Day Fifteen: Rivalry

"Come on now, scholarship. Pick it up!" Bella giggles, Aurelia at her side toeing the knife towards me. "Careful not to get it dirty, now! Maybe get a glove or something!"

Bitch

Still, I offer her that perfectly polished smile, bending to retrieve it. Three against One is a bad idea. "Of course, Bella! I wouldn't want to cause any issue." And I would like to cause issue and I do want her to know how much I hate her but that won't do. Not when I'm hanging by a thread as is. So she gets the knife, handed to her, and it's raised for a second at me before she laughs. "Come along now, Aurelia. Sapphire. I'm sure scholarship is very glad she got to be such a help to some girls who actually pay for a place here."

That night, as usual, I'm beckoned into the white room with the big chairs for an appointment with my Patron. The woman who decided I deserved my place at the academy over Samite and Mei and Nephrite. Opal laughs when I tell her what I'd done, what I'd 'helped' Bella with. Her laugh is tinged with disappointment, shaking her head at me. "Crystal, Crystal, Crystal. You're my horse in the race because I think you can win. If this prissy bitch." I give a yelp at her words, everyone knows swearing isn't allowed at the Academy without good reason. "Thinks she can screw you over, thinks she can treat you like a servant, then tell her off. Fuck with her. Do whatever you want to do, Crystal, just don't get caught doing it."

Dutifully nodding along, I see her face twist into a slight smile, before she shows me a small bowl of grapes. Plump, juicy, green. The kind of grapes we're offered once a year, a pair on Founding Day. "These are for me. However, I do remember the rules around here. Trust me, the number of kiwis Lapis had to bring to my sessions. Well, she'd eat 9/10 of them, I'd get the other one when I did well. Pretty sure that's still how it works, yeah? Fruit's the reward?" "Yeah." She plucks up another grape, and I nod dutifully.

"Well then. Go on, Crystal. Why's she doing this?" "She's doing this because.." I hesitate, not wanting to get the answer wrong. Grapes in the bowl seeming to eye me, I take a second before continuing. "because she thinks I'm an easy target." One of the grapes is tossed my way, and I catch it. "Good. And are you an easy target?" The answer to this comes quicker. "No, I'm a good student, and," "wrong." Her voice chimes out, and Opal pops a grape into her own mouth, chewing before responding.

"I didn't hear conviction. I didn't hear your secure knowledge that yes, you're not a target, you're a tribute. No, a Victor. A girl who won't take no for an answer, a girl who won't take complaint. Why wasn't One stripped of privilege like Four?" "Loyalty...?" I trail off, and Opal draws a knife. Cuts a grape in half, pushes it over. "Loyalty and having the sense to back the winning horse. I was asked by Bella to take her on, because she thought I'd be best. Do you know why I didn't?"

"Why not? She's more calm than I am, even if she is a bitch." "Because you're like One. Bella's Four. She'll drag you in, make you think she has a chance and fail. You're not like that, Crystal. Little, and pardon my words." Blonde sewer rat from the shit districts, but you're as adept with your rapier as girls from the Highgarden. You'll do what it takes because you've seen what failure means. Sitting on the streets, watching the world pass you by."

"And what the hell can I do?" The question seams weak given what I've been told, but still. "Anything that's allowed, and anything that isn't you don't get caught. Fuck her up if you want, but make sure it isn't obvious." My jaw falls slightly, and she laughs, leaning over the table to push it shut. "Go on, Crystal. Worst case, you need to jump a place. A good Showing is essential." "Showing?"

She sighs, both thumb and index finger massaging the bridge of her nose. "I swear, they're meant to have told you. Showing. You and all the other girls show off your talents for the wealthier communities of the Capitol. They need aides, and bodyguards, and such, and so they pick pretty Ones to do it. Even after the war. They trust us, Crystal. They worship our Victors. They love our Tributes. You do well, let them know they want you. Understand? Even if you get into the Games track you'll have a job down as a backup, if you fail in whatever competition your lot pick this year. Plus, whoever wants you as staff is probably going to sponsor you. You need this, Crystal."

I simply nod, and she hands me the bowl of grapes with a smile and a "Go wild. I'm getting tired of them anyways!"

Two weeks later, and it's our usual spars now. Thursday, after having Wednesday off. A time for everyone else to go into town. Me, I usually stay at the Spire handling routine stuff. Preparing, making sure the blunt rapiers are switched out.

Bella challenges me, of course she does. She's good, but soon I stab forward. She tries to defend herself, fails. It'll leave a nasty bruise, after all, the rapiers are blunt as to not to kill. I offer her that perfectly polished smile as my slender rapier slips into her throat. An accident, of course, anyone could see I was aiming to the side and her parry had forced me to wobble. Anyone could see some idiot attendant had switched out fake for real, and the one in charge was flogged and fired.. Such a shame. Such a pity, but of course if she was that sloppy that a parry would seal her death then there was naught to be done about it.

I get two days in my room, and then the formal apology to Aurelia and Sapphire, as my penance for (even accidentally) killing another trainee, and the assigned volunteer at that. They come out smiling, I blushing. When the kiwi is tossed my way by Victor Baring, and I get to eat it with the same knives used to dissect a dummy (cleaned, thankfully), that blush is wiped away.

I'm one of the Tracked students for the 76th Annual Hunger Games. After beating the others in a spar (orthodox but still good), I'm the assigned volunteer. After crawling through 23 bodies, I'm the Victor.

Author's Note

Smashes bottle

Quite apt I get to strike my champagne for D1, but I'd like to drop in that this is the first of my PipesVerse: Extended Chapters. Sitting in a world where the 75th Hunger Games was a different twist, PVE chapters will be signposted and are intended as setup for a future project!