Day Eleven, Afternoon
Mirane Saffell, District 8, 17
Darius and I turned a corridor. Although everything was broken, there still seemed to be a stairwell. It was wooden and grand, although it had looked weakened since a cyclone had swept through this neck of the woods. I stepped forward, casually nudging Darius away from a chunk of the ceiling that had collapsed and fell towards us. I watched indifferently as it smashed into the ground.
As if a deadly chunk of rock hadn't headed towards us we casually strolled on unperturbed and I stepped onto the first step of the frail, oak stairway. It groaned very loudly beneath my feet, but that was all.
"Uhm," I scratched my chin a little. "Do you think we should go up it?"
"Only way is up," Darius said, still holding onto my hand.
I felt genuinely nervous, so almost ran up the stairs while accompanied by a musical number of groans and creaks. There was something about the stairs I didn't like - they eventually felt uneasy against my weight and I swear I felt them shake. All was well, though. After virtually dragging Darius onto the stairwell, so we were onto a stone platform above, they eventually gave way and collapsed behind us. I saw the wood crash and splinter into nothing, leaving dust to rise.
"Fuck," I bit my lip. Thank god we weren't caught in that. We wouldn't have died if we fell, but I feel like we'd be left with very uncomfortable bruises. Or broken bones. Nothing special...
"There's a corridor down there," Darius pointed at a door to my right. "No tributes there. Pretty safe."
My stomach growled. "Any food?"
"Uhm. No," Darius said awkwardly.
I let go of Darius' hand. He wasn't actually blind, somehow, despite the fact he didn't have any eyes. He could take care of himself for now. I moved to the door and gripped the handle, beginning to open it. Peering inside, there didn't seem to be any immediate danger. When I turned around to address Darius instead I was attacked. Kind of. If kissing counted as an attack.
Darius forced his lips upon mine, showing a passion I hadn't witnessed since the night we had spent together, and my first response was to reciprocate furiously. I didn't know he had that kind of ferocity inside of him. I mean, there was that one kiss in the maze, but that was a moment of relief. This felt like something else, and something more real. He pressed me against the wall and I cupped his cheek as we spent a few seconds kissing. Though the temptation inside of me was still there, I pulled him away a little bit.
"Okay," I dragged out the y, feeling a blush burn my cheeks. It was very rare that I was flustered. "Give me some room to breathe."
"I'm done," Darius pressed his palms on the wall beside my head, then paused as if he wasn't quite sure if he was done. He leaned in for more, as if my lips would give him life, but I turned my head and let him kiss my cheeks instead. A romantic rejection.
"Good," I shoved him away lightly, grabbing his hand when he almost fell. I forgot that despite not being completely blind, he was pretty damn blind. He didn't even have time to gasp. "Because you know, we have a Games to survive," or I did. My stomach tied itself in a knot when I realised that only I would be getting out of here alive. Darius had to die at some point... and I didn't know when that was. I cleared my throat, turning away to walk. As I passed the doorway I halted and span around to face him. "But you know, that was kind of hot."
"I've never done anything hot before..."
I laughed a little bit and looked around the corridor. It was a lot more intact than some of the other corridors were, though books and pieces of paper had been strewn around and some of the windows were shattered. I heard Darius' footsteps behind me as I peered into one of the bedrooms, making sure the coast was clear even though Darius had probably already checked it. It seemed empty, despite one single bed and an old wardrobe. I strolled through it and opened the wardrobe doors, hoping to find something. There weren't even clothes that could've been used as rope or bandaging or something.
Sucks. I scowled a little and turned around, leaving the room. In the corridor Darius was nowhere to be seen, but I could hear him in the second bedroom searching around. By that point I made my way into the third bedroom. Outside the window I could see the afternoon sky, though the darkness of the clouds above made it look like night. Lightning strike after lightning strike clashed through the air and the rain fell so thick and heavy it curtained the glass outside. I only peered outwards for a second before approaching a desk drawer to my right and opening it.
There were only empty perfume vials and scrawled down letters. I picked up some of the letters, scanning them very briefly to get the gist of them. When I read them, they immediately struck my heart. I only briefly went over them but it seemed to be a letter from a woman - a Lady - to her lover. From what I could gather their love was a secret and had to be ended with some impending revolution or something. When I reached the last 'yours always', I looked out of the window again and pressed the bunches of parchment against my chest. It was a fictional story, but something in it touched me. Maybe I saw a bit of myself in said woman.
"Mirane!" Darius shouted. Slightly embarrassed, I stuffed the letters into the desk drawer and opened the next set, only seeing two thick books in there. Hopefully he hadn't seen how unproductive I'd been.
"Um, yeah?" I slammed that desk drawer and got to my knees, opening the next one and finding it was empty except a cobweb.
