Rowdy Krazimir, 17
District Nine.
"You can take care of this, Niko. I'll be off now."
Any protest from the other boy was lost in the noise as Rowdy slipped into the crowd. Quite simply, Rowdy had better things to do. It wasn't his job to run security after all' if those he'd put on security couldn't find who they needed to this time, then that made it clear to Rowdy that he needed to replace them for the next.
That didn't make it his job to solve the problem, though. Rowdy Krazimir wasn't here to deal with stupid people's stupid bullshit.
No, he was here to have a good time - and only a good time.
Rowdy was decidedly not inebriated enough to have a good time, though, given that he was still thinking- the last thing Rowdy wanted to be doing. The less he thought, the higher his chances of getting laid by a pretty boy were. This was a method Rowdy had found wildly successful in the past- he could only hope it'd find success again tonight.
As Rowdy found the drink table and filled his cup up, he quickly scanned the crowd. There were many familiar faces scattered around the edges of the old barn, and plenty more who were unfamiliar. Fortunately, he didn't see Niko now; Rowdy was fairly sure he was back outside again, running security. Rowdy was glad for that - not that Niko was outside, but that Rowdy didn't have to be the one running security. Which wasn't to say security wasn't important- it was. Rowdy needed some way to keep things calm, and to keep his father - and his father's Peacekeepers - off his dick.
(Why did it matter what Rowdy did, when he wasn't shit to his father? Georgi said it himself- Rowdy wouldn't inherit from him, wouldn't get a single penny of his money once he was gone. And Rowdy couldn't care less.
Georgi had covered for him, time after time, and put his foot down again and again and
again- because it never stuck. Rowdy had heard the same thing a hundred times before. It didn't matter if Georgi Krazimir demanded that he be a better son, that he behave himself.
Why would this be any different? Georgi Krazimir's empty threats never meant shit.)
The music shifted suddenly from the metallic screeching to something softer, snapping Rowdy out of his thoughts as a flood of people began moving off the dance floor. "Oh you're a pretty one, aren't ya?" a voice spoke into his ear. With it, an arm snaked around Rowdy's waist, the foreign hand finding the bare skin under his jacket.
Shifting to look at the person, Rowdy found himself faced with a boy- pretty enough, with dark hair and long eyelashes. He didn't recognize him, but that didn't matter to Rowdy so much.
"I'd like to hope so," Rowdy responded, leaning into the other boy's side. "I could say the same for you."
The boy laughed, giving Rowdy a toothy grin. "I'm Taras. And you're Rowdy, yeah?"
"One and only, in the flesh."
"How do ya do it? Get around everywhere so quick I mean?"
"It's a secret," Rowdy scoffed. "You think I'd give those up for free?"
"Nah. Not for free," Taras responded, shaking his head. "I wouldn't mind paying though."
That was exactly what Rowdy wanted to hear. "Well, let's get out of here then," he replied, seizing Taras' hand in his own. "Not like I'm gonna share my secrets in the middle of a crowd like this.
No matter how hard Rowdy tried to close his eyes to block the light out, he wasn't successful. The morning light seemed determined to violate his eyes and disturb his sleep. He only bothered trying another minute or so before giving up with a groan.
"Somebody sounds enthusiastic. Not a morning person, are ya?"
Rowdy dug the heels of his hands into his eyes- his head hurt, as did most of his body. He couldn't remember much of the night prior- the party yes, but after leaving, not so much. Based on the way his muscles ached, though, he must've had a good time.
"Not after last night, no," Rowdy responded, his voice hoarse and dry. "Water?"
"Sure," Taras said.
As Taras got up and left, the bed creaked in a way Rowdy didn't recognize. So this isn't my room. As the door closed, Rowdy pulled his hands away, and quickly he searched the floor for his clothes. It never felt particularly nice to put the same clothes on from the night before, but Rowdy didn't have much choice. Unless he wanted to walk home through the District butt naked, which would probably get a worthwhile rise out of his father.
"Here," Taras said, reentering the room just as Rowdy pulled his jacket on. "Not keen on staying long, are you?"
Rowdy shrugged, taking the water glass and downing it in a few gulps. "Nah. I would've left before you were up if I wasn't out cold."
"Well… I'm glad you didn't. You haven't told me your secret yet," Taras sighed, flopping onto his unmade bed next to Rowdy.
"Maybe I was lying the whole time. Maybe I don't even have a secret." Rowdy shrugged, pulling his boots on, and moving towards the door. "Or maybe you'll have to cough up more another time."
"I wouldn't say no," Taras hummed, watching him from where he lay. "See you maybe then?"
