Watt watched the Peacekeeper as he circled around the room like he was some sort of predator, then glanced back at Quartz. âYou should probably go now. I did something I shouldnât have. I thinkâŠâ He said and a ghost of his old âfuck the rulesâ self floated through him as he smirked, âI think this guy wants some alone time with me now.â Then it was gone, and he straightened up in his chair giving the girl in front of him an almost confused frown. âIâm glad youâre here, though. Iâm glad to have someone here on our side.â
Quartz didn't know what they had done to Watt, but she was worried about him. She wanted to help him but she was helpless. Â A sigh fell from her lips and she nodded. Â "I'm glad you have someone too, Watt." Â She shot the peacekeeper a look then before offering a sympathetic smile to Watt. Â "I'll see you soon, okay?" Â Then she stood up and left, not wanting to stay any longer if something was going to happen to Watt.
Watt practically growled at the Peacekeeper that lifted him back to his feet and pushed him back down into the chair he had been sitting in, this time cuffing his hands behind his back and saying something about how he needed to behave.Â
But he turned to look at Quartz out of the corner of his eyes for a brief moment before almost visibly relaxing in his seat. âI know who the real enemy is, thatâs what theyâre training me to stop.â Heâd said something he probably shouldnât have and he could tell by the ready to use his tazer on him again look the Peacekeeper had in his body language. He bit down on his bottom lip and looked back at Quartz shaking his head. ââOr something.â Great recovery.Â
Quartz watched with wide eyes as Watt was cuffed again. Â She kept her hands clasped in front of her and sighed softly. Â She hated it here. Â All she wanted to do was find Elias and Fitz. Â She wanted to go home, but she couldn't. Â That was the real problem. Â Could she ever go home again? Â Quartz had no idea.
"Training?" Â Suddenly everything was falling into place. Â That was why Watt seemed completely different from the man she had met before she was captured. Â They were doing something to believe their lies. Â They were brainwashing him or something. Â Her mind was spinning a million miles per hour while she struggled to make sense of what was happening. Â "Oh...as long as you remember," Quartz murmured. Â She knew that he was a lost cause now. Â He couldn't help her. Â He wasn't playing a game, they turned him into a chess piece.
Again, he didnât know how to react to that. To whatever she was saying now. They werenât his friends. They had never been his friends. That much he was sure of. âThey were not my friends!â They were horrifying, and horrible. They might as well have been monsters in nightmares for what they were in his head now. But reacting with anger wasnât enough, maybe violence would be. The metal table between them was heavier than the chains of his handcuffs so when he pushed it to the side the chains snapped easily enough that it was probably the plan for that to happen all along. Watt reached out and grabbed for Quartzâs throatâ though he was well aware if she needed to sheâd probably be able to take him down easily. She was a career for a reason, and he may have been physically stronger than her, but in his current state  he was practically useless.Â
But it didnât matter, because before he got a good grip on her a Peacekeeper pressed his tazer to Wattâs back causing him to collapse on the floor at Quartzâs feet. Still though he was panting and in pain he lifted his head and glared at the girl. âThey are not my friends." And her? Was she?
Everything happened so fast. Â Quartz was surprised by Watt's swift movements and she began reacting, to fight back, but a peacekeeper dropped Watt with a tazer. Â What was happening? Â She was trying so hard to keep her wits about her. Â If she was going to survive this she needed to play along. Â They'd done something to Watt and the last thing she wanted was for them to do the same thing to her. Â
She could feel the phantom ghost of Watt's fingers where he tried to grab her as she looked down at them. Â "Of course they aren't," she replied cooly, knowing that the peacekeepers were watching. Â "They aren't anymore. Â They are traitors to the Capitol. Â They need to be stopped." Â She felt sick saying such things, but it was a means to an end. Â It was the smartest way to survive this. Â "Are you going to keep being angry at me or are you going to remember who the real enemy is, Watt?"
Anger wasnât a strange reaction for Watt even before all this happened. He was angry a lot and maybe that was what made it come so easy now. He didnât know how to react so he got angry. The thought that their âfriendsâ had left them behind made him angry, and the thought that they had tried to come back and get them made him even angrier. He didnât understand, he felt a pounding in his head that would not stop, so he got angry. He stood up placing his hands on the table and leaning closer to Quartzâ as much as his handcuffs would allow him to. âNone of them give a shit! Not about me, and definitely not about you!â
Quartz didn't even flinch when Watt leaned towards her. Â She didn't care. Â He could get angry for all she cared. Â She was angry too. Â She was just better at hiding that fact. Â Quartz was furious at the Capitol. Â She wanted to escape. Â She wanted to join the rebels, but she couldn't so she was stuck playing this game. Â It was horrible, but she didn't have a choice. Â "Don't forget, Watt. Â They were your friends once. Â Yes, they're traitors. Â Yes, they need to be punished but you can't pretend that you always hated them. Â You didn't."