Darius' footsteps were heard clearly behind me. He seemed to be running. I turned to face him and my stomach cartwheeled when I saw how panicked he looked. Everything about him screamed terror. What had he seen?
"We have to get out of here," he stammered so quickly I barely caught the English. "It's coming!"
"What's coming?" I stood up straight, confused.
Darius opened his mouth to answer but the answer immediately came. There was a loud bang and both of us were thrown forwards as I saw plaster and rock from the corridor outside go crazy and fly everywhere. The screaming of wind immediately pulsated through my ears and Darius immediately crawled closer to me. I could see the thick, swirling winds surround the area and almost screamed as I felt myself get dragged back. Grabbing onto Darius before he was hurled into oblivion, I rolled over and gripped onto the large double bed which looked like it had been nailed into the floor.
I shrieked and almost found myself knocked near unconscious as the desk I had been reading from earlier flipped over and was hurled towards us. It smashed into the top of my head and my world went blurry for a second as I slumped. However, I didn't dare loosen my grip on the leg of the bed no matter how dazed I felt. I kept my head low but saw from my blurred vision that everything was flying around me. Furniture... Rubble... Glass...
"Mirane!" I heard Darius scream behind me. "Are you okay?"
He must have saw me get hit. I opened my eyes and was almost shocked to find the tiny pool of blood that leaked from my head. When I glanced around, all I could see was destruction. The room had been completely destroyed.
"I'm fine," I mumbled, though I don't think Darius heard it over the screaming of the wind.
Said wind seemed to grow louder and louder. There was another loud crashing sound which made the earlier crash sound hushed. It was so intense there was a throb in my ears. I used my spare hand to shield my eyes as dust and shrapnel began spinning around me in an almost circular motion before being throttled away into nothingness, but immediately regretted that decision when the power of the wind almost made my body levitate, thrashing around as Darius cried out and desperately tried clinging onto my leg. Oh fuck. This was bad.
I swore most twisters went away, but this one was stubborn. It wasn't leaving. Darius was now being dragged down my leg and a small throb in my leg made me worry he would eventually dislocate it.
"Darius," I screamed. "Try and climb up me," my throat hurt as I inhaled particles of plaster, or maybe it was the intensity with which I shouted. "Grab onto the bed, it's nailed in!"
I think Darius got the message because I felt his hand fumble around and try and grab me. At one point, he almost grabbed my ass, but being the gentleman he was I immediately saw his hand fumble elsewhere. When he grabbed onto the hem of my dress I knew he'd picked the wrong hold.
As soon as I heard the fabric begin to tear adrenaline hit me in a way which it had never before. In a split second, lightning fast, I removed a dagger from my belt and turned around, ramming it into Darius' wrist before he got sucked away into death. Darius screamed out in agony and I winced as his blood spurted, covering me slightly. Our eyes met and I'd never seen fear in someone's eyes.
"Fuck!" I screamed. "Darius hold on!"
"Don't let me die..." Darius pleaded. "Please don't let me die..."
His tears were dragged by the wind, torn off his cheek and sucked away into nothingness. We were surrounded by spinning walls of wind that had swept away whatever had been there. Everything had been obliterated except the floor, Darius and I. Eventually the Gamemakers were going to make it more intense, they were obviously vouching for blood. Maybe they'd make sure the floor collapsed and we would be goners.
For the first time, I had a feeling that I was going to die. Fuck. I never thought it would end like this, my knife buried into Darius in an attempt to stop him from being hurled into a vortex of annihilation. His shrieks of agony got even worse as the hurricane still fiercely tried to drag him, so the dagger that had saved him began to rip upwards and tear through his arm.
"Mirane! Mirane!" He screamed.
"Don't worry, I'm here," I sobbed, but I didn't think he could hear me.
Suddenly Darius went silent. His face buried itself into the wooden floor where his blood pooled. I screamed out his name, initially having the worrying thought that he was dead. But then he looked up and gave me the most peculiar smile.
"Let me go," he said.
"Wh-" He asked me to help him live a moment ago. "No! Darius no!"
For the first time, he snapped at me. Stood up to me.
"Listen to me for once! They're not going to stop until they kill someone, they want us dead!" Oh fuck. He was right. "It's me, or you, or us both and if you - fuck-" He gave that rare curseword as the dagger dragged down him, almost threatening to split his hand in two. "I-If... you keep us here we're both going to die, it's going to get stronger," he paused. "Even if the storm passes I'm going to bleed out." He held in sobs of pain and avoided looking at his hand. "We don't have the supplies to stop this kind of bleeding... Mirane let go..."
