Chapter 11 - Vultures
Overbearing lights shone down from all directions. There was an absence of heat, though, so as much as Bliss' brain tried to convince her she was still in the arena, she refused to believe it. She stared at the stage lights until her retinas hurt. A glow settled over everything she looked at for the following minutes.
Bliss tried not to drift away. Harlem's advice from their final meeting before the Interview helped tether her to reality. She played it over and over in her head. The Interview is branded as "raw, unedited, unfiltered." It's heavily edited and filtered, he'd reminded her, they'd include any emotional reactions that served their own dramatic purposes.
She was not to speak ill of other districts, or the Capitol. What happened in the games, happened in the spirit of the games. Whatever that had meant. But Bliss agreed after Harlem implored her to follow his instructions. She was to act excited to return home to her friends and family. Yes, he clarified, she was to act happy at the idea of seeing her parents and brother again. Well, if everything else is a performance, why not add another false aspect to the character we're building?
The image the Capitol wanted to craft for Bliss was not unlike Harlem's: sly, smart; the underdog- who may or may not have faked her training score to get those around her to underestimate her. There wasn't a hint of truth to it, Bliss thought, her time in the arena was a series of panicked decisions and running away from certain death.
The crafted image provided space for a believable mentoring strategy, though. Bliss was to give Harlem credit for his role in her success. He clarified that he was not the one who demanded this. She had so many questions, but knew it was not the correct time to ask, so she'd bit her tongue.
The Capitol didn't want to hear Bliss' real strategy: hoping the stronger alliances killed each other then stalking and killing what remained. They wanted a victor braver than that, is what Bliss inferred, not what Harlem said out loud, but he knew she'd get the message- as insulting as it was. What does the Capitol expect? Out-district kids to be as bloodthirsty as the brainwashed careers? Yes, apparently. It is our penance to be excited and honoured.
If she was asked why she didn't kill earlier in the games, Bliss was to say the opportunity simply didn't present itself, not that the idea of killing another child froze her core even under the blazing sun in the arena. By the time she did kill, the only thing that made it possible was losing enough pieces of herself. Not a sudden leap in fortitude. But still, that was what she'd be expected to say.
Bliss opened her eyes and inhaled and exhaled slowly, several times. Finishing touches on set were almost done. The host of the Interview, Enoch Albano, chattered to several assistants, while simultaneously examining his face in a compact mirror and pointing to spots where he wanted more powder.
His ridiculousness distracted Bliss enough for her heart rate to begin slowing. Preening himself like a bird, all for what? He still looked like he was in his forties. The powder that the make-up artists globbed on seemed to define his pores instead of hiding them, sinking into the thousands of little craters on his face. Maybe it would look different on camera.
Enoch noticed Bliss' appraisal and stared back at her. "Hello, Bliss, it's nice to meet you." He extended a hand over the short space between their plush chairs. She took it woodenly.
"The pleasure is all mine." Schmoozing wasn't an ideal defence mechanism, making her hate herself after it was all said and done, but it was usually the path of least resistance in uncomfortable, forced conversations, she had learned.
The host's face lit up, giving her a camera-worthy smile. His bone-white veneers reflected light back into her face. She tried not to cringe.
"Are you ready to begin?" The host asked.
"If you wouldn't mind telling me, when will you ask me my first question?" Bliss smiled sweetly. She wanted as much information as possible, and thought he'd be open to answering her question- not reason not to, right? She was very well-trained, she'd been very polite.
Enoch beamed back at her. "You are just the cutest thing, aren't you?" She didn't know how to respond to that. Instead, she broadened her smile. Harlem watched from the sidelines, eyebrow raised.
"I don't usually tell the victors what to expect, but for you, I'll make an exception." As he bopped her nose, she suppressed the urge to bite off his fingers.
"Thank you, Mr. Albano, you are so gracious." Bliss forced.
"Oh please, Bliss, call me Enoch!" He smiled back at her. She waited patiently for his answer. "We'll introduce you right away, before the footage. You will stand, shake my hand, and smile for the cameras. You won't say anything yet. Then, we'll sit and watch footage from before the games up until the end of the bloodbath. After the bloodbath is over, we'll pause for our first set of questions."
Bliss' smile widened, and she desperately hoped it didn't look like a grimace. Harlem had explained the introduction aspect, of course, but she didn't correct him to say she was aware. She was happy enough to know she wouldn't be questioned until after the bloodbath. Enoch patted her head.
"Okay, sixty seconds!" The stage manager's voice projected across the room.
Bliss' heart rate skyrocketed. Just like the beginning of the Hunger Games. Luckily, there were no cannons booming. A stagehand counted down until they reached five, then mouthed 'four,' 'three,' 'two,' 'one.'
The main camera panned to where Bliss and Enoch sat, and Bliss did her best to look strong and stoic. Enoch rose, and Bliss did as well. They shook hands.
"Ladies and gentlemen! What an exciting evening! May I present the victor of the 42nd Hunger Games, Burgundy Bliss Beaudrie!"
She waved at the camera, executing her best humble-but-sly smile. As she sat down, Harlem nodded at her, indicating she'd done a good job. First task done, now just a million more before freedom. Or what would pass for freedom nowadays.
