Nerissa Kitharion, 18
District Two Female, she/her
The Fortuna Equestris was nearly upon her.
Nerissa Kitharion woke up that morning with an unexplainable itch, one that didn't go away even as she got herself ready for the long day ahead. As she went through her morning exercises, stretching to the ambience of her parents arguing downstairs, she tried to determine the source of her sudden nerves.
It wasn't the Fortuna Equestris itself - Nerissa knew that for certain. From her perspective, there was no reason to worry at all. She'd trained for this, after all, and while she'd set up a couple safety measures just in case, she was still beyond confident in her own capabilities.
So, where did that leave her? There was no formal training for the day, so Nerissa didn't have to worry about anything like that. Beyond the looming threat of whatever the Fortuna Equestris happened to bring, Nerissa had nothing to fear, nothing to concern her. She'd soon be free from the shackles that were her beyond incompetent training group; from there, the road to Victory was practically paved for her already.
All she had to do now was take the steps necessary to get there.
She finished tying her hair up on top of her head, looping the strap of her bag over her shoulder. She patted it once, hearing the clink of metal rattling together, and nodded. As far as she could tell, this was all she needed.
Tilting her head to the side, Nerissa strained to hear what was going on downstairs. She couldn't make out voices anymore, so she figured her parents had gone back to their brutally cold silence. Which worked well for her. This way, they wouldn't be distracted by each other.
Nerissa sauntered down the stairs as casually as she could, blinking innocently at both of her parents as they tried not to obviously glare in each other's direction. Jesse was the one that recovered first, brushing long blonde hair behind one ear.
"Are you ready for today?" she asked, a false cheer in her voice.
"I'm starting to think I was born ready," Nerissa said, a slow smile tugging at her lips.
"That's the spirit!" Pallas interjected just as Jesse opened her mouth. "You'll knock 'em dead for sure."
"And you'll both be there?" Nerissa asked, flicking her eyes up to catch the dirty look they threw at each other.
"Of course," Jesse said, forcing a smile when she realized Pallas wouldn't say anything. "We know you'll make us proud."
"I hope there was never any doubt about that," Nerissa said, letting a hint of frost seep into her voice.
"Never," Pallas promised, taking a step closer. They were too easily goaded into the competition Nerissa had carefully crafted between her parents. "I've never had any doubts about you."
Jesse's nostrils flared once, and, sensing another argument was soon to break out, Nerissa let herself smile broadly. "Then I'll see you in the crowd once I'm done winning. Your support is, as always, much appreciated."
And, before either of them could speak up in front of her, Nerissa excused herself out the front door. She'd barely closed the door before the familiar clamor of raised voices picked up again in her wake.
This sort of thing was rather normal in the Kitharion household, but considering Nerissa herself orchestrated it, she wasn't too torn up about the matter. It kept her parents focused on other, more important things. Like their business. Or her.
As long as they pulled themselves together enough to come support her in the Fortuna Equestris, Nerissa didn't particularly care what went on while she was gone. She could certainly tell that they were beginning to have… issues, but, well, they weren't too hung up on trying to care about each other anymore. Jesse had thrown herself into her work more than ever, and Pallas had decided to match her passion with their own work. Nerissa, obviously, got to reap the benefits of this whole arrangement, as they both came running to her whenever they wanted to show off an achievement or ask about hers.
And, of course, they unknowingly helped her carve her path to the top.
There were already crowds of people taking their places and trying to find a spot to spectate as she approached, so Nerissa pushed her way through, heading around to the side door. Trainees weren't supposed to go in through there, and Nerissa herself was ultimately supposed to head towards the check-in process to make sure her name was slotted into the bracket properly, but she had a brief side mission she wanted to accomplish.
It was her own form of tradition at this point to stroll through the gallery just off of the main hall before the Fortuna Equestris. Nerissa's lip curled as she wandered down the hallway, each glass cabinet holding a new set of weapons. Most had been made by her own family, even the ones stretching back to nearly a hundred years ago. She felt… unsettled, to say the least, seeing them pristine and shining and locked away. Weapons weren't made to be displayed, they were made to be wielded.
She paused in front of the most recent case, surveying the spear and sword with their respective shields. It was almost strange to walk past the cases and see these weapons as merely remnants of people now gone, soon to be forgotten. The winners of the Fortuna Equestris - and therefore the chosen volunteers - may have brought honor to their District in one way, but more often than not, they couldn't manage to come home alive in the end. These weapons were the only remains of the greatness that once lived, and now they would only collect dust.