No. I-I couldn't. Just a week ago I would have let anyone go for my own survival. Hell, I'd have pushed all twenty-three tributes into the twister and not lose sleep. But Darius was different. I knew one of us would die but I didn't see this coming. I held in cries and I didn't want it to end like this... Never like this. There was a moment where I looked into his eyes - or what used to be his eyes - and despite the tears that formed I smiled at him. He smiled back.
"It was always going to come down to this," Darius screamed. The twisted grew more intense and I heard the bed creak as it almost threatened to snap from the floor. "Always."
"Please Panem no..."
"They want you to win, you know... The Capitol," he said quietly, I barely heard it. Despite the storm that surrounded us, something about the scene was calm. The way Darius spoke, the way my thoughts flowed through my head. "I saw it. I don't know how but I saw their scoreboard," I bet that was a lie. Darius always lied to make me feel better. "They want you to win and you can win..." Darius paused. "I knew I would die for you from day one, when I saw you on that train... I knew..."
"Shut up," I laughed despite sobbing. I would die for Darius at this point... I really would. Even the thought of us going together appealed to me, in a way. "I'll miss you, Buster..." It had been decided... And the decision broke my heart.
"I love you."
Please no...
"You too," I couldn't bring myself to say the words. But for once I felt like if I were to say them, they'd be true; or they had some truth to them. I was right to say that love was a big commitment, and even though I could never commit myself to Darius I could always commit a part of my heart to his memory. It was stupid, but it was true. Always. Despite being in unimaginable pain and two seconds from death, Darius gave a smile with a brightness that looked like the antithesis of the storm around us. And then I held onto the handle of the dagger and tore it from the floor.
I immediately slotted the dagger into my belt and held onto the bed with both my hands, my arms straining as a powerful force tried to drag me. I saw Darius get hurled away from my peripheral vision - he was thrown with an intensity unlike anything I had ever seen before, and then he was out of sight, sucked into a vacuum from which he'd never return. I had kept relatively calm until now. But I couldn't remain calm. I pressed my face against the cold metal of the bed's leg and sobbed with so much intensity my face ached.
I must have clung onto dear life for another minute, and Darius was right. The storm quickly subsided. It faded around me, growing less and less intense until it disappeared completely. My body, which had been flailing around, slumped to the floor and I felt the sun beam down on me from the smashed ceiling above. But I still clung on, way too scared to ever let go. I gripped onto the leg of the bed until my palms bruised and sobbed.
In the distance a cannon fired. It had been aimed at me; I felt it explode inside my chest and destroy my heart.
Jynx Blackthorne, District 2 Victor
I feel like not many people had entered the President's office within the Gamemaker HQ often. Even the President himself was rarely in here. Yet here he was, smoking a cigar and watching the Games silently on a projected screen. Iopian and I sat down, barely saying a word while the President watched the District Eight boy get throttled around by a tornado. He had already been well dead - he'd died within seconds of being hurled into the air and bashed around - but seeing his body kept being knocked and swirled around seemed like a little bit of an overkill... It was tasteless even for me.
Of course, the Games were a reminder to the Districts that their rebellion would lead to their constant misery for years on end. So District Eight would be forced to watch their boy get smashed into a ceiling or tree again and again and again, just to maximise the pain.
I glanced at the guards either side of the President. The freaky new ones, one wearing a comedy mask, the other a tragedy mask. They were creepy, and rumour has it they were raised specifically to guard the President despite the fact there was always a horde of Peacekeepers who followed him (four outside the very door). I feel like even I, the best fighter in Panem potentially, couldn't take them out. Which meant I was in third place. I wonder who was the better fighter out of the two guards?
The camera shot away from the Eight boys death and shot back to the Eight girl, who was looking out into the grounds where she'd seen her boyfriend get sucked out of. She was crying rather profusely, once again, so that District Eight could suffer for what they did. After a close up to her bewildered and devastated expression, the President turned his chair towards us, acknowledging us for the first time. He looked as wizened and silent as ever, with his silver hair and tired, heavy lidded eyes.
"Mr President," I said respectfully. Iopian kept silent.
The President responded by blowing a ring of smoke.
"It's cool, right?" He asked. I nodded tentatively and he handed his cigar to the tragedy masked guard, who crushed it out on her very hand and didn't seem to react. He chuckled. "I was taught how to do it by an old Victor. You killed him, Jynx."
"Ah... Oh," I said, not usually one to be lost for words.
"A regime always needs stability, right?" Iopian and I nodded in sync like dogs who'd been told to do a trick. "I'd learned from my father, who was President before me, that the best way to keep a regime stable is to give them a carrot when necessary, and whack them with a whip when necessary," he scratched his well shaven chin and slipped his feet off the desk. "I've always given citizens carrots if need be. I've given civil rights to some minority groups, I've allowed Capitolians to keep some of their existing rights despite not wanting to, and I've even given the Districts more autonomy to manage their own affairs." His cheeriness quickly became dark. "But I've cracked the whip... When need be, of course. I'll punish those who defy me despite the gifts I give. This is... understandable, no?"
