❝𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐀❞ ━ TREECH

33. rescue mission

June waits it out for a little bit longer. While she draped the blanket over her lap a while ago, she can’t quite fall asleep yet. She’s just glad to see that Treech is doing well. If she could talk to him right now, she knows he’d probably tell her to go home and get some rest like everyone else is, but she just can’t rest yet.

Persephone and Lyssie are the last to leave, meaning that it’s now only Coriolanus and June left. The entire auditorium is empty except for the two of them, and while it feels a bit awkward, it’s not as bad as it seems at first glance. She’s not surprised he decided to stay either; Lucy Gray is a top contender sponsorship-wise, and if June were in his shoes, she’d also not want to miss anything. Her and Jessup are all alone after all, but it’s hard to tell when the alliance might try to come back to them.

Unlike her, Coriolanus is on the verge of falling asleep, and so she decides to let him be. Plus, she wants to avoid the topic of Clemmie as much as possible. He must know she knows about the snakes, she’s sure of it, and she doesn’t want to let more slip than necessary.

She’s less exhausted than she thought she would be after not getting enough sleep the previous night. But when she deems it safe once the cameras show most of the tribute’s locations, she gets up from her seat as well and heads towards the restroom.

She takes a while to freshen up since she didn’t leave her seat except for whenever they were given food by the Academy. She tries to think, but she honestly can’t remember the last time the Academy was this deserted. Seeing all of the empty corridors and halls makes the whole thing a bit eerie. At least the lights are still on everywhere, though, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less unsettling to hear her footsteps echoing in the hall.

She washes her face, fixes her hair so that she can tie it up completely now, and smooths out her uniform a bit. It’s not that she’s planning on going home, but perhaps she’ll give home a call in the morning to ask for an extra change of clothes. She has her toothbrush and toothpaste with her but decides she’ll only use them before she tries to get some rest.

As she opens the door and steps back into the corridor, she wonders if it’s not too late to give Sejanus a call. Things in the arena seem safe enough at the moment, and even though she still has a pit in her stomach, she feels a lot more calm knowing the other tributes are either trying to sleep or staying in their hiding spots.

However, her thoughts are cut short when she hears the clicking of heels approaching rapidly. At first, June thinks it might be her mother, but it’s much worse — it’s Dr. Gaul, and for once, that unsettling smile on her face is replaced by an expression that seems to mask her fury, though only barely. She looks eerily calm, but the moment her eyes land on the mentor, she stops in her tracks.

“Ah, Miss Beaumont!” She exclaims, and June feels a cold shiver go down her spine. For some reason, her being here brings a smile to the woman’s face. “Just who I was hoping to see!”

Unsure what to think, June shifts slightly. “Dr. Gaul?” She clears her throat and straightens up. “Is… Is everything alright?”

The woman purses her lips. It seems the girl is just as perceptive as her mother, which isn’t necessarily a bad trait. In fact, it might even make things a lot easier in this case.

“That depends on who you’re asking,” Dr. Gaul replies. “Is it just you here? Everyone else has already left?”

“It’s me and Coriolanus, actually,” June says. “I know we’re technically dismissed, but—”

“It’s not about that.” Dr. Gaul waves her off quickly. She seems to be thinking briefly, and June can’t help but ask herself what’s going on in that head of hers.