Mendi Navar, 14

District 12, She/Her

March 4th, 97 ADD

5:27 PM

The house was too quiet.

The front and back doors were locked and bolted. Blankets had been taped up against the windows, shrouding the home in shadow. A layer of dust clung to the furniture, sinking into the fabric of the couch and clinging to the top of the table. The leaky sink was beginning to rust. Pairs of shoes sat by the door underneath the coat hooks, waiting for their owners to return.

All of it had been abandoned.

(Including her.)

The only sign of life that remained was easy to miss. To find her required searching the master bedroom. On the queen-sized bed, in a huddle of blankets that she'd dragged from her tiny bedroom into her parents', her curly dark hair a tangled mess and her dark eyes circled with shadow, was Mendi. It was chilly for March, and so she'd gathered every source of warmth she could find and sought comfort in one of the only things she had left: the pillowcase on the right.

(Well, really, Mendi had plenty of things left. A house's worth, even. But she would trade it all away for a chance at everything being okay again.)

Mendi curled up against it, inhaling deeply until she caught the scent of cheap rose perfume. Soothed, she exhaled, her eyelids growing heavy. She let them flutter shut.

(Her mother wore that cheap perfume every day.)

(Used to wear.)

(No, still wears-)

A pounding at the door jolted Mendi out of her half-sleep. She curled in on herself, her whole body tensing, as a muffled voice rang through the house.

"Menda, dear!" the woman called. "Menda! I know you're in there!"

Mendi froze.

"I brought you some dinner!" she kept shouting. Mendi recognized her voice as belonging to one of the neighbors, which she'd only met once or twice. "I'll leave it outside the door again!"

Mendi held still, waiting to see if she'd shout anything else.

"There's no new news about your parents yet, by the way!" she shouted. "I've been asking around, but no one knows anything!"

(Mendi's father had always said this neighbor was a snoop. Recently, she had come to very much agree with him. But that was no surprise- Mendi had always been her father's daughter.

Right?)

(Was she?)

(Did she want to be-)

"We're all keeping our eyes peeled!" the neighbor continued at the top of her lungs. "If you- if you'd like to come over for dinner, you're more than welcome!"

Mendi rolled her eyes and mashed her face back into the pillow. There was no world in which Mendi would voluntarily visit a neighbor for dinner, especially not without her parents. But she knew that even her parents wouldn't have been interested in that, because they'd always taught her that the only safe place for her was at home. The world was a big, scary place-

(Peacekeepers pounded on the door. Her father's face turned pale. The question of her mother's whereabouts hung silently between them. And then the door slammed open and they were dragging Father away, but he wouldn't say anything- he was silent as always, as he'd always taught her to be, and Mendi's lips trembled with the force of withholding her sobs-)

-and the world would never look out for her, so Mendi had to look out for herself.

"Just stop by!" the neighbor shouted. Mendi lifted her heading, squinting with focus- she thought she heard footsteps fading in the distance. Either way, her neighbor didn't shout through the door anymore.

Mendi sank back into her nest of blankets, mulling this development over. Like it or not, her nosy neighbors were the only source of information she had. It had been two days since her last update.

(Five weeks since they took her father away.)

(Seven weeks since she last saw her mother.)

No news…

She clenched one of her blankets in her fist, trying to maintain quiet. They'll find her. They have to. They would find her, and she would come home, and they'd let Father go and he'd come home too, and everything would be okay again.

But… if she was still alive somewhere, why? Why would she leave? Was it better if she had been taken, or if she had left on her own? Did Mendi want it to be her mother's choice? What if Mendi wanted Mother to be found, but Mother didn't want the same? What if Mother was fine with Father sitting in jail forever, because she was happier without them?

Her knuckles went white, still squeezing the fabric in her hand.

And Father… what if it was all true?

(Maybe Twelve had always been right about the Navars. They're strange, they'd whispered. They're hiding something. Mendi had always dismissed it, just like Father, but look at where her family was now. Something had been hidden, and it was tearing them apart, and Mendi still didn't even know what that was.)

She didn't know what to believe. But Twelve certainly had theories. Before their newspaper subscription had run out a few weeks ago, she'd read them all.

