The Cost of Survival
Self-Absorbed Author's Ramblings
I was feeling really unsatisfied by how short 19 was, so I made sure to put a lot more meat into 20 to make up for it. Hope y'all didn't mind the wait. :) (And I apologize for any goofs or typos)
Also, I added an extra portion to scene headings, indicating roughly where in the arena they are. Some areas I'll give sort-of names to. They wouldn't be what the Gamemakers would officially call that spot, but it would kind of be what Santana or Mike would think of the place as.
Another thing. There are some differences in the books' portrayal and in the film's portrayal. I kind of juggle references from both. There are some instances where I choose to show something closer to the book/s, and some where I choose to show something more like the film. So if there's anything vague or confusing to whoever only watched/read one or the other, that'd explain any possible inconsistencies.
Chapter 20
Day 2; Night 2
Arena. Tunnels. 72nd Hunger Games.
No matter how tired and sore her body felt, Santana refused to slow down or give in to the nagging urge to just collapse and lie on the floor. There was no way she was going to let herself look weak in front of Lauren, who was lumbering along without showing any signs of stopping. Her lip was still bleeding, and there were the beginnings of swelling on her cheek. Despite that and the other unseen pains Lauren was probably dealing with, she just kept going.
Meanwhile, Santana was being dragged down by not just the aches of her bruises, but also the hunger gnawing at her stomach. It occurred to her that they hadn't eaten anything all day. Yesterday, too, Santana only had pretty much one meal. There was nothing in her stomach now and it was sapping her of her energy. On top of that, her throat was starting to feel itchy and dry.
It was tempting to ask if there was any water left over from last night, but Santana felt too proud to actually admit how thirsty she really was. Especially not to Lauren.
"Should've killed one of those mutts." Lauren grumbled. It was the first thing she'd said since they started walking, having made the unspoken agreement to make finding food and water their primary agenda. "That would've made stuff simpler."
"Big hunk of meat…" This was probably one of those really rare moments when they could actually see eye to eye on something. "It would've lasted for days."
"Might've been a ticket to victory." Lauren licked at her bloody lip.
Santana could imagine the work it would take to skin such a large beast, and that would have been while both she and Lauren were suffering from and weakened by scratches and bruises from the attack. Another problem was that neither of them really had anything they could burn for a fire over which they would cook the meat. And there was still the matter of how to store and preserve it over the course of their stay in the arena.
But still!
It was also easy to imagine how filling all of that meat would be. How a beast that big really could feed the two of them for days. Hell, if they could reunite with Mike, all that meat would still be enough to feed three people for several days.
While other tributes would be scrounging for plants and bugs, or lying on the floor and waiting for the starvation to get them, Santana and Lauren could have been feasting every day, eating like Careers and Capitol folk.
Arena. Harmony's Cave. 72nd Hunger Games.
"I think… it went… this way?" Mike sloppily worked with the rope from his bag in an attempt to tie a net. He remembered spending some time in the knot station and the snare station with Sam, who seemed to automatically know all there was to know about ropes. Mike on the other hand had to ask the trainer question after question to figure out what knot was best for what.
He could just vaguely remember the procedures.
Almost distantly, Mike could hear Mrs. Fabray's voice, berating him for forgetting how to work the knots and reminding him of his limitations.
Mike shook his head and tried to push the voice away.
"You alright?" Harmony asked. "If you're still feeling out of it, maybe I could give it a try." She moved closer as she made the offer. "I spent a little time at the knot station to and I think I sort of remember a little bit of it but I'm not entirely sure but I'd still like to give it a try if you don't mind."
Mike paused in his attempts and just stared at Harmony, shocked by how she managed to say that last run-on sentence in one breath. That was something he'd almost forgotten about her. Harmony could talk a mile a minute.
This kind-of-vaguely-agreed-upon alliance with her was going to be interesting.
"Sure…" He handed over his work, which was mostly a tangled mess with a lot of too-large gaps.
Harmony accepted the rope and started working with it. Meanwhile, her mouth worked like it had its own independent power source. "So how did you end up here? I saw you come rolling down the sloping entrance and I'm pretty sure it wasn't because you were really excited to go swimming."
"I was chased by some Capitol muttation." Mike answered, inching closer to the lake and watching for any signs of fish. The movements in the water indicated that there was something under the surface, but it was hard to see clearly. Mike had to squint and stare until he finally made out the bodies of several small fish darting around in the water.
"What kind?" Harmony asked. "The Gamemakers come up with some very interesting ones sometimes. I recall there were these fierce squirrels in one of the older Games. They swarmed over a tribute and devoured him in seconds! It was kind of gross and creepy. Another time, there were winged lions. If they weren't so dangerous, I can almost imagine them being really majestic pets."
"They were like moles. The ones with like little tentacles on their noses. Although these mutts were huge. Like about the size of a bear." Mike turned away from the fish to see that Harmony's job with the rope was just as clumsy and uncoordinated, with a lot of unwanted tangles. It did continue shaping the net though, more or less.
Harmony held up the sloppy net. "I guess we each get a star for trying?"
Despite the cut on his shoulder and the stiffness in his muscles after that run, Mike could almost forget that they were in an arena where kill or be killed was the only rule.
There was this positive energy to Harmony, and it seemed to have such an endless supply, it was infectious. Mike had a hard time dwelling on his fears or longings, or even Judy's criticisms, when there was someone like Harmony around. It created this easygoing atmosphere that allowed him to relax a little and let his guard down.
"I guess we do." Mike chuckled as he took their combined attempt at a net, and lowered it into the water. "Let's see if it works."
They moved closer to each other until they were shoulder to shoulder, eagerly watching the water while holding onto one end of the net each, ready to reel in whatever came into their trap. For once, Harmony was able to stay quiet and watch with anticipation.
For about a minute or so.
"This isn't working."
Mike didn't need to suggest waiting a little longer. He saw how the little fish easily darted in and out of the large gaps as if they were bragging about how invincible they were against the silly attempt at a net.
"Have you tried those plants?" Mike pointed out the vegetation just under the surface of the water. He couldn't quite recall their names right now, but visually, he remembered that they matched the images he'd filed through during his time in the plants station.
"I wasn't sure if they'd kill me or spare me." Harmony admitted honestly.
It showed a lot of careful intelligence on her part. Mike nodded to the idea of playing it safe instead of recklessly giving in to every urge and impulse. He probably would have done the same thing, checked to make sure something was edible rather than blindly stuffing everything in sight into his mouth.
These plants though, Mike recognized them as some Capitol-engineered species, and he was sure that they were edible. "They'll spare us. I spent enough time in the plants station to remember these ones."