Rowdy shrugged, walking from the room. Even if he didn't want to, Rowdy knew he should return home, shower and change his clothes. Then the rest of the day would be his, to do with as he pleased.
Rowdy soon found his way out of the unfamiliar apartment building and into a very familiar part of town. It wasn't the nicest area- plenty of the people he knew lived around there. If he was in a better state, Rowdy would've paid some visits, but he needed a shower first, and perhaps something to eat.
The sun was already high overhead as Rowdy turned onto the main road, which was buzzing with activity - louder than usual. Rowdy's head perked up, and he quickly spotted several Peacekeepers. Their white-clad armour stuck out like sore thumbs against the grimy buildings of Nine. It wasn't uncommon to see them crawling the streets - Rowdy had spent his fair share of time sabotaging their patrols - but whatever was happening clearly needed far more than a few Peacekeepers walking around. Perhaps they were increasing security for the next day's Reapings.
Maybe he should avoid them. As far as he knew there was another warrant out for his arrest, and most of the Peacekeepers knew him on a first-name basis by now.
Rowdy brushed by most of the group- surely he'd be fine if most of them didn't notice him. But just as he passed the stragglers at the back of the patrol group, somebody grabbed him by the arm.
"Krazimir," A gruff voice growled, the officer yanking him around to face him.
"Oh wow, at least take me out for dinner first if you're gonna grab me like that," Rowdy said with a grin. He recognized the voice- but then again, most of the Peacekeepers sounded the same, like old, pissed-off men. Maybe his father could've made a career by joining them.
"Shut up. We're taking you home."
"Oh, a free ride? I can't complain about that."
The officer scoffed, spinning him around to slap a pair of cuffs on his wrists. "You should just be glad you've managed to avoid being labelled a terrorist this time."
"A terrorist? I've been called many things, you know, but never that. Do tell me, what did I do now?" Rowdy asked with a grin as he was unceremoniously dragged to one of the nearby Peacekeeper trucks. One tossed him in the back of the truck, as the others climed in the front, and soon enough they were driving away, to what Rowdy could only assume would be his father's estate.
Rowdy was flung into the cushy chair- he'd spent his fair share of hours getting chewed out in his father's office, and something told him today wouldn't be any different. The Peacekeeper then moved away, lingering next to the door. Shifting, Rowdy made himself more comfortable, or as comfortable as one could be while metal handcuffs dug into his wrists.
"Are you gonna take these off of me?" Rowdy asked, holding his bound hands up to the officer. "Yanno, I doubt my dear old man will be happy to see his son still cuffed." But the Peacekeeper didn't say anything, only shaking his head slightly.
Just as Rowdy sighed defeatedly, the door slammed open, accompanied by the familiar sound of stomping footsteps. Georgi Krazimir rounded the desk, sliding into the chair across from him, which groaned under his father's weight. Rowdy felt bad for the poor chair for having to bear the weight of his father's ass every day.
"So are you gonna explain what the hell that was?" Georgi demanded.
"What? No good morning, or hey how you been son?" Rowdy snapped.
"You nearly burned down half the District, Roderick, we don't have time for these fucking pleasantries."
Rowdy paused, leaning back in his seat- burned down half the District? He didn't recall doing such a thing. Even if he got blackout drunk, burning down half of the District was something he usually remembered.
"What are you talking about? I didn't do that."
"Don't lie to me, boy," Georgi spat, leaning further over his desk. He seemed like he was trying to intimidate Rowdy, but he only succeeded in making himself seem more like a fat old man who struggled to even stand. "It started at your fucking party, who else could've?"
"You flatter me, thinking that I could do that. Because I absolutely could if I wanted," Rowdy shrugged, revelling in how his father's face only burned brighter with rage. "But that wasn't me. I could probably point you to who did though."
"I told you, one more chance, Roderick," Georgi roared, his voice echoing through the room. But Rowdy could only think about how his face was so red it make him look like a fucked up tomato. "And now you've gone and burned it after I decided to be so generous. After years of me fixing all of your messes and covering for you. I said I'd make you regret being an idiot, and I will."
Rowdy laughed- more of a cackle. What could Georgi possibly do to him? He'd made hundreds of empty threats over the years. Why would Rowdy ever fear them now?
"Do your worst, fucking pig," Rowdy spat with a grin.
In an instant, Georgi had seized him by the collar of his jacket, and a heavy blow connected across his face. He didn't say another word, instead dropping Rowdy and storming from the room. Gingerly, Rowdy brought a hand to his face- it'd certainly bruise, but Rowdy would wear it proudly anyways.
Threats were only ever empty promises. Rowdy knew this. Georgi could hit him as much as he wanted, but at the end of the day, he could never truly touch Rowdy.
