It was dusk, but downtown was still bustling.
A three-year-old boy was walking between his parents. He didn't know what was happening – he was just excited to be downtown in the nice busy part of the District, surrounded by the hustle and bustle. That always called to him more than the quiet area where he lived with his family.
"Oh isn't this exciting?" Mom swung his hand a little bit and the boy looked up at her, then nervously over at Dad. "Wow, look, people actually put on some costumes! I knew we should have dressed up, I told you people would, Leonidas."
"Well ex-cuse me for not wanting to be the only one downtown with a silly costume on," he grumbled right away, holding onto the little boy's hand a little tighter. "There are also plenty of people not in costumes, just like I said."
"Well Consus isn't going to be a child forever, we might as well try to enjoy it," Mom said with a sigh.
"Well I heard that the Academy kids put together a haunted house," Dad said, grinning right away at the two of them and putting his hand on his hip. "You're not gonna get all scared on me, are you?"
"We're not going to a haunted house, Leonidas," Cassandra said to her husband right away, shaking her head. "He's only three."
"Oh go ahead, you use him, I see how it is, always what Cassandra wants."
The boy sunk a little bit.
"Don't do this in public," Mom said right away, and that was when he knew it was too late. "You say it like you weren't going to leave him with me and go do your haunted house."
"Oh here we go!" he said loudly and even though he was only three even he could tell that people were starting to stare. "Do you want to do anything?!" He threw up his hands for a moment and huffed a big huffy breath. "Look, those girls have face paint on. Let's ask where they got that."
"I don't want to do that either," Mommy said, using her mean voice. "We don't need to put that shit on his face, I just wanted him to wear a knight suit or something cute."
"Oh there you go again with what you want!" Daddy said, also using his mean voice. "You said it, he's a kid! So fine, we won't do what I want, and we won't do what he would enjoy either."
"Yes and he'll never sit still that long," Mommy said, her voice getting louder, and the boy just knew. "I want to see the artisan stores."
"Now what do you think a three year old would want at a fucking artisan store?"
"Fine, we'll do face paint, whatever!" Mommy said in her yelling voice, she was so loud. "I don't even care anymore!"
"Well if you're going to act like that about it, why do it at all?"
Mommy and Daddy were fighting again.
Mommy had let go of him to point her finger at Daddy's chest. And as soon as she let go of him, he just wanted to get away from them fighting like this. So he ran. The boy was silent, agile, and disappeared quickly as he was used to doing. He ran forward until the sound of Mommy and Daddy's yelling was nothing more than a whisper carried by the breeze. When they were at home and this happened, he didn't have anywhere to run that he couldn't hear them fighting – but here… Here he could just disappear and suddenly it was over.
That was great… Until he realized he had no idea where he was. People walked past him that were tall, some of them dressed up weird and scarily, and suddenly he wished he hadn't gone so far away after all.
Tears formed in his eyes as he plopped down in defeat on the sidewalk, looking around and just hoping that Mommy and Daddy would find him but they were gone. He didn't want them to be gone, he wanted them to come find him!
"Hello there."
He was crying so loud he couldn't hear anything until he heard that voice and he looked at the girl that talked to him. She wore a nice dress and was not scary. She had a red hood on and a basket. She had the kindest eyes.
"Are you lost?"
Ornstein was quivering a little bit and bit his lip. He wanted to keep crying and more tears left his eyes but through a sob he managed to nod.
"Oh no," she said. "That's not good." She looked behind her where a few other girls were all dressed up as well. "You guys go ahead," she told her friends. "I'm going to help you. Can you tell me your name?"
"Ornstein," he said quietly through his tears. His eyes hurted and his cheeks stinged and he just wanted Mommy and Daddy back, even if they were yelling at each other.
"Alright then Ornstein, I'll help you. My name is Janie. I'm going to take you to the Justice Building where we can try to call your parents." She pulled out a piece of candy and unwrapped it. "Here, take this. You are being so brave! Can you hold my hand?"
"…Ya," he said quietly because he hurted and he missed Mommy and Daddy, but she was very nice. Her hand was warm like Mommy's and she was tall like Mommy. And the lollipop tasted real good, it was cherry. Red. He kept it in his mouth and held her hand and walked beside her. Sometimes Mommy and Daddy took real big steps but she took nice steps. Everyone was so tall and there were so many peoples he didn't know so he reached over to take her skirt with his other hand and held on tight.
"You're doing great," the girl said. He was great. He was so happy when she said he was great. She walked with him toward the Justice Building. A big man with glasses and blonde hair almost ran him over and he hugged Janie's leg just as he heard a speaker playing a sound that sounded like thunder. Lightning. It was loud and it scared-ed him. He hugged her even tighter as tears started to form back in his eyes.
"Hey, watch it! Oh, hi Pontifex," she said with a smile at the man as she pulled on his sleeve to stop him. He had fake blood on his face and a big fake bruise on his cheek. Wow, his face paint was real good. "Sorry, I'd like to talk but I gotta get this big brave man to the Justice Building. Oh, but we should catch up la-" he was already gone. "…-ter." She shook her head as they approached a big building with a lot of stairs. And right in the doorway…
"Mommy! Daddy!" Ornstein was so happy to see them and they looked so sad. Daddy was hugging Mommy and they were talking to someone wearing a white costume with a helmet.
"Consus!" Daddy said, perking up right away and Mommy let out a little sob and they both hurried over to him to give him a big hug. He felt so happy when they both gave him a hug like this. Safe. And nice.
"Oh thank God you're okay," said Mommy, kissing his cheek a few times in a row and grabbing his hand tightly. "You can't go running away from us like that again," she said a little sternly but she was cryin'. She turned to the nice girl in the red hood. "Oh, thank you so much honey," she said, giving the girl a hug.
"Oh, I was just so concerned and I'm glad we found you!" Janie said, grinning back at her.
"Go candy-hunting with your friends, now, enjoy the new tradition that hopefully continues years to come," said Daddy.