Mike could almost find it funny that he could thank Judy Fabray for this. If she hadn't put him through that hell every night, she wouldn't have thrown him into that spiral of depression that kept him from going anywhere near the physical stations and instead got him stuck in the likes of the plants stations.
Being stuck in those plants stations was paying off now, and it was one thing Mike could be grateful for.
Arena. Tunnels. 72nd Hunger Games.
The edges of Santana's vision were getting dark and hazy, forcing her to focus on whatever was in front of her, just to keep her sight from becoming completely blurred. Her thoughts were scattered throughout her mind, flopping and not bothering to make much sense.
A cookie would be quite tasty right about now. Brittany loved chocolate chip. No, maybe a nice big chunk of steak would be great. The Capitol cooked great steak. And the sauces and gravy? Delicious. But the Capitol people were jerks, too. Selfish jerks. Santana wanted bread. And cheese. Or ham. Quinn was really fond of bacon. Santana liked bacon, too.
Her head was getting really foggy and heavy.
It was starting to feel cold.
Santana took her hand away from her scratched side and looked down at the tear in her shirt to assess the damage. Though the fresh wound still hurt, it had already stopped bleeding. Maybe it'd be okay as long as she didn't move around too wildly. Santana pulled the zipper of the jacket all the way up to her throat.
That helped her feel warmer, but the tear in the fabric was like an open window letting the cold air taunt part of her skin. Santana dug her hands into her pockets and tried to ignore it.
What was that smell?
Santana's eyes narrowed as she recognized the scent of meat.
Whipping her head to the side so fast her vision blacked out for a second, Santana had to blink a few times and let her sight clear up before she could speak. That smell was specifically the smell of the dried beef from last night. Of course Lauren kept some of it.
"What the actual fuck?" Santana spat out the words while Lauren chewed without shame. She didn't even bother to hide the evidence- a strip of the meat was still in one of her hands.
Lauren tilted her head to one side and spoke with her mouth still full. "What?"
"Gimme some of that!" Santana opened her palm, expecting to be given her share and resisting the urge to use a clenched fist instead.
As if to purposely grate against Santana's temper, Lauren chewed slowly, swallowed visibly. She brought the small piece in her hand close to Santana's face. "Here're my leftovers."
She couldn't walk and yell at the same time. The anger was already making her breathing fast and shallow while her hands trembled. The limited vision, the gnawing hunger and the frustrating thirst didn't help.
Santana stopped abruptly and swatted the offering out of Lauren's hand. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"The fuck is wrong with me?" Either Lauren was just really thick-skulled or she was doing this to purposely aggravate Santana. "The fuck is wrong with you!" The headache was keeping Santana from verbalizing more creative retorts.
Lauren rolled her eyes. "Are we really doing this? Go fucking straight to the point, dammit!"
Santana hated the patronizing tone, but it was hard to argue with that statement. They were dragging that on longer than necessary and it was time to bring up the real issue here.
"We're supposed to be allies, you lumbering pile of shit!" Santana moved closer and stood on the tips of her toes so she could come closer to being on the same eye level as Lauren. "I figured that meant sharing what we got! Not hiding it and stuffing our fat faces instead!"
Lauren squared her shoulders and raised her voice to counter Santana's yelling. "Nobody asked your skinny ass for an opinion."
Shaking with rage and frustration, Santana couldn't come up with a more eloquent response. "Fuck you!"
What further irritated Santana was the way Lauren managed to keep going with more words and jabs. "I'm not obliged to help you, and don't pretend you and your squinty-eyed boytoy wouldn't have ganged up on me right now if he were here."
Was she talking about Mike?
And Santana thought she had trust issues.
Lauren just wouldn't get over her delusions of being attacked in her sleep by Santana and Mike. It wasn't like they were vicious, mindless killers. They had an arrangement and they were going to stick to it. Hell, they were more trustworthy than Lauren. They wouldn't have hoarded and hidden their food like that. Lauren wasn't the one who could call things out like this.
Santana jabbed a finger at Lauren. "That's a lie and you fucking-" There were sounds. "Wait…" The sounds were like screeching or squeaking. And something that reminded her of fluttering leaves or paper. "What is that?"
"What's what?" Lauren was still agitated and looking for a fight.
So was Santana, and she was game for a brawl against Lauren, but there was something more pressing right now. It might mean something good for both of them. If those were the sounds of animals, maybe small animals, that would mean they had an answer to their hunger.
"Shut up." Santana turned away from Lauren and went further down the tunnel. The closer they got to the sounds, the higher the ceiling rose. Their path eventually widened out to a dark cavern. "Look."
Pointing upwards, Santana indicated the swarms of bats hanging upside down from the rock ceiling, coating every stalactite and turning it from its typical dull brownish color to almost pitch-black. All those little bodies…
"Food." Lauren said.
"Let's eat." Santana readied her axe, feeling the way the gloves tightened and strengthened her grip on the shaft.
Lauren picked up a lose rock and threw it up at the ceiling with what looked like all her strength because she even let out a little grunt as she let it fly. The rock bounced against the nearest stalactite with a loud thud, sending the bats around it and on it screeching and flying. It caused chaos and alarm to spread.
When some tried to dive and escape down their tunnel, Santana and Lauren were ready.
Each swing of her axe was draining Santana of the last reserves of her strength, but she kept going at it blindly, ignoring the throbs of pain from scratches attained amidst the bats' panic to escape.
Eventually, one lucky shot took out one bat.
Santana considered trying again, but her body refused to comply and seemed satisfied with one catch. She settled with covering her face and waiting for the swarming bats to clear out while off to the side, Lauren was still swinging and yelling.
With every strike though, Lauren voice and movements grew softer and less enthusiastic.
Soon enough, the bats quieted and cleared out, leaving Lauren and Santana to lean against the walls, gasping for breath. On the floor, there was once catch from Santana, while two more lay at Lauren's feet.
Their next problem was how to light a fire and cook this.
District 7. 72nd Hunger Games.
When Amy came in to take care of Brittany while Tina went off to talk to Mrs. Fabray, it was like having a reunion after being apart for many years.
Amy actually ran up to Brittany's bed for an awkward one-armed hug in between a lot of gasping and wincing from Brittany. For one thing, it reminded her that no matter how much relief the several new pills were giving her, there was still a lot that Brittany's body wasn't capable of doing just yet.
The pain and discomfort Brittany physically experienced from the hug was at least overcome by the lightness her emotions got from it. She easily managed to smile at Amy when they pulled away from each other.
"Should I've not done that?" Amy's voice came out as a worried squeak. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm so sorry! I'll go and get Mrs-"
"I'm fine." Brittany waved off the concern. "I'm just glad to see you, Ames." It was something Santana would have teased Brittany about, a playful jab at how corny she was being right now. She was, actually. The last time she saw Amy was pretty much just a day ago.