Why would that change now?
Loezan Feyer, 16.
District Five
"Loe! Loe! Tell us a story, please?" Jeva asked, grinning like a jack-o-lantern with gaps in her teeth.
"A story?" Loezan responded, tapping her chin. She'd heard plenty of stories- mostly from Bohdi, although he hardly had the time to tell them anymore. He'd woven tales of knights and princesses, of heroes and villains and everything in between. But Loezan had a different favourite.
"Hmm… How 'bout… aha!" Loezan exclaimed. "The Watchman who squealed Worm!"
Jeva let out a squeak of excitement, scrambling to sit up in her bunk. A few of the other kids followed suit, and Loezan knew that others would listen in even if she wasn't directly talking to them. Loezan didn't mind; she'd done the same as a kid.
Holding the flashlight up, illuminating her face from below, Loezan began to talk. "Once upon a time, there was a watchman- not just any watchman, though, because he wasn't much of a man. More like a boy- a skinny little guy, no older than most of you.
"Now, the kid was a bit of a coward. He was terrified of most things; the kinda guy who jumped out of his skin at his own shadow. His gang posted him on watch because he wasn't good for much else- he couldn't make runs, because he'd freeze up at the first sign of trouble, and he could hardly fight. So they stuck him on night watch as soon as they could."
"Why night watch, if he was so afraid of everything?" Jeva asked.
Loezan turned to point the flashlight at the girl's face. "Good question. Because nobody else wanted it, of course!" Loezan responded. "But once he started his shifts, something curious happened. Every night that the watchman-boy was posted, he'd ring his signal bell. And every night, his friends would come running because they thought they were being attacked, but they'd arrive just to find absolute jackshit!"
"Why?!"
"Because he was only seeing things. He'd call that the enemy Worms were there, that he'd seen one slip into an alleyway, but he didn't. He only thought he had, and so he'd pull the alarm because he was terrified!
"So, slowly, day by day, the rest of his gang began responding slower and slower to his calls, because he'd never actually seen anything. One night they stopped coming entirely. They'd leave the damn coward to his fear, they said, that he was no good at what he did, that perhaps they should get rid of him once and for all because he didn't do a thing to help them.
"One night, the alarm went off, and the men didn't bother putting their card game down- why would they, when it was just the coward on watch again? That card game would be their last though." Loezan paused, as Jeva gasped loudly- the girl had heard the story before but never failed to react. "As they played that night, the Worms killed every last one of them.
"The watchman had been truthful that night, but still they hadn't come to his aid, because why would they? Why believe a liar, even when they tell the truth? And that is why you should always be a good watchman. Because if you aren't, you might end up like all of those men: dead over your card game!" Loezan concluded with a grin.
"I'd be the best watchman!" Jeva agreed.
"Of course you would."
"Can you tell us another story?"
"Hmm, if I can think of something," Loezan chuckled.
"Not tonight, Loe," Bodhi's voice said. "It's too late. Let them sleep."
The kids scrambled to get under the covers of their blankets as Bodhi poked his head through the doorway. He might've been scary to anybody else, but not to Loezan. Never to Loezan, not when she'd seen him through his best and his worst, not when he was a brother to her, and the only family she had.
"Ahh, you heard the man," Loezan said, spreading her hands wide. "Maybe tomorrow."
"Fine, fine," Jeva agreed, following suit of the others, burrowing under her covers. Loezan stepped out of the kids' room, ensuring the door closed behind her.
"Be careful with what you tell them," Bodhi warned, his voice low.
"I know, but you filled our heads with plenty of sand when you had the time for it," Loezan responded.
"Sure I did."
"What's up though? Do you need me for something- ooh, do you have a job for me?" Loezan asked eagerly as they walked through the warehouse's narrow halls.
"No jobs, we've talked about this. Give yourself some more time."
"I have, though, Bodhi," Loezan shot back. "I've been here for years- I can help if you let me."
"You are capable, yes, Loezan, but what about all of the jobs you've been taking yourself on, hm? Just because you're capable doesn't mean you're prepared for reality. You need to be more careful and less reckless before I think about giving you any real jobs."
Loezan shuffled back a step, away from Bohdi. She'd seen what he could do to fuck-ups, to traitors, to anybody who risked their family's safety. Loezan wasn't the best- far from it - but she was determined to never fall so far as to be a fuckup in Bodhi's eyes.
"I'll- I'll do better," Loezan rushed to respond. "I promise! Just what do you want me to do? I'll do it right now!"
