bonding in the inferno | hettinis day 4

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

hettie.

Hettie Cheyne | Eighteen | District Four | 72nd Hunger Games

Everything that just happened is on repeat in my mind. I’ve always been fascinated by the power of fire and have being tagged as the fire lady in my time due to my hair colour and spirit, I’ve always enjoyed its embers. Be It curling up next to its heat with one of the many boys that I had acquainted myself with or using it to burn the skin of any target that decided to walk into my path at the centre, it has always been one of my weapons of choice. When I witnessed the District Nine girl be swallowed up in its flames, then did I find out how powerful it really is, Cecilia would be unbreakable whilst wielding it.

I would be wrong.

Once I saw every weapon that surrounded us spark up in the orange embers, I knew for a fact that this would have been our most difficult fight but we have pulled through them all. Surprisingly each of my alliance has lasted longer than I had expected and I was actually beginning to root for then. At least two more days, two more days I wanted them to survive and live out their use as my defence, just two days…

It wasn’t even her that I had expected to die first; Iain is the weakling, the cripple…the reckless one. He has had a target on his head since stepping into this arena, he is from Eleven, everyone wants him dead, they want to take away the luck that his homeland has possessed for too long. From day one the tributes proved that, by slaughtering his district partner. Iain’s been living on borrowed time, borrowed time that I had granted, when I proposed to him joining in an alliance. I am yet to be thanked by those actions.

The only one who has appreciated me right is Insanis. He has been treating me like royalty and despite me relishing in it, it is becoming pathetic. Insanis has been losing his touch; today’s performance was ridiculous, if he had hit that District Five boy…Cecilia would still be alive. Even his rage at the District Five boy was weak, he could have cursed more than that…or was my own verbal abuse enough through Cecilia’s smoking body?

I can still smell the toxins from Cecilia’s carcass in my nostrils, it’s remaining in their like a poison…a reminder of her existence. It’s nothing like the sizzling fatty bacon that I once used to wake up to but it is still just as pleasant. Despite being eerie, there is something intriguing about the unfamiliar scent of burning human flesh. When the District Nine girl died, the aroma wasn’t as prominent…well to me anyway. Obviously because Cecilia was princess unlike that peasant girl, her scent remains on the land. I hope the District Five boy remembers my warning, for I will gather the rest of the tributes to take down that alliance, they do not deserve to walk in this arena any longer.

Fleeing from the fight, me and Insanis remain side by side, allowing Iain to spend time by himself. ”I hope that crocodile thing slaughters at least one of them.”I tell Insanis, the rage still on mid boil inside of me. How I could just unleash my anger onto someone just now but I can’t…I can’t beat the living daylights out of Insanis. If I was with Iain right now, I would not have given a second thought about using him as my personal punch bag but with Insanis it is different. Despite him sucking up to me like a lost puppy, there is something about him that keeps me attracted…

That unexpected kiss last night…even though it was a rather strange method of kissing, it was still arousing. There is just something about this District Six boy that makes me remain with him, that makes me want to keep him a live longer.

A sharp pain strikes on my cheek, so I send the palm of my hand to it but before I can find the cause, a replica of the pain strikes my arms. Duplicating, the sharp sensations runs across my body as I begin to swing my war hammer in the air. ”For ripred sake” Flying insects begin to swarm around me and Insanis, nibbling away our own flesh.

Fighting them away with my weapon, the swarm vanishes once they’re happy with the damage that they have caused on us. Rubbing my arms, I’d inspect my skin as small lumps begin to form on the surface. Scratching the bumps, I’d turn to Insanis, wondering if he is just as swelled up as I am. ”They can’t leave us alone for one minute, can they?”

[kousei ♚]

i n s a n i s .

{We both knew it from the start
Some minds are better kept apart}

Death lingers in the form of charred flesh.

Various chemicals in the body, cells, bodily fluids slowly roasting as she just completely combusted. People have told me that when all that burns it produces a sickening smell and makes them want to empty their stomach. It gives me the exact opposite sensation. Just like on the second day the smell is rather sweet, coupled with the screams it's pure ecstasy. It's indescribable, watching flesh blacken and bodily chemicals combust in the endless supply of oxygen this arena supplies. And now it's followed us, a mixed reminder of the wasted opportunity in Cecilia.

The screaming tops it all off.

