elevator rides.— [abel/flynn]

[Deleted]

I feel like shit.

This is the last time I let Kassandra Nerys convince me to get anything more than a little buzzed. Thankfully, Aurora from Six found me last night before I could wander too far from the eleventh floor. But holy shit, the damage had already been done booze wise. I'm just glad she spent the night with me, otherwise I might have asked Kass for some more wine.

My head was killing me and the room had been spinning for most of the day. I was taking a sick day from training for the most part, instead focusing on reading about past arenas or mutts or even just strategising. Or at least trying to with my throbbing head. At this point I'm convinced Kassandra is trying to just kill off the O'Malleys one at a time.

I had to get out of bed eventually though and get some food, no matter how shitty I felt. I waited for the nearest elevator and when it opened, I saw I wouldn't be alone. And of all people, it was Aurora's mentor Flynn Garner. I was feeling particularly shitty, so maybe some good old fashion harmless teasing in the elevator would help. After all, it's what Pa did whenever he was in a bad mood. He'd find things to bully his kids about.

I stepped into the elevator and stood next to him, giving him a quick glance, "Hey uh Flynn, right?" I paused, as if it was genuine hesitation, though we both knew it wasn't, "Oh I'm so sorry, I just realised I'm on your left side and it looks like you might be missing a little something over here. Sorry about that. Can you hear me just fine?"

Part of me knew this was playing with fire, but honestly I didn't care too much. Besides, it wasn't like I was actually friends with Aurora. I wasn't making friends here. We just... I just... I appreciated the help, and that's as far as my feelings towards her go.

[ table by kaitlin ]

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

FLYNN GARNER
YEAR OF THE 89TH

I can’t wait when I am older. At least eighteen or an age that graduates me from being called ‘kid.’ There have been a dozen faces greet me this morning and I have not heard my name once. Just kid. Kid Garner. The victor kid. At least sharpshooter sounds cool but that is only reserved for the interviews.

Aurora, I have not seen her since the evening before. Maybe I am breathing down her back too much. Except she needs to listen to everything that I say. What the trainers say. What anyone who is trying to help her says. I never had much pressure on me to perform well in the training centre. Perhaps everyone was focusing on Syren. It was all on me. Or was it just the luck? I have not figured out how to share luck yet.

Breakfast is calling. This year I have only been able to stomach the largest coffee available with a little drop of milk and two slices of toast including a nice thin spread of butter to every corner. Its all I need to focus. I don’t need a day of my stomach churning when it is already doing somersaults over the idea of what is to come over the next few days.

"Hey uh Flynn, right?" My name, the actual given one syllable F word (that doesn’t end in ck) that was blessed to me at birth. Except its quickly swept away by a comment on my ear. I don’t regret it. The scars are there for a reason and if it’s the only material that people can use against me then, they really aren’t that creative at all. ”So you are an O’Malley that actually got a name and not a number?” Six the tribute, not the District. Just one year apart, how unfortunate for that family. ”Though I guess it doesn’t matter that you have a name. Another Eleven, you are just going to be remembered as a number anyway.” Yeah I don’t have the energy for the ear comments, poor O’Malley has found me before my morning coffee.

[Deleted]

Someone's feeling feisty today, at least I'll have a source of entertainment while I'm waiting to nurse this hangover.

He really thought I cared if he made jokes about Six's name? Cute. I've heard those jokes as long as his sister Four and I had been in school together. Hell, I've made a few of them whenever Cain and I had to visit our cousins. I couldn't tell if he knew if we were cousins or if he was assuming brothers. Regardless, he really thought he was clever, didn't he?

"Yeah my parents didn't have fifteen fucking kids like my Aunt and my Uncle so we all have names, and our names are actual names and not random nouns or numbers."

People always act like it's my cousins with the numbered names who have it the worst, personally I feel bad for Inside and Outside. They're always stuck now as a matching set. And even if they completely avoid each other in their adult lives, they still have weird ass names. I guess with Cain being my brother I'm part of a set too, but at least my name is normal outside of it.

"Actually I'm not going to be remembered as Eleven, I'm going to be remembered as the next victor, haven't you heard?"

I just had to get one more little comment out, something to keep him engaged in the conversation. I was hoping to save the Aurora card for later, but hey now is as good as a time as any. And when your head is throbbing you lose patience - who would have know? Or maybe his comment about my name did get to me. I'm not sure why, maybe it's because I knew I missed Six. And I knew if I did die, I'd just be another dead O'Malley.

 "Your little friend Aurora sure knows my name, kiddo. You didn't see her on the sixth floor last night, did you?"

[ table by kaitlin ]