Hermit Family Turns On Each Other

Husband Murders Wife- But Where's the Body?

Seam Family Tragedy

(If Mendi Navar was her father's daughter, and they were right about her father, then…?)

Mendi forced herself to take a few deep breaths and unclench her fist. It was a slow process, as her fingers were trembling, but she forced them to stop.

She was in control of herself.

Once she had relaxed, she sighed, forcing herself to sit up and rub her bleary eyes. Given the weather, if she wanted dinner to not be frozen, she needed to retrieve it soon. She pulled a blanket from her tangled pile and wrapped it snug around her shoulders before tiptoeing to the front door. She cracked it open- a large container of food was on the doorstep. Mendi glanced up and down the road briefly- she didn't see anyone- before snatching it and retreating inside, examining the contents. It looked like she'd have enough to stretch through the next few days, for sure. That was good.

(Because Mendi would stay. She would be here for the days, or weeks, or months, that it took for her mother to be found and her father proven innocent.)

(Mother had to be alive.)

(Father had to be innocent.)

(Everything would be okay again.)

Tomo Metellus, 18

District 6, He/Him

March 15th, 97 ADD

11:22 PM

The party was too loud.

The bass of the speakers was so powerful that the floor was vibrating through his shoes. The house was packed full of people, and no matter how much Tomo tried to give others their personal space, someone was always jostling his elbow or bumping into his arm or stepping on his toes. For some reason, no one seemed to be actually listening to the music; some people were dancing, but plenty were talking and laughing and yelling so loud that Tomo struggled to make out the words. He stood up against the wall, watching the throng of teenagers dancing, a red cup filled with soda in his hand. At the moment, he was wondering how they knew what dance move to do next- had they learned the dance in a class, maybe? Or from instructions?

Whatever those instructions were, however, Tomo did not currently have access to them. So for now, he stood, overwhelmed and confused, at the edge of the crowd, trying to interpret the scene before him.

(It was his first party. He was not finding it to his liking.)

A flicker of movement caught in the corner of his eye- fortunately, too, because otherwise he would have been completely surprised to see Annalise emerge from the crowd and reach for her arm. Instead, he was half-surprised.

"Dance with me!" she shouted over the music.

Tomo flinched. "I'm sorry," he called, disliking how loud his voice sounded in his own ears. "I would rather not."

Annalise frowned. "My own boyfriend won't dance with me?"

"I'm sorry."

Tomo caught sight of two of Annalise's friends behind her. One of them rolled her eyes and said, "Tomo wouldn't know fun if it bit him in the ass."

To his dismay, the other girl laughed. He was offended, but before he could voice that, Annalise thrust her empty red cup at him. "At least get me a refill?"

He took it and nodded. "What were you drinking?"

"Rum and Coke."

"Okay. Be right back." He smiled quickly, which Annalise didn't return, and made his way through the crowd and into the kitchen. The kitchen was an absolute mess- the floors and counters were both very sticky, which made him wince, and bottles and cups were everywhere- but he managed to locate soda and what seemed to be a bottle of rum quickly enough. As he did his best to figure out what the proper proportions were, he tried to ignore what Annalise's friend had said.

(Was she right? It wasn't the first time Tomo had overheard such comments. Wet mop. Bootlicker. Kiss-ass. Bore. But he couldn't help but wonder, every time he heard them, if they were right. He didn't drink, or smoke, or dance, and he'd overheard someone say once that it was a miracle Annalise was even dating him.

He wondered if Teurian would agree with them.)

Once he'd completed his task, he brought the drink back to Annalise.

She took a sip. "Tomo."

"Yes?"

"Did you forget the rum?"

"No," he answered.

She held it back out at him. "It needs more rum. I can't even taste it."

Tomo nodded, disappointed with himself, and returned to the kitchen once more to add more rum. When he returned the drink to her a second time, she took a sip and nodded. "Much better."

"Good!"

She gave him a look. "You're sure you won't dance with me?"

(Something in her tone caught his attention, but he wasn't sure what it was.)