Me and Hettie remain side by side, crashing through the endless pounding of the wind and the violent swaying arms of the trees. Displeasure fills my mind at the fact we actually ran away from the scene. I wanted to fight on. We didn't need Cecilia, she was only an added bonus. We could have taken out at least one of them; maybe not Iain but me and Hettie definitely could have left our mark on them before leaving. But instead they dragged me away.

”I hope that crocodile thing slaughters at least one of them.” Hettie tells me, her words beading against my hard shell and rolling off. I raise an eyebrow at that statement, masking my displeasure at her audacity. She shouldn't be hoping for something else to do her dirty work for her, she should be making death happen by her own two hands. To think she relies on a dirty mutation to pass judgement for her is questionable to say the least. A dirty mutation that doesn't feel our pain, an impure beast that doesn't relish in the pleasure of watching it's victims suffer.

"Or we can do it ourselves." I tell her, masking the disappointment in my voice with nihilism. My throat is parched, my voice reflecting it with a low, very subtle crack. My mouth is as dry than a desert, silently begging for water. I haven't had a sip of water in... Three days? Memories of the variety of Capitol drinks come flooding back: water, lemonade, flavoured water, tea, coffee (I stayed away from that one) but of all of them I truly yearn for plain old water.

I allow my legs the rest they deserve and without hesitation I pull my water canteen from my bag and begin sipping the clear liquid as if it was sent down from the heavens itself. Its coolness instantly destroys the parched desert that has become my mouth and throat and finds its way down my gullet.

"Y'know, we prob-" I sharp sting stops my words dead in their tracks. A sharp buzz follows it and before I can even blink I'm surrounded by a cloud.

Insects!

I can't even react properly before they're attacking me in all directions, small stings nipping at me from all directions in a haze of buzzing. I stumble back and my eyes instantly shut themselves tight (so my eyes are protected) and I'm submerged in darkness. I wait, not even listening to Hettie's words as they weakly lash at my flesh. I cover my head with my arms. The pain turns from shock, to a sharp pain before it becomes blunt and they disperse like clouds in the sky.

My eyes open and I internally wince.

"They can't leave us alone for one minute can they?"

The sound of a familiar voice again is slightly calming. My gaze goes to her, observing her figure to see if she's damaged. Just a few lumps. Mental note taken. We've been slowly gaining more and more lumps as the days go on, mosquitoes have taken their feast as we sleep. All in all there isn't too much of a change. I can barely see them from here. Perhaps this is some kind of punishment for fleeing from the peasants in the swamp. Fuck that, I wanted to stay. Willis would have stayed and fought until his last breath, Kitty fought death on a horse and refused to back down, Gypsy definitely would have stayed, especially if Pyrian had been on the one consumed in flames.

And then there's me being dragged away from the fray. I've been hiding my frustration but with my next words I open a valve that allows it to drip down slowly. "Better than being dead," I state coldly. I let the silence hold, allowing it to wash over the two of us. I wanted to stay and fight but she dragged me away just because Cecilia fell. Wasn't that what she wanted anyway? I spot my fallen hammer at my side that involuntarily slipped from my fingers when I was protecting my face from the swarm and look at Hettie calmly. "I'm tired of running." I state as I keep myself from scowling. We didn't have to waste another opportunity.

"We didn't have to run and you know it."

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

hettie.

Hettie Cheyne | Eighteen | District Four | 72nd Hunger Games

Violently the wind continues to attack my skin; its power being too relentless on stopping, hopefully a few tributes will be blown away to their death by it….how amusing would that be. Since stepping into the arena, I haven’t seen the climate be once calm. The gamemakers must be having fun with the weather; they’re likely hoping to have a death by it. I can remember the long hot days in Four, not even a cloud in the sky would be seen for days. Even with the sun burning down onto the ground, it was never humid thanks to the ocean’s own breeze. The amount I would give right now to just be experiencing that weather again would be extortionate.

Never have I run before, not like I did today. I am not afraid of anything, not fire. My blood lust is still strong and I could have easily collected it today, even from Cecilia’s corpse but her body was too barbecued. I am not being consistent enough, this is why I haven’t gathered the sponsorship that I had anticipated, and this is why I am failing. I may have survived four days but they’re likely four more days to go. I must kill someone. Those three mutations are not enough, they were already half dead anyway.

