this chapter contains some sexual implications but nothing explicit... actually about as far from explicit as one can get but i thought i'd still put a warning!

an empty beast lurks in the heavy battle armor of another age.
her eyes are abandoned buildings and her fingers
are icicles hanging from rooftops in the middle of a blizzard.
her sword is jagged and bent and dulled,
but her jagged smile is stained bloody red.

Dazzle Carlton (18)

District One

one week ago

Dazzle woke up to Onyx tracing patterns on the back of her neck. Her hair was everywhere, but he had brushed it out of way to write some secret message to her sleeping form. She stayed there just for a moment, her eyes open but her head turned away from him. Then slowly she twisted so she was on her back rather than her side and looked up at him with beaming eyes. "Morning," she whispered, like it was meant just for them.

The trick with Onyx was to make him feel special. He had a lot of say with the head trainer, having always been close to him when he was still of reaping age himself, but Prowess and Dionysus made him feel lesser-than, so when she started giggling at his jokes and touching his shoulder excessively two years ago, he fell for her without a second thought.

"You ready for today?" he asked her, reaching out and brushing her hair away from her forehead. The only redeeming part of spending so many nights sleeping with Onyx was that he wasn't an unattractive man. But if she slept with guys just because she was attracted to them and actually liked them, she wouldn't get anywhere in the world.

"That depends," she said. She grinned at him and then lifted her arms above her head, stretching out. She could feel her shirt come up and expose a little bit of her stomach and she stayed there for just a second, shutting her eyes like she was soaking in the moment. God, it was so easy to tangle him up in her web. He wasn't even a challenge like Prowess was.

"You won't be disappointed, Daz." He leaned in and kissed her, and then he sat up and stretched. The sun coming in from that direction made him look like an imposing silhouette, his arms reaching outward towards the walls.

He put a pair of boxers on and walked out of his bedroom, and Dazzle watched after him, knowing he was about to go make breakfast for her. He was annoying sometimes, but he had more than just sway with the head trainer. He had a lot of fucking perks, like not eating the shitty bread she got with her tesserae back home with her grandparents.

She sat up and wrapped the blanket around herself against the morning chill in his bedroom. He needed to turn the air conditioner down so she didn't have to wake up every morning freezing to death. Last time she mentioned it to him, he remembered to turn it down for her whenever she came over, but he must have forgotten this time. He was a warm-blooded guy and could probably survive in a tundra.

She didn't have the time to sit around in his bed until he made breakfast, and she knew this. She had to get up and shower so she looked nice for the announcement of the chosen volunteer this morning. But she couldn't drag herself out of the comfortable bed. She wasn't going to sleep with him the rest of the week, so she'd have to drag herself back to her own bed that night. And then it would be an entire week before the reapings. After that, she'd get nothing but soft Capitol beds for the rest of her life, but this week of tesserae grain bread and lumpy mattresses could kill her before another tribute ever got the chance.

After reasoning with herself for a few more minutes, she left the comfort of Onyx's sheets and went into his bathroom. She brushed her teeth quickly and then stepped into the shower, letting the water heat up before stepping all the way under it. The hot water pouring over her was practically intoxicating. When she was a victor, she had decided years ago that she would get one of those fancy showers with a million settings that her friend Wonder had.

Onyx poked his head in after a second and raised his eyebrows at her, a sly little smile on his face. "Care if I join?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes and motioned for him to get out. "If our breakfast burns I'll kill you," she promised him.

"Oh, come on. Real quick."

"Nuh-uh. 'Real quick' isn't worth my bacon."

"Lame," he said jokingly as he closed the curtain again and began brushing his teeth.

"Is this worth becoming the first casualty of the One Hundredth Hunger Games for?" she asked, poking her head out from behind the curtain for just a second.

He laughed and shook his head, waving her off like she was harmless.

