Chapter Eleven.
Tribute House, Part Two.
Syrella Tyriage, 18 years old;
Sector Two Female.
Unlike normal years, lunch was a free-for-all, and the three girls had decided against having anything.
Syrella didn't mind that. The last thing she wanted was to put on any weight, and besides learning how to cope with little food would do her some good come the Arena. If there was one thing the tributes from Two usually failed in, it was when surviving in the rough and tumble became deadlier than a sword fight or arrows raining down from the sky.
She refused to be a cliché Two tribute, succumbing to some idiotic fate. If she wasn't the best in the Academy with weapons, then at least she could do her best elsewhere. It was that thought which kept her going. It allowed her to keep her head high and wear the smile of a Tyriage.
"This is boring," Bex remarked.
Callisto shook her head and as usual, wore the smile of someone ten times as talented as she actually was. She isn't fooling anyone – or at least, not me. "C'mon Bex, the more targets we hit, the better we'll seem to everyone else."
Bex gestured to the empty area around them. "Who the hell are we trying to impress? No one else is here and the cameras aren't broadcasting us to the Capitol from this place. I'm fine just sitting around talking to be honest."
Syrella understood Bex's boredom. All Bex's arrows had thudded into the middle of the mark. She was the most proficient at weaponry here yet also the least enthusiastic at showing off. Callisto was basically a puppy on a lead wanting to impress and Syrella was trying her best to fall somewhere in the middle. She didn't necessarily like her new allies, but Bex was strong and Callisto would be useful for as long as the two of them could carry her around.
Plus, she amused Syrella, and finding some source of amusement in such a horrific place as the Arena would be a sense of reprieve from all the death. For as long as Callisto survived.
"I'm going to keep practicing," Callisto said, drawing her string back, eyes now training in on Syrella.
She gave her weak, yet excited ally a thumb's-up and watched as the arrow soared and hit the third ring of the target. Syrella observed Callisto's unwavering smile start to shake and found some deep-rooted pleasure from it. Syrella came from a family that had drilled into her that she had to be the best of the absolute best – that anything else was but dust in the wind. And Syrella was not the best of the best. She was self-aware enough to realise that.
Unlike Callisto.
Because of that fact, Syrella knew her talents were set on a different path and she was hoping she'd be able to use that. Plus, she had her last name, and she couldn't help but flaunt it wherever she went. She'd played the humble princess in front of Bex back at the chariot when they'd first met, but truthfully carrying around the Tyriage legacy wasn't a burden, it was a relief from all Syrella's inner-turmoil. It was a security blanket that meant she wasn't always alone.
And Bex and Callisto knew that. They knew that Tyriage meant money. And money meant sponsors. They weren't as stupid as Syrella had originally suspected. Well...they're not wholly dumb. Not completely.
Callisto blew air from her once again smiling mouth and gestured to the bows by her allies' feet. Her hand then raised to somewhere behind Bex, not too far away, tucked in the shadows of the training facility. It was a huge place, easy to get lost in, and Syrella had tried to remain observant. It was difficult with allies who barely saw past the end of their own noses.
"Let's spice things up a bit, then. Look over there." Both Syrella and Bex turned their heads to look to where Callisto was pointing. A lone boy was sat on a bench, engrossed in some thick book that Syrella couldn't recognise from here. Callisto wore a maniacal grin on her face – a grin Syrella did not like. "Whoever is furthest from the bull's-eye has to go over and talk to him. Rough him up a little maybe. Not physically but I mean c'mon. It's us three. We're the dominant pack here."
"We're not dogs," Bex remarked, rolling her eyes. "But ok, sure Callisto. I'm bored so might as well."
"Syrella?" Callisto asked, looking at her with wide, pleading eyes.
Fuck's sake. The last thing Syrella wanted to do was be alone in the Arena, and she wasn't exactly regretting her decision, but sometimes she just wanted peace and quiet and with such loud characters, she was hardly going to find that. She kept them around because they made her feel better about herself. It was a harsh truth that she was able to accept about her time here and where she stood.
"Sure," Syrella chirped, happily plastering on the enthusiasm that Callisto ate up. "Might as well."
