#project 010

[jackcebk]

Project 010, Chapter two

(two more POVs to explore! How exciting! Also things will really really actually kick off in the next chapter. But you get a little bit here!)

Treech felt sick. After everything he’d done to draw the pack’s attention away from Lamina, after all of the reassurance he’d given her before the games, they’d still killed her. He couldn’t erase her face from his mind, that look of blame and betrayal as he just watched from the ground. There was no way he could go home now and face the judgement of his friends. He could hear their voices already. ‘How could you abandon her?’ ‘You didn’t even try to help!’ ‘At least she would’ve helped you.’ Maybe suicide would be a better option than trying to explain to them what really happened. It had been at least an hour since the three of them had gone back underground, and Coral was just leading them back to the surface, hoping to catch the girl from 12. The sun was blinding. Treech had expected the arena to fill up with a stench from the bodies baking in the sun, but it smelled about as fresh as ever. He assumed it was a result of the destroyed roof. Coral stopped them just outside the exit of the arena.

“You,” she pointed to Treech. “You’re staying with me and finding her in those vents. Mizzen, go get a spear and see how far back you can push her.”

Mizzen nodded and bounded off to the remaining pile of weapons, leaping over bodies like a nimble squirrel. Coral pulled Treech into the exit, watching the vents above them.

“Keep quiet, she’s in there somewhere…”

The two of them watched and listened carefully after hearing Mizzen jamming his spear through the fan. The vents creaked as the girl inside them moved. Treech peered through a small grate, trying to see any movement or flash of color. As the girl moved, dust rained down from the grate onto his face. Not thinking anything of it, he brushed it off and got Coral’s attention. Coral smiled, pleased that her plan had worked, and approached. Treech turned as Coral prepared to thrust her trident into the ducts. He didn’t want to see someone else killed. As Coral stabbed the vent, Treech felt something dripping from his nose. He wiped it away to find blood on his hand. He tried to stop the stream with the back of his hands, but to no avail. He was panicking now. Coral couldn’t have done something, right? He glanced back at her yanking her trident out of the ceiling. She was completely oblivious. Surely if she’d done something, she’d be watching to see if it worked. Breathing was getting more difficult as blood was dripping onto the floor. Treech frantically ripped off his jacked to try and stop the flow. His heart was pounding in his chest. Every breath hurt and he could barely lift the jacket. This couldn’t be happening. His vision was blurring and he felt his face hit the ground. Blood was pooling beneath him and he heard Coral shout in triumph before everything went black.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

Lamina was being smothered, trapped between two bodies with a thick cloth over her. However badly she wanted to open her eyes and throw the cloth off of her, she couldn’t. She’d already tried. She heard the voice of the boy from 11 nearby, and another more distant voice. The boy from 11 only said her name. And then there was a crash, and a scream. She could hear rubble scraping against the floor, and rapid footsteps. And then suddenly, dozens of things were moving around her. They were crawling over the cloth, under her neck, and everywhere in between. Their skin was ice cold and rough, almost scraping as they passed over her. And then she felt a sharp pain in her wrist. And another on her leg. The creatures— snakes— she concluded, were hissing all around her, their bodies coiling around her arms and legs, tangling in her hair, and she even felt one slip into her sleeve. She heard a shriek and a clatter to her left, and a thud nearby. And then it was quiet again, aside from the snakes crawling along the ground. And then a melody wove through the arena. A haunting song on its own, but mixed with the singer’s terror of the snakes. The rainbow girl was still alive. Her voice got louder and stronger, echoing off the arena walls in triumph and rebellion. As the song quieted, Lamina expected to hear the scream of the rainbow girl, but it never came. Instead, the snakes quickly retreated back to wherever they had come from and she heard footsteps. And voices. Gruff, angry voices of men. She heard the rainbow girl’s heels on the ground as she was escorted out of the arena, and then there was silence.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

