Ellery

He spied some Gamemakers to his right and began walking in their direction. Maybe one of them knew his father. Perhaps they had a secret message for Ellery. But how would he know? He couldn’t outright ask them. “Hello,” he would say. “I’m planning on cheating the Games... have you heard anything that might help me?” Of course not-- it was a ludicrous idea.

Before he could reach their table, Ellery felt a tap on his shoulder. Here it is, he thought. The message. Without bothering to check who it was, Ellery whipped around to face his companion.

By the time the train arrived in the Capitol, the morphling had worn off. Ellery was calmer than before-- partially due to the drug, but also because he had gotten his first full night of sleep in a week. As he looked out on the familiar skyline awaiting him, he felt a strange pang of hope. No, thought Ellery. Not hope. That would be foolish. He decided that his feeling was simply a toned-down sense of despair. It was better than nothing.

Merrit kept his head still firmly planted on the table for a few moments longer before raising it and meeting Ellery’s gaze with an exasperated stare.

“Lover boy! Well, you’re right there of course. I haven’t seen anyone who would even make me break a sweat. But maybe there’ll be some surprises along the way.” He looked Ellery up and down as he got up from his seat, he didn’t look threatening, he was slim, not a lot of muscle on him at all. Merrit wasn’t the largest and most intimidating man but next to Ellery he looked more imposing than normal.

He stopped in front of the boy, pausing for a moment. “I want you to hit me.” he spoke bluntly.

Lover boy? Who did Merrit think he was? Ellery immediately regretted greeting the Career-- he knew that something like this would happen.

“You know,” said Ellery, “I’d rather not.” 

He sat down, grabbing Merrit’s jar of coins and dumping its contents on the ground. Their eyes locked, and Ellery smirked-- despite his fear, he was unflinching. 

“If you’re that hard up for action, go ahead and hit me. Seriously-- punch me, break my bones, do whatever you want.” Ellery shrugged. “I’m sure the Capitol would love it if you injured one of their star tributes before the Quell even started.”

Merrit had found himself flicking coins into an empty glass, moving the glass further and further away each time the glass shivered with a successful shot. I’m so bored. He resigned his forehead to the gold hard glass of the table and let out an audible sigh. BORED. He screamed internally. Oh how he longed for some action, if he were back home he could go spar or train, anything must be better than sitting on this god forsaken train. The people were nice enough, most of them were fairly uninteresting though and he hadn’t found anyone he thought could even challenge him. He continued to sit there, his forehead still overly friendly with the table.

Ellery was walking along the train when he spied Merrit through the screen of the next door.

Shit, he thought. After pulling his ghost trick the previous day, he had been hoping to avoid the boy. Merrit was trouble-- anyone with two working eyes could see as much. In fact, he seemed to be the only real Career on the train. Fort was too soft, and Poppy... well, she was Poppy. Still, Ellery felt some responsibility to get on better terms with Merrit. He had a habit of holding grudges, but hating Poppy’s district partner could only hurt things between them. Well then, I guess it’s worth a try.

Tired and confused, Ellery stumbled out of the train car where he had met Poppy. He had told the girl he needed to sleep, but this wasn’t entirely true. The past few nights had given Ellery such little rest, in fact, that he was unsure if he would ever be able to sleep again. The train, the tributes, the Games-- they all pulled tighter on Ellery’s strings until his body had become nothing more than a jumbled cluster of jittery nerves. 

“Did he now!” Poppy was clearly delighted. That did sound like Merrit at a party. Gender didn’t stop his flirting, though she had never thought to ask how serious those feelings may be. Poor Ellery. The thought of the look on his face after being kissed made her want to laugh, but it might not be so fun for him. It also stirred another feeling that, quite frankly, Poppy didn’t want to give voice to. She was being ridiculous, and… “Wait, a ghost?“ He was just going to glide over that?!

Poppy thought she couldn’t stop smiling, but the Quell was brought up again. She didn’t blame Ellery. That’s probably what the entire train ride was for–strategizing. Unless the Capitol just wanted them to all get to know one another as people before they were sent to the arena. If Merrit was even planning to pair with her, Poppy and Merrit winning would mean Ellery losing. Poppy bit her lip. She didn’t want that either! She didn’t have close friends back in Five. It was like she was missing her only chance. Here, she’d met someone she felt like she could talk to for an entire lifetime and there would still always be more to say. Their time together was so achingly short.