Rubbing the surface of my skin, discomfort begins to set in, making it un-resistible to scratch away at it. Every night I have been attacked by mosquitos just like Insanis and everyone else but this swarm has just added to the pain factor from the midget beasts. Sucking away at my blood, collecting it for their needs…that’s what I should be doing to the tributes. Travelling around at night, attacking their skin and harvesting their blood…if only it was as easy as how a mosquito does it…but I can make it easy. The thing that I am doing wrong is waiting for tributes to come to me; I should be going out and looking for them. There will be a few loners to pick out easily and as long as I have Insanis by my side, it will be easy to get a kill in.

"Better than being dead," Silence falls on us both as I stare at Insanis while he sends me a cold death stare. Since we walked from that fight, he has complained about us fleeing but he didn’t have to leave like me, he could have stayed if he wanted. What would he have done anyway, he failed at two attempts to hit that District Five boy? He would have been burnt to the stake just like Cecilia. He may think I am a relentless cold-blooded killer but I can see when danger is lurking, yes I want to put on a show but when I can see death knocking at my door, I’d rather not invite him in. "I'm tired of running." He says, scowling as he speaks. I just sigh with a response, leaning my body onto a tree.

"We didn't have to run and you know it." What is he trying to do? He is trying to make me feel bad about fleeing…because he is failing to do so. He needs to stop complaining or he’ll turn into Iain. As soon as he picks up any of that stroppy little kids traits, I will send my war hammer straight into his skull as I cannot deal with duplicate kids like Iain. What is wrong with him? Does the guy not have a brain, does he not think logically? ”If you didn’t want to run, then why did you follow me?” I ask, hopefully turning the tables towards him.

If he wants to interrogate me then he best get himself ready for his own personal cross-questioning. He can easily walk away from me if he wants, Iain and Cecilia have before. What has him so attracted to me that he must be in my shadow twenty four hours of the day? ”You could have stayed and fought…but you followed me out. I am not your mistress; you didn’t have to obey me.” Biting my bottom lip as I speak, I’d fidget slightly while rubbing at my forearm, my eyes fixed onto Insanis’.

Or am I? Am I secretly his mistress…because I think I am over-qualified for such position…

[kousei ♚]

i n s a n i s .

{We both knew it from the start
Some minds are better kept apart}

All of those long years forced to read Chemistry for dummies by school and not once did it mention what to do when the walls of complicated relationships came crashing down around you. What even are we? Acquaintances? Friends? Lovers? My body moved on its own yesterday and I felt romance spark. At least that's what I can guess it was because whatever that feeling was it wasn't normal. It wasn't quite pleasure but it was so similar - but there were no screams, no humiliation and I couldn't feel the suffering. No, it wasn't quite pleasure but it was sure very close to it. Like a volcano on the verge of eruption, a slow build up of something I can't quite put my finger on.

The training centre. That begun the chain reaction, that begun all of this, that begun this strange spark that reached its own little climax yesterday. Ever since that day...

There was chemistry, there's always been chemistry and surely it wasn't one-sided because she didn't pull away. She could have bashed my head in, she could have killed me, she could have pushed me away, she could have threatened me but she didn't do any of that. (That was saucy.) She said before we were pulled back together and re-ignited the spark. There was a spark and it was brighter than any incinerated tribute or flaming weapon that had been dipped in tar.

”If you didn’t want to run, then why did you follow me?” She asks and I'm taken aback by her words. She just fucking questioned me. Slight irritation begins to burn in my brain. (I didn't realised King Keeni allowed himself to be questioned.) A mockery to everything I stand for, she's actually trying to make me take responsibility. All my life I've ran from proper responsibility. I'm not going to begin to face up to it now just because she's questioned me. Perhaps that's where we're similar Willis, we never could face our responsibilities like people thought we should.

I hide my scowl, my gaze still on her but I'm silent (as much as I hate to admit it I can't even answer her question) and I allow her words to wash over me. However, she's not finished and even I know it. ”You could have stayed and fought…but you followed me out. I am not your mistress; you didn’t have to obey me.” Her words are a whip, striking me so hard that it cuts deeper than the skeleton mutation from Day 3. I don't let her see it because words are nothing but noise to me. I built a shell from the shards of other people's broken lives, nothing can break it, nothing can break me.

(I didn't realise King Keeni allowed himself to be questioned.)

