Cruel (Chapter 6)
Crescent wasn't used to wearing such fancy clothes. Her stylist had dressed her in something that made her feel as though she was being stifled, the high collar and cape constantly irritating her. It was a beautiful outfit, that much was certain, but she didn't really want to wear it. At least they'd cooperated with her request to add a pair of shorts underneath it.
The delicate fabrics were airy and loose, sitting perfectly on her body and flowing down around her, tailored exactly to her measurements. The periwinkle color clashed with her hair, though she didn't care to argue with her stylist about it. She didn't have an eye for fashion, after all.
Tonight was finally the Victors' Dinner. After weeks of fretting over it and worrying about what would happen, it had finally come, and there was no escaping it. The trip to the Capitol had been a smooth one, luckily, though she'd heard that it hadn't been as easy for one of the other districts. She'd been in the Capitol for two days already, going to a myriad of functions and events, and was tired enough to sleep for a week.
These types of things just weren't for her. All of it had been consumed by her rising anxiety about seeing the other victors, as that would be the most nerve-wracking part of the whole experience.
Hilbert was seated next to her in the car, staring intently out the window as the tall buildings rolled by. He seemed to be preoccupied, and Crescent felt as though she'd already bothered him enough about her problems. He was dressed in a lilac suit with a scarf of a similar airy material, continuously fidgeting with it every few seconds.
Knowing that she wasn't the only one to feel uncomfortable in her outfit made her a little less grumpy about the whole set of proceedings. Their escort, a woman with choppy hair and bangs over one eye, was focused on her phone. Glad that she didn't have to talk to her, Crescent stayed silent.
There was no avoiding seeing the other victors tonight. Most of the time, the escorts would have the victors within a certain range of years talk to each other and socialize, mainly so that the cameras could get a good shot of them together. The cameras were only allowed outside of the building, and the main interior area was reserved for the tables of food. They were arriving a little late, so hopefully the red carpet part of the event would mostly be over by the time they got there.
It was already dark outside, the sun having set recently, and the lights of the Capitol were in full blinding effect.
Crescent could deal with most of the victors. She'd dealt with them the past two years, as the year before that had been her own games, and was used to their antics.
There was an unknown variable there this time, coming in the form of Ezekiel Branch. She was still fuming over the whole television interview, even though it had been two weeks since it had aired. Still unsure of what she was going to do when she saw him, she tugged her mask up over her nose. Scowling, she glanced down at her lap, her hands firmly laced together. Seeing some of the other victors would also be interesting, since they were all quite the personalities.
Her mask felt comfortable over her nose, the familiar weight of it over her mouth making her take a deep breath.
Crescent always wore a mask out, especially in the Capitol. It was a product of her own games, and the smog from district eight. The residents of the Capitol were used to it by now, though when she'd first worn it on her victory tour, she'd gotten a lot of questions. The mask only went over the lower half of her face, and was made out of fabric, typical of what she usually wore. It also helped hide some of her expressions, though she had a very expressive face and her eyes often betrayed her.
Hilbert shifted around in his seat, still preoccupied. While he did so, she thought back to their conversation before they'd gotten into the car, during which he'd told her to be patient and not immediately yell at Ezekiel. Crescent didn't have to be told that, as she knew not to make a scene.
Once she got the opportunity to talk to him one on one in a secluded area, however, she was going to tear him to shreds with her words. That pompous asshole needed to understand that the victors were all in precarious positions, and pulling a stunt like that only endangered them more. None of them were immune to the workings of the Capitol.
They were approaching their destination, and as they turned a corner, Crescent could see the wide outdoor area where the cameras were still flashing as the victors got out of their vehicles.
She cursed under her breath, causing Hilbert to peek over at her window, frowning as he did so. Their escort, still seated in the front, put down her phone. Nera shifted to look at them in the back seat, a wide smile on her face. Seeing Crescent, who looked like she was about to be sick, and seeing Hilbert's solemn expression, she shook her head and pointed at her smile. Hilbert managed a weak tug of his lips, and Crescent simply squinted her eyes.
