A/N Thanks to those of you who reviewed the previous chapter :D If you thought the last chapter was sad just wait till you read this one ;) Oh and please review :D
And I just want to give a quick shout out to Claire-DaThug for giving me the keyword for this chapter :D
Games: 2
District 9 male tribute – Age eighteen – Evander Cyprus
Keyword: Love
I block out every single emotion that course like a burning fire through my veins, as I clutch tightly onto her hand. Many would say what it is I have done is foolish; a fatal mistake and perhaps it is. I chose to be thrown into this bitter wasteland that was created for their entertainment and I can blame no one but myself for being here. Many say I should place the blame upon the girl that drove me to allow those seemingly two simple words to flow off my tongue, but I refuse to place any of the blame on her.
I never wanted to fathom the idea that I will be laid to rest at the age of eighteen, but volunteering to protect her was something I had no choice, but to carry out. Love is such a powerful emotion, as it forces us to place the well being of that one you hold dear before your own. At this moment in time I no longer have any regard for my life and I may just be starting to accept the fact that I will never see another brilliant sunrise stretching high above District 9, that place to which I call home again.
I tighten my hold on Aurora's hand subconsciously at the very thought of home. I left my family behind with only as much as a simple goodbye; when I know they deserved so much more than that. To lose a son to this toxic emotion we have labelled as love without as much as a feeble warning, is something that holds the strength to destroy something inside the members of my family; to cause deep ravines to crack their way into the surface of their hearts.
Aurora having known me since we were young is easily able to pick up on the fact that my thoughts have switched to thoughts of despair and a hopelessness that has been eating away at my insides since day one. "Evander, what are you thinking about?" She asks me softly, in a voice as velvety and rich as the finest of chocolates.
"Home," I say simply, but my voice gives away that my mind is lost in memories of that place we have both been torn away from.
She looks up at me, a sad smile etching its way across her lips, "Just hold onto the good memories and disregard the bad ones."
I close my eyes briefly, as my mind continues to drift further and further away from me. Perhaps getting lost in my head is something I cling onto, as in this place of illusion and dreams the thought of losing Aurora to the hands of another doesn't have to brand itself upon my heart.
"Do you remember how we first met?" I ask her after awhile and this simple question of how that one chance meeting would start the whirlwind that would bloom into young love forces a soft smile to dance across her lips.
"How could I forget?" The way her eyes shimmer in the paling light, as twilight slowly begins to rain down on us, gives the illusion that the day we met for the first time is flickering its way across her eyes, as if it was nothing more than a movie to be shown.
I remember that day, as if it took place yesterday. Even if we were both only the age of nine at the time, that day will never be forgotten to us not even after death, not even when death snakes its cold icy fingers around the smooth surface of our necks. I close my eyes if only for the briefest of moments, as images begin to dance their way across the surface of my now closed eyelids.
It was a lazy summer day and the sun hung low in the sky, as darkening clouds began to creep their way across the deep blue canvas of the sky. I was alone or at least I thought I was, as I sat by a small creek that snakes its way through the land of the outskirts of the District. I spent many summer days of my childhood secluded by this crystal clear water, there was something about the serenity of the surrounding area that just drew me towards it; like a moth to a flame. I ran my fingertips along the smooth icy surface of the water, causing ripples to spread like wildfire across its surface.
Even at that young age, my mind always appeared to be lost amongst the soft whispers of the wind. I always burrowed myself deep in a land of dreams; a place where nobody could touch me, not even the Capitol. However now they have drawn me out of this safe haven and placed me deep into a land that was brought forth from the fires of hell themselves.
I was so deep and lost in my land of dreams that I didn't hear the snapping of branches behind me. I was so transfixed by images only I could pay witness to that I didn't notice the girl with the exquisite deep emerald green eye watching me intently. My focus was only shattered by the sound of hearing her sweet lyrical voice for the first time, "What are you doing?"
Her voice sent rivets of shock tearing its way through my body, as to my knowledge I was the only one who knew about this little slice of serenity that was nestled deep along the fence line of our District. Caught off guard my body jolted in a way that would make it appear, as if I had been shocked by lightning. Colors seemed to swirl across my vision in some form of a dance, as my body fell forward into the icy water, as my form tore apart the surface of the water. The water seemed to part, opening a space that would soon engulf my body whole. I felt trapped beneath the icy surface and looked up to pay witness to something I will never forget, not even to this day.
She was looking down upon me, as if through a window splayed with the illusion of stained glass that was created by the soft pinks and deep purples that were created when the sun and the sky worked together in a beautiful harmony. Her deep chocolate brown hair billowed around her, as the soft wind swirled around her. As my lungs felt like they were about to burst, as they were nothing more than a pair of balloons I kicked out my legs, propelling myself back towards the surface.
"Is there a reason you snuck up on me like that?" I asked in a voice that appeared to demand an answer.
