────── #one
word count: 3.1k
❝ danger of a dare ❞
POV: CHASSIS
7 ATT
Barely anyone lived a long life in Farren Heights. Dying of old age was a luxury reserved for the residents of Peregrine Court. As a neighborhood filled with blue-colored workers, their lungs are bound to the dark fumes emitted by the train station, oil factories, and manufacturing factories (shortened to manu-factories for convenience). If you lived your life morphling-free, or have never been reaped for the newly added Hunger Games, there was always the smog to give you an early introduction to death.
They've learned how to adapt to this, of course. Everyone had their designated 'outdoor masks' (old fabrics and shirts they wore over their nose and mouths) to keep out pollution. In their free time, they'd go to Traveler's Square to inhale fresher air. Windows in Farren Heights were glued shut to avoid the gas from seeping in, and air ventilators were built into the houses.
Chassis learned to be thankful for the little things over the years. She learned how to be thankful for her job in EDET. She's thankful for Farren Heights and its doable ventilation system. It may not be Peregrine Court, but at least she wasn't a vagabond -- a District Six resident that built their own hut or roamed the streets, thus suffering from the smoke day-in and day-out. She's thankful for outdoor masks; as an insecure and awkwardly tall teenage girl growing up in the districts, finding beauty products she desperately wanted were hard to come by.
But one thing she was genuinely grateful for were Cariad's letters. In her most recent letter, Cariad gushed over how she began dating a Capitol boy named Dolion, who was two years her senior. Chassis knew she'd find love, or something adjacent, before her. It wasn't a matter of if, but when, someone would fall for her best friend. What she didn't expect was how quickly it occurred, which was only two weeks into turning fifteen.
Buffy dropped a baby pink envelope on her desk while she looked outside. "From the Toller," she sneered. That's what they called the Capitol folk in Six, which originated from the made-up word, Capitollers. "You know how you'd be more useful, girly? If you asked her for some money," Buffy complained, lightly shoving the younger's head as she worked to open the envelope.
"Or... You can start using my exporting paycheck to pay for rent instead of spending it on your wardrobe," she spoke cautiously, her figure shrinking as she pondered on whether or not she said the right thing.
Despite being half of a foot taller than the tiny redhead, Chassis feared Buffy. What she said was true, anyways. The five of them lived in a one-bed apartment, but could've easily afforded two rooms if Buffy stopped acting like they were rich. She wondered if that was the life her father, Magni, promised her. That because he worked at the train station, one of jobs that were least looked down upon in Six, he'd make enough to supply her wants.
It was enough to supply her wants, alright. But it wasn't enough to upgrade their living situation.
Before her stepmother could reply, Chassis opened the parchment. Inside was a letter and a tinier envelope, but white. A gift. Without another thought, she tore the white envelope, revealing a note and a silver bracelet with a singular charm, resembling half a heart, dangling off of it.
I have the other half! Now, we can both be silver girls. -- Yads
Buffy snatched the bracelet from Chassis' hands before she could inspect it any further. "We're rich! Baby, we're rich!" she exclaimed. Chassis stood up from her seat and attempted to grab the bracelet from Buffy as her father burst into the room. "The stupid Toller gave her real silver!"
"That's mine!"
"Ohh, think of us, Chassis!" her father, Magni, bellowed as Buffy looked in the mirror, likely to see if the silver matched her complexion. "We'll be out of Farren Heights in no time if your little friend keeps sending silver doodads."
"We would've been out of FH if my exporting money went into a savings account instead of the pockets of those store owners at Traveler's Square!"
Chassis hadn't meant to snap, not so soon. She thought she could hold it in long enough until she turned eighteen, which was in three years. Buffy gasped exaggeratedly, then snuggled into Magni's chest for comfort. Gross. "At least let me keep the charm. You can have the chain, just let me have the charm!" She could only imagine the disappointment on Cariad's face the next time she called and Chassis had no gift to show.