"I never called you my mistress," I begin plainly. My words are falling heavily from my tongue between shallow breaths. I take a slight subtle step towards her. "I just-" My words stop in their tracks. (Just what?) My shell hardens and I don't even have to think about my next words. "Never mind." I state calmly. Fuck this. We shared something; something more than a common weapon and a common state of mind, something that ran deeper than a thirst for violence. A wall quickly forged from our chemistry. Perhaps we can-

(I didn't realise King Keeni allows himself to be questioned.)

My body moves like a machine, I sling my hammer and bag over my shoulder and walk in the other direction, my footsteps in unison with the wall that's slowly collapsing brick by brick without so much as a goodbye.

King Keeni doesn't allow himself to be questioned.

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

hettie.

Hettie Cheyne | Eighteen | District Four | 72nd Hunger Games

There’s something about him that I can’t quite understand. Since seeing him hunched over the dummy in the training centre, there has been something about him that made him stand out from the rest. I had twenty three tributes to choose from and something drew me towards him…but what was it? Was it his interest in how the dummy obtained the injuries that were so obviously created by one of the trainers? No. It was well before then for I didn’t know what he was doing until I walked over to him. It was most definitely something before then for I wouldn’t have moved any closer…

Yesterday’s kiss obviously confirms that he has similar feelings for me for he wouldn’t have moved his body so close, unless he is trying to violate me but he knows with one swing of my hammer, a cannon will ignite his end. The emotions I have are similar to those I held for the other twelve boys but there is something different, well I hope there is. They’re much stronger feelings and it is hard to erase him from my head, even if we’re spending twenty four hours a day together, I want our friendship?relationship? to be different to the others…but it won’t. He’ll just end up dying like the rest of them…

I am poison. Once I am in somebody’s veins, they haven’t long to live their life and they’re forced to spend the remainder with me.

"I never called you my mistress," He doesn’t have to call me it, to confirm that he isn’t treating me like one. I may have him wrapped around my little finger but he is helping himself hold on. He has his grip on too tight, he will never be able to let go of it.

As he takes a short step toward me, I’d bite my bottom lip again, knowing too well that it is his trigger. Bending my knees slightly, I’d get ready for him to give in to my questioning, knowing that I have squeezed what I want from him. "I just-" I just what? He fails to finish off his sentence and it leaves me hanging over a cliff. He can’t do that; he can’t just not continue a sentence when it starts like that. Is this how he builds up seduction, is this him creating tension? Glancing around the area, I know they’re likely cameras pointed on us from all angles. Does he get the picture now; is he trying to put on a show like me…?

"Never mind."

Never fucking mind? Is he for real, he has certainly pushed me over the cliff now and for walking away too. No I am his mistress after all; he can’t turn his back on me unless he wants to commit suicide. ”You’re just like Iain, go suck a thumb!” I’d yell as he walks away. Crossing my arms, I’d watch him, reluctant to follow.

He’ll likely realise his mistake and turn around. Nobody turns their back on me, unless they want something sharp in their spine.

But he doesn’t, he continues walking away into a completely different direction, abandoning me. He can’t do that. Placing the straps of the backpack onto my shoulders, I’d creep after him, a couple of metres behind.

Gliding across the surface of the swamp, my rubber shoes would make slight quenching noises, due to the saturation that soaks them. Moving up behind Insanis, I’d grab the back of his vest top, trying to yank him to a halt. I’d then send the flat of my palm to his butt, scolding him for his mistake. ”Don’t walk away from me mister.”

[kousei ♚]

i n s a n i s .

{We both knew it from the start
Some minds are better kept apart}

"Go cry about it. You're crying like a little kid."

Laila Sycamore's words must have bit into the blonde Keeni (Willis, his name was Willis) like a fucking knife. The two allies have been arguing like cat and dog with neither side wanting to back down. I found it slightly hilarious at the time, that my drunkard cousin was supposed to be in a fight to the death and yet he was busy arguing with a little kid.

I also found it pretty hilarious that she was calling Willis a kid.

""You know what I went through as a kid, huh? You wanna go there? I've been through pain like you wouldn't believe. I can't close my eyes without feeling these scars." The tortured Keeni reveals the scars and bruises riddling his body. I stare at them from the screen, so enticed and so fascinated, I imagine the horror, the agony and the humiliation.

