the clown still softly jingles.
Chrysalis Davidson, District Nine, 16
Day Eleven of the 114th Annual Hunger Games.
Chrysalis wanted to stop running.
She wanted to be back in Nine where the end of school days were spent running through the wild wheat fields; where golden waves stretched as far as the eye could see. Instead of the purified water she had been given from a sponsor, she wanted the crude vodka that she and her friends made. Ever since her ally, the girl from Twelve Kiara, had died, all she had wanted was company again. She even wanted the familiar yet unwelcomed dread that came on the weekends when she and the other teens were rounded to work in the fields.
There was a lot of things Chrysalis wanted - none of which she'd get.
It was because of the area of cold, grey mountain rock that she had to run; it was because of her purified water that she knew she was close to the victory she never thought she'd see. She knew the only company she had wanted her dead.
Being in the final two was why Chrysalis ran.
The past two days had been tiresome and arduous. Ever since she had heard the two cannons that fired in quick succession, Chrysalis had resolved to run. Nobody, not even the girl from Five who murdered the girl from One, would be able to catch up to her. Let them decide who wins, She had thought often, See which one they think is a worthy victor. At first, that thought gave her hope. Her stream of sponsor gifts indicated, to her, that the people of the Capitol loved her enough; perhaps it was her awkward charm or the way she refused to leave Kiara alone until she died in her arms. Maybe even the fact she was still in the arena after ten days, eight Careers and who knows how many dangerous tributes. Or maybe it's just dumb luck.
Fear had nestled it's way into her heart not shortly after the cannons had echoed over the mountain peaks. Tributes from Five were always systematic - always calculated. Chrysalis had studied enough past Games at the Capitol to know that the Gamemakers loved that about Five. Any trace they got of someone's path, they followed. 'Keepers, Chrysalis was sure the Gamemakers had given Axis a clue to push her in the right direction.
Chrysalis always pushed the girl out of her head. Anytime the face morphed into her mind, Chrysalis thought of home; often she replaced Axis' red locks with the image of her little sister crying for her to come home. It was for Mellennine that Chrysalis had killed the weak boy from Eleven. It was for Mellennine that she continued to run.
Today's morning was bitterly cold. Even though she hadn't been given the chance to warm up in the arena, Chrysalis felt the difference. Today's the day, she thought absentmindedly to herself, kicking the sleeping bag off of her. It has to be.
Sleeping on the cold, rock floor of some crude hole in the side of the mountain had been a bad idea. Chrysalis had known it then but now as she felt her lower back ache and twinge for a click of a second, she regretted it tenfold. This'll bite me in the ass, I just know it.
Still, as she had done many for many mornings now, Chrysalis willed herself to move.
"Let her find me," She grunted through gritted teeth, hands massaging the small of her back. "Bet she can't."
Odysseus Augur, President of Panem, 47.
Day Eleven of the 114th Annual Hunger Games
For the first Hunger Games in years, Odysseus Augur felt a little giddy watching it. It'd been years since he had actively cared about who won the Games; usually it was a Career and that made things easy. Presidents of the past used to rig the Games - the archives told as much - but Odysseus never personally saw the point, not unless he wanted to emphasis a lesson.
That had been last year's Games when District Six needed their frontrunner tragically killed after a small rebellion in one of their factories; this year, he wanted things to be a little more organic. Of course that was all before a District Five and a District Nine tribute found themselves in the arena together. Odysseus knew as he looked around the room of Gamemakers that they all knew which he'd prefer to win - as they should.
A deep silence permeated the usually chatty room; the presence of the President was never unwelcomed but it definitely made things tense. Only the sounds of the machines and holograms, screens and buttons could be heard.
"Mnemosyne, zoom in on Nine."
Odysseus' voice was without a pinpointed tone, flat and even. He didn't look up from the screen, instead staring intently at the two red blips that denoted where the tributes were. To the right of the screen, the death order was neatly printed. It undeniably told everyone that the last kill had been two days ago; the boy from District Four, Pontoon, and the girl from District Two, Agatha, had killed each other in a 'Career Showdown;' a big spectacle that left a non-Career winning. A great thing for anyone else, but something that bordered uninteresting for the Career Districts and Capitol alike.