That stupid redhead jutted out her bottom lip. "Baby girl's repeatin' history," she said in an octave higher, which was a voice generally reserved for her one year-old half-brothers, Coupler and Cams. "Trusting a Landas just like... Her mother."
Slap!
The wave of anger that rushed through her body transformed into fear as Buffy held the side of her cheek, the bright red imprint on her pale white face. Before the initial shock could subdue, Chassis grabbed the bracelet and stormed out the door, her father's furious footsteps stomped after her. It was a quick trip to the entrance, as the bedroom went straight into the living and dining room combination. To the left of that mesh of things, the kitchen. To the immediate right of the bedroom door was the bathroom door.
"Apologize to your stepmother, now!" he yelled. Her hands fidgeted with the clasp of the bracelet and unlocked it. "You're not allowed to call your friend again. You contribute to the financial burden, too! Don't act like you don't!"
Were they so delusional as to believe that Buffy's dresses -- which were paid with paper currency -- costed less than a monthly phone call that she paid for with coins?
Chassis stopped at the entrance and slipped the charm out. She threw the silver chain on the ground, and watched as her father and stepmother scramble to the floor to retrieve it. The coat hanger that was nailed beside their door was lined with their outdoor masks, and she grabbed an old white t-shirt to wrap around the bottom half of her face. She slammed the door behind her when she parted from her home, and headed down the stairs to leave the complex.
"Someone's pissed," a voice chirped from beside Chassis as soon as she stepped onto the pavement.
Ginnee Mech, the girl from a floor above with five brothers whose mode of transportation was running, raised a quizzical brow at her. The lower portion of her face was shielded with a dark green bandana, leaving only her bright blue eyes in view. She was one of the lucky tenants who could secure a three-bed apartment because, well, all her brothers worked. All. Chassis couldn't help but envy her more than she's ever envied Cariad, who never knew poverty. Ginnee was considered poor, and was still better off!
"She got me a gift and they wanted to sell all of it, not even lemme keep a thing," Chassis answered with the charm stuck in her fist, hesitant to tell her too much in fear that she'd take their side. Silver is a rarity, after all. "They also said I called too much. That I waste too much money."
Ginnee adjusted the fabric around her nose as they walked down the block, in silent agreement to head to WanderBar in Traveler's Square to get a glass or two of their favorite cold drink, a chugger, since it was happy hour. "Calls to Cariad, right?" Chassis nodded solemnly. "Tsk, I told you to start finding friends from here. Less expensive!"
"It's not about whether or not I can call her. It's the fact that as long as I'm not eighteen, all of my exporting money goes to them," Chassis explained glumly.
She was starting to hate that word, all. It was associated with both Ginnee's 'wealth' and her earnings.
"You should pick up an extra gig." Ginnee let out a guffaw as they made a turn into an alley. "Maybe they'll let you work on the importing and exporting teams at the same time, then you'll never have to go home!"
Chassis rolled her eyes. "I wish it was that easy, but the schedules overlap." An extra gig wasn't such a bad idea, though. She thought of the factory behind their complex that was owned by Cariad's family and made the apate fuel. Cariad would love that she was working there! "Maybe the apate factory is hiring?" she suggested, looking down at the girl beside her.
Ginnee's brows knitted together while she untangled the knots in her frizzed brown hair. "My brother, Toby, works there," she muttered, "and I heard it was worse than the manu-factories."
They stopped in their tracks when they heard a pained groan from behind the garbage cans. Ginnee pulled her away, quietly rambling about a shortcut that would take them to WanderBar in no time. But they heard the cries for help, why not answer it? Chassis yanked her arm out of Ginnee's hold and carefully approached the source of the sound.
Two boys. One curled up into a ball against the brick wall of the apartment as another kicked into his ribs with his leather boot. A petty sight, really. Chassis never understood the concept of bullying, especially if you were district. They were all poor, and two children would be stripped away from their families to fight to the death annually; who had the time of day to be cruel to others?
