Hiya! I know it has been a ridiculously long time since I've updated and I'm sure everyone has forgotten all about this world and its inhabitants! But i don't see the sense in not finishing a story so here is the next chapter and I promise this story will eventually reach it's conclusion! But enough from me, time to get back to Clara and Grantaire's Games!
Partnerships and Pointers
The tributes woke up on the fourth day to an announcement from Claudius Templesmith. Clearly the Gamemakers were annoyed that their genius invention for this year's Games had gone unnoticed by almost everyone. They were not happy that the tributes from District 3, not even one of the privileged districts, were the only ones receiving the advantages that they only really wanted to give to the Careers. Now one of them was dead and it was really time to get these Games started.
'This is a message to all tributes,' the voice rang out across the whole arena.
'Only two of you have thus far managed to figure out the use of the extremely advantageous tool we gave you and the commencing of these Games. This tool is the difference between life and death. In order to help you on your way, come to the Cornucopia at noon, there you will receive further instructions. We will expect everyone to be there.'
Grantaire stretched and attempted to stand up, wondering how he would decipher when noon was. As he did so, he felt a searing pain shooting up his left leg, so paralysing he was forced to sit down again.
'Watch yourself,' Jen said sleepily. 'You've got a bit of a graze there.'
Grantaire looked down and remembered the arrow wound he had been inflicted with the previous day. It had constantly slowed them down, and it was more than obvious Jen was not happy about it.
'So, are we going to go to the Cornucopia?' Grantaire asked.
'What do you think?' she said. 'How else are we going to win this thing?'
'Wake up, Gavroche,' Clara whispered gently, shaking the young boy awake. His dark brown curls covered his face.
'Is it morning?' he mumbled, still half-asleep.
'It is,' Clara smiled. 'And we've got somewhere to be in a few hours.'
Ellen and Samson had made the decision to remain where they were while the other tributes went to the Cornucopia. After all, they knew what the Gamemakers were going to say, why risk their lives for information they already possessed. However, they were in the Hunger Games, and freedom of choice was not a luxury any tribute possessed.
They were sitting in comfortable silence, enjoying the brief serenity, when they heard a crash, not too far away.
'What do you suppose that was?' Ellen wondered.
Samson shrugged. 'I don't know,' was his eloquent reply.
They settled down again when another crashed reached their ears, closer this time.
Slowly, Samson began to stand up, with Ellen not far behind him. They heard a third crash, and came to the conclusion something was not right.
Suddenly, a frantic girl dragging a small boy behind her appeared before them.
'What the hell are you doing?!' she yelled with wild eyes. 'Get out of here!'
She waited while the two tributes from District 3 registered what was happening. Ellen was the first to notice and alerted Samson to the falling boulders. All around them one by one, the tall rocks that had been Ellen and Samson's protection were fast becoming their biggest threat. The girl didn't wait for them, she sprinted on desperate to save the child she had sworn to keep alive.
Almost as one person, Ellen and Samson gathered their supplies and followed the girl through the maze of crashing rock. Neither was too stupid to know exactly where they were being steered, straight to the Cornucopia, straight into the heart of the action.
And they would have made it there too. Had Samson not lost grip of his precious black box. Without thinking, he spun around and ran back to retrieve it, and that was his final error. A rock fell where Samson had bent down to pick up the box. In one of the fastest deaths of Hunger Games history, the cannon sounded. The Deadly Dominoes had claimed their first victim.
Ellen screamed. The volume of noise from behind her made Clara turn around. She gasped. Tears sprung to Gavroche's eyes. He had never known death could be so cruel. In fact, before the arena, he had never really known anything of death.
Ellen was frozen just a few metres from where her district partner and friend had perished. Her eyes became misty, and her knees grew weak. She wanted to be with him, with Samson. She knew she couldn't do this on her own.
But she didn't have to. With her right hand firmly grasped by Gavroche, Clara took Ellen's hand in her left. Their eyes met for a split second, but the trust Clara needed was bestowed. Ellen, still wracked with grief, could do nothing but follow her saviour, running as fast as she could, until they were as safe as the Gamemakers would allow.
Blood ran to Ellen's eyes, and she was close to abandoning her life and telling Clara to go on without her. Before she came to this resolve however, the boulders ceased falling, and soon enough they had reached the end of the maze, and they looked out onto the clear and deceivingly peaceful Cornucopia.
All three tributes were out of breath, Gavroche collapsed and leaned against Clara's leg. Ellen's hand was still in Clara's. Gently, Clara squeezed the hand of her new ally.
'I'm sorry,' she whispered, and that was all that needed to be said.