She hadn’t been fast enough. Not fast enough to save Mizzen, and not fast enough to save herself. The face of every child she’d killed flashed through Coral’s mind. All of it for nothing. For a tidal wave of snakes to attack everyone but Lucy Gray. It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair. How could it be? After everything. All the deaths, the things she’d never had done if it weren’t for the situation. Coral had never been a violent person. She’d just wanted to sail the seas and get away from Panem. From the games. She wanted to climb more masts, and see more stars, and find forgotten lands where she could live without the fear of being reaped. She never wanted to hurt anyone. She just wanted to be free.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

The snakes were gone and Mizzen was alone. Fallen on the ground aching all over. He wondered what his family would be doing back home. He wondered what Persephone Price thought. She, at least, had been kind to him before the games. She’d fed him, which was more than most of the other tributes had gotten. How long would he be laying there before someone came to get them? Apparently, not long, as mere minutes after the peacekeepers had taken Lucy Gray, he was hoisted up and dragged along the ground. He was soon piled into what he guessed was a truck with the bodies of all the other tributes. He was unfortunate enough to be on the bottom of the pile. The truck rattled along for at least an hour before they were unloaded into a cold room and laid onto some kind of table. At least they got their own, instead of having to share.

( @estuary-scholar @lavylilac @dove-like-the-bird )

[jackcebk]

Project 010, Chapter 6

I know, I know. 21 days late. I’m sorry. I swear I’ll do better. But I’m going to take a break from posting chapters until I’ve finished both 7 and 8, so that I have some cushion in case I’m running behind. Hopefully it won’t take me too long to write those, though!

First: Here

Previous: Here

Next: sometime in the future…

Lysistrata’s parents hadn’t been helpful at all. She’d tried sneaking out and following them, but they were surprisingly evasive. She knew it wouldn’t be any use confronting them directly. She’d even asked Urban for some help, since he knew a bit about tech, but he couldn’t make anything fast enough. Urban had gotten along well with his tribute, the girl from 3. Lysistrata recalled seeing them laughing together in the zoo. He’d been just as eager as Lysistrata when she told him about her idea to find the tributes. The two of them had spent hours trying to figure out how to track Lysistrata’s parents without them noticing. Their only plausible option would take at least a month to get ready, and they didn’t have that much time. Lysistrata was starting to doubt whether or not they had an actual lead with her parents or if she was making something up. They might not even be involved. She was pacing her room as she thought all of this when she heard footsteps downstairs. Her parents weren’t supposed to be home yet, and no one else had a key to her house. She hesitantly peeked out her door and listened. No one was speaking, but there were obviously multiple people. Lysistrata stepped out of her room and towards the staircase, hoping to catch a glimpse of the intruders. Almost instantly, there were three guns pointed right at her. She froze, staring at the gun barrels. One of the intruders spoke.

“Come downstairs slowly. No sudden movements.”

Lysistrata obeyed, making sure they could see her hands the whole time. Her heart was thundering in her chest and she worried she might start to feel light headed. It didn’t happen very much anymore, but she used to faint during stressful situations. As soon as she stepped off the bottom step, one of the intruders grabbed her by the arm.

“What are you doing?? Why are you here??”

No one would answer her. She was escorted out while two men stayed behind to ransack the house.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

The men had taken Lysistrata to a holding cell in the police department. They’d told her nothing despite the barrage of questions they’d received. She was pacing the small cell when she heard the lock click. The door opened and a middle aged woman addressed her.

“You’re allowed one phone call. Five minutes, max. And we’ll be listening in the whole time, so don’t try anything.”

Lysistrata nodded and she was escorted out of the cell and into a different room. She considered calling her parents, but they’d likely be too busy to pick up. Her best option might be Persephone or Festus. The woman handed her the phone and nodded. Lysistrata took it and dialed Persephone’s number. It took her a moment to pick up.

“Hello?”

“Persephone! I was worried you wouldn’t pick up.”