"Glad to see you, too." Amy calmed down a little, enough to say, "I just saw you yesterday though."
It felt so much longer than that!
Maybe it was just the feeling of having Santana away that made it so much more noticeable when Amy was away. The two people that Brittany had gotten so used to seeing in this house weren't here like they usually were, and that made things feel different.
Brittany liked Tina's company, even if the mood swings were sometimes unnerving. Nevertheless, it was something Brittany appreciated.
It was just that she couldn't help missing her sister while they were apart.
"I know," Brittany held on to Amy's hand and let their arms sway. "But it's still nice to see you again. There're no rainbows in this house when my two favorite, most awesomest unicorns aren't around."
Saying that out loud was a little painful. The intense feelings for Santana that it stirred up were a lot stronger than Brittany had anticipated, and it was messing with her head. She tried to keep them in check and focus on smiling at Amy.
Amy wasn't smiling anymore.
Brittany stopped swinging their joined hands and tried to figure out what was going on. Amy's face was scrunched up in the way that it usually did whenever she was thinking hard about something, or struggling to grasp a difficult concept. "What's on your mind?"
"I…" Amy hesitated. "Can I ask you a weird question?"
"If this is about the dancing donkey in the backyard then I-"
That helped Amy loosen up enough to let out a short laugh while she took a seat on the chair next to the bed. "No, I knew about that donkey already. He's a fun guy. I think he's in love with Sally the Squirrel though."
As much as she could sense a serious discussion coming up, Brittany couldn't help smiling. It was so lifting to be able to talk to someone who actually understood her. With Santana gone, it was so evident that barely anyone could really get Brittany. Tina was trying, she really was, and Brittany liked that about her.
But it still wasn't the same as talking to Amy or Santana.
"So…" Brittany had to remember that Amy had set out to talk about something other than fake gossip about animals. "What's your question?"
Amy's face was scrunching up again. "It… It's about…" She bit her lip and stared down at the floor. "It's about Peacekeepers."
The very word sent the walls around her crumbling into the soil while trees shot upward from the wooden floor. Tall, dark shapes loomed around her, laughing teeth, gleaming guns, flashing lights. Back was the terrifying and vulnerable feeling of being restrained as well as outnumbered. Back was the agony of each strike she couldn't evade, each blow she couldn't block.
They were laughing when they told her what happened to her mother, and mocking when they teased her about Santana being so quick to jump in Brittany's defense. They taunted her, asking her where her precious defender was now. Not here, of course. She wasn't doing the defending this time. Hell, she caused this hell. She did this to Brittany.
"Britt?"
Brittany blinked several times to remind herself where she was. Her good hand reached up to wipe the sweat from her face and to rub at the bandage around her forehead. "Uh… yeah." She was okay. She was safe. Sort of. "What… what did you want to ask about the Peacekeepers?"
Amy was hesitating again.
"It's okay." Brittany swallowed the sourness creeping up her throat. "You can ask me anything."
After bracing herself with a deep breath, Amy asked, "Are they bad like tributes who get meaner than they need to be in the arena?" She breathed again. Brittany took that as an indication that there was a second half to the question, so she waited before answering. "Or are they bad like… like whoever first decided there should be a Hunger Games?"
That… was not an easy question to answer.
Initially, Brittany wanted to snap about how they were all evil and heartless like the first person who historically came up with the Hunger Games and pretended it was some glorious act of mercy to bring riches and food to the winner.
In fact, Brittany was close to yelling about how the Peacekeepers were even worse than that. They were less than human, and even less than animal. At least cats can show love and dogs can show loyalty and pigs provide nourishment and bears are the most protective mothers.
But Peacekeepers?
What sense of goodness or morality did they have to offer to the world?
Then she remembered her own father.
"I think…" He was such an exception. Because of him, Brittany could never see things in the black-and-white way that Santana did when it came to Peacekeepers and the Capitol. Now, she wasn't so sure anymore. It was difficult and confusing. "It depends on who we're talking about."
The lack of any change in Amy's expression showed that this wasn't a particularly revolutionary answer. "I kinda get that not all of them are bad."
Brittany didn't feel ready to dwell on the concept for too long and hoped to shorten it by saying. "Yeah, Dad was good, wasn't he?"
Amy still looked like that wasn't the answer she was looking for. "He was-"
"He was always showing mercy and kindness towards everyone." Still not ready to go any further into the discussion of the goodness of Peacekeepers, Brittany tried to stall and distract with details about their father. "He loved mom and gave her flowers. He brought us chocolates from the Capitol, and he always got chocolate chip cookies from the Rose Bakery because he knew how much Santana and I loved those."
"Yeah… he was really nice." Amy sounded distant and wistful, maybe trying to grasp for foggy memories of Dad.
Brittany tried to clear out the mist and give a more concrete image by giving more details. "The only time he would ever act differently would be around the week of the Reaping and the Victory Tour." He'd play it safe and be careful days before the events themselves as well as after, just in case there may be lingering attention on him. "He'd be a little distant, and he wouldn't sleep in our house and he'd stay in the Peacekeeper barracks instead."
Looking back, Brittany could no longer remember if such an arrangement had caused conflict with the other Peacekeepers. It must have been odd for them to see their fellow Peacekeeper leaving his bunk majority of the year and only coming back about twice a year.
"Whenever the camera crews arrive, he'd be quiet and serious." Brittany watched some awe and interest pass over Amy's face. "Once they're gone, he's back to being our Dad again."
"So…" Amy scrunched up her face again. "He still had to act different when people from the Capitol were around?"
Brittany nodded. "Yes, he did."
"Did he come from the Capitol?"
A little relieved by the shift in focus of the conversation from Peacekeepers in general to specifically their exceptional father, Brittany was almost eager as she talked about what she could remember. "I think he came from District 2." That was where a lot of the Peacekeepers came from these days. Only a few actually came from the Capitol itself, and those few were usually assigned to the easier districts of the Careers. Someone raised in the Capitol would not be able to handle adjusting to the harsher life in the lesser districts.
"His brother was a tribute…" Brittany remembered bits and pieces of the story their mother used to tell them while tucking them in for the night. "And though he didn't make it, he did become allies with Blight for a while. I think that's why Dad chose to come to District 7."
Though as much as she tried, Brittany couldn't recall if her father had ever been close to Blight. If they had ever been friends, they hadn't been close enough for Blight to feel any obligation to Brittany or Amy. The Lopez family did more for them than anyone else.
"I'm…" Struggling to recall her mother's story, there were pieces to the puzzle that Brittany couldn't find. "I'm not really sure why he wanted to be a Peacekeeper in the first place…"
"Maybe he thought he was doing the right thing."