She giggled in response, as I pulled my body free of the icy water's grasps, "Is there a reason you fell into the creek like that?"
"I just decided I wanted to take a swim," I said stubbornly, as I crossed my arms lightly across my chest.
"You are such a liar and here I was thinking boys were supposed to be brave," Her soft giggles continued to bounce off the surrounding trees in an almost playful manner.
I forced myself to stand taller the moment those words rolled off her lips, "I am the bravest boy in all of District 9."
"Again I am going to call you a liar," She said this, as wave of amusement rippled its way across her features.
As I am thrown back into my reality, I cannot stop the small smile that appears to carve its way onto my lips. Aurora rests her head against my shoulder, as we continue to push forward. From that first day we met by our creek I began to do everything I could do to prove to her that I was braver than any other male in the District, but several of my schemes to prove this ended up in getting myself hurt or caught up in some form of trouble. However all of this slowly began to bud into more than just a friendship and then there was the first day she ever kissed me.
It was dark and we were sitting out on my front porch, her head resting against my shoulder the same way it is now, with her hair cascading in sweet waves down to the small of her back. We were lost in a conversation about what we wanted in our future, but at the time the future still seemed so far away, as if it was unreachable, but it is only at this moment in time do I realize just how unreachable a future for us really is. I had asked her if she could have anyone at that moment who she would choose. She looked up at me with eyes, which were carefully calculating which action she should carry out. That is when our lips collided for the first of many times to follow. Everything around us appeared to melt away, as our lips moved in a perfect harmony, as if they were the pieces of a matched set. Her lips were soft and caused the delicate curve of my own lips to tingle in a way I had never felt before; everything about that moment just felt right.
"What are you thinking about now?" Aurora asks me, seeing the far away glazed over look gleaming in the surface of my eyes.
"Our first kiss," At my words a faint blush dusts its way across the soft surface of her cheeks.
"You still think about that day?"
"Of course I do, why wouldn't I?" That is one day that I will cling onto for forever more. It is the thought I will hold desperately close to my heart, as I take in my last ragged breath.
My eyes now fall upon the now inky black sky, as the Capitol anthem rings through the air. There have been no deaths over the last few days and I fear that the Gamemakers are beginning to grow restless, as they crave to watch more crimson stain the grounds of their precious arena. Aurora and I had been a favorite of the Capitol, as they ate up our tale of young love that toyed with their heart strings. They wept at my tale of volunteering so the girl I loved who was reaped could return home. Our interviews were ones that were full of emotion, but all of this sympathy was not reflected by our fellow tributes. The careers laughed coldly at us for believing that our love could withstand the horrors of the arena and they vowed they wouldn't stop until they tore us apart. I breathe in sharply at the very notion of the careers hunting us down. We barely escaped their clutches during the bloodbath, as even that early in the Games they were determined to bring entertainment forward by tearing apart the lovebirds of District 9, but by surviving this long we have proven that we are so much more than that.
By some miracle we have both fought our way towards the top ten final tributes without a single drop of crimson that does not belong to us staining the surface of our flesh. With the deserted wasteland of a ruined city surrounding us, we both agree that it is time we located a shelter for the remainder of the evening. I can barely warp my mind around the concept that we have survived this long and that I am just that much closer to getting her home, but then a less then desirable thought begins to slither its way into the depths of my mind. Out of the final ten tributes that still remain breathing four of them belong to the group that we have branded as careers. The ones that are out for our blood continue to relentlessly stalk the arena, searching for those with lives they can soon claim as their own. We continue to push forward until an eerie silence blankets the entire surrounding arena. I feel Aurora tighten her grip around my hand, as she too senses that something is not quite right anymore.
My eyes peer through the fog that the night has brought forth, as I search for that which has caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.
"Something isn't right," Aurora says in a voice that is barely above a whisper, as I feel her body begin to be riddled with soft shivers. My heart rate begins to pick up, as it begins to pound loudly in my ears. That is when we both hear it, the sound of a blood chilling battle cry tearing apart the very seams of the night air. A scream escapes Aurora's lips, as we pay witness to the remaining four careers coming hurdling out of the shadows of the night with their weapons drawn.
"No, more hiding District 9!" Their leader Damien screeches at us. Panic begins to bubble in my chest, as I take off running dragging Aurora next to me. I cannot allow the careers to work their clutches around her; I just can't let them steal away her last precious breath. We propel ourselves forward that is until Aurora's foot snags on a loose piece of rock that sends her spiraling towards the ground, dragging me down with her.
"Aurora get up!" My voice drips with a panic that I have never heard once before in my tone, as I try to pull her to her feet, but I am already too late. The girl from District 2 grabs Aurora by the hair and yanks her to her feet, which causes a gasp of pain to escape her lips. I fumble for my knife in my boot, but the boy from District 2 brings his foot down on my hand, crushing every bone hidden beneath its fleshy surface. A howl of pain snakes its way out of my lips, as the boys from District 2 and District 4 take a hold of me and force me to my feet. Pain vibrates through my hand, but that pales in comparison to the crushing fear I feel at the sight of the flawless steel of a blade pressed up against the satin flesh of Aurora's neck.
