maybelle 'may' amaranth
district nine tribute 114th Games. Nineteen.
∞
❝—I was supposed to be free of this shithole but
of look at me now. All I can ask is was it worth it? ❞
May had finally fallen asleep sometime after running from Lana, finally giving in to the urge that she had been fighting for however long she had been in the arena. One day, two days, she didn’t even know how long it had been since she had even been there. How many were even left? She hadn’t heard a canon in what felt like an eternity and that had unnerved her more then the arena itself, how much longer were they going to be able to go around without hurting each other? She’d tried. Tried to take out Timber, Penelope, even thinking on taking Ronan out when she saw him approaching her. The fact that she had thought about taking out the one person she hadn’t minded, heck she even liked him, since arriving in the Capitol.
As she slept, she had dreamed of what life could be like if they met in different circumstances. All of them. Would she and Ronan even have crossed paths? Would she have been so awful to Penelope? The dreams continued, carefully weaving a life she wouldn’t ever have. Her dream was shattered by the soft ringing of a sponsor gift as he dropped down in her lap, jolting her awake. Frowning at it, she grabbed the parachute and undid the note to read it with some growing apprehension. She mouthed along with the message, head darting up as she wondered what it could’ve meant. Pre arena May would’ve chucked the note, figuring it to be a trick. This May however, didn’t hesitate as she jumped up as quick as she could and dragged her bag over her shoulder.
She kept her head down as she weaved through the arena, the fact that the mutts were no longer around not even registering. She hadn’t noticed, she hadn’t even realised. All she was wondering on, was who could be waiting on the island. It didn’t even occur to her that to get there she had to swim, something she had never done before. She dropped her bag at the edge of the water, casting a glance around her before she began to wade in. Her gaze focused in on the edge, a million options of who could be waiting on the other side of the water for her. Her brothers? Mother? A small smile creeped on her lips, as her feet pushed off the floor of the arena and projected her through the water.
She nearly made it. But halfway across she began to struggle, legs pumping as she tried to get across. She felt herself slipping under, and it was getting harder and harder to remain afloat. Her wound in her side ached, and she felt her grip on reality slipping slightly as she dipped under. When she surfaced for air again, she coughed up water, and in that motion she slipped back down again. This time, she didn’t rise up again.
Beneath the water, everything felt like it was moving in slow motion, the entire world slowing down. She sunk deeper, consciousness drifting in and out before the panic began to set in and she tried to take a deep breath, coughing as her lungs began to fill with water. It would be her downfall as soon everything went black.
Above the water, a canon sounded as in the middle of water a blonde clad in brown pyjamas pierced the surface.
When she saw no movement, she convinced herself she was hallucinating, perhaps some left over side effects of whatever that sand man had blown in her face. Shaking her head, she turned and continued on her way. She was trying to make a game plan in her mind. She’d found a measley amount of food and a full canteen and an empty pack. It would have to do until one of her mentors decided to send her something. But she needed to find allies, perhaps find Penelope again… or maybe just go back to the island and wait for any other’s looking for water. She glanced over her shoulder once more, feeling as if she were being watched. Narrowing her eyes, she squinted into the darkness, but still saw nothing.
May exhaled softly as the career kept moving, glad that for the first time she wasn’t spotted as she kept following in the bushes. Her breathing was shallow, as she tried to remain unhidden, but she was so focused on the steps forward that she didn’t notice where she was stepping until her foot snapped a twig. She winced, ducking down and hoping that she wasn’t caught.
A silver parachute drifts slowly to the ground. A small box is attached with a note from mentor Bran Cassidy. Inside are Ibuprofin tablets (3). The note reads: “Keep your eyes forward.“
Lana and Timber had separated. She had told him she would go looking for him, that they should meet back up, but if she was honest, she only wanted to meet back up if it meant killing him. She was headed back to the cornucopia, pausing just out of reach of the boogeyman mutts, when she heard the awful song begin to play. She glanced over her shoulder to see a yellow sandman fall from the sky. Her eyes widened and she turned back to the cornucopia. She had no weapon, but surely she had missed something in the metal structure. When the creature started coming towards her, she made the decision to run. She took off through two beds, stumbling as a boogeyman mutt grabbed at her ankles. It clawed at her, trying to drag her back, but kicking at its face and hands, she was barely able to survive. Scratches stinging as she stumbled the rest of the way to the cornucopia. She hid behind the wall and peered out, ducking back within the walls when it looked her way. But she had trapped herself and in seconds sand was blown in her face. Dream land was unwelcome and she fought it hard, telling herself she needed to wake up. Someone could come along and kill her. Finally when she did wake, it was with a start. She gasped, looking around. She stood and grabbed an empty backpack before rummaging around through the contents. It was then her leg began to sting. Cursing under her breath, she found another canteen of water and some bandages. Deciding to cut her losses, she quickly made her way out of the sector again, leaping onto a bed and then back off to avoid the muttsunder them. She travelled, looking for any sight of anyone else, steering clear of the doll island and the forest just south that she knew harboured spiders. She paused when she thought she saw someone. “Hello?” She called.