The lights dimmed. Beside the primary camera, a large screen came to life. The screen was split three ways- two smaller frames showing Enoch and Bliss' faces; the third and largest frame played the movie.
It began with Bliss' Reaping. The utter shock on her face, Ambrosia's reaction beside her. Enoch ooed and awed. It was an incredibly irritating noise. She kept her face flat. It was disconcerting to see a larger-than-life projection of herself.
Footage from the other Reapings flashed across the screen, but none were shown in full, other than Bliss'. The footage hovered over career districts, their strength and joviality surrounding the Ceremony making Enoch cheer.
Her interview was next. She'd appeared lacklustre, overall uninteresting, but because she'd dropped tidbits of information, Enoch announced over the footage how cunning and mysterious she'd been. Bliss nodded and smiled in acknowledgement.
Too soon, the screen displayed the tributes being raised into the arena; an aerial shot of the cornucopia yard. Enoch tittered in anticipation. The redness of the arena jarred Bliss, spiking her heart-rate again. The red wasn't around her face, though, it wasn't coming out of her hair. She held on.
Movement erupted as tributes ran in every direction. The camera showed Bliss and Plum finding each other, then Bliss splitting off and returning for a backpack. Bird and Jolt fell. The camera didn't pay them much attention. Enoch gasped as Chase attacked Bliss with the rapier.
"I'll be honest with you, Bliss. Lots of people, myself included, thought this would be the end for you." Enoch said at her. He didn't prepare her for the commentary, but she supposed she should have expected it. She wasn't supposed to speak yet, so she nodded and shrugged towards the camera.
The camera showed a close up of Chant punching Cass hard, square in the face. The girl cried out as she hit the ground. The noise drew Chase's attention away, saving Bliss' life. Bliss made it back to the lobby Plum occupied, as did Lily. The camera angle showed Bliss' alliance hiding behind a desk, watching the events unfold.
"It's about to get interesting!" Enoch said, voice raised, a bloodthirsty caricature.
A close up showed Cable blocking Harp's attack on Callum, and Cable plunging his sword through Harp's chest. The footage was so high definition, it picked up tears tracking down Harp's incredulous expression as he fell. Good shot, Bliss thought, empty.
Bliss' reaction was next, screens displaying her pulling on her alliance member's sleeves, apprising them of the events unfolding. "The D1 boy just killed the D2 boy." Bliss voice boomed over the loudspeaker. The narration was unnecessary, she thought… duh. Obviously. Bliss didn't roll her eyes.
"The first betrayal!" Enoch squealed.
The series of bloodbath betrayals aired next, cut down to include the most exciting parts. Peril and Mila teaming up after a brief moment of confusion, Eddie killing Peril after another. The out-district girls, Eddie and Callisto, defending Cable against the other careers. Weiss shooting Cass. Cable fighting Mila. Saber trying to kill Cable. Lastly, apprehending Dawn.
Other, less interesting tributes fell in between moments, but the camera spared them only seconds before returning to the main events on screen.
Finally, it was over. The footage paused. Bliss saw stars and forced herself to breathe. She turned slightly to look at Harlem, and found him mirroring deep breaths. She wanted to roll her eyes again.
"Wow, Bliss, would agree that was one of the most riveting bloodbaths we've ever seen?" Enoch's voice cut through her mental haze.
"Certainly, Enoch. I, for one, did not see the betrayals coming." Bliss said, using his name, hoping it didn't sound as uncomfortable as it felt.
Enoch looked mock-disappointed, as if he was expecting her to reveal she secretly engineered everything. Come on, I'm supposed to be an underdog, not a psychopath. Luckily, his expression didn't last long.
"Well, from what Harlem Budd tells me- Bliss' mentor, for the audience," he chuckled towards the camera, "and from what we, ourselves have observed, your mind is sharp, Bliss, so why don't you help break it down for us? What were the original alliances? What were the betrayals?" Enoch prompted.
The mental gymnastics made her brain spin, but it was easier to try and keep track of alliances and betrayals than the things that made her see blood.
"Thank you, Enoch." Bliss began, gracious as ever. "I can definitely take a stab at it." She didn't halt the figure of speech before it left her lips, and she started feeling nausea creeping through her guts. Enoch just laughed, though, at least it was an appropriate response to the Capitol, if no one else.
"Please, enlighten us!" Enoch prompted.
"The career alliance started as it usually did. But also, during prep week, I saw Callum- the male tribute from District 5, aligned with Chase- my district partner, the District 8 female- Cass, the members of District 9 and 10, and the female tributes from 11- Eddie, and 12- Callisto." She tallied. "Their alliance stood nine members strong."
Enoch whistled at this. "One of the largest non-career alliances in history."
"Yes." Bliss unnecessarily confirmed.
"That left… nine tributes without an alliance?" Enoch asked.
"Six tributes. Plum, Lily, and I made an alliance during prep week as well." It hurt to say their names.
"And after the bloodbath, only two of them remained." Enoch said.
"Yes, Rubal- the male from District 8 and Filament- the female from District 3." Bliss said, proud she was able to keep up with the conversation with the swirling terror in her brain.
"Can you explain which tributes formed- what did they call themselves?- Opus Dei?" Enoch said the name with snark. The reaction seemed important. Harlem had warned her not to speak ill of other districts, but maybe it wouldn't be wrong if she spoke truthfully in this situation.
