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Chapter XXV Sugar Crash
Night 1 of the 59th Hunger Games
Darkness, dense and suffocating, surrounded her, engulfing her and holding tighter with each movement. It pushed her down, deeper into the nothingness, as though dragging her to hell. She couldn't scream, air gone from her lungs. Her throat contracted and body began to fail.
She struggled and reached out through the chocolatey void, her finger tips scratching against something. It was soft and with pressure broke apart.
Fingers, desperate, stabbed through the matter and were suddenly free. Soon she was clawing her way forward, struggling against her confines. The chocolate kept pushing her down towards the break. Her fingers were threw, her arms were through, with a desperate cry, her face was free and mouth open, sucking in air.
Maddie was alive.
She gasped, choking in air and shaking, causing the chocolate to vibrate around her. She looked down, now in a dark cavern. She was stuck in the ceiling, gravity pushing her down. She needed no natural encouragement. She kicked and twisted and peeled herself free, falling straight to the hard rock and landing with a sticky thump. Chocolate poured out of the ceiling behind her, like a ruptured vein or break in the hull. Just as quickly, it sealed itself, congealing into an unnatural shape.
Maddie remained on the cavern floor, coughing and regaining control. She moved her limbs, stiff and adjusting to being free again. She could hardly believe it.
She was alive.
She was covered in chocolate though, weighing her down and slowing her movements. Adrenaline took her and she quickly felt up her body, checking she was unharmed. No injuries, except to her psyche, and she still had her weapons, a small miracle.
Maddie continued to shake like a leaf, hands trembling and teeth chattering from terror. She was in absolute darkness and a foreign location. She fumbled at her waist and pulled out her flashlight, clicking it on with trembling fingers.
She calmed when the bright light came on, illuminating her surroundings. She was in a cave tunnel. Black rock, like the rock of the volcano, encircled her, safe and secure.
Well, maybe not secure.
She screamed when something landed near her, wet and heavy. She turned her flashlight towards the sound, flashing a large glob of chocolate that had fallen from the ceiling. Maddie directed the light upwards. The ceiling was mostly rock, but there section of that were made up of the chocolate swamp. The chocolate moved on its own, twisting and defying gravity as it remained and didn't continuously leak from the ceiling. Nearby, another bit of chocolate fell down, splattering onto the rocky floor.
Feeling secure again, Maddie's survival instincts kicked in again and she quickly checked herself once more. She wasn't hurt, her armor remained in place, and she still had all her weapons. She tore the water from her hip and guzzled down almost all of it, throat sore from the screaming and compression. How in the world had the Gamemakers made something like this, she pondered, before her mind returned to the inciting incident.
Casanova had tried to kill her.
Maddie couldn't believe it. The Careers weren't supposed to turn on each other like this! And Cas had always been so good and always rooted for the alliance. He had even argued to keep Amaya and her in the alliance when Pietyr wanted to blow it up! She then recapped what he had said about the Hunger Games when Pietyr confronted him.
'It's about who's the deadliest. And the cleverest.'
Cas was always ready for the Hunger Games. Clearly he had seen that Maddie wasn't and pruned her from the Pack. Were the others in it? Was Nicola?!
Shock took her. She had to get back to Nicola! He was the only way that she could possibly escape a no doubt annoyed Cas. He'd probably meet up with Elegance and District 2, let them know what happened, and then they'd be hunting her!
Maddie's head hurt, from the stress and near suffocation. She suddenly felt just how oppressive the darkness of the cavern was around her, threatening to choke her spirit and crush her. Her whole body shook and she breathed heavily in and out, attempting to pump out all her anxiety.
She wasn't sure how long she remained like that, but eventually she ran out of steam. Maddie fell silent, only the occasional "drip drip" of the chocolate above her as her only sound. She felt so weak and pathetic. So tired and scared. She wanted to scream and plead for life, but, as she just suffered and learned, who would hear her and care?
'I can't do this anymore.' Maddie thought.
The voice wasn't her own.
Through the dark waters of memory, Keef came to her. She wished she had better ones, but a seven year age difference and their parents and grandparents fawning over him and negligence of her alienated them in many ways. For some reason, only the sad memories remained. Maddie could remember him, a week before his "death." He was sitting in the dark, on one their mansion's balconies that overlooking the ocean. It was a beautiful night but all Maddie could remember was the haunted look in Keef's eyes as he looked over the ocean.
