Bryony Kantor, 18

District 11, She/Her

June 5th, 97 ADD

9:23 AM

As the third morning of training set in, Bryony was having more and more trouble pretending everything would be fine.

(Bryony had always been rewarded for her optimistic attitude. She relied on it, and her community did, too, before she was torn from them. There was always a bright side. A silver lining. And Bryony Kantor was always able to find it, for both herself and everyone else.)

(Everything had to be okay. There had to be a bright side somewhere, because Bryony didn't know how to live without one. And there was one! There were her friends, Patrek and Mendi and Tiernan, who she wouldn't have met otherwise, and her Mentor, Grover, who was kind. She could find solace in the people around her, in being able to continue her role as a caregiver and friend for just a little longer.)

(What she could not find comfort in was the future. She couldn't dwell on the inevitable losses of her friends, or how she could wield a sickle just fine until a person was on the other end, or knowing if she didn't survive there would be two dozen kids without Bryony to look after them-)

Stop. You can't think like that. It won't change a thing.

She forced a smile to her face. No use dwelling on a future she couldn't change.

(Are you that willing to give up, Bryony?)

(No, she wasn't giving up, just- she didn't want to waste time sinking into despair.)

(Or acknowledging that she already was.)

"Um… are you okay?"

Bryony jolted out of her thoughts to find Tiernan looking at her, concerned.

"Fine," she managed.

The group had taken over a work table at the camouflage station. Patrek was sitting next to Tiernan, ignoring them and concentrating intensely on his work. Mendi had pretty much glued herself to Bryony's side by now, and was working quietly to her left. Tiernan sat across from Bryony, his long blond hair pulled back in a low ponytail.

"Are you sure…?" Tiernan asked.

"Yes," Bryony replied. "How are you?"

"Me?"

Bryony gave him a funny look. "Yes, you."

"Oh. I, uh, I'm okay, I guess," he answered. He rubbed his temple. "It's just been… a bit overwhelming lately, you know?"

She nodded, sympathetic. "Absolutely."

"Like, I never really left my house, and then all of a sudden I'm here," he said, giving a weak laugh.

"Well, you know what they say- home's where the heart is," Bryony said.

The leftover smile from Tiernan's halfhearted laugh immediately faded. "I guess," he mumbled.

"Who do you live with?"

"My father."

She nodded. "I live with my parents, too. But I'm not at home as much as I'd like to be."

"Why not?"

"Too much to do," she shrugged.

"Oh." He glanced down at his hand, which he'd been trying to paint a leaf pattern on. "I think my parents just preferred having me at home. Twelve can be kind of dangerous." He gave Mendi a meaningful glance, but she didn't seem to notice.

"That's terrible," Bryony said, trying to pull Tiernan's attention back to her before Mendi could see.

(She liked Mendi. Spending time with Mendi made her almost feel normal again. As long as Bryony had someone else to look out for, she could maintain a semblance of normalcy, and her optimism along with it. Yes, Mendi was far from the most stable kid she'd ever looked after- her temperament most closely resembled the toddlers Bryony used to check in on- but that meant Mendi required more of her time and energy, leaving less for her to stress about the upcoming Games. That was a trade Bryony was willing to make.

That, and she honestly did like Mendi. Bryony could look beyond the tantrums and see that Mendi was just scared and confused. Mendi Navar had good in her, and treating her like some monster would only make her into one.)

"They were right," Tiernan admitted. "Every time I left the house, something bad happened. One time I got tased. Another time, I went near the mines, and a group of Seam boys started hitting me."

Bryony's eyes widened. "Oh, wow."

"Yeah." Tiernan sighed. "Mother was right. Home was safer."

Suddenly, Mendi stood up. "Going to the bathroom," she muttered.

"Okay!" Bryony said.

Mendi took off, and Tiernan watched her go. After she was out of earshot, he leaned in, lowering his voice. "No freak-outs today."

Bryony raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "She's not a bad person. Just one without help."

"Do you believe her?"

Patrek looked up, now interested in the conversation.

"Of course." Bryony hesitated. "Do you?"

"I don't know," Tiernan said carefully. "You know, sometimes when people walked by my house… I heard rumors…"

"What did you hear?" Patrek asked.