"But they didnât." Watt said frowning. Either they hadnât tried, or they hadnât succeeded. Butâ In a brief fleeting moment of clarity he realized they hadnât tried because the Capitol were doing what they could to make sure he was against them. They must not of been here for very long then. Those thoughts flickered from his head too fast to even grasp at. And he sent a fearful look past Quartz at the Peackeepers like they would have realized what he was thinking even if he didnât. He looked back at Quartz suddenly angry again. "Maybe they just donât give a shit about us. Theyâre traitors anyway."
"That we know of," she added when Watt said that no one had tried to save them. Â We may simply be in the dark. Â She hoped that wasn't the case. Â She hoped that they hadn't come only to be killed. Â She didn't want to think about what would have happened to her friends if that was the case. Â "I'd say you're probably right. Â Some of them don't give a shit, but I'm sure some of those traitors would have fought like hell to get here." Â She knew Elias would, but she was fairly certain he'd been captured. Â It seemed to her as though everyone who had escaped was forming a plan. Â That had to be it, she just couldn't let people know what she was thinking.
Wattâs eyes narrowed a bit at her question as he thought. How long had they been here? It was always hard to keep track of time when you were being kept in windowless rooms. But even harder when the people keeping you were doing their damndest to keep you as disoriented as possible. âA few months I think?â It had to be. Or maybe more though⊠âOr maybe⊠less? Unless all of the traitors were already killed.â The thought made him feel dizzy again because⊠he didnât know how he would feel about that. âThey would try to rescue us if they werenât.â He managed to get out of his mouth as he rubbed his face to try to stop from feeling like he was going to pass out.
In truth, Quartz had no idea how long they'd been there. Â She wished she did. Â "You might be right. Â I don't really know." Â The idea of the traitors being killed made her feel nauseous. Â She didn't know what had happened to Elias, but she was fairly certain he had been captured. Â As for Fitz, she thought he escaped. Â They were really the only two Quartz cared about except for Tatiana. Â But she had been in the arena. Â She was safe. Â Quartz knew that. Â "You're right," she whispered when she realized they would have come for them a long time ago if something bad hadn't happened. Â "They would have tried to save us."
Watt watched Quartz for a moment furrowing his eyebrows and looking at her like he was trying to tell if she was lying or not. He wasnât sure, he couldnât be sure, and he didnât know⊠if he was supposed to be. Something inside him still hoped she was lying, but that part of him was a lot deeper then it used to be. âGood.â He said then frowned a little. âWhere are they keeping you? Are you still in a prison cell? I was but⊠not anymore.â Because he was working with them now? Or⊠for some reason. That was another thing Watt wasnât exactly clear on.
Quartz had never really gotten to know Watt, but she still knew there was something off with him. Â Maybe he was playing a game like she was, trying to manipulate the Capitol, but something told her that wasn't the case. Â "I was in a cell for awhile but I'm not anymore." Â Of course the room she was kept in was still locked. Â She still could not leave without being escorted, but at least they weren't making her listen to those horrible noises anymore. Â She couldn't handle that for much longer. Â It had been driving her insane. Â "Do you know how long we've been here?" Â She'd lost count of the days. Â That was easy to do in situations like this, that much was certain.
Watt looked Quartz over, like he was trying to tell if she was like the rest of the mentors. The ones he had bad memories with, the traitors to the Capitol, and the rest. âAs long as they can trust you theyâll tell you what you need to know. We have to earn their trust firstâŠâ Apparently he didnât have their trust, yet. But he didnât think heâd do anything to betray them. Would he?
She nodded slightly as she listened to what he was saying. Â It made sense that if they trusted her they would tell her the truth. Â After all, that was her goal. Â She wanted them to trust her. Â She wanted them to tell her what was going on so she could find out what had happened to the others. Â She assumed Elias had been captured as well but hadn't heard about him. Â Quartz couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Fitz. Â He had known about the rebellion. Â Did he make it to District Thirteen? Â Was he safe? Â She hoped that he was. Â After all, he had been the only real friend she had in this place and she didn't want to lose that no matter what happened. Â "That makes sense. Â I have no intention of betraying them." Â That was a lie, but Watt didn't know that. Â Something in her gut told her to be careful what she said to him so that is exactly what she did.