"You two have caused allot more problems than either of you are worth. It has taken us days to track you down, but now I know tearing you two apart will be worth the wait," An evil sneer snakes its way across his lips, as the rest of his alliance recoils in a chorus of cold laughter. Aurora looks me dead in the eyes, as tears slowly begin to work their way down her cheeks, as she knows this is where we will both meet our untimely demise. We are greatly outnumbered while they are armed, while we have only cracked the top ten based on luck and luck alone. I'm sure every citizen of the Capitol is sitting on the edge of their seat, as they have been waiting with anticipation for this moment.
Damien walks towards Aurora and gently caresses her cheek, "Such a pretty girl, such a shame that you are just going to become another face in the sky along with your pathetic excuse of a boyfriend in just a few moments time."
"Don't touch her!" My desperate screams are picked up by the cold wind that has begun to swirl around us. I try to struggle against their hold, but the careers just tighten their hold to the point where I feel as if my arms are about to be snapped, as if they were nothing more than a feeble tree branch.
Damien begins to trace the delicate curve of Aurora's lips, but I cannot tear my eyes away from this horrific scene. Aurora closes her eyes tightly before she lashes out and bites down hard on Damien's finger. He lets out a screech of pain before he pulls back his finger.
"Insolent little b*tch!" He bellows, as he brings back his hand and backhands her hard. As his hand collides with her flesh I find myself flinching, as if I am the one who has just been struck."Kill her," Damien says, his voice not giving off any hint of emotion.
At these words is when my panic reaches a whole new level. "No, please!" I desperately plead, but the District 2 girl with her blade tightly pressed against Aurora's neck just smiles at me in a way that is tinged with bloodlust.
Aurora looks at me, as her tears continue to readily cascade down her cheeks, "I love you Evander, please don't ever forget that." A single tear rolls off my own cheek, as the blade swiftly makes a clean cut across her neck. A gut wrenching scream that appears inhuman escapes my lips at the sight before me. Aurora's eyes bulge from their sockets, as her thin form is coated in scarlet. Her body topples to the ground, as her cannon goes off in the distance. This sound is enough to shatter every aspect of my being, as at this moment something inside of me snapped. As my eyes fall upon the lifeless body of my lost love I feel, as if my entire heart has been ripped out of my chest. Nobody can understand what it is that I feel in this moment of time, I cannot even place a word upon the jumble of emotions that plague a war inside my very being.
Damien makes a motion for his alliance to step back from me and the moment they release their hold I drop down to my knees and crawl brokenly towards my sweet fair Aurora. I roll her over so her now cold lifeless eyes stare up into the inky dark canvas that is the sky, the soft light of the stars being reflected in their surface that used to be filled with so much life. I do not feel ashamed, as tears coat my skin. I would consider myself a monster if I did not mourn this lost. I cling onto her body trying to hold onto what little warmth it still holds, as the careers look upon me with disgust for displaying such weakness. If only they knew they are the ones who should be looked upon with disgust, for thinking that any of this is right.
The glint of a knife before me is the only thing that pulls me out of the hollow that has become my despair. "You want to do the honours?" Damien sneers, as he presses the blade into my hand wanting to watch me take my own life. Their laughter bounces around me, as they see this as nothing more than some sick and twisted piece of entertainment. I clutch the knife tightly between my fingers to the point my knuckles begin to turn a ghostly white shade. Before anyone can even react I pounce on Damien and bring the knife down upon his neck, ripping away his flesh. He lets out a strangled cry, as I feel an intense piercing pain rip its way through my stomach. My eyes grow wide, as I look upon the blade of a sword slick with my own scarlet blood sticking out of my own flesh. Damien's body falls to the ground, as his cannon booms in the distance, but I know mine will be following shortly.
"Time to join your lover," The girl from District 2 whispers in my ear, as she yanks the blade clean out of my body. Everything seems to slow down, as I crash towards the ground next to Aurora. My vision begins to blur around the edges, as the hourglass that represents my life falls close to becoming empty. I weakly reach my blood stained hand towards Aurora's own cold hand and desperately cling onto it, as I intertwine our fingers. The image of our first kiss whirls across my vision and I long to fall back into that moment. I long to hear her voice just one last time. I long to feel her sweet lips collide with my own, as we whisper our goodbyes to each other before we close our eyes for forever more.
I take in a shaky breath which I know will be my last. "I love you too Aurora, always," I breath out the words, as my eyes fall shut; our hands still interlocked as I fade away into nothing.
As my cannon tears through the now still night air all of Panem weeps from this display of young love that was torn apart because of these twisted Games. We both knew it was our love that would destroy us in the end, as we were willing to die for each other. We loved, but in the end it was us who lost.