A/N: it's nice to get back into the updating swing of things in the New Year. Hopefully this will be finished by the end of the week. Hopefully. I don't know how fast these kids can be.
Thank you again for reading. May life smile on you. x
The Trial Games.
I don't know where Crux left so rashly for, and a tiny part of me wanted to make myself known to him. Luckily I drowned that small piece of myself out- because I knew, and as did the rational voice that now dominated my head, that isn't what I truly want.
Quite a lot of time passes before I even risk standing up from the rubble. My legs still quake, and combined with the overpowering smell of vomit that soaks the front of my blouse almost sends me shrinking back to the ground.
I'm formulating a plan. I saw the direction that Boxen and Cisqua ran from, and it was definitely the performance hall. I'll head there.
-but there's one thing I need to check first. The table may be wiped bare, the steel crossbow now forgotten in the grass- but by Boxen's beaten and bloated corpse- I can still see the little white bag he had risked and lost his life for.
There's no movement in my line of sight, ahead or behind me- so I run to Boxen without further hesitation. I'm not prepared for the state of his body however, with his teeth broken on the ground around his head, his eyes bulging and staring. Forcing myself to look away, I pull the bag from his grip and look inside.
It's a bottle, about the size of my fist. Its contents are deep green and the label reads "Drink it all, Cure It All". I recognise it, vaguely- as a very expensive treatment in the Capitol for basic ailments. Wounds, burns, colds- basically anything. No one in District Thirteen ever bought it. A strange curiosity fills me as to what luck it wasn't broken from Cisqua's assault with the bat- but the inner voice pushes it aside.
There isn't time for curiosity. This is what Holden wanted Boxen and Cisqua to retrieve for them. I can use it to show my allegiance, to show that I don't want to hurt him- or his sister.
-then something moves to my left, and I barely have time to register this as something silver streaks past my right ear. My neck snaps upwards as I see the broad shouldered figure of Sin, clutching the crossbow that had been abandoned on the ground- aiming it once more.
"-I DON'T MISS TWICE-!"
Even though I had seen him miss multiple times only moments before, my gut still lurched from this threat. I duck instinctively as another stake whistles over the top of my head- and run. Sin's curses flood my ears and one more stake pierces the air inches to my left.
Thank god he isn't Crux- or I would be facing a fate similar to so many others in this arena. Sin's aim is thankfully poor- and confidence fills me as the adrenaline pumps back through my body, replacing the fear.
I'm going to make it. There's a block I can disappear around just ahead, and from there I can have a clear run of the performance hall. Sin's curses are growing more and more distant with each long bound. My body is numb from aching- it almost feels as though I'm gliding.
Then another whistle- and sudden pain enters in my right shoulder. I scream without processing it, and the world shakes and my body and legs tremble in shock as something sickly warm begins to slowly trickle down my arm and soak into my blouse.
'This is nothing,' the voice calls. 'Keep running, or the next one that lands will kill you.'
Nodding, I push through the pain, which certainly doesn't feel like nothing. Sin is still shouting obscenities- and it seems he's at a loss for stakes. As I round the corner of the block and into brief safety- I slump to the ground and take several gulps of air through the searing pain.
My fingers tremble as reach over my shoulder for the stake. Sure enough, my fingers find it- and just by nudging it the pain triples, and I openly cry from its effect.
Wrapping my fingers around it takes a considerable amount of effort- and as I pull it free I'm horrified as the blood flows faster. My right arm feels numb and my body feels heavy just from sitting upright.
I'm dying. I'm going to die from such a meagre wound. I almost feel regret from being killed by Sin. Of all the tributes here, I thought I'd die by Crux's hands. Somehow, something inside me had spurned me on- saying that I was going to make it to the end with Holden... that this would all work out one way or another...
Holden...
-then I remember the white bag, and the little bottle of 'Cure it All'. Would it stop bleeding wounds? I'd seen more spectacular things come out of the Capitol- why shouldn't it? It's not like I'd be able to bring it to Holden anyway if I don't try...
My vision is weakening as I fumble with the bottle. The cap pops off and the liquid inside smells oddly of detergent. Raising it to my lips- I force it down, gulping three mouthfuls of the disgusting medicine. The now half empty bottle falls softly to the grass and I cough from drinking it all so fast.
...warmth floods my body from its inner core- to the extent that I feel a fire has been lit in the pits of my stomach. All the pain melts away into a warm, tingling sensation that pulls a moan from my lips. Even the ache in my legs and my inner thighs evaporates into what I could only describe as the most relaxing sensation I'd ever felt.