He glanced at the crowd of dancers, then back at Annalise, who raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe next time," he apologized. "I just don't think I'm ready for that yet."

"Fine," Annalise snapped. She shoved the drink back at him, hard, sending a few drops over the rim of the cup and onto his shirt sleeve. Tomo took it and glanced back at her, betrayed, but she had flipped her hair and sauntered off with her friends, her back turned to him.

Tomo stared down at his stained sleeve, dismayed. He liked this shirt.

When the party began to wind down, and the sugar of his soda had worn off, Tomo searched for Annalise and found her in a quieter room. Thankfully, her friends were nowhere to be seen.

"Are you tired?" he asked. "I'll take you home."

Annalise said nothing. Instead, she glared at him.

Tomo frowned. "What?"

"Now you pay attention to me?" she asked.

Tomo drew back, stung. "I pay attention to you," he insisted.

"No, you don't," she replied. "You barely even look at me. You wouldn't dance with me. We've been dating for two months and this is the first time you've even come to a party with me. All we ever do is homework, or go out for dinner-"

"I thought you liked dinner."

"I do, but-" she broke off. "Tomo… do you even like me?"

"Of course I like you."

"But do you like me like me?"

He hesitated.

(Had Tomo Metellus ever loved anyone? Was that what she meant? He could say for certain that he loved his dogs, Aster and Lotus- he was eager to check on them when he got home- and he loved his father, of course. He'd probably loved his mother, too, when she was alive, but Annalise? He didn't know.)

"Forget it," Annalise replied, her voice clipped. "I think it's in both of our interests to end this, Tomo."

"End this?"

"This relationship is over."

"Oh." He stared at her, taken aback. "...Okay."

She scoffed. "See? You're not even upset."

Before Tomo could respond, she turned on her heel again and marched back into the party. He watched her go, utterly baffled.

(His first thought was to wonder what Teurian would think. Then, he wondered if his father even knew he had a girlfriend in the first place. Maybe it would be best to not update him on the demise of his first relationship. He didn't want to disappoint him.)

He fiddled with his stained shirt sleeve, and then turned and left. He didn't need this party- Tomo was better off at home, with his dogs and a clean shirt.

So home he went. He'd always been happier there anyway.

Invincible Gaultier, 18

District One, They/Them

March 16th, 97 ADD

12:17 AM

Vince fucking loved parties.

What was not to love? The music, loud as all hell; the alcohol, bitter on their lips; the scent of shitty weed burning their nostrils; the dancing, the people everywhere, the potential partners everywhere… all of it was fucking incredible.

(Each element alone would have been enough to drown out Vince's own thoughts. Put together, it was even more effective.)

(Not that they had thoughts they wanted to repress. More… they had too much to unleash to let something like a little thought get in their way.)

"Franziska!" they shouted. A few feet away, their friend turned at the sound of her name, swishing long black hair over her shoulder. "Do a shot with me!"

Franziska frowned. "I'm busy."

Vince smirked, drawing nearer. "Doing what, exactly?"

"Nothing."

"Aw, don't tell me you're looking for Aveline," they said. "I talked to her earlier. She's not coming."

Franziska pursed her lips. "Why, exactly?"

Vince rolled their eyes. "Not her scene, apparently."

Franziska snorted. "I thought you said there was less of a stick up her ass now."

"There still is one," Vince replied. "Besides, I know you only wanna see her so you can brag that you slept with both Volunteers. Which you won't."

"Invincible!" Franziska shrieked. "I told you that in private!"

"Oooh," Vince replied, their smile broadening, "you fullnamed me… kinda hot, honestly…"

(Only their father called them Invincible.)

"Shut up," Franziska snapped. "I never should've let you call me Mommy."

"It was fun," Vince protested.

"Fran! I didn't see-" Clarity pulled up short as she caught sight of Vince.

"Knew you were looking for Aveline," Vince smirked. They glanced at Clarity. "She's not here. But enough about her. I'm right here? Helloooo?"

"And what about you?" Minos asked, coming up behind them and draping his arm over their shoulders.

"I'm more than enough entertainment," Vince replied. "And Franziska still hasn't agreed to do a shot with me."

