Chapter 12 (Windows)
Ichor.
It was the lifeblood of the district two career academy, flowing through the veins of all that hoped to enter the games.
No one knew where the term had come from, but they all knew the necessity of it. Without it, the games would start before reaping day, and no one would be safe from the vengeful nature of those that consumed it.
"Perseus Drakos. I assume you've taken your vial for this month, correct?" said an older woman, with graying hair and a steely look in her eyes. The blond man in front of her nodded. It was required of all the career academy students, after all, and he didn't want to lose his chance at the games. It was always better to comply, no matter how disgusting the liquid tasted.
The older woman wore a pin on her lapel, the numeral two wrought in iron and carefully carved with wooden leaves around it. This marked her as a victor, one of the elite. The respect that the academy had for her went beyond mere loyalty.
Perseus was directed towards a chair in the center of the cold room. There was a mirror on one side of the wall, while a pendant lamp dangled from the ceiling. He'd never been here before. Why had Pecan summoned him to this odd place? Surely she had a reason. Pecan stood in front of him as he sat down, her expression unreadable.
"You, Drakos, are here today because of recent events that have occurred in the academy. However, before we begin, I'd like to make a note of something. You're aware of the properties of Ichor, I'd assume, just as all of my other students are," she began, hands clasped behind her back. He nodded, eyes relaxed as he surveyed the room. Perseus had no reason to think he was in trouble. The environment suggested otherwise.
"Did you know that Ichor isn't just a poison antidote and a tracker? It has the unique property of being used as a truth serum in certain situations as well. This isn't widely known, though when it becomes necessary, we do use it as one," continued Pecan with a slight smile. The room seemed to be colder, harsher, more menacing after she spoke.
"If you don't mind me asking, Victor Fletch, why am I here?" replied Perseus in an even tone. Nothing in his eyes betrayed his emotions, either.
"You're aware of the recent death of Christian Hale. As luck would have it, you were one of his closest friends. I simply want to ask you a few questions about the circumstances surrounding his death, and about his life," Pecan brought her hands forward and clapped once, the light dimming slightly.
It was all very dramatic to Perseus. Nevertheless, he nodded. He had nothing to fear, after all.
"The accident happened on May 16th, three days ago," said the victor, launching into saying what he already knew.
"Perseus Drakos, did you kill Christian Hale?" This question threw Perseus for a loop. Was he really being accused of killing his best friend? The boy he'd been inseparable from during their years at the career academy? His throat felt like it was burning, and under Pecan's watchful gaze, he answered.
"No, I did not kill Christian Hale," he replied confidently. Pecan raised an eyebrow before taking out a notepad from her pocket and jotting something down.
"Let's continue. Were you with Mr. Hale at the time of the incident?" she asked, leaning in slightly to look him straight in the eyes. Her dark brown eyes met his light brown ones.
"No, I was not," Perseus replied with the same confidence.
"His body was found outside of the Quarry Center Neighborhood, a couple of miles away from the nearest train station. He showed no signs of a struggle, or of any outer wounds. Several of his bones were broken from the impact of a fall, and our team has determined that he was alone at the time of his death," Pecan read off of her notepad, her voice monotone as her eyes glanced up at him every few words.
"If you don't mind me asking, Victor Fletch, why am I being interrogated if you already know that he was alone?" he asked impatiently, beginning to get fed up with all of the questions.
"Mr. Drakos. Please refrain from asking any questions until the end of the interview," Pecan frowned and he fell silent, rolling his eyes slightly before forcing his face back into a neutral expression.
Perseus wasn't one to sit still for long periods of time, he much preferred to be training, and with the games less than a month away, he knew that he had to spend as much time as possible in the training center. After all, the volunteer pool was being narrowed down day by day, and he was currently in the lead for the spot.
"Did you say anything to Mr. Hale that might have caused him to go to the Quarry Center Neighborhood?" continued Pecan, her long braids falling over her shoulder. With a quick motion, she brushed them back behind her.
"No, I didn't. I hadn't seen him since that morning during training, and we only talked about the games. You can ask the others in the volunteer pool, they'll tell you that I left without him," Perseus looked at the mirror behind Pecan. He was beginning to think that it wasn't just a mirror. Was this whole thing some sort of scheme to make him seem guilty?