It was shameful, really. Sure, Nerissa aimed to add her own halberd to the hall, but she'd always feel a twinge of something being off about it. She didn't mind her weapon living on longer than she did - in a way, it was her legacy, something to leave behind - but what good was a weapon stripped of its purpose?
Nerissa had pondered this question for months now, driving herself half mad over it in her search for an answer. It all started when she thought about how her own creations were being shelved for years upon years, leaving her with nothing but an ache to do something about it. And, while she couldn't free these weapons, not now, she could set her sights on a more achievable goal. A better one.
The crown.
That made it sound as if Nerissa Kitharion was some sort of Games fanatic like all the rest in Two. Power, glory, honor… no, legacy was what she craved. And there was only one way to get it.
Of course, Nerissa was like everyone else in that she wanted to win. She believed she- no. She knew she was the best, and she'd get her chance to prove it to all of Panem before long. Hopefully she'd get allies that weren't hopeless morons like her training group, and she'd be able to use them to propel herself to the top. Truthfully, Nerissa never wanted allies of any kind, but she knew they would ultimately help her chances in the Arena, and she'd use whatever tool she could get her hands on.
She could see it all in her mind's eye. A triumphant final last moment, a brief hospital stay in which all of her wounds were taken care of, an interview and the Games recap, and then… she'd stand in front of all of Panem to receive her crown.
Her family's crown.
After all, that was the thing about a legacy. It stood the test of time. While many Victors would go on to be forgotten, eager to fade into anonymity, there was something enticing about being the first. While there was no one left that remembered the first Victor, his impact was still something that could be seen across all of Panem. But, of course, there was something in particular that Nerissa was focused on.
Her family had always crafted weapons, even through the Dark Days - or so she'd been told. So it was only natural for one of them to use his experience and knowledge to win the first ever Games, with a weapon crafted by his own hands to boot. Nerissa herself could rest easy knowing that because of him, her family would forever be intrinsically tied to the Capitol.
The only thing was… so was his weapon.
It didn't happen immediately. The Games took several years to develop the sense of pageantry that would only spiral as the decades wore on. But as it was determined that the Games should be turned into more of a show, those in charge looked back to the roots of the Games for any sort of piece to memorialize.
He had to be angry. Furious, even. Nerissa would feel exactly the same way. To see your own weapon, once triumphant and bathed in blood, now reduced to nothing but an object to be placed on someone's head… god, it made Nerissa's heart wrench even now.
The whole thing was a catastrophic wrong that had plagued this country for over a century, and Nerissa was going to be the one to set it right.
It was almost funny that she seemed to be the only person bent out of shape over this. Almost, because while it did frustrate her that she seemed to be the only person that cared, she also was the only person that truly understood. She could take the crown, melt it back down, and fashion it into a weapon once more. Her family's legacy could continue in a new way, and it would all be because of her.
"Hey, Nerissa?"
She tried not to visibly despair at the familiar voice, instead plastering a smile on her face as she turned around. "Ximena! It's good to see you, as always."
"Not so good this time," the girl said, sighing forlornly. "You have my new knives, right? Apparently I'm supposed to be in the first round, and I want to get a bit of practice in with them."
"I'd never forget them," Nerissa insisted, patting her bag. "I might be one or two short, but I'm sure you understand that I had to focus on my own training as well."
"Oh, yes, obviously!" Ximena waved her hands frantically, a light flush on her face. "I wouldn't want to mess anything up for you. Besides, you're way higher in the rankings than me, so it's not like I stand much of a chance anyway. I'm really just grateful that you were available to take this job in the first place."
"It's the least I could do."
"Should we… go? Somewhere?" Ximena wrung her hands anxiously, glancing around the hallway. "I've always hated this place."
"Not a fan of the ghost stories?" Nerissa teased, heading towards the door that led to a private training room. "It's not like they're all gone, you know. Nothing to fear from a bunch of old weapons without their original wielders."
Her words carried a bit more bite than she meant them to, but Ximena didn't seem bothered at all. "I suppose you're right, but still. With the sudden sporadicness of Victors in Two, not to mention the whole Styxia nonsense, I just feel… well, I don't feel great about our chances. It's strange to be here and wonder if my weapons could be next. The only thing left of me and my accomplishments."