The car pulled in front of the entry area, slowing to a stop. Crescent picked up her bag from beside her as the butterflies in her stomach made her feel like she was going to fall over. Hilbert noticed her pale face, putting a hand on her shoulder before the car door opened in front of her. Stepping out, she followed Nera over to the gate, the security guard there checking to make sure they were the right people before ushering them through.
With Hilbert behind her and Nera in front, the trio walked in front of the cameras, Crescent trying to keep her posture straight and head up as they slowly made their way through the gauntlet.
The flashing lights of the cameras made her head hurt. Eyes struggling to adjust, she smiled behind her mask, knowing that her eyes could still be seen and that they'd give away whether she was smiling or not. Nera ushered them through the carpeted area as quickly as she could, given that Hilbert and Crescent had specifically requested for them to not spend much time in the location.
After what seemed to be an eternity, they reached the heavy double doors made of glass that opened into the main ballroom where the event was held. The doors were opened, and they stepped through into the overwhelming vortex that was the Victors' Dinner.
Nera grabbed Crescent's arm, gesturing for Hilbert to go to where a few other victors were sitting by a buffet table.
She recognized District Six's Cardinal Bree, their only victor, who stood up as Hilbert approached and brought him into a quick hug.
Turning away, she was led to where a blonde woman with red lipstick sat, swirling a glass of wine in her hand. This was Ermine Paget, the victor from the year before Crescent. She was from district one, and dressed appropriately for her district, her glittering champagne colored dress shining in the light. Noticing the district eight victor, she sat up, smiling slightly.
"Crescent! I was wondering when you'd show up. It took you long enough," said Ermine, taking a sip of her wine.
Crescent didn't feel slighted by the greeting, as this was about as friendly as the district one victor would get. She seemed to be in a good mood tonight, which the auburn haired woman was grateful for. After Crescent's games, the two had their differences and didn't get along well, but they'd slowly learned to tolerate each other over the few years since then. Ermine wasn't necessarily a friend, but she was someone that was safe and usually predictable. Noticing that the blonde was staring at something, Crescent followed her gaze.
Her stomach dropped when she saw two men, one jovially conversing with the other, both engrossed in whatever they were talking about.
She saw the one with glasses pass a small piece of paper to the other, the taller of the two taking the paper and putting it in his pocket before looking directly at Crescent and Ermine. Whispering something to the shorter one, he patted his friend on the back, and then started moving in the direction of where the two women were. Eren Tidesurf and more importantly, Ezekiel Branch, were the two people that she least wanted to see out of all the victors.
"They made a bet," informed Ermine under her breath, nodding towards the man that was currently walking towards them. Crescent's brow furrowed, not really understanding the implications of what Ermine was saying.
Eren Tidesurf was tall and muscular, someone that most other people would describe as being attractive. He was dressed in a pair of teal dress pants and a indigo vest over a dress shirt with the first few buttons underdone. In Crescent's opinion, he looked like a scoundrel, but she knew that other people found it appealing. A wide grin sprung up on his face when he made it over to them, the other man staying behind.
"Crescent! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever! You look great, if I do say so myself," exclaimed Eren, putting a hand on Crescent's shoulder. She froze like a deer in headlights, Ermine coughing quietly at her side.
Was Eren complimenting her? As far she remembered, they'd never really talked that much, and she went out of her way to avoid him at these functions due to his reputation. She could feel her face flushing, hoping that the mask would cover it up. Just as she was struggling to think of an answer, another voice popped up nearby, one that was quite familiar to her.
"I'll tear off your fingernails one by one and shove them down your throat if you talk to her like that again," said the voice playfully, with a hint of a threat laced underneath it. Crescent shook herself out of her stupor, removing Eren's hand from her shoulder and looking to see Emmery Nicholas standing nearby with her hands on her hips.
The woman with the deep skin tone was adorned in a beige jumpsuit, overshadowed by the powerful aura she exuded and the muscle mass she possessed. Emmery stepped forward, punching Eren in the shoulder in a form of greeting, causing the man to give a strained grin that looked a little fake.