"Okay, okay," Bodhi said, his demeanour softening. "I'm gonna be going out for a bit tonight and taking some people with me, so I'm leaving you and Marco in charge together. Okay?"
"Me and Marco?" Loezan repeated. "Only two of us?"
"Only two of you, yes, I can't leave more behind. Let's call this… a test run, how 'bout that, Loe? If tonight goes well, we can see about giving you something more to do, okay?"
Loezan nodded eagerly- this would be her chance. She would do anything to ensure that tonight went well.
(All she ever wanted was to do more for her gang.)
Loezan laid back in the desk chair, kicking her feet up onto the table. Mateo shot her a dirty look- but really, what was the big deal? She'd seen Bodhi do the same a hundred times.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Mateo asked, after a moment of Loezan staring at him.
"Do what?"
"Put your feet on the boss's desk?"
"Bodhi does it all the time! Don't you worry about it!" Loezan said with a grin, spreading her hands wide. "How often do we get to hang out in here when we aren't getting chewed out?"
Mateo chuckled quietly- just what Loezan wanted to hear. Mateo was a bit of a stickler for the rules, which Loezan never got. There weren't real rules in this world they lived in. How could Mateo follow what didn't exist?
"Not often," Mateo agreed, shaking his head. He wasn't that much older than Loezan- maybe seventeen? He'd joined them about a year prior, and had kept mostly quiet since. He didn't tend to join the games that Loezan led for the younger kids, so Loezan hadn't ever spent that much time around Mateo. But now, she had a good chance.
"Exactly! How much longer do we got in here?"
"Uhh," Mateo hummed, squinting at the watch on his wrist in the dim light. "Couple of hours?"
"Yeah, a coupla hours is so many! Why don't we do something to keep ourselves entertained?"
"Like what? It's not like we can leave."
Loezan paused momentarily, scanning the cluttered office. "Has Bodhi ever taken somethin' from ya?"
Mateo thought for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, why?"
"Well, 'cause he keeps all the stuff he does take in here. I bet we can find something fun if we look hard enough."
"Doesn't Bodhi only take things if they're dangerous?"
"I mean, yeah, but it still can't hurt to look. We don't even have to take anything. We can just see what he has!" Loezan reasoned. "Yanno, like a scavenger hunt, but the terrible kind where you don't even get to keep the prize."
"Okay," Mateo agreed, cautiously.
"You take that side of the room, then," Loezan instructed, gesturing to the left side. "I'll take the other half."
Mateo nodded and diligently began looking through what furniture there was. Loezan turned her attention to her own half of the room, spotting a large dresser. Starting from the top, Lozan rifled through the drawers, but there wasn't much of interest, just a few odds and ends in the top drawer, and a stack of files in the second. If reading was any less hard she might've picked the files up for some late-night browsing. But it wasn't, so she moved on from the cabinet.
Next, she found herself before a table- Bodhi's workstation, which was covered in all sorts of metal parts that glinted under the half-on lights. There wasn't anything particularly fun on the table, though, and there weren't even any drawers.
So Loezan moved on again, to the desk which she'd been sitting behind only a few minutes prior. "There's gotta be something in here, surely," Loezan murmured, to nobody in particular; Mateo grunted quietly in acknowledgment. There was only more paper in the top drawer, but the second one caught her interest.
"Aha!" Loezan exclaimed, pulling out a plastic bin. "I've struck gold!"
"What'd you find?" Mateo asked, as she plunked the basket onto the desktop.
"Buncha firecrackers," Loezan responded, rifling through the bin. Her hand landed on a cool piece of metal which she pulled out eagerly. "A cool knife. Wonder if it's killed anybody."
"Huh?"
"I mean, look at this thing," Loezan said, twirling it between her fingers. "It's wicked sharp."
"It is, which means you should be careful with it and hope it hasn't killed anybody," Mateo reasoned, looking through the bin further. Loezan slipped the knife into her pocket as he did- it'd be a perfect prop for her bedtime stories, after all, and Bodhi wouldn't notice it missing.
"You should take some of those firecrackers back for the kids," Loezan suggested. "I'll take some too, they could use the entertainment."
"Yeah," Mateo agreed softly. "I mean, I did say we shouldn't take anything…"
"Who's gonna notice coupla firecrackers missin'? Especially a busy guy like Bodhi. And I bet the youngins will love 'em!"
"Well… I guess so," Mateo relented, shoving a few into his pocket. "It's for a good cause."
"Sure is!" Loezan exclaimed, reclaiming her spot behind the desk and putting the bin of illicit items away. They'd be stuck there another few hours at least, but at least she had something new to play with- and spoils for the kids as well. It was like payment for Loezan's time.
And after all…
What was the worst that could happen?