"Legacy," Nerissa muttered, shoving open the door and waiting for the lights to flicker on.
"What was that?"
"It's silly. The whole thing. Two is crumbling, and no one seems invested enough to take the steps to fix it."
"Are you? Invested enough, that is?"
Nerissa hummed, beginning to lay the knives out on the table. "Let's just say I have my own goals."
"So why does it matter to you?"
"Fair point," Nerissa conceded, stepping back and gesturing to the spread of knives. "I suppose it's… almost a pride thing. The legacy of this District is going down the gutter. We're creeping up on a ten year losing streak, an entire religious cult is going insane over a girl that chose to die, and on top of it all, we got second place to a girl that couldn't stand."
"You sound personally offended by the matter."
"Why shouldn't I be? I may be in this for myself, but if I plan on representing this District, I don't want to be dragged down by mistakes of the past. Besides, I can only hope I'm not chained to some half-wit District Partner."
Ximena let out a laugh, turning the knives over in her hands. "You've told me all about your training group, so I feel certain it won't be any of them."
"And I admittedly haven't been paying attention to any other candidates," Nerissa said, leaning against the table as Ximena sliced at the air a few times. "Do you know much about them?"
"Not many," Ximena admitted. "But… well, there's one."
"You sound reluctant to tell me."
"Well, there's no clear frontrunner, but everyone knows Pantheon Lexicus is aiming for the spot."
"Is that a bad thing?"
Ximena hesitated, frowning down at her weapons. Nerissa had to hide a grin, instead plastering a more concerned look on her face.
"Not, uh… not really?" Ximena said slowly. "He's just… a lot. It's hard to explain."
The other girl fell quiet again, going over to one of the training dummies. She flipped a knife over in her hand before attacking, taking a few practice slashes at vulnerable areas. Nerissa tilted her head to the side, nodding quietly. The blades cut deep into the fabric, a good sign that they'd do the same to a person's skin as well. Even though this would be used for a tournament in which people weren't technically supposed to kill each other, it would be wrong of Nerissa to dull the blades and take something away from her weapon. She couldn't bring herself to lessen their potential.
"Is something wrong?" Nerissa asked, hovering over the girl's shoulder.
"No! No, it's just… oh, it's nothing."
"Is it nothing or is it something?"
Ximena coughed, her ears turning the slightest bit red. "I mean… god, this sounds so silly. But they just feel… different? Not that I think there's anything wrong with your work, I just…"
The implications were clear, and even though Nerissa had prepared in advance for it, she still sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Are you really saying that after everything, you still don't trust me? You came to me for weapons, and what? Now you won't use them, even after I spent my own free time working on them?"
It didn't matter what Ximena said next. Nerissa had already won this fight. She'd won as soon as she purposefully messed with the balance of Ximena's weapons. It hadn't taken much - Nerissa was, after all, a Kitharion - but she'd given Ximena no other choice in the matter. Use her old, practically ruined blades, or use this new tainted set. Truthfully, Nerissa didn't have to go this far, considering she felt rather confident in her abilities when compared to Ximena's, but… well, sometimes Nerissa liked having a little fun.
Her path to the top was finally taking shape, and Nerissa wouldn't give it up for anyone.
Jasmine McCoy, 16
District Twelve Female, she/her
The light was beginning to fade, leaving the forest shrouded in shadows. Jasmine was all of eleven years old, but she hadn't come to dread what lay beyond the fence of Twelve. In her eyes, there wasn't anything to fear. It's not as if she was hunting or doing anything particularly illegal - besides the obvious.
Maybe others would wander into the forest with the intent to hunt or study animals, but Jasmine had other intentions in mind. She had a bigger purpose in this forest, one that she believed would make this insubordination worth it.
She walked past the plants, stopping to examine each one. Jasmine had been paying close attention in her classes, putting in extra hours studying the components of biology that truly interested her. Her classes had helped her begin to build a portfolio of sorts, taking her own notes on what was lethal and what wasn't. It was something of a side project, one that she had been focusing a little too much time on. Admittedly, this probably wasn't her wisest idea, but her overwhelming curiosity made the call of the forest too hard to resist.