Clarity perked up. "I'll do a shot."

"Clarity is my new favorite," Vince announced.

"Rude," Minos replied. "I'll also do a shot. Be right back!"

Minos disappeared from behind them, returning moments later with three shots in his hands. This was an excellent development, as Vince was not nearly drunk enough yet. Minos passed them and Clarity their shots. "What are we cheersing to?"

"What is this, a toast?" Vince asked. Clarity laughed. Franziska rolled her eyes.

"It could be," Minos argued.

"Fine. Let's toast to Franziska's ass."

"Excuse me?" Franziska shrieked, but it was too late for protests.

"To Franziska's ass!" all three screamed in unison. They slammed their cups together, swung them low, and then raised them, each tipping their head back to pour the burning liquid down.

(Vince let it burn. Vince let themself enjoy it. Vince let their senses continue to dull.)

(Their father's look of disdain.)

(The ache in their arms from training.)

(The question of what their mother would think of them now.)

(The silence they maintained in their father's presence.)

(The absence of violins in the house.)

(The exhaustion of acting all the time.)

(The knowledge that they would soon risk death- risk permanent irrelevance- to get out from under their father's thumb.)

(All of it dulling, fading, numbing. And Vince loved it.)

The music throbbed in their ears, and Minos grabbed their cups and tossed them into the crowd. "Let's fucking dance!" he shouted, grabbing Vince and Clarity's hands and twirling them both around. Clarity giggled. Vince pretended to lose their balance and stumbled into Minos's very nice chest.

"Oops!" they shouted.

Minos grinned and grabbed Vince's bicep, squeezing it through their mesh shirt. "Now we're even."

(God, they hadn't fucked Minos in ages. Maybe tonight was the night?)

Vince threw their head back and laughed. "Get even with this!" they shouted, and started grinding up on Minos.

"Vince!" Clarity shouted.

"Wait your turn!" they replied.

"I told you I'm not into threesomes!"

"More for me, then," Minos interrupted, quickly returning the favor.

Vince grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. "Let's have fun," they breathed. "Another drink?"

"Fuck yeah."

Minos broke away for a moment, and Vince watched them head off for another round.

(Vince looked forward to his return. Minos was giving them what Franziska and Clarity were not tonight: attention. Frankly, Vince didn't need alcohol to get drunk. They could manage it on attention alone.

Fortunately, tonight Minos was giving them both.)

Vince woke up the next morning with a rather intense hangover.

"Fucking hell," they groaned, pressing their fingers to their temples. As snoring reached their ears, they glanced to their left- unsurprisingly, Minos was in their bed, out cold. Or, rather, they were in Minos's bed. There was no chance Vince would've taken him back to their place.

(The night before… it was a blur. A beautiful blur of dancing and drinking and Minos's lips on theirs… it had been a good night.)

Vince pulled the covers off and staggered toward the bathroom, splashing water on their face and sticking their mouth under the faucet until it tasted half-decent again. A glance in the mirror told them that at some point, they'd changed into one of Minos's giant old t-shirts. Fantastic. They would be keeping it. They returned to Minos's room to retrieve their keys and pants and found him awake.

"Leaving so soon?" he teased.

"Gotta make an appearance at home," Vince said. He grinned. "If my father asks, I've been having a lot of sleepovers lately."

Minos stretched lazily, tucking his arms up behind his head as he gazed at Vince. "Wouldn't mind having another one soon, myself."

Vince winked. "We'll see."

Minos winked back. "See ya later."

Vince smirked and yanked their pants back on before heading out the door and making their way back to their own house.

(As they walked, their posture straightened. Their chin lifted. The smirk faded from their lips. They ran a hand through their coily hair, pushing it into place.

By the time their father saw them, they would be a perfect son once more. After all, if there were one part they knew how to play, it would be the one they'd been playing for the last four years.)

aaand that's round six! thanks to district11-olive for mendi, mykindleisawesome for tomo, and geologyisms for vince! hope you guys had fun with the daddy issues chapter :D which was accidental but no regrets tbh! 3/4 of the way through intros lfgggggg

anyway... see you next week with jem, bryony, and rumi!

rb