Still shaken from the sleep paralysis, May returned to running to try and distract herself, she knew she wasn't going to be sleeping again after that. Tensing when Lana realised she wasn't alone, Maybelle ducked down, eyes locking on the career as she watched her moves. She moved backwards, not quite responding to the girls calls.
He’d evaded the mutts for as long as possible, ducking in and out from the cover of trees. He’d heard the melody playing over the arena before. It was a lullaby he used to play for his sisters whenever their parents went out and they had free reign of the house. Thinking about that now only sent shivers across his skin. Keep it together, he kept reminding himself. But it wasn’t as easy to lock away all emotion as he’d thought it would be. Had it been easy for his uncle, for his great-aunt? How much longer would this go on? How many Galloway’s would give their blood for an arena? If he won, he’d make sure he was the last one.
They caught him in the graveyard, spraying him with dust. The paraylsis came over him in waves. He had just enough time to catch himself against a tree and ensure he fell on his back. The impact jarred his skull though sending shooting pain across his forehead. He couldn’t so much as twitch his finger. From the chapel he could hear the sounds of ghosts and somewhere else the cracking of branches. He was helpless right then. Anything or anyone could have come up and killed him and all he would have been able to do was look at them. His vision blurred but he fought it off. He thought of Emmy and Livia, of the life he wanted to live after this. Move, he kept telling himself. Move. Move. Move. The hallucinations came slowly over him. First his parents, then Colby crushing the air from his lungs, then his Uncle Silver looking at him with milky white eyes. “So disappointed,” he groaned.
He didn’t know how long it took. A half an hour, three hours, five, but eventually the paraylsis broke. His hands came back first and then his legs and finally his whole body. He sat upright, skin cold and tight as he gasped in full breaths of air.
May hadn't stayed still for long, she was too tense to settle down, and whilst she knew she had to sleep soon she knew that she wouldn't be able to do so whilst she was still so paranoid. She ducked beneath a branch to avoid another tribute, only catching a flash of the colours from Ten before they were gone again. It was then she heard the music. She froze, wondering what they had planned, but she wasn't expecting the hallucinations as she caught sight of Rye, of Milo, her Mom and Dad. Her gaze locked onto Rye, "R-rye, Rye I--" you're what, May, huh? Sorry? The words couldn't leave her lips, she was just merely stuck there watching her family, fear taking over her. When it broke, she realised she hadn't been alone, and worse tears were steadily streaming down her cheeks and she turned her head to hide her face from him as she prepared to keep running.
She wasn’t expecting Penelope’s move, and no matter how hard she tried to brace herself she found her body crashing down as she tried to straddle the blonde and send another fist crashing towards her face.
Penelope managed to dodge the girl’s attack the second time, rolling over onto her stomach before pushing herself off the ground. Quickly, she found her trident in the shadows and began to run. “Don’t follow me or else!” she screamed at the other girl. “Marina from Four taught me how to use this and I will next time.”
She watched the girl retreating with some satisfaction, "You're a terrible liar, Penelope!" She called after the girls retreating back, though it was enough to make the blonde resolved to take the girl from Ten out as soon as possible.
She tilted her head, her own encounter with Penelope fresh in her mind. “Who knew blondie had it in her.” She muttered. She finally lifted her back pack to reveal her own injury, “Mutt.” She explained, before the mention of Ten and the mutt had her thinking. “I kinda have an idea.”
“Got a nice chunk out of you, huh?” His mind immediately sorted away the injury for later reference. It made him vaguely sick to his stomach, but it was necessary. Or at least he told himself it was. “Do tell.”
“Yeah, the mutts, those things under the bed, they don’t just give up when their tribute is dead, I was uh, there for a little while. The one under eights bed took out the girl from four.” She didn’t add it was because of her, “I think they’re programmed to just keep going. If we can lure them there, close enough to the beds to get the mutt to attack.” She shrugged a little, “Dunno if it’d work, they’d need to not see me. We don’t exactly see eye to eye.”
She hissed, stepping back as the sharp point of the trident scraping at her leg through her pajama pants. She moved to grab the girl, aiming for her wrist to try and disarm her.
The girl from Nine took hold of her wrist, not unlike how Ronan had so many moments before. Using all of her weight, she threw herself onto the ground, losing hold of the trident for the first time since grabbing it. Penelope yanked the girl’s arm, hoping to drag her down onto the ground with her.
She wasn't expecting Penelope's move, and no matter how hard she tried to brace herself she found her body crashing down as she tried to straddle the blonde and send another fist crashing towards her face.
The slightest of smirks tugged briefly at her lip before it faded again. “Yeah. Just.” She admitted, hugging the backpack closer to her injured side so that it couldn’t be seen. “You got out okay?” She asked, eyes flickering across his frame to see if there were any injuries.
“Got skewered by a trident,” he admitted, leaving out the part where he’d been the first to attack the girl from ten. There was no use hiding his injury, one whole arm of his outfit was soaked in blood. “But I’ll survive the hour. District ten’s going to be an issue.”