That was a pretty good guess. Brittany nodded as she put aside her growing bias against Peacekeepers and tried to understand that on a surface-level look at the concept of that line of work, it actually sounded good. They were supposed to maintain peace in the districts, protect the people from harm and stop those that are disruptive or harmful.
It could almost make sense.
"What about other Peacekeepers?" Amy wasn't going to let go of the issue as easily as Brittany had hoped. "What about the Peacekeepers who're always mad at Santana and mean to her?"
The Peacekeepers who would viciously punish Santana for every little crime to the point of no longer acting surprised whenever she was in trouble, and on more than one occasion, jumped to the conclusion that she was the culprit even if it wasn't always her… Brittany didn't feel like looking at it any other way. "They're bad."
"Are they?" Amy's brow furrowed. She leaned closer, intrigued and still looking for answers. "Don't they have rules to follow? Like how it was against their rules for Dad to be with Mom? Or like how the tributes are supposed to fight each other?"
The questions were making her head hurt. Brittany rubbed at her forehead, trying to soothe the ache through the bandage. "Amy…"
"What if it's just like that with the Peacekeepers?" Amy pressed on. "What if it's like they're tributes in their own Games and they have to fight us?"
"Amy, that's…" Brittany couldn't find a way to end the sentence, and actually considered finishing it with a nonsense statement about flying cows.
Sensing the tension, Amy's eyes widened. She retreated both physically in leaning back against the chair and figuratively in her stand on the conversation. "I'm sorry, I-"
"No, it's fine." The last thing Brittany wanted was for Amy to start second-guessing herself and becoming overly silent. She had an opinion and that was okay. "It's just… that's…" It just so happened that the opinion she had was something Brittany hadn't considered before.
She did think about how the Peacekeepers were just doing their job and maybe some of them did think they were doing the right thing. But the idea Amy presented of it being like the Peacekeepers were in their own arena… it was an interesting thought.
"I like unicorns." Now, it was Amy reverting to nonsense statements.
"Amy…"
"And kittens."
If they were going to think and talk about Peacekeepers now, they might as well get on with it. Brittany's headache was bothersome, but she knew that unless they came to some resolution now, Amy would continue to think about this and it were better if she talked about it with Brittany than with someone else who might not be as open-minded about it.
"I guess maybe some of the Peacekeepers are bad like tributes who're meaner than they have to be in the arena." A few of them just took their job a little too seriously. A few of them let the authority and power get to their heads. "Peacekeeper Sylvester did help Santana get the job she needed at the logging site."
Brittany still felt kind of mad at her though.
"She was as surprised as everyone else when that other Peacekeeper shot Mr. Lopez. I remember that." Amy leaned forward again as she gave her observations. "And she was the one who shot Mr. Puckerman for being bad to Mike and Puck."
"That still doesn't make her right." Brittany couldn't help grumbling as she recalled the way Peacekeeper Sylvester just barged into the house and threatened Brittany last time. "That still doesn't make her a good person."
Amy didn't seem convinced. "Doesn't it?"
The question agitated Brittany more than it should have. "I don't know, okay?" The response came out in a raised, irritable voice.
She thought she could handle this conversation, but she couldn't. Brittany just felt too much bitterness and anger and hate. And the worst of it all was the fear.
"And the ones that hurt you…"
Brittany clenched her fist. The awkward way her splinted finger stuck out only fed the fires. "They were evil."
Amy was cringing and seemed to grow nervous and hesitant. Despite that, she still pushed forward. "Tina said that they were laughing when they did that to you?"
Mocking and laughing. Brittany shut her eyes in an attempt to push away the memory, but that only made it so much clearer. She felt the bite of the restraints around her wrists. The helplessness made her stomach squirm. The fear made her throat feel tight while her heart worked faster than ever. It was banging against her chest and trying to escape the pain but it was just as trapped as she was.
"They enjoyed it!" The words rushed out of Brittany in a strangled yell. "And you know what they told me?" Her hands and knees were shaking, the air around her felt hot. "Do you know what they told me?"
Amy just stared, wide-eyed.
"They told me that Mom was an Avox this whole time! She-"
"What's an Avox?" The question left Amy before she could stop herself, but she looked like she regretted interrupting once it was out. Both her hands flew up to cover her mouth and keep her lips closed.
Trying to even out her breathing but failing, Brittany unclenched her fist and used her fingers to brush her hair out of her face. Though the strands were clean now, after Mrs. Cohen-Chang had been kind enough to wash them, Brittany could still imagine the sticky feeling of blood.
"Dad said that Avoxes are people who're considered traitors and their tongues are cut out and they're forced to be servants at the Capitol." Considering that definition, it shouldn't be such a surprise that they did what they did to Mom.
Amy looked appalled by the idea. "That sounds horrible!"
"It is!" Brittany was shouting again and couldn't seem to stop herself anymore. "And that's what they did to our Mom!" She remembered the rough laughter that punctuated each lash of the whip across her back. When they weren't flaying her to within an inch of her life, they were taunting her with the news of her mother's demise. "And you know what else? She saw the Reaping."
The image brought up by that thought was so clear. The wide-eyed look of fear as she saw the footage of District 7 and heard the name called out by Holly. "She saw my name get called out and it killed her." Her face contorted into a look of anguish as she turned to face her captors. "She broke down and started attacking the guards and the only thing that would calm her…" She didn't care anymore and just fought and attacked despite every blow from their weapons, fists and boots. She had to get to her daughter and stop the madness.
Brittany let out a bitter laugh. "Can you even guess what it was? What they used to calm her?"
Amy was quiet.
"A bullet." Brittany spat out the word and remembered how it felt when her own legs felt that explosion of pain. It kept her from running away and escaping. It kept her trapped there and at their mercy because she couldn't go anywhere. And it hurt like fucking hell.
What would it have been like for that agony to have been quick and in her head instead of long and drawn out and all over her legs?
"And for what?" Now, it was Brittany who kept going while Amy was stunned into silence. "Now, I'm not even a tribute, and I'm stuck here and she died for nothing and it's my fault and it's the Peacekeepers' fault and it… it…"
Brittany felt her eyes watering while the words got stuck in her throat.
"It wouldn't be this way if there was no Hunger Games." Amy mumbled, quiet and stunned, but still swimming through her theories and ideas. They sounded similar to Santana's rants though. And that one time Quinn got really drunk and rambled about what society would be theoretically be like if the Hunger Games didn't exist.
Swallowing the words and trying to clear her vision, Brittany said, "Maybe…"
"I really think it would've been different."
"Maybe it would…" Brittany admitted, still struggling to reign in her watering eyes. "And maybe it is like we're all in our own arena and the Peacekeepers are tributes…" She swallowed, cleared her throat, looked Amy in the eye. "But as much as that can explain what they do, it doesn't excuse it, Amy."
