#ft. everett

He ran on unsteady legs until the scenery shifted from foliage and desolate forestry to a different kind of desolate, to the huge empty houses long abandoned. He ran like he was in search of something, desperate and frantic. He longed for something familiar, for something comforting. 

“Kit..?” he stopped in his tracks as he turned a corner, eyes wide as he looked at the man, his brother, right there. He was taller than Lionel now and his shoulders were broader, but Lionel paid no mind to the fact, remembering how much his younger brother had complained about growing pains when he'd visit Lionel before his death. “When did you- How did you.. How did you get here? When did they put you in here?” he started to shout as his chest fell up and down rapidly, walking towards him and reaching a shaking hand out. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? How long have you been here?” he asked in quick succession.

He felt panic bubble in him as he couldn’t think straight, screwing his eyes shut as he begged his brain to slow down, the throbbing of his head only getting louder, making him feel just as sick as he had been in the forest. He opened his eyes again, this time finally noticing the figure next to Kit, his grip around the sickle immediately tightening. “Who.. who the hell are you?” 

@everettlance @agathamoreau​

“So, how much does a girl gotta pay to get an enchanted cupcake?” Mordred asked, tone lowered as she looked at the various goodies on display. “Somebody went and pissed me off and I’m not about to say I’m petty but....” The implication hung in the air as she leaned against the counter. “Nothing too drastic, just need someone to have a run of bad luck for a while. Just enough to keep me entertained. Think you can help?”

Timeframe: August, Year 108. District Four. The Blue Residence.

“Kai, c’mon! You never tap out this early and Cordelia’s shrimp-on-a-stick is ready. Get your ass in gear!”

Finn, Marshall, and Fjord were drunk out of their minds and likely about to get Finn’s parents out of their beds with threats to kick all of them out. All they cared about was celebrating that one of their friends wasn’t dead, not even close. Instead, he was their district’s newest celebrity and, in the words of Marshall, “he had to be treated like it.” All Kai wanted to do was head to “his” part of the beach where his friends technically couldn’t follow without an invitation. Instead, he was stuck sitting on one of the Blue’s uncomfortable benches at near midnight on a Tuesday.

While his friends partied outside and ate more than they should, Kai excused himself into Finn’s kitchen. Dehydrated out of his mind, he chugged a glass of water and then another before taking a break. It wasn’t like he’d be asleep at home anyways. Their faces, all their faces, kept him awake most of the night. He hadn’t slept well since the night before the Games. This is exactly where he would be if he was at home, only with nicer countertops and water that didn’t taste like it was from the ocean. 

The wooden floor creaked and gave away a spy peering around the corner. Her big, red hair would’ve given her away had it not been for the obvious tiptoeing. 

“Delta? Shouldn’t you be asleep, girl? Your parents are going to flip their lids if they find out you’re awake.”

“No they won’t.” The three-year-old apparently had a limited vocabulary, but most of it was demanding and sassy, according to Finn anyway. “What are you doing?”

“Your brother and all of our friends are being big idiots. I’m waiting for them to crash so I can go home.” 

Delta didn’t respond, but she did come into the light of the kitchen. She wore a nightgown not unlike most of the little girls in Four who dreamt of being a mermaid. She didn’t seem the type and it didn’t suit her, but he couldn’t blame her parents for buying it. Even if it clashed with her personality, she still looked cute in it. 

“Do you want some water?” he offered, which resulted in her nodding. Her poured more and even though he pitied her for thinking it was any good, handed it to her. “Don’t spill it or we’ll both be in trouble.”

“I’m not,” she whispered. Something told him it wasn’t her first time sneaking into the kitchen at such a late hour. She was always around when he and Finn hung out, often times trying to tag along wherever they went. Kai didn’t mind at all, but Finn outright refused and it was often a topic of argument with his parents. Kai wished he had siblings.

“You don’t come to our house anymore,” she suddenly spoke up, mouth still moist with the water she definitely leaked onto her dress. 

“I’m sorry, I’ve been a little busy. I can start coming over more if you want me to? So you can hang out with me and your brother?”

Delta’s eyes grew bright and she nodded with excitement. Kai knew Finn would be pissed, but it didn’t matter. Kai needed more people around like Delta, ones who didn’t worship the ground he walked on for being a murderer. 

“I saw you on t.v.” she spoke again, sending fear into his heart. 

“Oh yah? That was just for something dumb. You shouldn’t watch it, you’ll think it’s super boring.”

The young girl giggled, though quickly transitioned into a unmistakable yawn that said she was struggling to keep her eyes open. She tugged at her dress and keep moving her feet from side-to-side. Kai went to grab her hand and led her into her bedroom down the hall. Careful not to wake her parents in the next room, he lifted her blanket as she crawled in and let it fall to cover her. 

“Sleep tight, Delta, don’t let the sharks bite. And don’t tell your brother we’re friends. He’ll be jealous.” The young girl used to head to seal the promise and gently closed her eyes as she fell back asleep.

.....

Kai watched as Everett walked Delta’s once lively body to the water. He wept silently, tears staining his face. All his efforts hadn’t been enough to save her. Nothing could have saved her. Not even if he had been right there alongside her. As she floated in the open ocean, Kai didn’t think of how Finn would take it or how District 4 would collectively mourn the death of one of their children. 