The three girls stood shoulder to shoulder, spaced apart enough so they could raise their bows in unison. They glanced at their targets, readied their arrows, and with a whistle, Bex released hers and cheered as she hit the second from middle ring. Syrella took a deep breath but before she could do anything, Callisto's elbow bumped hers and as the two released at the same time, Callisto's thumped into the outer ring, and Syrella's went completely over the target.
Fucking bitch what the fucking hell did you—
"Ah sucks, Syrella. Off day?" Bex said, pouting.
Syrella controlled her thoughts and smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "Guess I'm tired."
"Go and talk to him then," Callisto said, pointing once more towards the boy who had no idea the farce of a show that was going on not too far from where he was sat reading. "No wonder he's alone. He doesn't look like anything special."
"I think he was reaped," Bex said.
Like reaped is such a dirty word, Syrella thought with an internal grimace. Poor kid.
When she turned her back to her allies, the smile she'd tried to wear for the majority of the time she spent with them slipped and she sluggishly walked towards him. Her stomach was nervous for some reason and she didn't like it. Though she could accept that she wasn't the strongest one in these Games, the reality that actually made her fear for what was to come, Syrella didn't like what those thoughts brought with them. And he was a reaped tribute. Nothing special. Nothing special.
She cleared her throat as she stood in front of him and for a moment, the boy didn't respond. As she readied herself for a bombardment of annoying, Callisto-esque insults, he looked up and blinked at her, as if the hypnotism of what he was reading hadn't quite subsided.
"Hello," he said, shakily, before clearing his own throat and closing the book. "Are you alright?"
She caught sight of the title 'Strategies of the First Quarter Quell – How to win when the odds aren't in your favour' and couldn't help but feel her lips twitch into a curious smile, this time the most genuine smile she'd felt since the beginning of her time in the Capitol.
"That's a fantastic book," Syrella said, hearing herself and not actually being grossed out by the childish excitement. She sat down next to him and leaned forwards, blocking out the two girls who were no doubt watching her rough him up. "Where did you get it from? I read it front to back in preparation for coming here. That was a tough Quell."
"And the first one, so it was full of unknown variables that no one had really faced before. I think it's important to read up, not just throw spears around. I mean – not that I'm –" he suddenly went red in the face and shook his head, "—I'm not saying that it's not important to train physically." He stopped and looked at Syrella, as if finally taking in who had come up to speak to him, and he seemed to twitch in fear, and for that Syrella felt a weird sense of guilt that didn't sit right with her.
"Can you show me where you got the—"
"You're Syrella Tyriage," he said.
Names flashed through Syrella's mind, like a flip-book, replaying what she'd seen from the Square but also from the train. It landed on a particular name that she'd stored somewhere. Faces were easy for her, especially those belonging to the rare few reaped tributes.
"And you're Palatine Linott."
"I'm nothing like you, though," he said, grinning and staring at the ground, unable to meet her eyes. Is he scared of me? Intimidated? It made her feel silently awkward, but also silently strong, as if she wasn't as weak as she sometimes felt amongst all these strutting peacocks. "You're… well. Rich."
"It's not a dirty word, y'know," Syrella said with a laugh.
He nodded and then bit his bottom lip, raising his head to meet her eyes. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just surprised you came over here. You can borrow the book if you want. But if you wanted to see some more, there's a whole library of them on the far side of the hall. Maybe I could show you—"
Again, he paused, and again, he looked down sheepishly. Syrella felt something in her stomach she rarely felt in the company of people associated with the Hunger Games and District Two. A weird sense of immediate companionship and understanding.
She came from a background of trying to be physically strong, when really it had been her mind that had been her greatest strength. And she had devoured so many books that she had only ever hungered for more and more and more. Knowledge had always been her power but she'd almost grown to be ashamed of it. Because her parents wanted a well-rounded girl, and the girl they'd got was anything but.
Bex and Callisto were different sides of the same coin that Syrella had recognised and seen in so many faces back home. Palatine was completely different. The feeling she got around him was as if she could actually talk to him. Like they both understood what it was like to read a book and simply relish in the world within its pages.
"I'm going to suggest something and you can say no, or you can gamble and see how things go, but I think a smart guy like you should be willing to take a risk."
"Okay," Palatine said, gesturing her to continue.