"Geez, Emmery, calm down! I was just saying hello. No need to get all hostile," Eren said with his hands spread wide in a placating manner. Emine gave a snort, obviously seeing right through him.
Crescent stood up straighter. She wasn't going to let herself get intimidated, but the real problem wasn't over there yet. They were all used to Emmery's playful threats, which she usually didn't carry out even though she was more than capable of doing so. Out of the three, she was probably best acquainted with Emmery, who had taken it upon herself to make friends with Crescent the year earlier.
"Yeah? Then explain the bet that you and Ezekiel made about him saying he liked Crescent on national television," replied Ermine with her eyebrows raised. Crescent turned to her, then back to Eren. She wasn't entirely surprised, as this seemed like something Eren would do, but she felt a little bit like they were all teenagers at school, gossiping about crushes and stuff.
It was all a little silly, and something about it made her think that there was more going on than she knew about. Eren shrugged his shoulders in response to Ermine, the smile never leaving his face. At that point, another face joined their conversation, one that made Crescent feel ill.
"Ermine, you don't understand. Stay out of it," said Ezekiel Branch, adjusting the glasses that he wore. Eyes narrowing, Crescent clenched her fist, half tempted to get her feelings over with here and now. Eren caught her doing so, however, and walked over to stand next to her, putting an arm over her shoulders.
His gentle nudge was a sign that she shouldn't do anything, but she still wanted to scream. Ezekiel looked at Eren with annoyance, but focused his attention on Crescent. He gave her a smile, which she returned by flipping him off. The man sighed, but didn't seem too affected by it.
'Crescent, can I talk to you for a second? Alone, preferably?" he said, the last words directed at the other three. Ermine rolled her eyes, Eren looked at him quizzically, and Emmery crossed her arms.
Mostly tempted to deny his request, Crescent scowled, but at seeing the slightly pleading expression behind his eyes, she nodded. Emmery scoffed, and Eren took his arm from her shoulders. He'd better have a good reason as to why they were in this whole mess, and one that didn't make this seem like some sort of soap opera. She was tired of the various antics that the victors got up to, and just wanted to be left in peace.
The two walked over to a secluded buffet table, Ezekiel staying close by and looking around at who was near him. Apparently satisfied with those that were in close proximity, he turned to Crescent, a frown on his face.
She crossed her arms, looking back to see Emmery threatening Eren again, while Ermine continued to sip her wine. They were certainly a crowd. She could also see Hilbert across the room, still talking to some of the older victors. Catching her gaze, he noticed her standing with Ezekiel, giving her a concerned look. She shook her head back at him, signaling that he didn't need to come over.
"Crescent, you have to listen to me. I didn't want to do it, it was the only thing I could do. I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to get upset, I should have cleared it with you beforehand," whispered Ezekiel, causing her to blink in surprise.
That was the last thing she was expecting to hear. Instead of being understanding, however, her emotions turned to irritation. He had only been a victor for less than a year, so he didn't understand how everything worked. She had expected him to be smarter than this, to not get anyone else caught up in the mess that his life would soon be. Her firm gaze met his, and he shrank back.
Victors were constantly in danger, and so were their families and friends. If she had to guess, people close to Ezekiel were in danger from the Capitol, or he'd been threatened with the horrible ways the Capitol made the victors stay in line. He probably had to make a scene to protect them, or protect himself.
This was commonplace, but most victors were intelligent enough to figure things out themselves. They didn't drag others into their problems, especially not people that they knew hated them. They all had suffered, they all constantly had to be on alert and monitor what they were doing. It was just sheer stupidity to pull something like this.
"Right. Do you expect me to have some sympathy for you? You knew the consequences of doing this. I already despised you, and now you're trying to act like you're pathetic and didn't have everything already planned out? I watched your games, Ezekiel. I know who you really are. You can't fool me," she hissed, looking around before pointing an accusatory finger at him.
He couldn't waltz right in and act like he was dumb. Sure, he was strong, but he'd won his games through intelligence and careful maneuvering. He was lucky that she didn't smack him right then.
