For life is quite absurd, and death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow
Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin
Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow.
So always look on the bright side of death...
Just before you draw your terminal breath...
Life's a piece of shit, when you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true
You'll see its all a show, keep 'em laughin as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you
The sounds of District 12 in the final showdown were quiet and muffled, some families still mourning while others had hope. A gruff-looking man with a bundle in his arms, meanwhile, was making his way toward the Jameson home. Muffled sobs were heard from the house as Levi's family mourned their son. A knock on the door startled them both.
It opened to reveal a ragged mother and her tearstained little girl, just ten years old and watching her brother be drowned. She hid behind her mother, nervous and shy. The man looked uncomfortable, holding the bundle like it was diseased.
It was a tiny bird in a cage, even smaller than Starling's old one. It was pretty underfed and chirping pitifully. Etta's eyes lit up as she ran to the kitchen to find an eyedropper and feed it. She'd take care of that bird with her life, after all, it was Levi's girlfriend's bird. Her mother looked up at the man and they shared a brief moment of understanding.
"They're together now," she said, wringing her hands. She didn't want to think about funeral preparations or welcoming her son's murderer back to the district. She'd be sleeping with Killian's shotgun near her bed now... just in case.
The man tipped his hat and nodded. He didn't seem too shaken. "'Guess they are." He turned and proceeded down the walk, leaving behind the thing that Starling loved the most in the care of the person Levi loved the most.
when my time is over, lying in my grave
written on my tombstone, I want it to say:
"this man was a legend, a legend of his time,
when he was at a party, the party never died"
Drowning.
Drowning.
Drowning.
Was this karma? For the way I'd so ruthlessly shoved the water bottle down Serah's throat? For the way that Starling screamed when Shamus came down on me? I didn't care because there was water in my lungs and suddenly everything is black and then white again and I'm fading... fading... fading...
I gasp as water turns to oxygen, drawing air into my lungs. Someone's hand is on the back of my head and pulled me out of what I can see now is a pond, but I'm miraculously dry. I hope it's Starling for a second but I've realized now how stupid I was. She was gone the whole time. I was so stupid to think I had the chance to win, to have something happy happen to me instead of forcing me to create my own happiness out of nothing.
It's not Starling, it's a man, and I turn to look into the most familiar eyes I could imagine. "...Dad?" I throw my arms around him, a tear escaping my eye as I embrace my father for the first time in years. "I'm so sorry, Dad... I was so close and now Etta and Mom-" he cuts me off, gripping my shoulders and levelling a look in my eyes.
"You did what you could. This wasn't just a game, son, this is a show. They know what they wanted to have happen at the end- and they got it." He wraps me up again and I nod.
He claps a hand on my shoulder for a moment. "Someone wants to see you..." he says, not able to hold back the hint of a smile on his face. I pause in confusion before I feel delicate arms wrap around me from behind and instantly, I'm home.
I turn around so fast I can barely register her face before I'm kissing her, the way I hallucinated, the way I couldn't kiss her in the regimented training centre. Her legs wrap my waist and we both are crying, our tears mingling on our faces as we stay pressed together as long as we can until we both need to see the other's face.
She runs her fingers down my cheek, wiping a tear. "I'm so proud of you," she whispers, gazing into my eyes the way I'd so sorely missed. "I love you, Levi. So much." I leaned down and kissed her again, just for a moment.
"I love you too," I whisper back. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"It's okay," she murmurs, nuzzling her face into my neck. "I have you now. And you have nothing to be sorry about." I nod, leaning in to kiss her again. A slight throat-clearing pulls me away and Sam is there, a bright little smirk on her face, her eyelashes back and looking beautiful as ever. A young boy stands not too far away, I assume it's her brother.
I throw my arms around her and pull her tightly toward me, neither of us speaking a word. There's silent apologies, silent wishes we never had to part, silent wishes I'd never lost my mind and spiraled so deeply off the edge and silent wishes that she'd been there to catch me.
I hold her for as long as I can before I need Starling again. Star pulls me back safely against her and I can nuzzle my nose into her neck and smell her hair and for the first time since she died I smile, a true smile that lights up my entire face. She smiles too.
We're together and it's permanent now. We both lost so much but we gained so much more. Star is with her mother, I with my father, and the two of us never have to part. We spend our days curled up with each other, mesmerized and joyous. There's birds and there's warmth and light and forests just like she wanted for so long. Of course I miss my family but I think, just maybe, I would've missed Star more.
Injuries: badly broken ribs, deep cut & whip marks in cheek (bandaged), little cuts on wrist
Items (including weapons, packs, etc): clown mask, vial of poison, baseball bat, 4 bottles of water, extra pair of boots, an arena map, taser, war club, boomerang, and of course, one of the spiffy coins, five arrows (tipped with poison)
Without the Dark the Light Won't Show, Remember That You're Not Alone || OS
I collapsed at the base of a tree with Starling next to me, clinging to the coin tightly as if it would roll away from me in moments. I tried to control my breathing, not trying to think of Serah's lifeless eyes.
