Year One: Rose & Levi
A sharp pain ran through her heart when the horn sounded for them to step into their pods. She looked at her husband frightened and his eyes got even sharper, even colder. He held her hands harder. “No one is going to hurt you. I will kill them before anyone can put their disgusting wanker hands on you.”, he said and Rose smiled weakly, still afraid.
They walked into their pods. Levi was still looking at her, Rose looked up and around the pod. “Rose.”, he called her and when she looked at him, he almost sounded as if he was giving orders. No wonder, this was basically his job. He was trained to kill much bigger guys than the ones they’d probably meet outside. “Run. I will find you.”, Levi said and Rose held one hand on the glass as the pod slowly started rumbling. “I love you.”, Rose said desperately and finally, Levi smiled, even if you a little. Then they went up.
***
Levi looked to the ground. He knew they’d be exposed to the sunlight again after being in the faculty underneath, so looking down was better than being blinded. Truely, when he finally raised his eyes in the arena, most people were staring up or shielding their eyes. Fucking idiots. He looked over to his wife. Nobody would hurt her. He was so sure of that, it felt like an iceberg of truth inside of him. No one would dare.
Then the horn sounded.
Within seconds he was at the Cornocopia, the first to arrive. Everyone else was slow as fuck. He grabbed a sword, then a bag that seemed pretty full - only to realize that someone else with curly hair, much taller than him, had grabbed onto the bag as well. Levi glared at him and pulled on the bag, but when the other man pulled harder, Levi rose his sword and held the tip of the sword right in Mister Tall Curls’ face - who dropped the bag slowly and then ran around the Cornocopia’s corner. Levi looked inside the bag - rope, matches... tools. Then he walked around the Cornocopia to grab some canned food and water he could stuff into the bag, glaring at anyone who came to close to him. He was unafraid.
Then he made his way from where he had come, jogging past the pod. He’d find Rose eventually. She’d be safe somewhere, waiting for him. They had talked about strategies to survive, he had taught her everything he knew from his job and his life on the street. She was somewhere safe with a group - whom he’d kill, one after the other, once he had found her. Or maybe he’d not and let them as thanks of taking care of his Rose - or if they wanted, he’d still kill them, a merciful end in this hell hole.
Whom he’d not spare was the man running away from everything in front of him. He was still hundreds of meters away, but Levi could see from where he was that the darkhaired man in front wasn’t very fast. One down, a drive-by-kill. Levi pushed himself and quickly got closer and closer - the man was smart, running in zig-zag, at least trying to not die. It started to rain heavily and Levi’s target slipped, which would have been an easy start to get in and kill - if there wasn’t a loud “help!” behind him.
Levi stopped in his tracks. Behind him a huge hurricane filled up the sky, the wind slapping against him now. Levi had to fight to stay on the ground by now. There it was again. Another “Help!”. Levi didn’t know why he stopped or why he looked around. Everyone here save for Rose was the enemy. Still, if someone called for help, he felt... he felt as if he needed to help, at least now.
Then, his eyes stopped on a younger guy grabbing onto the grass underneath him. Levi ran towards him and extended his arm - but with one harsh gust, as soon as the other raised one hand to take Levi’s, both of them were sucked into the air, sucked into the hurricane.
***
When she had parted with the first team, Rose had made her way just a little further until she had found a cave. She was the first to arrive and hoped that a cave would shelter her for as long as Levi needed to find her - which wouldn’t be too long. Still, she was so afraid. Unlike so many others, it seemed, she had never fought in her life. She just had her tea shop. Heard Levi’s stories... which was enough. He had taught her how to handle a sword like his, insisted on it. That was all. When a broad guy came to her cave, she begged him not to hurt her, but he looked at her calm and kind and reassured her that he wasn’t going to. He convinced the woman who came afterwards to do the same.
They were very wet and Rose tried her best to use her cape to dry them off at least. Eventually, a darkhaired man with glasses came to them, too. They slept in shifts. It was good, another team. Levi had told her to stick to people. He’d come to her sooner or later, he was set on winning this thing, but she... she wasn’t sure if she wanted to win. Only one person could and it was more than obvious that it was Levi who should win. Him who was needed more in the world. Someone to care for it, someone who would fight.