She crouched down next to a bush that she quickly recognized to be wild blackberries, flipping through her notes to compare. Pursing her lips, she used her pencil to lift up leaves to get a better look at the berries themselves. This batch wasn't quite ripe, but she dutifully marked down all of her observations anyway. They were on the smaller side and reddish instead of a deep purple, so if she tried to eat one now it would likely be incredibly tart. Nothing that would kill her, but it wouldn't be the most enjoyable experience. Hopefully she'd be able to find something better along the way.
Humming to herself, Jasmine got to her feet again, rhythmically tapping her pencil against the pad of paper. She knew she should head back soon, but she was still almost convinced that if she just kept going for a few more minutes…
As she continued walking, Jasmine listened intently for signs that something else was in the woods with her. Despite her convincing internal arguments that she wouldn't get in trouble for this, Jasmine was still more paranoid than she was willing to admit. She'd heard the rumors of people that went into the woods and were never seen again, as well as the rumors that creatures lived here, ones that would attack if you looked at them wrong.
(Then again, both of those were stories her parents told her. It was entirely possible that they just wanted to discourage her from exploring.)
(That didn't quite work out the way they wanted it to.)
Actually, now that she thought about it, they'd probably expect her home for dinner soon. As if on cue, her stomach grumbled, and Jasmine sighed to herself. She really should go home.
Carefully, she began to pick her way through the forest to head back. Jasmine could remember exactly where she came in, but she couldn't quite remember how long it took her to get out here in the first place. Her odds of getting home in time for dinner were probably rather low, so maybe it would be in her best interest to find something to snack on during her trip back. Maybe she could consider it a test of what she learned. Almost like an experiment to test her capabilities.
She kept an eye out for anything that could be considered edible, ducking down to check a few plants before shaking her head. None of these would work unless her end goal was to die in a horrific way, which certainly wasn't her current aim.
Then she stumbled upon a bush full of dark berries, round and clustered together. Despite all of her research, Jasmine had never seen them before. So, instead of continuing her journey home, she knelt to the ground next to the bush and plucked one, rolling it gently between her fingers.
Her stomach rumbled again, and Jasmine felt the sudden urge to eat the strange berry even though she knew it would be unwise. She frowned at it, trying to judge whether or not it was toxic. It was almost as dark as a ripe blackberry should be, but it was small and round, more the size of a blueberry. Whatever it was, she had to add it to her notes. This sort of thing was the reason why she came into the woods at all - there was a plethora of knowledge out here that no book could possibly hope to teach her. So she picked a few more, hoping that she could take them back home to inspect them further. Jasmine lifted one to her nose, trying to determine if there was any kind of scent to go along with the berry.
"Don't eat that!"
The voice was sharp enough that Jasmine immediately dropped the berry, spinning around to see who had caught her. She expected a peacekeeper, or maybe even one of her parents, but she was met with the stern gaze of a young girl around her age.
"I wasn't going to!" Jasmine insisted, face heating up. She brushed the rest of the berries off of her lap, more embarrassed than anything else. She probably wasn't going to eat it.
"Looked like you were."
"Looks can be deceiving."
The girl huffed as if there was something Jasmine was missing. "Nightlock can kill you in an instant. The moment that berry enters your mouth, it's already over."
"Oh," Jasmine said, picking one of the berries back up. "That fast?"
"It's nearly immediate. Moment you ingest it, you're already fucked."
"This would go great in my notes," Jasmine breathed, immediately turning to a new page.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"I've been investigating different kinds of plants and toxins."
"Why would you want to do something like that?"
Jasmine shrugged, focused on doing a quick sketch of the berry- nightlock. What a fascinating name. Rather menacing, almost like a warning. Jasmine decided she liked it already.
"Curiosity, mainly," she finally said when she realized the other girl wasn't going to leave. "Isn't it fascinating that we inhabit a world full of so many things that could take your life in an instant?"
The other girl appeared to be mildly perturbed by Jasmine's phrasing, but she slowly sank to the ground a few feet from her anyway. "I suppose. So you want to… what? Take control of it?"
"Maybe," Jasmine muttered, scrawling the word nightlock across the top of her page. "If I learn about it, then it can't hurt me. Maybe down the line I can learn how to come up with an antivenom or a cure."
"No one has before."
"Maybe I'll be the first. Won't know until I try."
There was silence for several long moments, so Jasmine glanced at the other girl. She was grinning to herself, dark hair gleaming in the final hints of sunlight. "I like you," she decided. "Name's Sheridan."