My ribs throbbed with pain now, even worse. I knew before long it would start fucking with my lungs so I needed to finish this up and get out alive before I really ran into trouble. I took the last morphling tablet I'd saved and washed it down with a sip of water before ditching all the food. Something told me I wouldn't be here long enough for another meal.
I pulled Starling against me and sat to watch the fallen. Something about her head in my lap was foreign, I couldn't really feel her and it frustrated me. I let out a cry as I saw Sam's picture, it was true now that I really had no allies here. She was all that kept me sane and I clutched to the fragments of Starling I had left. But she was real and vibrant, more than ever.
The parachute landed in my lap and though I was confused at the wording that sounded like Star wasn't here, the idea that they'd set something up for me like it was from Sam gave me comfort. She was okay. I pulled my poison out and tipped each arrow, tucking them safely away.
The announcement sounded and I gathered my supplies. Looking at Star I couldn't help but smile though my heart raced with fear. "I love you. We're getting out of here."
It was nice to know that I wasn't completely alone.
Location: curled in the bushes by the southwestern end of building L
Injuries: broken ribs, deep cut & whip marks in cheek (bandaged), little cuts on wrist
Items (including weapons, packs, etc): 2 bags of peanuts, 1 bag of cotton candy, 2 bottles of water, clown mask, vial of poison, baseball bat, morphling tablet
Notable Developments:
sat in the bushes because Swift is writing a paper and didn't have time to be productive
Starling is still here and maybe I'm going crazy...
but two winners? That means me and Star can both go home!
I'd walked away from Sam with a heavy heart but I knew Star was with me now. "We should find a safe place for now, and maybe worry about travelling later on, when it's dark and it's harder to see us coming," I mused, my bat held in one hand as we walked. "And then, well, we'll see what happens." Starling nodded enthusiastically as we continued.
I ducked down slightly toward the water, looking out over it. Nothing seemed to be there, though I wasn't sure. I looked to the building I was approaching and noticed some bushes next to it. Better that than nothing. I noticed, across the way, there were a couple tributes. I prayed they just weren't looking.
I concealed myself in the bushes, curled up with my back against the building. I broke a few branches from them and arranged them a bit so I was hidden more within them. Nervously I looked up at the sky, hoping that come midnight, everyone I loved was still around.
I turned to Starling and smiled a little as she rested her hand on my cheek. Her touch was gentle and I melted into it, humming happily. "I love you," I murmured, watching her soft kiss approach my forehead. I couldn't feel her lips much and frowned, earning a soft stroke to my cheek which instantly brought a lazy smile back to my face.
"I love you too, Levi," she cooed. "Stay awake for me, you have to protect me, remember?" I nodded, pulling some peanuts from my bag and shoving some in my mouth. I chewed and swallowed, smiling lazily again as I watched all sides.
Sam and I had a low-key day of rest. In truth, we were terrified to move or do anything, terrified of anything coming out way. But the announcement hit me like a ton of bricks and I stared over to her with a heavy heart.
"No," I whispered hoarsely. "I can't leave you... you're the only thing that's keeping me sane." Sam looked as crestfallen as I felt, but more than that I saw worry in her expression. We both knew what was to happen to me if she wasn't there keeping me afloat. She'd been down that road and it was the very same one that I was being guided down now.
But we were left with no choice. Death was imminent if I were to stay by her side. I wordlessly packed my things and turned, looking at Sam one more time. I walked forward and threw my arms around her, holding her close to my chest. "Thank you," I whispered simply. "You saved my life and I swear, no matter what happens to me past this, I will never forget what you've done for me." I tried to suppress the tears as I held her close, minding her glasses.
I lifted my pack onto my back and gripped my baseball bat in one hand, helplessly looking back at her. I squeezed her hand tightly one more time, proceeding away, southeast, following the path cautiously and slowly. Maybe I'd hit up the coastline. Or lurk around the side of the buildings. Just trying to stay safe, better to find others than for them to find me.
Location: Trees between Cell Block A and the Admin building (we will move I promise, we meant to but then the feels happened)
Injuries: broken ribs, deep cut & whip marks in cheek (bandaged), little cuts on wrist
Items (including weapons, packs, etc): 2 bags of peanuts, 1 bag of cotton candy, 1 pack pre-cooked corn dogs, 2 bottles of water, clown mask, vial of poison, baseball bat, morphling tablet
Notable Developments:
began to hallucinate Starling
got a sponsor gift of a bandage and some morphling
Sam tried to talk me back down to earth and away from the hallucinations and I had a complete mental breakdown over losing Star and Mariah and I cried a lot
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