"No, Crescent, please. I can't say much, but they're out there. You know who I'm talking about. You've dealt with them before, right? I know what happened after your games. They're the only reason you're still here. If you just listen to me, we can both stay safe, stay on their good side," he said, his voice low and a fake smile plastered on his face as someone walked by. Crescent looked up as the escort from district one passed by them, giving her a nod of the head.
A shiver went down her spine, only taking in Ezekiel's words once Apsis had walked by. Her eyes widened. How did he know about that? Trying to compose herself, her frown deepened.
After her games, something had happened. She couldn't remember all the details, the end of her games fuzzy in her mind. She knew that she'd seen it on the television, watching the footage back. It had been down to her and a girl from district two. Somehow she'd won the fight, pushing the other girl into a vat of acid. Crescent's own injuries had been severe, and the entire month after her games had been a blur.
All she knew was that she hadn't returned to District Eight right away, and that she shouldn't have been able to survive those injuries. Capitol technology was highly advanced, but it had seemed like something else had happened.
"How do you- nevermind. We can't talk about this here. If I believe what you're saying, what do you want me to do? I'm not just going to act like I like you in that way," Crescent said, keeping an eye out for anyone near them. She wasn't fully convinced, but if there was even a chance that the mysterious other group was involved, she needed to be on her guard.
This hadn't been what she was expecting to talk about tonight, and it made her nervous. She swore that someone was watching her, but she couldn't put her finger on who it was. Ezekiel looked at her with fear in his eyes for a second, and then shook his head, putting on a neutral face.
"Just stay near me during the games. Eren knows what's going on, if it helps. If Ermine and Emmery can be trusted, we'll tell them, too. I won't make you do anything, we just have to pretend that we at least get along. I wish I could do something to make you fully trust me, but I know nothing that I can do will help with that," Ezekiel said, causing her to sigh before nodding in response. She hadn't expected Eren to be in on it too, but she supposed that the paper they'd passed between them made sense now.
Could she really trust them? What about Hilbert? Some small voice in the back of her mind told her that she shouldn't tell the other mentor.
"Alright. I'm mentoring and you're not, but I'll make time if I can. Just, please, don't go on any more television shows talking about me. Got it? We should probably head back now, we've taken too long," Crescent stated, already looking back in the direction of the three other victors. Ezekiel nodded, and started walking over with her.
When they were halfway there, Ezekiel pulled ahead, and a tap on Crescent's shoulder made her stop. She turned around, the pitch black eyes of the district one escort meeting her own. The smile on his face didn't meet his eyes, but she stood there, rooted in place.
There were plenty of rumors going around about Apsis Tenebrae. He was basically a celebrity, but everyone knew that he was far more than that. She'd heard that he'd almost stabbed one of the district one victors on the train ride there, and that he was much too good with a knife to simply be a regular escort. All of the victors were wary of him, and he gave off the vibes of someone that wasn't to be trusted.
Crescent couldn't help but think that he was involved with the Capitol in some way other than the games. If he'd heard their conversation, they could be in serious trouble. She tensed, ready to hear the worst.
"Do you mind if I do a reading for you, Miss Houndstooth? I haven't gotten to do one for you yet, and I'd quite like to see what occurs," said Apsis, holding out a fan of cards facing towards the floor.
She'd heard about his cards, and wasn't sure how much stock she put in them, but she didn't really have a way out of this. She nodded, and he gestured for her to pick one. Taking one of the cards on the left, she flipped it over, revealing a stylized drawing of a wave about to crash. He nodded approvingly, putting the other cards away and holding the card up.
"The Wave. Interesting. I presume you don't know what the wave symbolizes? I'll inform you about it, then," he started, his eyes following Crescent as she looked back to see Ezekiel had returned to the group. He gave her a wave, and she gave a thumbs up back, signaling that she was fine. Emmery and Eren were still arguing, and Ermine was still focused on her glass, probably having refilled it at this point.
She turned back to Apsis, her arm shaking at her side. She'd managed to avoid his readings before, but she supposed her luck had run out at this point. The Wave seemed to be a card that wasn't that bad, at least before the meaning.