The feed showed Chrysalis trudging slowly down the mountain she had called home for the night. She kept fussing over her lower back, something the screen flagged as being a potential injury. As she walked, she constantly looked around her as if she was some lowly animal just waiting for a predator to ambush her. There was good reason too; although the Capitol had fallen in love with Axis, nobody thought her as a particular threat until she killed the girl from One. Then things had gotten more interesting.
Even better, Nine gave them a challenge. If she wanted Axis to find her so bad, who were the Gamemakers to deny her such a wish?
"How far is Five from her?"
Mnemosyne's eyes glanced from the President to the screen, clearing her throat at his question. "Three miles Sir."
Odysseus' eyes narrowed as he watched Chrysalis continue to make her way slowly down the mountain, caution woven into each footstep. She was being careful not to injure herself, too careful.
It was an easy decision, really, and one that would save Panem from another day of what would be two girls walking aimlessly around the arena.
"I heard you mention avalanches when we had our arena brief." Odysseus reclined back into his chair, one leg hooking over the other. "Show me."
Mnemosyne nodded first at Odysseus and then to one of the newer recruits. Throwing them a bone is nice. Maybe I'll ask for their name.
With a simple drag onto the holographic arena, the feed of Chrysalis began to shake as the camera's tree was at the mercy of the arena. Though it took a second to stabilise, it caught the pure, untampered fear of the girl from Nine perfectly.
Mnemosyne hadn't missed the way Odysseus' face settled into an easy smirk. Sensing the unspoken approval of the Gamemaker's display, she nodded again to Asmartis. "Circle her around to Five with some mutts. We're having our finale today."
Tatiana, Capitol Citizen, 27
Day Eleven of the 114th Annual Hunger Games
Although Tatiana had been heartbroken by the death of her favourite tribute, Pontoon, even she couldn't deny that the Games were interesting this year. After all, who would've thought that the final two would be Axis from Five and Chrysalis from Nine? Neither were anything special when they were reaped but who could deny their presence now? Ajax from the office had, of course, claimed he supported Axis from day one but, after years of knowing him, Tatiana could smell the bullshit a mile away.
Out of the two options, Axis was the more desirable Victor. Chrysalis was too much of a mouse to be anything great; she was timid and eager to not talk during her Interview. She was plain, too. Though Axis suffered a little on the social side, she was a natural beauty. Tatiana pitied the stylists that would have to make Chrysalis look like she was Victor worthy if she won. Plus, Five needed their first Victor; especially when they often had a tribute finish in the top ten each year.
"Maybe she's like a butterfly?" Her mother had suggested around the sixth day when it became obvious Chrysalis was to be a real player. "Perhaps winning will unlock her true beauty."
Tatiana doubted that severely.
"I thought kids from Nine were used to austerity?" Tatiana's husband, Hadrian, commented with a frustrated sigh. "You would've thought sleeping on a cave floor would be similar to their beds back home."
Tatiana chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Any tribute other than the ones from Nine would try and find some cushioning."
"Too fuckin' right."
The pair watched as the two girls came in contact with one another for the first time since the Bloodbath. Both had seen better days in the arena, but as Chrysalis seemed paralysed in fear, Axis gripped the hilt of her sword firmly. The avalanche from the mountain Chrysalis had sought refuge in had seemingly shaken both of them. A shared, acute alertness was exchanged between the two of them, constantly checking each other's body movements. The clearing the two tributes found themselves in had once been more appealing; dead grass and patches of hard ground stained with dried blood only echoed what would be the inevitable for one of the girls. A cold enough breeze seemed to travel through, both Chrysalis and Axis shivering slightly.
Neither tribute wanted to make the first move; that much was obvious. Both watched the other intently, all too ready to notice even the smallest of movements. The lull in pace gave Chrysalis enough time to grasp the handle of the axe she had been carrying, holding it so tight that her knuckles turned white.
"Hang on, Nine might just have this!" Tatiana rolled her eyes; her husband always loved an underdog.
"You kidding? Chrysalis pretty much sobbed when the girl from Three asked her for a mercy kill and threw up when Kiara did it. Not to mention she had to drop her sword on the kid from Eleven to kill him," She said, laugh incredulous. "I'd be shocked if Axis loses."