Must have been a lot of it made him start pouring poison down his gullet.

"You're feeling like the adult here? Want to grieve? Here, have a fucking drink, on me." She shoves the bottle of whisky into her hands, ignoring her horrified expression; I immediately know what's coming next.

"Screw your drink!" She screams defiance into his ears and throws the bottle into a tree and the glass bottle shatters into millions of tiny shards and my cousin's life's blood drains and runs across the ground. As predicted it sends him into a frenzy stronger than a hurricane. "WHAT THE FUCK!" Is he screams but she only replies with more defiance, despite the fact she shattered everything that blonde fool ever lived for. "That stuff doesn't help anyway! I saw you throwing up today!"

Good logic, but even her good logic won't even reach the ears of a broken boy.

"I CAN'T DIE SOBER! I can't." He's begging but nothing's gonna bring that whiskey back and the little girl tells him the hash truth.

"You can and you will."

I keep moving without looking back. Still, I catch the sound of her voice over the destructive howling of the wind. ”You’re just like Iain, go suck a thumb!” She yells at me but I don't allow it to make me stop dead in my tracks. How dare she. How could she compare King Insanis fucking Keeni to that weak child known as Iain. Just the passing comparison, just my name being mentioned in the same sentence of his sends my brain into a frenzy and my blood begins to slowly boil. Now I definitely won't go back. I don't even look back, my feet carry my on their own.

(King Keeni doesn't allow himself to be questioned.)

No one's ever even stood up to me, much less questioned a word I say. Perhaps no one had the courage, or perhaps I was always just that intimidating. Not this time. I knew I'd never be able to intimidate Hettie from the day I met her even if she wasn't a career I doubt I would. She's a fire storm, anything I feed to her only makes her grow, any source of resistance is only burned down, any fight only makes it hurt even more; she simply destroys everything in her path.

Well I refuse to be burned.

My legs keep carrying me somewhere, anywhere, anywhere that is away from her. She questioned me. She tried to dissect me, analyse me under a magnifying glass as if I'm nothing better than a rat (doesn't she understand I am king?) and she thought I would stand for it. She insulted me. Like I was Iain, like I would roll over and let her burn me to ashes (doesn't she understand who I am?) I won't burn like my cousins did. I won't let the fire consume me - I just can't.

(King Keeni doesn't allow himself to be questioned.)

It's more than just a personal attack, it's a matter of pride. I've always kept my pride through it all - I never once allowed someone to drag me down even a peg. Words, screams and broken whispers - I've heard them all and not once have I flinched at them. Even if there are from a... a... What exactly is she to me? I don't even know if I can even consider her just a friend. Just because of yesterday...

My body was like an automated machine; it moved on its own and pulled her in. But I wanted it to, I enjoyed every second of it. We were a flame in a sea of doubt and I swear nothing could've extinguished us in that moment. We burned brighter than any immolated tribute, the Gamemakers could've sent hell itself after us and nothing could have left us broken. We shared more than a twisted state of mind but no matter how many times I dissect it with a rusty knife and watch it with a magnifying glass I just cannot put my finger on it.

(Maybe King Keeni cared.)

Cared or not she still questioned me, I never would have allowed it in the past. So why should I allow it now. My legs burn but I keep them moving for reasons unknown I keep them moving despite the fact every cell in my body screams at me to stop. Before I can even contemplate it she's right behind me like a shadow. My brain flickers for a moment through the possibility that she's going to produce a knife and shove it in my back in a fit of rage. But she cannot kill me.

I'm still on zero after all.

Instead I feel her hand smack against my backside and my head snaps back to see her. ”Don’t walk away from me mister.” She scolds me like I'm a little student showing a teacher too much attitude in class. My eyes lock with hers for the briefest moment and we're both as weightless as air...

Willis Keeni abandoned her that day. The camera's showed him leave that tent in a cold rage and leave his sleeping vulnerable ally alone to die without so much as a goodbye. It's morning and I got up early just to see how he would cope with the final eight and so far I'm not even slightly impressed. He did what he had to do and cut the liabilities like any rational person would; what I would do.

But not for rational reasons.