"Join me. I come with some… interesting characters, but I'd love to go and see those books sometime, and I think you bring something that no other tribute I've met so far has. And it's something I think could really work."
He looked over his shoulder and took in Callisto and Bex for the first time. Syrella had no idea what they were doing, but it probably wasn't smiling and high-fiving each other. She could practically feel their accusatory eyes burning into her neck.
"I'm a Tyriage, as you said. They'll go with it. Because turning me down means they won't get my precious money, and it'll just mean more for the both of us."
It took Palatine another few minutes to consider the proposal and accept it, and for that Syrella was pleased. He didn't just jump straight into it – his eyes seemed to weigh up the pros and cons, his brain ticking, the cogs whirring against each other. Syrella was fascinated by him. And a little intrigued what it might mean for the future.
And I don't feel so… insignificant around him. When she sashayed back towards Bex and Callisto, her smile remained genuine, and when she introduced Palatine, it remained fixed even in the wave of what the fuck, no way, you can't be serious, that she got in response.
"I think he will be a good asset for our team, and he'll draw in the crowd that go for the under-dog sort of thing. As you said, he's reaped, and there's not many of him. We can use what he provides."
Syrella watched as Bex and Callisto looked at each other, wordlessly coming to a decision that seemed to sway towards no.
"Remember the money pouring in from home. It's ours."
And as soon as the answer teetered towards no, it went straight back to a begrudging yes.
Palatine was in.
Kasiani Tavarro, 18 years old;
Sector Five Female.
The first day was nearing its end.
For some of the tributes, they were content to remain within the training facility, away from the prying eyes of the Capitol, comfortable in a bubble that was familiar to them. Others enjoyed the social aspect of the house, sitting in the garden or playing in the pool, lapping up the few days they had to almost act like normal teenagers.
Kasiani didn't know quite where she stood just yet. Part of her was growing ever more anxious as she took in the faces around her, all the names and histories and personalities like one giant spinning wheel, rotating round and round in her head. It was daunting and she didn't like the fact that she was growing anxious over her impending future.
The other part was excited. More than excited. With those faces came the subtleties that she had observed through her years of working around people. The Nalara kid who thought he was the cream of the crop and yet there was clearly something else there. Ryland Mercer who she'd taken a liking to – wild and unkempt, happy to be who she was and it didn't matter who said otherwise. It was a trait Kasiani could relate to. And then there were the quieter personalities, like Brodus Marcano and Vinicius Grecco. Two boys that she hadn't really seen around except for the latter occasionally speaking with her zealot of a sector partner Ozias.
Maybe it was because they were part of the same space in Two that Kasiani had heard whispers of the mountain-top group of trainees. Maybe that was why no one else seemed to really mind the way Ozias walked around the place, head and shoulders above the rest, scoping out something.
She leaned forwards on the table, resting her chin in her hands, and sighed deeply. Soon, none of it would matter anyway. The final part of Kasiani was just restless and antsy to get into the Arena and make use of all the years she'd spent training for this. Maybe she was better at reading between the lines with some of the more hidden tributes, but really none of that would matter in the end.
She refused to fall to the background. She refused to allow any ounce of insecurity get the best of her.
"So what's the deal?" Kasiani said, clapping her hands together and breaking the silence.
Jasper was sat opposite Kasiani, chin-up, eyeing the table that they were situated around in the far corner of the house. There weren't many attendees and Kasiani could tell that Jasper was silently pleased by that fact. She could understand. Mentoring twelve girls, potential future competitors, must have been tough.
If I win, is this what I'll have to do?
When I win. Not if.
"I think this is all we're going to get," Jasper said, nodding her head. "River, Damali, Kasiani, I'm grateful for—"
"Sorry," another voice pierced Jasper's words, as Sivan Arcuri took a seat next to Damali, "I'll be honest, I wasn't sure if I wanted to come." Her eyes flitted around the table and landed on the other three girls. Damali and River both offered a smile, as did Kasiani, but Sivan didn't seem one to return such pleasantries. Her face spoke of her obvious annoyance at being here.
Reaped? Kasiani could understand that.
"It's fine, Sivan. Thank you for joining."
Sivan shrugged her shoulders. "I reckon I need all the help I can get."