There was a moment’s pause.

“Lysistrata?? Why in Panem are you calling from the station?? Did something happen?”

“Everything’s fine. Can you stop by my house and pick some things up for me? I mostly just need my notebook and some pens.”

There was a rustle behind the phone and Persephone agreed.

“Just bring it down to the station when you can.”

“Lysistrata, do you know what’s going on?? Do you know anything about th—“

“Persephone, I have to go. The phone’s about to hang up automatically. Just bring it to the station.”

Persephone tried to speak again but the phone cut out and there was silence. Lysistrata set the phone down and turned to the woman watching her. The woman said nothing and only brought Lysistrata back to the holding cell where she was left for the rest of the day.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

Lysistrata’s house had been torn apart. Broken dishes were scattered on the floor, furniture was overturned, books were strewn all over, and plants were knocked over and spilling dirt onto the floor. Persephone navigated her way through the mess and up the stairs to Lysistrata’s room, where she assumed her notebook would be. She could only guess that she had requested the same notebook that Persephone had been shown a few days prior. Her bedroom wasn’t untouched like Persephone had hoped. Her bed was torn apart and books and notebooks were scattered on the floor. Even her closet hadn’t been spared, the clothes unceremoniously ripped off their hangers and tossed to the ground. Persephone scavenged through the wreckage for the familiar notebook, but didn’t find it anywhere. She searched a second time, and then a third, her concern growing by the minute. Had they found it and taken it? Had Lysistrata been arrested for some kind of meddling? Desperate, Persephone searched everywhere. She felt the walls for hidden compartments, pulled out the drawers in her dresser, and even checked on the ceiling. The notebook was nowhere to be found. Finally, she gave up and grabbed a random notebook from the ground, as well as a few pens. Inside the book, she scribbled a note saying, ‘it’s missing.’

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

The sun was setting by the time Persephone arrived at the police station. She was let in after a quick inspection and brought to Lysistrata’s holding cell. 

“You made it!”

Persephone nodded and handed the requested items to her, hoping she’d notice the dog-eared page. Lysistrata took it, looking confused.

“Where—“

Persephone shook her head.

“I assumed this is the one you wanted. It had lots of blank pages for whatever you needed. I couldn’t find any others, anyway.”

Lysistrata nodded slowly, understanding. 

“Well, thank you. As soon as they let me out, I’ll tell you. I still don’t know why I’m here…”

Persephone glanced at one of the nearby guards who wasn’t doing a good job of acting uninterested. 

“Make sure Festus and the others also know. And I probably won’t be able to make it to the hangout, too.”

The meeting. Persephone had completely forgotten. They were meeting in the park again to discuss information and strategy. Lysistrata was the leader of the group. If she wasn’t there, the rest of them would have no idea what to do. Persephone nodded, trying to look disappointed. Someone behind her cleared their throat. Persephone turned to see a young man standing there.

“Time’s up. You gotta get going.”

Persephone sighed and nodded as the young man left. She turned back to Lysistrata.

“We’ll figure something out for another hangout.”

Lysistrata nodded.

“Don’t think you can’t do it without me. I won’t get in the way of you guys having fun. Now get out of here before they lock you up, too.”

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

Everyone was growing restless after days trapped in the cramped room. No one had any grasp of how long they’d been trapped. Everyone had learned everyone’s names, and a good half of them had spilled their entire life story just to fill the silence. The busy room with Treech and Dill was never empty and Mizzen often saw Lamina and Reaper just watching. By now, any resentment harbored against each other from the games had disappeared and they’d all decided to try and survive together. The white coats had started visiting once a day, just to bring them food. They barely had enough food to go around. It was quite the change from the lavish meals they used to bring in. They were all sitting around quietly. The room was cold, even with all the shared body heat. Footsteps echoed outside, passing by the room. They’d figured out that this time of day (about 3 hours after they were fed,) was the busiest. Sol cleared her throat.