"Jasmine."
"You come out here often?"
Jasmine narrowed her eyes before remembering that Sheridan appeared to be familiar with the forest as well, so the odds of her getting ratted out were low. "Often enough. Whenever I have the curiosity and time. Never seen you before."
"I don't normally stray this far from my house. Maybe I should. I could meet you here tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? I don't-"
"I could tell you more about nightlock."
That made Jasmine's eyes light up, and she nodded enthusiastically. "I'd like that. Tomorrow? Evening? Around this time?"
Sheridan grinned, seeming pleased with herself. "I'm out here a lot, so I'll make sure to find you. I have a feeling we're going to be great friends."
"I think so too," Jasmine said, unable to hide her own grin.
Though her notes on nightlock berries should've been the most important discovery of the night, Jasmine went home thinking that maybe she'd found something more. A friend, one that already seemed to understand her plenty. And sure, maybe Jasmine's initial interest was piqued due to the way Sheridan offered her further information, but she could already tell this would be a friendship that meant a lot to her.
(Maybe too much. After all, when Jasmine looked back on her life, she could pinpoint that moment as the beginning of the end.)
Things didn't go how Jasmine expected them to. By the time she was sixteen, a few weeks short of the reaping, her entire life had been upended. She'd spent years of her life researching different toxins and their effects on the human body, but nothing could've prepared her for how truly rotten this District was.
It wasn't fair. Jasmine kept trying to twist it in her head, trying to find a way to make sense of the situation, but she couldn't. None of it made sense at all.
It wasn't fair.
Jasmine trembled with a sensation that she would later determine to be rage. Her white jacket crinkled as she crossed her arms, trying not to scream or cry or throw anything.
"And… there's nothing you can do?" she asked, registering the slightest waver in her voice. "You saw him admit it. We all did. There's no way he can just… just be let off so easily."
The peacekeeper looked conflicted. "Listen, I'm just here to tell you what I know. He was found to be not guilty, so-"
"Bullshit!" Jasmine sneered, raking a hand through her hair hard enough that she pulled a few out. "That's bullshit. There was a confession, you can't just-"
"So, there's nothing I can do about it," the peacekeeper insisted. She huffed a sigh. "Kid, I'm sorry. I really am. But there's nothing any of us can do here."
"Nothing?"
"Not unless you want to get your own hands dirty, which I certainly don't recommend. I don't want to see you get into any trouble, you hear? It might be best to put this whole situation behind us for now."
"So now everything that happened to her is a situation?" Jasmine hissed, feeling the bitter sting of tears. "You want me to get over it, just like that? When there's no justice?"
"I'm saying there's nothing we can do about it," the woman snapped, her tone turning icy with authority. "I know you want to find a way to get justice - whatever that means to you - but I don't want any more problems to come out of this. Sheridan-"
"Don't say her name," Jasmine hissed, digging her nails into the palms of her hands. "Not now, not when you can't do anything for her."
"She's gone," the woman said more gently, hand hovering in the air as if she wanted to place it on Jasmine's shoulder. "There's nothing any of us can do."
"But-"
"This conversation is only going to take us in circles," the woman said, and Jasmine's shoulders hunched. She knew the fight was over, even if she didn't want it to be. "I'm sorry again, I truly am. Your friend didn't deserve any of that."
"No," Jasmine muttered bitterly. "She didn't."
As soon as the peacekeeper left, Jasmine sank down to the floor, uncaring that her pristine white lab coat was probably getting dirty. She felt as if she'd cried nearly nonstop for the past few weeks, but now the most she could offer was a few lone tears. Her loss was still fresh, and Jasmine longed for her friend back.
It wasn't even just the death itself that made Jasmine's skin crawl. It's what had been done to Sheridan before her death. Jasmine still felt ill as she thought of the pictures that had been shown in court, the ones that Orson nearly smiled at. Jasmine had seen a lot of toxins throughout her life, had learned how to identify them, and she knew in an instant that Orson was the worst of them all. So, like all toxins, she aimed to find a cure as well. She wouldn't rest until she found a way to make him atone for her friend's death.
She tapped her fingers on the floor, the soft noises helping to clear her mind. Jasmine had lived these past couple of weeks in a haze, one that was beginning to clear. Her frustration and anger about the situation was beginning to win out.
