Updated as of June 23rd, 2021.
Welcome back everyone.
Onto the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. We all know this. We all grudgingly accept this. Most of us.
FLASHBACK TO THE LAST CHAPTER
I met up with Hive and Klew at the mats, where Klew had seemed to have lost her energy and was no longer talking a mile a minute. She did fill me in on their successes at climbing trees, with Hive only falling off a total of six times to Klew's four. I smiled at her innocence, and I wondered what the world would be like if we didn't have these hellish Games. Atala brought us all back to attention with a sharp whistle, ceasing all conversation.
"Alright everyone, our first tributes for today's sparring session are Jaxon Helsing and Clove Kentwell!"
Clove didn't seem to show any mercy in her sparring match against the young District 7 boy, Jaxon, but it wasn't like he put up much of a fight in the first place. Clove had easily pinned him in within the first minute, and the match was over ten seconds after. No blows exchanged, no injuries sustained. I frowned in disappointment at the look of defeat on his young face. His sister appeared to be the only non-Career that was happy with Clove's victory, and that twisted my frown into a scowl. The Games really did change people. Jaxon must have realized that before the match. No, he probably sensed it from the beginning. That had to be why he flopped over and let Clove win. He'd already accepted his role in the game.
Atala raised Clove's hand in the air and announced her as winner while Sinius helped Jaxon to his feet, nudging him to go back into the small crowd of tributes surrounding the mats. His sister turned his nose up at him as he walked by her, a smug smirk painted on her lips. She watched as his head bowed further from the corner of her eye, something malicious glittering inside her. He ended up standing beside the girl from District 9, the only other tribute that seemed concerned for him other than me.
Clove glared daggers at the floor as she made her way to the rest of the Careers, her lips twitching up at the corners slightly when Cato clapped her on the back, congratulating her on her flawless victory. Merida gave a half-smile, but made no move to approach the short brunette. The others didn't show very much enthusiasm towards her, although she didn't look like she cared either way.
"He just gave up, didn't he?" Klew said, her eyes having followed Jaxon on his way back to his spot. Hive nodded as he toed the floor, a frown tilting the corners of his mouth down.
"He had nothing to fight for," I said in a monotone, eyes closing as my forehead crinkled, "Without a cause, what is the point in even trying?"
"How poetic of you," Klew muttered, jolting when Atala blew her whistle.
"Quiet down now, everyone. Our next match will be between Cato Wynters and Hive Drellings. Boys, if you would please," Atala announced, her naturally boisterous voice easily overpowering the chatter from the tributes. Both Klew and Hive grew stiff, Hive's face visibly draining of color.
"Hive. Look at me," I said hurriedly, stepping in front of him to gain his attention. His wide eyes locked with mine, his freckles standing out more than usual with his sudden pallid skin tone.
"You are going to go up there and give it your best shot. You are not going to lose your head, or panic. You will keep calm and calculative. Don't let him get you on your back and keep your wits about you. Alright?" I said in a low, commanding tone, never breaking eye contact. He nodded, albeit hesitantly. Good.
"Then go up there and show us what you've got." I smiled, guiding him towards the mats as if I were a teacher and he were my student. He licked his lips nervously and nodded, sending one last glance to Klew and I before walking up to take his position.
Cato had stalked to his spot as soon as his first name had been called, a cocky smile causing a predatory look to spark in his eye. He took in Hive's appearance not unlike Haymitch had Emery's and mine, like a butcher sizing up a pig before the slaughter. I wanted to slap that look right off his arrogant face. The glint in his eyes, the tipped up chin. It was a look I had seen countless times in my life, in that hidden space down the alleyway. All those others, itching to be called on. They never knew what they were getting themselves into, not a single one of them.
"Alright, the rules are simple boys. You are not to bite, claw, or harm each other than with what you were born with. No weapons. Understood? Wonderful. Now, begin!" Atala said, taking a step back from the two as Cato went into motion, his fist aimed for Hive's face.
Judging by the look of surprise on the big brute's face when Hive pivoted to the left and dodged the blow, he had expected the match to be over just as quick as Clove's had been. Hive watched the much larger boy's moves like a hawk, his eyes wide with fear as he backed away with his hands raised cautiously. Cato slowly turned around, his feeling of annoyance rolling off of him in waves.