"That's what I'm here for, I suppose. To offer some light on your situation," Jasper spoke with confidence and poise, whereas Kasiani was pretty sure she hadn't seen or even heard Sterling since they'd arrived. "Do you have any questions?"
No one seemed up for speaking. Kasiani cleared her throat, not one to exactly sit in silence. It wasn't her speciality. "I suppose I'm only curious why you think none of the others are taking it as seriously? Why don't you think they are here as well? I mean I'm glad – if they don't see talking to their mentor as an important part of this, then more fool them. But still…"
Kasiani was doing her best in the face of Jasper's sudden authority to take her seriously. It had never been a part of Kasiani to let others dictate what she did or what she said but in the Games, perhaps it would be better to explore sides of herself that she'd always repressed. Jasper had won, after all. She knew what she was doing.
"I guess it's because I'm your age and I only just won the Games. Maybe they don't understand why I'm here in the first place. Or maybe they recognise that if they win, I'll eventually try to kill them."
River and Damali were completely silent, both almost paling at the idea. Sivan grimaced. Kasiani just arched an eyebrow. "And yet you're happy to speak to us?"
"It's my job. I didn't ask for it, but I'm here and I might as well use these few days to see who I'm working with."
Ah. So she can scope out her future competition. It makes sense now.
Kasiani bit her tongue as the conversation began to move forwards. Jasper was insightful if a little dull. Sivan barely gave anything other than the occasional scowl or pointed look. River and Damali were already content in their little alliance that they seemed to only be here out of respect for Jasper. Which left Kasiani, listening intently to every word Jasper spoke, but growing more and more bored by the situation.
"—which is why I think having two victors offers up different scenarios. I know it can be difficult to trust, but that actually has a place here in this Games. It's a unique situation to be in," Jasper said. "And with only four of you here, I propose the idea of you all teaming up. River and Damali are already together, Sivan you might have been reaped but you have training from what I can gather, and Kasiani is another strong competitor. You could all bring something to the table."
"No," Sivan immediately said.
Jasper looked at her. Kasiani smiled and couldn't help the laugh that only annoyed Sivan further. The other girls ignored it. "Why?" Jasper asked. "It's important to make allies. Especially when you're surrounded by other trained tributes."
"I'm not against making allies, but I'm not jumping into anything just yet. I need time to think."
"You haven't got lots of—"
"No," Sivan repeated, standing up. "But thank you. You've given me some things I need to consider.
Kasiani clapped her hands against the table with a sigh and pushed backwards from the table herself. The screech of her chair on the tiles was painful but when all eyes turned to face her, she just shrugged her shoulders and laughed. "I think that's that then. You say it's about trust, well clearly River and Damali have already got it in their heads that they are going to do what it takes to win together. No offence girls, but I don't want to be a part of that."
"It wouldn't be like that," River said. "But I get it. Don't worry."
"It was nice speaking with you," Damali said.
Jasper, for a moment, looked exasperated. Then she nodded in concession and bid the table goodbye, removing herself and heading back to her quarters. Kasiani followed suit, a skip to her step as she poured herself a glass of juice and returned to the couch where another tribute was sat.
"Everything alright?"
Kasiani looked at the boy and smiled, nodding her head. "I'm not really sure what to think at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I find it fascinating that we're all here together, but it's also overwhelming and – yeah – just because it went one way for Jasper, doesn't mean it'll go the same for us."
"I get that," he said, extending a hand. "Tayte Vasburg. Sector Two."
"I know," Kasiani said, shaking his hand, giggling. "Very formal of you."
"I guess that's just me."
Kasiani laughed again and watched as Tayte bit into his sandwich, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. She didn't know him but had seen him around during the time they'd spent together so far. The girls back round the table previously hadn't really been the sort of people Kasiani usually spent her time with. There was nothing wrong with them per se but Sivan clearly had repressed issues, River and Damali were soft and united together already, and Kasiani knew deep down this wasn't a game of personal connections. She loved people – loved them more than anything, really. Something so simple as a conversation could be a gateway into something Kasiani usually got lost in.
But she was trying to keep her head firmly planted on her shoulders. In her back pocket she'd already thought about Ryland – the feeling being mutual – but she hadn't landed on anything just yet.
