The Last Straw [Chase]

[sbeeg]

Gwen Halls

Another one. How many times has Gwen Halls been traded? She lost count years ago. To many Capitolites found her defective with her mood swings and general attitude. At the moment Gwen was standing on the gray curb in front of the Training Center. She had often stood here with other Avoxes but today she was alone. The sky was letting a light drizzle meet the ground, just enough to wet the concrete but no enough to make puddles. The fidgety man next to her, who was frowning at her files, held an umbrella to protect his green hair from the tiny, harmless droplets. The man, whom Gwen had waited with on this very curb before, was shifting through files. After flipping many papers over and examining the words printed on them he looked at the avox and gave her a look that almost held... concern?

"Don't mess this up," He told her. They held eye contact for a moment before Mr. Fidget broke it to pretend to be reading from his clipboard. Gwen's stomach sank, what had that meant? Had she ticked off to many Captiol citizens? Was this her last chance it get it right? If she messed this job up would they... No, no they would not, the morals of it. Morals? Gwen huffed out breath which had replaced her laugh after the surgery. It was a mere whisper, a subtle snort that couldn't hold a candle to her original giggle, but that sound would never again escape her lips. So now she huffed the soft whisper at the thought of the Capitol having morals. They killed children on TV! the muffled snort sounded when she thought of herself having morals, which really was a laugh. Gwen had given up on those when she arrived at the Capitol and they took away her ability to speak them.

Déjà vu hit Gwen as the sleek black car pulled up again. Would this be her last ride in the car? A cold shiver ran up her back at the thought but followed the green haired man she had waited with into the car. Passing the City Circle and the Style District they started passing the towering apartment buildings of the residential areas. The car pulled in front of a large building. No large isn't the right word. In fact Gwen could not even find a word to describe this building. Candy colored glass that reached up into the clouds. The avox was reaching for the door handle when the car lurched forward and pulled into an alley way. The back way. Gwen hardly ever went in through the dazzling front entrances of Capitol buildings, instead she was escorted through the service areas which were still better than anything back home in the Districts.

Up stair ways and elevators until finally the green haired man turned onto a floor. Looking out the hallway window, Gwen almost fainted. She didn't want to dwindle on how far they were up in this massive building and looked straight forward the rest of the walk down the corridor. Mr. Fidget stopped in front of a door that was obviously owned by a Capitol citizen. He had abandoned his umbrella in the car and the various stair ways we had climbed had made him break out in a sweat. Under the gleaming brow, his eyes were saying something a lot different. They were pouring into Gwen and for half a second she understood what this job meant. Mr. Fidget quickly snapped his gaze to the door and rang the bell. Gwen straightened up and put on her best Avox face, a humble servant willing to do anything you ask. Well maybe not anything.

[chaseee]

Chance Dargins
I stood at the window, practically glaring at the street below. The cars rushing by reminded me that the Capitol was delayed in their automobile engineering. I had heard these car designs had been around before the destruction of North America. That they had had asphalt streets and concrete sidewalks. That they had been well on their way to this technology even back then. We needed to step up our game.

Sometimes I considered what it would feel like to fall from such a great height. To just step from the windowsill, and fall. Immediately, the word horrible popped into my mind. How do you think hitting the ground from one-hundred-and-twenty-five feet up would feel. And then the tiny voice in the back of my head that seemed to be my irrational cell, whispered, But could it be any worse than this?

I had ordered room service three times within the span of four hours. The first time, ordering a nice platter of eggs; sunny-side up, and a glass of ice-cold lemonade. The second, a blueberry muffin. still warm from the bakery ovens, and then a third, a fine bottle of wine, placed in a bucket of ice. I had ate and drank very greedily.

At last, the ginormous black car rolled into the building's parking lot. Out came a blonde girl who I took to be the Avox, and a funny-looking, green-haired man, whom I had no idea. Maybe the previous owner?

I had no idea, but whoever he was, he was late.

I jogged to the elevator, repeatedly pressing down. The doors finally slid open, oh-too slow for me. I stepped in, and pressed the button labeled with a big L. Lobby.

I walked out, just as they were walking in. I held out my hand. "Hello Gwen Halls. I am your new owner, Chance Dargins."

[sbeeg]

Gwen Halls

He knows my name. Was the first thought that popped in Gwen's mind as she was introduced to her new master. How does he know my name? She held back a distasteful look and instead kept her face blank, which took a lot of effort. The man was the regular Capitol type, pompous and blind to suffering.

Gwen's common sense was not fast enough to keep the sneer from her face as he announced himself as her "new owner." She had always referred to the Capitol citizens she worked for as Master, as if she was a servant. She was not property, or a pet. Gwen halls could not be owned and the faster this man figured that out the longer he may live.

Seeing as he stepped out on such a bad foot, Gwen completely ignored his hand that was stretched forward for a handshake. He clearly didn't see her as an equal, so why attempt to treat her like one? The man had spoken to her once and she already hated his guts. Maybe not exactly hated his guts, but wanted to see them. Yes, she wanted to see this Capitolites' guts strewn across the ground like the tribute's he's been watching. She wanted this man to suffer, she wanted to...

She was in public, still in front of Mr. Fidget who had plainly warned her to get this right. Gwen looked at Mr. Fidget out of the corner of her eye and then, reluctantly, took Chance Dargins' hand. It was puffy and soft, nothing like the men of District Eight. His hand was filled out and his knuckles cushioned. His palms were not scarred from hard labor but were scented with creamy lotion. This man was so easy to hate!

Gwen looked at Mr. Fidget who signed something on his clipboard and nodded a goodbye. She wanted to yell after him about how such a bad idea it would be to leave her with Chance but she could not. She physically can not yell, if she could she probably would have. Turning to Chance, Gwen made an attempt at a friendly smile, if it succeed she did not know.

But still, how the heck did he find out my name?