She tilted her head, her own encounter with Penelope fresh in her mind. "Who knew blondie had it in her." She muttered. She finally lifted her back pack to reveal her own injury, "Mutt." She explained, before the mention of Ten and the mutt had her thinking. "I kinda have an idea."
She smirked as she saw the trident dart out in Penelope’s attempt to trip her up, jumping neatly over it and aiming a fist at the other tributes face.
The girl’s closed fist met her first squarely and she tumbled backwards. She groaned in pain, scanning the area for where the girl had ended up. Not seeing her, she swung the sharp parts of the trident wildly around her.
She hissed, stepping back as the sharp point of the trident scraping at her leg through her pajama pants. She moved to grab the girl, aiming for her wrist to try and disarm her.
She winced as she realised that she had been heard, the fact that it was Ronan was not making it any easier. Despite they had gotten along okay outside when it was just training, her past experiences of careers wasn’t exactly making her trusting of him. Finally, she lifted her head high and walked out of the bushes. “Wasn’t trying to kill you, just didn’t want to be found.”
He dropped back onto his heels when he heard rustling ready to fight at a seconds notice. Six more people had to die before he could go home, and he’d been too distracted with the boogeymen mutt to notice what tributes had come away with weapons from the cornucopia. He took the slightest of breaths when he spotted May coming through the trees. “Hey there honey badger. I knew you’d make it out of that bloodbath.”
The slightest of smirks tugged briefly at her lip before it faded again. "Yeah. Just." She admitted, hugging the backpack closer to her injured side so that it couldn't be seen. "You got out okay?" She asked, eyes flickering across his frame to see if there were any injuries.
Fresh from her fight with Lana, she tugged the backpack over her shoulder as she cast a quick gaze to the careers direction, making sure that she didn’t have anyone following her. She could still hear the screams of the other tributes unlucky enough to not make it, though she knew that meant bad things for her. Less tributes, meant more people after her. Especially with her tendency to piss people offs Instinctively, she headed into a wooded area, tensing when she heard footsteps as she ducked down to hide and see what it was.
He was still bleeding from the trident blow on his upper arm, but as he walked he cut off a strip off his flimsy pj’s and tied it as a makeshift turnicate. It would do until he could figure out the next step. He needed to find a suitable shelter considering the cornucopia was going to be damn near impossible to hold. One wrong step and he’d be taken by those mutts. He’d find somewhere else to defend. He was just heading out toward the woods when he heard scuttling and tensed. “I heard you,” he called out. “You want to kill me come on out and try. Don’t hide in the bushes like a coward.”
She winced as she realised that she had been heard, the fact that it was Ronan was not making it any easier. Despite they had gotten along okay outside when it was just training, her past experiences of careers wasn't exactly making her trusting of him. Finally, she lifted her head high and walked out of the bushes. "Wasn't trying to kill you, just didn't want to be found."
“There’s no such thing as an honorable killing in the Games–” she practically spat at him, the sharp pain in her arm enough to stop her in her tracks before he twisted her arm enough to break it. That was the last thing she needed, the change in Timber from the guy he’d been on the outside was a surprise, but then again, she knew better then to have trusted anyone. She was glad in that moment to have gone with her instinct and not made friends, “Nice guys finish last, asshole.” she muttered, before she brought her knee up towards his groin.
“You’re right, ask the boy from two. Or at least what’s left of him on my shoe.” Grinning, he decided to drop the act, Maybelle clearly had no intention of being friends, which just meant she was an obstacle right now. Flipping from a offensive to a defensive, he saw her leg coming and tried to side step, but she still collided with his hip, which was enough to make him stumble back a little. “Sorry, can’t let you hit those, gonna need them.” He took a step back. “I’ll give you one last chance. Lets work together, or run. I won’t be nice again.”
She watched Conri intently through the bushes, tensing when he mentioned the blondes name, his district partner. However, no reply came and the more she studied she noticed he thought that May was his district partner, perhaps, or whether he was just searching for her in general. She ducked down a little more and began to creep closer to him, watching carefully to see if he would notice her.
He thought he had seen something in the corner of his eye unsure of what to do. If it was Penelope she would have come out by now, surely. i it was another tribute why weren’t they attacking? People didn’t go around making friends now and he was an easy target. “Hello?” he called out into the night voice wavering.
Conrì was walking through the arena quietly breathing hard. He still had to find Penelope and his mind was screaming, panicking wanting to cry out. He was scared and lost and he just wanted to find Penelope. “Penny?” He almost whispered too scared to raise his voice. If he would come across someone like Ronan he doubted that the tribute would hesitate long. he wasn’t even sure how many tributes even where int he games anymore though.
She watched Conri intently through the bushes, tensing when he mentioned the blondes name, his district partner. However, no reply came and the more she studied she noticed he thought that May was his district partner, perhaps, or whether he was just searching for her in general. She ducked down a little more and began to creep closer to him, watching carefully to see if he would notice her.