"I think so." He said slowly compulsively opening and closing his hands into fists. He remembered being shocked with high voltages of electricity though, so he wasnât totally doing what they wanted him to he guessed. "I want to. But sometimes I donâtâŠâ Watt shook his head. None of this made any sense. Even when he could remember what happened, it was almost like it was a dream he was trying to remember but when he spoke about it, it came out sounding so strange. Like there were huge parts missing. âMy doctor said I wasnât ready to know what they want me to do yet. But I will be soon. Have they told you anything?â
Quartz nodded as she listened to Watt speak. Â She wasn't sure what they'd done to him, but he definitely wasn't playing a game with them like she was. Â "They haven't told me much yet either. Â I'm sure they will soon though," she added with a slight nod. Â At least Quartz hoped they would trust her enough to shed a little light on the situation for her. Â Until they did she wasn't much good to either the Capitol or the rebellion.
He scrapped his nails against the smooth metal table that was too slick to cause any sort of satisfying friction or sound, and glanced behind Quartz at the Peacekeepers. âGood, then.â His eyes flickered back to the girl from District two and nodded for her to come closer. âI donât know either but theyâreâŠâ Watt trailed off as if he had lost track of what he was going to say. âIâve beenâŠâ He furrowed his eyebrows struggling for the words he wanted to say. Theyâve been pumping trackerjacker venom into his blood and modifying all his memories. That was what he wanted to say. But â why did he want to say that? It wasnât like they were treating him badly. The Capitol was just trying to help. âYou should do what they tell you do.â
When Watt nodded she moved closer and sat down on the opposite side of the table from him. Â She was happy to see him. Â She was happy to see anyone that wasn't interrogating her or a peacekeeper if she was being honest. Â "I am doing what they tell me to," she replied with a nod. Â Her shoulder still throbbed from where it had been dislocated and reset to serve as a reminder of what happened when she didn't cooperate, even if she was just playing their game to serve her own motives. Â "Are you doing what they tell you to do, Watt?"
Watt balled his hands into fists and gave Quartz a suspicious look, but he still sank back into his chair settling down a bit. The other mentors were threats but⊠he distinctly remembered this girl. Maybe she wasnât a threat, maybe she was ok.Â
Were there other mentors here? It wasnât just them was it? He remembered⊠âAmbula is here.â Her name made him sick. It made the burning in his chest rise and his pulse quicken. So, he wouldnât speak of her anymore. But she was the only other person he remembered talking to after he had been taken by the Peacekeepers. He eyed the girl before him for a moment and narrowed his eyes just a slight bit. âAre you here becauseâŠâ He tried to find the words, hating that his mind was feeling so sluggish. Hating that every time he thought too hard he began to feel dizzy again. âBecause the Capitol wants you too?â He didnât know what the Capitol wanted him for, but he knew they wanted him for something. The same must go for Quartz as well. Maybe she wasnât a traitor like the rest of them were.
Quartz was surprised to learn that Ambula was there. Â She didn't know that. Â She hadn't seen anyone outside of the peacekeepers, the woman with the bubblegum pink hair who had done all her interrogations, and now Watt. Â His question caused Quartz to instantly nod. Â "Yes," she murmured. Â "They want me too." Â She didn't quite know what they wanted her for, but she knew it was propaganda. Â They wanted to diffuse the rebellion before it got too out of hand. Â "I'm not really sure what for, but they want me."
When he saw Quartz a mix of emotions hit him hard enough to cause his head to swim for a moment. He knew she was a mentor, and he felt anger, and fear raise in his chest so much it was almost painful. But his memories of Quartz were so few, and unthreatening to whatever the Capitol wanted from him they hadnât been tampered with. He remembered talking to her, he even remembered that it hadnât been that bad of a conversation and â she was just a kid. She had just gotten here and⊠his mind tried to reach for the reasons why that was bothering him so much.Â
"IâŠ" Watt looked past Quartz as if he was trying to find someone else to give him that answer, but there was no one to help. The Peacekeepers didnât look like they were going to give anyone any answers, so he settled with the anger that he was feeling, because it was so much easier. "Stay the fuck away from me.â He growled in a low voice sneering at the younger girl and tugging on his handcuffs while he tried to move farther away. âWhat are you doing here? What do you want from me?âÂ
Confusion. Â That was what Quartz felt as she saw Watt's reaction to her presence. Â She had not expected something like that, but then again she hadn't expected to see any other mentors here. Â She'd been expecting to be interrogated again. Â Her hands were still cuffed so she let them fall in front of her and interlocked her fingers. Â Watt's words kept her rooted in her place though. Â She didn't get any closer but she couldn't help wondering what they had done to him. Â The last time they had spoken it was fine. Â What had changed?
