{ burning out our glory days } | jacinta vs. daniela, day 7

[я𝑜𝓈𝑒]

J A C I N T A .



stood at the coal face
stood with our backs to the sun
i can remember being nothing
but fearless and young

She watches the anthem closely that night through an opening in the canopy of trees over her head. Kraygon Truus's is the first to appear — it wasn't a surprise to her. She doesn't gasp, or even blink; he was lower district, after all. But the next one was not what she was expecting — Hayden Harvard, District Two. Although Hayden was her ally for two nights, Jacinta feels almost numb, and yet seeing her face in the sky sucks the air from her lungs. She does not truly mourn Hayden Harvard; there is no icy wave of guilt and desolation. She isn't drowning like she was when she lost Ment, but she still feels suffocated.

Jacinta's only visible response to Hayden's death is a furrowed brow. Once her face disappears, she pushes the thought of her head and focuses on the rest of the anthem. Alfie Larson, District Twelve, and Josephine Emerson, District Eleven.

Cynthia Delgado is still alive, along with Daniela Rasoio, and of course, Ansel Khiev. She's starting to run out of time to kill him; she won't hesitate to slit his throat like she did Atlas if she sees him tomorrow.

If not Ansel, then am I prepared to face Cynthia? she wonders. Jacinta does not think she will ever be ready for any of the remaining tributes; they are so down to the wire at this point. She is so near to closing in on victory, and yet there are still three people in her way.

Maybe you should have just killed Cynthia in her sleep, a voice in Jacinta's head chides. And then you wouldn't have to deal with it at all. (It would have been a kindness compared to the way that Jacinta has seen others die in the Arena.)

But it is just what-if's — what if she had killed Ansel sooner, what if she killed Cynthia in her sleep, what if Ment and Tobias and Quill were still alive. Would she have killed them while they slept? Would she have so easily turned on them when all they had done was show her loyalty?

What-if's are not worth dwelling on. They would only make her lose sleep, and if she is to survive tomorrow, Jacinta is going to need it. As Jacinta said before — they're dead. Ment, Tobias, Quill. She didn't want them to die yet, but — "It changes nothing. They're still dead." Jacinta had barked those words at Josephine, her words sharp as knives. It was harsh of her to say such things, but the truth is ugly. And no matter how hideous it may be, it must be accepted.

She sighs and closes her eyes, nestling herself into a corner of a bent tree branch. For several minutes, Jacinta stays awake in pure darkness, wondering who she will face the next day. Cynthia, Ansel, or Daniela — fate rolls a dice that night and Jacinta can only hope that it will be Ansel. He will need to be taken out before the finale, and she only trusts herself to do the deed.

When she awakens the next morning, she climbs down from her tree and lands squarely on the ground. If Tobias were here, perhaps they would have climbed up to the top together. Jacinta used to have contests with her siblings to see who could scale the tree the fastest — it was usually her or Luzia, the faster of the four, who won. But those days are gone and there is no one to play games with her here. Tobias is long gone and her family is thousands of miles away.

She does not walk for long before coming across the moon pond again, where the everlasting full moon is reflected on the surface. Quillon died here, she recalls. She almost points to the spot — Ansel stabbed him in the eye right over there. Jacinta remembers the clouds of blood in the dark water; it had dripped into the pond from his head.

She hears footsteps approaching and almost expects Ansel to walk right out of the trees with his spear drawn like she saw him yesterday. It isn't Ansel, but the tribute who slips into Jacinta's vision is almost as familiar.

Rather than Ansel Khiev, Jacinta finds herself faced with Daniela Rasoio from District Eight. Although they have no history of being enemies, Jacinta draws her axe; she supposes it starts here. It seems she gains a new nemesis constantly now — Ansel, Ezen, Josephine. From here on out, there are no friends, she supposes. Only enemies, and Daniela is no exception. She is not Ansel, but she is still a danger, another obstacle Jacinta must eliminate.