“We should all eat lunch together!“ Poppy said desperately. “Or even just you and me.” Without realizing it, her hand had shot out to grab Ellery’s. As if that flimsy tether would suddenly stop their fate. She wasn’t sure at all how the Tribute Center worked. But training so hard, surely the tributes must eat some kind of meal together. Poppy could still have friends. Maybe. Well, at the least, she didn’t want tonight to be the end of that time.

Ellery’s face flushed as the girl grabbed his hand. He wasn’t sure why... it isn’t like that, he thought. At least, he didn’t think so. Maybe he was just tired. 

“Yeah, a ghost!” said Ellery, trying to distract himself. “I don’t even believe in that stuff, but it felt pretty authentic.” He thought about confessing his ventriloquist skills to Poppy, but decided against it. If Merrit found out... well, the jig would be up. Even so, Ellery felt guilty lying to her. Deception was commonplace in the Capitol and the business world, but something about the girl’s eyes threw Ellery off balance. He knew it was foolish, but he felt like she could tell what was real and what was fake.

“Anyway,” he said, “I think I’ll take you up on that lunch offer. At the speed this train is going, we still have a day or so before we reach the Capitol. Better soak it all in before we get there... our last few hours of freedom.” He looked out the window between the train cars and noticed a Peacekeeper making his rounds. “Well, relative freedom.” Ellery laughed. The blush was gone-- he still wasn’t sure what had caused it in the first place. He had nothing to gain from Poppy; no reason to flirt with her or use her. The warm feeling she gave him was entirely unfamiliar, and he didn’t like it. I need some sleep, he thought.

Fort felt Ellery move in closer to him in the pitch black, and inched his hand up and across the boy’s back until he was holding Ellery’s shoulder. They stood there for a beat of silence in the pressing darkness. “But there wasn’t a crash. We’d have heard a crash if it crashed?” Fort knew what he meant – his brain had sobered up in the chaos, his body just wasn’t cooperating with it. “It just stopped.”

The emergency lighting flickered on, casting an uneasy and peculiar orange glow on the carriage, which seemed to make vision possible by deepening the shadows rather than by casting light. “I feel like I’m tripping. Badly.” In the hazy light Fort could see Ellery reaching up to where his hand rested on the boy’s shoulder, and caught his eye. “Yeah - you’ll have to teach me some time.”

Gunfire and shouting erupted outside the window, and Fort pulled his hand away from Ellery’s shoulder and stepped towards the window, checking for any cracks in the shutters. “What the fuck is going on out there? Tell me I didn’t just take something weird. That’s actually happening right?”

It wasn’t a crash? Ellery was so accustomed to things running smoothly that he assumed the entire train had derailed. Fort was right, though-- they had seemingly just stopped (albeit, very aggressively). 

As much as he liked being held by the boy, Ellery was more curious as to what was transpiring outside. He walked over to the window with Fort, spying a small crack in the shutter. Ellery pressed his eye against it-- he could barely see, but he was able to make out a few hazy shapes beyond the train. Rebels, maybe? Whoever they were, they were heavily armed-- Ellery could hear the gunfire. For a moment, he considered if his father had sent a private security squad to bust him out of the train. If only, he thought. Decimus had resources, but nothing like that.

Just as he was getting a clearer view, a bullet smashed through the window at the end of the dining car. Ellery looked up at Fort for direction.

“We should, uh... get out of here, right?” 

“I didn’t know gray flowers even existed,“ Poppy snorted. She laughed along with Ellery before catching herself quickly, and covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers “That was rude of me.“

She shouldn’t care. She knew that. It was because of President Coin that all but two of the people on this train would die. Why she had to fight for her life. Pointing out their leader’s penchant for drab fashion was nothing in terms of revenge. But… Poppy wasn’t used to talking like this. She supposed she would have to get used to being much more brutal yet.

“District Five doesn’t have much for me.“ She admitted. “I was too weak for a path as a Career. Never wanted to either. So I have to work in a power plant and I hate it.“

Poppy tilted her head inquisitively at Ellery’s hesitation. Maybe they didn’t like each other? Merrit could go overboard in a party environment. Which she guess this qualified as. But maybe she could expand a bit on the situation, make Merrit less… curious. “Merrit is quite the character, yes! His schoolmates even had a nickname for him: the Jester. He’s my older sister’s age, and they’ve always been extremely close. I’ve practically grown up with him.”