Janie just smiled. "I will." She said.
"Thank you!" Mommy called as she trotted back over to the group from earlier.
"Alright, family, we gotta all stay together from here on out," said Daddy. "So we're all gonna go to the artisan shop."
"Then we're all gonna go get our faces painted, and go to the haunted house," said Mommy, with a small smile. "Okay?"
"Alright!" said Daddy, giving a smile, and even as they were true to their word and having fun, Ornstein did not have fun.
He was still afraid they were going to start yelling at each other again.
Just like always.
…
It was a little drizzly, but here they were.
A boy of eight had a scar on his face and his usually neat hair was plastered down and dyed black with shoe polish to look like Bronx Stringer, the nation's most recent Victor. Next to him, not his parents, but his aunt. He had run away from home. Again. But this time… He was serious! He wasn't going to go back this time! For real!
Aunt Eirini was so much better to go with than his parents. She never yelled and screamed. She was always really nice. And she was teaching him to play the sax-o-phone. He loved staying with Aunt Eirini.
Other boys his age ran around yelling, all of them wearing masks, shooting fake blood everywhere, and he wasn't interested in that. He barely cared to be here at all, but Auntie Eirini wanted to come and asked him to come with her so he did. He just liked playing the saxophone. It made him feel better when he was angry. And… It droned out his parents when they were angry.
Back when he was living with them. But he wasn't anymore, he had run away!
"This is a nice little event, isn't it?" asked Aunt Eirini.
"I guess," said Ornstein but he was wet and cold and just huddling under his umbrella. But he still made Aunt Eirini hold the umbrella. Just in case the skies opened up and… Lightning. It went to umbrellas. It killed people. It was so loud. It was so scary.
"You know, your mother and father love coming over for this too. They said it would be so lonely without you."
"I don't care," he said right away, but… It did make him sad to think of Mommy and Daddy here by themselves, being sad without him.
"I know that sometimes they don't get along, and they don't handle it well at all," Aunt Eirini said. "I understand why you want to stay with me for a little bit and you're welcome as long as you want. But… They do love you very much."
They said they loved him. But they said they loved each other all the time, tale as old as time, and they yelled at each other and fought about everything. When were they going to start fighting with him too?
"Alright, I'm done. Let's enjoy it while we're here. Do you want to go… Oh, what's it called nowadays?"
"Trick or treating," said Ornstein, looking at the kids his age waving around pillowcases full of candy like crazy people. "No thanks."
He could hear her small sigh beside him. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," he said, crossing his arms a little bit.
"I'm sure those boys would let you go with them. Look at your great costume!" She smiled at him proudly but he just shrugged. It was quickly put together for the day because he didn't think he'd be going at all until Aunt Eirini told him to find something to put on.
"That's okay." He was still thinking about his saxophone. He just wanted to learn Horn of Plenty, but Aunt Eirini said that he had to learn a bunch of new notes before she could teach him! He wanted to do that! "What do you want to do?"
She sighed a little bit. "I want you to have a good time," she told him. There was something else she wanted to say but he couldn't really figure out what that was. She shook his shoulder a little bit. "It's good to get out sometimes and see the world. So you tell me. I think they have pumpkin pie over there – oh I'm so jealous, I bet the people that get to bake them have the best job ever. Or the face painting, or-"
"I want to go to the haunted house," he said. Just to make her happy more than anything.
"What?! O-Oh."
"I always went with Mom and Dad- I mean. Them." He was really struggling to not think about them and it made him sad.
"Oh I see. Well…" She was obviously nervous so he shook his head.
"I want to go without adults." She gave him a bit of a look and he looked around for some people that looked to be his age. "I'll go with them," he lied, pointing to the group. In reality, he just wanted a moment alone. "They look nice."
"They…" she didn't believe him. "They do," she said, hoping he was telling the truth. "You want me to go over there with you?"
"No," said Ornstein right away because he wasn't interested in actually talking to them – nor was he interested in having his aunt come over there to talk to them either. "Just… Wait outside. I'll meet you when I'm done."
She just smiled a little bit at him. "Alright," she said. "I trust you. Have fun." Hopefully he would be coming out with some friends. Some real friends, not just his aunt.
Ornstein nodded as she walked away from him, toward the exit place. This time he didn't feel scared being alone. He felt thrilled that he could just get a few moments. He considered not going in at all, but he didn't want to lie to his Aunt, so he looked at the door, hearing the low rumbling sounds playing from speakers coming on the inside.
"Hey!" he turned when he saw a boy that was just… big in every sense of the word. His pudgy cheeks spread into a grin. Though he was so big, he looked just around Ornstein's age. "Who are you? You ain't from here."
"I'm Ornstein," he said, a little feebly.
"Oh, okay. I'm Smough." He a creepy mask under his arm and a bag full of candy. "You goin' in there?" He gestured with his head to the Training Center. "I'm going."
"Yeah, I was gonna go," he said quickly, puffing out his chest.
"Too bad I can't take my hammer in here," Smough said, putting his mask back on which muffled his voice as he was already breathing heavily. "Aight, Ornstein. You comin'?"
"Oh. Sure," he said, quickly going inside and blinking at the strobe lights that were flashing quickly and throwing off his vision as he looked around, blinking to get used to his surroundings. He used to like doing this with Mom and Dad, but he didn't like doing this by himself. He could hear screaming and he tensed up a little bit.
"Hey," Smough called to him. "Come on, let's go!" he called to him. "I don't think I wanna go in there by myself."
Ornstein perked up right away and hurried over to him, feeling just a little braver with him there. "Oh. Yeah, okay." He took a deep breath as they went in. He heard metal clank and jingle when they went in the first room. He let out a little yell when he saw zombies screaming in little makeshift cages, their mouths dripping with blood as chains rattled and the screaming overwhelmed his ears. He looked over at Smough, who didn't look too phased by it, but… It was just… A lot with the lights and the screaming and that blood looked real.