"It's you," Jacinta says, almost disappointed. "I was hoping you'd be Khiev."

He'll have to dealt with later — again, she thinks, almost sighing in frustration. If she weren't nursing a fresh wound to the stomach yesterday, she would have ended him while he was distracted with Josephine.

Jacinta swings her axe around in a circle as she braces herself for a fight. She narrows her eyes, and then a question comes to mind. When she inquires it, she is not angry, but rather, curious. Her tone is even; not too harsh but not at all soft. "Were you the one who killed Hayden Harvard? Or did Cynthia do it?" Hayden could have easily been the canon that awakened Jacinta from her sleep yesterday. Cynthia could have done what Jacinta could not — ended Hayden right then and there while she slept.

It was the kindest way to kill. She has seen enough suffering to know that. Clementa, legless and bleeding, pleading for death; Josephine, broken and bloody on the ground, surrendered to her fate. Jacinta is almost glad that Tobias and Quillon died instantly; they didn't deserve to suffer.

She hopes that Daniela's death will be quick like theirs.

[Jacinta attacks Daniela Rasoio; axe]
bKcUYmfLaxe
[11021 -- Shallow Cut on Right Shoulder -- 3.5 damage]

we've become echoes
but echos that fade away
we fall into the dark as
we dive under the way (i heard you say)

. . .

lyrics: "silhouette" by aquilo.

axe

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

Reality is here and I can already hear the engines on the train powering up.

There is no feeling. A wooden stake deep into the skull of the District Two, there is no horror or shock. The little ounce of power is filtered away and replaced by coldness. One last glance to the girl who nearly pushed me over the cliff’s edge and it all over. An inch of relief, which is all that follows me. Did Ansel feel relieved when he killed all those tributes? Did Jenoah feel the same when he pulled his glaive from the eye of the LaChance boy?

Questions to be answered by one dead boy and another that is likely to kill me.

I don’t venture far from the fight, just far enough so that the presence of Hayden’s body does not distract me in the corner of my eye. It is like a shadow that has latched onto me, I know it is there but I don’t want to look back. An empty shell of a girl I barely knew, maybe that is why I feel nothing inside. No sympathy for the death of a stranger, it must be ok to feel that way.

So the night begins like yesterday, in this familiar ivy filled cavity, really the only scenery that I have taken in during my week of being here. I am not a navigator or an adventurer; I am not out there to look for chaos – well not the kind of chaos that is out to kill me. At home I’d be eager to get out there and be involved with the anarchy of my District, just this is different. The anarchy is wielding a blade that I would rather not touch me. If whoever is left wants to get me, they can come and search for me themselves.

Resting on the ground, I sort through the items acquired from the District Two girl in my bag. I barely thought about what I picked up, like a scavenger eager to fill their gut, I just grabbed whatever my hands fell on. My left hand grabs something long…”What the fuck is that?”

A long and scaly feeling on my palms, instinct forces me to pull it out from my bag…a snake. Its face just glares at me, its tongue sticking out as if waving. I just wait, the anticipation for its teeth to sink into me and it be the end of that. But it is just limp in my grip, this unfamiliar animal, I must have picked it up from Hayden’s stash. ”So you must have been Hayden’s?” I recall the many pets of the games, last games and their hoards of little grey bears. ”I know someone who likes rats, maybe you could feast on them, Hayden’s snake.” The snake wraps around my forearm, not so tight but tight enough to hang on and allow blood circulation to my hand. An unlikely ally in this calamity, at least I am not alone now.

My free hand ventures into my bag again, brushing against the leather cover of the diary. Curiosity begs me to open it and answer a question again but the fear of yesterday draws me away from it. Whatever questions I have left to be answered, those cursed pages are not going to be the one to answer them. Like Ripred’s prayers, it is fake.