"Of course," I said. Iopian only nodded half-heartedly.
"For example, when rebellion brewed amongst the Victors, I made a small change to the Quarter Quell rules," I tried not to look shocked when he interrupted me. "The original twist was supposed to be announced a year early, where tributes would be reaped early and trained by Peacekeepers so that they would all be trained killers... Then they'd all face off with each other," he grinned. My first thought was how cool those Games were. Then I realised the President had directly almost killed me. I could've easily died in the eighth Quarter Quell. "This destroyed rebellion, and also made an epic Games, no?"
I gripped the arms of the chair so tight I felt the wood almost splinter in my delicate hands.
I gritted my teeth. "Y-Yes."
"Don't worry, I know they'd have been a good Games, such a twist is reserved for the ninth Quell," he smiled. "Then when Rayann came along, we chose to punish her instead of kill her. Make her realise we could make her experience the horrors of the Games over and over, if need be. And kill her family, too." I didn't mention that Rayann could've easily died in those Games. "So she's been disciplined and obedient and I can rely on her. Same with Luster, he will face prostitution if he rebels. So he is disciplined and obedient and I can rely on him."
He sucked in a breath, reaching for a biscuit and taking an experimental bite from it.
"As we both know," he said. "I can rely on you Jynx," he smiled. "Which is why I'm so sorry about your cancer diagnosis. Lungs, right?"
I blushed. I was embarrassed to talk about my cancer, even though it had been made public by Caecilius Norton. Iopian gave me a sympathetic look. Out of the President's gaze, I felt him squeeze my hand.
"Yeah, lungs."
"Unusual," I didn't like that smile. "I don't ever recall you smoking, but it's okay. I know health professionals say they can only hope chemotherapy is successful, but I have managed to obtain something," he removed some kind of tub. It looked like nothing special, but the President was quick to quash that belief: "The miracle cure the public want Jynx Blackthorne to take. Take it over a year and you will be cancer free. It's very special, worth billions of credits I hear," wow. That was almost the cost of a whole Hunger Games. "If you obey me, you'll get that treatment."
Wow. I found myself suddenly desperate:
"President, I have always obeyed you-"
"Then you have nothing to worry about, your treatment won't be withdrawn while your obedience is guaranteed."
I immediately sat down, nodding. The President handed the tub over to me and I held it close. I felt stupid for getting emotional and almost crying, but I felt like I was living on borrowed time. Now I knew I wasn't, as long as I was loyal to the Capitol I had always been loyal to. I hugged it close to my chest and wept, which the President seemed amused by. But how did I not know such a treatment ever existed? How did the Capitol not? I didn't care. As long as I would survive.
"Now, onto the hard part," the President feigned a sigh and turned to Iopian, who had been mostly silent. I didn't care much about what was happening, as I was too busy weeping tears of joy, although Iopian understandably looked uncomfortable. "Jynx, Luster and eventually Rayann were all very good Victors Iopian. Close to the Capitol," he held out his hand and one of the President's bodyguards handed him a tissue which he scrunched up and threw into my lap. I sniffled and reached for it, dabbing at my eyes. "I thought you would listen," venom suddenly bubbled around the room and I realised shit would go down. "But you weren't good like I hoped."
"What do you mean?" Iopian paused, then laughed. "This isn't about Lia, isn't it?"
"No, it's not," the President glared furiously at Iopian, speaking quickly as his face grew even more red. I'd never seen the President look so angry before, he usually got people killed before they angered him rather than afterwards. "I don't get angry at some people for the actions of others," then why did he send me into another Games because of the rebellious Victors? "But it's very different when we seek to punish her family and you use a network of smugglers and rebels to whisk them out of our clutches."
"What?" Iopian went pale.
"We found a base in District Three, we killed them, we got such information from them, such as the rebel in the Gamemaker Headquarters... And your disgusting affiliations and actions."
"I've never been a rebel, sir."
"I know. But you've done enough to warrant punishment," the President stood up, shaking his head. "I kept giving you carrots but you chose the whip, Iopian. Change channel, bodyguards," he didn't refer his bodyguards by name. They nodded quickly, pressing a button which revealed something that immediately made my blood freeze. Three people screaming and crying while they were tied up to a chair and gagged. One was a young girl - relatively pretty. The other were two elders, a man and a woman. I glanced at Iopian and he looked like he had just seen the end of the world.
"Don't hurt them," Iopian said firmly. His tone loosened. "Please."