Hadrian turned to her, wearing the same charming smirk that had gotten her attention all those years ago. "Loser does the chores for a week?"
Tatiana considered it for a moment, before smiling back. "I'll order an apron from Eight, specially made."
Their attention was brought back to the holovision by the sound of Chrysalis screaming something. The desperation was hard to ignore.
"- Away. I'm warning you!"
The fear in her voice undermined what little power her stance had. Had she been imposing before, now she was rendered back to the quiet, shivering girl during the interviews.
For the first time in the entire Games, Axis bore a grin. It was a grin that radiated optimism - that eagerly told Panem that she realised she could go home so easily. She, after all, had killed the Career frontrunner Venus. What was one scared girl from Nine?
"It's me or the mutts," Axis replied, voice gravelly and obvious that it hadn't been used in days. "We both know which one will be kinder."
Tatiana smiled knowingly at Hadrian. "She's finally getting it. I'll expect the dishes done tomorrow morning."
"Ay, there's still hope yet!"
It was clear to all those who watched that Axis had relearnt by now that the Capitol enjoyed a show. So, aptly, a show she'd give.
The circle dance of predator and prey they had found themselves in was broken quickly by Axis. Wherever she had slept had been much more comfortable than a rocky floor, evidenced by her nimbleness and Chrysalis' clunky dodge.
Their parries of blades was clumsy and misplaced; neither girl having had much training with their weapon made it ever more a fight of desperation. In spite of that, however, they fell into a rhythm that neither expected the other to be capable of - even if it was for a short time.
The tempo Chrysalis had found refuge - and the extension of her life - in was broken abruptly by a frustrated swing from Axis' sword. The slash, only a light graze on the girl from Nine's arm, was enough to throw her off balance. It seemed Axis had picked up on a few things in training; she swung her sword again, this time more deliberately at Chrysalis' leg, sending her to the floor as she abused the growing weakness.
The empathy that Axis gave Chrysalis before had long since been killed; instead, the drive of a girl to return home remained.
Axis resumed the tempo they had before, yet it wasn't met with the sound of metal clashing against the quiet arena air; instead, it was the sound of tearing fabric and Chrysalis' screams of pain. Axis slashed at the arm Chrysalis used to prop herself up, watching in newfound satisfaction at how quickly she fell back to the floor. Then it was her other, good leg, then her other arm and, finally, her torso.
It was gruesome no doubt but Axis saw none of it - her eyes had glazed over. She moved mechanically as if she were remembering everything the trainer at the centre had taught her. Yet she moved equally mephitic, the sole goal never leaving her sight. Survival. She ignored the blood that unceremoniously covered her more and more, as did she lose count of the amount of times she lodged her blade into Chrysalis' body. Axis slaughtered, quite simply, as if she was scared her chance to go home could still be taken from her.
The only words Chrysalis could gurgle out were cries for her mother and pleas to keep the younger sister she'd never see again safe.
It seemed to go on an age; so much so it bordered on being unwatchable and dull. Axis stopped soon enough, letting the pommel of the sword dig into her palm. She fell to her knees, weight syphoning what little air Chrysalis had left within her as her stomach was sat on.
Axis simply breathed in and brought her sword down on Chrysalis' heart, delivering the final blow to the marred body. The arena was quiet enough to hear Chrysalis' final exhale before a cannon sounded in the distance, the cameras picking up the relief that flooded onto Axis' face. The brightness that had characterised her eyes before returned, albeit duller. Whether or not she registered the finale she had just given was a battle she faced alone in her head, yet she looked up at the sky dignified. She was the Victor, she had done what twenty-three others couldn't. Survive.
"The Victor of the 114th Annual Hunger Games," Thyone Luckhart's voice boomed across the arena, the excitement hard to miss. "Is Axis Ampett of District Five!"
The camera panned slowly out from where Axis stood over Chrysalis' corpse, zooming out further and further until the shade of Axis' hair was indistinguishable from Chrysalis' blood on the floor. A resounding shot for a remarkable Games.
"Hadrian honey, I'll get on that apron."
"Shut up."
just another tiny, weeny thing to get some interest going!
hopefully this gives some more insight into Axis' mental state about winning.