For the first night ever, I am still awake for the full show of the anthem. There is a hope for Ansel’s face to be up there but he is likely going to be the one who sent all the faces to the sky. Kraygon Truus from District Ten, I don’t think I ever spoke to the boy. Then it is Hayden, I look to where her body is…it is gone. A sneaky act from the Capitol, how they manoeuvred such a removal without me noticing; well they must we experienced in disposing tribute’s bodies now. It must be in the thousands, so many coffins to fill and holes to dig. When will they ever grow tired of the operation? After fifteen years of watching it and one week of experiencing it, I am definitely becoming exhausted of it now.

Alfie Larson, District Twelve.

The boy who barely spoke, there is a little pain in my chest as his face flicks by. I wonder who did it then, is the bandit adding names to his list? Now he has his spear turned to his own allies. I rub my palm over my forehead, begging for the next face to replace Alfie’s or the show to end. Josephine Emerson, District Eleven. Another stranger and her face signs off the projection.

I rest my cranium against the bundle of vines; a dry face is tainted by the old welcome of salty tears. Am I actually crying? Loneliness is wrapping me up. There is just me left. Nobody but me to get me out of this; for so long I have relied on everyone else but now it just Daniela Rasoio and Hayden’s snake wrapped around my wrist…although I doubt the snake will be my guide out of here.

I just close my eyes, battling to shake away the reveal of weakness.

You are meant to be brave.

---

I am not surprised by the sight of the full moon, I wonder if I will ever be able to witness the sun again. Through the dull clouds or odd smog of the District Eight factories, at least there was a glimmer of light to seep through my curtains.

Pushing myself off the ground, my wrist feels empty…the snake is gone. I fumble for my belongings and pick up the tainted wooden stake except it has an extra add-on. Hayden’s snake found home on it but it quickly finds refuge on my left forearm again as I flick its back. ”You can’t really stay there.”

Every day begins the same but today, I walk further than I have before. It feels like hours and yet there isn’t a single tribute to stumble upon. So there must be three still out there. Hayden’s ally, the crazy District One girl. The District Seven girl who was all out on killing Ansel and yet my deranged ally is still probably gripping tightly onto his spear.

A pond is my first point of interest in this new area, the full moon reflects of it and I am nearly mistaken to believe that the moon has in fact fallen onto the ground. I am drawn to it but the sense of another quickly distracts me from the curiosity.

"I was hoping you'd be Khiev." It is hard to contain the sudden laugh that escapes from my lips as I turn to the female that greets me. The District Seven girl, of course it would be her. ”I don’t think the five or six he has killed were hoping the same.”

I extend the wooden stake out in front of me, every fight has started to same way and of course Jacinta is wielding an axe. I am surprised the Capitol didn’t give me a knitting needle to fight with.

"Were you the one who killed Hayden Harvard? Or did Cynthia do it?"

Such typical questions, a valued life had to be the one I took. I follow the waving of her axe, the snake feels limp on my left arm, its existence is the key evidence that is if I did really find it from Hayden’s body. ”I guess I did. So I assume this is where I ask, did you kill Alfie? Or was it Cynthia…ah it was probably that dick head Ansel.”

My words are knocked away by the peck of her axe on my right shoulder. A stinging sensation begins to pulsate from the area, adding to the annoyance of the ringing in my ears that I grew used to during the past twelve hours but I have just realised still exists in my senses. I shake my head, painting a picture in the air with my weapon as I follow the girl.

”Now something else to ask. If you’re so eager to face Ansel, why didn’t you just kill him in the feast? What a way to take revenge for your allies.”

I lunge forwards as soon as the question slips from my lips. Jacinta is just another door that I have force myself through before I can reach the steps of that train.

Daniela attacks Jacinta | Wooden stake ( spear)

XolDybrzspear

[3194 -- Shallow Cut on Left Calf -- 3.5 damage]

spear

[я𝑜𝓈𝑒]

J A C I N T A .



the devil's on your shoulder
strangers in your head
as if you don't remember
as if you can forget

She finds herself submerged in a wildfire. Her veins are burning up, blood boiling in her veins and singing into her skin. It doesn't hurt. Every move she makes is fueled by her own fervor for survival, and yet she is nearly numb inside. Unflinching when Daniela's blood spatters onto the ground, unwavering when it sinks in that if she succeeds, she will be stepping over this girl's corpse into the finale.