“Why don’t we just go out there and force our way out? All 19 of us against them? There’s no way they’re good fighters.”

Several people grumbled. Reaper was staring at her as if he could strangle her.

“They certainly could be good fighters, we’d still be outnumbered, and we’re not leaving Dill.”

Coral groaned.

“Oh come on. Dill’s dead, Treech is dead, they’re both dead! It doesn’t matter anymore! They’ve been dead for at least a week, there’s no way they’re coming back.”

Lamina spoke up quietly.

“You don’t know that.”

Mizzen nodded.

“Besides, Coral, you’ve heard the stories. Capitol scientists bringing people back?”

“Those are fake! Propaganda! Stories to gain support!”

Several people started talking at once and it soon became a cacophony of arguments about nothing in particular. Voices echoed off the hard walls, giving Mizzen a headache as he stood in the chaos. After what felt like hours but was probably only two minutes, the room quieted as everyone noticed Reaper and Lamina staring through the window. And then they heard it. The steady beep of a heart monitor.

@lavylilac @dove-like-the-bird @sevensongbirds @sold-down-the-river @estuary-scholar

[jackcebk]

Project 010, Chapter 5

So sorry this is late, I completely forgot I had to write it😭😭

First: Here

Previous: Here

Next: Here

It had been just over a week since the Games’ conclusion, and Persephone Price was still grieving. She hadn’t expected to have such a connection with Mizzen in just a few days, but seeing him die was one of the worst experiences she could think of. Coriolanus and Sejanus had disappeared from the Academy just a day after Lucy Gray won, and rumors had spread fast. Some people said that they had run away with her to live outside of Panem. Others said that the two mentors were forced into peacekeeping for one reason or another. Not that Persephone really cared much about the rumors. During the games, she’d built a friendship with Festus as they discussed strategy. He kept stopping by her house to drop off trinkets or flowers, claiming he was trying to ‘help her through the grief.’ Mostly, it just made them both sadder. 

Persephone sat in her room, trying to read a book. She couldn’t focus on the words and nothing was sticking. She huffed and slammed the book closed, frustrated. She’d known Mizzen for two days, it was silly to be so affected by his death. But he’d been nothing like what her parents had told her about the Districts. He’d always go on and on about the ocean, and climbing masts and rigging, and how he wanted to be a real sailor and not some net weaver. There had never been any trace of the vicious malice the other Capitol citizens described. Persephone’s eyes strayed to the stuffed seabird on her bed. The fabric had once been a pristine white, but had now grayed with age and wear. She’d had the bird since she was little, and it had survived the Dark Days with her. She grabbed it and ran her hands down the seam on its back. Someone knocked on her door. 

“Persephone? That boy is here to see you.”

It was her father. He’d never liked it when boys came to visit, and especially disliked Festus for his occasional reckless behavior. He insisted that Festus was a bad influence. Persephone set the seabird back onto her bed and made her way downstairs where Festus was waiting.  He didn’t say anything, but she could see in his eyes that they needed to talk privately. Persephone turned to her father.

“We’ll be back soon. He promised yesterday to take me for a walk in the park.”

Her father didn’t look pleased but nodded. The two of them hurried out the door and started down the sidewalk. The heat was almost unbearable, but it meant that almost no one was around to eavesdrop. Festus cleared his throat.

“Have you heard?”

He wasn’t his usual outgoing self today. His expression was somber and serious.

“Heard what? Oh wait, don’t tell me. Did Vipsania and Pup finally get into that fight?” 

“No,” Festus said with an eyeroll. “Although they’re taking a long time. I heard that the dead tributes weren’t taken back to their Districts.”

“What?? Why?? Where are they??”

“Keep it down! No one’s supposed to know. I don’t know anything else about it. The lady wouldn’t say anything else no matter how much I pestered her.”

