"Morning, Vera. How are you today?" asked Festus as Vera entered the room for the fourth day of the games.
"Never been better," Vera replied, smiling as she took her seat. A few moments later, an annoyed Coriolanus walked through the door, eyes instantly landing on Vera but she just ignored him, keeping her gaze on the screen.
Just like the previous days, nothing seemed to happen in the arena for a while, only a few tributes coming out for breakfast -- including Treech. But he didn't stay for too long, coming out only to grab his food and leave.
From the corner of her eye, Vera could see Coriolanus talking to Dr. Gaul before touching his coat pocket and heading for the door with a look of determination.
That snake. Of course, he's planning to cheat, Vera thought as she let out a scoff, causing Festus to turn to her with a confused glance.
"What's got you so annoyed?" asked Festus, confused by Vera's sudden shift in attitude.
"Don't worry about it," Vera replied with a wink. Festus quickly turned around after that, awkwardly blushing as he mumbled 'What's gotten into her?'
The arena remained barren for a while after all the tributes came out to get their food. That was until Wovey decided to make her first appearance.
The little girl looked much skinnier than she had prior to the games, though Vera wasn't sure how that was possible seeing as the girl was already a twig when she got off the train. But then, Vera noticed something odd.
Even as food arrived for little Wovey, the girl seemed to be too stuck in her daze, neglecting her food in favor of her empty water bottle.
That's odd, Vera thought. Where could she have gotten the water bottle? She hadn't been seen since the games began.
But what was even weirder was the way Wovey clawed at the ground for some water, haphazardly throwing a bottle open and chugging it before slumping against the wall and going still.
"What just happened?" Vera asked as she stared up at the little girl, noticing an odd liquid dripping from the corner of her mouth.
"She's dead," Urban announced, perplexed as well.
"What? No. No, she's just resting," Hilarius Heavensbee, Wovey's mentor, insisted, walking closer to the screen.
"I don't get it," Vera replied, glancing at all the other mentors, "What did she die from?"
"Probably dehydration or starvation. She hasn't had any food or water in days," Coriolanus answered with an interestingly worried look on his face.
"But she had a water bottle in her hand. And it's only been three days. She couldn't have died from starvation that quickly," Vera insisted, but quickly stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Coriolanus is probably right," Hilarius cut in, "Besides, it's not like it matters. She's dead anyways."
Vera clenched her jaw before looking at a slumped Wovey one more time and nodding her head. What did Coriolanus know that she didn't?
But Vera's suspicion of Wovey's death only grew stronger when she noticed Reaper's expression as he looked between the water and Wovey. He clearly knew something was up.
"See? Why should I feed him when he refuses to eat?" Clemmie yelled out as Reaper dropped the apple in favor of taking care of Wovey.
"I think he thinks they're poisoned," Vera muttered, "I mean that little girl's death was suspicious."
From the corner of her eye, Vera could see the way Coriolanus clenched his jaw at her comment, but he still remained quiet.
"Alright, I think we've had enough of your conspiracy theories today," said Festus as he gestured for her to follow him, "Let's get some food to help with those delusions."
"But-"
"Vera. It's lunchtime. Let's go," Festus insisted waving toward the cafeteria. With a grunt, Vera rose from her seat, begrudgingly following behind him.
"Fine."
-
Lunch also proved to be a rather ridiculous affair. Vera had not been very hungry, so instead, she headed outside for some air. She hadn't intended to walk in on a fight between Treech 'fans' and Coral 'supporters'.
"They're children!" Vera shouted at the crowd as the two groups, "Not the dogs you bet on at those retched brawls you all go to!"
Instantly, the girl's loud voice caught everyone's attention as she yelled, forcing cameras on her.
"You're all sick! All of you!! Standing there with your signs and shirts as if you're not rooting for the death of children!" Vera continued to scream as the crowd grunted in response.
"That's enough, Ms. Whitestone," one of the Peacekeepers announced, grabbing onto her arm and escorting her into the auditorium.
"Get your hands off me," Vera yelled as she harshly pulled her arm away, causing Clemmie and Festus to come running toward her.
"Woah woah what's going on here?" Festus asked, stepping between Vera and the Peacekeeper and Clemmie pulled Vera next to her.
"Just taking Ms. Whitestone inside after her little screaming fit at the crowd," the Peacekeeper responded as he brushed off his uniform. Both Festus and Clemmie turned to Vera in shock.
"What's gotten into you today? You've been acting weird all morning," Festus asked her, but Vera only brushed him off.
"Nothing. There were people fighting outside. I just yelled at them to stop," Vera muttered, causing Festus to shake his head with a laugh.
"I can't with you sometimes, you know that?" Festus teased, clearly bewildered by Vera's behavior today.
"To your seats. All of you," Lucky instructed, "Festus. That means you."
"Let's go, Firecracker."
-
It wasn't until Dr. Gaul appeared on the screen that things began to take a turn, interrupting a rather dull arena.
"Capitol Citizens," Dr. Gaul announced, drawing everyone's attention, "I'm afraid I have some sad news to announce. Due to complications from the rebel bombing in the arena, one of our beloved Academy students, Gaius Breen, has died."
From the audience, a collective gasp was heard as the news was announced. The other mentors were especially upset, seeing as Gaius was one of their classmates.
"Out there in the districts, they'll be celebrating this boy's death and I will not stand for it. In response, we've planned something special for their children in the arena. A rainbow of destruction," Dr. Gaul announced, voice growing much more sinister as she revealed part of her sinister plan.
