AQUARIUS - Aura Caelum
Aura Caelum was not entirely sure what scared him more: facing his fear, or facing the other tributes.
Being suspended in the air alone had certainly terrified him. He walked with a slight uncertainty, his hands trembling as he thought about exactly was below the clouds that he walked on. He could only think of the long fall, a certain demise, if the cloud was to disappear. However, Aura was beginning to wonder if that would be preferable to his current ordeal.
The carpet beneath him was still finely spun of cloud fibres, creating a soft and spring feel as Aura walked along it. Instead of being exposed to the elements, however, the young boy was confined by ornately decorated walls. They were coated in a thick, intricate red fabric and adorned with flickering lighting. Tables and chairs had been carefully dispersed around the room and the whole area had a slightly overwhelming fog of alcohol. Aura recognised the scent, but he could not quite realise where from.
The sound of the room was almost deafening to the small boy, making him long to throw his hands over his ears so that he did not have to listen. The main ambience was constructed of a quiet instrumental track, accompanied by the quiet chatter of all the other tributes. Their outfits, just like Aura's, were far from the bloodstained clothes they had worn during the game and now seemed to sparkle in the dim light.
They were not fighting. For that moment alone, the tributes had laid down their weapons in favour of elegant glasses full of brightly coloured liquids. However, Aura could only where they had hidden their blades – maybe the girl sitting at one of the tables had a knife concealed under the red satin folds of her outfit, the boy hunting for another drink had a sword sheathed beneath the sleeve of his dinner jacket. Aura knew enough about this cruel game to know that the truce could only be temporary. This was a small break to allow everyone to catch their breath, like a time-out. He had to be ready to run the moment the game was back in play.
The other tributes had begun to move around each other, managing casual conversation despite the threat that loomed over them. Occasionally, there were bursts of laughter as another tribute told a joke but the sudden loud noise simply made Aura jump rather than smile. He wandered aimlessly around the tight maze of tables, examining the glass that waited him on each one. A particular blue drink enticed him but the moment the liquid hit his tongue it filled his mouth with a bitter flavour. Although the aftertaste was one of sweet blueberries, Aura left the glass on the table and vowed in silence never to drink anything else within the confines of that room.
Not worried by the taste, many of the other tributes seemed to be consuming the bitter drinks without any sign of hesitation. They spoke with large smiles, occasionally waving Aura over to join in their small conversation. A couple felt sorry for the small boy who wandered alone, but most were just under the clutches of the drink and searching for new friends to talk to. Aura did not dare to approach them.
Soon, as the music got louder and more upbeat, the conversations turned into dancing and, in some cases, the socialisation turned into something far deeper. It took Aura a few seconds to realise exactly what was happening; this was a party, an event of fun and excitement hidden within something far more sinister. This was just another form of entertainment, just like the game itself. The small boy did not even try to consider why this particular event had been chosen, but he wanted it to end. He was beginning to finally understand the rules he had to play the game by, but this was something brand new that he had not yet figured out.
What he was supposed to do? There had to be a set of rules and formulae behind everything that happened. If he simply followed the actions of the other tributes, he would find himself locked within a conversation, attempting to socialise when he possessed no skills with other people. If this was part of the game, there would still be a winner and Aura knew he was not strong enough with his own words to keep himself in pole position. He was reduced to retreating into a corner, simply watching.
Eventually, the party itself grew more exciting. More and more drinks were brought out by silent waiters, each of the other tribute taking a glass and almost inhaling whatever flavoured liquid was inside. There was food which Aura did not want to touch whilst others gratefully took plates. The conversation grew louder and more joyous, accompanied by music that grew in volume and tempo. Soon, almost everyone was dancing in the rare moment they had where fighting to the death was more of a preference rather than a necessity.
The inhibitions of the other tributes seemed to be gone. They talked in brasher voices, moving in a less co-ordinated manner and having a conversation with simply anyone who would listen. One boy approached Aura with a wide smile, sitting beside him on the floor and talking about anything that came into his head – when his birthday was, what his family was like and how he felt about being an Aries. He spoke confidently but Aura did not offer a reply or even recognition. The boy's speech was slurred and slow, difficult for Aura to understand and seeming to the small boy as if something was attacking him. Carefully, locked mainly in his own world, edged away slowly.
Even if he felt as if he did not belong, Aura soon became certain that he was the only one that fully remained in that intricate little room. The actions of the others suggested they were fading away, the alcohol that Aura had refused to drink clawing and clutching at their mind and clouding them with a hazy fog.
When the order came for the brief time out to end and for the cold game to begin once more, Aura was the only one that was in control. This sensation in itself was something that was far from what the small boy was used to.
***
PISCES - Conway Douglas
When the party is announced, I can't help but panic just a little. I mean, I used to go to a birthday party or two, but never anything fancy. And now, to do it in a place like this one? I've learned not to trust anything since arriving to this land above the clouds, and I doubt that this should be any sort of exception to that rule. Besides, I look like a penguin in these clothes, but there was a note from Kalea saying that I shouldn't even consider wearing anything else.
"Oh, come on," gushes Alice. "You look dashing!"