"Your mother, Hedea Drakos, is head peacekeeper of District Two. When was the last time you saw her?"
Another question that he felt was stupid. Everyone knew that Hedea spent most of her time working, and would go days without seeing her own family.
"Two days ago. She came home and we had a conversation about the other volunteer candidates in the volunteer pool," he replied.
"And you didn't talk about Mr. Hale?" asked Pecan, making another note on her notepad.
"No. This was shortly before his body was found, I didn't know he was dead at the time," Perseus sighed, trying to look into the mirror to see if he could see movement on the other side. All he saw was his reflection staring back at him.
"Were you aware of the fact that the two of you were the top two candidates in the volunteer pool? And that he was the one only above you in the rankings? With his death, you're now eligible for the volunteer spot, assuming that no one else beats you for it in the next week before the spot is solidified,"
Perseus shook his head. Another note, another question. When would it end?
"That concludes our interview, then. Perseus Drakos, you are free to go. Please follow the peacekeepers out of the room," finished Pecan, abruptly turning and gesturing to the door.
Perseus moved to stand up, but before he could get anywhere, the door that had just opened slammed shut in front of him. The lights got brighter, and he turned back to Pecan, who had pocketed her notebook as he'd gotten mirror screen went black and no longer showed his reflection.
"You know, Perseus, you're not a bad liar. It's a shame that it had to happen like this," said Pecan, causing him to instinctively raise his fists.
"Ichor's truth serum effect is a two part component. You need a separate injection for it to function as truth serum," she continued.
He felt his throat close up, and widened his eyes. Oh shit. She knew!
"Victor Fletch, I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied, trying to play it off.
"You can stop lying to me, Perseus. I know you killed Christian Hale," Pecan smiled gently at him.
"After the 92nd games, career sabotage in district two is highly frowned upon. You did a good job covering your tracks, though. The peacekeepers have no idea it was you. I knew, however, and your secret is safe with me,"
"Victor Fletch, I-" he started to try to defend himself, but was shushed before he could get another word out.
He'd lied throughout the whole interview. He'd thought it had been a fluke, that the truth serum hadn't worked, but this made more sense. Pecan knew. How did she know? He'd been so thorough.
Perseus had been so angry at himself, at his best friend, that he had to do it. Everyone else thought that it had been an accident, not sabotage. If Pecan told anyone, he'd be done for. They'd probably lock him up forever.
"I look forward to mentoring you in the games, Perseus," said Pecan, motioning him to leave the room. The door opened back up, and the peacekeepers came to get him. Judging from their blank faces and lack of speed, they'd heard nothing from the past few minutes after the mirror screen went dark.
Chapter 12 Part Two
School during the spring/summer season was always a little more interesting than the fall, but it also filled Kat Buckley with rage. Learning about the games was never very exciting, and having to learn more about the people that made her life miserable just made her want to punch the chalkboard.
In district ten, every student from ages 12 to 17 was required to learn about the games for the semester that lead up to them. It didn't matter that they saw the games live on television every year. She supposed it was a way to remind them that the games were ever-present, eternal, and that they'd never be going away.
While Kat would much rather be helping her dad on the farm, she had to go to school, not just because of the district laws that required it, but because of her younger sister. Diane couldn't make it to school on her own. Walking all that way was too hard for her, and she couldn't take the transport to school by herself, so Kat had to make sure she made it there. When their mother was alive, things were different. Now, it just seemed like the world was getting worse and worse by the day.
Kat didn't like to think that things could get worse, because then they inevitably always did. Still, it was hard not to lament her situation. That's why she rarely paid attention in class. Soon enough she'd be old enough to leave school, and work on the farm for the rest of her life.
The livestock farm wasn't exactly a place of smiles and joy. It was home, though, and she knew that she had the skills to take over the operation once her father needed her to. Hopefully that wouldn't be for many more years.
"Buckley, can you repeat what I just said?" asked the teacher, causing Kat to look up at the board to try and figure out what they were talking about. Embarrassed, and slightly angry, she shook her head, causing the teacher to sigh.