"Oh yes… 'The Work of God,' I hope you don't mind me saying, Enoch, but what an arrogant name." Bliss said, carefully.
Her words landed. Enoch burst with laughter. "I was thinking the same, myself, Bliss. It's just as dangerous to overestimate oneself and it is to underestimate oneself, wouldn't you agree?" He asked.
"Absolutely, Enoch." She confirmed.
"Truly an interesting decision to name a group… that." Enoch said wickedly. "But I digress. The members, Bliss?"
"During prep week, I overheard a private conversation." Bliss started, Enoch on the edge of his seat.
"I saw Callum comforting Cable, then kissing him." She said. Enoch's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"You did know about the betrayal!" He said.
"I knew enough, I suppose." Bliss said, leaning into the image Harlem had implored her to craft.
"I didn't, however, know the members they invited to join, and those they chose to exclude, until after the bloodbath." She finished.
"Very interesting, indeed." Enoch said, prompting her to continue with his expectant gaze.
"It appeared both members of D1- Cable and Chant were the only careers invited to join Opus Dei. It seemed like a strange decision to me, at first, why get rid of the toughest members of one's alliance? But then it occurred to me that's why Cable agreed to the betrayal. He'd get rid of his most formidable opponents first, but still have a strong alliance- with Callum's help. At the expense of honour, though." The last line was so cheesy Bliss regretted it.
Enoch ate it up. "You hit the nail on the head, Bliss, at the expense of honour." He said. Apparently the career betrayal hadn't been completely well received. What happened to the 'spirit' of the games?
"The other members of Opus Dei, along with D1 and Callum," Bliss continued, "were D9- Weiss and Treble, Eddie, and Callisto. After the bloodbath, they were down to five members, both 11 and 12 females killed during the bloodbath."
"So, instead of two formidable alliances, one remained and the rest of the tributes scattered." Enoch summarized. Bliss nodded.
"Who was not asked to join Opus Dei, but was part the original alliances?" Enoch asked.
"To start with the careers- both tributes from D2 and D4. I assume Cable's biggest threats. Then from Callum's alliance, Chase, Cass, and D10 were betrayed." Bliss answered.
"So, that's why the D9 male- Weiss, shot Cass with an arrow?" Enoch asked, leading her to continue the story.
"Yes, exactly. And why Dawn was… taken." Bliss could barely get the words out.
"Speaking of Dawn, what was the purpose 'taking' her, do you think?" Enoch asked.
"Umm…" Bliss faltered. She was sure they'd edit it out. "I believe it was a warning to other tributes, an example." She choked out.
"An example of what?" Enoch asked, curiosity seeping from his gaze.
"An example of what would happen if the remaining tributes tried to scramble together and re-form into another larger alliance." Bliss clarified.
"Do you think their strategy was successful?" Enoch asked.
"Mila ended up aligning with Chase and Cass, but that was it. Everyone else ran. So yes, I guess I would say it was successful." Dawn's screams played through Bliss' mind as she forced the sickening words out, the D10 girl's torture reduced to mere strategy.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, now, we haven't seen that on screen yet." Enoch chastised.
"Of course." Bliss started to drift away.
"What an epic reformation of alliances!" Enoch summarized again. "Thank you for explaining, Bliss. Shall we get back to the footage? I think our audience has waited long enough."
Bliss nodded, not pointing out the feed wasn't live.
The movie started playing- showing Callum and Cable's first kiss in the arena. They edited out the grab-ass. Dawn was taken to the garden yard. Opus Dei scouts roamed about.
Chase, Cass, and Sandy ran from the bloodbath, looping back to the chasm yard. Once in the lobby, Chase forced Sandy to switch weapons with him before parting ways. When the girl asked to join their alliance, Chase laughed in her face and said no. After she saved them in the bloodbath with her arrows. Asshole.
Chase and Cass left Sandy in the lobby, incredibly pissed off. The camera panned to Bliss' alliance approaching the lobby, and Sandy timing the blow with the door. The door smashed into Lily's face, Sandy jumped out ready to fight. The camera zoomed in on Lily's face as she recovered, expression hatred and rage. The camera arced cinematically as Lily threw Sandy into the chasm. It cut away from Bliss and Plum's reactions, instead showing Lily seething with bloodlust, then Sandy's broken body.
"What a tribute! You picked a good alliance, Bliss." Enoch's voice carried over the movie. She nodded in thanks.
Bliss' alliance was given screen time after that, showing Bliss halting Lily and explaining/executing her plan to retreat.
Enoch praised Bliss for her ingenuity after the alliance scampered up the external drain pipe and found the water bottles.
The footage progressed.
The next frame showed Dawn being covered in concrete. Her real screams playing over the speaker mingled with the screams in Bliss' mind, chaotic torture.
The footage paused.
"An effective strategy, indeed." Enoch said. Bliss didn't respond.
"The audience wants to know, Bliss, did you purposefully fake your training score and interview before the games?" Enoch asked. Bliss looked towards him in confusion, but remembered this was supposedly part of her Capitol image.
"It just seems like a sharp contrast: the meek girl from training week, and the fearless leader that emerged after the bloodbath." Enoch clarified.