"I don’t think the five or six he has killed were hoping the same," Daniela states.

No, likely not, but Jacinta is not most people. She will never become one of Ansel Khiev's victim, but rather hopes to be the one to put him down. It would be fitting, she can see it now, a perfect picture in her mind — Ansel, the most lethal tribute in the Arena, falling to Jacinta Salazar.

When Jacinta asks about Hayden, Daniela replies, "I guess I did."

So, Jacinta has come face to face with another one of her ally's killers. It does not strike her hard this time, not like Ment or Tobias or Quill. Hayden was more distant than them, but still, they had relied on each other for two nights. That does mean something to Jacinta, even as incompassionate as she can be. She owes Cynthia and Hayden, and she never thanked them for taking her in. She presumes they will both be dead before she can.

"So I assume this is where I ask, did you kill Alfie?" Daniela inquires. "Or was it Cynthia . . . ah it was probably that dick head Ansel." She would have laughed under different circumstances; had they been in the Training Center accompanied by champagne in crystal glasses, Jacinta would have found "that dick head Ansel" funny. It was the kind of crude humor that her parents always shunned, especially when it made one of the Salazar children giggle.

She shakes her head. "I don't know what happened to Alfie," Jacinta tells her. All she saw was his face in the sky; she didn't even consider who his killer may be.

"Now something else to ask. If you’re so eager to face Ansel, why didn’t you just kill him in the feast? What a way to take revenge for your allies," remarks Daniela. Jacinta's face twists with disdain, her eyes narrowing, brows furrowed so that are flattened on her face, lips pressed into a firm line.

She had ended the other threats, the other enemies — all but Ansel. He was the one who slipped through her fingers. If she had just killed him instead of Atlas, slit his throat and let his blood run until he dropped . . . But it is too late for that, now. Ansel is still alive and if he survives today, she may end up regretting not killing him sooner even more than she already does.

Jacinta bristles, but manages to answer Daniela's question calmly. The girl is likely trying to get a rise out of her, and she struck exactly the right nerve — vengeance. "My attention was focused on my other nemesis, you see," Jacinta says. She recalls his name, his face, with venom; she remembers with cold nostalgia how she looked him and all she could see was Clementa's broken form. He deserved everything he got, and although she did not make the kill, she doesn't regret going after him. "Ezen Moreno. He killed Clementa Lowe the day before the feast — cut off her limbs first and then finally let her die." She would have sounded almost nonchalant if not for gray gloominess that appears in her eyes at speaking her fallen ally's name. "At least when Ansel killed Quillon, he died instantly. I imagine it was painless." There one second, gone the next — it is the kindest possible way to die.

"Sometimes you have to pick your battles. And maybe I chose wrong, but if I had left Ezen alive, it would have been one more person after me." A gust of wind blows her hair around her face; long dark strands billow in the wind and lash across her skin. Jacinta narrows her eyes, keeping her focus on Daniela Rasoio. "Besides, I was never the only one who wanted Ansel dead. He has more enemies than me, with the trail of bodies he's left behind."

And maybe she will be no better than him at the end of all this; perhaps she too will leave behind a trail of bodies. At least by then, it would be the end and there would be no one to come after her for vengeance.

[Jacinta attacks Daniela Rasoio; axe]
yiXuk_vYaxe
[11160 -- Deep Gash on Left Forearm -- 8.0 damage +2 strength & rivalry]

it's only been a moment
it's only been a lifetime
but tonight you're a stranger
or some silhouette

. . .

lyrics: "silhouette" by aquilo.

axe

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

It is a déjà vu of the day before. Face to face with the door I need to unpick, just a flick on the leg of the District Seven girl, at least it is a start. There is never a silent match within these games, an exchange of words between each clash of the weapons. I try to recall any moment from the television where the audio has been blank. It is as if the Capitol have written the script for us, every little aspect controlled by their dirty fingers, they even determine when I take my next breathe.