After a quick scan of the area, as far as Clara could tell, they were the only ones in the Cornucopia. This changed very quickly. A girl screamed. A blood-curdling scream which could only have come from a girl in unimaginable pain. The cannon sounded. Moments later, Careers were tumbling out of the forest. Ellen made a headcount. There were only five of them now. The blonde girl, Sparkle, was missing. She had been the one who screamed for help which never came, and now District 1 had lost both of their tributes.
The Careers looked shaken. Under normal circumstances, with Clara and her allies so vulnerable, they would have been taken out in seconds, and flight would have been their only defence. While all three were prepared to run, the attack never came. Whatever had killed Sparkle had shocked the Careers down to the core. They were afraid. The ones who had trained for this since their hands were large enough to hold a knife….were afraid. When Templesmith had said he expected everyone to be at the Cornucopia, it must have been code for, if you don't go willingly, we will have to force your hand.
The remaining two tributes had clearly opted for the first option. They arrived calmly, as if they had just returned from a leisurely walk. The two tributes from 12 and the two tributes from 9 looked at each other from opposite sides of the Cornucopia, from opposing teams, and each one felt a pang of homesickness at their only link to where this all started.
No one was sure what to do. The three groups of tributes stood a fair distance apart gazing at the others. Everyone wondering who would be the first to fire. And the leader of the Careers, Benedict, recovering from Sparkle's death, was becoming only too happy to claim this role. He stood up with a new resolve, his district partner taking position beside him, gesturing for the others to look like the Careers they were supposed to be. For several agonising minutes, it looked like the only thing to be decided was whom the Careers would attack first. The pair with the wounded leg, or the three accommodating a child? Benedict was about to make his decision when the Capitol anthem rang out across the whole arena, and the instructions they had been promised earlier were given.
'In a Hunger Games first,' the mechanical voice rang out. 'Today the Gamekeepers will make the alliances. There are ten tributes left in the running for victor, and we will split you into five teams of two. Each team will be given a task to be completed by the end of the day. Enemies must become allies, the impossible must become possible. You will have to learn to trust and work with a tribute you do not know, and each pair who completes their task will receive the secret of the black box. No one move until I speak your name and corresponding district. The two names I do announce will together walk towards the centre of the Cornucopia and pick up the backpacks in the order I have laid them out.'
And all of a sudden, five backpacks were in the centre of the Cornucopia, waiting to be claimed by the newly formed pairs. This was a development no tribute had seen coming. Was it a trick? Was it a trap? What were they supposed to do? Not even the Careers had received any training for this scenario. But the voice sounded affirmative, and no tribute really believed they had any choice in the matter.
'You will find any equipment you need for the day in them. Now, no more time will be wasted with talk. You have until the arena is descended in darkness, to return to the Cornucopia with the evidence of your completed task. Let's begin: Pair number one, Pisces from District 4, and Grantaire from District 12.'
Pisces and Grantaire were similar in height and build, Pisces perhaps a little taller, and Grantaire a little broader. Both strode confidently towards their backpack, Grantaire slightly behind as he was still suffering from the arrow wound in his leg. Pisces picked up the backpack and slung it over his shoulder, politely waiting for his partner to join him.
'Pair number one,' the voice returned. 'Your task is to enter the forest, and put an end to the beast which is responsible for the death of the latest tribute. In the backpack you will find a vial. Fill this with the beast's blood when you have slaughtered it. May the odds be ever in your favour.'
At the delegation of their task, for a moment, Grantaire looked the stronger of the two. Pisces had seen the beast they were supposed to destroy, he had seen the ruthless way it had torn his ally apart. He didn't want to go back. He never wanted to see it again. But all the same he set off with his partner, until the trees swallowed them up.
'Pair number two,' the voice continued. 'Annie from District 4 and Jennifer from District 9.'
Jen had appeared indifferent to Grantaire's departure, and in hers she only looked determined. She seemed a little disappointed with her partner, despite her being one of the Careers. Annie was closer to the backpack and so picked it up first, very much to the annoyance of Jen. On the surface, these girls appeared exactly the same, just from different backgrounds. But there was, as I'm sure you have all guessed, a side to Jen she had not yet shown, while Annie was a simple but beautiful case of what you see is what you get.
'Pair number two,' the voice proclaimed. 'You will notice that no hovercrafts have appeared to collect the bodies of the last two tributes. This of course, was done purposefully. We want you to find and retrieve the corpses of Sparkle and Samson, give them a burial, and bring back a lock of each of their hair to prove your task has been completed. You will find scissors in the backpack. May the odds be ever in your favour.'
Jen looked prepared and feisty. Annie looked like she was about to be sick, and Clara couldn't blame her. Death and Annie were not two beings that should've be brought together. Clara's heart ached for her friend, as she watched her walk off with Jen, following the first pair into the forest to find Sparkle.
'Pair number 3,' the voice decided next. 'Callum from District 11 and Gavroche from District 9.'
