VENUS《 FINNICK ODAIR

Chapter 16. FRIEND OR FOE.

    "Then why are you wearing it?" Elsie piped up. Edith rolled her eyes without them knowing, "Because if I have it, I might as well."

   "Cheer up Edith," Ezra butted in, "Come on, we are the three E's now, us E's are meant to stick together."

   The trek was quieter after that. Elsie and Ezra mainly chatted about home, Edith piping in when she could. Their energy reminded her of an older version of Vienna and Jak, her youngest siblings.

    Edith held back a stinging tear, she will see them to be this old, she will live for 5 more years.

    Elsie immediately stopped and pulled the two others behind a bush, through the branches, she could make out five figures in a clearing.

   It was the four, unburned Careers left. Noble stood as tall as his silver spear, Cade appeared unfazed with his trident in hand. Artemis laughed at the state of their victim, her shuriken ready to throw, and Persephone held her katana ready to strike. And then the boy from 7, Cooper, had been thrown to the floor, amongst the wildflowers he was nearly invisible.

   "Please, just spare me, please. You dont have to do this."

   "Oh but I think we have to, you know with you killing your team mate, that was one less person for us to kill, do you know how unsatisfying that is for us when we wanted the full sweep?" Noble sighed with a devilish grin.

   Cooper winced, "I dont know what you're talking about, Calissa disappeared four days ago, I haven't seen her since!"

    Persephone cackled, "Come on sweetheart, it's obvious, the blood on your shirt, the guilty expression; I bet you enjoyed slitting her throat."

   The boy let out a wail, "You guys are fucking crazy, I didn't kill her, she left me days ago! Maybe it was that girl who scored a twelve, or that dark haired guy from 12 who killed her?!"

   "I think I'm losing my patience with him, aren't you Artemis?" Cade sighed, Edith felt an urge to gouge his eyes out.

   "Yes I am, disappointing really, you know I'm one for mercy with the innocent ones, but this is just sad."

   Cade laughed, "Dont lie to a man on his deathbed Artemis, it's unseemly."

   At that Persephone threw a knife from who knows where at the boy's hand, pinning him to the soft flower bed. "Speaking of which, let's get this over with, I want rabbit for dinner. And we have to head over to the other side of the forest where the fog doesn't go to get it in time."

    Edith slid her head away from the view. She couldn't watch, she didn't want to know how they massacre. She didn't want to see how involved Cade was. What the flower boy had became.

    Would Cade raise his trident? Or would he use a sword on his hilt? Or maybe he would take Persephone's other katana, or would he use one of Artemis's shurikens? Cooper's ruby blood would dye the field a magenta as dark as the fields in 8. But you never knew that field as well as I. You never had to cherish the nature around you, it was handed to you on a silver fucking platter by your promoted Peacekeeper parents. But I can't get angry at you for your luck, that would make me a hypocrite. No, instead I'll use your idiocy to render me in an agonising fury. Where did the ten year old go? In that field amongst the wildflowers were forget-me-nots, did that bring any memories back Cade Coran? Or are you a sociopath like the rest of them?

   Elsie nudged Edith out of her stupor, "Its over Edith, they went East. We are heading South, they won't find us, you good to go?"

   Ezra and Elsie both held put a hand each, Elsie with a kind smile and Ezra with a goofy stature. They were just kids. Maybe she could trust them?