"The Wave symbolizes intuition and the subconscious. It represents that something is about to happen, just like a wave about to crest and fall upon the beach. A person that draws The Wave is often plagued with fear and anxiety, and their vision is clouded by the shadow of what is about to fall upon them. It is number eighteen in my deck. The Wave can also mean destruction, so I would advise you to be careful in your future endeavors," explained Apsis, causing her eyes to involuntarily widen.
He knew. He had heard them. This couldn't be a coincidence. Wanting to turn and run, she stayed right where she was, scared to move a muscle.
"Thank you for your time, Crescent. Oh, and as a word of warning: Stick with your friends over there. Don't stray too far from them during the Games. Enjoy your night," he said, taking his leave with the foreboding words that echoed around in her mind.
He put something into her hand, and then turned away. She walked back to the four victors in a daze, causing them to look at her with concern. Trying to shake it off, she looked at Ezekiel, giving him a nod. He looked worried, but smiled at her, and Eren watched Apsis move around the room. Emmery narrowed her eyes, but said nothing.
Crescent realized that she was holding a small slip of paper in her hand, and opened it, looking at the series of numbers that lay upon it.
13. 17. 19. 23. 29.
At first, she was confused, trying to figure out what the numbers symbolized. They weren't dates, or anything like that. Thinking about it some more, it suddenly hit her.
They were prime numbers. Prime. The word almost made her jump, staring down at it with abject horror. Apsis was working with them. He'd told her to stick with the others, so she'd do that, but she was immediately aware of the fact that she was in danger.
Eren waved a hand in front of her face, making her realize that she was spacing out in front of the four. Embarrassed, she pocketed the paper, trying to look like she hadn't just had a horrible revelation. Ezekiel had somehow procured a tray of drinks, handing her one as Emmery and Eren took glasses as well.
Emmery patted her back, giving her a small smile, before downing half the contents of her drink. Crescent took a sip of the glass, wincing when the liquid went down her throat. She didn't love any alcoholic beverage, but she supposed that it would help her get through the night without freaking out entirely.
"Did Apsis do a reading for you? No wonder you're freaked out. He tries to do them for every victor. After the train ride, I definitely don't want to be anywhere near him," said Ermine, gesturing with her glass.
Although she appreciated the sentiment, Crescent wasn't keen on revealing any more information to the district one victor than she already had. Ermine wasn't likely to be working with Apsis, but being a part of the district that he escorted meant that she was entangled in his web of connections. She'd forgotten that Ermine had been on the train with him, too, and that she'd witnessed his actions firsthand.
"I remember when Apsis did a reading for me. It didn't make much sense, he pulled a card called The Serene, which is about as far as you can get from me personality wise. I guess it really is all random," Emmery laughed. Her mask hiding her small smile, the district eight victor nodded.
The smile turned into more of a grimace when she looked over at Ezekiel. How much did he know? She didn't think she could share anything about the numbers with him, it was too dangerous, but she knew that he at least had basic information on things that were related to this whole mess. He might even already know that Apsis was involved.
"Didn't he do one for you too, Eren? It was several years ago, I think. Maybe before my time? I just remember you telling me about it," continued Emmery, glancing at Eren. The man shrugged, scratching his head as he seemed to be lost in thought.
Crescent had forgotten that Emmey and Eren had known each other the longest, since Eren had won the 104th games and Emmery had won the 108th. Eren had been one of the few careers to volunteer at age 17 under the added rules from a while ago, and had managed to win at such a young age. He'd been living the life of a victor for almost ten years.
"Yeah, it was something scary. I don't really remember what it was, though. Blocked it out of my mind. It all kind of blurs together after a while, you know? It probably didn't help that it was at a party," Eren's face twisted, but quickly went back to his usual grin.
Ermine rolled her eyes, her glass now empty. He wasn't a mentor, so he had the freedom to move around the Capitol during the games, which he usually took advantage of. Crescent envied that freedom, as she'd been shoved into being a mentor in the games right after her own, just after she'd finished recovering.
Maybe it was for the best that she didn't get to roam around the Capitol during the games. She'd heard several of the other victors talk about dealing with the residents of the city, and it didn't sound very fun.