"I was just doing my best." The words slipped out. Enoch furrowed his brow. "But as you know, Enoch, not all skills can be displayed during training week." She said, echoing the thoughts she'd had about Rubal.
"Oh yes, that makes sense! Hiding skills better displayed in the arena is smart, Bliss." Enoch praised.
Bliss nodded, even though that wasn't quite what she said. "Thank you, it was Harlem's strategy." Bliss remembered she was expected to praise her mentor.
"Oh, how wonderful! Mr. Budd is an esteemed member of our mentoring staff. You are the first tribute he's brought to victory, he must be so proud!" Enoch paused for effect. Bliss looked towards Harlem on the sidelines. He allowed her, and only her, to see a small eye-roll. Bliss smiled genuinely. Enoch only caught the end of the exchange. He thwacked her knee jovially with a Hunger Games pamphlet he was holding. "What a beautiful relationship you two have!"
"One last question before we begin again. Tell me, Bliss, were you declared leader before the games, or during?" Enoch asked.
Bliss was never 'declared' leader. "During the games." She said.
"Riveting stuff." Enoch said, genuinely.
The movie started playing again.
Mila stumbled across Chase and Cass, in the construction yard. Mila looked like hell, pain from her broken ribs contorting her figure. Still, she looked ready to fight.
"No need for that." Chase said, diplomatically.
Mila didn't relax.
"Hey, we want payback for what happened too." Cass piped up. "Couldn't have been easy watching your alliance fall apart like that."
Mila looked pissed.
"It wasn't for me, either." Cass motioned to the arrow wound in her leg, courtesy of Weiss.
The D4 girl half-relaxed and grunted, considering.
"We work together until we kill those good for nothing motherf-" a long string of expletives wound from Mila's mouth.
"Okay." Chase said. "Then we go our separate ways."
Mila's eyes flashed, but she didn't argue. "Alright." She holstered her sword.
"Chant got you good, hey?" Mila motioned to his broken arm. "Her mace is a bitch."
"Looks like someone 'got you good' as well." Chase casually motioned to her ribs.
"That f-" another string of expletives "Callum." Mila said.
"That's good." Chase said. Before Mila could butt in, he continued, "We know we can trust each other, we want him dead as well." He motioned to Cass.
Mila rolled her eyes, but nodded.
Interesting.
The interaction filled in a gap in Bliss' knowledge. She didn't know where/how the three of them met. Chase was so well mannered when he needed to be.
A montage followed, of Bliss scouting and stalking other alliances, learning their locations and compositions- as she also delegated tasks to Plum and Lily. Enoch made a comment about leading Plum and Lily well, most of the time.
More footage played of the other remaining tributes walking around to, but if they were in Bliss' vicinity, the camera showed them from her perspective.
Events kept rolling by, including Bliss' journey into the garden to get healing herbs to stave off her infection.
"It's interesting, Bliss, knowing how cunning you are, why you chose to take a nap in the middle of the day. Surely, you expected consequences?" Enoch said.
The movie as still playing, Bliss wasn't sure if she was allowed to speak. Enoch looked at her expectantly.
"It wasn't… my best decision." Bliss said, lamely, as the earth began to tremble under the sleeping forms in the movie.
The next scene could have been straight out of an action/adventure thriller. Bliss' alliance jumped from building to building as walls collapsed around them, as the floor tilted, as they dodged desks and chairs, as they careened through the air.
The shot widened and played in slow motion, showing the audience how high off the ground the tributes were as they jumped. It was quite a shot. Bliss was glad it looked epic instead of pathetic. Her jump could have been a lot better, but they way it was edited didn't seem to imply that. The landings did, though, as Lily and Plum sailed into the next building. Bliss crashed to the floor below them. Lily crawled down to join Plum, then they worked their way down to find Bliss.
The level Plum landed on was filled with office crap, but stuffed, packed to the brim like a hoarder's workspace. Telephone books were stacked to the ceiling; endless files caked the desktops. Furniture was stacked on itself against the walls to make room for multiple rolling boards, waning in stress under the sheer amount of items tacked to them.
Lily and Plum found a hole in the floor and jumped down to find Bliss collapsed, crying, and shaking on the floor.
"Here lay your consequences." Enoch said, seriously. The camera showed Lily complaining about losing her bandage. "And your poisoning scheme failed as well. Such a shame, such an oversight. If you'd killed Lily with the poison, she wouldn't have been around to try and kill you, would she?" Enoch asked.
That's mean.
"No." Bliss said, anxiously.
As Plum patched Bliss up, Enoch honed in on questions about him. Bliss held up a finger, as she was allowed to, signalling the briefest break. She pulled a bottles of pills out of her purse and popped one. It was supposed to be sedating. Harlem tried to catch her eye, but she couldn't handle looking at him.
"So, Bliss, is this where your feelings for each other began?" Enoch repeated the question after Bliss had swallowed the pill.
"My feelings for…" Bliss said.
"Plum obviously. And his feelings for you." Enoch said, trying but failing not to be condescending.
Bliss suppressed rage. "Plum and I had a complex relationship." She forced out. "I'm not sure we had feelings for each other in the way you're implying, but yes, I would say I began to trust Plum when he helped me instead of abandoning me." Tears burned in her eyes.