"Like having a horn doesn't mean a unicorn should stab people?"
Still struggling to even out her breathing and keep her eyes from flooding, Brittany nodded. "Like having a horn means they should be healing people instead."
The feel of those heavy, merciless boots destroying just about every bone in her left hand with vicious thuds and haunting cracks… the feelings and the flashes were still surrounding Brittany. That and the swipes of their blades, slicing her skin open wide and sending the blood streaming out.
"The Peacekeepers are not unicorns." She licked her lips and realized they were bleeding again. Probably through the rush of sharp, dark memories, Brittany had been biting and chewing at her lip. "If any of them ever were, it was dad." He was and always would be the exceptional case. "He was and is the only unicorn the Peacekeepers ever had."
Arena. Bat Cave. 72nd Hunger Games.
Dragging their feet, breathing heavily and bleeding from various cuts across their faces, Santana and Lauren trudged through the cavern, ignoring the irritable noises of the remaining bats still clinging to the ceiling and stalactites. They were much fewer now, and it made the cave seem a little brighter.
That was something Santana could be thankful for because her hazy, tunneled vision wouldn't have been able to make anything out if this place was still as dark as it had been a moment ago. It was already so hard to put one foot in front of the other, she wouldn't have been able to handle feeling blind.
Santana licked at her dry lips and tasted blood. It was hard to tell whether it was dry or not, but it did sting a little. There were various points all over her face that stung and prickled so much, she had a hard time keeping herself from clawing at her skin.
She told herself to just continue focusing on walking, on the mechanical movement of each leg, and to contain the half-conscious grip she had on her axe and on her catch.
"Wuzzat?" Lauren sounded groggy as she paused and tilted her head to one side. "Hear'at?"
Licking her lips again, Santana stopped and tried to listen.
At first, all she could hear was the noisy sound of their ragged breaths. Forcing herself to focus, Santana noted the still-irritated bats. A little more effort let Santana hear the sound of wind hitting the rocks. Scrunching up her face and narrowing her eyes, Santana detected another sound and tried to decipher it. There was a dullness to it, like it was muffled by distance and the other distracting noises. It sounded steady and continuous.
It sounded like…
"Water." Santana gasped out the word, feeling a chill spread through her. Fuck the hunger, she would kill for some water right about now.
Well maybe not… literally kill.
The image of Sunshine popped up again.
"Get moving." Lauren was still limping and unsteady, but there was a noticeable difference to her pace. There was more life and energy as the eagerness brought with it a temporary energy reserve.
Santana could feel it too. She swallowed and hurried after Lauren, honing in on the sound of the water and fantasizing about the moment they would finally come into contact with it and be able to quench the burning thirst.
They went around several rock columns and a couple of towering stalagmites, each step closer making both of them more agitated and feverish, impatient to finally get to the source.
When they got to it at last, they discovered that it was at the very end of the cavern, but still within the bats' territory. It was a cracked up, rocky portion of the wall. Through the holes and cracks, water was streaming out to pool in a small puddle at the base of the rock formation. It didn't really look natural to Santana, but she was well beyond the point of caring by now.
Letting the bag, the axe and the dead bat hit the floor, Santana collapsed onto her knees and was about to shove her face into the puddle when a hand grabbed onto the collar of her jacket and yanked her backwards.
"D'fuck wuzzatfor?" Words slurring into each other, Santana raised a fist, ready to attack Lauren for getting in the way of the damn water.
"Dunno how clean'at is." Without waiting for a response, Lauren unceremoniously shoved Santana aside and took out a bottle of iodine and her empty thermos.
Irritable both because she didn't want to have to wait before being able to drink and because that wasn't something Lauren said she had when they took inventory, Santana sat by the puddle and readied her own empty thermos.
After getting her share of water and accepting a few drops from Lauren to purify it, Santana took advantage of the annoying waiting time to scan the area for something they could burn to be able to cook the bats. As much as they were starving, they couldn't just eat this as it was. If they were going to purify their water, they were also going to cook their food.
The search didn't take as long this time around. There was a spot near the water where some weird-looking plants were growing. There were barely any leaves, and on top of that there were little thorns and spines along the stems. It was the kind of plant that Brittany would have said didn't look very friendly.
Whatever. It looked like it was going to burn cooperatively, and that mattered more than a friendly appearance. Santana hacked at a few with her axe while Lauren worked on skinning the bats. It was draining and frustrating, feeding both their tempers, but by the time a fire was set up and the bats were being roasted over it, Santana was just too exhausted to argue anymore.
When the water was ready, Santana grabbed at her thermos and sloppily, eagerly chugged it down, enjoying the cool wetness to her throat and not really caring about the way it was already dribbling over her chin and soaking the collar of her jacket.
By the time she felt satisfied, the thermos was nearly empty.
Santana put it aside and looked across the fire at Lauren, who'd done the same thing and was also soaked by the messy, impatient drinking. Refreshed as she was, Santana felt like this was the perfect time to trade taunts again, but the hunger and exhaustion still kept her from coming up with anything creative. Lauren, too, was really quiet.
They watched the skinned bats until it looked… kind of, sort of, more or less cooked.
The sight of it made Santana uncomfortable as she brought it close to her face. It looked a lot like a mouse, and that reminded her of the way Brittany would always insist on being gentle and humane every time there was a mouse scurrying around inside their house. She preferred not to hurt anyone if she could help it. And to Brittany, anyone meant animals just as much as it meant people.
If she was watching this, Santana hoped Brittany understood how necessary it was for surviving.
Santana tried to focus on the meal and hesitantly bit into it. The meat was weird and stringy, and the whole thing was way too small to actually be that filling, but was there really a choice? In this arena, with these stakes, they couldn't afford to be picky.
District 7. 72nd Hunger Games.
Watching the way Santana scrunched up her face as she bit into the roasted bat was unnerving. Brittany wanted to reach out into the screen and hug Santana, comforting her and encouraging her, telling her to just hang in there because she had the strength to fight through this and survive. She was going to make it and she was going to win and she was going to come back a victor.
And then the next shot was of Mike and Harmony. They were sitting together, chewing on plants pulled out from the lake.
It was like that was purposely being showed to Brittany to make her feel bad about looking forward to Santana's victory.
"I still wish they could both win…" Amy mumbled the comment under her breath.
Similar thoughts must have been circling both their heads. "Me too…"
The screen changed from the showing that shot of Mike and Harmony, and went next to showing the Careers lounging about at the Cornucopia, stuffing themselves full. Frustration filled Brittany at the sight of contentment on their faces, which clashed so much with the measly meals Mike and Santana had to deal with.
"Careers are so unfair." Amy gave voice to the obvious fact.
Brittany nodded. "They are…" And there was nothing that any of them could do about it.