Tiernan lowered his voice to a whisper. "That Mendi's father didn't kill her mother. Mendi did."

Bryony's heart dropped. "And you believe them?"

"Seemed ridiculous at the time, but now that I've met her…"

Patrek nodded along. "I wouldn't be shocked."

"No!" Bryony said. "No! I believe her!"

"Someone else said that's why they never found the body. Her father disposed of it for her."

Bryony's face heated in a rare moment of anger. "She's a kid," she said, trying not to snap at her allies. "How dare you gossip about someone like that, let alone a kid who's clearly grieving. Shame on you."

Tiernan's cheeks became a blotchy red. "I'm just saying, if she's killed before-"

"She hasn't," Bryony said stubbornly.

Tiernan gave up and went back to his hand-painting, chastised.

Patrek gave Bryony a long, measured look. "We should still be careful. She's unpredictable."

"So we should help her instead of gossiping."

Patrek was clearly doubtful, but he became quiet, returning to his own work just as Mendi returned.

"Hi, Mendi," Bryony said brightly, trying to conceal the change in mood. "We missed you!"

Mendi gave her a soft little almost-smile. "Hi."

(The boys were wrong about Mendi. They had to be, and everything had to be okay, and she had to keep her head up.)

(Because without her optimistic certainty, Bryony Kantor had nothing.)

Mercury Vidovic, 18

District 2, He/Him

10:17 AM

"So, any updates?" Mercury asked.

"No," Tomo answered.

He'd found the Six boy lingering by the ropes course, thankfully alone. "You know, Tomo," Mercury said, "there ain't much time left to decide."

"I've decided that it's impossible to make a choice when I don't know what I'd be helping you accomplish," Tomo replied stiffly.

"Already told ya. Research."

"Research what? And with what resources?"

"I'll explain, I just need you to agree first."

Tomo gave him a look. "And why me?"

Mercury gestured. "Overheard the trainers tellin' Nine you were the smartest one here."

"But why do you need me?"

"Because," Mercury insisted. "You're… my best shot, I think."

"Why?"

(Because Mercury Vidovic wasn't smart like his brother. He couldn't do this shit by himself even if he wanted to, and he knew it. He wasn't good enough to fill his brother's spot as leader of their gang, the Spades- hell, he'd only been picked to Volunteer because the riots in Two took out too many of the decent options. He wasn't nearly as smart or shrewd or collected as Jupiter. Everyone back home wanted him to be, but he wasn't.

All he wanted was to figure out what happened to his dad. Maybe he couldn't be like Jupiter or his dad, but if he could figure out where they went wrong and prove himself along the way, he would finally be good enough.)

"'Cause!" Mercury said, nearly shouting. "You're smart and good at thinking and not gonna fuck it all up like I am!"

Tomo stared at him. Mercury turned to see a couple other tributes were looking their way, too.

So he turned toward the ropes course and started climbing up.

"Where are you going?" Tomo called after him.

"Somewhere more private," Mercury replied. "C'mon."

Tomo started protesting, but a few moments later, the ropes tugged down under Mercury's hands, and he knew Tomo was following. He climbed up to the net hanging from the ceiling and hoisted himself up into it, reclining as though it were a hammock.

A few seconds later, Tomo's head popped up. "What are you doing?"

"Come sit. No one'll bug us up here."

Tomo hesitated for a full minute before unceremoniously climbing on. His added weight in the net sent him tumbling towards Mercury with a yelp.

"Easy," Mercury laughed.

Tomo pushed himself away from Mercury and into a sitting position, his face red- from exertion or embarrassment, Mercury wasn't sure. "What's so important we have to climb all the way up here to discuss?"

Mercury's smile faded. "I just… down there, it feels like everyone's listening all the time. It's tiring."

"They can still see us up here," Tomo pointed out.

Mercury glanced through the net (technically, they were meant to climb through it to the other side of the course before climbing down) at the ground. "Sure, but they can't hear us."

"Fine."

"But, uh… you're a good guy, y'know?" Mercury asked. "And even though I know this whole thing probably sounds stupid and doesn't make sense and shit, it's real important to me, and if you help me out I've got your back. In the arena."