"I can see talking about Plum makes you emotional." Enoch dug. Bastard.
"Plum was a great friend. I'm sad to see him gone." Bliss answered.
"Surely though, you understood it was inevitable? You did intend to win? His death was a stepping stone in your path to victory." Enoch said. Bliss stared at him scathingly. They'd probably edit that out. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm down.
"Of course, Enoch." Bliss used the same condescending-not-condescending tone. "As we established, my feelings towards him are complex. I can simultaneously miss him, and be glad I'm alive. He was a great ally, surely you see that?." It was a fine rebuttal. Because of this, Enoch accepted her snark.
"Point well made, Bliss." Enoch conceded.
Time progressed in the arena, footage speeding up until Opus Dei found themselves in the water tower yard. The camera was situated behind Bliss' alliance, showing them watching the antics.
Chant was crushed under the water tower.
"Would you have climbed the tower, Bliss, if your alliance hadn't found the water stash?" Enoch asked. Bliss was feeling slightly more in control of herself.
"It seemed like an obvious trap to me." Maybe she wasn't in control. Harlem audibly sighed in the curtains off to the side. One of the stagehands swatted him and mouthed to at him to shut up.
Enoch laughed. "How so? Enlighten us."
Bliss tried to reel her brain in. "Umm… It's just that the other yards were dangerous or had more to them than met the eye." That didn't make sense. Did it? Bliss couldn't tell.
"How so?" Enoch asked.
"Okay, for example: the construction yard, chasm yard, and garden yard- obvious danger. Heavy machinery, a fall to your death, and poison/ concrete. The other yards had more to them than met the eye- though I suppose the chasm yard did as well with the tunnel midway down. Speaking of, a tunnel system branched off the cornucopia in that yard and seemed to extend into other courtyards. You know what I mean? Hidden stuff. I didn't spend enough time in the fabric maze yard to fully understand it." Bliss finished, mind racing.
"It's interesting how you've named these courtyards. The Capitol used a numerical system, but yours are more descriptive." Enoch said.
Obviously. "I named them to keep them straight in my head." Bliss said, instead.
"Hmm, yes, interesting." Enoch mused. "I suppose I see what you mean about hidden dangers or unknown features." He summarized. "But if you saw a water tower in a desert, would you not believe it was salvation?"
"Hope can be dangerous." The words flew out of Bliss' mouth against her better judgement. Just shut up and follow the basic answers script, Panem.
"How so?" Enoch's eyes gleamed with warning.
Bliss cleared her throat. "It's just… I believe in patterns. Logic over hope, I suppose. If the rest of the courtyards had 'unknown features' then personally, I would see the tower yard as dangerous."
"And right you were, Bliss." Enoch said, her answer acceptable.
Then the camera followed the tributes back to the garden yard, where they witnessed Ken and Dawn's demise. Bliss gut clenched. She started shaking.
"How did you feeling watching the tributes of D9 fall, knowing you were closer to the title?" Enoch prompted.
Bliss tried to smile, to give herself a moment to think, but her face cracked into something ugly. Tears fell down her cheeks and her breath caught in her throat.
"Okay, cut." Enoch said. He waved Harlem over to calm Bliss down. She knew the cameras weren't actually cut, and tried to suppress her tears so they couldn't be broadcast later.
"Let's get some water." Harlem said, leading her to the craft supply table. Subtly, cameras angled towards her.
He paused, letting her breathe. "Try not to say anything that'll piss the other mentors off." He warned after a moment. "You want them in your corner." Bliss nodded, composing herself, no longer crying. She popped another pill.
Harlem looked worried. "You're halfway done, if not more. You're doing good, okay?" He tried to assure her. She had nothing to say in response. He led her back to the chair and some colourful people touched up her make-up.
"How did you feeling watching the tributes of D9 fall, knowing you were closer to the title?" Enoch prompted again.
"I was honoured to meet them and honoured their deaths meant my victory." Bliss said as evenly as she could manage.
"An honour, indeed." Enoch said.
The footage showed a special hovercraft retrieving Dawn's body. Razor sharp jaws extended from the line, instead of a basic claw to hold bodies. The razor metal crunched into the concrete, and lifted the entire garden bed into the sky. Wonder if they'll return her to D10 like that, still encased.
As Bliss fought for control over her emotions, the footage played a montage of all the private night-time conversations between her and Plum. Her face was wet again, but Enoch didn't yell cut. She supposed she was allowed to be sad over his loss. She bet they'd love to see her sob.
As the private moments played, her discomfort grew.
As the footage moved on to a heavily edited version of the conversation they'd had about Bliss' brother, and her insides turned to lead. Enoch didn't ask about her brother, though. Thought that would be good emotional fodder for you, she thought at him.
The cameras moved on to showing the great chase scene, Cable and Callum sprinting after Rubal and Bliss' alliance through the tunnels, then the high rises. They got a close up of her knee dislocating on the upper floor after Rubal's cannon scared her. She rubbed the joint, in real time.
They also got close ups of Cable throwing the knives into Plum's body, and his agonized screams. She pressed her hands over her ears. Harlem eventually pried them off, then returned to the curtains.