"Okay," she said softly as if she was speaking to a spooked animal. Â "I'm not coming any closer." Â Quartz took a deep breath and watched him sympathetically. Â She felt bad and knew that the Capitol would explain his reaction to her once she was away from him. Â They would try and twist it into propaganda and she knew she had to pretend they were right. Â She knew they wanted to use her like that. Â She was the reigning victor after all. Â There had been no winner of the 75th Hunger Games. Â "I don't know," she said. Â "I thought they were bringing me in here to talk to me again. Â I didn't know you were here. Â I didn't know any of the other mentors were here."
This had been the fifth day in a row that Watt had woken up not knowing where he was. At least for a moment, before he remembered he was in the Capitol. And while before that would have caused Watt grave annoyance, it didnât anymore. He didnât feel negatively, or positively. He was hit with confusion before anything else as he looked around the small white room, not the room he had been kept in the past few days.Â
This one he was cuffed to a table in the middle, as if he was being held for questioning â where heâd actually be questioned this time. He wasnât afraid, because he knew the Peacekeepers wouldnât do anything to him. He hadnât done anything wrong and they were only there to help, after all. Watt straightened in his seat leaning back while his cuffs rattled against the metal table. Then looked at the door when it was opened and someone pushed inside.
They'd questioned her everyday and everyday Quartz told them the same thing. Â She didn't know about the rebellion. Â She didn't know where they had gone. Â She knew nothing, but it was quickly becoming apparent to her that they wanted to use her for their own gain. Â The Capitol was not the only one who could play that game. Â Quartz had been listening and watching since she first arrived, trying to formulate a plan that would be useful. Â For now, playing along with what the Capitol wanted while learning more about the rebellion seemed to be the best course of action.
When the peacekeepers collected her from her cell, Quartz went with them willingly. Â She didn't fight back anymore even though they still kept her restrained. Â She wanted to earn their trust no matter how hard it was. Â When she reached a room, Quartz was pushed inside and the light was bright. Â It did not take long for her to realize she wasn't alone. Â Her eyes fell on Watt and then widened. Â "Watt." Â She took a few steps towards him, mindful of the peacekeepers in the room and not wanting to give away her intentions. Â "What are you doing here?"
two can play your games | selfpara [captive prompt]
The sounds were deafening. Quartz didnât even know how long sheâd been subjected to the blackness or this torment. Why hadnât they told her what was happening? Maybe she could have gotten out then. She didnât do anything wrong. She didnât help them.  Elias didnât tell her anything and she didnât help Fitz when he briefly and vaguely mentioned rebellion. This wasnât her fault. Why was she even there? Her head still throbbed from where the peacekeeper had hit her with the butt of his gun and the insistent sounds spilling into her cell only made her agitated. With a hood over her head Quartz felt claustrophobic. It was hard for her to breathe so she kept her eyes squeezed shut in the hopes of tricking herself into thinking it was only dark. Somehow she doubted it would work for long.
Quartz shook her head and continued speaking to herself as a way of drowning out the chaotic noises. She had to do something and this was all she could do. âFitz will come for me. He wonât leave me behind,â she told herself as she wondered if Fitz had even managed to escape. âElias might have escaped too. He wonât let me stay here.â
As focused on her own voice as she was, Quartz didnât hear the door to her cell open until someone was grabbing her by the arms and untying her binds. âLet go,â Quartz said as she squirmed and did her best to get away, but having her arms tied for so long had dulled her reflexes. She was stuck. They led her out of her cell and away from the sounds, but she still couldnât see where she was going. Quartz made careful mental notes of how long they walked and which way they turned as they guided her. However, it wasnât until they pushed her down into a chair that Quartzâs hood was removed. The sudden light was overwhelming and threatened to give her a headache.
âQuartz?â
Squinting she looked across the table to the woman seated there. She had bubblegum pink hair and a cheery smile that seemed all too fake. Quartz blinked repeatedly until her eyesight was used to the brightness of the room. The walls were white, sterile even. She didnât know what was going on. Her gaze continually darted around the room, looking for a way out or a way to understand what was happening. âWhere am I?â
The woman laughed. âThe Capitol, of course. Iâm afraid you got into a bit of a pickle, running from the peacekeepers like that is a very big mistake.â
âI was only doing what Elias told me to,â she replied. It was true. Quartz knew next to nothing about the rebellion. She didnât know anything about it outside of that it was supposedly happening. Now that it did it seemed she was in for it.
