family road trip (+old unofficial uncle) d6 - 95th

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

FLYNN GARNER

”MOTHERFUCKER!”

It hurts, balling up a fist and repeatedly hitting the mirror until I can see a crack in the reflection. There is blood on there too, smeared perfectly from my forehead to chin. A broken and bruised knuckle is the least of my worries on this train. I may as well get used to this pain.

I don’t answer the Capitol entourage that asks me ”How did this happen?” when he wraps my hand in a bandage in the train’s dining carriage. He is the same one that told me about the District Ten reaping thirty seconds before I went in the bathroom. ”We will be able to get it fixed up once we reach the Capitol.”

”I’d rather you fix the mess you just caused to my family.” That quickly shuts him up.

Nobody else has boarded yet, they are still escorting my family from the justice building.

”Orange juice while you wait Mr Garner?”

”No.”

The wait isn’t long, Nessa is the first one onto the carriage and I go straight in with the brotherly hug. Then there is Jimmy, that cousin who keeps peeping from the back of my mind. I try giving him the same amount of attention but it is a half-assed, barely accepted hug. They can’t make me choose who I focus on, there needs to be balance. They both need my hundred percent.

”Both of you sit down.” I say as I choose to stand, pacing the train carriage while rubbing my hand with the unbandaged hand. The other one is cradled to my chest. Whatever I say is not going to matter. I have no real control over any of this. ”We need to start working on both of you right now.” I pull on the escort’s wrist, dragging them closer to my sister and cousin. ”They need to get ready for when they meet the stylists. They need to be ready.” I am frantic. If I stop talking, I will just breakdown. Teddy needs to step in. I am even trembling, forgetting to let go on the escort’s hand.

”Did you both bathe last night or this morning?”

ELEGANT

[thompson harvard - d2b - arc]

j i m garner

Thanks for the hospitality, Flynn. I really loved the half-assed hug that you spent looking at Nessa. Internally, my faith has continued to wilt like a sad, dying flower.

Well, District Six doesn’t have many flowers. Is an outdated Botox installation a better comparison? I’ve seen plenty of those. That old hag of a math teacher, Mrs. Wrinkle, had one last year. Wrinkle’s hallway name - nobody cared enough to remember her real name. She’s too old to hear us, and she wouldn’t care anyway. Something about tenure kept her locked into the school’s math position. We knew her as the old Botox session that needed a touchup. I gave her my parent’s business card at the end of the school year as a parting gift.

Mum never mentioned a fat, chubby lady coming in, so she must have never took the hint. Her loss! Flynn commands us to sit down, and I look at Nessa because I can’t take him seriously. Do you mean I have actually to listen to him now? Could I put in a request to only have Teddy? At least he won’t pick favorites. Not that my cousin’s like, stated it, but I also don’t need it said to the world. Like a piece of capitol jewelry, the dude wears his emotions on his damn ear. The buffet cart looked more appetizing than whatever he had to tell me. Listening to him likely fumble over his words like the baby he is ruining my trust in him even further. Get us ready for the stylists or whatever.

I scoff. Have we bathed? ”I’m not homeless, Flynn.” Is all I can say regarding his bathing question. Who doesn’t bathe? Hello? I spent extra time last night on the good-smelly wood scents that Michael has subtly hinted at liking. He came in by himself in the building. We held hands. He talked to me like I was already dead - said some shit about ”you’ve made my life better”, and I just told him to shut up and hold me. His hugs are nice. Not like Jillian’s, tight and like some boa constrictor choking and squeezing every last memory of us out of my body. Michael’s was soft, like a faux fur blanket from the dryer. It held a comfort that replaced Jillian’s mourning.

It doesn’t take long for Flynn’s scrambled mindset to bore me. Nothing he can say will convince me that the care he’s offering is directed to me in any way - it’s all for his sister. I’m just here as some unfortunate punishment by fate. The buffet had offered more promising comfort. I grabbed a plate, reassured a ”I’m listening, don’t worry,”, and started to pick at the options available. I’m as stupid as they come, but when Flynn spends all of his time looking at Nessa, I realize his main goal isn’t to get me home.

[k!ah]

NESSA GARNER

As soon as you enter the train, Flynn has you trapped, his arms wrapping around you so tightly that for a moment, you thought he might crack a rib. You wiggle in his embrace, resisting for a moment before you return his touch, wrapping your arms around his waist. It had been a long time since Flynn had hugged you like this. The last time had been two years ago after your grandfather had threatened your life. "Okay, Flynn, you're suffocating me!" you say as you swallow down your emotions.