'Can't do what?' she had asked, all of nine and so innocent.
Keef hadn't even looked at her. 'Doesn't matter. This will be done soon.'
He had been right. A week later he was unburdened and Maddie, the spare, was tossed into the Academy. Told to honor Keef, the family, and all the District by winning.
'I can't do this anymore.' She thought.
'But you still need to.' A voice replied, though who's she couldn't say.
She stood up, flash light at the ready. The narrow cavern only went two directions. Without deliberation, she went left and kept walking.
Cas landed with a heavy thud on the other side of the chocolate swamp, letting out an equally loud sigh. He looked back at the swamp, eyeing it critically. If it wouldn't had screamed "temper tantrum" he would have thrown some of the gummy fruit and branches into the swamp to show his displeasure with the whole thing.
Instead, Cas steadied himself, realizing he still had Tributes to hunt and Careers to encounter, and set off.
Unfortunately, Cas had never done well with being alone. His mind was plagued by "what ifs" and self-critical judgements. What had been meant as a showy, dramatic death the Capitol would savor had turned into a bitter let down. Maddie was alive, somehow, and Cas looked like a fool. Everyone at home would be so disappointed in him.
It was made worst by his running commentary, like he was some sort of cackling hyena akin to those idiot commentators that Caesar and Claudius occasionally let onto Games coverage. Life in District 1 taught its citizens many skills, conversation and flair chief among them. Cas had thought he was playing into that. Now he just felt like a moron.
And, he could just imagine Lothario back home, watching him in disgust. "Look what my brother has become." He'd tell everyone, though Cas doubted Lothario still thought of Cas as his brother or even adoptive sibling.
A crack formed in his heart and head, small but deep enough for all the horrible doubts to leak through. Lothorio was the only person who could make Cas feel like this. This emotional and disconnected.
Well him and now Maddie. The apparently part swamp creature girl just frustrated to Cas to no end. On paper she and him should have been equals, born in the purple together as it were. But everything Maddie did made her the antitheses of everything Cas and any other respectable person desired to be. An ideal of one's District, an example for all of Panem in the Districts, just shy of the glory of the Capitol. The Rothschild family had long known that, as did the others in 1. Cas had thought the Monaghan's, a hallowed and distinguished family, would teach their children such morals too.
Evidentially not. Looking at Maddie was like looking at a part of Cas he refused to acknowledge. What could have been. Instead of what Cas was – confident and a leader for the District and Panem – Maddie seemed to scoff at it all, content to live in her misery.
The crack remained, hatred fueling its expansion. The doubts of the Trainers at the Academy came back to him, the sneers of the other families when Neriah Rothschild presented him to the world and proudly declared Cas his son, every slight flooding back into his heart. Cas came to a stop, feeling dizzy and ready to explode, a carefully constructed mask melting off his face.
As always, it was his father that brought him comfort.
He had sat with Cas on his bed after a challenging day. It was early years, when Cas was so young his memory barely catalogued everything. Cas remembered feeling hurt – over what, he hadn't a clue – only Neriah's words remained.
'People will doubt you, Casanova.' He had told him. 'But you and I know they're wrong. You're a star. A Rothschild. But more than that, you're my son – no matter if there isn't any blood between us. And I'll always be proud of you.'
The world steadied out a bit more. He remembered his adoptive father, who chose him out of an orphanage of District 1's forgotten. Neriah had told him that after the passing of his wife, he and his son Lothario needed some joy in their lives. He took him to his estate and raised him as his son. He taught him alongside Lothario what it meant to be a leader, a Rothschild, and how to live in the world of Panem.
'Showmanship is key to everything.' Neriah had explained to his sons. He liked to take them through the wineries when they were little, introducing them to all the workers. He made a point of stressing that what others thought of the boss mattered. And on this walks, he liked to impart lessons.
Both sons were well versed in their father's tendency to lecture.
'Showmanship is key. Catch that, Cas?' Lothario had joked, playfully punching him on the shoulder.
'Shush. This is important.' Cas had reprimanded.
'Kiss butt.' Lothario had replied.
'It's kiss ass, dummy.' Cas had insulted, punching Lothario back. Before long the brothers were giggling and about to wrestle when Neriah turned around to see what was wrong. 'Everything is good.' Cas told him with an earnest smile.