Persephone sighed, disappointed. She didn’t know why the Capitol would keep the tributes’ bodies. The outrage in the districts would be massive and could even threaten a rebellion. Persephone shuddered at the thought of another war, only 10 years after the last. No one needed that right now.

“Who did you hear this from??”

“Some lady. She was coming out of the hospital when I overheard it.”

“The hospital? Do you think Lysistrata might know something? Her parents are physicians, after all.”

Festus’s eyes lit up.

“I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe…it’d be best if you ask her about it. I don’t think she likes me very much.”

Persephone sighed again, but nodded. She knew Lysistrata was also grieving, and she didn’t know how much she’d want to talk. After about 15 more minutes of walking, Festus and Persephone had circled back to her house. Festus bade farewell and Persephone stepped inside, trying to think of the best way to talk to Lysistrata.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

Lysistrata had started to write down almost everything her parents said. They’d been acting strangely since the games had ended and their conversations just kept getting stranger. Lysistrata was sitting at the table staring at her notebook of conversations. Her parents were both at work, giving her plenty of time to think. A knock on the front door roused her from her thoughts. She opened it and was greeted by Persephone.

“Hello? Why are you here?”

Lysistrata stood aside to let Persephone in. She wore a short sleeved burgundy top with a white skirt that fell just above her knees. Compared to Lysistrata’s old house clothes, she looked very dressed up. 

“We need to talk.”

Lysistrata’s heart dropped. From Persephone’s tone, this would be a conversation about the games. Or at least Jessup.

“About…? If this is about Jessup—“

“It is. Sort of,” she interrupted. “Festus told me that the tribute’s bodies weren’t sent back to the districts. He heard it from someone at the hospital, and since your parents are physicians…”

Lysistrata barely processed what she’d said, already grabbing her open notebook. She practically shoved it into Persephone’s hands.

“What’s this??”

Persephone flipped through the pages as Lysistrata explained her parents’ strange conversations when they thought she wasn’t listening. Persephone’s expression shifted at least 7 times as she spoke, half the emotions unreadable. She’d stopped on a page and was reading through it. Lysistrata tried craning her neck to see which page she had stopped at.

July 8th. 

Did they get the subjects? 

Yes, but there were some complications. Three of them were really gone. 

Which ones? 

Boys from 7 and 12, and the girl from 11. They didn’t bother with the boy from 12, they didn’t want to risk contracting the Rabies.

This had been the most important thing Lysistrata had heard. It confirmed that something was happening with the tributes. She wasn’t sure what her father had meant by ‘really gone,’ but it was something bad enough to keep him in the hospital overnight. Persephone looked up at her.

“The doctors took the tributes?? ‘Really gone’?? ‘Subjects’?”

Lysistrata sighed.

“I haven’t heard anything like this since then. That was the night the games ended, and they haven’t said any more about it.” 

Persephone turned pages until she reached the end of the written conversations. She closed the notebook and put it back on the table. 

“Can you meet me and Festus in the park tomorrow night? We really need to figure this out. If the Capitol kept the tributes’ bodies, I want to know why.” 

Lysistrata hesitated. If her father came home and found her missing, she was certain to be grounded for at least a month. But if she wanted to get to the bottom of this, it might be her best chance. Reluctantly, she nodded. 

“I’ll be there at midnight.”