Rational actions for irrational reasons. I shook my head as I see him walk away from the tent and the camera begins to pan in on his figure. Then it begins to pan in on his face, exposing every tortured thought, every feeling and his blank face yet tortured eyes. Everything distorts, like a mirage, an empty imagined riptide runs through my vision for a moment before refocusing - Willis appears to shimmer before my eyes. He turns to the camera and a blank smile appears on his face, as he bores into my soul with his tortured eyes.

"Good to see you're following my footsteps quite well, Insanis."

A cold fire rushes through my veins, igniting a passion that had been masked with a cold fury born from pride. My hand reaches out and grips her warm, empty hand that just touched me and pull her close so her body is pressing up against mine and I'm staring right down into her eyes. "Just can't let me go huh?" I ask with a warm grin. Perhaps King Keeni cares. Willis Keeni cared, he definitely cared but he ran, a rational action for an irrational reason and I silently judged him he ran. That's not me, that just can't be me. I'm not a hypocrite.

Willis was an expert at running; he ran from his problems, responsibilities, those he cared about. There was already one Keeni who ran, I can't be the second one. I won't emulate his actions, I refuse to, because (perhaps maybe) this time I care.

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

hettie.

Hettie Cheyne | Eighteen | District Four | 72nd Hunger Games

Has Henrietta Cheyne ever truly been in love?

Twelve boys are there to prove it, twelve case studies filled with information and proof but secrets are hidden within those files. Did I ever actually have feelings for them? Thinking back to it, nothing was similar to what I feel towards Insanis right now. Even placing my hand on his backside for a split second, sent emotions tingling up my arm. That smack was meant for scolding, not sexual endeavours but it didn’t feel like it. Maybe he will collect the wrong message and think that I want to crawl away the clothes that are draped onto his body…no.

All those twelve boys were experiments, they were just pieces of entertainment to brighten up my life, and they were so easily disposed of afterwards. There wasn’t truly any love involved in it, a few may have believed it but they must have been fools. Henrietta Cheyne is not a committed person and I never will be. Romance? Gussy up marriages and smelly children running around, being a nuisance. No, none of that is for me. I can never see myself being a mother and I know a lot of people will likely agree with that statement.

But with Insanis it’s different.

The thought of us making children together sends a horrid thought into my mind, damn what fucked up kids we would create. But fucked up in a great way, they’d have brains, power, wit, every brilliant trait that a person needs. They may be slightly twisted but that just makes them so much more entertaining.

But I can’t have feelings for Insanis, not after him walking away from me. His performance has been dire over the past couple of days; he isn’t as spectacular as I thought he was. This isn’t the type of guy I can fall for…but my body is too attracted to him…it made me follow him. I didn’t even think about it, my legs just manoeuvred me after him. My brain is working parallel with my heart; they need to get back together before it causes my destruction. Henrietta Cheyne cannot fall in love, not here, not in the games of all places. This isn’t me, this isn’t what I trained myself to become. I am not like the typical girl who falls at the heels of a male. I dictate them, I rule them, and I don’t run after them like a screaming pansy.

What is my family thinking right now? Seeing me run after a guy? My cousins are likely shaking their heads, turning off the television set. I am here to make war, not love. This relationship…if I can call it that, is not going to help me get home…but I’ve been with him for four days and I am still here. I am still alive…barely. My wounds are clean, all thanks to Insanis Keeni. But my lust of blood has not been tended to but I haven’t cracked like I thought I would. I haven’t lost my mind over the lack of death…but is that a good thing? Is it like me to keep my mind, just by filling it in with the presence of a male? This isn’t how I intended my games experience to be like. Where is the death? The carnage? Nowhere, because it is replaced with love. Love for a boy from District Six, he isn’t even a career but he is different. He is different to a career boy because he is much better than one. That’s what drew me to him, it’s in his name…he’s insane. He is just the male opposite of me and we can be destructive partners.

I made the mistake of recruiting those meat shields, me and Insanis can destroy this arena together, we can draw the love that I crave and I can feed him whatever cravings he likely possess also. I can’t let go of him now, not now that we’re at our peak.

Battering us, the wind nearly takes us into flight. Insanis grabs my arm, pulling my body close to his. The emotions that have been swarming my body become stronger so stronger that they nearly reach their maximum. But I can’t complain, I relish in them, I can’t let go of them. These emotions are a better substitute to my blood lust.

"Just can't let me go huh?" Frowning, more questions fall from his mouth; can he just not let it go? However the grin that paints itself on his wicked face confirms that he is not serious. Has he really realised that I was in the right, that fast?