It wasn't fair.
God, it wasn't fucking fair.
Orson had taken everything from Sheridan, and he didn't get punished at all. This entire District was corrupted, and Jasmine was the only one that saw the light.
She was the only one that could fix it.
Picking herself up off the floor, Jasmine went over to one of her drawers, rummaging through it. When she didn't immediately find what she was searching for, she abandoned it and rooted through another. She kept all of her samples in her lab just in case they'd come in handy. Now was as good a time as any.
"Where are you," Jasmine whispered, rifling through samples. "Where did I put… there."
(She was a little girl again, traipsing through the woods with nothing but a pencil, her notes, and her best friend by her side. Idle chatting about plants turned into discussions about everything from the world around them to home to themselves. Everything was so easy, and Jasmine hardly had a care in the world.)
(She would someday. Not today, but someday. If only she could've known.)
Jasmine shoved the bag of nightlock berries into her pocket, steeling her nerves. She had no plan going into this, but she could figure things out. For Sheridan, she'd do anything.
It wasn't fair, but she'd make it fair. She'd make it right.
No matter what.
Saccharine Esculenta, 18
District One Female, she/her
Nothing in this life was as fleeting as beauty.
Saccharine knew this better than anyone. She opened Chrysalis Spa & Wellness Center every day, ready to wait hand and foot on the upper echelons of District One. They'd come in, eyes passing over her as if she didn't even exist, and then insist on ordering her around. Saccharine couldn't do anything but paste a pleasant smile on her face and tend to their every whim.
They were ugly, every single one of them. Saccharine knew that if she looked into their souls, she'd see nothing but shadows. That's how it worked, after all. The brighter the facade, the darker their intentions. Saccharine had long since learned the truth.
Chrysalis was still quiet this early in the morning, but Saccharine didn't usually mind the solitude. She could lose herself in the monotony of the tasks set out for her each day, clearing her mind from training the day before.
The door was unlocked when she got there, the morning air still cool and crisp. Saccharine shivered, still hung up on how things had gone so terribly wrong with Nectarine the night before. She'd never seen her sister do so much as raise her voice before, and Nectarine had yelled at her.
More than that, Saccharine had left her sister behind. She'd left her sister alone. She'd tossed and turned all night, waiting for the sound of Nectarine's door closing down the hall, but there had been nothing. Only blissful silence.
Maybe she should've gone back. Saccharine should've turned around, should've seen what was wrong. This was all so out of the ordinary for Nectarine, which was saying something considering Saccharine had known for months that her sister was struggling under the weight of something far greater than she was.
Nectarine took care of everything just as she always did. Maybe Saccharine just didn't realize the extent of it.
The gardens of Chrysalis were vibrant, just as they always were. Saccharine breathed in the smell of foliage and perfumes carefully curated to relax any who entered the facility. The flowers were in full bloom, and there were butterflies fluttering all around the area. To any visitor, this was the most exquisite place that they'd ever seen.
To Saccharine, it was a private hellscape.
Every room was full of a lifetime of memories, both good and bad. Saccharine had lived out most of her life here, even when she was just a young girl that couldn't do more than sweep up dust. She'd been enchanted by every aspect of this place, but now she saw it for what it truly was.
A fraud, just like everything else in this rotten district.
It was easy to tell even as a little girl that the one thing District One took pride in more than anything else was keeping up appearances. That's why this spa was so populated most days. It was full of people desperately trying to maintain a false standard of beauty, one that would be completely and utterly worthless in the grand scheme of things.
Saccharine could see it all. She could see the pure filth that rested within the hearts of every citizen. None of them were worthy of anything.
She looked around, trying to figure out if someone else had come in early. Nectarine always held the closing shift, and Saccharine always held the opening shift, but maybe Saccharine was missing something. She had to be missing something.
Her palms were sweaty as she turned the doorknob. Saccharine could only hope that her instincts were wrong about this. She knew something was hopelessly desperately off, but Saccharine would continue to hope her instincts were wrong, that things were fine. The spa was a place of perfection and tranquility that was highly desired in One. Nothing bad could possibly happen there. It would go against everything she'd ever known.
But when she pushed the door open, all Saccharine could see was-
"Saccharine!"
She looked up from where she was folding towels, pasting a smile on her face and hoping it would stick. "Illuminara," she said, ducking her head. "It's lovely to see you here again. Welcome to Chrysalis Spa & Wellness Center, how may I serve you today?"