So I freed myself to be caught again and now I am trying to free myself again. It is a much harder task this time…

"I don't know what happened to Alfie,"

I just shrug at her reply; the existence of the tear stains on my cheeks is forgotten. It is all over for my ally now. I haven’t enough energy to go searching; I doubt the mute maniac boy would have done the same for me. He was just another piece taken out for me. Two of my allies swept away, with no chance for me to slit their own throats. Maybe it is a relief…

"My attention was focused on my other nemesis, you see," through the ringing in my ears, all I can do is question why I am listening. You asked the question. Adding to the flames that I would rather extinguish. A nemesis. As she mentions the District One male, I sort through the faces, trying to determine the true one that I would have yearned to sink my stake into the neck of – obviously it is all of them but only one name sticks out in bold and this girl has her teeth set on him too.

The bandit with a wicked tongue, such a dark horse that I attached myself too. In the early days, his efforts added excitement to it all but as soon as it all unravelled, he really began to wave the ass hole flag. Ansel Khiev, the boy I allied and grew to hate. A part of me wants to dispose of the memory of him but it is hard to forget about him when his presence is lurking in the shadows, his tainted spear in hand with the blood of the many dripping from his hands. Such an illusive figure that I have formed in my head, for a little soft prick like him.

"Besides, I was never the only one who wanted Ansel dead. He has more enemies than me, with the trail of bodies he's left behind."

I’d agree to her words but he axe sinks into my left forearm, Hayden’s snake loosens before the blade touches, escaping up my arm. My eyes drop to my arm, the image of the snake being cut in half flashes in my head but its weight on my injured arm makes my body sway. I can feel my whole skeleton leaning to the left, the added mass of the reptile is no remedy to the attack.

I grit my teeth as I speak next, inhaling the scream that wants to be unleashed as the agony begins to swarm my limbs. Something has triggered inside of me and I have yet to identify. Fear or bravery? They have begun to form into one.

”I am going to get to Ansel before you.” The words spill through my lips, barely a thought into them but the frustration of her last attack is definitely the trigger. A sudden change of the mood, my hatred for the boy has escaped; he is going to be the last door that I unlock. My ticket out of here.

”You nearly killed the snake I stole from Hayden’s body, I thought you would be more careful with you dead ally’s belongings.” I snicker as I speak, I am not letting the taunting reins loose, not now that the fire has turned into an inferno.

I am not ready for it all to end now; I have already climbed to the top. So far up, there is no way I am letting myself slip. All by myself, for once my life has been dictated by me. For once, I have actually taken care of myself.

Daniela attacks Jacinta | Wooden stake ( spear)

UC6Dr6ZJspear

[3175 -- Shallow Cut on Right Forearm -- 3.5 damage]

spear

[я𝑜𝓈𝑒]

J A C I N T A .



let's go out in flames
so everyone knows who we are
'cause these city walls
never knew that we'd make it this far

Her blood stains Jacinta's axe; it glistens in the moonlight as she holds it up, withdrawing it from Daniela's leg. The sight only pushes Jacinta deeper and deeper into focus; her eyes search for weak spots, for openings, and almost every moment, she finds herself formulating strategies or ideas about where to attack next and how.

Blood once disgusted her when she was young, but her mother made sure that she grew used to it. Spoiled or not, the Salazars required an heir who was far from squeamish. Marina Salazar once shot someone in the head so many times that Jacinta could see bits of their brain spattered on the then crimson brick wall. It was the first time she had seen gore at such intensity; she cried into her pillow the night after.

But those days are gone, now, and she's a killer just like her mother. The apple never falls too far from the tree; the Salazars have always been a crooked family who raise crooked children.