'The best!' Lothario added. Neriah gave his son's a knowing look but ignored the trouble makers, continuing on with his lesson as his sons continued on hitting on another.
'You stop!'
'No you stop!'
The memory was a nice one. Of easier times. Before long, Cas had settled into his life as a Rothschild and him and Lothario had entered the Career Academy when they became teenagers. Cas' friends followed, the world opened up, and life was good.
He didn't have time to think about what followed.
But he did have the energy to focus. To do what he had to.
Cas continued on his path, focused on the hunt and, more importantly, returning to the other Careers so he could get out of his own mind. Slowly, the forest gave way to cotton candy trees, which glowed softly in the night. He kept moving, making perfunctory searches of the area for Tributes. He kept moving until he accidentally stumbled onto something.
An empty sponsor gift container.
It was stuck in one of the cotton candy trees, like a beacon for any other Tribute. He tried to pull it out but the sweet stickiness of the cotton candy tree kept it firmly in place. There weren't any visible markings on the container either to indicate which District it belonged to. But it did tell him two things. One, the cotton candy trees were too thick and sticky for Tributes to hide in.
Two, there was a Tribute potentially nearby.
There weren't any apparent footprints on the ground, but the rainbow ground did show disturbance leading one direction directly towards the base of the volcano. Chakram drawn, Cas followed it. At the end of the rainbow, Cas found a nice prize:
It was the girl from 5, asleep in the cliff side.
A whistle cracked through the air, sharp enough that if there were any natural wildlife in the candy forest they'd be a flutter. To Amaya's annoyance, no Tributes responded either.
'What a stupid idea.' She thought bitterly, licking her lips to deal with how dry they were getting from the constant whistling. So far it had produced no results except to cause a deep annoyance in her bones, which threatened to bubble up to real anger. And what Tribute would actually respond to whistling?
Apparently, the Capitol thought she was on the right path as Amaya received her second sponsor gift. She opened it, hoping for something useful. Instead, the bitterness rose up through her bones and into her flesh.
It was a whistle. The Capitol had sent her a whistle.
She held the tiny instrument in her finger, eyes narrowing at the indictment. Was this who she was? Reduced to skulking through the forest, just hoping that a Tribute would pretty please pop their head out and offer it up a silver platter?
Amaya came to a halt, sitting down on the ground with her eyes locked on the stupid whistle. It was the first time since she'd been Reaped that Amaya was alone, away from the noise and excitement of the Games and the Career Pack. Being alone wasn't a normal feature of her life. Growing up in Dust there was noise everywhere and full house made sure things were never quiet. Amaya remembered the Dust, full of "aunts and uncles" of the family who would pop into their home randomly to look after them. Amaya would always smile and loving, eager for the attention.
Then, she was in the Academy. The clash of steel on steel, the shouts and commands, the taunts and one ups and rivalries. The big personalities made her feel at home. And when it became obvious she was a Trainee of some talent, a prodigy really, things got even louder. Amaya could still remember a local drunk in Dust complimenting her, labeling her the "Dustborn Dream."
What had happened to that?
What had happened to her fearlessness?
When had Amaya Alyec been forced into a crouch?
Where was the girl who when faced with the potential of a life of obscurity, of continuing to work with the gangs, broke another girl's leg just to take her shot in the Hunger Games? Why was she playing as a Viper when she was a lion?
Amaya threw the whistle aside. She was done playing small.
She drew her machete instead and went to the nearest tree. She slammed the machete into the tree trunk, causing it to vibrate. The branches shook, and a candy fruit fell and splatted against the ground. She let out a loud shout, letting the world know who they were dealing with.
She moved onto another tree, and then another. On and on until she found her target.
Every tree she passed and every shadow she walked through, Ophelia was convinced something would pop out and get her.
When she first set out, the forest was creepy but manageable. Now, after spending well over an hour exploring, a deeply unsettling miasma had settled over her, like the perpetual sour smelling fog that refused to abate. The feeling of helplessness didn't appeal to Ophelia, who was always inclined to rage rather than submit meekly.
So, the next creepy tree with its creepy, stupid branches she crossed, Ophelia jumped around made a scary face, a complied by a roar. That would show the creatures of the night. She repeated the performance again, and again until her nerves settled and her heart rate calmed. Soon she was walking through just another forest at night, something she'd done thousands of times back home in 12.