Tomo gave him a careful look. "What if I prefer to ally with someone else?"

Mercury shrugged. "No hard feelings. But I don't want you to do a buncha work and then not get anything in return, y'know?"

Tomo nodded. "I suppose that makes sense."

"But I know your district partner hangs around you a lot, and I saw you with Nine yesterday, so…"

(What if he was too late?)

"I think Fleur has her own friends," Tomo replied. "And Jem did invite me to an alliance…"

"What'd you say?"

"I didn't give him an answer yet. I wanted to hear from you first."

"Oh," Mercury said, his hope returning.

"Chevre told me something-"

"Who?"

"The girl from Ten with blonde hair. I was talking to her and Jem, and some of the things they said made me nervous about allying with the Careers."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

Tomo hesitated, clearly choosing his words carefully. "They seemed to think… your allies have a lot of… complicated relationships. And that those will result in the alliance fracturing early. So I'm concerned about how much protection you can provide, including from them."

"Is this because I kissed Vince?" Mercury asked.

"I- I don't care that you kissed Invincible," Tomo said, his cheeks going red again. Mercury couldn't deny that it was a bit fun to see Tomo so flustered. "And there's a lot more than just that."

"Fair enough." Mercury took a moment to think. "Yeah, some of 'em are definitely complicated. The girls especially. Oh, and Vince and Rumi. So everyone except Brizo is, uh… yeah. Honestly… if it comes to it, I'd be happy to split off with just you."

"Just me?" Tomo asked, shocked. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, 'course," Mercury replied. "This is really important to me, Tomo. Besides, I like you better than the others."

Tomo blinked. "What?"

He shrugged. "You're smart and honest, I can tell. And my allies are fine enough, but they aren't near as honest as you, and… that counts for something here, right? Honesty?"

Tomo was struggling to look him in the eye. "You… like me?"

"Yeah. Are you, uh, okay…?"

"Fine." Tomo cleared his throat. "So, um, what can I help you with?"

"Is that a yes?" Mercury asked, brightening.

"Not yet," Tomo cautioned. "I, just, um, want to make sure I can actually help you before I take an offer."

"Okay, okay," Mercury sighed. "This whole thing… it's about my dad. He got murdered, and I need to find out who did it."

"...Oh?"

"But I think I know who. My Mentor helped me put the pieces I have together, and it's almost definitely this Peacekeeper guy, except he disappeared, and all we've got is a first name."

"What's the name?"

"Teurian."

Tomo's entire body recoiled, and his face drained of color. "Oh. Oh."

"Tomo? You alright?"

Mercury started leaning towards him, but Tomo pulled back, scrambling for the ropes that led back to the ground. "I need to talk to Mr. Myrellis-Verilla," he said quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure, tomorrow," Mercury said, bewildered. In seconds, Tomo had disappeared, leaving Mercury up in the net, deeply confused.

(How had he fucked that up so bad?)

(And how could he get Tomo to come back?)

Wisdom Garland, 16

District 3, He/Him

11:34 AM

By the third day of training, Wisdom couldn't deny that a curious phenomenon had overtaken the other tributes. And this troubled him deeply, because there were serious implications:

Every other tribute had joined an alliance except him.

The Careers were obvious, and had been joined by one of the Tens (and possibly the Six boy?). Then there were the Sevens, clearly sticking together, and the group of girls- Zinnia, Six, Nine, and Five. There were the Elevens and Twelves. And, despite maintaining a convincing ruse otherwise, there were the Eights, the Nine boy, the other Ten, and the other Five. They hadn't been seen together in public, but Zinnia had told Kellin- written him, really- that she learned about the meeting they had, and it wasn't difficult to put the pieces together from there.

This was alarming. Wisdom did not appreciate the idea of being the sole loner against the other twenty-three; he had his talents, but he wasn't an idiot. He wouldn't last long in the arena if every group outnumbered him. That meant his only option was to make a choice, and to make it quickly.

(What a shame, too. Wisdom would've preferred to go the Games alone if he could. But given the way the others had arranged themselves, that was no longer an option.)

Before lunch, Wisdom made sure to catch the Ten girl alone by the fishing station. She seemed like his best bet; small, weak, old enough to have some say in the alliance (unlike the twelve-year-old, whose presence he did not understand).