She had actually dated his cousin when he was projected to be the volunteer for the Ninety-Eighth Games two years ago, one of the first times she went so far as to date someone for her status. It elevated her enough, from the useless girl who wasted everyone's time, to at least the girlfriend of a future victor. But then Titan had broken his leg in a training course a week before the reaping, and the second-best was sent in his place. They might have had a victor from One that year if it weren't for that.

But after that, she didn't need Titan anyway. Just getting herself known for more than "the girl who can kind of throw spears" was enough to make people see who she was. After that, she never really got better at her training, but her popularity and ranking steadily climbed anyway.

After her shower, she walked out to the kitchen on his cold tile floors. She had also slipped on one of his sweatshirts to fend off the cold, and had her arms on the inside like she was really protecting herself against a blizzard.

"Oh! Shit, I forgot the temperature again, didn't I?" he asked, going over to his thermostat and pressing the up arrow a few times. "You should've reminded me."

"I mean, I didn't really notice last night," she reminded him with a smile. She sat down at the island in his kitchen and leaned forward onto the countertop. The bacon and eggs were almost done now, and the smell was enough to carry her through the whole day. She'd take some back home to her grandparents if she could find an excuse.

It wasn't that no one knew she was poor. Her parents had made it a big enough spectacle when they went bankrupt, but it still wasn't something she liked to call attention to. She'd rather her assets be put on display, not the areas where she was severely lacking.

The bacon was as delicious as it smelled. When it was finished and he sat down next to her to begin eating, she pushed her knee up against his, not looking up to see the smile she knew was coming to his face. He never stopped smiling around her, and it was really kind pathetic. It was probably the whole reason he was never the chosen volunteer despite his massive stature and abilities. He was too sentimental. Of course, she herself seemed just as sentimental, but it didn't really matter what she seemed like when she had everyone who mattered on her side.

"So who do you think the guy is going to be?" she asked, twisting herself a little bit to watch Onyx. He looked back at her, taking in the sight of her before he answered. She ran a hand through her still-wet hair, and she knew that he just ate that shit up. There were little quirks she had noticed he loved and she did them as often as seemed natural.

"Parker Lynd or Elyan Gratte are who I'd put money on," Onyx told her. He finished up his last piece of bacon and wiped his hands on his napkin. "But I think Gratte has Lynd beat."

Dazzle thought about the two of them. They were both at the top of their class. She had never really seen Parker Lynd before because he didn't live up in the city by the square, but she had heard of how good he was. Someone—maybe Wonder—had told her that he traveled to all the towns around him and hadn't been beaten by any of the contenders he found. But she had also seen Elyan Gratte in action, and he was an intimidating sight. A little hotheaded, but hotheaded made for Career pack leader. And it had been a good few years since District One had taken charge over District Two.

"You're probably right," she said, finishing up. She stood up before he wanted her to, and kissed his cheek to make up for it. Then she put his plate over in his sink and took some of the leftover bacon, wrapping it up in some paper towel and putting it in a baggy. "I'm taking this." She held it up in front of his face as she walked past him, and put it on the table in the living room so she wouldn't forget it when she was ready to go.

She sloppily put the rest of her clothes on in Onyx's room and came back out with her bag slung over her shoulder. "I should go," she said, and when his eyes betrayed how disappointed he was, she thanked God that she would only need to deal with him for another week. When she came home after the Games, she would never have to fuck with such a needy, easy man again. Or fuck him either, for that matter.

Onyx stood up and came over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and looking down at her. "Okay," he said quietly, leaning down to kiss her. Then he reluctantly stepped away. "Don't be late."

She smiled and waved as she walked out of his door. As soon as the door was shut behind her, she let out a breath of relief.

The bus stop wasn't far from Onyx's place, thankfully. A lot of her life was contained in one little area near the square. The Justice Building for tesserae, the square for reapings, the Academy for school and training, Onyx's apartment, and her own all within a short distance of each other. It certainly made things easier, but the further-away Victors' Village still seemed more appealing by miles.

When the bus arrived, she got on and handed the fee over to the driver, taking a seat near the front so she was ready to jump off as soon as she got home. She didn't think she'd be late, but if she was going to skip the bus and walk to the Academy from home, she wanted to account that time.