When one of the zombies lunged at them and touched him, Ornstein let out a scream and fell a little bit into Smough, who flipped the zombie off as they turned through the hallway, looking in what usually was a small living quarters for orphans but today had been turned into a torture chamber.
A boy with messy brown hair was splayed out on the ground, screaming his lungs out as a girl was tracing a knife around with fake blood spraying out.
"The others are going to murder you!" he said in a dramatic voice.
"The others aren't going to have any idea it was me!" she said with a loud laugh as he screamed and she screamed and Ornstein was quivering a little bit.
"It's actually any clue," said Smough with a yawn as he watched the scene, and didn't even flinch when the girl playing Katherine Tracey let out a demonic yell and laugh and ran straight at them. "Boring."
"Y-Y-Yeah," stammered Ornstein, when he really thought it was terrifying. "S-so boring," he gasped and then the slam of metal on metal made him scream out loud as he jumped. "Oh God," he said when he saw a sight of gore in front of him with people hanging from their wrists against the wall, all of them bloody and some of them with guts hanging out.
"Pasta," said Smough, and when Ornstein looked he could see that he was right. Just pasta… Okay… Someone yelled and there was another crash that made him jump.
He could see the damn exit. He was so glad for that and he took a deep breath and started powering toward the exit. Then suddenly a loud scream sounded right in front of him and down from a short rafter jumped a man in a mask holding a chainsaw. He was a stocky dude and Ornstein couldn't help but scream.
He was going to run away but he felt a hard shove and fell on the ground, looking back at Smough and only feeling betrayed for a second before he was screaming and crawling back away from the chainsaw man. Tears sprung up in his eyes and his heart was pounding as he was just trying to get away, he was going to die, he was dying he couldn't breathe!
The chainsaw man moved his mask aside right away when he saw the eight-year-old boy crying like that and suddenly Ornstein's blue-gray eyes met a pair of very gentle brown ones. Dark brown, sweaty hair was plastered to his forehead as he was looking at the kid.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly.
"No," choked out Ornstein because he still felt like he was dying and he couldn't breathe and… Smough, he could hear him laughing… He couldn't make out what he was hearing but that sound resonated in his ears.
He was being picked up, the chainsaw abandoned.
He could hear shouts.
He could hear slurs. He didn't know what a fag was but he was sure soon he would be finding out.
He could hear talking, he could hear the booms of the fake rumblings on the speakers, coming in and out of his mind and then all of a sudden, he was sat down on a comfy bed. In a very modest little space that was… Bland. Not stimulating, so it was okay.
"You're okay," said the nice man – well, hardly a man, he was just an older teen with severe baby face – but his eyes were so gentle.
Ornstein sniffed a few times and patted his eyes a few times softly as he let out a small quiet sob. "I felt like I couldn't even breathe," he said softly.
"It's a panic attack. I get them sometimes too," he said, so reassuringly, and kindly. "Thankfully you don't have anything to be scared about anymore. All those scary things are just goofy Academy kids in costumes. Nothing to be scared of. Most of them couldn't hurt a fly."
"Oh," said Ornstein quietly. He wasn't from here and he didn't know any of these kids. Hell, he thought he could trust Smough, but he was just waiting to push him at the chainsaw guy.
"My name is Fabian." He gave him a smile. "I was getting pretty tired of chasing people around anyways and all that jumping is killing my legs. But at least my butt will look great when I volunteer for the Games."
"You're volunteering?" Ornstein asked, looking at him. This… Did not seem like the type of person that would volunteer for the Games.
"If all goes well," Fabian said with a smile. "When you live in the Academy, you get pretty skilled." He smiled and fixed up Ornstein's hair a little bit, who put it right back down so he could keep looking like Bronx. "Alright, ready to go back out there? I won't tell anyone about this."
"Oh," said Ornstein, blushing when he realized what everyone else must have seen. "Yeah," he said. He wanted to go home. And play his saxophone.
"Come with me, I'll take you out the side door."
"I'll just have to go find my aunt," said Ornstein with a sigh, but also… He was a little mad at her because all of this was her idea. He just wanted to stay home! He didn't want to do all of this without his parents! …Or at all!
Fabian guided him out the side entrance but they could all hear Smough laughing about it to his friends as they got close to the back entrance. Thankfully Fabian was able to make eye contact with Aunt Eirini and she quickly came over to them.
"Are you okay?" she asked Ornstein as she gave him a big hug. The way she asked it made it clear to him that she knew that he was the kid those boys were talking and laughing about.
"Yeah," he said, quickly straightening up, doing his act, preparing for the curtain call to take his bow. "I got to meet Fabian, our volunteer!"
"Oh really?" Eierene asked, looking at him, and looking at Fabian. "Well then. Thank you for what you did. And I'll be looking forward to your Games."
"Of course," Fabian said. "I was getting kinda tired anyways. These are long nights. But I should get back to it," he said, standing up taller, putting on the mask of his own, doing his own act. Trying to shield himself from their scorn. From their poor opinions of him. "Enjoy the rest of your night."
"We will," said Eirini as he turned with a wave to leave. She turned to Ornstein again, about to hug him before she just blinked in surprise seeing how… Okay he looked. Good. "Well then… Now what."
Ornstein knew what he really wanted, but that would make her concerned for him. He wanted to go work on the saxophone. Find a sad song to play to let out his frustration. But he wanted to make his Aunt happy more than that. So… he just shrugged and smiled as he flipped his pockets open.
"Guess now we go get ourselves some candy."
…
It was shockingly warm that whole day in the District, and the dusk was no exception.
A three-year-old girl was walking between her parents.
On their other side, with arms crossed, was her brother, a boy of fourteen. Charmaine looked around with her eyes wide and starry at everyone in their costumes – including Mom and Dad who were dressed as a king and a queen, with little Chari as their little dragon.
There was a little bit of annoyance in Mom's eyes when she said she didn't want to be a princess, but she just smiled and ruffled her hair.