Ophelia briefly wondered if her mom and dad were watching. Didn't seem likely to her. It was late at night and they went to bed early and rose early, always tired form the mine . Not a chance they were still up.
Eventually, Ophelia's path wandered closer to the volcano – if only to get some respite form the fog. The volcano seemed to be the one spot it let up, as the fog brushed up against the volcano, rising up it like a wave crashing against rocks. She continued on her path until she came across an unusual shadow that jutted out from the volcano.
The arena was too dark, but Ophelia though she could make out the outline of a rock? A wall? She wans't quite sure what she was looking at, so she hung back and waited.
Then, she heard a rustle, like twigs moving. Someone was moving. This was a camp.
She waited in the darkness, hoping to get a good idea who it was. Not a chance it was a Career and before long she realized it had to be District 11.
Who she'd seen running away with bags.
She waited a little longer, and then began to sneak in. She moved quietly towards her target, using years of navigating the forest of 12 to great effect. One foot carefully in front of another, hunched low and compact to reduce her figure. She carefully angled her feet, occasionally dragging them through the dirt. A quick in and out of 11's camp. No problem.
Then, quite sudddenly, she was falling, her ankle snagged on a metal wire. She fell forward onto a carefully laid pile of twigs and dry branches, which cracked under her weight and made a sound more akin to a gunshot than twigs snapping.
"Tilly!"
A figure had stood and rushed from the camp, all rage and with something nasty in his hand. Ophelia screamed and tried to stand, but only collapsed again thanks to the wire. She panicked and tried crawling away, which was the first thing Calen saw as he approached, the girl's small figure barely visible.
He came to a halt when he saw the younger girl, eyes wild and ensnared in Tilly's trap. He looked around, peering through the dark woods for any other attackers. He eased when he saw there were none and focused his attention back on the girl from 12.
Tilly was up now and by his side, hatchet at the ready. Ophelia had successfully disentangled herself form the wire no and was sprinting way, leaving 11 behind. The pair's nerves were up, and they both panted heavily, arms shaking with adrenaline, struggling to come down. After a minute of peace, they began to calm and return to camp.
"Probably trying to steal our food." Calen said angrily.
Tilly considered that, the girl was alone, a wild child who hadn't made any allies in the Training Center or friends in the Capitol with her score or interview. She was alone in this hell, something unimaginable to Tilly at that moment.
She went to her pack, pulling out a bit of bread and the extra bottle of water. She then exited the camp, much to Calen's shock.
"What are you doing?" He demanded.
Tilly responded by shouting into the night. "I'm leaving the food and water. We don't have much more. And we won't attack. I promise."
Nobody responded, as to be expected, and Tilly returned to their camp. Calen look at her in shock. "That's our food!"
"Now it's hers." Tilly told him.
"Why?"
"Because it's the right thing to do." Tilly said, before leaning in so she could whisper. "And it'll really bug the Capitol."
The anger passed as Calen considered that. A small jab, but a hit none the less at the Capitol and their notions of what the Games should be. Pessimism once more returned though. "She better not come back for more."
They left it at that and settled back in for the night, both wondering if Ophelia would return for more.
Ash was in and out of consciousness, his injuries preventing a good night's rest. He'd wake up, startled by nightmares and sharp pains through his body and quietly cry to himself. It'd be broken up by a few calls to.
"Ophelia…?" He cried.
Silence was always the answer.
His voice echoed off the rocks and through the opening in what counted as the "ceiling" of his rock shelter. Ash would look up at the stars, praying to see Ophelia looking back down, yet was always disappointed.
He cried out again. "Ophelia?" He moaned.
Outside his shelter, Ash heard movements. Sharp hits to the rock, the sound of boots climbing. The hits could be heard reverberating inside the rocks. Hope swelled in Ash and he leaned up, body shaking from the effort.
"Ophelia?!" He called again, voice hitching.
A head peeked in, covering a. Good portion of the entry way.
It was dark, too dark to make out exact features, but Ash knew immediately. It wans't Ophelia.
"Hi." A raspy voice introduced. The sound was like nails on chalk, and bounced off the stone walls filling Ash with dread.
It was the monster from 7.
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