"I am going to get to Ansel before you," proclaims Daniela, as if it is a certain fact. But Jacinta is dead set on her dying today — You won't get that far, Jacinta thinks. I'll kill you before you even have the chance. Sinister thoughts, perhaps, but it is better than wallowing in the guilt murder. She knows it all too well, and for now, while she has partly numbed herself to ensure her own survival, Jacinta cannot afford to let herself be crushed by such an emotion.

Then somewhere, in the distance, a canon fires — BOOM. Her heart jumps and the falls as Jacinta listens to its echo bounce off the Arena until everything is silent again.

"Maybe that was him right there," Jacinta remarks. I sure hope so. It is simply more convenient for Ansel to die today rather than face him tomorrow; although she would like to kill him herself, she will take survival over revenge.

(But if Ansel is dead, does that mean she will face Cynthia Delgado tomorrow?)

"You nearly killed the snake I stole from Hayden’s body, I thought you would be more careful with you dead ally’s belongings," Daniela taunts, and lunges at her, leaving a shallow mark on her forearm. You'll have to try harder than that — just like she said to Josephine Emerson.

There is a slight burn in her arm as blood trickles down her skin, but Jacinta only blinks at her and continues to circle around her opponent, watching carefully for an opening. That pain is nothing compared to the wound on her stomach that she still nurses with bandages wrapped tightly around her otherwise exposed midriff. Rather than wincing or staggering back — allowing Daniela's attack to throw her off — Jacinta's eyes trail to the snake coiled tightly around Daniela's body, likely hanging on for its life.

A snake, a serpent — it is her family's trademark animal, shown bold and green on the Salazar crest. She still has her necklace; the serpent winding on a sword with scarlet roses dotted in between.

But Daniela seems to mistake her for being more compassionate than she is. There is a glimmer of sympathy and gentleness in Jacinta Salazar, but there is no place for it now. Not when she is submerged in this everlasting darkness, not while she must put those feelings aside to live.

Jacinta shakes her head at the girl from District Eight. She begins to close in on her, but tries to keep her attention focused on her words rather than her movements. "I didn't care about Hayden like that," her words sound flat and harsh, but it's true. She knew Hayden for a day and two nights; it was far from equal to the weeks she spent with Ment, Tobias, and Quillon. Hayden did not deserve to die, but it isn't about that anymore. "And my concern isn't really keeping her pet alive."

It's killing you, Jacinta adds in her head.

[Jacinta attacks Daniela Rasoio; axe]
c_RNohcvaxe
[11039 -- Shallow Cut on Back -- 4.0 damage]

we've become echoes
but echoes that faded away
so let's dance like two shadows
burning out our glory days

. . .

lyrics: "silhouette" by aquilo.

axe

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

Such a pathetic attempt. Consistency is taking over; one hit after the other leaves the same mark. Everything just feels heavy; keeping my head held up is becoming a massive feat too. Nobody prepared me for this. One glance down and all my eyes witness is my own blood beginning to march across my entire body. This is not what I predicted; this is not what I planned for.

History is repeating itself.

Slain by the rat worshiper’s spear, his own fingers fed back to him. Maybe I ought to prepare for Jacinta’s axe coming into contact with my own fingers. Now I am fighting the biggest dilemma in my life. To continue or to surrender? A battle between mind and body, An injured forearm begins to shake, any feeling in it begins to fade away, quick glimpses to the limb confirm it is still attached as the questioning begins to swarm my mind. Focus is no longer a thing…

I was never prepared for this.

Deliver the blow and get out of here, I never thought to think about the blows that I could receive. So high and mighty, reality has knocked on the door and well Daniela girl, you are not fucking invincible.

Boom.

A familiar sound that is a blessing in more than one way. It is a wakeup call, to finally switch on and abandon the pain that is infesting me. The audio rattles my ear drums, shaking up the ringing noise in my ear unlike it has before. Weakness is swarming my body, inside and out. Every little thing is becoming a distraction. I was never prepared for this.