"Iopian, Iopian, Iopian..." The President stood up and glanced towards the screen. The elderly woman screamed out Iopian's name and I realised from the way they were looking at us that they could see us too. I realised this was not going to be good and the tears of joy I had cried had suddenly ceased. "Hurting them is exactly what I planned to do, old boy." He turned towards Iopian and gave the most evil smile possible. "You see, by smuggling away Lia's parents and Nathan Fauve you created a deficit. Two people in Panem, her parents, were supposed to be executed and her brother would be spared to pick up the pieces. But now you must choose two people in Panem who will die and the survivor will pick up the pieces."
As the President rambled, a faceless Peacekeeper approached the three prisoners and one by one ripped off the ducktape that made their pleas muffled. The two girls began screaming at once:
"Iopian, please please!"
"What the hell?" The calmer, younger woman said. "Iopian, what the hell am I doing here? Get me out of here!"
"Your mother," the President said, pointing to the old woman. "Your father," he pointed at the elderly man. "And your ex-fiancee, who you are still very much in love with still despite the fact she is happily married and pregnant," he pointed at the young woman. The President held up one finger: "One lives." Iopian turned from pale to green and I suddenly realised that this was very, very fucked up.
"Mr. President," I stood up and cleared my throat. I couldn't watch this happen to Iopian. He was the only bearable Victor, despite our rivalry. "May I suggest people who can die instead," I could think of a few exes who I certainly wouldn't mind dying.
"Sit down Jynx," the President snapped, and I immediately fell down. "He picks two of the three to die."
Oh... Damn...
"Please don't make me do this..."
"Okay," the President smiled. "You can not do this and they can all die," he turned around and Iopian's mother screamed.
"No, no, Iopian! Don't let them! Don't let them!" She flailed around. Her much calmer husband was also sobbing. Iopian's ex was naturally too confused to really get what was going on, but when she realised her life was on the line she suddenly grew into panic mode.
"What the hell? I didn't do anything! Get me out of here!" She screamed so loudly I winced.
"No, okay, I'll choose," Iopian stood up. He was sweating and breathing heavily. "I-I'll choose two."
"Good," the President sat down and smiled. "Very good. Who will you choose?"
Iopian sucked in some air.
"Magdalene first," he choked out, collapsing back into his chair and sobbing. It was the first time I'd seen Iopian cry. He hadn't even cried during his Hunger Games. Wow, Iopian just chose to kill his ex? I'd have said that was cold, but considering the other people were his parents I understood, and he clearly looked torn up about it. And after she died he had to pick one of his parents to die... Twisted.
"What? This is a joke, right?" Magdalene screamed, turning to Iopian's parents as her eyes were wide with fear. She fought in her restraints. "No, no, no, my baby," she began thrashing wildly and screaming: "Take that back Iopian! I have a little girl and a husband, you can't do this," she began screaming so loudly she made Iopian's mother look quiet. She began kicked her legs and screaming. "Someone help me! Gregiry! Somebody come and help me!" She sobbed, though somehow Iopian sobbed even harder. I was pale and silent, and glanced at a gleeful looking President.
"This is on you Iopian!" She screamed, screaming at the camera. "T-This is on you! I never did anything to you!" She closed her eyes and wept. "What did I do to deserve this? What the hell did I do to-"
Her speech was suddenly halted and she began choking. Iopian's parents both jumped and she shook spadmodically in her seat. Iopian looked like he wanted to close his eyes, but something brutal inside forced him to watch as she began vibrating and choking, blood and bile pouring out of her mouth whilst her eyes suddenly grew red. I didn't even want to know how much pain she was in as she released choked screams. I actually wanted them to turn the Hunger Games back on; it was an innocent child's show compared to what I was witnessing.
Iopian's mother howled in fear as the rolling head of the dead, pregnant woman slumped onto her shoulder. She looked absolutely mortified when she glanced at the corpse, which was pretty understandable.
"You have to make your next choice," the President said calmly, as if he hadn't just made Iopian kill his pregnant ex-fiancee who he was still in love with. Or was in love with, to be grammatically accurate.
"Please," Iopian's head was drooped. He couldn't look at the corpse of the woman he loved. "Please don't make me do this..."
"Do you want them both to die? That can be arranged..."
"No!" Iopian's mother screamed, her long grey hair flying wildly as she thrashed. "No-no-no, don't do this Mr. President! Please! Please!"
Iopian's father, who was silent like his son, spoke for the first time: "S-Son... Choose me, please. L-Look after your mother. I love you... I..."
"No, Errik," Iopian's mother shook her head. "No, I can't lose you! No, take us out of here!"
Iopian had put his hands over his ears and was shaking his head while he sobbed, barely able to stand any of it. I felt awful for just gaping at him, unable to do anything and too scared to offer any words of comfort. Iopian didn't deserve this. If anyone didn't deserve this, it was Iopian. Rules or no rules.