"Dorothy Anju was the victor of the 102nd hunger games, and our most recent victor from district ten. She won her games in a show of strength for the district, and as one of our only two victors in the past thirty years, it's highly important that we learn about how she managed such a feat," said the teacher. Going over to the projector, the older man fiddled with it for a moment before a picture was brought up onto the white tarp tacked onto the wall in lieu of a projector screen.
Kat instantly perked up. Dorothy Anju wasn't your typical run-of-the-mill victor. No, she was cool.
Covered in piercings and tattoos, Dorothy had a permanent scowl underneath her skinny eyebrows and black lipstick. Her teased hair didn't translate well on the screen, and her all-black clothing made it hard to distinguish her features since the balance of the image had been thrown off. If Kat had to guess, Dorothy was in her early thirties now, though the picture seemed to show her a few years younger than what she was at the present.
Although she'd probably seen Dorothy on television before, Kat couldn't remember her looking quite as interesting as she did in the projection. It took her a moment to become grumpy again, as she remembered a crucial piece of information.
Even the coolest victor was still part of the Capitol's systems. Part of the games. Kat would never say it allowed, as any sort of rebellion could mean death or worse for her family, but she couldn't keep her mind from turning. How could someone who looked like Dorothy be a gear in the machine?
As she pondered this, someone knocked at the door of the classroom. Kat didn't turn until she heard a familiar voice coming from the doorway.
"Please, I need to get my sister! It's urgent," said Leo Buckley, her younger brother, in a voice that worried her a little too much. Leo was almost never worried, and his tone of voice made her instantly stand up.
Ignoring the teacher, she ran over to Leo, who seemed to be out of breath. She put a hand on his shoulder and waited for him to calm down before looking into his eyes.
"Leo, what happened? Is everything alright?" she asked, hesitant to hear the answer. He looked at her and his face contorted.
"It's Diane! She's unconscious, we think she hit her head in class and now she won't get up!" he said, causing her to freeze. Anger welled up inside her, and she started moving without thinking, grabbing Leo's hand and running away towards the classroom that the young girl would be in. When they made it there, her heart almost stopped.
"What happened?" yelled Kat, pushing past the crowd around her and bending down beside the unconscious girl. Diane's cane had been knocked away, and Kat grabbed it, holding it close as she examined her sister. She was still breathing, which was a good sign. She'd never been this scared before, not even last year during her first reaping.
"She fainted. We've already called a doctor, they're on the way." said a voice from behind her. Diane's teacher was wringing her hands together, looking anxious, but Kat had no pity for her.
"How could you let this happen? You know she's fragile, you know she needs extra monitoring! You're all useless!" she hissed, holding her sister's hand as her mind spun. When she'd woken up that morning, she hadn't anticipated this. It just gave her flashbacks to when her mother first fell ill, and they all knew how that ended.
A couple of hours later, in the doctor's clinic, Kat paced around in the small space. Leo was bouncing his leg up and down as he sat, and they both stared anxiously at the door. Their father had rushed to the school and picked them up in his truck, driving them as fast as he could to the clinic. None of them wanted to think about how expensive the visit would be, nor about how much they were worried about Diane.
"Kat, Leo. We're ready for you," said a nurse, who gestured for them to go back through the double doors. Kat and her little brother anxiously followed him, with Kat glaring at everyone that dared to look at them as they passed.
"Dad! Is she going to be ok?" asked Leo as soon as they made it back, the Buckley family all crowded around a small cot. He nodded, and Kat breathed a sigh of relief. Diane had woken up, and was attached to an IV, looking extremely tired and letting out a small cough every few seconds.
"We think it's just a cold, but we're not sure what happened to make her faint," he said, looking up from the cot and giving Kat a reassuring nod. Arthur Buckley looked tired and weary, the bags under his eyes more prominent than ever before. Kat instinctively gave him a hug, then knelt down next to Diane.
"Hey there, Didi. You doing ok?" asked Kat, trying to make her voice stop shaking. Diane managed a weak nod, and the older girl patted her sister's hand before stepping back.