She looked at Tayte and he looked back at her. He seemed nice. But also strong. And strong was good.
"Isn't it weird," Tayte began to say, "that those cameras are always watching us? Even now – whilst I eat this horrible sandwich, the Capitol are probably talking about the filling I used or what you used in your hair this morning, or if we knew each other back in District Two. I don't know whether to be self-conscious or not."
Kasiani hadn't thought about it that way. She'd almost dismissed the cameras as background objects that were always on her peripheral, yet never really something to consider. Yet, now that Tayte had mentioned it, she suddenly did feel a shiver of anxiety at the thought of being picked apart by the people watching at home.
Was she projecting the sort of person they'd want to see win? Or was she falling under the masses of personality that this house had in abundance?
"We could always… talk to the Capitol? If they're watching and listening, maybe it'll be a bit of fun?" Kasiani suggested with a twinkle in her eye. "I'm bored. So."
There was a crash behind them and both tributes turned over their shoulders to watch a glass smash against the ground. One of the tributes cursed but Kasiani didn't really know who it was. Tayte laughed and shook his head. With that small, yet delightful sound, Kasiani knew that Tayte was a fitting puzzle piece.
Sector Two, as well. To be the chosen volunteer from such a prestigious place… he must be good. She didn't force the idea down his throat, but as the two joked around with the cameras, almost interviewing each other for the audiences at home, it seemed to settle between them without it even having to be said aloud.
Jasper had tried her best in the few minutes that it had seemed possible for her to have any sway over what her future competitors had to do or say. But she wasn't fooling anyone. People thought Kasiani was dumb because she liked to do stupid things like make jokes to a camera, but she knew what Jasper was playing at, and she knew what so many of the other tributes were thinking or feeling as they tried to make it seem like they were anything but the cold-blooded killers they were trained to be.
Tayte seemed genuine, and so far, Kasiani hadn't seen anything else in him to tell her otherwise.
It was a risk, but she'd get nowhere without taking some sort of blind jump.
"I think they like us," Tayte joked, staring at the camera.
"Why wouldn't they?" Kasiani said with a chuckle. "And to all you folks at home, thank you for listening. This has been fun."
Fun, but scary.
I want to be the best of the best.
She hated to admit it, but she needed them to like her.
They have to.
Aurelian Eldridge, 18 years old;
Sector Eight Male.
Midnight.
And yet, despite the full moon in the sky and a light dusting of stars peeking between clouds, the tribute house was awash with life. In Aurelian's room, the beds were completely empty, outside the hubbub of noise of trained teenagers engaging in normal teen-like behaviour, a few days away from brutally murdering one another.
Aurelian found the entire situation bizarre. Yet he was a part of it – not just this particular twist, but the system in Two, a predatory system that had taken the lives of so many. He did not believe himself above it, that would be hypocrisy and ignorance. But he was trying his best to remain true to who he was. There would always be a right way of taking each step, day by day, towards his eventual goal.
Despite all the chaos and fear that ran throughout the house, disguised as oblivious camaraderie, Aurelian knew where he was and what needed doing. Regardless of whether or not he found some characters here intimidating, he refused to go it alone.
It was why he wasn't the only one in his room. Manfred was with him, and had been for the majority of their first day in the Capitol.
Manfred rolled his shoulders and yawned, his head lolling against the wall behind his bed. "I don't think I could sleep even if I wanted to."
"Maybe that's a good thing," Aurelian suggested. "I doubt we'll get much of it in the Arena."
"True, true. It won't be like this, though. It makes you think about what's going to happen. Am I going to hurt someone I played a game of cards with? Or ate my dinner with? It's a bit… weird."
Aurelian had met Manfred just before lunch. He'd been quite content by himself – never one to really engage with anyone unless they approached him. It wasn't him being distant, but it was just his natural self, and if they wanted to talk, he wasn't the sort to be hostile in any shape or form. Manfred – or Manny, as he liked to be called – seemed like a genuine sort of person. Aurelian didn't know much about him, in fact he hardly knew anything that actually mattered on a personal level, but they'd connected in the background.