"Son, listen to me!" Iopian's father shouted loudly. "You have to-"
"Errik no! Errik no! Don't Iopian please don't!"
"Fuck," Iopian wailed, clawing down his face as he sobbed.
"You're letting both die?" The President frowned. "Unusual ch-"
"Fuck, no, I-I pick my dad, my dad, okay?"
Iopian's father relaxed, pleased in the knowledge his wife would survive another day despite the obvious fear he must have had. Iopian's mother, however, screamed bloody murder, thrashing so wildly she knocked the head of Iopian's ex, whose corpse slumped the opposite direction, her pretty blonde hair falling down as blood streamed from her face down the hair. I glanced at the corpse and heard screams from all family members as Iopian watched his father choke, writhe and die before him. It only lasted ten seconds, but I knew for Iopian it felt like it lasted a lifetime... It would last a lifetime.
Day Eleven, Night
Trojan Reid, District 3, 15
When we finally found a way out of the sewers I was shocked by the destruction the Palace had faced. Tornados were known to rarely strike some other Districts, like Ten or Four, but they were relatively nonexistent in Three. I didn't know that they caused this level of destruction. What used to be an indoor Palace was now an outdoor jungle, with dirt which replaced carpet and sky that replaced concrete. It were almost as if the Palace had been skinned alive. I wandered forward, gripping a plank of wood which was suspended by a ruined floor above and tearing it out the way. I was just surrounded by destruction.
"You can see how it killed two people," Seb paused, putting his hand on an old wall and leaning against it. He still wasn't feeling himself, but he kept himself walking just for me. I think I saw him keel over and open his mouth to vomit despite only choking out air. "Fuck, sorry."
"It's alright," I said, walking through a smashed wall and observing what was once a corridor. Everything had been smashed, minus a few desk which had been flipped over. "I don't think tornados get this bad in District Ten," I paused. "Kind of like the earthquakes around District One don't make miles and miles of land collapse in on itself," I referenced last year. Naturally, all arena wide disasters were extremely exaggerated versions of real disasters. It took a while before a shaking Seb had managed to catch up to me, almost collapsing behind me as I faced away from him. "Maybe we can have a break."
"I'd like that," Seb winced, leaning against the wall. "Y-You don't think there's any way we can get that Victor's Vial, right, Trojan?" I grimaced and turned to face him. "I think I really need it."
I kind of sympathised with him. I really did. I definitely wanted more of that Vial, to experience that level of strength and power again. But unlike Seb I definitely didn't need it, even though I found it on my mind all the time. Deciding to be the bearer of bad news, I shook my head. "We don't know how to make it again, and even if we did how the hell do you expect us to find the ingredients after everything that's happened?" Seb looked like he'd been told his mother had died. The little colour on his face seemed to seep out and he tried talking, but I stopped him: "And something that makes you strong must be extremely expensive for sponsors, especially now the prices have inflated." I shrugged. "You'll get over it."
"I won't... I'll die without it..."
That was a possibility, though I couldn't be dealing with hysterics right now. I sat down on one of the upturned desks tentatively, and relaxed when it didn't cave in on my light weight. "You'll be fine."
"This... and the arena has been ruined... and now they have this whole seven deadly sin thing," Seb wiped the tears from his eyes. "I feel like this is karma, you know. I should have never killed the Eleven girl... I didn't mean to..."
I ignored Seb's stupid sentiment, but I was interested by this sin thing. After the first of two cannons fired hours ago, Leein made the announcement that all of us would be assigned a sin or something. It was a very brief announcement, almost like some kind of side note, which made me more convinced that it was something pretty dangerous. "Do you feel any different?" I asked.
"Huh?"
"With the whole sin thing?"
"Oh, nah," Seb shrugged. "I think they meant mutts or something because I definitely don't feel different," he wiped some snot that was seeping out of his nostrils, sniffling. "I mean, I've felt shitty but that's because of the whole Vial business. Do you feel different?"
"Hm, not really," I glanced at Seb and smirked. "I have wanted to kiss you all day, though."
Seb's face dropped. "What?"
I rolled my eyes amusedly. "It's a joke, moron." Seb released a relieved chuckle, although both of us ended up laughing pretty uncomfortably. "No, I don't feel different. But even if I did, lust isn't my brand of sin."
I walked through past what I think used to be a window, its contents spilled over grass, to observe the Palace's grounds. Somehow, the fountains that I could see in the distance were still intact, their water running smoothly. Hedges and trees hadn't been given the same mercy; they had been toppled over and torn apart. The whole grounds looked like they had been bombed.
"Damn," I heard Seb mumble behind me.
"Yeah, this is screwed up," I conceded.