"Dad, I'll see if they'll let me out of school early this year. The reaping is coming up, I'm sure it'll be fine if I don't attend all my classes. I can help you on the farm, and we can earn back the money from this," she told him, whispering so that Diane didn't hear. Arthur solemnly shook his head.
"You've already helped enough, Kat. We'll figure this out," he replied quietly, as Leo began trying to cheer Diane up. When the doctor came back in, Arthur talked to her for a few minutes, as Kat stared at the wall. How could they get through this if her dad wouldn't even let her help? If things kept continuing like this, they'd lose the farm, and then they'd truly be unable to provide for themselves. Diane's medicine was already expensive enough without this added visit.
Kat sat there for what seemed like an eternity, her mind racing. It wasn't fair. How could the Capitol let the people of the districts suffer like this? She was so angry, and her anger soon gave way to numbness.
Her name was already in the reaping bowl more times than she could count, as many times as they'd allow it for a seventeen year old. It was dangerous, but there were so many others in the district in the same situation that she didn't really think about what it meant. In her eyes, the reaping was a far off concept, as were the games. She'd be safe, right?
When they finally were able to bring Diane home that night, Kat still couldn't breathe a sigh of relief. This could happen again, and then what would they do? She needed to convince her father that she could do more on the farm. She might already spend most of her waking hours outside of school caring for her siblings, but she could always do more. She had to.
Chapter 12 Part 3
"You ever think about what life would have been like if we hadn't met?" asked Elina, leaning her head on Wren's shoulder.
Wren had to laugh. Sure, she'd thought about it. She'd thought about it quite a lot, actually. It was hard not to, what with everything that had gone down leading up to them meeting each other.
"I mean, it took a lot for me to get here. Everything with my parents, having to move here, the whole drama of it all," replied Wren with a soft smile. It was sometimes hard to think about, but knowing that she had Elina by her side made all the difference. The two had been inseparable for years now, since Wren moved to Penderhollow from district seven's main city.
"Yeah. I'm glad I met you, Wren," Elina said, giving her a soft smile.
The two sat in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company and trying not to think about the circumstances. About the past, and instead about how much love they had for each other.
For a second, a possible future played through Wren's mind. Getting married. Wearing a white dress, one with stains and rips on the bottom. Taking over the woodworking business. Laughing and smiling in the kitchen, dancing together as they spun each other around. Growing old. Forgetting about the ever-present terrors of the world.
She'd fight for that future. For Elina.
If anyone happened to look at her in that moment, they'd see a content expression on her face.
"Wren," said a voice from behind her. Almost jumping, she turned, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that it was her older brother. Arnold and Wren looked fairly similar, but the smile lines on his face were more prominent than on her. However, at the present moment, they were nowhere to be seen. His mouth was turned down in a sharp frown.
Confused at the uncharacteristic expression, Wren moved to stand up, though Elina grabbed her hand. She gently let go when Wren shook her head. Arnold had only looked like this a couple times in the past six years.
"I'll see you later, Elina," she whispered before giving her partner a kiss on the cheek. As she followed Arnold, she opened her mouth to ask him a question, but was shot down by his silence. She couldn't bring herself to ask what happened. The walk back to the shop was quick, though it felt like it took an eternity. When they got there, she noticed that there was a car parked outside. That was weird. Not many of the district citizens had access to personal vehicles, and those that did were typically super wealthy.
Most district seven citizens walked to work, or took old trains to their work sites. These trains didn't run throughout the whole district, and in Penderhollow, there was only one that ran through the center of the town. There was no way to get far away from the town if someone didn't have a car, so this could only mean that this was someone from out of town.
That had to mean… shit. No. It couldn't be them!
"Arnold, tell me it's not them," escaped her, and was only confirmed with a slight nod. She cursed, loudly, and then felt her face flush with anger. Why would they be here? How did they even have the money to borrow a car? They weren't that wealthy.
When the door opened, Leonor's unusually anxious looking face greeted them. Fine. If this was how it was going to be, Wren was going to go into it on her own terms.
Pushing past Arnold, and walking right past Leonor into the shop, she kept her head held high.