Next to Ornstein was Aunt Eirini, with her husband Caius Hilton and her step-children, his new cousins Silas and Gallio. Silas was 8 and Gallio 6, and they were ready to run around and have fun with kids their age and fit in perfectly.
Ornstein didn't fit in with them. He couldn't spend as much time with Aunt Eirini after she got married, he wasn't going to infringe on her new family now that she was finally so happy. He stayed for saxophone lessons twice a week, and sometimes a meal. They were just inviting him to be polite, he could just tell. So he never stayed with them.
Things had changed – they changed before Chari was born. His parents sat him down and had a talk with him about their marriage, and said they wanted to work on it. Then… Things actually got better. Like, a lot better. Once things were stable, they were coming to him with the news they were pregnant again, and Chari entered the world. And it didn't get bad since. But that didn't mean that he didn't still think about it, worry about it. He liked being an older brother, but he didn't want to have even a little responsibility for her when things went sour again.
"Dad! I wanna go trick or treat!" said Silas loudly. "Please?!"
Uncle Caius crossed his arms for a moment, looking at him for a moment before he slowly smiled. "Hm… I guess so." He looked and saw a group of kids that looked around the same age with their parents. "I bet we could go make some friends."
"Oh yeah!" said Silas, and he took his brother's hand. "Come on! Hey! Come on Ornstein!" he said looking at him. "I want to show them your great costume!"
Ornstein was looking at all the kids in their favorite District Two chariot costumes, dressed like tributes or Victors, and he sunk a little bit. His hair spray-dyed with purple and wearing a classy suit to be dressed like Conrad Horowitz, his favorite interviewer. No, they were just told to say that, they didn't care. "Go on," he said, gesturing the small family along. He had no place there.
"Are you sure?" Aunt Eirini said as the boys put on a fake pout and started whining about him not coming with them.
"Yeah," said Ornstein. His mask on. His act at the forefront of his emotions. "Have fun."
"There's fun for the Ornsteins to have together!" said Dad, and Mom smiled in agreement. "Come on, Consus."
"Sure," he said, going over to his Dad and waving to the others as the boys' disappointment didn't last long and they were hurrying off to talk loudly to the other kids.
"Alright," said Mom, patting her legs. "So how about I take Chari to get her face painted all dragon-like and you two boys hit the haunted house?" She put her hands on her hips as she smiled at them all.
"Then we can get together for some pie," Dad said.
"And then I'll take Consus to the artisan shop to look at the crafts and find some new music!" Mom said.
"Oh," said Ornstein, perking up a little bit at that.
"And I'll take Chari to get some candy," Dad said. "Sound good?"
"Yeah," Ornstein said right away, getting excited at the thought – before his excitement was replaced with a slight feeling of dread at all of this. Usually he could keep to himself and now he had nowhere to go.
"Alright, we'll see you beautiful ladies soon," Dad said, going over to kiss Mom's forehead, and Ornstein still felt his heart beating a little fast.
"And we'll see you handsome gentlemen in time," said Mom as she picked up her little dragon, Chari. "Alright, have fun. Love you."
"Love you too," said Dad, but Ornstein still didn't believe it and just mumbled a little bit in response as Dad thankfully saved him the embarrassment of touching him and just walked beside him. "Alright, not gonna get scared like when you were a kid, are you?"
"No," said Ornstein, still not really looking at him.
"Alright, that's my boy!" Dad said, ruffling his hair. Ornstein forced a smile in response, not wanting to make him feel bad because he was still his Dad. And… It was clear he was trying, things had been really good recently. Too good. He was waiting for the tide to turn.
He took a deep breath at the entrance as they went into the haunted house, glad to have his Dad there by his side. Immediately his heart started to beat at the rumbling over the speakers, the familiar sound that reminded him of the storms at home, worrying about his Dad outside or Mom taking a shower… The low rumble of thunder.
It isn't real.
It isn't real.
"Oh, a Satanic ritual, nice," said Dad as there was someone in a body bag thrashing about as chains jingled and candles flickered. It was so eerie and the screaming always put Ornstein off from the start.
"Nice," said Ornstein weakly. He swallowed a lump in his throat and looked around at the screaming kids – now some of them were even close to his age. "Cool." He pulled his arms into himself and found himself stepping a little closer to his Dad when they walked into the room that was lit by a single torch with writing on the wall and a boy with blood all over his face was muttering to himself. Ornstein was prepared for it, but he still screamed when the boy turned around, laughing maniacally and lunging at them both.
Dad laughed. "Oh, wow, he looks like Beowulf too," he commented, and then on the other side of the hallway came laughing as a kid was putting out the torches and a female screamed. "Wow!"
"Wow," said Ornstein but when something grabbed him in the dark he yelled and grabbed closer to his Dad. Oh why did he keep doing this, it was like a cruel plot device meant to torture him!
"That was great," said Dad as they kept walking past the obligatory creepy clown room.
That was when a girl started screaming. Ornstein looked up and his mouth fell open when he saw the huge guy that was terrorizing a little girl. Smough. He would never forget that stature – nor would he forget that laugh. He had a mask on and a hammer in his hands that he was swinging around a little too liberally.
Something changed in Ornstein when he saw the girl crying like that. She was curled up in a little ball, crying, screaming, and they were… Still wearing their masks and ganging up on her. Laughing.
He felt his blood heating up to a boil and he rolled up the sleeves of his costume and went over there. Even the blonde man with his dark-haired companion behind them swore to themselves seeing it, but nobody went to help her.
"Leave her alone!" he said loudly, and that made them go quiet, the only sounds the screaming of the others in the distance. Quite a crowd was forming as traffic had slowed to a stop through the Academy.
"What?!" Smough turned around and grinned. "Oh. Ornstein! Yeah, I didn't forget you either," he said with a grin as he put one hand on his hip and put up his hammer towards him, swinging it a little in his direction. "Wow, I would say you grew but you really didn't. Look what I got. Fucking finally." He showed off his hammer, but Ornstein wasn't looking at it.