"No, I was talking about all this bl-" Seb mumbled before crying out. I turned about, just witnessing him as he tripped over something and almost faceplanted the ground. His initial cry of shock was met with another cry, one that bordered on a horrified scream. I immediately turned around and grabbed the hilt of my dagger, expecting danger. Close to a tree that had been toppled into the Palace, blood had been smudged everywhere across the floor. I could even see smudges of it across the ruined Palace walls metres away. I didn't know how I had even missed it. And the source of it all was lying at Seb's feet.
It was the Eight boy. Or a shattered version of him anyway. His body was broken and deformed in the most horrifying way. His legs had been snapped over his shoulders, his body was unnaturally twisted and his spine looked like it had snapped. Despite this, his face seemed untouched and despite his lack of eyes there was something peaceful looking about him. Almost like death were a long sleep to him. That didn't seem to calm down Seb, who desperately tried to kick himself away from Darius. He was lying in the Eight boy's blood and kept giving out horrified cries.
"Stop it!" I snapped. "It's just a blood, just a corpse." I huffed. "You could attract unwanted attention."
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Seb finally managed to stand up and looked at the blood that was streaked down his hands and arms. "Fuck."
I shushed him again.
"Holy Panem," Seb whimpered. He didn't seem to learn. I rolled my eyes, but was quietly relieved that he had shut up a little. Looked like we needed to find somewhere else. I noticed in the distance that there seemed to be two intact buildings that were separate from the Palace. One was large and domed, the other had multiple towers. I think the Gamemakers would've wanted us to head in that direction, which is why Seb and I were going to stay in the ruins of the Palace. "I can't believe that..."
I moved over to the toppled tree, perching on it and avoiding looking at the corpse. I didn't care too much about the Eight boy's life, or anyone's life but my own, but it was still a damn unpleasant sight.
"Must've been caught by the cyclone," I reasoned. "I can't think of any human capable of that... Physically or mentally."
"Maybe that's because you don't want to believe someone is capable of that," Seb reasoned. I paused, and realised that he was possibly right there. Seb continued: "But yeah, I think he did get caught by the twister. Looked like he was throttled around the air a lot and then shot out and then..." He shivered, looking towards the corpse before he made his way to the tree and sat on the thick trunk, right besides me. "Yeah..."
"Six left," I pondered. It felt kind of surreal being alive. "It feels so close now... Home. I miss it."
"I miss it too," Seb paused. "Who'd have thought that eleven days ago I'd be with Carlie and Aurochs... And now..." He shrugged. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but I kind of do... I've felt really conflicted since I saw that Carlie died. I know she meant to kill me, but I get the feeling she wasn't like that back home. None of us are," maybe he'd like to believe that. I wondered if it was sad that the arena hadn't changed me. Not really. It just tested a philosophy I'd believed all my life. "And she saved my life once, too. When you tried to kill me. If she really wanted me dead, I don't think she'd have done that... Not by instinct... Right?"
"I don't know..." I honestly didn't. I didn't like being faced with hard questions. Sebastian and I hadn't exactly been the closest allies; I think I've come close to killing him at least once a day. But as the days came on I was seeing him as a human being more and more, which felt nice but also painful. Because he was going to die, and maybe I'd be the one to kill him. Wanting to immediately change conversation, I flipped my legs over the other side of the tree trunk and pushed myself off the trunk, standing. "Lets find some water first, okay? I bet that fountain won't be a bad water source."
"You think so? I'm so thirsty."
"Yeah, it'll be fine."
"You go," Seb said to me. "I-I'll catch up." I raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "I know you'll think I'm stupid, but I just want to..." He looked embarrassed. "To pay my last respect to the Eight boy, y'know?" I didn't really react. I wasn't sure if that was a healthy mentality in this environment, really. "I don't know, man. I know you kind of wanted to go all homicidal maniac on him and his ally but I saw him in training... and the pre-Games party... He seemed kind of nice..." He was blushing. "He was a human. With a family and stuff, and that girl is probably alive out there and she cares for him. I just think it's appropriate to make sure someone pays their respects..."
I couldn't put up with anymore babbling and I held out my hand: "I get it," I said, and Seb looked a little relieved. "You do your respect hippy-huggy stuff, I'm going for water. But just remember that his girlfriend could be out there, and I don't care if she's sad, because she has a gun and I want it from her," I said to him. Seb nodded reluctantly.
"I guess she's not his girlfriend anymore... I mean, now he's dead... It's ex-girlfriend, isn't it?"
I paused. I felt something inside, something alien. Maybe it was sympathy or something. Seb looked at me wistfully, and then to the corpse. He moved over to the tree and seemed to tear out branches and leaves, probably to conceal the corpse. Then I turned around and made my way towards the flowing fountains. These Games were getting more and more confusing, and I couldn't help but feel like no matter who won they were going to end on a tragic note. The Gamemakers had raised the stakes higher than ever, and someone was going to live to see them all come crashing down. When I got to the fountains the anthem played and I looked up into the sunset-coloured sky, knowing just who I'd see.