Aurelian liked that, and Manny though to begin with seemed to always look towards wherever the noise was coming from, had started to relax around Aurelian. He wasn't used to being that sort of presence. Aurelian was quietly confident he'd found someone who actually shared his morals and perceptions of where they were and what they were about to do.
"It helps that the majority of us volunteered, I think," Aurelian said, thinking about the few who were reaped, and the unjust way of the sector system being drawn up. If it had been a free-for-all with no sectors, the reaped tributes would be sat at home, watching the live feed in the comfort of their own beds. Instead they were here. Something didn't sit right with Aurelian about that. Not that it's any different from a normal year. Only – I never planned on volunteering in the first place. "With the majority of us having volunteered, yeah it might be harder, but it's also a bit easier to accept that we chose to be here. And we reap the consequences of the choice we made."
"I can see it that way, but that doesn't mean I'll just give up."
"I don't mean it like that," Aurelian countered. "Only… I dunno. Ignore me."
Manny laughed and threw a kernel of popcorn at Aurelian. He deflected it with his hand and smiled warmly in the direction of his newfound ally. He'd done a lot of thinking about his competition and who they were and so far, Aurelian was surprised at the amount of genuine warmness he'd found in these tributes.
So many people had their perceptions of those that trained and Aurelian had always tried to be something different. It was refreshing to see that he wasn't one of the few, but part of a collective many that went under the radar.
"Hey guys."
The voice came from the doorway and both Aurelian and Manny looked to see Reyan Nalara and Phobos Arroyo watching them, the latter behind the confident-looking heir to his family's household. Manny immediately seemed to switch on a higher level of charm and familiarity, standing up from his bed and smiling at them. Aurelian wasn't hesitant, only it wasn't naturally his forte, so he mirrored Manny as best he could and stood by his side.
"How are you?" Manny asked. "Is everything ok?"
"Sterling has called a meeting with the boys. Something about Jasper holding one earlier so he wants to do the same. We're on our way now," Reyan said. "Doesn't look like anyone else is following, so you're our last stop."
Manny looked at Aurelian and arched an eyebrow. "No harm in showing our faces."
Aurelian couldn't argue with that. Besides, midnight or midday, nothing seemed to be quietening down and he could do with stretching his legs for a bit. He nodded and Manny beamed even brighter, joining Reyan and a weirdly calm looking Phobos, beckoning Aurelian to follow with a tilt of his head.
The four of them were ushered through by a disgruntled looking Peacekeeper into Sterling's own private room. It was rather large yet clinical looking, a bed fixed into the corner with a lone table in the middle where a set of chairs had been squished together. Sterling was sat at the head of the table, eyes piercing into Aurelian's as he locked eyes with his quasi-mentor, and some small part of him was actually scared.
This was a visual representation of what it was like to go through this Quell and come out the other side. For a weird moment of stark clarity, Aurelian had a million burning questions, and a million answers he did not want to hear swirling around.
He didn't ask a single one as Sterling invited them to sit. "I'm glad there's not many of you, to be honest. Not sure I could fit you all in."
"Thank you for the invite," Reyan said kindly, pulling a chair out and sitting with his back straight, eyes gleaming.
"Yeah," Manny echoed, trying to match Reyan's apparent warmth. "It's very nice of you."
Phobos just nodded. Aurelian mumbled his own thanks, still stuck in the sudden cloud of clarity. He sat next to Manny for a sense of pleasant familiarity and the room fell silent, Sterling glanced over each of them in turn, before nodding his head to himself, landing on some answer to a question behind his intimidating eyes, and then sighed deeply.
"I'll be honest here – I'm only doing this because Jasper won't get off my back."
Reyan laughed heartily. "She seems keen to speak with all the girls. Though not all of them are so willing to return her enthusiasm."
"I don't blame them," Sterling said with a shrug of his shoulders. "There's twelve of you guys, and only four of you here. Did you spread the message?"
Reyan looked at Phobos. Aurelian observed something flash between them – like Reyan didn't want to be the only one to speak, allowing Phobos these little entrances into the conversation. Aurelian admired that all of a sudden about Reyan. The ability to not overshadow everyone in a room but give people their time to speak their mind. It also surprised Aurelian.