"Oh, really now? You're actually gonna give me a challenge?" Cato asked with narrowed eyes, his sneer gradually shifting into a wolfish grin. "Alright, Gadget Boy. Show me what you got."
"Gadget Boy?" Klew whispered questioningly, confusion wrinkling her brow.
"You are from the technology district, aren't you?" I asked with a ghost of a smile. The lights seemed to come back on upstairs and she shook her head, laughing at herself.
The two boys almost looked like they were preforming a dance with the way Cato always advanced, aiming to win, while Hive read his body language a few seconds before and maneuvered out of the way. Klew watched the whole exchange with wide eyes, the calculating look in her amber eyes drinking in every detail.
My brow furrowed as the images before us started flickering, the two boys that were basically strangers to me shifting into ones that were too close for comfort. Everything began to blur and I had to force myself to look away, to close my eyes and take a deep breath. That was Hive, the shy boy from District 3 who in the short time I had known him gained a small amount of backbone. Cato was the big brute from District 2, the one known for being merciless even before showing up in the training center. That was Hive, not Aronn. Cato, not Gale. Their names swirled around in my head, repeating themselves over and over as I struggled to even look back up at the match.
Cato once again came after the boy with a fist raised which Hive dodged with ease, but this time instead of stopping, Cato jerked his elbow out and nailed the unsuspecting Hive directly in the face.
His head snapped to the side and his balance shifted, causing him to stumble back. One hand cradled the wounded cheek while the other flew out to stabilize himself. The giant District 2 tribute only laughed at the pitiful sight before striding forward and kicking low, attempting to snap Hive's leg at the knee.
I suddenly lunged forward, nostrils flaring as the urge to protect, to defend the weaker one, overwhelmed me. Klew latched onto my arm, yanking me back with all her might to keep me in the crowd. My hands curled into tight fists at my side, knuckles turning white from all the pressure being used. I couldn't let him get hurt. I wouldn't let him get hurt.
Not again. He couldn't get hurt because of me.
Hive scrambled backwards and fell, barely escaping the strike. Cato snarled, his short-fused temper igniting as he advanced further, blue eyes dark with the storm brewing inside. Hive rolled away and got to his feet, his cheek already becoming swollen from the previous hit.
She gripped his arm, yanking him backwards. "What the Hell do you think you're doing, Gale?!"
"He started it, Katniss!"
Cato full-out tackled the smaller male, knocking him to the ground effortlessly. Hive weakly tried to shove him off, but it did nothing for him. The District 2 boy chuckled at the wimpy display and raised his fist to inflict a little more damage. However, before he got the chance to, Atala stepped forward and blew her whistle, signaling the end of the match.
"Ten! Match over!" She said, causing me to blink and step back.
What? When had she started counting?
Cato hopped off and brushed nonexistent dust off of his clothes, his head turning towards my direction briefly. We made eye contact. His brow furrowed and his clear eyes clouded, his mouth opening slightly in silent question. I avoided my gaze as Glimmer came up and wrapped herself excitedly around him, chattering with praise at his win.
Klew released me once Hive was safely off the mats and back in our presence, her tongue hardly being able to keep up with her mind as she shot off a hundred questions about how he was doing, how his cheek was feeling, if he could show her his sick dodging skills, and so many others. Hive just looked at her with an overwhelmed sense about him, doing his best to try and appease the hyperactive girl standing in front of him.
My shoulders relaxed as I watched them, my breath coming out in a soft sigh as I faintly smiled. His hazel eyes darted up to meet mine, a desperate plea to help him evident in their depths. I chuckled lightly and shrugged, basically telling him he was on his own for this one. He bowed his head, which unfortunately for him merely caused her to ask even more questions on his well-being. My small smile grew a little warmer at the normalcy their exchange displayed.
How could I have ever confused the shy and reserved Hive for Aronn? Or, at least the old him.
"Our next match is about to begin, tributes! Pay attention!" Atala said in irritation, her narrowed eyes scrutinizing all of us until we fell silent, seemingly pleased with the results of her announcement. "Alright. Now, I will need Juliet Helsing and Laurel Dainton to please come to the mats! Make it quick."