Callum walked away from the Careers. Clara couldn't help but wish that had been done literally. Gavroche didn't want to leave Clara, of course he didn't. Clara had been like a mother to him for the past four days. At first, Clara was terrified he wouldn't go, that the Gamemakers would punish him for defying them. It wasn't until Callum had picked up the backpack, looked at Clara and Gavroche, and extended his hand that the little boy stood up, and with one nervous look back, went with renewed confidence towards his new ally. At this, Clara and Callum shared a smile, and Clara knew she had nothing to worry about. Callum was genuine and caring, Gavroche would be looked after. Without caring what anyone else thought, Callum held onto Gavroche's small hand while their task was announced.
'Pair number 3, your task is to quite literally rebuild the arena. Several of the tributes have experienced the falling boulders on the east side of the arena. The Gamemakers would like these pushed back into a standing position. We can't have anyone thinking our standards are dropping. They must all be restored to their original position, no one stone out of place. To put it another way, leave no stone unturned.'
Every single tribute grimaced at the pun.
'Any equipment you require will be in the backpack. May the odds be ever in your favour.'
With their cue to leave, Callum and Gavroche started in the direction of Clara and Ellen. Both girls held their breath, uncertain what the etiquette was for situations like this. Luckily Callum knew. He said nothing but gently brushed Clara's hand with his own as he passed. The feelings this roused in Clara made her certain she and Callum had unfinished business, but she still couldn't help a smile escaping.
'Pair number 4,' the voice announced the penultimate team. 'Benedict from District 2 and Ellen from District 3.'
Benedict looked less than impressed at his chosen partner, but nevertheless strode towards the centre of the Cornucopia, clearly expressing his arrogance and ruthlessness as he went. He swung the backpack effortlessly over his shoulder and waited expectedly for Ellen to join him. Ellen quickly glanced at Clara, who could only smile in attempted comfort, before joining her partner in the centre.
'Pair number 4, you're task is one of the intellectual variety.'
No one missed the look of mild panic across Benedict's face when he heard this. Of all his muscles, his brain was most definitely the weakest.
'In the bag, you will find a riddle on a piece of laminated card. The riddle will direct you to a place, or a person in the arena. This will be your destination, and when you have touched the place or person, the Gamemakers will consider the riddle solved. If you do solve it, all the secrets of the arena will be yours. If you do not, the arena will play tricks on you for the rest of your attempt at victory. This is not the course we advise. May the odds be ever in your favour.'
It was a while before Ellen and Benedict left the Cornucopia. Although the two remaining tributes to be paired couldn't hear them, they could guess the argument was centred around where they should go to solve the riddle. In the end, Ellen's logic overcame Benedict's impulsiveness, and they headed for the edge of the forest near the river, so they would have both protection and water.
As if they didn't already know, the voice announced the final pair, the only two tributes left standing around the Cornucopia.
'Pair number 5. Avalon from District 2 and Clara from District 12.'
Two equally strong willed and intelligent girls met in the centre of the Cornucopia. Each waited for the other to pick up the backpack.
'Please, I think you should be the one to carry it,' Avalon smiled with sickening sweetness.
'Oh no,' Clara disagreed. 'I believe it is your responsibility. I wouldn't want to tread on anyone's toes.'
This was the kind of confrontation the Gamemakers loved. Equally matched opponents squaring off in broad daylight. While for everyone else the taking of the backpack showed the more dominant of the pair, for Clara and Avalon, it was the first sign of weakness, bowing before their partner.
'Pair number 5,' the voice ignored the fact the backpack was still on the ground. 'You're task is to ascend to the top of the cliff on the north side of the arena. There you will discover a break in the force field surrounding the arena. The backpack contains tools and instructions to mend this break. You must complete this with the utmost speed, your mission is the most important.'
There was no doubt of the importance of this quest to the Gamemakers. The break wasn't meant to be there, they had no idea how it had been caused. It had to be fixed by someone on the inside, as they couldn't reach it from where they were. They had picked the tributes they believed would be most suited to this imperative task. Put simply, the most talented tributes. With this break, for the first time there was danger in the arena like never before. But not to the tributes.
Avalon and Clara still stood facing each other over the backpack. It had been like this now for several minutes, and the cameras had left them to focus on other tributes. Suddenly, the stalemate was broken. Faster than a deer escaping an arrow, Clara whipped up the backpack and said,
'Well come on then, didn't you hear? We've got a job to do, and fast.'
She turned on her heels leaving Avalon humiliatingly trailing behind her.
She had lost the backpack stand-off, but Clara still held the upper hand.
And her family back home in 12 would have been proud, had not disaster torn them away from the screen and shaken them to their very foundations.
Hope this chapter follows on to everyone's satisfaction. Any feedback would be wonderful so review if you can!