The Jester... thought Ellery. Makes sense. He hadn’t been sure whether Merrit’s wild behavior was due to his drunkenness or his natural temperament. Either way, Poppy had vouched for his character and she seemed to know him well. Ellery was still scared of Merrit-- terrified, even-- but he decided to hide these feelings in front of his new friend. Better to play it off like a joke, he thought.

“Quite the character indeed,” Ellery replied with a slight laugh. “So much happened in the short time we spoke-- he kissed me, for one! And then a ghost showed up and told him he only had a week to live. Strange stuff.”

A brief wave of melancholy washed over Ellery as he glanced at the girl. They were similar in so many ways-- looks, abilities, interests. We both have the same strategy, he thought. Partner up with someone stronger who can protect us. For Poppy, that likely meant Merrit. For Ellery... well, he wasn’t quite sure. The only thing he knew was that he and Poppy would be a losing ticket in the Games. They would partner with different people, and one of them would die. He had made a new friend, but he would lose her just as quickly.

His voice came to her from somewhere far off in the distance. Much too far for her to be able to reach out and grab it, but she tried regardless, reaching her hands out in front of her, clutching the air with her fists and–

Her eyes shot open.

“How long was I asleep?” She asked, her voice groggy.

She shot up from the sofa that she had draped herself across while she slept, narrowly avoiding stepping on the wine glass she must have dropped while she slept. Her eyes darted around until they glanced over Zephyr and fell on the other boy who had accompanied him.

“Zephyr, who is this?” She asked, a grin spreading across her face as she waltzed over to him. “Have you made a new friend?”

She perhaps got a little too close to the new boy, but any invasion of space she was partaking in she wasn’t aware of.

“What’s your name?”

Ellery looked the girl up and down, trying to get a sense of how she would fit into his new dynamic with Zephyr. From her attitude, she seemed a bit more manic than her district partner-- still, they shared a similar sort of quirk. Ellery wondered if everyone in District 6 possessed the same eccentricities. 

“Ellery Andesine,” he replied. “District 2. I was lucky enough to meet Zephyr a few cars back, and well... I believe our visions are very much in alignment.” He smiled at Zephyr, putting his arm around Dahlia’s shoulder in the cordial way that rich people often did. “Suffice it to say, I was so impressed by him that I figured I should meet you, too.” 

Zephyr had recommended that Ellery avoid the topic of the Games. He wasn’t sure why, but he was willing to humor his new friend. Even so, it was still important to assess where Dahlia stood in the grander scheme of things.

Fort’s head swam as he clambered uncoordinatedly to his feet, dazed and confused.  His chair had toppled over, but other than the pre-existing tipsiness and a deep sadness that his pastries were all over the floor he was unharmed. He straightened up and looked around the carriage. Ellery appeared to be communicating with the Avox, and removed his shirt to stop the wound from which she was bleeding slightly. He moved over to them cautiously through the mess on the floor, taking extra care not to slip and fall onto the glass crunching underfoot. He offered a hand to Ellery to help him stand.

“Fine.” He muttered. “Where did you learn to communicate with Avoxes that way?” He looked down at the Avox, her eyes closed and breathing deeply, but seemingly more from shock than from pain.

“What happened?” He turned to look towards the window – it was darkening quickly but in the faint glow of the sunset he could make out figures moving around in the undergrowth bordering the train tracks. Before he could get a closer look, however, the shutters snapped shut, leaving the carriage in an impenetrable darkness. His hand tightened around Ellery’s forearm.

Ellery didn’t believe in any gods, but he offered a silent prayer to whomever had willed the train shutters to close. Not only had it gotten Fort to touch him-- the darkness of the carriage also hid Ellery’s blushing face from view. He feigned shock, leaning into the boy for support. Despite their predicament, he was having fun.

“Uh... not sure,” stammered Ellery. He had missed the figures in the window while tending to the Avox. “I can tell you this much, though... that was my first train crash. And I ride a lot of trains.” He wondered what could’ve caused the accident-- an electric malfunction, perhaps? I’ll have to tell Zephyr, thought Ellery. District 6 really fucked up with this one.