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

They’d been trapped in the windowless room for days, maybe even weeks. No one knew the exact amount of time that passed, and none of the white coats would tell them. Brandy was getting antsy. The white coats kept taking two or three of the tributes a day and they’d only come back the next morning, exhausted. So far, it had been Circ and his district partner, the guy from 2, and Reaper. They wouldn’t say much about what happened but all of the others could see the spot on their necks where a syringe had entered. The white coats hadn’t come in today, possibly forgetting about them. That had happened once, and none of them had gotten fed for a day and a half. With every day that passed, the girl from 7— Lamina—  got quieter and quieter. Reaper usually stayed by her side and she barely spoke unless asked a direct question. Clearly, she was losing hope that the white coats could perform a miracle on her district partner. Brandy remembered them being practically glued at the hip when they were in the zoo. Lamina’s district partner had seemed kind enough. He’d been willing to hold a conversation with a little Capitol girl who’d shared some food with him. They’d clearly known each other before the games, obviously good friends and possibly more. Brandy hated herself for wishing she’d had a good friend in the zoo with her. She’d only known Tanner in passing, but it was better that way. Going into the games with someone you love knowing only one of you can come out must be awful. The lack of beeping heart monitors made every moment agonizingly silent, even during conversation. The boy from 2 sighed. 

“We should do more than just sit around waiting for them to get us. They didn’t take me anywhere useful, and I didn’t see any kind of exit, but this place can’t be that big.”

The other tributes exchanged looks. They’d all been thinking about escape, but the thought seemed like a distant fantasy. The girl from 5 spoke first.

“We don’t even know where we are. Even if we do manage to get out of here, there’s nowhere for us to go.”

Reaper— the guy from 11– nodded.

“Besides, we can’t leave them,” He said, gesturing to the ever crowded room where his and Lamina’s district partners were. Lamina nodded. Marcus sighed and scratched at the stitches on his neck.

“It was just a thought…”

The girl from 5 spoke again.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ve all been thinking the same thing. It’s just not realistic right now.”

@estuary-scholar @lavylilac @dove-like-the-bird @sold-down-the-river

[jackcebk]

Project 010, Chapter 4

Sorry if you guys are disappointed with this, I am too. Another setup chapter🥀🥀

first chapter: Here

previous chapter: Here

next chapter: Here

(also you can just scroll through the fanfiction tag on my profile. I’ll start tagging these with Project 010 though so you can easily find it all)

Chapter four

The people in white coats had taken Reaper and the sniffling girl from 7 into an empty white room and left them there. The girl was sitting against the wall, eyes wide and staring at nothing, probably in shock. Every few seconds she sniffed pathetically. Reaper paced the room, trying to puzzle everything out and keep from hitting the wall. It didn’t take long for the girl to speak up.

“What do you think happened?”

Her voice was shaky. She’d been close with her district partner, Reaper had made note of that in the zoo. They’d barely left each other’s side, even after the arena tour. To be perfectly honest, Reaper didn’t like him very much, and found the girl’s reaction to this a bit frustrating. He’d left her to fend for herself. He’d been a coward. Reaper shrugged in response to her question. 

“…That girl said you killed a peacekeeper in 11.”

Reaper hadn’t expected this girl to be so talkative. He nodded.

“‘s what got me reaped.”

“Oh…”

Reaper turned to face her. She was wringing her hands and clearly trying to keep her emotions in check.

“He doesn’t deserve your tears. Not after what he did to you.”

“You don’t know him. He’d never have done something like that back home…”

Reaper sighed and sat down next to her.

“The games bring out the worst in people.”

She sniffed and stared at the floor, still wringing her hands. After a few minutes of silence, she spoke again, her voice small and unsure.

“What’s your name?”

“Reaper. And yours?”

“…Lamina.”

Before either of them could speak again, the door opened and three people in white coats entered. One of them was holding a clipboard and pen, and the others were grabbing something from their pockets. Reaper stood, angling himself so he was between the people and Lamina, who stood as well. Before either of them could react, however, one of the people stuck a syringe into Reaper’s neck and injected some kind of fluid. They easily maneuvered around him and injected Lamina with what he assumed was the same substance before leaving the room.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

Mizzen had woken up to an argument between Coral and Tanner.  Clearly, it had nearly gotten physical, but the boy from 3 had intervened and was standing between the two, holding them apart. The girl from 10 was also working to drag Tanner away as Coral shouted profanities. Her yelling immediately stopped when she noticed Mizzen sitting up on the table. She sped over and immediately began to check him over.

