So here's an update for you lovely people! First off I apologize for the lack of updates, I'm in the middle of a lot of coursework, and I promise that I will do chapters as often as I can for you guys, even if they aren't every other day. Thanks again to people who have ready reviewed, submitted, favourited or followed, the support is amazing, and it never fails to encourage me. Hopefully we can get onto the reapings soon, but for now, enjoy this little snippet...
The peacekeeper walks his measured, paced stroll across the concrete corridor, numbered doors moving slowly past left and right. He has been trained to always walk this way, the drumming rhythm of a soldier's timing is secondary to only his heartbeat. He looks to his watch; 12.03. He knows that he walks this corridor everyday at this time, and feels a surge of pride at his punctuality.
No. He is a soldier. Feelings, even pride, have no place in his head. They are too distracting, and his officer doesn't like distractions.
He observes the wire cells apathetically as he moves. Thin figures huddle in corners, bruises smattered over their arms, legs, faces. They are remnants of the Rebellion. His hand twitches instinctually.
Suddenly, he looks to the end of the corridor, a sound startling him. High Security, the words stamped into the thick steel door. This one makes him more nervous than most. He moves carefully towards the looming impenetrable barricade, careful to keep his expression impassive. He stops in front of it, and swallowing, slides open the small peephole with a grating screech of metal against metal.
She sits in the corner like the others, a skeleton in regulation white prison uniform. Her head is down, bruised scalp obvious through her hacked off short hair. The only thing that signals life to him is the rapid, shaking movement of her chest moving in and out. He's surprised, she'll go soon, he thinks. He's getting good at knowing when they become corpses.
He watches for a few more seconds, and goes to pull back the hatch.
"Wait."
Her voice stops him dead. A chill climbs down his back. She hasn't spoken in days. Lifting his head, his gaze reluctantly meets hers. He's looking into those hard brown eyes, set in yellowed skin, hollow, dead. He shivers. She really doesn't have long left.
"What?" He snaps in a tone that would make most prisoners flinch.
Her gaze remains steady- she is unshaken.
"I need more water."
He sighs inwardly. Most prisoners are left to suffer dehydration, but this was a Level 9. She had special privileges, priority to be kept alive. She knew things. Doesn't mean she's untouchable. He smirks to himself, his eyes lingering on her swollen lip, crusted with black blood. It's healing, he notes, and he itches to mark her again.
She remains unswayed, her eyes boring into the peacekeeper staring at her through the metal window of her cell.
He slams the slider shut suddenly, and she jumps. Her nerves aren't what they used to be. A systematic and familiar pattern of beeping and clicking announces his arrival, and the door swings open soundlessly. He steps heavily into the room, his footsteps ringing out on the corrugated iron.
Shivering at the ominous sound, she remains composed and inches her head towards the empty steel bowl on the floor. Wordlessly, he picks it up, filling it from a white container at his side. This familiar interaction is void of feeling for the both of them.
She looks to the ground , staring at the patterned floor of her home for the last year. The peacekeeper reseals the container, placing the dog bowl down again.
He considers her for a moment, and his eyes zone in on her bare feet. His breath hitches, as he cheers internally. Moving towards the girl, he stands over her, powerful, imposing.
"Tsk tsk... No shoes? That's against regulations..."
Her eyes flicker up to meet his,and he relishes in the panic he sees behind them.
"No, please, they don't fit me anymore, I can't keep them on-"
She stops protesting as he leans down and in one motion grabs her shoulder hard. She feels so brittle to him, so easy to break.
Her breathing is quick, and he revels in the authority racing through him. Oh this is gonna be good.
She sees his fist swooping towards her and then everything is white. Pain explodes in her cheek, hot blood wetting her lip. The ringing in her ears seeps away as her vision returns, swimming. She lies against the wall, and gasps, used to the pain, but always caught off guard by the shock. The peacekeeper looks in disgust to his fist, covered in blood. Her blood.
Kneeling down, he smirks, and brushes her bruised lip with his thumb aggressively. Panicked, she scoots her back against the wall and tries to remain calm. She knows what comes next. Her rage quells inside of her, and it's all she can do to stop herself slapping this man away. He moves closer, and she fights the urge to vomit.
"Now now, you know it will just be easier if you-"
He barely has time to finish before he grabs his kneecap, reeling from a sharp kick and grunting in pain. The girl fumes, rising up to stand on her feet. She is small but muscled, and full of fire. She sends a sidekick to his face, and he lurches backwards onto the metal floor, howling in pain.
"Don't you even dare."
Her voice shakes with anger, as stamps down hard on his shin. She's grateful that she still remembers how to break a leg.
Inhaling deeply, she turn away from the convulsing peacekeeper, cracking her knuckles. That, felt good. She smiles for the first time in a long time, her mouth twisting sadistically upwards.
"You BITCH-"
She turns to him swiftly, and sends an elbow into his neck mercilessly. His screams pierce the air, and she kneels down next to him, eyes ablaze, blood dripping from her face.
"Nobody calls Johanna Mason a bitch." She hisses in his ear, a voice laced with poison.
His screams are loud, and she turns back to him briefly, shoving one of her white plimsoll shoes into his mouth to quieten him. Good, he's annoying. She thinks flippantly, before moving out of the four walls that have boxed her in for so long. She wonders if the other guards will have noticed the commotion, and smiles sardonically.
She was ready for them.
So there it is! I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave a review, they are always much appreciated! If you still want to submit tributes here are some tips:
1. There are only males left now, but they can be equally as complex and interesting as girls I assure you!
2. Please try to make them a little on the wacky side. I have already had so many lovely tributes, and a lot of them are morally sound, but the insane tributes are also key to the story here :)
3. I am banning 17 year olds, simply because we have SO MANY OF THEM, anymore would be too boring, we need diversity!
The Tribute List:
D1 Male: Damari Leventhorne (18) Submitted by Kanra Chrome
D1 Female: Lexa Emmeline Merkell (18) Submitted by GlimmerIcewood
D2 Male: Aiden Faust (18) Submitted by grab. .
D2 Female: Jade Rainer (17) Submitted by ashleyashley
D3 Male: Dutch Morgan (13) Submitted by Heslen
D3 Female: Alice Day (13) Submitted by Rayofsunshine14
D4 Male: Kainalu Porbeagle (17) Submitted by A M4D TE4 P4RTY
D4 Female: Amoret Rossdale (17) Submitted by carriedaway88
D5 Male: Lucas Holmes (12) Submitted by grab. .
D5 Female: Sola Finlun (14) Submitted by RAINBOWSNEMESIS
D6 Male:
D6 Female: Merinda Lux (17) Submitted by Heslen
D7 Male:
D7 Female: Katy Jo Cheming (17) Submitted by Nona
D8 Male:
D8 Female: Payton Wells (12) Submitted by 17headlines
D9 Male: Maximus "Max" Wood (18) Submitted by ZTEBladeCM11
D9 Female: Isla Waral (15) Submitted by 17headlines
D10 Male: Kyle Horne (16) Submitted by Wandering Princess
D10 Female: Clarissa Brown (17) Submitted by Wandering princess
D11 Male:
D11 Female: Adria Braud (15) Submitted by TheDancerSG
D12 Male: Tucker 'Tuck' Wellington (14) Submitted by Kanra Chrome
D12 Female: Winze Barcroft (16) Submitted by GlimmerIcewood