She couldn't stop crying as it showed her efforts to patch him up; her efforts that would be all for nothing.
A camera caught Bliss and Chase's brief interaction. Bliss stood taller, hair a halo of fire in the sunlight. She was beautiful, cinematic. The impression left a strange taste in her mouth.
After Bliss' alliance was shown disappearing into the next building through the roof door, the cameras cut to a fight below in one of the buildings bordering the construction yard.
Mila, Chase, and Cass faced off against Weiss and Treble. Not the members of Opus Dei they really wanted to kill, but they took the opportunity.
It was a short, brutal, bloody fight. Ungraceful, frenzied, everyone attacking at the same time except for Mila. Flashes of silver and red and the booming of cannons signified death. Cass fell, then Chase, then Treble ran away, then Weiss was struck down my Mila.
Mila staggered out the front door, searching for fresh air instead of pursuing Treble further into the building. Bliss' alliance walked right into her path.
Bliss tried not to jam her eyes shut as she watched the fight, knowing if she did they'd make her watch it again. It felt like she was there in real-time, terror and adrenaline making her sitting form furiously shake.
Plum was struck down. Bliss stopped breathing.
The cameras zoomed in on the bloodlust in her face as she strangled Mila. Bliss swallowed down bile.
The angle switched as Lily stabbed the D4 girl between her eyes.
Cable and Callum entered the courtyard. Bliss wished she didn't exist, then and now. Gold stars danced over her vision, but she couldn't force herself to breathe.
Cable and Callum zeroed in on Bliss and Lily. Bliss stared at Plum as life drained out of him. Lily yelled for Bliss to run- something she hadn't heard at the time. Lily grabbed Bliss' arm and dragged her to her feet. They started running.
As Bliss and Lily climbed the crane, the angles switched between their confused, determined expressions, and Cable lining up stones to throw. More stones hit Bliss than she'd realized, hard impacts too. She hadn't felt it at the time.
Blackness started filling in between the stars dancing in Bliss' vision. She tried to expand her lungs, but felt like the wind had been knocked out of her.
The camera cut to Plum, taking his last breaths. His eyes desperately searched around him, panicked, full of fear and leaking tears.
Bliss lost consciousness and crashed into the stage. She didn't see Enoch palpate his chest, startled by the sudden movement.
…
Bright lights shone from all directions. When Bliss woke, she thought she was in the hospital again. Her wits returned to her as the stage came back into focus. Her head was in Harlem's lap, his body blocking most of the onlookers from seeing her face. She was grateful.
Harlem looked distraught. "Keep breathing Bliss, in and out." She became aware she regained the ability, once her brain powered off and restarted. "It's almost over." He added. She didn't say anything.
Enoch returned and asked how much time she needed. Bliss sat up, cradling her head in her hands. "I'm ready." She grunted, puling herself back into the chair.
"Keep breathing." Harlem said again, as he departed the stage. Bliss nodded.
Her brain was sludge. Molasses. The pills caught up to her.
The movie started. Bliss crafted her glass weapon, and dropped Lily on rooftops to get supplies.
"Honestly, Bliss, making a weapon out of the operator window like that was a stroke of genius." The combination of Enoch's praise and derisive comments was giving her whiplash. Bliss thanked him.
"How did you get the idea for such a weapon?" Enoch asked. As if they hadn't heard me explaining to Lily the first time around. Bliss suppressed another eye roll.
"My brother, Bryce, used to burn ants with a magnifying glass." Bliss stated.
"What a rambunctious child! Boys will be boys! Hah!" Enoch laughed. "Are you excited to see him again once you're back home in District 7?"
"Bryce is a heartless monster." Bliss said, before she could stop herself.
Enoch's host persona dropped, replaced with something chastising, serious, and dangerous. "No, Bliss, wrong answer."
He asked the question again.
"Yes, of course, Enoch! My family is waiting to see me. I cannot wait to see them. And I'm so, so excited to see my girlfriend again." Bliss said, hoping he'd change the subject.
"Is that the girl you said you'd marry in your interview? Your main motivation to get back home?" Enoch asked, taking the bait.
"Yes, sir. Ambrosia is the love of my life." Bliss said.
"I, and the rest of the audience, will be waiting with bated breath until your wedding." Enoch said, trying to sound elegant. After the interrogation, though, Bliss thought the effort was useless.
The camera showed Filament being consumed by the horde of small mutts, and Cable and Callum running away.
Time progressed.
Enoch settled himself in his chair, in anticipation of Bliss' attack on Cable and Callum.
Lily precariously and silently lowered Bliss on the crane hook. She crept over the studded rebar of the cornucopia. As Callum and Cable were locked in an embrace, Bliss tilted her death ray and melted Cable's brainstem.
Bliss got her licks in on Callum, maiming him, melting one of his eyes. The camera panned to Bliss ascending on the crane hook, then to Lily looking conflicted in the booth if she should raise Bliss up or not. I knew it, traitorous bitch.
The camera closed in on Bliss' back as she was shot with Callum's arrow. The equipment picked up the sound of her bone breaking. Another wave of nausea made Bliss' mouth fill with saliva.