Jacinta comments on the cannon, suggesting it to be the Bandit’s. If I was a betting person, my money would be on the fact that he was the one who triggered it, spear deep into the body of the District One girl. ”Maybe he just killed that District One maniac.”

A gift it would be to see his face up in the sky or for his skull to be on the receiving end of my wooden stake like the District Two. An extra added bonus to my ticket out of here. It is all hopes and dreams though; it is all deteriorating around me, all because of this axe wielding District Seven. A girl like this at home would be on the opposite side of the field. Probably a rival operation of Father’s mess. His orders would have me bickering with her in the school corridor and gossiping about every little detail with my friends. I can’t let a girl like her be the one to steal my life.

Her words are muffled to me, a mention of Hayden and the snake but the caress of her axe on my back flicks a switch on the world around me. I extend my arm forwards, every last drop of energy is lifted as I try to set it all onto focus mode; a self-taught trick. If only father let me squeeze the trigger of a gun. If only father let me go out on the jobs with my brothers and sisters. It will always be his fault.

I shake my head as I march closer towards the girl, spitting venom as wind up my effort for the next attack. ”Oh stop talking about allies and all that shit. I really don’t care.” I grit my teeth as I speak, my voice slightly raised. ”We are here to kill each other and I am really now ready to be the one who falls. I am from a damn gang family; I can’t let a woodcutter like you be the one to kill me.” Not like my strong and smart brother who allowed the rat worshiper to be the one to end it all…

I am nothing like him though….just far weaker.

Daniela attacks Jacinta | Wooden stake ( spear)

JrjinaCbspear

[3156 -- Shallow Cut on Left Forearm -- 3.5 damage]

spear

[я𝑜𝓈𝑒]

J A C I N T A .



the devil's on your shoulder
strangers in your head
as if you don't remember
as if you can forget

Daniela never seems to fail to surprise her. "Maybe he just killed that District One maniac," she replies in response to Jacinta's comment about the cannon. Maniac? Jacinta ponders. Cynthia? It is an . . . interesting outlook to say the least, but she supposes that Daniela does not know Cynthia Delgado the way Jacinta does. If anyone is a maniac, it's Ansel Khiev.

The Rasoio girl inches closer to Jacinta, and she backs away, poising herself to dodge an oncoming attack. Although her words are not predictable, at least her movements sometimes are. "Oh stop talking about allies and all that shit. I really don’t care," Daniela says, shaking her head.

"You're the one who tried to make a jab about Hayden," retorts Jacinta bluntly. "It was a solid attempt, I suppose, to unnerve me." But Hayden does not plague Jacinta's thoughts; she saw her face in the anthem but slept contently that same night. She doesn't devalue or take for granted the kindness Hayden showed her, but it does not change that they weren't friends.

"We are here to kill each other and I am really now ready to be the one who falls. I am from a damn gang family; I can’t let a woodcutter like you be the one to kill me." And she lunges; Jacinta nearly swerves out of the way and Daniela only manages to graze the skin on her forearm.

BANG! Gunfire echoes and her head and she remembers her mother's gun firing at the man. Her handgun is an elegant weapon, silver with a crimson rose painted on its side. His skull seemed to split right open, pouring the contents of his head onto the wall and the concrete ground of the secluded alleyway. Splat — like Marina Salazar threw a watermelon against a brick wall.

Jacinta is not just some "woodcutter"; in fact, she has hardly done any physical labor in her life. Her family conducts the more behind the scenes part of the District Seven industry, rather than being out in the lumberyards with the lower class.

Her brow furrows at Daniela's comment about her family. They are not so different — Jacinta keeps on finding more and more things she has in common with the other tributes. Daniela and Jacinta are both from gang families, though Daniela's must be the rougher type, judging by her apparent lack of manners, Jacinta observes.

"Now why would you out your family like that?" Jacinta asks. She does not let it be known that she is. "You don't care if they get in trouble?"