Vera clenched her jaw as she stared up at the horrid woman's image. Please Treech. Stay hidden and high up.
As soon as Dr. Gaul's image disappeared, Lucky let out an exasperated breath.
"Get me a drink. Get me a drink right now," Lucky told one of his assistants. And the crowd behind her broke out into whispers, trying to decipher what the possible surprise could be.
"I think I need one too," Vera muttered.
-
An hour later, Dr. Gaul's promise still hadn't seemed to come true, confusing everyone in the crowd. Vera wondered if maybe the Capitol had stopped Dr. Gaul from releasing her mutts into the arena, but that also probably wouldn't have stopped Dr. Gaul.
As the group waited, Lucky went through, interviewing every single one of the mentors about Gaius, hoping to eulogize the boy a bit. Of course, everyone had something kind to say. Gaius Breen was not the type to have any enemies.
When it came to her turn, Vera told the crowd all about how Gaius had once made her feel better after she scraped her knee on the playground by telling her stupid jokes all the way to the medic.
A true story that Vera hadn't thought about in years, but it seemed to please the audience, even having some burst out into tears at her description of the kind boy that once was.
But even through all this emotional talk, Vera was still anxious. Where were the snakes? Was Dr. Gaul lying to rile her up?
And it only got worse once she noticed Treech creeping out of his hiding spot.
"No. No. No, go back," Vera muttered as she stood up from her seat, grabbing a few of the other mentor's attention.
But Treech, unaware of the upcoming danger, continued his trek out of the tunnel and toward Circ and Teslee. Quickly, the boy ran toward the kids from Three, ready to swing.
But Treech's pursuit was quickly interrupted by an oversized drone dropping off a large package into the middle of the arena -- presumably Dr. Gaul's mutts.
Vera's blood ran cold as Treech paused, staring at the container in awe.
"Run, Treech. Now," Vera pleaded. But of course, the boy couldn't hear her.
And then, as the container landed, the walls broke loose and the snakes erupted into the arena, spewing in all directions.
In the front row, Clemensia threw herself on the ground with a loud screech, causing everyone to flinch. Quickly, Vera made her way over to the girl, pulling her in for a tight hug and shielding her from the snakes.
"It's okay, they're not here," Vera whispered as Clemensia shook in her embrace. Then, Vera brought her attention back to the arena, praying that Treech had run to safety.
And thankfully, he seemed to be doing just that, climbing on top of the scoreboard like she'd suggested the day of the bombing. Silently, Vera let out a grateful thank you to the boy as she felt a weight lift off her shoulders.
Teslee and Circ did not seem to be as quick on their feet though. Teslee, who seemed to run a bit faster, managed to get herself up a pole at a safe enough height. But Circ, however, did not seem to have as much luck, tripping on a spear before being engulfed by snakes.
Io Jasper, Circ's mentor, let out a loud sigh as she watched the boy succumb to the snake's venom.
But of course, that wasn't all. A moment later, a loud scream could be heard from the tunnels before Mizzen and Coral ran out. Mizzen, although injured, quickly made his way toward one of the poles, scaling up it in no time.
Coral, however, had already been attacked by one of the snakes, making her much slower as her body began to fall victim to the venom -- which was only intensified by the snakes biting at her ankles.
"Please," Coral breathed out as she fell to the ground, reaching for help. The look on Mizzen's face as Coral succumbed to her injuries made Vera have to look away -- heartbreak evident on the little boy's face.
And then, it was Lucy Gray's turn to make an appearance. Quickly, the girl from Twelve made her way out of the tunnels, heading for a spot in the stands where the snakes couldn't reach before breaking into song desperately.
Vera could see the fear in Lucy Gray's eyes as she attempted to charm the snakes.
You're headed for heaven
The sweet old hereafter
And I've got one foot in the door
But before I can fly up
I've loose ends to tie up
Right here, in the old there-before
Lucy Gray began to sing, seemingly bewitching some of the snakes as they made their way to her. But Lucy Gray only continued to climb as the snake pursued her, hoping that her song would be enough to keep the snakes docile.
Vera quickly turned her attention to Coriolanus, who seemed relieved that Lucy Gray wasn't being attacked, most likely thinking his little plan worked.
But from the way the snakes continued to try and nip at her ankles once her song ended, it was clear that they weren't familiar with her scent like he anticipated.
Too bad she managed to get to safety before the snakes could get to her.
"Well, that was a big surprise I'd say," Lucky announced as the commotion seemed to die down, "And just like that Coral and Circ are down. Time to say goodbye to Io and Festus."
With that, Vera released a much calmer Clemmie before standing up and brushing off her skirt, making her way over to Festus with a sigh.
Vera would've much rather been stuck in the final five with Festus rather than Coriolanus, but of course, not everything goes the way she'd like it to. At least she still had Clemmie.
Slightly annoyed, Vera pulled her friend into a hug, chuckling as Festus let out a sigh.
"Win for me, won't ya?" Festus muttered as he pulled away, winking at his friend before walking toward Coriolanus. Vera let out a playful scoff at her friend's attempt at flirting, shaking her head as she watched him head for the door.
This is it. The final Five.
-
a/n: ignore me trying to make yall love festus to prepare for the festus fic,,, that man is funny as hell in both the book and the movie ofc I had to add it here
anyways,,, sorry for the lack of Treech,,, I promise he's back next chapter !!!
as always, thank you for reading and supporting me,,, it means sm to me that you guys actually like my writing and my stories
love you guys,
hannah <3