The sound of the door opening drew Brittany's attention away from the screen. Shuffling, clumsy footsteps announced Tina's entrance before her face came into view. It was a sight that made Brittany automatically sit up and try getting out of the bed, only to be stopped by jabs of pain.
Her back protested at the movement while the thread keeping her sides in one piece seemed to be pulled and stretched out. Gasping and whimpering, Brittany froze, refusing to move anything until the pain subsided. It gnawed at every lash, burned at the stitched up gashes and fired up at the bullet holes.
She stayed in that position, sitting up with one leg moved towards the edge of the bed, and her torso twisted to the side. "T-T…Tina!" It came out as a croaky cry, followed by her eyes watering.
"Brittany Susan Pierce!" Amy was the first to take action while Tina stood where she was at the bedroom's doorway. The reprimanding tone came as a shock, it being the first time Brittany had ever heard her sister talk like that, with such seriousness and strength. "What were you thinking?"
Biting back whimpers of pain, Brittany didn't resist as her shoulders were grasped by Amy's small hands and slowly guided back to rest against the pillow. "I… was thinking…" Brittany's back started arching in pain as her leg was lifted by Amy and brought back to it's usual position. "…that I… was going to… help… Tina."
It felt like a personal accomplishment just to be able to finish saying that sentence in between gasping for breath and working through the agony that tortured her injuries.
"Please please don't do anything like that ever again?" Amy fussed over Brittany, rearranging the blanket, dapping at sweat, stroking her hair. "I don't want you to get hurt more than you already are. I need my big sis to be more careful."
After going through so many years of being the older sister and taking care of Amy, it felt odd to have their roles so reversed. Amy's movements were as fretful as they were tender. Motherly, even.
As much as Brittany missed Santana and longed for her to be here, there was a lot of comfort and assurance to be gained from the way at least Amy was still here to take care of Brittany and look out for her. That was what Santana had wanted, wasn't it? For the Pierce sisters to help each other through this and get by together.
"I will." Brittany was able to answer more coherently after the intensity of the pain had finally dulled to a light ache. She turned her head to look Tina over. "But I would like to know if it was the dancing donkey or Charles Chipmunk that got mad at you, Tina, and attacked."
There was a cut on Tina's cheek that was bleeding lightly, and the skin around it had attained a darker color. There was also a cut along her arm, and that didn't look like just a shallow cut, judging by the way it was bleeding.
Noticing that Brittany was staring, Tina hid her arm behind her back and flashed every teeth in a wide, uncomfortable smile. "It's nothing."
"Or was it Sally who attacked you?" Just as the words left her mouth, Brittany realized they weren't the right ones to use. Santana or Amy would have understood that it was Mrs. Fabray being referred to, but Tina certainly wouldn't. "Was it for asking about Mike?"
"I…" Tina's brow furrowed, showing how much the vagueness of the question confused her.
"Was it Mrs. Fabray?" Amy took it upon herself to translate.
Tina moved to lean against her usual spot on the wall. Quick to be as helpful as ever, Amy left the chair and offered it to Tina, who clearly needed it more. She hovered by her spot for a few moments, uneasy and uncomfortable, until her body finally convinced her it was better to sit than stand. When she moved to take the seat, Tina pretty much just collapsed onto the chair.
"Yeah, it was Fabray." She answered, wincing as her scratched arm dangled at her side. The other was used to dab at her cheek. "Got really pissy when I asked her what she was doing here when Mike's still in the arena."
Amy hovered over Tina, "Should I call your mom? That looks nasty."
Tina looked uncomfortable, fidgeting in her seat and avoiding eye contact. "Don't need to get her worked up… it's not that deep…"
"Tina." Brittany forced herself to sit up, despite the pain and discomfort it caused. "You're turning the floor into a little red pool like if you squished enough berries to fill a pond. That is deep." She turned away from Tina to look at Amy. "Yes, get her mom over here, please."
Amy nodded before hurrying out, leaving Brittany under Tina's glare.
"What the hell, Britt?"
Tempting as it was to flinch under the irritated and betrayed expression on Tina's face, Brittany held her ground. "I don't want that cut to turn into a big bear-sized serious problem!" It was bad enough that Brittany was stuck in this situation, Mrs. Cohen-Chang didn't need another issue to add to her long and overflowing list.
"So what if it does?" Tina shot back. An almost crazed, reckless look was in her eyes.
"Do you really want to deal with that?" Who would actually want to suffer the pain of an ugly wound? Given what she was going through now, that concept was beyond Brittany.
With such sudden agitation, Tina said, "So you're the only one who's allowed to get grievously injured?"
"What?" Brittany felt her jaw drop.
And just like that, the aggressive, hunched forward stance melted into a retreating, leaning backward one. "I… that… that didn't…" Tina brought both her hands up to grab at her hair while her elbows rested on her knees. "Britt, I'm sorry. Forget I said anything."
The erratic behavior was back. It was kind of like the way Tina was acting early last week, when the Reaping was still fresh. This was similar to that, but not exactly. If anything, it was intensified, and the swings from mood to mood were a lot faster than last time. Last time changed by day. This was switching between several within the day.
"Tina, why would you say that?" Before, it was easy enough to brush off as the usual distress of having to watch a loved one go into the arena, but lately, it was becoming more concerning and unnerving. "Do… do you want something like this to happen to you?"
"No!" Tina shouted at first, then retreated again. "Well maybe not that serious, but…" She shook her head, "No! No, I don't!"
"Tina…" Sitting up as much as her wrecked body would allow, Brittany tried to make eye contact.
Shrugging and then shaking her head again, Tina started to ramble. "I mean I know how bad it'd be to get hurt, especially now, like it's really expensive and Mom's got enough to worry about already, but sometimes I just can't help but… I mean… Well the way you act when it hurts looks like it really does hurt like fucking hell, it's just that-"
"Tina." Brittany interrupted the directionless, unending sentence and went straight to the core of the issue. "What's bothering you?"
The question sapped the last traces of aggression from Tina. She slumped in her seat and cradled her bleeding arm. "A lot of things…"
"Mike?"
That was an obvious one. "Yes."
"Your brothers?" Another one Brittany recalled Tina vaguely mentioning one time.
"Kind of…"
Brittany rifled through her memory for other issues that would possibly be on that list. "Your mother?" It did make sense that Tina must be worried about Mrs. Cohen-Chang. She was pushing herself to the absolute limit by taking care of Brittany and two infant boys. The mere task of acquiring medicine (or rather, acquiring the money for medicine), was already a taxing job.
"Can we please talk about something else?" Tina's voice was pleading and her eyes were desperate. There was a look to her that suggested that maybe she would be willing to talk sometime, but just not this time.