Instead, Kai remembered the young girl as the one never too many steps behind. The girl that would incite her brother’s rage and get him into trouble for yelling at her. The girl with the water spilled all over her dress and the floor after promising not to. She never listened, but that’s who she was. 

Merry Christmas @everettellington. My oldest and closest friend, I hope you have a great holiday. I got you a fishing kit complete with spices and recipes, a whiskey decanter (complete with a glass fish because why the heck not!?), and lastly a fire extinguisher mini bar because, would you expect anything less from me!? Cheers to over thirty years of friendship, looking forward to thirty more!

Your friend,

On his tablet, he had already pulled up the list of sponsors he was on good terms with. People who had sponsored Cain, who were interested in working with Two again.

On the TV in front of him, taking up almost the entire wall of the viewing room, the Games began. Maverick sat with a hand hovering over the tablet, as if that could change everything. As if he had any say now in what happened. The last time he’d done this, watched Everett take his place in the Bloodbath of 122, he’d felt some mix of pride and horror as he’d killed Carlos and Travela. He’d sat on his bed staring at the TV, knowing that there was nothing, nothing at all, that he could do to save Everett. If someone attacked him, he was dead.

(In the end, that had happened. Maverick hadn’t been able to stop it. Now he was glad for that. Had he been able to stop it, he would have. He’d have killed Alder if he could have. He hadn’t known him then, not at all. It’d have been the greatest regret he’d never fully understand. This was another thing that Everett had saved him from.)

The suits lit red and blue and Maverick understood almost instantly. Of course. It made sense. They had to mix it up, think of something special for the Quell. He watched the faces, already pulling up a new note on his screen and beginning to mark down who was on which team. He saw Agatha (blue) and let out an audible sigh of relief. He saw Silver (red) and his stomach clenched. Everett was only half-safe. Only safe from the hands of the 19 others on his team.

For now. Even as he felt relief he knew that this would end. He had no idea how soon, but there would not be 20 Victors. There would only be one.

Everett jumped into action at the sound of the gong and ran towards the Cornucopia as they’d discussed. The screen was filled with flashes of red and blue. Some small distant thing inside of him itched to be part of it himself. Some relic from his own past, now gone. The desire to win the Games. The desire to fight. The desire, even, to die a hero in them. Was that heroism?

He held his breath as Everett fought Isabela. Blue and red. They were a good match; if she chose to kill him, she might succeed. Everett was not Academy-trained like Isa. This was her life and her job. However, she simply grabbed the backpack, and he caught the pain on Everett’s face as he cried out and fell to the ground. Isabela retreated and Maverick watched, his stomach in knots, already pulling up the list of sponsors again.

He watched as Everett grabbed a knife. Good. As Everett got up. As a boy in red approached him, a boy that the TV quickly identified as Burly. Burly from Seven.

Maverick’s heart sank. His heart sank as the knife went into the boy’s stomach. Alder’s tribute. Again killed by one of his. But not just one of his. Everett.

EVERETT

text: haven't seen you around the farm lately. given up on spying on me?

TATUM

text: ........ how did you get this number??? text: nevermind, pretty sure I know and pretty sure I'm about to murder a certain brother. text: I'm not 12 years old anymore, you don't hold the appeal for me that you used to. Sorry not sorry.

EVERETT

text: I have my ways ma'am text: you wouldn't really look that great behind bars, so lets not think that way blondie text: there is no way you typed that with a straight face

TATUM

text: Ma'am? Excuse you, I am not old enough to be called ma'am. Jackass. text: maybe not, but I would rock the orange jumpsuit and you fucking know it. text: my face is so straight typing that you'd think I just had botox. text: is there a particular reason you're texting me Everett, or are you out of petty crimes to commit?

EVERETT

text: exactly why I said it. to get you wound up text: I see it has worked text: Idon't know if you'd really look with orange on text: I might be out of some right now.  but who say's this isn't what I had in mind the whole time. just to text you?

TATUM

text: what are you, five? text: yep, clearly five.

text: orange 👏 is 👏 my 👏 color 👏 bitch 👏. text: okay, I'll bite. Why did you "just want to text" me?

EVERETT

text: alright, you look hot in orange. Got it text: you’re such a brat sometimes text: I’m bored, come entertain me

TATUM

text: Thank you, I'm sure it was painful for you to admit. text: Moi? A brat? I'm 100% that bitch, but smart of you not to use that word. Good boy. text: Am I seeing things? You want me to come around? Thought I was an *annoying fucking pest"??

EVERETT

text: you have no idea how hard that was text: rather use that one, then the other one. just in case text: You might be an annoying fucking pest, doesn't mean I don't want your company sometimes

TATUM

text: And yet you survived. text: I'm sure you would, but it would earn you a slap. text: I see. Interesting. I suppose I could tolerate your company for a little. text: Hiding out at the farm?

EVERETT

text: I rather live to see another day text: not that I would be entirely opposed to that. I might enjoy that a little to much text: I’m actually not. I’m hiding out in my house at the moment. Just as great. You should come over

TATUM