"I don't care. Just leave her alone. Look at her, she can barely breathe." He pushed past them – the audacity to push really pissed them off and he could feel the tension growing. The girl was in his sights and he put up a hand to wave, and show her he didn't have anything. But she looked… If anything, more scared.
"Hi," he said, frowning at the tears that were still flowing out of her eyes. Ornstein wasn't sure why, until she screamed and he got smacked on the back, and thrown to the floor by the big hammer in Smough's hands, hitting the ground hard with a groan.
Laughter. He heard their fucking laughter.
Ornstein grit his teeth as he slowly rolled over, though it made his back complain. Of course he went right for the back. The fucking spine. Well today was not paraplegic District Two day. Ornstein got up to his feet with his teeth grinding together and this feeling crawling up his throat, like fingers pulling down on him as his eyes locked on Smough, who was laughing at the girl who had a chance to run, but didn't.
"I said…" He said softly, looking at them all. They weren't even listening to him anymore. "Leave her alone."
"Consus-" he vaguely heard his Dad's voice, but everyone went quiet when they heard metal sliding on metal when he pulled a spear out from the training rack. That made the group turn around real fast.
"Oh? Ornstein wants to fight!" Smough said, putting up his hammer and stepping in front of the other two kid. "Fuck off Giano, this one's mine."
Ornstein stared at him for a moment, before he charged, spear raised high, the blunt end thrusting out in front of him. He had only trained the slightest bit in a smaller dojo closer to his home, but he had to do something. Smough let out a hearty laugh, able to hold up his hammer to counter as metal clanged on metal and Ornstein's teeth grit together tighter.
He swung with all his might, but Smough was too quick – how was something that tremendously obese actually faster than him!? Smough put back his hammer, and Ornstein's fast strikes barely impacted him at all as he brought it down on his shoulder, sending Ornstein crumpling to the ground with a searing pain that shot down his arm with a scream.
"Smough!" he heard a man's voice and a man was pushing through the crowd – one of few that wasn't dressed up – and suddenly the boy was shoved away from Ornstein on the ground before he could lower his hammer again. "What the fuck?! Cut it out."
"Yes sir," Smough said quickly, a degree of fear in his voice as the man spoke again. "Sorry sir. I was just doing my job to give a scare."
"Siri!"
"Dad!" she said, hurrying over to him finally and even Ornstein could feel the temperature dropping in the room as his pain didn't get better and remained so intense he felt like he couldn't breathe.
"W-We didn't know-" the boys were stammering out right away, immediately begging for mercy.
But instead of unleashing hell on the other teens, Ornstein felt himself being pulled up by the man on his good side, as Dad didn't even bother touching his bad side.
"Are you alright?" Dad asked him, sounding… Frazzled.
"I'm fine," Ornstein lied, but he couldn't even move his shoulder and it was still burning like fire and he let out a small groan that he couldn't even hold back as his body was so tense he felt like he couldn't even take in a breath.
"This boy was trying to help me. Dad, we can't just leave him!" the girl – Siri – said as Ornstein was being walked to a different part of the Center, up a flight of stairs.
"I'm not," the man said, but he sounded… Stressed. Their voices blurred in and out of his conscious thought as bursts of white seemed to cloud his vision as the only thing he could focus on was the pain.
"Why would you do that?" Dad asked him softly, blinking in shock as Ornstein tried to focus on his face.
"I just didn't like how they were treating that girl," Ornstein said quietly. "I'm fine, it's already starting to wear off," he lied a little bit as it was so stiff he could barely move it.
The other man – a blonde – opened the door to the medical center and patted a table a few times for Ornstein to get on. He leaned heavily on his good side as he did, letting out a vocalization when he put any pressure at all on the bad side. When he made eye contact with Dad, he looked away.
"That boy hit my son with a hammer – twice!" Dad said to the man immediately. "Goddamnit, what a little shit!"
"I'm sorry," the girl said softly.
"It's okay," Ornstein said in a strained voice, before putting out his foot to gently touch his Dad's leg. "Dad," he said. He just hated it when he got mad. "It's fine Dad."
"It's not fine," he said right away, though calmer.
"It's not," the other man agreed, unbuttoning the few buttons on Ornstein's blazer to pull it off the good side first, then the bad. "I'm so sorry that happened to you. That bunch has always been that way. Just ruthless."
"I'm so sorry Daddy, I thought I could handle it, I just wanted to see it for once by myself…" the girl said. "I should have told you I was going… Or something." She wiped her eyes.
"We'll talk about that later," the man said as he was pulling off the buttoned shirt Ornstein was wearing. When he did, Dad made a retching sound and Siri turned away, covering her eyes. "Uh huh. It's dislocated."
"Am I gonna die?" Ornstein asked when he saw that his joint wasn't how it should look. "Fuck. Oh sorry. Shit."
"It's fine, she's heard worse when I stubbed my toe," the man said. "I can put it back in place for you, but it's going to fucking suck."
"I don't care, put it back," Ornstein said, because he would do anything to not feel in that much pain anymore. Without hesitation the man was pulling his arm up gently and pushing it toward the back of his neck. Ornstein let out a scream when he felt the pain of the action and heard the joint pop back into place, still screaming even after it was popped for a moment as he felt tears dot the corners of his eyes.
"Alright. We're going to put this in a sling," the man said, going to a drawer to get one.
"Thank you," said Dad.
"A sling?" said Ornstein right away. "I-I can't play saxophone if it's in a sling."
"I'll call a medic and we'll get a hotel to get good care tomorrow," said Dad right away, looking so… Stressed. "Mom will just have to… Figure it out!"
Here it was. Things were going to go downhill from here, he could just feel it.
"Stay with us."
Both of them looked over when the man spoke, helping Ornstein put his arm in the sling.
"After you stood up for my daughter, it's the least I can do." He turned to them when he was done tightening the sling so it sat correctly. "I'm Pryderi Gallivan. I'm a trainer at the Academy in the heart of town and live maybe ten minutes from a good urgent care." He turned to Siri. "Is that okay?"