Frozen. My limbs locked up and my heart rate increased. My turn. My jaw clenched and I curled my hands into fists, trying so hard to hear through the roaring in my ears. The District 7 female's eyes widened as she too took in the news. Clearing her throat, she tipped her nose in the air and marched onto the mats, crossing her arms as she waited for her opponent.
"Hey, you need to get your big butt in gear, Laurel," Klew said from beside me, apparently done grilling Hive for information. "Go kick her ass."
Short, simple, and with a pinch of vulgarity. I smiled despite myself.
"Thanks, Klew," I said, squaring my shoulders as I clamped down on my emotions, not allowing anything to get through the blank mask I had created for myself. The tributes stepped aside to let me through, some of them showing surprise and recognition when they connected my name to my face, others avoiding their gazes entirely.
Atala nodded to me once I reached my respectful position, a look somewhat akin to pride on her face. District 7, however, seemed taken aback as I stepped onto the mat. Her dark eyes exploded with emotions, the gears in her head working overtime to come to a conclusion about something. It set me on edge. Something is definitely off about this girl.
She wasn't too much larger than me. Her limbs held a bit of muscular tone to them, but not much. Her stick-straight, platinum blonde hair stopped at her shoulders, part of it falling forward into her face. Her slim, yet calloused, hands twitched occasionally with her thoughts, making my discomfort of her presence grow. Was she already buckling under the stress of the Games?
"I expect by now you two know the rules of these matches. No biting, clawing, or anything of the sort. I will not hesitate to dole out punishment as I see fit if these rules are not followed," she said, looking warily at Juliet. She hadn't said that for anyone else's match. Why would she say that now? "Are we clear?"
"Crystal," I said, my body tensing as it slowly slid into an offensive position it had known for years. The tall woman paused briefly, her expectant gaze landing on the still reeling Juliet. As if she sensed the aggravated gaze on her, she snapped her head up and looked to Atala, eyes hardening as she nodded curtly towards the older woman.
"Alright then. You may begin!"
District 7 wasted no time jumping into things as she darted forward, aiming to strike at my abdominal region. I skirted to the side, getting low as I hooked my leg with hers and brought her to the ground, hard. She growled like an animal and leapt to her feet, coming back at me with a vengeance that was definitely off-putting.
"How dare you!" She hissed, taking hold of my arm as she pulled me forward and head-butted me. The sharp sting that followed caused my sight to blur, the off-white coloring of her hair becoming a faded smudge in my vision. I shook it off, bringing my foot up and nailing her in the gut to get her to release me.
She grunted, tumbling backwards as her arm curled around her middle. I blinked my way back to clearer vision, my cold fingers gently touching my forehead to find the source of the dull throbbing. Great. That was going to leave a rather large lump for a while. My little damage-check got interrupted by Juliet, who had recovered and was practically frothing at the mouth.
I barely had enough time to bring my arms up before she threw her first punch, her bony knuckles sharp as they made contact with my skin. Pain blossomed in my forearm, a gasp leaving my lips as she threw another fist. Something snapped inside my brain, like a trigger being pulled. With it came the rushing flood of memories I had tried desperately to ignore, sending my senses reeling as panic crashed over me in a wave.
My jaw clenched tightly, a silent snarl pulling at my upper lip. The muscles in my body coiled in preparation. As my anger level rose, the pain I felt dulled, the throbbing sensations taking up residence in the theoretical backburner of my mind.
This was how I used to cope with the blows. It's what got me through the torture that had been my life day in and day out for years. Block out the pain and move forward. Never hesitate. Make every strike count. There was no room for mistakes.
A swift right hook to her cheek followed by an uppercut to her sore stomach forced her to fall back and dry heave. She didn't stay that way for long, however, because soon enough she was back in my face, this time aiming to take me down. Her slight height advantage coupled with her easily outweighing me were my downfall.
We landed on the mat with a thud, her lanky limbs desperately trying to keep me pinned. Atala held no hesitations in starting the countdown, the sounds lost on me as I fought tooth-and-nail to get out, to get away from the rabid tribute. She was luckily not that well versed in the art of hand-to-hand combat, so her pin didn't keep me down for long.