"Hey!" Chassis' voice echoed in the alleyway as Ginnee struggled to pull her away from the conflict. She recognized the bright orange outdoor mask and straight blonde hair of the perpetrator, and began to regret calling him out. The victim, however, was a mystery. "Alect, stop! What'd the kid even do?"
Alect was the son of the train station's manager. Her father worked at the station. This confrontation could make her family a group of vagabonds once the dust settled, and she'd be the only one with a job.
"None of your business, Harbin," he jeered while dragging the kid by the collar towards her. He looked younger, about two or three years. Alect was face-to-face with Chassis now, standing straight to add a few millimeters to his height in an act of intimidation. "Whatcha gonna do about it?"
"Hit him again, and you'll find out."
Alect did, in fact, want to find out. That wasn't her proudest moment.
The mousy victim with curly brown hair winced, clutching the bloody yellow kerchief over his face. "Why in the world would you dare him?!" he screeched.
Chassis handed the charm to Ginnee, muttering a quiet threat in her ear if she decided to run away with the other half-heart. Ginnee never planned to, anyways, but she now had a growing fear of a ghost possessing her body to sell the little silver thingamabob at the pawn shop. She remained vigilant of any suspicious paranormal activity.
Months of carrying heavy cargo across the eastern districts were all concentrated into Chassis' arm as she planted her fist into Alect's face. He loosened his grip on the mousy boy, who scurried to Ginnee's for comfort. The two made it out of the alleyway as a brawl ensued.
Everything was a blur from then on.
Alect yanked her by the hair and brought her head down, sending his knee towards her forehead. Her vision blurred and her head throbbed as she hugged his torso and charged forward. Her hands found the collar of his shirt as his back collided with the wall. She furrowed her brows at him, eyes softening to plead him to yield. He shook his head and his hands flew to her neck. With the remainder of her strength, Chassis tossed Alect to the ground and stumbled backwards to move away from him. Alect picked himself up and held his fists up to his face.
Dodge. Swing. Punch. Dodge. Swing. Punch. That was all Chassis could do until she kicked him in the gut, sending him back to the ground. Please just yield, she thought to herself while catching her breath.
She heard a masculine voice yell out to them, and Alect picked himself up from the ground and bolted out the alleyway when a herd of men in gray jogged towards the bloody pair.
Peacekeepers.
Chassis made a move to run, but was pulled back by a strong arm. She was held securely against his chest as she struggled to pry herself loose, but this guy was good. Too good at trapping people. No wonder he got hired. "You an exporter, aren't ya?" he asked, lips dangerously close to her ear. "For EDET. I think I know ya! I'd push you around, make sure you do your work."
"I-- I umm--"
"Why so shy all of the sudden?" The Peacekeepers around him laughed up a storm, and her eyes began to water. "Hey, hey... We don't wanna hurt ya, kid. We just wanna help. You wanna get rich, right? Everybody wants to get rich nowadays."
She trembled as another stepped closer. He let out a chuckle. "We're not gonna hurt you unless you don't cooperate," he explained menacingly. "Listen. You throw a good punch. Imagine if you got to throw all the punches you had in ya, and get paid if you win? Wouldn't you like that, big girl?"
Ohh.
Chassis thought the rumors were just that. Rumors. That the Peacekeepers and other richer members of the district didn't have an underground boxing ring where they threw in desperate young folks from Six to battle until they were rendered unable to fight. That some people just got lucky with their paycheck, and didn't have to incapacitate a fellow citizen to earn it. That the vagabonds and some of her co-workers got bruises, broken limbs, and cuts from working too hard. Yet, here she was. Being asked-- or forced? Chassis wondered what would happen if she simply declined.
But of course. The Peacekeepers were Capitol, after all. They can't watch the Hunger Games in all its high quality glory back home, so they brought their own version of it to liven up the mundane lifestyle of District Six.
"You think you can say 'no'?" a Peacekeeper asked when she didn't answer, her hesitant eyes wandering between the group. Chassis could count four. "Would you rather we arrest you, then? I mean, you know that the districts handle assault cases very, very seriously. And that was the station manager's kid. He wouldn't mind letting you go if it meant he got to bet on you."