"Wren, please-"
"No. I'm not going back with you,"
Wren had her arms crossed, staring down her parents with a steely gaze. Normally, she'd charm her way out of this situation, but she knew these people. Knew them too well, in fact. It didn't matter that it had been six years. The only way to get what she wanted was to take control, and remain in control. If she gave them even an ounce of leeway they'd take over.
"Wren." said Troy Carmona, her father, only uttering her name but letting something unspoken go between them.
Keaton came back into the room, then decided against it, giving Leonor a nod before exiting once more.
Wren had a great deal of respect for her caretakers, It didn't matter that Leonor was her mother's cousin. Leonor and Keaton meant more to her than her parents ever would, especially after the betrayal that had been revealed all those years ago.
"You really think I'm going to go back with you? Leave Penderhollow, with everything I know now?" she spat back, feet planted firmly on the ground as she sat. There was no way. It didn't matter that she hadn't been the one they'd tried to make money off of. What did matter was the fact that they'd almost been killed because of her parent's scheming, and that those that had tried to kill them had been in the right.
"We've changed, dear. It's different now. The orphanage is legitimate. We don't accept money in exchange for the kids anymore," said Yasmin, her mother, causing Wren to twist her face into more of a scowl.
"So you admit it, then? That you were tesserae farming? That you let kids go into places where they could get drafted into the games solely so you could make money?" Wren questioned, meeting her mother's gaze with steely eyes.
"That's beside the point. What matters is that we're different now, and we want you to come home. It's been so long, we miss you," responded Troy. Arnold, who was standing in the back of the room behind Wren, let out a sigh. Wren turned around to look at him, and he stepped forward, putting a hand on the back of her chair.
"Maybe we should consider it. They're our parents, after all. I know they did us wrong, but I think they're being genuine," he said, every word like a stab to Wren's heart. What had happened to him? He'd usually never say something like this. He hated their parents just as much as she did. Why would he change his mind? Promptly, Wren asked that question.
"What's wrong with you? You love Leonor and Keaton. They're our family. Why would you turn your back on them?" she asked.
In response, he took several envelopes out of his pocket and handed them to Wren. Inside, the contents made her gasp, before making her more confused than ever. These were supposedly the business records from the woodworking shop, but they couldn't be. Wren would have known. She did all the books and the numbers.
"Where'd you get these?" she demanded, looking back and forth from Leonor to Arnold. Leonor looked confused, too, and came over to take the envelopes and look them over.
"They were in the mail," replied Arnold.
"Arnold, I love you, you're my brother, and I'll always respect you. Are you seriously that fucking stupid?" she asked, laughing a bit as she spoke. Her anger was boiling up inside her. How dare someone try to falsify the business records! The fact that Arnold had fallen for it just showed how out of touch he was becoming. Or maybe just how gullible he was.
Wren stood up, looking to Leonor for confirmation, who nodded back.
"These are false," she said with a determined look in her eyes. Arnold took a step back.
"Wren, I thought… nevermind what I thought," Arnold responded, slightly embarrassed. Finally turning back to Troy and Yasmin, Wren gestured toward the door.
"I don't know why you're really here, or what's going on, but we don't want you here. Leave. Get out," she hissed, with Arnold and Leonor in her corner. Keaton came back in, and went over to the front door of the shop, holding it open for them..
Despite the four sets of eyes locked onto them, Troy and Yasmin didn't move.
"They're here because they need credibility. We're not the ones in trouble, they are. I called someone back in the district center. The orphanage is failing, and they needed their children back as a gesture to make everyone think they had it together," said Keaton.
At this point, Wren was ready to take the chairs out from under her birth parents and push them out the door herself.
"I'm not letting you ruin my life a second time. Now. Get. Out," said Wren, putting a lot of emphasis on her words.
Finally, after what was quite the staring contest, Troy and Yasmin stood up and silently walked out of the house. As they passed Wren, they handed her a small bracelet, made out of what seemed like nice materials at first but could easily be spotted as a fake by the trained eye.
Later that night, Wren chucked the bracelet into the forest. She had no regrets about doing so. She'd stay with her real family, the family she loved, and wouldn't let anything come between her and them.
Author's Note:
Two chapters within the span of a month! I'm making progress! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try to get the next one out in a timely fashion. Thanks for reading!