“Coral, stop. I’m clearly fine.”

She looked at him sharply.

“You don’t know that. They could’ve done something while we were all out.”

Mizzen huffed and let Coral resume her examination, knowing she’d only be bothering him about it if he didn’t. It didn’t take long for her to decide that he was okay.The room was silent for a few moments before Tanner spoke up.

“See, I was right. You do overreact about everything.”

Coral spun on her heel to face him, clearly filled with a burning rage.

“I have never overreacted in my entire life.”

Tanner snorted. The boy from 3 stepped between the two again.

“Please don’t start fighting again, we have bigger issues.”

“I should think so, those two are dead!” Tanner’s district partner interjected, gesturing to a window in the wall. Mizzen couldn’t tell who ‘those two’ were.

“Who?”

Several people opened their mouths to answer, but Coral beat them to it.

“That sick girl from 11 and Treech. Something happened to him while you were pushing the girl back in the vents, but it wasn’t important at the time.”

Mizzen stared at her. 

“Coral, I think our ally dying is pretty important!”

“It was the end of the games and he was gonna attack us soon anyway! At least we didn’t have to kill him.”

Nearly everyone in the room stared at her, shocked.

“What?? It’s the Hunger Games and I was trying to get home! You all would’ve done the same!”

Most of them looked anywhere but each other at this, affirming Coral’s accusation. They were all just trying to get home. Before anyone could speak again, people in white coats entered the room, escorting the girl from 7 and the boy from 11. Both of them looked tired and bewildered, but otherwise unhurt. They were pushed into the room and then the people left, locking the door behind them. 

@dove-like-the-bird @estuary-scholar @lavylilac @sold-down-the-river

[jackcebk]

Project 010, Chapter Three

Sorry for the late post. From this point on, I’ll try to update every other Wednesday, but that’s still subject to change.

It had been days since the people had left Brandy on the table. It was cold and hard and made her ache all over. After endless hours of almost complete silence, she finally heard movement. Lots of it. Voices directing people, things dragged across the floor, more tables shaking slightly. She could only imagine what was happening. Hours passed as people scurried around. She could hear muffled shouting and some constant beeping. She felt a prick in her shoulder and after a few minutes, her vision started to return. She could move her fingers, and then her arms. She sat up to see about two dozen tables around her, most holding the body of another tribute. To her left and right were Tanner and the big guy from 11. In the left wall was a large window peering into another room. The room was filled with medical equipment and people in white coats were crowding around something. She could see at least one flatline heart monitor. As she tried to peer around the crowd in there, another person in a white coats stepped in front of her. Within moments, she was surrounded by them, all of them poking and prodding her all over. 

“Stop that! Go away!” 

She tried swatting their hands away, but one of them pinned her arms behind her. She tried to wrench away from them, but her limbs still felt heavy and her mind was still foggy. They examined her carefully and took notes before finally leaving. She looked around the room, expecting to see wet specimen jars, and animal skins, and a bunch of rusty medical equipment, but it was surprisingly clean. All of the other tributes had heart monitors attached to them, which filled the room with a cacophony of beeping. She noticed that the boys from 7 and 12, and the girls from 2, 11, and 12 were missing. Obviously, one of them had to have been the victor, then. She guessed the boy from 12, he was big and looked capable enough. 

Hours passed. There was no window or clock to properly gauge the time change, but Brandy guessed it had been at least 6 hours, if not more. Someone had brought her a big plate of Capitol food, which filled her up well enough. Every hour, the people in white coats would check on the other tributes, occasionally injecting some of them with something. It wasn’t long before she could see some of their hands twitching. 

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

The room was freezing and much too loud for Circ’s liking. The beeping of what he assumed were heart monitors filled every second, practically driving him mad. He could still feel the dull throbbing where the trident had stabbed into his chest. He could almost hear Teslee gloating about making it further than him, as if she’d lasted more than 5 minutes. As his vision cleared, he carefully sat up. Just as he suspected, heart monitors filled the room, each connected to a tribute on a table. There were several empty tables around him. 

