CHAPTER 4 - ALLIANCE?

A blade cut into Basal's back. It felt too small to be a sword, but what did Basal know? He wheeled around, knocking his attacker off their feet. She was nimble, though, and recovered quickly. It wasn't his district-mate, but another girl. He couldn't remember what district she was from.

Basal tried to land a blow with his boulder, but his heart wasn't behind it. The other tribute slashed at him, opening cuts in his arms, legs, back, face.

Blood streamed in Basal's vision, he faltered. The ghosts were screaming at him to keep fighting. There was no point, though. He hadn't found a playground for the kids. They were growing restless in his company. He'd failed them again.

Basal sat down.

The girl he fought hesitated, not trusting he was giving up.

She closed in on him slowly, and drew her arm back for the killing blow.

Basal was thankful it was over. He closed his eyes.

Blood splattered onto Basal's face, but he felt no injuries. He opened his eyes to see his attacker teetering on her feet, and arrow protruding from her neck.

She fell. A cannon boomed.

A God-like, built, career stepped out from behind a pillar, holding a bow and arrow. Basal thought all he needed was a gold tiara and he could be one of the angels. He waited for an arrow to penetrate his neck.

Instead, a voiced boomed across the clearing. "Lustre Elysium, at your service." The odd career swept into a deep bow.

Basal was sure he was hallucinating.

"You're Basal?" Lustre asked, walking towards him.

Basal nodded.

"I've been watching you." The odd boy said.

That was definitely something a hallucination would say. Basal decided he wasn't real. Maybe Basal had killed the girl attacking him and didn't realize it. Stranger things have happened.

"Alright. Well, what would you like to do now?" Basal asked. He liked to keep his hallucinations happy. They got scary when they were mad or bored.

Basal suddenly felt sleepy. Not like an adrenaline crash, not like a depressive mood pulling him down. This was unfamiliar. He fought against it.

"Huh. That's amazing." Lustre seemed to say to himself. "Well, I… Uh…" Lustre drew a hand across his forehead and blinked his eyes several times, trying to clear away a mental fog.

Weight pulled Basal down. His eyes desperately wanted to close.

Lustre sunk to his knees.

Basal collapsed. Lustre followed.

…

Afflatus Lux monitored her tribute as he stalked the mad D7 boy. Lustre had broken away from the other career tributes after the bloodbath. One career had died, the others seemed to be too annoying. Lustre decided to ditch them after the initial excitement.

That was his problem, Afflatus thought. He acted like a Capitolite. Nothing was up to his standards, everyone was annoying. He'd been especially brash with Afflatus when she'd tried to mentor him, saying a whore like her had nothing to offer.

Charming attitude aside, it unnerved her that he'd possibly heard rumours. Which of the D1 victors had loose lips? Which of them cared so little about her that they would speak about her in such a manner to a student/tribute?

Afflatus had refused to speak to him after that. Lustre made his own bed.

His fellow District 1 tribute had been thrust into the hellscape arena. So, he walked alone. He walked alone, following a boy who was very clearly losing his mind.

After Basal ran from the bloodbath, Lustre followed him up the turret. He'd retrieved the D6 girl's body so the hovercraft could take it away. Afflatus was shocked when he didn't slay Basal. Instead, he'd returned and watched the boy murmur and shake, hugging the ground.

Lustre hadn't been able to take his eyes off the distressed giant ever since he scooped up the little dead D6 girl and ran. Over the next days, he watched Basal talk to the air around him about finding a playground, eat slugs, and fight off another tribute. It wasn't until Basal was about to die from another attack, did Lustre step in. Lustre easily dispatched Basal's attacker, but still didn't kill the giant boy.

Afflatus was getting sick watching it, and couldn't face Bliss. She wanted to offer her maybe-friend support, but couldn't bring herself to stand by while her tribute tortured Bliss'. It hadn't begun yet, but Afflatus was sure it would start shortly. She was intimately familiar with Lustre's type. They liked their toys. They liked to draw out the end.

Afflatus excused herself before she could throw up on the monitoring console.

She was absent when Basal and Lustre lost consciousness.

…

Bliss found Violet Coriolis, victor of the 31st Hunger Games, in his D11 apartment. They'd grown friendly over the years, and often visited each other during the games. He was taking a lunch break, his tribute safely tucked away in the heavenly gardens.

He greeted her fondly upon her arrival, and offered her a sandwich. Bliss accepted, the smell of bacon calling to her stomach.

"What brings you to the D11 apartment today?" Violet asked.

"I wanted to speak with you about Rhea." Bliss began.

Violet nodded, she had the floor.

"I just wanted to make sure you told him how… life is in the Capitol?" Their conversation topic was dangerous, Bliss spoke carefully.

"Yes, I have. Several times, in fact. What happened?" Violet looked concerned.

"He made a comment about how my tribute deserves better. It wasn't anything wrong, I just worry because he's new… and maybe doesn't know where the line is." It was nothing the microphones didn't already know. And, Bliss had learned, if victors do well to manage each other, the Capitol was less incentivized to step in themselves.

"Rhea is… strong-willed." Violet responded, sighing, unable to elaborate any further under the surveillance.

"I understand. I just wanted to check." Bliss said kindly.

"Thank you. I'll speak with him again." Violet said. "Tea?"

Bliss accepted.

She returned to the mentoring room in time to see Lustre, Afflatus' tribute, sink an arrow into a girl's neck. He closed in on Basal, Bliss was sure he was going to die.

After a brief conversation, though, both boys collapsed.

Cries came from the mentoring room; her tribute losing consciousness didn't appear to be an isolated incident.

Bliss looked towards her fellow D7 mentor, Harlem, in confusion. His expression mirrored her own.

She turned to Aramid, the D8 victor, on her other side. "Your tribute's down?" Bliss asked. Aramid nodded.

What the hell was going on?

…

Basal woke to an eggy stench filling his nostrils. His skin burned from the wounds, and the extra-hot ground didn't help matters. He blinked blearily, rubbing his eyes, and sat up.

An angry cavern surrounded him, formations spewing fire all around. He rubbed his eyes again, but the visual didn't go away. He was sad he was losing his mind so quickly, the gardens were nice. Where was he supposed to find slugs and strawberries now? He reached out to see if the rocks felt like bushes, and he was imagining it all, but the stone seared his skin upon contact. This was even more confusing, his hallucinations didn't usually have tactile components.

Lustre lay beside him. It wouldn't do to leave him now, he'd undoubtedly pop back up beside Basal, angry about being left behind. Basal reached over and gently shook the odd, angelic hallucination awake.

"Wake up. Wake up. Oh hey, there you are." Basal greeted him kindly.

Lustre jumped to his feet, balking at Basal. He seemed unnerved to be woken by the boy.

"Where the fuck are we?" Lustre exclaimed.

"You can see it too?" Basal asked. It made sense that his hallucination saw what he saw.

Lustre looked at him like a science project. "Did you bring us here?" He asked.

"No, I just woke up a minute ago." Basal answered.

"Gamemakers, then." Lustre concluded.

"What do we do?" Basal asked.

"I'm gonna see if there's anyone to kill. Find some water, meet me back here when you have it." Lustre instructed.

Basal thought his hallucination was bossy, but was glad for the direction. He may never have stood again if it wasn't for the prompt.