Using my knees, I pushed her body up, allowing enough space to strike her in the face again. Her eyes lost their focus for a moment, and that was all I needed to flip the tables on her.
Throwing what body weight I possessed, I rolled us over, pinning her effectively and instantly, a complete opposite to her useless flailing of limbs. She blinked blearily up at me, disoriented and unsure of what just happened, though figuring it out quickly. Once she came out of her dazed state, her rabid side came back at full-force, her disconcerting black eyes burning with anger and hatred. In what seemed to be a moment of desperation, the wild blonde craned her neck up and sank her teeth into my bare forearm.
A horrendous, animalistic howl wrenched its way from my lips as her teeth dug into my skin, tearing it and causing blood to pour out. Her eyes locked onto my own, a look I will never forget in those dark depths as she bit down harder.
I could see Atala approaching us from the corner of my eye, no doubt to end the match and get this sadistic tribute off of me. It burned, the pain excruciating. No one had ever had the audacity to bite me before. The pain fueled my temper as it rose higher and higher, before finally reaching its peak.
My left fist came out and nailed her in the eye. It turned out to be a poor choice when I had to grit my teeth to withstand the agony of her jaws jolting around. Despite this repercussion, it caused her jaws to slacken, allowing me to dig my fingers in between her teeth and my arm and get her away from me.
Scrambling to my feet, I barely noticed the blood running down my arm as I stared at the mess of a girl, her mouth stained red and her eye already beginning to swell. Atala hauled her up by her arm, the woman's face set in a cold mask. Juliet seemed to cower in the taller woman's grip, only now realizing how big of a mistake she made. That was around the time I noticed the bleeding, cursing under my breath as I held my arm behind my head. Had to keep the wound above my heart, after all.
"I think you've had enough sparring for today," the giant woman muttered, her knuckles turning white from holding 7's arm so tightly. "Your mentor is going to be notified right away of your unsatisfactory performance here today."
"What?!" That seemed to be the only thing 7 was capable of saying as Atala motioned for a few of the onlooking station experts over. They wordlessly took Juliet from the intimidating woman's hands, looking oddly reminiscent of Peacekeepers taking a prisoner to jail.
"Take her back to her apartment. She is not to be allowed in the cafeteria for the remainder of the day, nor is she allowed lunch," Atala said, the two trainers curtly nodding as they began escorting the now panicked tribute away.
"You can't do that!" 7 argued with the woman, glaring daggers as she struggled against the people holding her.
"Actually, I can. You agreed to my rules, and you were the one who broke them. Therefore, you are to be punished as I see fit. Now, shut up and face forward. You are only shaming yourself further," the older woman said harshly, her eyes glittering dangerously. Juliet turned her focus from Atala and shifted to me, her eyes narrowing into heated slits.
"This isn't over, 12. You better watch your back. There might be an ax in it," she said derisively, finally allowing the trainers to drag her along. I frowned, not intimidated in the least by her attempt at a threat.
"I am really sorry that happened, Atala. If I had known she would pull something like that I would have put her in a better hold," I sighed, kicking myself a little for not planning that far ahead. The Amazon shot me an incredulous look, her head shaking in disbelief while she mumbled something unintelligible under her breath.
"Thank you for your concern, Dainton, but it is completely unnecessary. You weren't the one to try and take a chunk out of another tribute," she scoffed, ushering the plant station trainer forward. "This woman will take you to the infirmary, where they will treat your wound. You will be given the chance to spar once again tomorrow, seeing as this session ended before a winner could be decided. Get a move on, kid."
The kind expert took me gently by the arm and led me towards the doors, letting go once she was sure I would follow. I looked over my shoulder at Klew and Hive, sending them a reassuring smile to soothe their worried expressions. Atala was directing an Avox to clean the droplets of blood on the mat, already getting the next session ready. Despite being a Capitolite, the coach never showed her posh upbringing, or flaunted it in any of the tributes' faces. I daresay she was even friendly to everyone, in her own way of course. And she knew how to get things done.
A noise from above caused me to shift my gaze skywards, zeroing in on the balcony. The Gamemakers' little party had simmered down for the moment, the people participating already drunk off of the food and the alcohol that was no doubt being served. A few were laughing and conversing among each other, others looked to be in disbelief as they took in the first taste of what I was capable of.