Her eyes swept the room, looking at some of the escorts that were mingling around. Nera, the escort from her district, was talking to the escort from district 11, while a few other victors conversed nearby. Dorothy Anju was one of them, a mentor from ten. She always dressed in what seemed to be a darker version of capitol fashion, contrasting with the district that she came from. Her heavily caked makeup and teased hair made her easily visible.
Brixton Slate was one of the victors near Dorothy as well. He won the year prior to Ezekiel, but never was interested in being a part of their little group. He was extremely intelligent, and was skilled in a wide variety of combat tactics, though he did prefer to talk about strategy than anything that actually made sense for the conversation at hand.
He'd broken the career drought for district 2, one of the longest career droughts in the history of the games. The district was often in the top five, but rarely took the crown for themselves, often dying right before the end. Crescent found him annoying. Luckily, they rarely interacted.
"Any promising volunteers for your districts this year? Eren, Ermine? I'm just hoping that ours don't get blown up at the launch platform again," said Emmery, looking pointedly at the two career victors, stretching her arms out as she did so.
Last year, one of the district nine tributes had tripped and fallen off of their launch platform, subsequently blowing them up. Emmery had been pretty pissed about it, especially since their other tribute had been taken out by district two early on. She'd spent most of the games with Eren and Ermine, while Crescent had been mentoring and only occasionally got to see them.
"We've got some good ones this year. I'm hoping we'll get a decent arena, they've been kind of weird recently," replied Ermine, grabbing another glass of wine from a passing waiter.
She was right, the arenas in the past few years had been interesting but had all felt like there was something off about them. Maybe a new head gamemaker would make things a little more normal. Since Ermine wasn't a mentor, she didn't get to work directly with the volunteers after they were selected to be a part of the pool for those that had a chance to go into the games, but she did help out with training their careers before they got to that stage.
"Oh, really? I heard a rumor about what the arena is supposed to be. Apparently, it's all indoors," Eren whispered, though it was really more of a stage whisper.
Crescent raised an eyebrow. This piqued her interest. Oftentimes, the victors heard rumors about the arenas beforehand, but it was hard to discern what was true and what was made up. They hadn't had an indoor arena in a while, though there were often indoor parts that made up small areas of each arena. The woman that was the new head gamemaker had apparently worked on several arena designs in the past, and it was now her job to also direct the design for this year's arena.
There was music playing in the background, and some of the staff were starting to usher the victors towards the tables or the sides of the room, making space for the large dancefloor that made up the center.
As she wasn't much of a dancer, Crescent loathed the part of the dinner where they were expected to dance with each other, though it got easier to slip away during the second half of the dancing where it was more popular songs instead of the older classical music. It was at that point when she realized that she'd probably be expected to dance with Ezekiel. The stairs that lead to the roof were across the room, so that wasn't an option.
Crescent had calmed down at that point, but the thought of Apsis and what he had said still lingered in her mind.
A memory danced through her brain, sterile rooms and medical equipment making her spine tingle. That feeling of being watched came back. Her breath became short, she became slightly dizzy, and it wasn't until she heard voices near her that she snapped out of it. She was safe, or at least as safe as she could be in the Capitol.
The sound of her own heartbeat in her ears made her shake her head. Taking her mask off, she took several deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling before she zoned back into the room.
"Crescent? Are you alright?" asked Ezekiel, noticing that she'd taken off her mask. Eren and Ermine had made their way to the dance floor, along with a bunch of the other victors, and Emmery was dragging Olson Connell of district 12 out with her.
She nodded, swallowing and putting her mask back on, looking for somewhere to sit down. Two chairs were open nearby, and she took one of them, slowly closing and opening her eyes to try and get a better grip on reality. Ezekiel sat down next to her, and leaned over, a frown on his face. He pushed up his glasses, not taking his eyes off of her.
"Is this about Apsis or what I said earlier? Is everything alright? People are watching, Crescent. Do you need to go outside?" questioned Ezekiel, reaching for her hand as he shooed away some of the event staff. She pushed his hand away, staring down at the floor, trying to collect herself.
