prologue: White Noise
the arena
73rd Hunger Games
WHITE NOISE FILLS HER HEAD AS SHE GRIPS ONTO A ROCK. The flash flood had came without warning, clearly a play from the gamemakers to try and rush the games, it was now day three and there was still no victor. Her eyes are caked with mud and fresh cuts from debris sting as Ceres pulls herself out of the running waters. It reminds her of the events from Annie Cresta's game, she supposes recycling was the last resort to wipe out tributes. She hears two cannons go off.
Her legs feel like jelly when she finally manages to drag herself onto dry land. There's rubble nearby, that means she must've been dragged towards the cornucopia. The ruined city was the main part of the arena this year, everything else was deserted land with nothing but a few trees and small ponds that connected to a single lake. She was too exposed here, Ceres knew she'd have to find shelter in the buildings up ahead if she didn't want the mutated coyotes to find her, or worse, another tribute.
If she remembers correctly, there's four of them left. the boy from district 2, the boy from 10, a girl from 8, and herself. She looks down to her hands, thankful that at least the blood from a girl of 14 years was now gone. Her backpack still sits tightly on her back, but she needs to wash off before her clothes become intolerable.
It's oddly quiet, her heart is louder than the noise her boots make against the gravel. Ceres is careful to not set off any traps, she's memorized the patterns now. As she approaches what looks like an empty building, she whips out her dagger and holds it in front of her, ready to strike whatever made its way to her. Her first kill had been on day one, a career tribute from district 4. It had been so quick, she hardly had time to register that the boy was dead.
Luckily for her, the small building is empty as she crouches down to fit through the cracks of the boarded entrance. The inside is empty, with more trash and rubble piling up. Ceres blocks the larger holes with the rotten plywood that lays around and pieces of cloth. It looks like there's two stories to the building, but the stairs to the second floor are completely gone, only three steps remain at the very top. She'd have to climb through the rubble to reach the top. It was safer to stay above.
Ceres flings her backpack up first, and then starts to crawl upwards, slipping a few times on lose bricks. She reaches out for the railing, hoping it doesn't give out on her and quickly pulls herself up. It's a hassle to get up there, but at least now she had a clearer view of the terrain. There's a small opening on one of the walls that allows her to look out, and there's a few gaps in the ceiling. She must take advantage of the daylight now before it's gone and she's in complete darkness.
She begins to strip, trying to shake off the thought that someone was watching her get naked. But, these were the Hunger Games. She takes out the jacket from her backpack and drapes it across herself, careful not to brush against her burnt skin. Ceres uses the canteen bottles she had stolen to wash away the mud from her face and hands. Even after three days, she's surprised the hair on her body hadn't grown back out. Apparently keeping the tributes clean was necessary for entertainment. At least she's glad that her cycle has been momentarily stopped by the pills given to her.
Thanks to her sponsors, an ointment had been gifted to her earlier in the games, making the cuts on her shoulder heal rather fast. The damn mutts had gotten to her, and if it hadn't been for the boy from her own district, who sacrificed himself for her by pushing her off the building, she would've been their meal. Ceres feels bad not knowing the boy's name. She uses the same ointment on the cuts that are on her face, wincing at the slight sting.
She looks down at her two missing fingernails, grabbing the gauze from her backpack and wrapping them up. The skin underneath is still tender, she tries not to think too much about it as she lets out shaky breaths. There's no doubt they're broken. Nightfall is upon them, the hot temperature drops to a cool breeze that still manages to find her inside. Her clothes are still wet, if she were to wear them, she'd be susceptible to hyperthermia.
A little bell chime goes off somewhere near, and she knows it's a gift. She zips up the jacket and peeks out through one of the cracks in the wall, trying to locate the white parachute. It lands right inside the the building, and she feels as if luck might be on her side. Compared to the small container the medicine had came in, this one is bigger.
A shirt and a pair of pants lie rolled inside. They're identical to the old ones that are now covered in mud and wet. Inside is a little note:
Stay warm.
Perhaps her sister had sent it. Or a kind enough sponsor. She slips on the clothing, content that she won't have to sleep with cold tonight. Before she can doze off, she hears a loud scream in the distance. She snaps up from her sleeping position and snaps her backpack back on, adrenaline ushering her awake.
A cannon goes off.
Three left.
The next two tributes must be close to one another, the arena's night sky suddenly awakens in light. The scorching sun penetrates through the cracks and holes of the building, Ceres knows it's almost time for a victor. She carefully climbs back down to the first floor, looks around but finds nothing but bricks and stones. If her opponent was male, she'd be at a disadvantage with strength. Her dagger was only good enough for close combat, and that was something she was trying to avoid.