“Really?” Savanna asked before she could check herself. “Last I checked someone’s title wasn’t a one size fit all.” Part of her hated she could get so worked up over someone insulting the father she hadn’t seen in well over a year. The same man that thought it was a great idea to leave her with her uncle at ten years old. “If it matters to you, he’s in administration and you try to change a broken system.” Coin was no different than Snow in that aspect from what Savanna could tell.

Savanna took a breath. “Coin had a lot of use for her soldiers when the rebellion was all the rage, but threw them to the wolves once she got what she wanted.” There hadn’t been many options for her father. Even though she was young last they lived together, she still was aware of the nightmares that plagued her father from the war. “Soldiers that lost everything. District Twelve was burnt to the ground killing thousands. They lost their families, their siblings, brothers, sisters, dads, moms, and their home. They trained them as soldiers, to fight, and then denied them all other opportunities other than a military line of work or starve.” Walk away she told herself. Walk away.

“I am sure you’ve never known the pangs of hunger, but imagine going home every day and listening to your baby cry with hunger. You’d take the only job you could get too. Better to sacrifice yourself and your morals than your children.” But wasn’t that what Panem was still doing? Sacrificing it’s children?

Ah, thought Ellery. Administration. So he was the one who signed her sentence... not the one who tied her noose. He shrugged. Same thing.

Ellery was angry, but not at Savanna-- in truth, he was a bit confused by her dramatic reaction. He hadn’t imagined a girl from 12 enthusiastically licking the Peacekeepers’ boots. Mostly, he was offended by her assumption that he would “take the only job he could get.” 

“Even if I were starving, I couldn’t imagine becoming a Peacekeeper.” Ellery squinted at the girl. “There’s this thing called morality-- you know, principles and such? It’s why I’ve decided not to kill, even as a tribute. I would sooner die than bend over for Coin.” He felt his temperature rise, but continued nonetheless. “I don’t claim to know your father, and I don’t really care. I’m sure he was nice to you and all. But he’s a cog in a corrupt machine-- an evil machine.” He smiled. “Anyway, lovely meeting you.”

“In name, perhaps.” Savanna told him. The name vaguely rung a bell but it was likely something that came up in passing when her mom rambled on in the way she often did. Sometimes Savanna felt like she knew more about what went on in District Two than her family’s lives because District Two was easier to talk than her absence in their lives.

Savanna did her best to keep from rolling her eyes, because of course someone like him wouldn’t bother with people like he assumed her parents were. “You probably haven’t met them, they’re considerably younger than myself.” Thankfully, Savanna thought because it meant they weren’t eligible for the Reaping. “I always thought it was ironic my father joined the Peacekeepers in Two after the Rebellion. Then again, sometimes we find comfort in seeking solace in something that probably isn’t healthy.” The Rebellion had cost her father something he didn’t talk about, but Savanna could take a few guess as to what.

“Oh, your father is a Peacekeeper?” Ellery laughed awkwardly. “I wonder if he was the one who kicked me in the ribs on Reaping Day. Or maybe he was the one who killed my mother.” 

Zephyr gave Ellery a gratuitous smile, grateful that he had the opportunity to speak about Dahlia before formerly introducing her. He, of course, had full faith in Dahlia’s temperament, but given the direction of this conversation, he knew he must approach it delicately.

“Ah, yes. The great Dahlia Sol.” He bowed his head out of respect. “She comes from a very powerful family, you know. Our parents had often had business together, so I know her rather well.”

Zephyr’s eyes flickered to the boy, watching carefully to see how he took each new piece of information.

“We’re well-acquainted. She prefers not to stand in crowds such as these so I sent her straight to our tribute quarters. Dahlia is of a…” He gave a soft chuckle. “Delicate disposition - she doesn’t take very well to new people– but I am sure she would like you.”

He held out a hand towards the nearest door.

“I could introduce you to her now, if you’d like.”

“Certainly,” replied Ellery. He walked to the door, holding it open for Zephyr. “After you.”

Fort’s brow creased as Ellery spoke. It wasn’t the answer he’d expected, and he hadn’t thought of Ellery as a party animal particularly. He struck Fort as the kind of rich kid who filled their time by being better than rich kids like him, though he’d never been especially good at reading people.