Her house was nestled away from the glamorous District One's central city, hidden from the square but still within walking distance of everything important. The bus dropped her off outside the neighborhood, and she walked through the trees that lined the street as if to hide the shame of actually having some poor people in District One at all, let alone somewhere that wasn't the outer towns and villages. She pulled her key out of her bag and rushed inside, dropping her stuff on the table by the door so she wouldn't forget it on the way back out.

Her grandparents were in the kitchen and she tossed them the bag of bacon. "What's this?" Fifi, her grandmother, asked, looking up at her with a frown.

"Breakfast. You're welcome," she said. She went back to the bathroom before they could say anything else and brushed her hair. It still looked like a mess, all the waves brushed out because it was still damp when she brushed it. So she French braided it out of her face and tied it off in a ponytail when she reached the base of her neck. Easier to manage that way, anyway.

She already had the dress she was wearing picked out—something formal and appropriate for being announced as chosen volunteer. She slipped it on and scrambled for her good shoes, the only heels she had that thankfully went with every boring dress she owned. And then she was back in the bathroom, touching up, making sure she looked all right.

Once she was satisfied, she let out a breath and took a second to calm down. All this rushing around had made her a little anxious. Ivory and Renee, two of the girls who were always hanging around her, were also up for the volunteer spot, and both of them had better marks than her by miles. They won matches, they were strong, they were incredibly skilled at weaponry. But both of them naively subscribed to the idea that they could just work out and not put any actual effort into this. That they could go to classes like normal, have all their little friends like normal, and still be cut out for the job. But still, they were threats that she had been working to undermine.

Onyx may have sounded confident earlier, more confident than if that shit was just about believing in her or whatever, but she was still nervous. Ivory was really pretty and flirty in particular, although Renee was stronger and a better fighter. But Dazzle was the best manipulator, and the only one of the three that actually knew what it took. So it was a close race, she was sure.

She couldn't worry about it. She just had to go and hear the results for herself. As she flew back through the little house, her grandparents stopped her. Couture, her grandfather, called out to her, "Come here for a moment before you leave, Dazzle."

She paused at the door and then turned away from it. She leaned against the doorframe leading into the little kitchen when she got there. "I'm going to be late," she told them.

Fifi smiled up at her. "They give a little leeway to the chosen volunteer," she said.

"You make this family proud again, Dazzle," Couture said, seriousness in his voice. Her parents had brought shame to the name Carlton, and she was the only person who could let it stay sunken and embarrassing, or who could elevate it back to what it should have always been, and beyond. She didn't have to be reminded of this, but the intense look in her grandfather's eyes reminded her exactly how much this meant to them, after they had done everything for her parents and had only been given another child to raise and debts to pay in return.

"I'm going to."

The office of the Academy was tense. Five of the top girls in all of District One, not just at the main Academy, were in this room, waiting to know which of them would be going into the Capitol before a week had passed. Ivory and Renee stood next to her, and their hands were clasped in nervous anticipation. Dazzle had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

The head trainer finally came up to them after a long wait that left Dazzle halfway convinced they were going to send Renee. He was looking between all of them as he said, "All of you girls have trained tirelessly for years, and I'd like to say thank you before we continue, for your hard work and dedication." He was just covering his ass so as not to piss of the losers, Dazzle thought. He wanted the best of the best for trainers, so he had to kiss the best of the best asses. Kind of like she did, but with less grace.

"That being said," he continued, "there is only one chosen volunteer this year." His eyes fell on her and her heart started to pick up. "Carlton, that would be you. You outshone all of our expectations of you."

Relief crashed over her in waves, and for the first time in a long time, she could breathe knowing that there were no more asses to kiss to get what she wanted. There would be in the Capitol, but that was for the prize of a lifetime.

Dazzle remembered to nod gratefully to the head trainer and shook his hand when he stuck his out toward her. He shook all the other girls' hands, and Ivory and Renee gave her disappointed but congratulatory "Good job"s. She nodded absently to them but was focused on the head trainer, wanting to know the details of the official announcement to the whole of the Academy.