To his surprise, however, she initiated the conversation. "The only one without an alliance, hm?"

Wisdom raised an eyebrow. "It would appear so."

"Lonely."

"More secure."

The girl finished fashioning her fish hook and set it down. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"At least my fate isn't in the hands of a little boy," he remarked.

"And mine is?"

"Don't play dumb. You're more tolerable when you don't."

A surprised smile spread across Ten's face. "You mean Jude."

"Clearly. So you're allies, then."

"What's it to you?"

Wisdom shrugged. "Simply making an observation."

"Have any more observations?"

(He'd underestimated her. Their conversation thus far was enough to conclude there was more to her than he'd realized, but he wasn't about to tell her that. So he went with something else.)

"Your other ally, the large one, is healing an absurd number of tattoos. Although he's much better today than before."

"You pay attention," she replied.

He gave her a measured look. "The foundation of a successful theory is a strong hypothesis, which comes from detailed, accurate observation."

"Seems like you're making inferences more than observations to me, but sure. Solid reasoning."

"It's an intermediary between the observation and hypothesis," he replied.

"But you were the one who called it an observation."

Wisdom stared at her. She stared back, her sunny disposition somehow still intact.

"I'm Chevre, by the way. Since you never asked."

"That most likely means I wasn't interested."

"Good inference," she said with a smile.

(Wisdom was seriously doubting his choice in alliance right now. Not only had he underestimated Ten's intellect, but also how irritating she was.)

(Although, if he was being totally honest, he would've admitted it was nice to be engaged in a semi-interesting conversation for once.)

"And you're Wisdom, right?"

"…Yes."

"So, Wisdom," she continued. "I have a hypothetical for you. Suppose you were tired of being the only solo tribute- lonely, even."

"I'm not lonely."

"Say you wanted to join an alliance. What could you offer?"

He paused. "Hypothetically, you could simply be trying to understand my strengths and weaknesses, and use this information to kill me later."

She smiled. "Hypothetically, sure. But hypothetically, you could beat me in a fight. Look at me and look at you. You'd have no trouble."

(She did seem small and frail, as she'd just pointed out. But Wisdom didn't want to underestimate Chevre again. And he didn't like that she'd so readily shown him her weaknesses, either. He was convinced there was something more to that choice that Wisdom wasn't privy to right now.)

"Hypothetically," he answered with a tentative nod. "In this imaginary scenario, I would tell a prospective ally about my skills in chemistry."

"Very cool. Do you have a specialty?"

"Acid."

Chevre's eyes widened. "You've made acid?"

"Don't make me laugh. I once melted a boy's entire arm off with the world's most potent superacid. An accident, of course," he assured her, "but a successful one at that."

"Hypothetically, a potential ally would ask if you could recreate that in the arena."

"Unlikely," he admitted. "We'd need serious sponsorships. But I know other, simpler formulas."

"Such as?"

He gave her a rare smile. "Would a hypothetical ally expect me to give up all my surprises before a guarantee was made?"

"No… she'd be willing to make that guarantee," Chevre replied.

"So you admit this is not a hypothetical scenario," Wisdom pressed. "This is a proposal you're willing to make."

"Name a formula, and we can leave the theoreticals behind," she said.

"You specified hypothetical."

"Fine," Chevre said, finally showing signs of exasperation. This was good. If she stayed just irritated enough, she'd be more likely to quickly agree. "We can leave hypotheticals behind. Name a formula."

"Chloroform."

Somehow, her large blue eyes widened again, and if he hadn't studied anatomy, he would've wondered if her eyes could've popped out of her head. "You could do that?"

"Only takes two common ingredients," he told her.

"That would be… useful."

"So," he said, "an alliance. You benefit from my skills. I benefit from safety in numbers and protection from the others. Do we have a deal?"

He'd expected her to consult with her alliance, but she didn't. "Deal," she said, and they shook on it.

Something occurred to him, and he gave her a long look. "Why were you alone at the fishing station of all places?"

She grinned. "Good place for chatting. Come on, it's time for lunch."