After another moment, he releases you, giving a somewhat pathetic hug to your cousin that might have had you cringing if the situation were different. Jimmy looked less than impressed. You couldn't blame him. Flynn was your brother, which made Jimmy an awkward third wheel. And when it came to him choosing between Jimmy or yourself, you knew where Flynn's vote was going. It was the elephant in the room, which made this carriage feel so very small.

"Both of you sit down," Flynn demands, and instantly your arms are crossed across your chest. Yeah, there was no way you were about to let Flynn tell you what to do.

"You can't tell me what to do! You're not my mum!" You sounded like a spoilt child, staring at your brother with annoyance. But you couldn't help yourself. Even with everything that was happening, Flynn was still your annoying brother, the bossy know-it-all who would always snitch on you and Dorothy when you stepped out of line. You clung to these immature antics as a way of blocking the reality of the situation, to avoid having to really think about what it meant to be on this train.

"Did you both bathe last night or this morning?"

This time you look away from Flynn, giving Jimmy a look that screamed 'is he serious?' Jimmy voiced your thoughts with a scoff, and you were quick to join in. "I'm not homeless, Flynn," Jimmy says, quickly losing interest in the conversation to grab himself a snack.

"Eww, Flynn! I'm not about to go into details with you about my bathing routine. Read the room, bro." You take a seat in one of the chairs; you hadn't realised just how tired you were. "And what has that got to do with anything? I'm pretty sure taking a bath won't be high on the list of priorities once we get into that arena. Have a squeaky clean ass isn't going to stop someone from wanting to chop off my head."

ELEGANT

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

FLYNN GARNER

”Both of you just grow up for one moment!” They’re both just kids, they shouldn’t need to. But we all live in this fucking sucky world, and I never had the choice. I rub my left hand on my bandaged knuckles, there is a stabbing pain that quakes whenever the stress levels inside of me peak. There is a new peak to those levels, a new trend line to break previous records. Nessa and Jimmy are not helping, Jimmy has already trailed off to the buffet table and Nessa has pulled the argumentative little sister card.

”You both need to learn about what matters to the Capitol. As soon as you get there, they’ll have you under a microscope. What matters is getting their approval from the start. I can work my ass off getting you sponsorship, but you need to help me too! Don’t think just because you’re related to me that they will go lightly on you. Because they wont!” I sound like mom or a strict professor. I hate it, this tone in my voice that even I wouldn't listen too.

Huff and puff and I’ll blow this train down. I wish I could cross my arms while I clock my steps, walking up and down the dining carriage but it hurts my broken knuckles too much.

If I stopped being so frustrated, I’d be crying right now. Back to being the boy who was locked in his room for a week. Breaking down in front of the pair of them is just going to show what little confidence I have. One of them is definitely not coming back. One of them is going to be joining their cousin Quinn. How am I meant to pick which one?

I surrender to a lone leather seat that is the furthest from the food table and where everyone else is sitting. I let an obnoxiously loud sigh escape from my lips. I’ve not had time to figure this out yet, I need to do something different this year.

”If you’re not going to listen to me, at least listen to what Teddy has to say.” I shove the microphone into my senior’s spotlight. As if he can say any better. He has been on this road longer than me. Minus the three family members ever being reaped.

ELEGANT

[Tom]

Smoke fills his lungs; the fire of a memory soaking his skin. No one steps in to guide his hand, to rub the ache of his weight from having to hold the remains of a home together. That's the worst part to him. The feeling of having to carry a weight over and over again because he's the only one to have survived in a number of decades. A victor from Six. How odd of a tale his own story has spun. The faint feeling of lips on his neck and the warm body of a memory hollowed out in his mind; was he ever really a victor? No. He's always been a fighter. A survivor through all of this. Victors don't come from Six. Placed upon their tongues like the drugs stuck in the district's infrastructure.

Victors don't come from Six.

Not really.

Even as he looks at Flynn Garner as he steps into the room; voices echoing along the cold walls of the train, all he can see is another boy who's hurting from the pain. Blinded by youth; there was still hope in his eyes. Had he lost that hope? When did things start feeling so final? It's the burning desire in his stomach still pushing all of him to keep going. Instead of speaking, he waits. Eyes stern, but friendly as he catches the glimpses behind the curtains. Bruised and broken knuckles, the frantic sound of his voice. Every second feels like an hour, there's more beneath the surface. It's different than anything he's gone through. Lucky enough to have been received well by the capitol in most ways. Underneath their thumb, he'd been cooperative, someone the capitol used for their own needs.

