#ch4.

Wren and Gage are off to training, behind closed doors where none of them can follow. Watching them go, Hudson had felt sick: in his own Games, he’d looked at the youngest of the Tributes and felt so much older, so much bigger compared to them, and so horrified by what he was expected to do—and their brother is seven years their senior. A fully grown man, with a child of his own on the way.

But Wren is still a child. As small as anyone in Hudson’s Games, but in a field full of adults.

Hudson thought the Rebels would save them. It was the only hope they had. And yet, here they all are.

It’s been fractured between them. Griffin with his bruised face, his lack of explanations. Fava with her anger. Even Nelly’s been quieter since they arrived. Maybe that leaves Hudson in the middle, to be the one to pull them all back together. Though they’re not quite sure how.

But they have no choice but to work together. Maybe they need a reminder of that. “So this is happening.” Because the Rebels failed them. “So we need—alliances, we need sponsors. We need to do something.” 

with all of the time he spends busking during the day, chan makes it up by exercising at night. hongik’s university is convenient enough nearby to do laps around their track and some cardio on the lawn in between. with summer coming to an end and autumn’s imminent but gradual entrance coming hand in hand with september, finding time to fit a workout into his day wasn’t always easy.

though uncommon in korea, chan still felt the need to exercise with his shirt off more so often than on. it was just something he’d by nature picked up in australia and never put much thought into until actually living in asia — even then, it was something he didn’t spend too much brain power on, because really, who cared if he ran around in the dark half naked?