The focus switched to Treble, in a building bordering the construction yard, finally succumbing to her wounds. She'd escaped the fight with Mila with a slash across her back and both thighs. Despite her attempts to staunch the bleeding, her wounds trickled until she bled out. The cannon fired.
Lily turned on Bliss. Their brutal fight was captured from multiple angles, motion easy to follow in the small operating booth. Bliss cringed as she watched Lily break her arm, bone poking through the skin. She cringed again when the camera zoomed in on Lily's fall, impact, and crushed form.
They showed Bliss laying down to sleep, not blatantly passing out, then stirring the next morning upon receiving a sponsorship. Bliss ground her teeth as she watched herself pull her arm back into alignment and saw the shaft of the arrow out of her back. She noticed she wasn't breathing again, and forced a sliver of air into her lungs. She looked at Harlem, and he nodded in encouragement. Her lungs opened a little wider.
"Bliss, did you know Lily would attack you when she did?" Enoch asked her. She snapped back to attention.
"No." Bliss managed.
"Did you enjoy working with Lily?" Enoch asked.
"No-" Bliss caught herself. "Not all the time. It was good up until she tried to kill me." She cracked what she hoped looked like a cheeky smile.
"Are you sure about that? The tension between you two was quite palpable at times." Enoch dug.
"Lily was a loyal ally, until she wasn't." Bliss said, remembering Harlem's advice not to piss off other victors.
"Mhmm, alright." Enoch said, clearly disappointed Bliss didn't slander the girl.
The camera panned to Callum. He sat in a building between the cornucopia yard and the fabric maze yard. He whimpered trying to clean up his melted eye. It was an angry mess. Callum received no sponsorships, no painkillers.
The final morning showed Bliss' painful, apparently back-breaking descent from the crane. Bliss assumed that was when she broke her back, but she couldn't be sure.
Callum was chased through the building he resided in by a muttation, and driven through the window by the threat of its large horns. Jump, or be gored. Callum chose jump.
The moment was tense, when both Bliss and Callum were rendered immobile by their injuries.
Luckily for the audience, Bliss and Callum were about to receive their feast.
There were close ups on both Bliss and Callum's arm as they plunged the unknown drug into their system.
It was strange to witness, and not to feel, the madness overtaking her. The way her eyes darted around, her body shaking like a leaf, the profuse vomiting.
Through the screen, Bliss saw decomposing bodies strewn over the buildings. That wasn't right. No. Fuck. Stop. I don't want this to happen right now. She pleaded for her brain to hold on.
In the arena, the camera panned away from the worst of Bliss' freak-out, nor did it show Callum scratching at his arms.
A lot of time and camera angles were spent on Bliss burning Callum intermittently with her glass weapon, once the tributes had recovered.
The fight progressed until they were on the ground in their final moments, wrestling for life.
The camera zoomed in on Bliss' arm again as the bone re-emerged.
Another close up focused on Callum's head as Bliss fixed her weapon on him for the final time.
There was a great gush of brain matter, making Bliss flinch. The shot replayed a sickening amount of times.
A cannon boomed to signal Callum's demise. Bliss was announced victor. It showed her staring at her opponent, before losing consciousness.
"What an incredible battle! Your weapon made it all the more exciting, Bliss." Enoch's voice boomed across the stage.
Bliss looked towards the host. His face… Panem, his face. Maggots crawled out of his eye sockets, eating the fleshy globes. His skin sloughed off in chunks, exposing the muscle and bone underneath. His lips were swollen and blistering.
Enoch wordlessly paused the interview and had assistants touch up his make-up. He looked towards Bliss curiously.
She shook the stunned expression off her face. She couldn't let herself break down, not now. She wouldn't recover for hours, and then they'd be here all night. Bliss stuffed down the terror and wiped a placid look across her face.
"Thank you, Enoch. I was happy it worked." Bliss said, unable to think of a better answer.
"The world is wondering, Bliss, what was in the syringes you and Callum received?" It was easy to answer, a completely coached response.
"Pure adrenaline, Enoch." Bliss answered.
"How did that feel?" Enoch asked, curiously.
"It was like lighting through my veins." Bliss tried to laugh casually.
"You remained agile and fought well. You threw a knife, striking Callum in the same place you burned him! What a shot! How did you endure the pain during the final battle, Bliss?" Enoch asked.
"I really didn't want to die." Bliss answered. Enoch motioned for her to expand. "There's no part of me that knows how to give up." She added. He seemed satisfied.
The movie ended.
"Now, Bliss, I'm not sure if you're aware, but there's a debate about who achieved the highest number of kills. Maybe you can help settle this for us?" Enoch started. Bliss didn't like where this was going.
"Sure." Bliss tried to say pleasantly.
"Mila had five kills. Wow! What a number! Cable had four attributed to him, but we're unsure of who to assign the District 10 girls' death to, as it was a group effort. Cable did pour the concrete, though. What are your thoughts?" Enoch asked. Bliss took a few deep breaths so she didn't throw up.
"I'm… I- I don't know…" Bliss stuttered. "Maybe I should defer to the experts on that."
"A wise answer! Some are saying Cable has 4.2 kills, with Dawn split five ways." Enoch said.
Vomit spewed from Bliss' mouth at his choice of words, splashing onto the hardwood and Enoch's shoes. He tittered in disgust. Serves him right. They paused long enough to get cleaned up.