Ceres has no time to check her minor injuries, but she concludes they're now simple scars. Her burns still ache, but whatever strength she still had was keeping her going. She's scared, she's so fucking scared. Her heart is threatening to burst outside her ribcage, but she pushes aside her fear. If she succumbs to it, she'll be dead in the blink of an eye. She takes her time climbing out of the building, trying to come up with some sort of plan. Her mind is blank though, the thought that there's only two more kids left, that she might have to kill them. Or worse, be killed.
Out of nowhere, the ground begins to shake and Ceres scurries out of the place shes in, running towards high ground. Buildings begin to collapse, it's hard to keep her balance as the floor continues to shake. The final stages were taking place. Sooner or later, she'd come face to face with someone.
And as quick as it happened, the shaking comes to an end. She walks upwards towards the higher buildings, and comes to a halt when she sees the two boys fighting. Her breath gets caught in her throat as she scrambles behind a single brick wall, staring ahead of her as she hears the grunts of the two males. Her heart hammers, she's expecting her death now. Would it be fast?
"Please!" One of them pleads.
She looks just as the boy from two smashes a brick into the other's skull repeatedly, finally putting an end to his life. Ceres whips herself back, realizing she'd have to fight the remaining tribute. She remembers his name now, Wade. The boy from district two had scored a ten on his training, while Ceres had scored a seven. The odds were not with her, she knew that. Would Emre and mom watch?
Ceres inhales and exhales, taking off her backpack and leaving it on the floor. She holds her knife to her chest, deciding whether or not to end her own life and letting the boy take the easy win. But she can't, she doesn't find the strength to drive the knife in. The cannon goes off, Ceres steps out into view.
They face each other, eyes boring into one another as they realize there's still one more fight. Wade looks distraught as he looks down at the boy he just killed, and looks back up at Ceres, dropping the bloodied brick.
"One last fight Ackerman," Wade rasps, giving her a smile, though it held no sort of emotion.
Ceres nods, fists ready at her side as she accepts this outcome. She doesn't want to die, but she doesn't want to win. Ackerman's always win their games.
Emre's last words to her before the games bounce around in her head as she begins to build up adrenaline, heart pumping blood in all directions of her body. Ceres grips the handle of her knife as she begins running towards Wade, and vice versa. Emre would've disapproved of her going straight towards the target, but Ceres thinks her plan might work. She's not running at him, so when she runs past him and slices his abdomen, Wade has no time to react.
The knife isn't big enough to give him a fatal cut, but it catches him off guard as Ceres starts running into the ruined city. Wade follows, and catches her by the arm, pulling her back and onto the ground. He tries stomping on her face, but she rolls over just in time. She knows she lacks the skills Wade has from his training in District 2, but she's smaller and more agile. With her good leg, she manages to trip him and bring him down. Her body weight wouldn't be able to hold him still, but it gives her a good chance to punch him across the face. Her knuckle throbs after the first punch. The knife in her hand is about to dive itself into his chest, but Ceres has forgotten about being more aware, and the rock in Wade's hand hits her across the temple.
She doesn't even make noise when the impact knock all her senses off. Her vision blanks, and the ringing in her ears starts to drown out every other noise. Somehow, she manages to get up, and starts walking away. She's stumbling, trying to find something to hold onto.
Wade knows it's the end of Ceres Ackerman. She's walking around like a chicken without a head, her body is shutting down as her knees hit the floor. Ceres can't feel anything but pain. Her head feels like it's going to explode, she can feel all the strength in her body leaving. Please don't watch me die.
She tries standing up again, but her body refuses to stand back up. Wade walks towards her, about to finish her off when suddenly Ceres turns around and stabs his leg, using his body to stand back up and once the knife is pressed against Wade's neck, blood spurts onto her face. Wade begins chocking, falling down with her, gaping like a fish out of water as the blood begins to suffocate him.
It's a mercy kill when Ceres brings down a stone to his head, watching him finally stop trying to breathe. Ceres falls back onto her back, feeling herself slowly slipping. She doesn't feel when the hovercraft comes to pick her up, doesn't remember being taken to the white room, doesn't remember being cleaned up and having her head stitched up, her fingers amputated.
All she remembers is having the heavy crown placed on her head as President Snow congratules her achievement.
The white haired man leans in close to her and gives her a wicked smile, "Ackerman's always win their games, don't they dear?"
yea i'm not sure if i liked this, but i promised myself i'd finish the prologue soon so before i delete it and start over, i'll publish it.
i'm not sure if the fight scene even made sense? it did in my head so i'm sorry if it's confusing !! i'm still learning how to write action lmao
i'm also still not sure if it's gonna be a Peeta fic or if she'll end up with another OC that's been added. depending on how the story progresses, we'll see. I'm not trying to get her together with anyone anytime soon.