Illuminara looked more frazzled than normal, which would explain why she'd shown up early for her appointment. Her blonde hair, which was usually well maintained, had been haphazardly thrown into a knot on the top of her head. There were bags under her eyes, as if she obviously hadn't gotten much sleep either.
"I need something to keep my mind off of evaluations coming up," she said, rubbing her temples. "I've been fighting a terrible headache lately."
"It's beginning to throw her off!" Elegance added helpfully.
Illuminara shot her friend a withering look. "Ella," she hissed, face reddening. "You're not supposed to say that!"
The other girl giggled quietly, but she didn't appear to regret having opened her mouth. Saccharine wanted to sneer, wanted to proclaim that this was further proof that all trainees were the same, so ready to stab each other in the back at a moment's notice, but she held her tongue.
(Briefly, she thought her mother would be proud of her.)
"You know my usual, though," Illuminara proclaimed, stripping off her jacket. "I just need something to relieve the stress."
"Of course," Saccharine said amiably. "Would you like any tea? I can get some for your friend as well."
They both visibly brightened at the offer, but Elegance spoke up first. "Oh, I'd love some! Illy told me all about the concoction you made last time. She said it practically cleared her skin in mere moments!"
Right, that. Saccharine's lips curled up into a wider smile, and she tilted her head to the side. "I'd be happy to make some for both of you."
"Yes, please," Illuminara said, her face still red. Saccharine figured her embarrassment was likely due to the fact that Elegance continued airing her feelings to someone as lowly as Saccharine.
"You both have a long week ahead of you," Saccharine commented idly, going behind the bar to begin making the tea.
"Yes, but as long as I kill this headache now, I'm not terribly worried," Illuminara replied, taking a seat on one of the stools.
"Even though you're only second right now?" Elegance chimed in. "I'm terribly nervous and I'm third. One slip up and I could go tumbling down in the rankings…"
A new emotion flickered across Illuminara's face, one that Saccharine immediately recognized as disgust. "Benny has clung to the top spot for far too long. I've seen the way she flounces around the academy as if she owns it."
"She's been looking tired lately, too," Elegance pointed out. "Maybe there's something going around the academy? They might postpone-"
"Don't be stupid, Ella," Illuminara sneered. As soon as the words left her mouth, she brought a hand back to her temples and began rubbing them. "I… I'm sorry, I'm not sure what came over me."
Saccharine watched the two girls interact with mild curiosity, keeping most of her focus on the teapot so they wouldn't notice that she was paying attention to them. It was typical for even friends to bicker leading up to evaluation week. Saccharine had come to expect such low behavior from those that considered themselves the elite of the District. Honestly, it was impressive that she continued helping them at Chrysalis. They didn't deserve her assistance. They didn't deserve the way she could heal all of their ailments. They didn't deserve her kindness.
So she stopped giving it to them.
(Ever so slowly, Saccharine reached a hand towards a jar of crushed butterfly wings.)
-death. Death was everywhere; it consumed Saccharine's vision. Bile rose in her throat as she saw butterflies piled on top of each other, spread all over the floor. Their wings, which were once so beautiful and delicate, had shriveled and were nothing but husks. All of the life had been leeched from their tiny bodies. They had once been so vibrant, but now…
Now they were nothing. Their beauty had been stripped from them, as had their vitality, and they were now worthless. Saccharine could only stare, frozen in place.
Because there was something more than the butterflies. A limp form, one that Saccharine would've recognized anywhere.
"Nectarine?"
"Saccharine?"
She flinched at the intrusion, looking up at the two girls on the other side of the counter. It took a few precious moments to throw her facade back up, but neither of the girls appeared to notice.
(Of course they wouldn't. They were so self-absorbed, so uncaring, so miserable. They were exactly like all of the people that had been responsible for Nectarine's death all those years ago.)
(She'd make them pay.)
"The kettle," Illuminara said, pointing one perfectly manicured finger towards the loudly whistling object.
Saccharine flushed, hurriedly grabbing the kettle and pouring the tea into two teacups that she'd already set out. She wasn't used to being thrown off like this. That's something that would happen to the Saccharine of the past, the one before. The Saccharine now was expected to always be on top of things.
Just like how she expected to find herself on the top of the rankings at the end of evaluations next week.