Smirking, I’d wrap my arms around him, planting my hands on his lower back. Our height differs greatly as I have to crane my neck to look up at him. Rising to the tip of my toes, I’d try and get my head directly in front of his, yet fail to do so. However I slowly plant my lips on to his, hoping that I can relive the moment we created yesterday.

[kousei ♚]

i n s a n i s .

{We both knew it from the start
Some minds are better kept apart}

Hettie's voice flashes through the back of my mind. "When you become allies.” She spoke those words when our little group formed in the training centre, when I shoved Iain on the floor and Cecilia came to defend him and even Hettie came to chime in. We formed a weak little bond that was built on necessity and desperation. We all mistrusted each other and I'm pretty sure I mistrusted Hettie most of all for the simple fact that she's a career, she's hot and she just seemed to now what she was doing. Perhaps that's why we weren't unbreakable as a group.

But this time...

The two of us are built on sturdy promises and a shared state of mind and perhaps that's what makes us unbreakable. Does she truly care? I don't know if I do, thousands of times I've seen stories like this play out on my small television screen back at home. Two tributes who think they're in some kind of unbreakable bond that will last them a life time despite the fact it seems more like a fling than anything else. It always ends the same way, it always ends with nothing but blood and despair. Hettie is a cunning yet ruthless career so the long lasting question lingers in the back of my mind, a small irritating buzz like a mosquito.

Should I really care?

It's pushed to the back of my mind where it belongs and I allow myself to be lost in the moment because I have a pretty good idea where this is going. Her flesh feels like it belongs against mine - like two halves of a childish jigsaw puzzle. One piece fits with another piece, or a key in a keyhole; it just belongs there and is out of place anywhere else. In the past when people have touched me I haven't exactly enjoyed it like this moment. It's always felt foreign, as if someone was deliberately invading my metaphorical bubble and I've constantly resisted the urge to send my fist in their teeth.

It's completely different this time.

In the back of my mind survival lurks. I'm consciously aware that there are cameras surrounding every possible angle around us - every human being in Panem are boring down on me with their judgemental eyes. But who are they to judge royalty? My whole life has been a journey to assert my dominance and force pain into submission to be my mistress. Still, people just called me a kid in the outside world, a kid with an attitude, a horrible family and an even worse mind. A disorder they said I had. Those psychologists called me dangerous, sadistic and told my parents to be cautious. They had no right to pass judgement on me. Just like all those people on the outside world have no right to pass judgement on me and her; King Keeni. It's not like family was any different either, considering they sent me to live with my cousins.

But in here we're unbreakable, we're an unstoppable hurricane that will uproot the trees, shatter families and end worthless lives; together we can spread suffering and the pain will make them all grow up before falling.

I gaze into her eyes once again as she raises herself on the tip of her toes, her hands rested on my lower back and I feel her lips lightly brush against mine, instantly confirming that she needs me. That's another difference between here and the outside world. I am needed.

Passion as fiery and red as her red hair grips my muscles as I bring my hands onto the back of her head, twirling her hair in my index finger once before bringing her lips back into contact with mine. I shouldn't be doing this but every fibre in my being tells me I have to because this kiss is a silent promise; together we'll flood the arena in the suffering of others.

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

hettie.

Hettie Cheyne | Eighteen | District Four | 72nd Hunger Games

Every fairy-tale has the first kiss, the knight in shining armour who saves the damsel in distress. There is always an equilibrium, a disruption and re-equilibrium to fix everything up but this isn’t a fairy-tale, more like a thriller. We haven’t had our disruption yet for we’re both still alive. Maybe Cecilia’s death was the disruption but it isn’t, not to me. I didn’t feel any passion towards her while I watched her body char to dust, it was just an end that I was expecting anyway. Soon we will witness Iain’s dismay but that won’t be the disruption either. Right now I am still living the equilibrium, for if I remain in the company of Insanis, a disruption will be far from reach.

The two of us together can ignite this arena like a volcano. Finally I can rule it like I was expected to back in the Capitol, I can’t let down the bookies. The past four days I have just been warming up, getting used to it all, for the days to come, Panem will begin to see the real me. The real me together in arms with Insanis Keeni, my partner…my king. Together no mutt or tribute will stop us, not even a fiery spear will knock us down.