"Yes," said Siri right away. "Thank you for that. I don't know how long they were in my face like that, I was just so scared I couldn't even fight back…" She put her head down in embarrassment.
"It's alright," Ornstein said, albeit a little awkwardly as he didn't really know how to comfort her. "I was that kid once too. I couldn't let it happen to you like that."
"Well…" Dad just nodded. "Alright. Thank you for your hospitality." It was the best option and he knew it. "I need to go call my wife and tell her. Please excuse me."
"Of course," said Pryderi, and Dad left.
"Oh, thank you so much," said Siri, wiping her eyes as she went over to him. "Can I give you a hug? I promise I'll be gentle."
"How about a side hug?" Ornstein asked, holding out his good arm and Siri gave him a little squeeze around the waist, under the sling so she didn't jostle his shoulder.
"Thank you so much… Uh… What is your name?"
"Ornstein," he said. "Consus Ornstein."
"Ornstein," Pryderi said, as he delivered some of the good painkillers and a small glass of water. When he handed them to Ornstein, he looked at him for a moment. "That was brave, Ornstein. Standing up to Smough and his cronies like that."
"Oh, it was dumb," said Ornstein, before he took the pill. "Because as you can see, I lost. My spear work was terrible and sloppy. He was just so… Good, and polished." Because he could train here. It was the nicest training center in the District and the volunteers always got selected from here.
"From what I saw, you have potential," said Pryderi. "Our District could use more Victors like that. Victors that have guts. Fighting and weapon-wielding is a skill that can be learned. But bravery like that… Is one that you just gotta have. And you do have it." He looked at Ornstein for a moment. "How would you like to become my protégé? Stay with us and train in the big Center downtown. I'll make sure you never lose a fight to people like Smough again."
Ornstein's eyes widened a little bit and his mouth dropped open slightly. "What?"
"Think about it," said Pryderi.
"Oh you should!" Siri said right away, staring at him with wide eyes. "Oh you would be a Victor for sure! And you would be a great one, oh we need a great Victor so badly!"
"We do," Pryderi said, looking up when Dad came back, a look of concern on his face.
"Is she mad?" Ornstein asked quietly.
"Oh she's mad," said dad. Fuck he knew it. Dad continued quickly, "Not at you, Con. At those kids."
"Right," said Ornstein, and that made him think. That offer was so tempting. It would afford him the chance for a true fresh start at everything. It would give him the space from his own household that he'd wanted since he was a little kid – and without disturbing his Aunt and her new family. He could practice his saxophone and would go home for weekends – maybe… And in the meantime, he would be able to get better, and stronger, and be able to stand up for other kids and himself. He trusted Pryderi already. He was a fresh start. An escape. "Pryderi asked me if I wanted to become his student."
"What?" asked Dad, staring at him for a moment.
"Well I was not going to spring it on you quite like that," said Pryderi with an apologetic smile. "But yes, I asked him to consider it. You have a special one here. With a little bit of work, he could do great things."
"We know he'll do great things," said Dad, before looking at Ornstein for a moment, his brows furrowed a little bit. "…Is that what you want, Consus?" he asked quietly.
"I… Don't know yet," said Ornstein. "But… I think it might be."
"I see."
Ornstein wasn't sure what he was expecting. But he was maybe hoping, deep inside, that his Dad would actually put up a fight to keep him around. "Oh." Of course he wouldn't. His folks never really put up a fight for him when he ran away. Why would this be any different?
"We want you to be happy, Consus," he said, putting a hand on his good shoulder. "Whatever you decide." His voice shook a little bit but didn't break. They would never break for him. They wouldn't fight for him.
That reaction had almost definitely made the decision easy for him. Why did he think they would make it difficult for him to choose between them and an opportunity like this?
"Then I think once my shoulder heals… I'd like to try."
…
The sound of a saxophone playing sounded through the walls of the house that morning.
It drowned out the air conditioning unit that sat on his windowsill, filling the room with a nice breeze to counter the warm summer air. Rain pattered on the window in the brief moments of silence at the ends of phrases that would hopefully cool the District down for a few days. His music was clipped to the stand so that it wouldn't blow in the breeze.
It was his passion.
It was an extension of himself. The lamenting melodies were pushed out of the instrument so skillfully and yet so genuinely. With just some wind, he was able to make the horn sing. A deep, royal purple tone escaped the instrument as he had just mastered his vibrato on longer notes, practicing it just as Aunt Eirini had taught him.
His sorrows poured out of him.
The pain he'd endured through his childhood, spent in fear, his broken relationships. The friends he didn't have, he couldn't make, even after his fresh start. They just didn't accept him. Everything Chari had that he wouldn't. And of course, each of his own shortcomings, that were constantly piling up, haunting him, making him feel like a failure.
All of his hurt, all of his pain, got thrust forward into his instrument that resonated off of the walls and echoed deep into his very soul.
It choked him up, all the way back in the back of his throat was tense and aching as he held back tears, maintained his breath support, saw the piece through to the end, his tone only wavering in a way that could be chalked up to vibrato on the very last note as he faded into pianissimo… and then… Silence.
A deep breath in of air filled his lungs, that was slowly and shakily released through his lips, which felt tight and sore from how much he had been playing since he knew that Pryderi and Siri were awake.
"Wow, that was so good!" Siri giggled and clapped from the doorway.
That was what they all said. It was because they weren't musicians. They didn't know that he was ripping himself apart, for once opening a window deep inside himself with each note he played. So they said… It was good. Because they didn't know better.
He swallowed down his tears. "Thanks Siri," he said with a grin at her.
"I was coming to get you for breakfast. We gotta go soon."
"Oh right." It was extremely reluctant for him to pull the instrument away from his lips, his looking glass into a different world. From when he first started it had served that way, and even now… Now it was so more than ever. He sighed to himself as he took the instrument apart, running the swab through it a few times in a row as was his usual routine.
"Dad made something special," she said with a wink.