I groan. Nobody is dashing after the age of ten, and everyone knows that that's just a fancy word that means you look ridiculous, but I feel obligated to lie. Lately, she's been getting very affectionate with me – ever since I told her she reminded me of Adrie, she's been trying to act like a sister to me. I don't like it; I'm not going to bother getting close to someone who's probably going to die. Besides, two sisters is more than enough.
"Thanks," I grumble.
"Nervous?"
I want to tell her to stop being so nice, but that would be nothing but rude. My mother didn't raise me not to have manners, so I smile at her. But I'm already planning a way to get away from her: it's much better for the both of us.
"No – not really, anyway. It's survivable."
"Well, if you ever need to talk!"
Yes, Alice. I know. She's made it obvious plenty of times that she's just dying to have a series of life chats with me, something which really doesn't thrill me at all; if I wanted that, I'd talk to my dad, but I don't. This entire place is making me feel sick, and I swipe away some sweat from my forehead. It's gotten really warm lately, which is weird because I could've sworn that we were getting closer to fall.
Alice tugs at the hem of my pants. "Gee, these are a bit small! I didn't even realize you've been having a growth spurt!"
"They're not that bad."
I turn away from her and head towards the big oak doors that hide whatever it is that the gods have planned for me next, but when I do, I find myself completely unprepared for the spectacle of it all. Everything is really big and bright, to the point where I wonder how much of this is the way the gods actually live. They're probably trying to make me want to do anything for a life that'll actually end up being shitty and not worth it. I brush aside any crystal chandelier or hanging decorations from my mind, instead focusing on the much-less glamorous people who decorate the hall.
I didn't think that Alice and I being late would be much of a problem – everyone is, at home – but we're the last to arrive. Everyone looks worn-down, and I can't actually remember how long it's been since I've been away from home. Considering how much I love my family, I should miss them more than I do, but my life is clearly more important to me at the moment.
There's a boy about my age further in the room that I remember thinking wouldn't last very long. He's staring at a knife, confused, and for a moment I go to grip mine when I remember that it's slipped into my belt. I walk towards him and he jumps when I sit down next to him, but he doesn't make any sign that he's dangerous.
"Sorry. Can I?" I ask. He nods. I point at his knife. "You know, you're supposed to put that away..."
"I know. But I don't get it – I thought the point of it was killing. Did that change?"
"No," I explain, but it hits me that I don't actually understand why. All of this seems too strange, considering. It feels like we're being lured into a trap, but I was asleep when the announcement sounded and Alice didn't say anything except that we were supposed to go to a party. "We're just... taking a break."
"Why?"
"Well... um... I don't know. I'm Conway, by the way."
He nods and shifts in his seat, so I start to look around, uncomfortable. This conversation is completely one-sided and dead, which just annoys me; does he think I'm not good enough to talk to? Because that's bullshit. It hits me, briefly, that there might be something wrong with his head, but I shake that off. It's still not an excuse to just ignore someone.
"So when are we supposed to start killing people again?" he asks.
"Well, I don't actually know."
"There's a lot you don't know? I thought it was just me..."
I'd defend myself and say that normally I know a lot, but that this is a weird situation when he zones out again. I stare around me, watching everyone dance. Part of me wants to join them, but I see all of them and how stupid they look, and that craving leaves immediately. Alice comes towards me, sweat gathering at her forehead – she was one of those who looked the worst, just because she cared the least.
"Conway, come dance!" she says.
"No thanks; I don't dance."
"Oh, come on!" She pouts. "Don't be such a grump! Who got a bee in your bonnet today?"
"You."
I definitely don't like Alice anymore.
***
ARIES - Brendan Kingsley
You never feel the wind when it's at your back.
In Aries, the wind seemed to come from all directions at once - blowing dirt at your face until you could hardly open your eyes, from your left and right like the wind itself was trying to funnel you somewhere.
The sheep never seemed to notice, at least not when they were standing still. Burrs would blow off the ground and get stuck in their wool, but they would continue to chew at the plants on the ground like nothing had happened. I only never noticed on days when the wind was calm, just a slight cooling breeze that would disappear as soon as you turned your back to it.
For now at least, while we ate, Kalea seemed to bundle up the winds. One of the gods did anyway - I'd never seen something so peaceful in years. Granted, being from Aries, that wasn't saying much. Everyone from Aries was wild and violent, if anybody besides me represented Aries here, I doubted that they would even be able to have a party like this. Everyone standing around, snacking on the food of the gods, just talking.
If this was what the rest of eternity was like, not like my nightmare had promised me, I would be happy.
"Do you think that I would make a good Libra?" I asked the girl from Libra, Clara, I thought, although she didn't say I was wrong when I called her Claire.
She smiled softly, and bit her lip. Her young face was scrunched up in concentration as she tried to think. "I'm not really sure," she started, nervous in the same way she had been when I called her Claire. "You're at least talking to people, so that's a start."
Laughing uncomfortably, she turned away from me to the cupcakes. Although the food here was the best I had ever had, I was too stuffed to eat anything - especially after days of eating hardly anything at all. Someone else was laughing, a loud obnoxious laugh from far away, that just barely managed to reach my ears.
Turning away from the girl from Libra, I saw Kalea, smiling like she knew something she didn't - the same face everybody on Aries wore. And that's when I realized.
The softest breezes came before the harshest storms.
Soon a storm would come that would rush me off my feet, even if it came from behind.