And then there was Haymitch.
He was leaning against the railing, his eyes burning into mine as he clutched a cup of something or other to his chest. I spoke with him silently through eye contact, hoping he understood what I was trying to tell him. The skin under his eyes tightened and he shook his head, muttering something under his breath.
The plant station expert left me at the infirmary's doorway, murmuring a get well soon before departing. I was left to warily scan the room, the antiseptic smell making my nose scrunch. A portly woman came bustling by, shooting me a quick smile before doing a double-take. Her eyes widened as she took in the blood still trickling down my arm, part of it having soaked the fabric of my sleeve.
"Oh my goodness, what happened, dear?" She gasped, hurrying over to me and forgetting her current task.
"One of the other tributes decided I might make a good snack and figured they'd take a bite first," I said casually, glancing around the stark white area as my nose twitched again. "Do you have a doctor nearby or something that could help patch me up? I need to return to the gym as soon as possible."
"Oh my," she said, her eyes huge as she took a closer look at the wound. Shaking off her stupor, she gained a very business-like attitude and squared her shoulders, a small smile playing at her lips. "Well, you had better follow me then. We only have one doctor on site right now, and you are lucky enough to be looking at her. Right this way dear.
"Now, this may hurt for a few moments, but it is worth it in the end," the brightly colored doctor warned after she had hustled me into a private room, an odd looking instrument in her grip. "You may need to bite down on this rag for a few moments to ensure you don't bite your tongue off."
Once everything was set in place, the doctor gave me a look saying to brace myself, and that was all the warning I got. I clamped down hard on the rag, thankful she had suggested it as she set to work on the wound. The ceiling tiles became much more interesting than they had when we walked in here for some reason, and they became my focus as I tuned the pain out.
Look at what one mistake gets you, Laurel. I thought you knew better...
The doctor escorted me back to the gym after treating my wound. Only a bit of scarring remained to show the bite ever existed. She'd commented how terrible it was to see someone as beautiful as I with such an ugly scar to mar my arm. I had only smiled and nodded, silently wondering what she would think if she saw what the rest of my skin looked like underneath the training outfit.
After saying our goodbyes, she bustled her way back to the infirmary, going back to do whatever she had originally set out to do. I took a deep breath to steady myself before pushing the doors open.
The tributes were still crowded around the sparring mats, the District 7 girl nowhere in sight. Coach Atala was in the middle of announcing the rules for another set of fighters. From the tail end I caught, her rules for them different than what she told Juliet and me. I set my face back into a cool mask and strode over, eyes locking onto Klew and Hive's location. It barely registered that the match had started when Atala called it out, but the carefree laugh that followed was what snapped me to attention.
My eyes widened as I stopped in my tracks, gaze glued to the two tributes currently engaged in combat. Finnick Odair's face had broken out into a large grin as he countered every single one of his opponents' moves, his lithe body advancing and retreating in order to keep up with the flow of attacks his partner threw at him. He had been the one to laugh, I was sure of it.
His enemy's back was to me, but that didn't matter in the slightest. It was obvious who he was. From his tall, lean build, to his shaggy, black hair.
Emery.
I stood rooted in place, unknowingly looking rather foolish for stopping so far from the crowd, although I wouldn't have cared even if I had realized it. My vision tunneled as I focused solely on Emery, on the way his body rolled with the punches. I focused on the cold, almost chilling look on his face as he fought. The muscles in his back coiling before every toss of his arm. I focused on how his legs planted themselves to give him the best stance to defend himself, and then follow through and counter the attack. The hardened look in his eye. The small birthmark on the underside of his chin.
It was him.
A/N: That's all she wrote.
Who is Aronn? Who is Emery? Who are you? Where am I? WHAT IS HAPPENING?!
But seriously. These are the questions we must ask ourselves.
Thank you to jojowerid for saying something about carrots. Now anyone in the future reading this will be so confused! :3
Also, I would like to remind you all I do not have a beta for this, or for that matter any, of my stories, so there may be a few mistakes. Lemme know if you catch one in a PM or something.
Okay.
Bye.