#wontbeg

❛ like what ? ❜ abilene's face is the picture of innocence . hazel eyes shifted from the tributes from twelve , their gaunt faces plastered on the screens around the capitol with a four beneath the boy and a five beneath the girl , to maysilee , forcing her lips to turn up in a smile . ten had ranked a bit higher but only because the boy was large and the girl skilled with a knife . her heart ached for all of them .

and it isn't as though madge doesn't understand. perhaps not fully, not as smartly as she should be, but she understands enough why father is the way he is, and why mother would follow. the capitol always sets the expectation, after all – and who else would know it better than those who have been touched directly by them ?

madge disregards the thought for now – she crosses the short stretch to her aunt instead, and falls into an embrace. tight.

❛⠀you're here, ❜ she whispers.

" can you cool it with the snarling ? " a laugh wraps around hushed words, nudging maysilee's arm as eli starts wandering around the camp. " i wouldn't have brought him with me if i didn't trust him. " amusement shifts to sincerity as she catches her sister's gaze. " you know i'd never jeopardize your safety, don't you ? "

that probably means another ten minutes, maybe even fifteen, madge thinks to herself. but she doesn't mind. she's not exactly keen on getting back to her house for the annual family lunch her father liked to hold before reaping day. madge has been safe from the capitol thus far, but she knows her chances of being reaped were just as likely as those who had their names put in more than they should've been. being lucky enough to not have to register for tesserae didn't mean she'd be lucky enough to not get chosen for the games. sixteen slips of her name in the bowl were still sixteen slips. her aunt went into the arena when she was sixteen, too. "you can take your time, aunt mays. i'm not very hungry yet."

the blonde leans back in her chair, her voice full of arrogance as she brags to her prep team about how hard her district has trained for the following days ahead. her hair has been carefully arranged in tight, sophisticated waves, and her velvet green dress shimmered beneath the locker room lights. deep down, she knew that the prep team didn’t care. they were just following orders, dressing her up for the cameras. it didn't matter what they thought of her. but her people back home? that was a different story. their opinion meant everything. in district one, this was all anyone cared about: how hard they trained, how hard they fought. and winning would prove that she was the best.

silka's boasting comes to a halt as maysilee’s words cut through the room like a knife. for a brief moment, the entire room falls silent, . and it bothers her. her eyes narrowed, irritation flashing across her face, but it's quickly replaced by a tight, artificial smile. rising from her chair, the girl makes her way towards the girl, trying not to trip over the long train following closely behind. “ you say that now, but just you wait. ” she said, staring at her intensely, her voice dripping with venom. “ you'll be begging me to spare your life once we're in that arena. ”

he watched her from where he sat on one of the train's plastic shell seats, fingers idly turning a coin over in one hand. she had just finished tearing into their capitol escort — loud, unapologetic, furious. he didn't laugh outright. that wasn’t really his style, and he didn’t get the joy out of conflict that others did. but he would be lying if he said it wasn’t the tiniest bit entertaining. the odds of her making it through this train ride peacefully just dropped, statistically speaking — but oddly enough, her chances of surviving the games? those might've just gone up. he shrugged, then said, ❛ i respect it. ❜ if his father back home saw that interaction, he'd probably start betting on her instead. but for the good of the group, it'd be better if she kept her composure. ❛ doesn't mean it's always a good idea, though. ❜ the boy added, the words coming out almost absent-minded, with a flicker of something in his eyes. it wasn't judgement; it was more like concern.

true ally behavior is skinny dipping with your bestie and then throwing rocks at his girlfriend when he brings her to your house uninvited