My shoulder no longer hurts or pains. On the contrary, it felt light- and flexible. I stand to my feet with a new ease that I haven't felt ever before in my life.
...but then, as quickly as the happiness had filled me- it drains out as I realise- I've used the medicine Holden wanted. Now I had nothing to present my loyalty but a half empty bottle. Just my life- which might not be worth much in a few hours time.
'You have to find him- you're so close now Maya-' the voice urges me. 'You haven't come this far to give up-'
I can hear Sin's footsteps crunching around the corner, and I'm brought crashing back from my woes. How could I be so stupid? Of course Sin was going to follow his wounded prey. There's no time to make it all the way around the block before he sees me. He's going to shoot me, and with the wall as a guide- my head will be an easy target. As my hands grip my skirt- I instead find my hand wrapping around my cleaver.
My heartbeat stays, and I open my eyes slowly. The warmth that floods my fingertips suddenly floods over my entire body as I see Sin's arm come into view around the corner. I can hear the voice inside me whispering as my own voice is lost in its wake. The world goes blurry, and I can't feel anything anymore...
-And in my inhuman state, without consent- I lunge.
There's no time for him to prepare. The cleaver hacks into his lower arm, and the serrated edge catches on its flesh as I pull it free from the screaming warrior. It isn't deep, and I don't attack twice, instead running once more with the quadrangle in sight. No alarm rings, and as the world quakes around me I can hear Sin screaming bloody murder.
A sick sense of pride fills my chest. I saved myself, and now I will save Holden from this sickness of an arena. He's so close now- I know it. Together with him, we can fight our way to the future I had dreamed of. With the power I hold now... that I feel now... it's nothing short of possible.
Sure enough, I reach the edge of the quadrangle with no problems. Sin is far behind, still sporting his wound- weakened but not dying. If I'm going to make it to the Performance Hall, I need to make this concrete distance. The quadrangle almost the size of two football fields; much too large for any normal school in the Districts. Standing by the steps that lower into its premise- I inhale.
'Run, run and don't stop running- even if you feel like you're going to hack up your guts... keep running... and don't stop...'
-and I do.
The ground seems to pound back up at my feet as my refreshed body slowly begins to dwindle back into exhaustion. The performance hall still seems so far away, and the brick walls that surround me at all sides make me feel as if I really am trying to escape from the coliseum's arena. The cleaver swings faithfully at my side, and my pack hits my back reassuringly as I run.
'This strength... what is it?'
As the hall draws nearer, my heart pounds as I realise that I'm going to meet Holden. The boy I've been fighting for is so close now... the boy I love... all the horrors I've witnessed are worth it. All the terrible things I've caused were necessary to find him.
-The Hall's doors are a magnificent oak, unharmed by the earthquake- with the two masks of Drama smiling and weeping down at me. I tremble with excitement, fear and exhaustion as I gaze back at the long distance I traversed to finally reach this point. The quadrangle looks so simple now and not at all daunting from this side.
I push the doors open, and the sunlight fills the hall from where I stand. I can feel my breath escape me as the scented smell washes over me- so unlike any drama hall a regular school would cherish. This was like an ornate playhouse. As I slowly step inside- I can see the velvet curtains and rows of seats set to watch a great performance.
"Holden!" I cry into the shadowy darkness, tears welling in happiness. "Holden, where are you?!"
I can hear sharp breathing and a weak moan- and from its direction I can tell that they're hiding on the stage.
"-it's Maya!" I run into the middle aisle, and I stare up at the large and overpowering stage before me. "I'm here to protect you!"
At first I walk, but it breaks into a run. The anticipation is too much as I leap, full bound onto the stage- pulling myself up with my hands. I let the cleaver fall centre stage as I see the pair of legs clumsily hidden behind the curtain. My heart pounds and the voice whispers words of congratulations as I pull the curtain aside.
"-I know it's hard to trust me, but I've got food and-"
Adelaide's eyes look up at me- filled with tears- and I feel my insides turn to ash and my heart grow hollow. On the ground beside the burnt crying girl he lays. Weak, dying... the boy I love looks up at me with the faintest glimmer in his eyes I had yearned for this entire time.
"...Maya... take care of Adelaide..."
No. No it was supposed to be Adelaide who needed the medicine- not Holden. This is all wrong. My lip trembles and I fall to my knees- unable to contain my cries as he struggles to breathe.
"This can't be!"