"That's not fair," she whimpered, shutting her eyes tight to avoid their taunting eyes.
"If only we're in on it, then you could run off and tell the mayor what we're doing," spoke another voice. She opened one eye. "But if we dragged you into it--"
"Then we'd both be held to the same standard of keeping it a secret," she interrupted. The Peacekeeper behind her released his grip around her neck, and Chassis let out a gasp of air. It was either immediate death after sitting in a cell for days, or a gradual stroll to her death once the injuries from boxing caught up with her. "You get your fights, I get my cash," she resumed weakly.
The last Peacekeeper, who hadn't spoken up yet, handed her a small slip. "Smart girl," he mused. "This is the address, you can come by whenever you're relieved of your duties. You better not tell a soul, alright?" he asked in a mocking baby voice, reminiscent of Buffy's tone from earlier.
She shook her head while receiving the slip. "I won't." The one that held her in a headlock shoved Chassis with the end of his rifle, dismissing her. She placed the slip in her pocket and trudged out the alley where she was met with Ginnee, her back pressed up against the wall.
"I heard everything!" she hissed while slamming the charm into the palm of Chassis' hand. "You're not doing that. Nuh-uhh!"
Chassis only shrugged while stuffing the heart charm into her jacket with the slip of parchment. "Got an extra mask?" Ginnee scoffed, revealing a scrap of maroon fabric from her satchel. "You said to get a gig! This is the gig!" she exclaimed in justification, removing her bloodied white mask, wiping it over her face, and placing the maroon rag over her face.
"We have very different definitions of gigs!"
"What's your definition?!" she interrogated, tying off the rag behind her head.
"I meant working part-time at WanderBar so you can give me drinks on the house!" she whined. A train of curses mentally made its rounds in Chassis' head. That was a better idea. A much better idea. "Now, I'm an accomplice! I can't be an accomplice!"
"If you heard everything, then you know that I don't have a choice unless I wanna go to jail then die a week later," Chassis barked back. Ginnee cowered under her glare, and her voice quieted with regret. "I'm sorry, I just-- I have to save up to get out... I have to make my own money." Tears prickled her eyes, which she wiped off with the edge of her mask.
Ginnee nodded slightly, running a hand through her own hair. "I help my brothers out when they come home with wounds from the manu-factories," she murmured. "And my aunt's an apothecary at Traveler's Square. So, if you need help--"
"Thanks, Ginnee," Chassis said. Ginnee nudged her shoulder playfully, and she winced. "Augh! Not yet. Stop it." She rubbed her arm to soothe the pain. "What happened with the boy, by the way? How'd he get in that mess?"
"His brother was Alect's ex," Ginnee snorted while speaking. "Threw pebbles at him while he walked back from the station. Sadly, he got caught." Nothing more needed to be said. The hottest gossip for the importers and exporters alike was that Alect cheated on his boyfriend with a baker from Traveler's Square. That's why he always had a cupcake in hand when he surveyed the station. The kid's reaction is just confirmation of the rumor, and she briefly wondered if Ginnee would run her mouth to their team.
Chassis nodded her head slightly, her eyes drifting between slumber and alertness. "Can we head to your aunt's first?" she asked, her body swaying back and forth as she walked. "I think... I wanna sleep. For a very, very long time... And I don't think that's a good thing."
They soundlessly mourned their loss of free chuggers as they turned left, to the apothecary, instead of continuing straight down the road to WanderBar.
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I don't know what's in a chugger,
so it's up to you to imagine what
the chugger would taste like! Now,
I personally love C2 Apple Green
Tea, so that's what I'm thinking.
Mystery kid will be important,
by the way.
We didn't get much Cariad in
this chapter, whoops! But fear
not, we're getting her POV in
the next chapter. We'll find out
what the mentors we know and
love (or hate...) were like before
the events of TBOSAS! Well,
I'll try to characterize them as
accurately as I can.
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