Alexandria Tarsus, District 1, 15
After the faces of the dead had been shown I walked along the corridor emptily. I hoped for a second that I would see Honora waiting for me like a sitting duck; Honora wasn't one to hide. The stupid bitch would probably try to run up and shoot me, even. But her guns were futile now. As corrupt and despicable as the Gamemakers were, they had bestowed me a gift which was invaluable. And as the seconds went by I only felt myself grow stronger, like an energy that surrounded me becoming more and more potent. It was funny, I guess, that the Gamemakers would be the ones to inadvertently orchestrate the downfall of the Capitol.
But despite my newfound strength I also found myself growing more and more numb. Lia's death hadn't quite sunk in, but the concept of it alone was enough to slowly drive me crazy inside. I barely acknowledge the world, using my powers to carry myself a foot or so above the ground, floating around the Palace with my empty eyes faced towards the floor. Eventually I passed towering, marble arches and reached a room that was familiar.
Unlike the rest of the mansion, it was completely untouched. Wherever the hurricane had been, it hadn't affected this one room. A wall of beautiful, golden mirrors that lined the walls either side. The Hall of Mirrors... Yes. I had been here with Lia before. I wished I could recall positive memories, it was at the peak moment of distrust. And my own reflection had coaxed me into hurting her. The numbness turned into guilt. How could I condemn Honora when I myself was such a horrible person? I tried to hold back tears but despite my ability to fly or to move any object I wanted, I couldn't bring Lia back or fix all of my wrongs.
... Maybe if I hadn't overreacted this wouldn't have happened. Maybe if I trusted Lia and understood she was just trying to protect her brother this wouldn't have happened. I continued floating, feeling sickened by the reflection of myself. My hair was tangled and dirty, so unlike what it used to be. I was pale and drained looking, a look so indifferent to the bright girl who entered the arena and was full of life and vitality. But worst of all I was saturated in the dry blood of my friend.
"She did try to kill me once..." I mumbled to myself, resorting to anything to make me feel better about Lia's death. But I just felt numb and sad inside no matter what I said to myself.
"Always inventing excuses," something whispered to me, background noise. It was my voice, and at first I thought they were intrusive thoughts: "Always trying to justify everything wrong you've done. Admit it, Lexie, you're just as bad as the Capitol you want to destroy."
"No," I said meekly, turning to my reflection. I almost stumbled back when I saw my reflection moved. I forgot that the mirrors in the arena were never to be trusted. My reflection looked so much darker, though. My dark hair was jet black, my eyes consumed by darkness. "I didn't kill Lia-"
"No, Honora did, and you hate her..."
"... Yes..." I felt rage hit my heart. "I hate her so much."
"Tap into it... Your rage makes you strong," my reflection stroked through the air. Despite being metres away, I felt an oddly comforting hand touch me and comb through my hair. I hadn't felt affection in forever... I missed it so much. I missed it from Matthias, from my parents... "First you find Honora, then you find the Capitol. You can't be your merciful self, not with them. You have to go for them and crush them both with no mercy. Lia is dead. You haven't let that sink in. Lia is dead. Lorelei is dead. Ross is dead. Everyone who was ever nice to you is dead, all killed by Honora."
"No..."
"Yes," a malicious laugh. "Yes."
I released an anguished scream and fell to the ground on my knees. A pain flared in my knees as I hit the ground and the tears streamed down my face. Around me, one by one, mirrors smashed and shards of glass rained over me, tangling in my hair and bouncing across the floor. I covered my eyes and wept, but through my hands I could see shards shine like diamonds. In one second, aided by my own corrupt reflection, I had came to the conclusion that I had the power to destroy the Capitol. And as much as I wanted to be good, I couldn't make it crumble with that mentality. I would be merciful to those who deserved it, and would deliver justice to those who didn't deserve sympathy.
Barely having the strength to think, I stood up and swept the shards of glass from my hair. In front of me was a particularly large shard, one that was triangular. I looked deeply into my reflection, with its furious expression, blackened sclera which looked like coal and hair that seemed much darker. It seemed to float around me magestically.
But this wasn't the reflection of a mutt. It wasn't a Gamemaker trick.
This was me.
Thank you for the reviews and views :) COBC is officially the story I've had with the most viewers already, which is pretty cool. 70,000 views and 30,000 people tuning into the story is pretty overwhelming o_o
I think this is the first chapter I've ever written where I finished every POV and just winced and felt like a truly awful person, because of what happened and what will happen. It can't get any worse than this, right?
... Lol.
ANYWAY! Thanks for all the submissions :) looks like the Games are super duper close to ending!