He shrugged and held his ground as Ellery leaned into him, their noses almost touching. Fort could feel his breath on his face as he whispered, tickling his nose, and Ellery’s gaze was actively boring into Fort. He gave a small smile and laughed lightly.

“I don’t know, Ellery, what do you think motivated me? You seem like a pretty astute guy.” He paused for a beat of silence right in Ellery’s face, breathed out and then leaned back into his chair, crossing his leg in front of him as a barrier to Ellery. If he wanted more he’d have to come and get it.

“I guess I was pretty excited by the idea of glory at the start,” he began. “But then…” He paused and raised the bottle of water to his lips, shrugging dispassionately. “I guess it lost its lustre. The last couple years I’ve just been doing it because it was something to do.”

“How about you? Is violence not your thing?” He put down the bottle of water and signalled to the avox in the carriage for something stronger. He’d sobered up enough for his liking.

Before Ellery could respond, the entire train jolted to a crashing halt. Plates of food were flung in every direction, and the Avox who was bringing Fort a drink had been bludgeoned by a collapsed ceiling rail. Regaining his footing, Ellery rushed to the Avox’s side as the lights sputtered in and out of life.

He offered the girl his hand, pulling her up from the floor and helping her to a nearby seat. Her uniform had been punctured by the rail-- a small trickle of blood spreading out from below her ribs. It’ll be okay, signed Ellery. He needed something to stop the bleeding... but the tablecloth was covered in glass, and the napkins were all too small. With no other options, he tore off his shirt and tied it around the Avox’s waist. There, he signed. Just apply some pressure.

Looking down at the girl, Ellery felt a tinge of regret. The shirt was corduroy-- straight from the Capitol, and one of his most expensive. Oh well, he thought. Lives are more important than fashion. The Avox signed her gratitude to Ellery, and he turned around to check on Fort. The boy was strong, and Ellery hadn’t seen him get hit by anything. Still, it was important to check.

August heard his joke, but she was stuck on Ellery’s comment, confusion painted across her face. “How do you cook without butter?” The idea of someone choosing not to eat animals wasn’t entirely foreign to her, but it was more of a joke in her district rather than a genuine lifestyle choice. She wasn’t even sure it would be possible to avoid things made from animals back home.

“You don’t have to feel bad ‘bout the animals,” August explained as they reached the catering car. She stopped at the door, motioning for him to go in before her. “That’s what the animals are for. It’s real sad they die and all, but that’s what they were put here for.”

They entered the dining car, and Ellery struggled to keep his eyes from rolling into the back of his head. To think that the purpose of life is death, he mentally scoffed. Not even that-- to think that there’s any purpose at all! He stifled a laugh. “Funny, isn’t it?” he asked August. “You could say the same thing about us tributes-- it’s real sad that we die and all, but that’s what we’re put here for.” 

Zephyr grinned as the boy’s hand touched his shoulder, allowing the boy to steer him towards the corner of the carriage. He trusted Ellery, mainly because Ellery seemed to trust him. His brow furrowed as he listened to the boy, nodding his head knowingly before meeting Ellery’s smile with one of his own.

“The Games are dangerous for us, but they’re also a chance for us to prove ourselves.” Zephyr leaned closer, lowering his voice so no one else would hear. “My father says he can… influence the odds a little, if push comes to shove. The Capitol are very generous when it comes to their own kind.”

He moved back, surveying the boy carefully.

“I like you, too.” Zephyr once again imitated the boys pompous tone. “People of our pedigree must stick together in a place like this.”

A look of understanding dawned on Ellery’s face as he realized that he shared a strategy with Zephyr: both of their fathers would attempt to influence the Games. He wasn’t altogether surprised-- Ellery knew how the wealthy thought, and cheating was usually how they remained at the top. Still, he couldn’t help but be bothered by the news. There could only be two victors, after all, and it was impossible to know if the Capitol would prefer Decimus’s bribe over that of Zephyr’s father. Ellery held in a sigh. The addition of money always complicated a problem.

Wait, he thought. That’s it-- two victors! Ellery had been planning on pairing with a career; someone strong who could kill for him and get him through the Games alive... but perhaps that strategy was wrong. With the pooling of their shared influence, Ellery was likely much safer with Zephyr than he was with some mindless hunk. It was far too soon to outright ask the boy for his partnership, but Ellery couldn’t stop thinking of their future together. Before he could make a move, though, there was one more thing he needed to know...