Nessa and Jimmy are young; younger than he'd hope, but he shouldn't be surprised. After Flynn's success, they're expecting another young tribute to succeed. One to follow in Flynn's footsteps if you will. Watching Flynn, there's a certain growth to him. Older, yes, but still so young in terms of his own experience. Except, he's sworn to himself to lay off more. Flynn's grown up into a fine young man, despite all the hardships in the world. There's not a lot he can do, but listen and hope he can bring whatever comfort and advice he can when needed. A tone shifts as Flynn's voice starts to grow more stern, more strict, and louder by a fraction.

A sigh falls from Flynn's lips; almost an exhale of all the stress and pain.

In these moments, he understands he's not the same as Flynn. He didn't have his family ripped from his grasp because of a crown. He's seen people die, but no one physical close. The closest he's got was Parson; who came back. Not all the way the same, but enough so to make Teddy understand. The center was passed to him, frustration present on his lips as Teddy sizes himself up. Arms crossed as he looks to Flynn with a concerned look. Almost yearning to pinch the bridge of his nose like a worn out father would, he speaks calmly. "You really didn't need to ask them about their bathing habits." Giving a soft chuckle, but also straightening himself out a bit more he continues more seriously. "Flynn's right about this. You will be under a microscope as soon as you get there. They'll watch your every move. And their approval is very important for your likelihood of survival."

Glancing over to Flynn and back, he watches the two very young tributes closely.

"You've both got the family connection to Flynn. While it's not the same, you can use that to your advantage when you can, but you should also make a name for yourselves." A pause. "The Capitol's already seen Flynn Garner. He's old news to them. What you both need to do is make them know who you are. Show them that you're more than just Flynn's Sister and Flynn's cousin. Keep their eyes on you and make them want to give you the crown." Swallowing the feeling of eyes, he continues. "We'll do our best here to guide you where we can."

Uncrossing his arms, he reaches for a glass of sparkling cider, sipping from it as he continues.

"You shouldn't fight here." There's something that feels hollow as he speaks. His eyes glancing over to Flynn and Nessa, landing on Jimmy for a second. "You're still family. It's hard what you all are going through."

Something burns.

"Be there for eachother."

[thompson harvard - d2b - arc]

j i m garner

Nessa’s identical glance toward me revealed what I had hoped. Flynn was overreacting, but when was he not? I truly didn’t know what to take out of him. He was like the world’s biggest introvert doing a class presentation. Ums, uhs, stutters. Flushed cheeks that made counting the number of bricks lining the wall more of an interesting story than whatever they had to tell the class. It’s embarrassing dude. Like, aren’t you supposed to be good at this now? It’s been eight years by now. Grow up, or whatever. I took the small portion of food that looked good enough - District 6 delicacies had little charm for me. We’re based on medicine, after all, the taste palette of our population is rather bland. ”If you’re not going to listen to me, at least listen to what Teddy has to say.”

Happily, cousin dearest. ”Don’t need to tell me that twice.” I comment, holding the plate of fruits before taking a seat back down. Teddy’s information can’t be biased for Nessa, right? Teddy would be a great equalizer. He mentions that we’d be under the microscope of the Capitol as soon as we enter. Good. The one thing I know how to do is be a star, baby. I pop a grape into my mouth, and I wonder what Michael or Jillian are doing. Are our parents mourning? Doubtful, really My parents had never really cared where I went anyway. Jillian is likely talking to Michael, but he’s probably not spending too much time in mourning. His parents only know me as his lab partner, so he shouldn’t mourn too much over the unfilled lab chair. The realization that I’ll soon become nothing more than a lab partner to him is daunting.

Teddy mentions that we’re new. I mean, we are both young, but it’s also true! They must get tired of Flynn. ”At what point do I pull the ‘he cares more about his sister’ victim card?” I ask and point at Flynn. It’s better to put the energy out there now. ”The Capitol will also know it. Flynn’s sister and his cousin? How am I supposed to make that any appealing?” It’s better to be realistic. ”I’m probably better off as a goddamn meat shield with that title.” I kick my feet up onto the chair, and I pop another grape into my mouth. He doesn’t want us to fight, but we’re not. I’m simply stating the facts. ”Like, nothing against you, Nessa,” I chew, before swallowing. ”but how do I even make that sound good?”