And as she walked away, Wisdom following behind, he wondered if this alliance hadn't only been his idea at all. Had she been waiting for him? Is that why she'd shown interest so quickly?

(At least this alliance would certainly prove to be, at the very least, mentally stimulating.)

(Wisdom had always loved a good challenge. In a way, this alliance- and the Games- were just another in a long line of challenges Wisdom would overcome.)

Chase Holloway, 15

District 5, She/Her

12:15 PM

tw: mention of gun violence

"Okay, now can we talk about the Sevens?" Chase asked.

"Chase-" Shazia started.

The four of them had sat down for lunch about five minutes earlier. Chase had inhaled her food, eager to get to talking about the important stuff, but everyone else was only halfway done.

"You said we had to train during training time, but we're not training now, and I'm done eating- I can just talk and you can just listen-"

"Fine," Shazia replied.

"Is this about the revenge thing again?" Fleur asked. "I still don't think we need revenge. I loved it!"

"You screamed really loud," Chase reminded her. Zinnia nodded her agreement.

"At first, yes, but then it was fun."

"I'm not sure about this, either," Shazia said. "Do we really need to pick a fight with someone before the Games?"

"They picked a fight with us," Chase answered, getting impatient. "And they think they're winning! If we don't fight back, they'll think we're weak and go after us again later, when it's not fun and games and glitter! They're gonna think we're easy kills, so we have to scare them off now!"

She stopped to catch her breath and found her allies had all stopped eating and were now staring at her.

"Do you get it now?" she asked. "Do you see why?"

Fleur's eyes got big and round. "You really think they'd try to kill us?"

"We're in the fucking Games, Fleur-"

"Chase, calm down," Shazia interrupted. "You made a good point. And yes, Fleur, I think Chase is right about the Sevens attacking us."

"I can't calm down!" Chase yelled, waving her arms.

Shazia gave her a long, calculating look. "Is this really about the Sevens?" she asked. "Or something else?"

"Of course it's about the Sevens! I just- trust me on this. If someone comes for you and your friends, they're gonna do it again. They're bullies, and bullies only learn one way."

Fleur started to frown. "How do you know?"

"Because- because-" Chase struggled. "Because I saw it!"

"Oh," Fleur said.

Shazia's gaze softened, and Zinnia looked upset. "You don't have to tell us," Shazia said.

"No, I will, because I know how it's gonna be in that arena, and you guys need to know too," Chase said. "Look. In Five, I was in this gang."

"A gang!" Fleur said, her eyes bugging out even further.

"It's awesome," Chase said. "We stole from rich people to help the other homeless kids and shit, but that's not important. What's important is that we got betrayed by one of our own guys to the Peacekeepers, and… and my friend got shot. He died."

"That's awful," Shazia said quietly.

"It was," Chase said, her voice tight. "But the rat wasn't done, 'cause in November we caught him around our new place, ready to do it all over again. So we taught him a lesson. And we haven't seen him since, because that's what works with traitors and bullies."

"What did you do?" Fleur whispered.

"I broke the fucker's nose," Chase answered. "Anyway, that's why we need revenge. Or else Seven's gonna kill us as soon as they get the chance."

"You're, like… the toughest person I've ever met," Fleur said.

Chase straightened in her seat. "Thanks," she said, very seriously.

Shazia, too, was looking at Chase with a newfound respect. "It takes courage to hit back," she said.

"You should try it," Chase said. "It felt really good."

"Trust me, I have," Shazia said. "But that's a story for another time."

"Can you tell it later?" Chase asked.

"I'm saving it for my interview, so you'll hear it tomorrow," Shazia said. "What kind of revenge are you thinking? We have today and tomorrow, and then-"

"Tonight," Chase interrupted. "We do it quick. When they're not expecting."

"But what are we doing?" Fleur asked. "We- we can't attack them, and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"They pranked us, we prank them, right?" Shazia asked.

Chase nodded. "Right."

Zinnia unfolded a piece of paper and slid it towards the rest of them. Shazia reached for it and read it out loud. "I did what you said and asked Kellin if he knew anything about the Sevens, and it turned out he's friends with their Mentor," she said. Zinnia nodded along. "Apparently, Seven's Mentor is worried about one of her tributes, because they're some kind of cult leader. They tried to get the Mentor to join the cult for 'after they won,' and was telling her all about it. They believe in a deity called 'The Spirit of the Forest' that guards nature from people who want to destroy it. Their Mentor didn't say which tribute it was, though."