He himself had come from a family quite similar, though not as rich. To get that rich most people were quite happy to step on others. It was why he'd tried so hard to feel like something important, yet had tried to push aside the means to which his parents and brother acquired their fame and wealth. Reyan didn't seem like that. When Aurelian went to glance over at Manny as Phobos said something, the way he seemed to gawp at Reyan wasn't the same as the way Aurelian did so. It seemed wrong. Like he was sussing him out and Manny had landed on an answer he didn't like.
It sent a chill down Aurelian's spine. And yet as quick as he saw it, the second Manny was directed a question, it disappeared entirely and the Manny that Aurelian had come to like came back in an instant. The other side vanquished entirely as if it had never existed.
Aurelian didn't deal with those complicated facets to people. He enjoyed working out alternatives to situations but as someone who wanted to go about things as honest and as true as he could, the other shades to people were not something he ever tried to entertain. It was a part of his world he absolutely despised.
"Do you have any ideas then, on what you want to get from these next few days?" Sterling asked the room.
Manny managed to speak first, interrupting Reyan who had just about opened his mouth. "I'm in an alliance with Aurelian and I think that's something I'd aimed coming in here to achieve over the next few days. I know we're all from Two but that doesn't mean we have to be scared of sharing a basic goal with someone else. I think I'll sleep a little bit safer knowing I have his eyes as well as my own."
Aurelian smiled at that genuine comment and watched as Reyan stared at Manny for a few seconds too long, and then glanced over at Phobos, a small smile on his face as he nodded his head. "I have Phobos and I guess I agree with Manfred there. We all have training, or at least most of us, and I think it might make things a tad easier in the chaos of everything to have some support."
Sterling looked at Aurelian and then at Phobos. Aurelian agreed with the sentiment and knew that he would find his time in the Arena a lot easier to cope with as people started to fall, knowing that he had put his trust in someone like Manny. There hadn't been anything to make Aurelian doubt him. He wasn't stupid, but then again, two people could win. Why should he be distrustful?
"Then why not form a larger alliance?" Sterling suggested.
With that, everyone went silent, and all four of them seemed to look at each other.
There was a clear divide right now between them all. Manny and Aurelian. Reyan and Phobos. Phobos had barely said two words but he looked at Reyan and shrugged his shoulders. Aurelian did his best to portray the same kindness that Reyan and Manny had been displaying since the beginning.
"I don't mind the idea," Aurelian said, finding his voice. "As long as you don't mind, Manny?"
He expected Manny to speak quickly, but instead his eyes were trained on Reyan, who met his stare with equal intensity, and yet that charming smile was still on his face. He gestured to the table with a flourish of his hand and then let his eyes land on Aurelian.
Aurelian didn't understand what Manny was seeing. He didn't really like Phobos, but he seemed silently strong, and that was useful.
"I'm happy with that idea," Reyan said. "What do you think, Manfred?"
With two people now addressing him, he had no choice but to swallow the lump in his throat, and nod, the corners of his lips twitching ever so slightly. "Sounds like an idea to me. Strength in numbers."
Aurelian wanted to ask Manny what was wrong, because right in this very moment, Aurelian couldn't see what Manny thought he could see behind Reyan's eyes. Aurelian knew there were bad people in this world – some like the monsters under the bed, snatching at people's ankles and dragging them into the darkness. But he did not jump to conclusions, either. He would make up his own mind and right now, a larger alliance seemed like a good idea, one not necessarily built on trust, but mutual respect.
As long as Aurelian could see in them what he valued as the most important way of conducting himself, then he could make this work. He would speak with Manny later and try to quell his worries. An alliance was only as strong as its weakest member, and right now Manny's doubt, a doubt that maybe even Reyan could see, would be a fragile link in an otherwise potentially strong foundation.
"Well, that was quick," Sterling said.
"Indeed," Reyan said.
Manny nodded his head. "It was."
Only time will tell what happens from this moment onwards, Aurelian thought. Reyan, Manny and Phobos.
He only hoped he was making the right decision.
I've closed the poll. Congratulations to Ryland! Results are on my profile.
Confirmed alliances:
Syrella + Bex + Palatine + Callisto
Tayte + Kasiani
Reyan + Phobos + Manfred + Aurelian
Not quite as 100% on this chapter as I was the previous one. I hope it was ok!
Let me know your thoughts :)