Every year, they had to have speeches about the importance of following the rules, never volunteering out of place, how it was disloyal and immature to assume that any one person knew better than the whole of the Academy about who should volunteer for the Hunger Games every year. And normally it was just another speech that accompanied reaping season, but this year, she would be standing behind the trainers as Head Trainer Barelle gave the speech. It didn't seem so bad now.

present day

There was a bomb in the square.

The moment it went off, Dazzle moved back toward the Justice Building, wanting away from all the people who suddenly started running around. Her eyes darted around for anywhere better to go, something better to do in the moment, but she was still supposed to leave for the Hunger Games today. The Justice Building felt like the only place to go. And then a Peacekeeper grabbed her arm and pulled her in there anyway.

The little boy who had been reaped so Elyan Gratte could volunteer was still being dragged along with her. She looked around in everyone's faces, and of course there were more pressing things going on, but she wondered how they would get Elyan when he had never volunteered officially. The Capitol didn't know that he was supposed to go into the Games.

The camera people started yelling, and then Lilith Angeline was yelling too, and a Peacekeeper was behind her, manhandling her again. She jerked her arm away and glared back at him. "I can fucking walk, thanks," she snapped. It wasn't like she was going to run away, or like she was the cause of the bomb. She had no reason to do anything but go where they wanted her to go.

They were sent through the Justice Building quickly, with their escort in front of them. When she turned her head back for a moment, she could see Nicolette Dion, the mentor of District One for the past ten years, being brought along with them. They passed the elevators that took them upstairs and all of the offices, including where she went to sign up for her tesserae every year. Everything was gone in a flash, and then they were standing at the door and being prodded out of it toward the back. There was gunfire and screaming everywhere, and she wondered what the fuck had happened that had sent District One of all the places into a frenzy.

"Congratulations, kid. You're going to the Hunger Games," one of the Peacekeepers said to the little rich kid who had been reaped. He shut the door and the car took off.

She looked back and saw another one following, which was probably where Nicolette and the other Capitolites were. Lilith was still panicking in the front seat, looking around with widened eyes.

It was hard for Dazzle to judge this situation when everyone was scrambling. She didn't know how to act, or how to react for that matter, not when none of it made sense and the kid next to her was fucking sobbing.

"They can't really let the reaped go into the Games," she said, leaning forward and looking over at Lilith. Maybe she wasn't composed enough to answer very well, but Dazzle still needed to know. Not because she cared if this kid was in the Games—he would be no different than the brats from the weaker districts. But because she stood a better chance with someone like Elyan watching her back. "Someone was going to volunteer. I know his name, I can give it to you—"

"We don't have time to make a stop," the driver said, shutting her up.

So they were just going to throw a twelve-year-old businessman's son into the arena. Yeah, they would see how that worked out when he was killed on TV. She wouldn't be surprised if the designer, Hermes or Harry or whatever Silversmith, was already making calls to get his son out of this car and get Elyan into it.

This year was turning out to be a massive shitshow.

dazzle is from paperairline!

side note i was reading my prologue again and first of all that bitch (past sydni) did not proofread it and i can Tell... second of all i said y'all could have 4 tributes but the Third must be a bloodbath? which doesn't make any sense i meant the fourth but it's too late now everything is almost closed lmao... i am a disaster gay and we all must live with the consequences...

i love to personify death as pretty ladies in poems so when i thought about a heartless career like dazzle being a pretty lady i got so heckin excited to use one of my gay death poems... here is one of my gay death poems at the beginning of the chapter...

i'm not sure i love how this turned out but i couldn't redo it more than i already did after staying up all night to work on it sjdfkjdlfk so i hope you enjoy! on to district two!

also i still have one spot left open (D6f)!

i totally forgot to say last chapter... antoni is absolutely a reference to queer eye & my avocado heart & soul antoni porowski... love those motherfuckers and it was a tossup between naming the driver antoni or karamo lmao