"That… makes sense." Was all Bliss managed. They were losing her. She tried not to look at Enoch's horrifying face. She wondered what would happen if she clamped up, unable to speak.
"You will be excited to know, you won an award, Bliss." Enoch said.
"What's that?" Someone's voice said. It could have been hers.
"You were awarded Tribute with Most Injuries Sustained." Enoch announced, pausing after for dramatic effect. Another title she wished to rescind. "This is special indeed, it is unusual to allocate this award to the victor. Other tributes sustained injuries more grievous injuries of course, resulting in death, but the array of injuries you sustained in the arena was most impressive."
That was one word for for it. Blood started blooming up from the floorboards. Bliss had to fight not to recoil and cross her legs in the chair. Harlem picked up on her tension, waving for her, trying to bring her attention to him-something real. When Bliss looked over, his face was decomposing. She flinched and dropped her eyes, and heard Harlem swear. Not at her- in frustration and fear. Bliss was close to breaking.
The screens flashed on again to reveal a montage of Bliss' injuries.
Without prompting, Enoch read out a laundry list. Lacerations on her stomach and thigh from the bloodbath, deep enough to stretch and distort internal tissue. This made infection far more likely, Enoch explained. He said Bliss was lucky, though, any deeper and she would have been disemboweled. Nothing she already didn't know, but she swallowed vomit that crept up her throat nonetheless.
The fever-inducing infection was next. Camera shots showing pus and blood leaking from the stomach wound made her face twist with disgust. Nobody stopped her though, the reaction was allowed.
The injuries from the building collapse were next; they played her jump and fall over and over, Enoch narrating different injuries as they happened. Her forearm bruised down to the bone from impact on the metal pipe. It made her body twist, beginning the motion of the roll that saved her from breaking both her legs.
Still, on impact, ligaments, muscles, tendons and joints sprained and strained. Bliss dissociated as Enoch read the technical term for each joint that was aggravated, subluxed, or dislocated. It sounded like all of them. Including joints and ligaments in her spine and neck.
Also, apparently, as well as dislocating her right patella, she'd torn two out of four stabilizing ligaments in the knee; her PCL and MCL, and bruised her meniscus internally. She didn't feel like a loser for being in so much pain. Her injuries were extensive.
Running around like a lunatic from imminent death threats only aggravated the tears and sprains and strains.
Mila gave her a concussion with the hilt of her sword.
Callum broke her scapula with the head of an arrow.
Lily broke her forearm- a compound fracture, and cut her neck.
During the final battle, Bliss broke her ribs and ruptured her liver and spleen after her not-so-smooth descent from the crane. She broke her back after she swung off the crane the second time.
Callum broke her knee. He crushed her throat, breaking her hyoid bone.
Bliss' compound fracture re-emerged.
The blood filled the room enough to rise to her chest. She didn't think she'd be able to breathe if it surpassed her head.
Enoch then read out a list of the ground-breaking procedures the Capitol doctors accomplished to save her, but Bliss was too far away to hear. Maybe she'd ask Harlem to fill her in one day.
Enoch complimented Bliss on her visible Alteration, the jet-black hair.
"Thank you." Bliss' mouth formed and pushed out the words.
"How are you recovering, Bliss?" Enoch asked. They had to be close to finished, she had to hold on.
"Very well, thank you, the Capitol has been generous." Bliss answered, a coached response.
"What will you do now, as victor?" Enoch asked.
"Probably marry my girlfriend." Bliss forced.
"One last question," Enoch started.
I can do this.
"Are you sure you didn't purposefully fake your training score? A dogged fighter like you surely would have earned a more impressive score than 3." A final question and a final dig.
"I was just doing my best. As I said, not all skills can be shown in training." Bliss said. A maggot crawled from Enoch's eye socket into his nose. Bliss suppressed the urge to recoil but didn't fully succeed. He looked at her with confusion, momentarily. She didn't care if she was offending him.
"Absolutely! And there we have it folks, the underdog from District 7, victor of the 42nd Hunger Games, Burgundy Bliss Beaudrie! It was a pleasure to have you." Enoch said theatrically.
Bliss was out of words. She nodded and smiled.
It ended.
Harlem shuffled her out of the building, into a cab. Bliss side-stepped pools of blood on the way there, and warned Harlem to do the same. He wasn't careful, though, and kept splashing blood onto his clothes. Bliss grimaced.
They arrived at the hotel. The penthouse had adjoining master-suites. Apparently, this hotel was used every year for the victor and their mentor. Nobody was allowed inside the building but staff, the night they had their special annual guests. They were the only guests in the entire building. It must've been eighty stories. An incredible waste.
The elevator filled with blood as gore as they ascended. Bliss was pounding on the doors by the time they reached their floor. She fell out of the elevator, but Harlem caught her before she hit the ground.
He gave her more medication, and plopped her down in front of a tv program. She asked why he'd show her a documentary about mass graves. He said it was a doc on a tropical jungle. After that, Bliss was given a last dose of medication and escorted to bed.
Harlem sat with her until she lost consciousness, then returned to his suite.
Bliss slept like the dead for the next twelve hours. Harlem didn't sleep a wink, constantly checking on his charge.