Years of dealing with Santana's thick, impenetrable walls gave Brittany the patience she needed to say, "Alright. It's okay if you're not ready to talk now."
Eager to get moving on to something else as soon as possible, Tina got on with it right away. "Fabray really did get pissed when I asked her what was going on." There was a forced lightness to the tone Tina used in her storytelling. "She looked like I'd said the most offensive thing she'd ever heard."
Tina indicated her bruised cheek. "This is from her fist…" After focusing on the cheek, Tina pointed out the cut, "And this is probably from her ring."
"She just hit you?" When Brittany first found out about how Quinn's parents would hit her, it was so hard to believe people would do that to their own child. Knowing that they weren't above hitting other people's children as well was more than a little unsettling. "Just like that?"
Nodding, Tina went back to cradling her bleeding arm. "Bitch also yelled 'bout how it's none of my business." She frowned as she recalled the rest of the experience. "Oh, and she said that if I heard anything from 'that fucking Johanna Mason, it's 'all fucking lies.'"
"She said that?" Brittany narrowed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead. "What… what would Johanna Mason have to do with it?" The two didn't interact with each other all that much. They were both very solitary, actually. Mrs. Fabray rarely left her house unless she needed a drink, and Johanna Mason almost never spoke to anyone. Not since what happened to Mr. Lopez.
"I dunno." Tina shrugged. "She just yelled that when she hit me, and I kind of fell." This time, she indicated her arm, which, after the blood had been raggedly dabbed at with her own clothes, revealed itself to be not one long gash, but several smaller cuts crisscrossing the skin. "There was glass on the floor."
With twitching, jerky movements, Tina dabbed at the blood again, using the sleeve of her other arm. "I got most of it off before coming here. I think."
Brittany still winced at the sight, even after seeing so much of it during all those nights spent treating Santana's punishment-induced injuries. Heck, even after Brittany herself had seen herself bleed out of deep gashes, it was still unnerving to see that red liquid.
After the quick bout of nausea passed, Brittany noticed that there was something going on with Tina's face. The lips were pursed but twitching, and there was a glimmer to her eyes that wasn't there before. A moment or so passed, and the pursed lips looked less like a pout and more like…
"Why are you smiling?" Brittany recognized the face a person makes when they're trying not to laugh or smile.
"The look on Fabray's face." Caught, Tina could no longer stop her lips from pulling into a grin. "It was hilarious. All wrinkly and contorted and…" The words dissolved into a fit of giggles.
That right there was another shift in Tina's mood. Brittany tried not to get too bothered by it and went with the flow. "She does have a funny face when she's mad." Although usually, it was hard for Brittany to feel amused when someone in the room was mad. Especially since Judy's anger was normally directed at Quinn or Russel, and if not, it would be at Brittany. Probably for doing an unsatisfactory job.
"Oh!" Tina jerked upwards, "She also yelled about all the Changs being out to get here." At this, Tina paused to let out another burst of laughter, then continued. "It's like the stupid bitch can't even work out that Mike and I aren't related! It's really funny, actually."
Seeing Tina so unusually happy and amused put Brittany in the delicate position of laughing along and agreeing with an "It kind of is!", but inwardly feeling worried and bothered. There was something dangerous about the way Mrs. Fabray was behaving, based on what Tina had described.
Something must have happened between Judy and Johanna, and from the way there seemed to be some negative feelings directed at the Changs, it wasn't hard to guess that Mike had something to do with it, too. Brittany couldn't help fretting that Santana might be connected, too.
As usual, not knowing the severity of it all… not knowing anything was frustrating. Being stuck in this bed also put so many limitations on what she could try to find out and figure out.
On top of that, Brittany couldn't really discuss her theories at the moment, not while Tina seemed to be in such a light mood now, so much better than the dark heaviness hanging over her just a moment ago. Given how unstable Tina was getting, Brittany knew better than to bring up something triggering.
The screen showed that the Careers had finished with their dinner and gone on a quick hunt. Azimio could now be seen pummeling the life out of another tribute, this time the gentle-faced boy of District 10, Rory.
Brittany was also scared of how much progress the Career Pack and Rick's Pack were making, dwindling the numbers of the other tributes. There would eventually come a time when there would no longer be any tributes between them and Santana or Mike.
That was something that Brittany still wasn't ready to see.
Arena. Harmony's Cave. 72nd Hunger Games.
Night was starting to fall over the arena.
Or at least, the artificial night the Gamemakers determined. By now, Mike had worked out that there must be some light setting that covered every tunnel, cavern and chasm, and it was completely controlled by the Gamemakers to create "daytime" or "nighttime" for the tributes.
Across Mike, leaning her back against a rock, Harmony was looking down at something in her hands. It was small and difficult to see clearly from here, but Mike eventually realized it was a scrap of cloth, with an area no bigger than Harmony's palm.
"It's a patch." Aware of his stare this whole time, Harmony held up the token for Mike to see. "Ma made it for me when I was little, and I've kept it close all my life." Her thumb went over the design, touching it with care. "It's a mockingbird. Coz I always liked singing."
"You sing too?" Mike's mind went straight to Tina, who sometimes felt better whenever she had a performance for the Victory Tour. Most of the songs were led by Tina, Santana and Quinn. Puck, too, would join in for a few, after a lot of pestering from Quinn and Santana. Another singer Mike could recall was Rachel. She'd yammered for a long time about a previous victor she looked up to, whose talent was singing.
Harmony nodded. "A little." Then she raised an eyebrow and looked at Mike. "But it's not like I can sing to victory, huh?"
"Just like I can't dance my way out." Mike let out a bitter chuckle and almost fell right back into the deep, dark pit of fear and insecurity. The feelings threatened to swallow him up and drown him until he wrestled them away and latched onto something else to say. "Why did you save me?"
"Hmm?"
Mike tried to rid himself of Judy's words, but echoes of his worthlessness and weaknesses still echoed around him. It took some scrambling to put some focus back into the conversation. "You didn't let me drown. A lot of other tributes would've just finished me."
Maybe not Santana… but Lauren probably would have if the opportunity were to be presented to her. The deal had been with Santana. Mike sort of just ended up tagging along, and it was clear from the start that Lauren didn't see any value in him. What use did he have to her, anyway? He didn't have the fighting spirit or the axe skills that Santana had.
Harmony just shrugged. "It felt wrong to do nothing."
Right and wrong.
For as long as Mike could remember, he'd taken to heart the idea that killing was wrong, and that it was better to avoid getting into fights as much as possible. That it was right to help someone who needed it. That it was right to follow the rules, obey the Peacekeepers, stay out of their way, do whatever they asked. That due respect was to be given to parents. Values such as those.