"He always makes things special," said Ornstein with a small chuckle. He swallowed down the last bit of salty mucus that threatened to bring his tears forth and Siri waited ever so patiently for him, Tinkerbell the little cocker spaniel sat loyally by her favorite girl. When Ornstein went to the doorway, Tinkerbell licked his hand as Siri turned to lead the way to the kitchen, pup and boy behind.
"Breakfast is served," said Pryderi, showing off the healthy rolled omelets he made for them all. When he saw Ornstein something changed in his expression and he went over to gently pat his cheek. "I made you two."
"Thanks," said Ornstein, sitting down at his spot at the table as Tinkerbell sat down between him and Pryderi – the two most likely to share their food with her.
"So they're having the carnival next month," Pryderi said as he was eating. "I think we should all go."
"The carnival!" said Siri excitedly. Despite being an awkward young teenager now, she was still excited by such things.
"I suppose," said Ornstein. The thought didn't really do much to thrill him now. Pryderi took him out all the time, had him walk Tinkerbell, all sorts of things like that. He just didn't really care much to do those things, but he did them because it would please him.
"I'm sure Chari would like the carnival," said Pryderi. "And your two cousins."
"Maybe, I don't know," said Ornstein with a shrug. "And they're my step-cousins."
Pryderi chewed slower. He frowned. "I mean… I suppose," he said slowly. "But there's nothing wrong with spending good time with them."
"Guess not," said Ornstein with a shrug.
"Are you okay?" asked Pryderi with a frown. "I mean, I know-"
"I'm fine." The mask slipped for just a moment into a snap before he just shrugged. "I'm fine. This breakfast is delicious, thank you. Really, Pryderi, thank you. For everything."
Pryderi smiled. "You're just as much a Gallivan as you are an Ornstein now."
That thought… It was the most comforting one he'd heard in a while. "Thank you."
"Shouldn't we be leaving soon, Dad?" Siri asked, excited to talk to her little friends about the carnival now and remember all the fun they had last year.
"Yes, of course," he said. "Go get your shoes on and get the rain coats from the side closet. " They held eye contact for an extra second before she left to go to her room. Pryderi looked at Ornstein. "I know, it's hard. But I just want you to know that I'm still so proud of you."
Ornstein put down his head. He didn't want to hear that right now. He rejected it. He hated it. But he didn't want to concern them further. "Thanks Pryderi." Leave me alone. Don't ever talk to me again. You're wrong. You're stupid. You're a FOOL.
"Alright, let's go stand through this total dirge of a reaping and then your parents and I might have a surprise or two planned…" he said facetiously.
"Of course," said Ornstein with a nod as Siri came back, wearing the face of an excited goofy young teen that had a secret she was trying and failing to keep. "Gotta get my coat," he said, excusing himself. He went to put it on and for just a moment he looked over to his room. Something drew him there, something drew him to that piece of forbidden bounty, and it was slipped away quickly before he even really knew what he was doing.
"Take this to leave out for Lucy, then we'll be off," Pryderi said, smiling at him and handing him a pack of tuna when he came back out.
"Oh, sure," said Ornstein. He went out first and found the little bowl he had written her name on in permanent marker. He hoped this reaping would go quickly so he could come see his favorite gray stray cat come to lick it up. He had chosen her name himself and he always vowed that when he finally was able to live on his own, he would bring her in – and get her another cat friend of course so she was never lonely. What a dream.
Once the tuna was set out, they were off - and had to hustle a little bit as they were all running just a tad late between the three of them all dragging their feet for various reasons. Ornstein didn't even really get to look for his family before he was being checked in for the reaping. He squinted back, trying to find his step-cousin in the 12s, before he stopped himself and just turned back toward the stage.
"Welcome, all, to this, the reaping for the 51st annual Hunger Games in District Two." The mayor smiles warmly in greeting to them all. "It is always an honor to be able to stand before my fellow citizens of this beautiful and patriotic District. And appreciate the brave and noble warriors that will proudly represent each one of us in this event." Ornstein couldn't help the frown that pulled down the corners of his mouth. Brave and noble. Yeah right. What a fucking joke. More like, brutal and heartless. When Pryderi said that the trainers tended to favor those sort, he was fucking right.
"Now, it is with a warm heart that I am pleased to welcome to the stage, a face we have all seen on our screens and are now honored to see in person. He is experienced in escorting and excited to bring us another Victor. Here is Inti Solaire!"
The District was clapping and cheering for the man – on the slightly younger side of District Two escorts at the age of 38. He had red hair and half of his face was shrouded by a tattoo of a sun with a yellow center and red rays. He was wearing a cavalier hat with a red feather off of the top and a leather piece on his shoulder that cascaded into a cape with golden lining along with the noble wear.
"My oh my, thank you for the warm welcome to District Two," said Soliare, putting up both of his arms for a moment to bask in the sun. "I am very experienced with escorting and anxious to bring you home your next Victor!" The crowd clapped and cheered, and he was obviously basking in the applause. "But first, I must show you this video to remind us of whence we came." He took off his hat, putting it on his chest in reverence as the video played on a big screen.
Ornstein was watching the video, sure, but he was also looking at the big lights, the sound system speakers, and in awe at the size of this event. As always.
"Thankfully, we are able to move forward, into a time of hope," said Solaire, with a smile at the crowd which was certainly genuine as he went to the girls' reaping dish. "Let's see who our faces of hope will be this year. I will now welcome to the stage… Labiena Memor."
The girl in question put out her hands to prevent anyone from stealing her moment as she left the fourteen section. The crowd laughed a little bit at the drama of her doing it as she walked to the stage, lingering by the eighteens and giving all of them a thumbs-up on her way.
"Thank you Labiena. Now, of course I must ask. Do we perhaps have any volunteers."
There was just a second of tense silence before the voice cried out. "I volunteer as tribute!"
It was a strong voice – it was an angry voice. Well Ornstein was fucking angry too. Get in line.