She presented both of the teacups to Second and Third, relishing in the fact that they'd never see Fifth coming. They were too wrapped up in their own foolish games to see her there at all.
"Enjoy," Saccharine said sweetly.
Illuminara was the first to take a sip, humming delightedly. "I truly have no idea what you put in this, but it works miracles."
"Secret of the trade," Saccharine teased. "Keeps the customers coming back."
The secret? Tea bags full of insomnia-inducing herbs and crushed butterfly wings. Enough to make her foes - because that's all these girls truly were - sluggish and tired. They'd feel good enough upon first sip to keep coming back, unable to recognize that instead of helping them, Saccharine was slowly poisoning them.
Chrysalis is a place of rejuvenation, of renewal. A peaceful, serene environment created just for you. It is the place where your journey begins, yet it is also your destination.
Peaceful. Serene. Saccharine had morphed herself into a being that encompassed everything a perfect District One girl should be. She'd watched these girls for years, had watched her sister for years, and she could flawlessly play the part. She would flawlessly play the part.
She'd take everything from them, just as they'd taken everything from her.
They didn't know what happened. The whole thing was too ambiguous for anyone to tell the true cause of death. Whether a tragic accident or completely intentional, no one knew for sure.
Saccharine knew. She was certain. Everyone had pushed Nectarine past her breaking point, and this empty husk was all that remained. Saccharine had lost the one person that meant the most to her in the entire world, the only girl that was truly good and kind and worthy. She was gone now. Snuffed out completely.
And without her sister, where did that leave Saccharine?
There was nothing left for her. Not if Nectarine was gone. All Saccharine could feel now was an all-encompassing anger, one that refused to die out.
It wasn't fair.
She'd make them pay.
"Were you hoping to go for an acupuncture treatment as well?" Saccharine asked.
The two girls exchanged a glance before nodding, as if they were coming to a mutual agreement. Saccharine figured that, more than anything, they just wanted to stay on the same playing field. Considering they were "friends," the odds of them obviously betraying each other were low, but Saccharine still felt certain that they'd sell each other out for a mere chance at the Victor's crown.
Pathetic, all of them.
"That would be great," Elegance said, speaking up first this time. "God, it's just so lovely here - I can't believe I've never visited before."
"You're missing out," Illuminara said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "My mistake for not dragging you here sooner."
Saccharine turned her back to the girls, letting them talk as she finished cleaning up her area. She'd let them continue their mindless chatter, unaware that their most dangerous enemy was within feet of them. She noticed that earlier, when they discussed rankings, they didn't even notice how Saccharine herself had crawled up from the bottom and now posed possibly the greatest threat of all.
She'd win the way her sister never could. Not because she wanted to, but because she refused to let anyone else. They'd all been the cause of Nectarine's undoing, and Saccharine would make sure they all crumbled.
But despite everything Saccharine tried to do, despite every box she tried to force herself into, she still burned with a rage that she could never be free of. It was beginning to eat away at her, killing her from the inside out.
(Just like Nectarine.)
Never like Nectarine. Not again.
Saccharine merely smiled and turned back to the girls she was about to devour whole, the ones who didn't even notice her coming. No one would know. She'd take them all out before they even had a chance to suspect something was wrong.
"Let's get you to the back, yes? I'd hate for you to lose your spot in the rankings because of me. I'll make sure to take good care of you here at Chrysalis Spa & Wellness Center. We aim to please, after all."
omg... intros done...? intros done...?
i hope u all enjoy bc i'm mainly just glad to be free so we can get this show on the road! thank u sm to nell/goldie for nerissa, para for jasmine, and will/brooke for saccharine! i hope y'all enjoyed even though i made ur kids go last and spent forever edging u by getting off my posting schedule :D
next sunday is leon w reapings recap. istg i'll actually post on time. it's leon. i can do it. i'll probably hit 50k total for this fic along the way. umm also i'm really sorry in advance bc next chapter i'll probably make a shitton of odwh references bc i think i'm funny. if u don't understand them my dms are always open and i love mansplaining my fic.
i'll post pregames pov layout... hopefully within the next week...? i need to actually um lay out povs so u know how it goes. it'll get done i pwommy.
leave me ur thoughts! or don't. umm vibes idk. we're officially in act 2 (pregames) as of next chapter sooo i'll see u then!
~de laney is out