Over time, there were more and more moments where he had to question just what really was and wasn't right. That what the Peacekeepers claimed to be wrong, wasn't necessarily wrong. Sometimes, it might even be right. The reasons that usually drove Santana to get into fights with them tended to be out of reasons that weren't anywhere near as selfish as the Peacekeepers made it seem whenever they punished her.
But it was still difficult to come to terms with the fact that killing was a requirement for their survival in the arena. No amount of questioning and bending rules would have ever prepared Mike for this time now as a tribute. If Santana couldn't even kill without feeling regret and remorse, how was Mike supposed to handle that? He had never been anywhere near as ruthless as Santana.
"And you seemed like a nice guy." Harmony added to her answer when Mike's wandering thoughts kept him from immediately responding. "When we were at the camo station, you were friendly enough."
Showing some form of aggression for the first time, Harmony curled her lip. "Not like those Careers. They're all so rude and arrogant, it makes me angry."
"Is that how you knew to trust me?" Mike asked. It sounded like grounds similar to what he would have used to judge whether or not another tribute would be a trustworthy ally. As long as they seemed nice enough, Mike would be more inclined to trust them.
He had to remind himself that in the arena, it was better to be suspicious of everyone. Santana was the one who had the right idea.
"No." Harmony answered. "I knew I could trust you when the Careers were picking on the District 12 kids and you had the guts to intervene."
"Santana would've called it stupidity."
Harmony laughed. "Sometimes those two traits go hand in hand, don't they?"
"Yeah, sometimes." Whenever Mike talked to Tina about how Santana was so brave for standing up to Peacekeepers, Tina would usually say that it also took a certain level of recklessness and stupidity to keep doing that. Mike would never tell Santana that though, not unless he was interested in getting mauled.
Putting the patch back into her pocket, Harmony yawned and stretched her arms out.
"Why don't I take the first watch?" It felt like the right thing to do. After Harmony had put in the effort of saving him from passing out in the lake and drowning, the least Mike could do was keep her safe while she got some sleep.
Harmony's eyes went straight to the tear in his jacket, where the cut on his shoulder was. "Are you sure?"
Self consciously patting at the wound, Mike almost flinched at how sore and tender it was to the touch. But it didn't really hurt that much if it was left alone. Mike took that as a sign that it wasn't serious enough to be cause for concern. At least not yet.
"I'll be fine." Mike reassured Harmony with a smile.
The concern was touching though. In this arena, Mike wouldn't have expected much of it. Maybe a little from Santana, if ever. But not from some other tribute he'd barely interacted with and hardly knew anything about.
Santana though…
A lot of his thoughts managed to pass by her one way or another. Being honest with himself, Mike knew he missed Santana. After spending these last few days so near to her, even if some of those days were wasted by being distant, he had grown very attached to her.
It was actually kind of scary to be away from her now.
Arena. Bat Cave. 72nd Hunger Games.
After an unsatisfactory meal and barely any sleep, Santana was still in an irritable mood, despite the slight improvement provided by the water and the makeshift camp they'd made next to it. "I'm fucking tired and I wants to get my sleep on." It was only fair that Santana got to sleep first tonight when Lauren didn't even get to take a shift last time. The mutts attacked towards the end of Santana's turn.
Lauren's eyebrows shot upwards. "You think I'm not tired, too? The mutt I fought off was like twice the size of yours!"
"Oh, like you aren't five times the size of me?" Maybe things would have been better if Mike were here. Not having him around to keep things level and calm was resulting in all of this on and off fighting with Lauren. They didn't argue half this often when Mike was there.
Relaxing her expression with obvious forcedness, Lauren smirked just to infuriate Santana. "And how, exactly, is that something negative?"
Santana was just short of veering off-course and rambling about how they should have turned back and searched for Mike instead of settling here. It had little to do with the argument, and was more to try getting a rise out of Lauren.
That, and it was also an outlet for the nagging sense of guilt getting at her for leaving Mike behind.
A floating object coming towards them caught Santana's attention.
Using it as an excuse to squirm out of the draining argument, Santana turned away from Lauren's smug face and looked up, watching as the silk parachute drifted closer. At first, a flare of envy tugged at Santana when she thought that it might be for Lauren.
But as the sponsored gift veered away from Lauren and floated straight into Santana's hands, that envy was replaced by both smugness and curiosity. It took a bit of effort to pry the silver casing open with her clumsy fingers, which was made more awkward by the gloves she was tempted to remove before sleeping tonight.
Upon finally opening it, Santana immediately recognized the Capitol ointment Mike had been using for his bruises ever since getting here. It was also the same thing Rachel had used for the cut on Quinn's arm.
The quick flash of that memory gave Santana a twinge of pain. She shoved it aside in favor of the relief at knowing this would work wonders on her scratched up face and her sore bruises.
Feeling Lauren's eyes boring into her, Santana put the ointment on the floor next to her and fumbled with the casing. That was when she noticed the small note attached to it.
Stay strong, Brainless.
PS. You can share this shit.
Unmistakably something that Johanna would have written herself. Santana had difficulty holding back a smile. It didn't really matter that the words were potentially insulting. They were something familiar in a place that was anything but. They could almost soothe the homesickness and loneliness that Mike would have eased if he were here.
And now… how was she supposed to work out offering some of this to Lauren? Mike was the more diplomatic one, with his calm way of approaching whatever. Santana was tempted to just chuck it at Lauren's head and tell her to remember to leave some for Santana.
As if saving Santana from having to figure it out right away, the anthem started playing. Then the faces of the dead tributes were projected on the wall again, just like last night. Of course, it skipped over the Careers, that part didn't have any effect on Santana. What did was when it went straight to the District 10 boy's face.
That brought Santana some sense of relief because it meant Mike was still alive. There was no way of knowing how badly hurt he might be after the mutt attack, but he was alive. There was still a chance for them to reunite and work together through this. Him, Santana could trust and depend on.
Other than the District 10 kid, there were only two other deaths today. The guy from Eleven, Shane was one of them. Santana briefly wondered if things would have turned out differently if she had been allies with him instead of Lauren. It would have probably been less irritating. The other death was that skinny boy from Twelve. So much for all that effort Mike put into protecting him from the Careers during the first day of training.
And every thought just went right on back to Mike and how he would have been a better companion than Lauren.
And still, Santana had to block off any questions in her head that brought her right back to the fact that if she was serious about getting back home to Brittany, there was no way that Mike could come along, too.
Tina's gradually declining, isn't she? Let's see if it gets any worse.
By the way, something… interesting is going to happen in the next chapter. Oh, and Sam's gonna be there. (lol yeah can't resist the urge to give mild spoiler teasers) I was supposed to end this chapter in a cliffhanger, but I changed my mind. I still can't help teasing though.
Also, yes. I named it the Bat Cave, for lack of a better caption.