The girl to mount the stage was one he had seen around. Her curly waves were chopped short and her eyes held so many secrets as she hurried up the steps, anxious to get up on that stage, as if something would happen that would prevent her from doing so. She looked out at the crowd and for a moment her eyes widened in a sort of childish awe, before her face set again in that angry expression, staring into the crowd in a way that seemed to bore into each one of them.
Solaire was more than pleased as he finally got the crowd to calm down enough to stroll over to the boy's side. "Alright, District Two, one more exciting name to be called. Our male tribute…" He put his hand into the dish and went over to read the name.
"Israfim Arseni!" he announced.
"Like hell it's that kid," said the loud voice that Ornstein hated hearing. His little friend Giano laughed beside him as he called out, "I volunteer!"
It was loud and clear and rang through the District. Ornstein was quiet as he watched Smough have his moment walking across all the eighteen year olds, taking his good old time.
All he could hear was his cruel laughter.
All he could see was the grin on his face hurting Siri.
All he could feel was the pain in his shoulder like a ghost, though it had fully healed since that incident four years ago.
He could remember all the times that he was picked on and laughed at during training. Nobody thought he was anything because he came from the outskirts of the District, and didn't live in town. The Victors never even gave him a second glance from the start. He had to literally claw his way up the ranks, make them pay attention to him.
And it was all for naught, they didn't choose him even after all that. He lost his final fight. He wasn't like Isabella, who brutally disarmed every opponent that even came near her. That lived and breathed training, and was now standing up on that stage proudly. He wasn't like her. He failed. He was second fiddle to everyone.
Well no.
Ornstein was fucking sick of it.
When Smough pushed him on his way past… Something changed. Something snapped.
It had to be when his back was turned. And when he turned, it happened. Ornstein lunged out of the section, shoving his back, and sending him sprawling into the aisle as a few people screamed. Smough didn't hesitate for a moment after getting pushed to turn around and swiftly kick his foot to Ornstein's stomach, sending him flying away from him. Ornstein pushed some water out of his eyes. He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't let him have another damn victory over him.
Ornstein fought back, but Smough was strong and threw him to the side, almost knocking over a barrier set by the Peacekeepers. He was stronger than Ornstein and threw him around like it was fucking nothing, even without a hammer. Ornstein got back up only to a swift uppercut from Smough that sent the smell of pain to his nose as his jaw burned.
But Ornstein didn't care. He had his eyes on the power generator right away. When he brandished the knife out of his pants there was a gasp among the crowd, and more screaming.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" asked Smough as he stared at the weapon in Ornstein's hand.
Ornstein knew now what he would do and was ready for his attempt to disarm him, jumping out of the way and making sure not to expose the handle to him.
"You messed with the wrong guy," said Ornstein through his teeth, moving in an agile fashion and slashing one of the wires close to where Smough was, throwing it down in a puddle before he sent Smough toppling into the puddle. As soon as both of the bigger boy's hands were in the water on the ground he let out a loud scream as electricity shot through his body and Ornstein didn't stop, once Smough was thrashing on the ground, he was already mounting the steps.
He felt the burning gaze of the Victors on him from where they sat behind him on the stage. He felt the piercing gaze from Isabella's dark eyes. He felt the critical eyes of the crowd on him. He felt the warmth of blood dripping out of his nose and the heavy, cold feeling of mud that had seeped through his pants and was covering his cheek and neck from where he was thrown down.
But he was here.
Electricity. Lightning.
It turned out that it was his friend all along.
"Wow! So intense!" said Solaire as Isabella was still staring at him and her expression hadn't changed. "What's your name then?"
He looked out at the crowd, faces so small he couldn't find his family, he couldn't find Pryderi, he couldn't even pick out Siri. They were all as good as strangers to him now. He was truly alone up there. Peacekeepers were kneeling by Smough, checking his pulse, talking to him to make sure he was still conscious. His heart pounded in his ears. His fingers felt numb from the cold.
"Ornstein," he said, jumping at how the microphone boomed with his voice. "Consus Ornstein." He wiped his nose, not caring that blood was on his jacket, and ptooed out a little bit of mud from his lips.
"Well I would say the Games are certainly an honor you have bravely earned!" said Solaire, holding up his hand to a silent District.
It started with just a few claps.
Then a few more.
Then applause.
Then applause and cheers. True cheers. Yelling. Whistles. Ornstein tried to find his parents in the crowd, hoping deep in his heart they were proud of him. He squinted in the fifteen-year-olds, but all the girls with dark hair looked the same to him from where he was. His heart pounded, blood roared in his ears, but across those lips came a smile, even when some blood fell from his nose onto his teeth.
For once, he had done something great. He wasn't second place anymore.
He found an escape.
He finally showed Smough that fortune favors the brave. It was all there, his for the taking.
"Congratulations tributes!" said Solaire over the sound of the crowd. "You may now shake hands!"
Ornstein turned to his District partner with hand outstretched and when he looked into her eyes up close he suddenly remembered what the Hunger Games were. What he just signed up for. What he just… Did, all to prove a point.
Her sure grip on his hand made him falter, even if just for a moment. His heart slowly sank as the applause turned from the excitement of a crowd to the low rumbles of thunder in front of that haunted house.
But the mask stayed on. Smile spread out across muddy and bruised cheeks. Eyes held the light and power of a winner in them. But inside, bile pushed at his throat as he saw Smough being helped up by no less than three Peacekeepers, his face… No longer angry, just… Defeated. Broken. Because of what Ornstein did… That feeling clawed back at his throat for a terrible minute as the applauding District sent them back into the Justice Building, the gaze of the Victors still on him.
He had already ruined one life. And to stay alive he was going to have to ruin a hell of a lot more.
Fuck.
~.~.
A/N: Hey all, hope you enjoyed this monster chapter. I'd really like to have all the characters in (and hopefully intros written and done with) before wedding time on the 24th of August. No rush obviously but consider that a "deadline" per say lol.
Next chapter – Meet District Three's Unstable Artist, Astra Kaminisky.