âHmm,â the woman said as she watched her. âWhere are the rebels getting their supplies?â
Quartz shook her head almost instantly. âI donât know. I donât know anything about this.â
The woman with the bright hair tilted her head towards one of the guards and he grabbed Quartzâs arm, pulling it back until her shoulder popped out of its socket. The girl cried out in pain as tears swam in her eyes. âWrong answer, Quartz. Where are the rebels getting their supplies? Where were the hovercrafts going? When is the attack?â
Quartz choked back a sob and shook her head. âI donât know!â The special ops peacekeeper that had dislocated her shoulder put his hand on it and squeezed. In response a scream tore from Quartzâs throat. It hurt and she didnât know how to make the pain stop. âI swear I donât know!â
He continued to squeeze her shoulder and Quartz continued to whimper in pain. The woman across the table from her seemed completely unaffected by Quartzâs cries of pain. She clicked her fingernails on the tabletop and Quartz found herself wishing she had her bow. âWhat do you know about the rebellion, Quartz? What use are you at all?â
She wasnât worthless, but she also didnât want to help this woman. It usually took a lot for Quartz to hate someone, but she found herself hating the woman with the bubblegum pink hair rather quickly. For her entirely life she had spent every moment trying to prove she wasnât worthless and now it was being thrown back in her face. Fuck her. Fuck the Capitol for putting her in this position. âIâm not worthless,â Quartz snidely bit back only to earn her arm pulled back again farther. The cry of pain this time was loud and a few tears leaked from her eyes.
âTell me what you know and Iâll have my friend here set your shoulder.â
Quartz took a deep breath to keep herself composed. She needed to be willing if she wanted to figure out what was going on. Something was and the fact that the Capitol was torturing her made it very clear that they were her enemy. Where was Elias? He could help her understand.
âI donât know much. The lights started flickering and Elias came into the District Two suite telling me we had to go and there wasnât time to explain.â She kept her gaze on the woman with the bubblegum pink hair as she retold the events. âElias was my mentor. I trust him so I went with him. We were attacked by the peacekeepers and he told me to run. Someone knocked me out and the next thing I knew I was in a cell.â Perhaps it was wrong to dump all the blame on Elias when she knew Fitz had told her bits and pieces about the rebellion too, but it didnât seem relevant to the situation she found herself in. Besides, she didnât even know what had happened to Fitz.
Over and over the woman with the bubblegum pink hair asked Quartz questions about things she knew nothing about. She didnât even know District Thirteen wasnât destroyed so how was she supposed to help them? It was exhausting and by the time the woman was finished with her, she nodded to her companion and he popped her shoulder back into joint.
The bag was then shoved back over her head and Quartz allowed them to lead her back to her cell. It was better to be complacent and earn their trust than fight with them tooth and nail. It would be easier this way and Quartz was sure of it. She was left in her cell with the sounds still howling but she was not tied.  That was progress. Quartz quickly pulled the bag from over her head the moment they were gone, curled up on her bed, and began talking to herself. It was distraction and until the noise stopped it would be all she had.
[ Sometimes Fitz wishes he was as naive as she was. But Glitter would have never let him carry on thinking that his life after the Games was anything but another form of hell. Sure. He slept around and had fun, but he knew that Snow could make his life miserable in a heartbeat. ] We won a battle, but not the war. Not yet. Do you really think weâre free now? Look at what weâre doing now. This isnât freedom. [ He narrowed his eyes slightly when she didnât pick up the hint. Time to be blunt about it then. ] Itâs only going to last one more day. Then weâre all getting out of here. Those kids included.
[The entire foundation upon which Quartz had built her reality seemed to be cracking. Â Maybe he was right. Â Maybe they hadn't won. Â She had not really had a choice in returning to mentor. Â Elias had told her that he didn't have one either. Â Maybe she had just wanted to believe that this was a good thing. Â She didn't really know what to do. Â Tears formed in her eyes and she squeezed them shut to keep the tears from spilling.] Â I don't know... [Quartz didn't really know what she was talking about.] Â This has just always been how it is. Â [Her eyes flew open when he spoke again. Â One more day? Â How were they getting out? Â How were those kids in the arena going to get out? Â Part of her wanted to believe him, but another part thought it was just false hope. Â How could anyone do anything against the Capitol?] Â That's insane, Fitz. Â What are you talking about? Â Where would we even go?