“Hey.”

Circ jumped and turned around, seeing the girl from 10 sitting on her own table. She was watching him intently. 

“D’you have a name?” She asked. 

Circ only stared at her. Hadn’t she been shot? Surely she would’ve died. The girl raised an eyebrow, waiting for a response. 

“Ah, um…Circ. And you?” 

She scared him, to be perfectly honest. He certainly hadn’t expected anyone to attack a Capitol student, much less kill one. And yet she was sitting there, swinging her legs as if it had never happened. 

“Brandy,” she responded, peering into a window to Circ’s right. The room was full of people shouting at each other, clearly stressed. He could see two flatline heart monitors. Looking around the room again, he noted the missing tributes. Both from 12, the girl from 11, the boy from 7, and the girl from 2. He remembered the girl from 2 dying during the bombing after she tried to escape. His mentor told him that they hadn’t found a body. The girl from 12 was the victor, he’d heard her singing in the arena. He didn’t know what happened to the other three.

At least a full day passed. None of the other tributes had woken up, and the situation in the crowded room hadn’t changed. Circ and Brandy had talked a bit, Brandy questioning what happened in the arena. Circ had done his best to answer, but didn’t know much. As he and Brandy sat in silence, the girl from 4 shifted. They both looked at her. Circ jumped slightly when she suddenly opened her eyes. She was just staring at the ceiling, despite clearly being able to move. 

“…Where am I.” 

She looked around, locking eyes with Circ. She propped herself up on her elbows, blinking in the harsh LED light. Circ shuddered, remembering her trident stabbing into him. Brandy spoke up.

“We don’t know. Somewhere in the Capitol’s my guess.”

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

Lamina could finally see again. She could see, and she could move. She heard soft voices nearby. As she sat up, she noticed several things. Three other tributes were awake: Coral, the boy from three, and the girl from 10 who was shot in the zoo. They were all sitting together having a hushed conversation and hadn’t noticed her yet. She also saw the boy from 5 coming to in the row in front of her. And as she scanned the room, she noticed that Treech was not by her side, like the most of the other district pairs. Dozens of scenarios ran through her head, some of them more likely than others. In an attempt to calm herself down, she looked at what other tributes were missing. The girl from 2 who had died in the river. The boy from 12 who fell of the stone. The rainbow girl, obviously, and the girl from 11. She didn’t know what happened to her. Maybe she had succumbed to whatever illness she was fighting. Lamina carefully slid off her table, still aching from Coral’s trident and her fall, and made her way towards the group. They all looked at her simultaneously. She stood there, uncomfortable under their gazes, especially after Coral had attacked her in the arena. Lamina cleared her throat and wrung her hands.

“Hi..?”

The girl from 10 stood aside so Lamina could join their huddle and turned back to the other two. They resumed their conversation and Lamina listened intently as they discussed why they were here, where they were, and what happened. Within about 30 minutes, the group had grown to include the boys from 5, 10, and 11.  Unfortunately, they’d had no luck figuring anything out. They’d given up and were just sitting in a circle together when they heard triumphant shouts from the crowded room to their left. They all looked over to see the people in white coats celebrating something. Inside the room on the tables were Treech and the girl from 11, both with flatline heart monitors.

@dove-like-the-bird @estuary-scholar @lavylilac

[jackcebk]

Exploring tribute dynamics, this is fun lol

[jackcebk]

I swear I’m working on chapter 6, but I might wait to post it so I have at least chapter 7 close to finished by the time I post so that I’m not as stressed with posting. I may also change the posting schedule. So sorry to keep you guys waiting💔

also I’m almost done with another edit so that’ll be coming out soon

[jackcebk]

Guys I swear I’m working on Chapter 6 it’s just taking a while😭😭😭😭