Crescent was certain that Ezekiel didn't really care, that he was just putting on a show because people were watching. Looking up, the room swam in her vision, but she focused on a clock that was on the opposite wall and tried to narrow her field of vision. After a minute of Ezekiel worriedly asking her questions and her staring blankly, she shook her head.
"I'm fine. Really, it's okay. Go find someone to dance with. I'm sure Olson wouldn't mind if you danced with Emmery, he's not the dancing type," she replied. Ezekiel's frown deepened, and he crossed his arms. Crescent sighed, glaring at him, but he wouldn't move. She'd never known that he was this stubborn.
Actually, she didn't know a lot about him, except that they'd gotten into several disagreements during their first few meetings in the Capitol, and that she hadn't liked him at all. All she wanted to do at the moment was to go back to the room she was staying at in the capitol and hide under several layers of blankets.
"I'm not leaving you alone. You look like you're going to pass out. Plus, I can't just leave you now. Remember? People will ask questions," Ezekiel said firmly, eyes locking with her own. She sighed, and her face fell into an expression of apathy.
At this point in time, she really didn't care about the fact that they were supposed to get along. All she saw was someone trying to manipulate her into being someone she didn't want to be. Crescent didn't care if it was the truth or not. She didn't want to think about if Ezekiel was being genuine or was putting on an act.
The silly games that the victors played with one another made her sick.
"Just… please. You don't have to act like you tolerate me. There might be cameras here, but you can think of some excuse later on. We've spent enough time together tonight," said Crescent, frustrated.
For a moment, a look of hurt flashed on Ezekiel's face, but she didn't notice it. From across the room, she spotted Hilbert looking at her, and she gestured at him to come over. Seeing HIlbert on his way, Ezekiel stood up, pausing as if he was going to say something, and then walked over to a food table across the room. She didn't see him glance back at her as he loaded up a plate, more focused on the other district eight mentor.
"Hey, Crescent. Here, drink some water. Sylvester would yell at me if he knew that you hadn't had any water all evening," Hilbert kindly passed her a cup of water, and she lifted up her mask to take a sip. The other mentor took the seat that Ezekiel had been in, watching the dancers waltz by.
Crescent was grateful for Hilbert, and felt slightly better now that he was with her. The music currently playing had several violins featured in it, but was played through the speakers, given that there wasn't enough room in the vicinity for a whole orchestra. She didn't love classical music, but she tolerated it.
"Thanks, Hilbert. I can't wait for this night to be over," she complained, taking another drink of water as she slouched over in her chair. The sooner she was out of the capitol, the better.
There were still a few more days left of their trip, but after that, they'd return back home to district eight until reaping day. Only a month and a half until the next games started, and she really wasn't prepared at all. Crescent just had to hope that she got better at controlling her emotions in the time between now and the games. She'd probably have to get used to Ezekiel's presence, too, which she wasn't enthused about at all.
As the night went on, she stayed in her chair, occasionally getting up to talk to the other victors. It was late before their escort finally came over to collect them, leading them out of the room. Passing Ezekiel, Crescent nodded at him, and he gave her a smile before they parted ways.
Once she was back outside, she made her way through the gauntlet of cameras, her mask still worn across her face, and finally got back into the car. She breathed a sigh of relief once inside the vehicle, taking off her mask. It had been a long night, and she was more than ready to sleep for as long as she could.
Her thoughts falling back to the reading and the terror she'd felt, Crescent winced.
There would be no escaping the memories once the game started, but she could do her best to avoid them. If she was lucky, she'd never have to go back there again. She didn't remember most of it, but what she did remember made her want to curl up in fear. They were still out there, running things behind the scenes, keeping the games going.
The Capitol was dangerous, but they were only on the surface level of Panem.
The name of the place she feared ran through her mind. District Prime.
I had a lot of fun with this chapter, especially with some of the other victors! Updates are going to be a lot less frequent from now on, though this chapter did take like four weeks to release. I'll try to keep some semblance of a schedule, but I can't promise anything because motivation is still low on my end. One more prologue chapter, and then we'll get into intros for the submissions I already have! Submissions are still open, and probably will be for a while.