling to her. "She's dead. She can't hurt you anymore."
"Thank you!" I cry. "I love you, Mist. I always loved you. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
"I'm the one who should be sorry," Mist looks up from where she's cutting my legs free. "I'm dying, Obsidian."
"No," I sob. "Please don't die. You can't die! I love you."
I take Mist's face in my hands and press my lips to hers. For one blissful moment, everything is perfect. I'm kissing my soulmate and her lips taste of sea salt and I'm warm and safe and happy.
Then everything... over-saturates. My mouth fills with blood. All the heat is leaking out of Mist and into a puddle on my chest. A cannon fires. But it's not hers. It can't be hers.
Right?
I pull away. Mist's head lolls back. There's a trickle of blood in the corner of her mouth.
"Mist?" I ask. No reply.
"Mist!" I shake her by the shoulders, as gently as I can. Nothing happens.
Bagelle's knife is sticking out of her chest.
How did that happen? I wonder. Nobody else is here. It's just me and Mist. I know that I didn't kill her.
So Mist must've killed herself.
I howl in grief and anguish, wondering why someone so wonderful would kill herself. Then I remember. We're in the Hunger Games. Only one can live.
I'm going to be the one. Mist killed herself so I could be the one.
I'm going to live!
I bow my head to Mist out of respect. I loved her more than anyone else in the world but I can't mourn her until I've honoured her sacrifice. I need to kill everyone.
I need to be the last person left.
So I kill and kill and kill and kill...
Obsidian is an extremely unreliable narrator. By the end of the chapter, he's starting to lose his grip on reality. The likelihood is that he killed Mist but his mind just couldn't process it. Unlike Palomino, the Capitol are likely to put a lot of effort into protecting Obsidian's mental health. It's mainly because Palomino's only a danger to himself while Obsidian could potentially hurt others as well. They're selfish enough to only care about a victor if they could be dangerous. Because of this, Obsidian is one of the three victors who are excused from mentoring due to mental health reasons. The other two are Mars and Annie.
This is also the last super dark chapter for a while. Haymitch is coming up in four chapters and, while it won't just be fun and games, it'll hopefully be a little less extreme. The next three victors between now and Haymitch will all be from Catching Fire. See if you can guess who they'll be.