Chase smiled for the first time all day. "One of the Sevens is crazy! This is perfect!"

"But we don't know which," Fleur frowned.

"Doesn't matter," Chase said. "We can still scare the shit outta both."

"What are you thinking…?" Shazia asked warily.

"Depends," Chase replied. "Are we cool with breaking into the seventh floor?"

"We can't get caught," Shazia said.

"We won't!" Chase told her. "But you and I would have some work to do beforehand if we wanna pull it off. Like, techy stuff. You said you're a mechanic, right?"

"Right," Shazia said.

"And Fleur, you said you always wanted to be a movie star, right? Can you act?"

Fleur placed a hand on her chest dramatically. "Absolutely!"

"As long as you don't sound like yourself, it'll work," Chase said. "And Zinnia, you can help us set up and prepare everything. Maybe you could write a script or something."

Zinnia shrugged agreeably.

"A script?" Shazia asked.

"Ooh! What part will I play?" Fleur asked.

Chase's grin turned downright devious. "I think it's time the Sevens get a visit from their crazy cult god."

Shazia started to laugh. Zinnia broke out in a shy smile. Fleur started smoothing down her jumpsuit and declaring, "The role of a lifetime!"

"Let's get 'em," Shazia said. "I'm in."

"Me too!" Fleur shrieked.

Zinnia flashed a thumbs-up.

Chase rubbed her hands together. "Awesome."

(And sitting there scheming with her new friends, she could almost imagine she was back home, preparing another heist with her old friends before everything went wrong.)

(Deep down, Chase knew this group wouldn't last. Nothing in her life had ever lasted.)

(So she was gonna enjoy the shit out of this while it did.)

Bastet Avarne, 18

District 2, She/They

3:54 PM

"Bastet."

They turned to see that Aveline Averone stood behind them, hot and bothered, and Bastet started to smirk.

"We need to talk," Aveline demanded.

Bastet gave Tisiphone, who was standing a few feet away- the two of them had been shooting targets in the wave pool while a simulator made them bob up and down- a lazy glance. "I'm busy, Aveline. Another time."

"No," Aveline insisted.

"No?"

"You've been running off with Tisiphone- no offense, Tisiphone- for days. We're having a conversation now-"

"I can leave," Tisiphone offered.

"No, Tiss, stay," Bastet said, her eyes still trained on Aveline.

Aveline held up a piece of paper. "You're sure you want to talk about this in front of Tisiphone?"

"What's that?"

"Don't play dumb!"

"I don't know what that is," Bastet insisted.

"I can give you guys privacy-" Tisiphone started.

"That's probably best," Aveline snapped.

"Stay," Bastet said. "Give me that."

"You already know. You left it outside my door last night. On purpose!" Aveline said, nearly shouting.

"I was on the fourth floor with Tiss. I never went downstairs."

"Then you had Mercury deliver it! Or gave it to Vince!"

Bastet snorted. "Those two are too busy sticking their tongues down each other's throats-"

"Like you and Tisiphone?"

Bastet froze. She glanced at Tisiphone, whose dark brown eyes had gone wide with shock.

"I knew it," Aveline said.

"No," Bastet snapped. "Tiss, don't listen to her-"

"I didn't tell anyone," Tisiphone said quietly, taking a step back.

"I didn't either!"

"So it's true," Aveline said, and Bastet whirled back around to see Aveline's rage turning into a pout. "You did write this letter."

"Give me that," Bastet said, running out of patience and snatching it from Aveline's hand herself. They skimmed it, her hands clenching the paper tighter and tighter as they read, before shoving it back. "I didn't write that."

"You're lying."

"That's not my handwriting," Bastet pointed out. "I don't call her Tisiphone, I call her Tiss. And I was with Tiss all last night. Someone else wrote that to fuck with you."

Aveline's lip trembled. "No one else knew about you and me-"

"Knew what about you and me?" Bastet said, their voice turning cold.

"That we- that I-" Aveline stammered.

"That you what?"