But is affection like this going to help us secure our take down of the arena, no. But it will help confirm our passion together. Such intimate things help me know that Insanis is thinking the same way as me, that he isn’t likely to turn on me. Right now we’re both in such a vulnerable state (although I am forever on hiatus). Either of us could easily place our weapons on the other right now but I won’t…not now anyway. I have many more days of use from Insanis, I can’t let him go to waste today.

An earthquake of emotions rumbles inside of me, nearly cracking my stern shield apart. I am cunning, I am ruthless, I am strong. I cannot allow a boy to make me mushy. My mother tried her best to make me mushy but her attempts failed. Only my twin lost to her, the weak Odette. My attempts to hide my little brother from such dictatorship were successful. My mother does not see the pride and value that comes with living the ruthless career life. She is too soft; death to her is something to be afraid of. And one thing that disgraces me the most about my mother is that…she has a phobia of blood…

My lips brush up against Insanis’ as I take a glance at his eyes, still on my tiptoes, I secure my hands on his lower back. Taking me by the head, Insanis plays with my hair as he meets my lips again, the connection being longer than before. The earthquake of emotion inside of me becomes more destructive, forming into a volcano. Erupting, my body reacts by pulling Insanis even closer to me. Air could not pass through us right now, we’re secure, connected together in this arena. The arena that we’re going to destroy…

After the long kiss, it is hard for me to pull away but oxygen is a necessity and we must move along if we want to have more moments like this. Battling inside of me, my brain is losing the fight with my heart as I remain kissing Insanis longer than I intended too. What is this boy doing to my head? Eventually my brain pulls through for a quick second, and I pull my head away from Insanis, looking him directly in the eyes.

Remaining my hold of his waist, I’d bite my bottom lips slightly, conjuring up words to break the silence. ”We should do that more often.”

[kousei ♚]

i n s a n i s .

{We both knew it from the start
Some minds are better kept apart}

(Promise me.)

I won't try and leave again.

Everything feels so natural, it's just right. Her lips feel as if they belong there, permanently connected to mine with the hot bonds of an everlasting promise. A silent promise. We'll fill this arena to the brim with the suffering of tributes together. There will be no Cecilia to babysit, Iain will be there but without Cecilia he is nothing. She was really the pillar propping him up and she burned; he has no stability any more and he can't stand up to us. It's Insanis and Hettie against the world.

This isn't a stupid fairy tale that parents read to their kids with all of these distorted and fake views of romance and love. I'm not a prince charming. I'm not a man that a girl would be proud to take home to her parents; I'm a monster with a disgusting mental disorder. At least that's what they said it was, an unfortunate disorder than ruined my state of mind - I'm dangerous, sadistic and cruel. I'm all of those things - not some romantic fool that girls fall head over heels in love with and bring home to have dinner with their parents.

Hettie isn't that woman that men would line up to buy rings for. She's not the kind of woman that a man would can stand up proud and bring home to his parents for a nice session of tea. She's just Hettie and she's mine. I'd stand up proud and take her home this arena is our home now, our home to fill with blood, sweat and tears. Or maybe it's just lustful thinking. I don't think I even care at this point.

We pull away and I'm slightly relieved (my brain is begging me for oxygen) but at the same time I'm hungry for more. I'm as desperate to feel her lips against my flesh as I was for water a few moments ago. I'm hungry for this, and this, and one more kiss but I restrain myself; there's no need to overdo it. Still, I'm staring into Hettie's face and despite the odd few lumps it's true perfection. It takes every fibre in my being to hold back, I'm mentally straining to keep my body from grabbing her and tearing black dress right off where we stand just like I promised I would do. The silence is deafening, tension coiling around us both like a snake as we wait for someone to say something, to make the next move.

”We should do that more often.” Her soft voice cuts through the silence like it's butter. Just the thought of more often sends bells ringing through my ears, circling my brain like oscillations gliding through the air. She bites her lips knowing all too well it's my trigger. My bandaged hand twitches at my side and a simple response forms at her statement. "You would love that wouldn't you?" I say with a grin.

I pull away, breaking myself from her intoxicating gaze and figure and bring myself back into focus. Awareness hits me like a freight train, smashing me back into self-consciousness and forcing my mind back into our surroundings. "We should keep moving." I tell her.