The three in the cave liked her. She listened to them, tried to calm them down, even though she was just as afraid as they were. They really were a team, somewhat, at least Rose felt like it. Still, she cried at night, clutching her wedding photo and a photo of Levi drinking tea. Her treasures. She was so afraid of never seeing him again, even if she knew that it was because she would die sooner than him. She didn’t want him hurt. But he’d survive, he’d survive her death, too. He had survived much worse in his life already. All she had wanted was to give him the safety and calm of her teas. She would have loved to be a mother...
Eventually, after staying in the cave for a long while, Kitty came back with news of the Feast. The Cornocopia was filled again. Rose immediately said that she wouldn’t go there. Levi told her he’d go and get her and to be save until then, so that’s what she would do - and with so many going to the Feast, safe was not what it was. Kitty and Quentin, her team mates, agreed and stayed with her. Edward didn’t come back from scavenging.
They still split up, though. Maybe living in the cave had its own cave craziness, but especially Kitty felt trapped. They all went their own ways, they decided against Rose - so she just followed Kitty from a little away. She didn’t know what else to do - and being alone in the cave felt horrible to her. Rose was happy to be out in nature again.
That night, Rose found out that they showed the faces of everyone who died that day on the sky. It was nice to her, somehow. Almost like a little bit of respect to the dead.
Later, Rose lost Kitty’s track. The woman was just too fast. Luckily, instead, she found the doctor from her very first team. Together, they hid in the jungle and talked and told stories to each other from their lives until they Rose fell asleep and Rajat took watch. When Rose woke up and wanted to take watch, Rajat was silent. Then he asked her to kill him. Of course, she said no - but then he told her more. Told her that his love’s face was on the sky last night. He was a doctor, he didn’t want to kill - but... neither did he want to suffer. He told her how she could kill him so quick that he’d not feel any pain. Then he asked her again. Asked her how she managed to stay alive. She told him that Levi was coming for her, she had hope. “Well,”, Rajat said, “My Hope died last night.” They were quiet together for a long while, then Rose killed him.
After that, things were different.
She slept next to his body and cried herself to sleep again.
It was as if doubt had infested her soul. Levi was late. She shouldn’t have moved from the cave, he would have found her there more easily. So Rose stayed where she was for a while, until Rajat started to smell and his body became more and more just a corpse with less trace of soul. Then she made up and started walking - until she found Quentin from the cave. There were so little people around. Faster than she could think, he had his dagger in his hand, so she raised her sword - but within minutes, he had his dagger right at her throat. Rose just looked at her. He wouldn’t. And he didn’t. Quentin lowered his arm and left. Rose wanted to ask him if she could stay with him, but then she realized her situation. So little people. She’d force him to kill her eventually.
Walking around more or less aimlessly, it really dawned on her how empty the arena was by now. She found a bag with some rope, canned food and more and cooked dinner. She didn’t spare on the food and made a nice meal over fire. Then she put the fire out before she slept again.
Someone out there must have been impressed with her meal, because when she awoke, there was a parcel in front of her. She opened it - it was fresh food. Bread. Tea. Rose cried. She felt very lonely, but someone, someone who knew here, was there for her. Rose cooked the tea and drank it, then she made her way to the Cornocopia - or at least she tried to. Levi would find her there easier. It was an odd thought that didn’t want to be thought, that he might be dead. But why hadn’t they crossed paths not yet otherwise? But who would be able to kill him? Lost in thought, Rose noticed that she was lost, too. It was dark, she couldn’t find the Cornocopia, so she slept where she was, just in a meadow, next to a fire. She hadn’t seen anyone that day. Neither was anyone’s face on the sky.
The next day, Rose went towards the mountain she could see, at least something to orient herself on. She found another cave, a smaller one and stayed there for the night. Everything felt so unreal. This time, Rose felt it, too. The cave craziness. She needed to be outside.
So the next day she just walked right back outside again. It was sunny. She hadn’t seen anyone in so long. She just walked. Maybe this was losing her sanity? Then she saw a shack - a house, something that resembled a house. Someone else! Relieved, Rose made her way towards it, until she stumbled over something and -
-- with a heat that burned away every single of her thoughts, the landmine underneath her exploded.