(For a moment, Bastet wondered if she would say it.)

"Nothing," Aveline snapped.

(Bastet's chest constricted. Of course Aveline wouldn't say it, because Aveline didn't care about Bastet at all.)

(Bastet had spent too many years as Aveline's second. They had spent too much time trying to claw their way up the totem pole, listening to Nyx whisper you're just dragging her down, you're only holding her back, and believing her. What did it say about Bastet that despite everything- years of Nyx's wrath, the grenade, being left behind- that she had room for anything beside hatred?)

(How could she go on loving Aveline when Aveline had only ever loved her crown?)

"Nothing," Bastet repeated, their voice hollow even to her own ears. "Of course. That's what you are, too, by the way. Nothing."

Aveline's expression dropped, and Bastet smiled. "I remember you, and everything that happened between us, and you are nothing to me."

"Bas," Aveline said, her voice shaking.

"You don't have the fucking right," Bastet said, picking up steam. "You- you left. You don't get to come crawling back now that it's convenient for you-"

"That's not what I-"

"-when you left me alone with her all that time-"

"Her?"

"Nyx!" Bastet exploded. Her eyes burned, and she was so furious at the thought that they might start crying that she was able to force them back with sheer willpower. "You left me with Nyx and you knew she hated me-"

"What does this have to do with- you were the one who wrote a love letter-"

"I didn't write a fucking love letter!" Bastet shouted. "This is about you leaving! You left me!"

"I didn't mean to," Aveline insisted, her eyes shining with tears of her own, and Bastet hated that it got any sympathy from them at all. "I was trying to support you, because you wanted to go to the riots-"

"Shut up!"

"-I was only there for you!"

"I bet Nyx told you to try to Volunteer a year early, right?" Bastet shouted.

"No, I just didn't want to compete with you!"

"Because you knew it would be too easy!"

"No!"

"Well, you were wrong, and so was Nyx," Bastet spat. "Too bad she won't be around to see you fail again!"

Aveline froze, a tear dripping from her eye as she stared at Bastet. "...What?"

Bastet let a wicked smile creep across their lips as she held Aveline's gaze. "Nyx is dead," they said softly.

"What happened?"

"I did."

"...You didn't."

"I did," Bastet said, their anger returning in the face of Aveline's disbelief. "What, you think I can't?"

"No, it's-"

Bastet didn't let her finish. She stepped forward and shoved Aveline. "You never thought I could, huh?" they snarled.

Aveline shoved them back. "What is wrong with you?"

"Wrong?" Bastet repeated with a laugh, pushing Aveline again. "Don't you fucking know, Ave?"

"Stop it-" Aveline pushed Bastet again, hard.

"Guys," Tisiphone interrupted. "The trainers are coming, knock it off-"

Bastet couldn't stop laughing. She pushed Aveline as hard as she could. "It's you, it's always been you-"

"Stop hitting me!" Aveline shouted, shoving them back, their boot hitting the lip of the pool-

"Bastet!" Tisiphone cried, reaching for them-

Bastet's reflexes weren't enough to stop her from falling into the water. They were fast enough, however, to latch on to Aveline's jumpsuit and drag her down with them.

(Aveline wasn't getting away this time.)

The trainers reached them just as they hit the water with a crash, Bastet's back stinging from the impact and her fist still tangled in Aveline's jumpsuit. They kicked toward the surface, sputtering, and Aveline did the same.

"You bitch!" Bastet shouted.

"You shoved me!" Aveline cried, her short blonde hair plastered to her forehead and cheeks and her brown eyes burning with anger. A complete mess.

(Bastet relished it.)

Bastet lunged for her again, but the trainers were faster, and pulled them apart before any real damage could be done. The rest of the tributes stared as they were fished out of the pool, Tisiphone included.

That was fine. Let the rest of them see what Bastet already knew: that Aveline Averone was a washed-up nobody that no one cared about.

(Bastet least of all.)

haha...! live laugh love train!

shoutout to goldie for betaing this and a bunch of things recently. forgot to shout her out but she's the best thank u for listening to my many, many ramblings. especially the choloroform one

can't believe we're almost done w training... see u next time with tomo, tiernan, aescelin, and sienna!

rb