Jacinta would never do something, say something, like that. She swore an oath when she was recognized as a member of the Salazar's Black Circle — as a Serpent. Luzia, Sebastian, the entire Salazar family, for that matter, could be compromised if Jacinta ever said a word about how they really make most of their money.

It is something she can't even begin to fathom.

[Jacinta attacks Daniela Rasoio; axe]
A7|isuF9axe
[11084 -- Deep Gash on Left Forearm -- 8.0 damage +2 rivalry & strength]

it's only been a moment
it's only been a lifetime
but tonight you're a stranger
or some silhouette

. . .

lyrics: "silhouette" by aquilo.

axe

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

Maybe I ought to turn the wooden stake on myself; luck would have me piercing my skin far greater than what I have done on Jacinta. Another graze to leave to the marks that I have scattered across her body. No lasting impact on her limbs, I am certainly not leaving an everlasting memory on her if she is going to be the one to bust open my door.

To surrender or continue?

It is a question that is on repeat now, just as consistent as the scratches I am tracing across the District Seven’s skin. I have never approached my limit before, never had to push as hard as I am right now. I am looking over the edge of the cliff; I am not even sure if I have a safety rope attached to hold me up.

"You're the one who tried to make a jab about Hayden," It is hard admitting that my efforts to taunt the girl are a failure. So many milestones met in such a short moment.

Breathing is becoming limited; I am trying to salvage all the oxygen that surrounds me. It is the pain that is washing away the adrenaline that has been powering my energy. Even the heart in my chest is making a statement as it pounds against my ribcage. Oh how I wish I could just fall into the comfort of my bed back home. Wrapped up in my ivory covers, the warmth of the fireplace keeping me cosy within the cotton dreamland. Expensive pieces, kindly gifted from my father from the factory; the little indulgences that kept me put within the four walls of his house. Now I have just thrown away all those comforts. An act of rebellion that has gotten me to this point where my life is about to be pushed over the line.

Was it really brave?

"Now why would you out your family like that?" Jacinta says as the mistake of my last words suddenly hit me. "You don't care if they get in trouble?" An act of rebellion to crush my father’s façade, maybe the army of ivory men in armour are marching up to his door right now. Would the Capitol believe a dying girl?

All of his life’s work, swept away by just one statement from me; his little spoiled princess, the one to crush his life. The thought is a gift but I would rather be the one to witness it. I need to get home; I need that ticket out of here.

”I really don’t fucking care.” Truth falls from my lips as the girl’s axe lands directly onto the already festering wound on my left arm. My arm drops limp besides me, the snake sliding off and landing onto the ground. I drag my body towards the girl; teeth bared and sweat mixing with the blood that drips off of my skin. ”It will be all over for them but it is never going to be over for me.”

Daniela attacks Jacinta | Wooden stake ( spear)

A14Wt5lHspear

[3121 -- Shallow Cut on Cheek -- 3.5 damage]

spear

[я𝑜𝓈𝑒]

J A C I N T A .



the devil's on your shoulder
strangers in your head
as if you don't remember
as if you can forget

"This is a filler," and I'm using this format to keep Briar's color coding in place. She's not around right now, but "will be back to fill this in within the day!" Thank you for your patience.

[Jacinta attacks Daniela Rasoio; axe]
0|g1|_EHaxe
[Shallow Cut on Chest -- 4.0 damage]

it's only been a moment
it's only been a lifetime
but tonight you're a stranger
or some silhouette

. . .

lyrics: "silhouette" by aquilo.

axe

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

Filler filler filler as it’s Friday and I am falling asleep!

Daniela attacks Jacinta | Wooden stake (spear)

rwLsqWhKspear

Accuracy

spear

spear�spear

[я𝑜𝓈𝑒]

J A C I N T A .



the devil's on your shoulder
strangers in your head
as if you don't remember
as if you can forget

"This is a filler," and I'm using this format to keep Briar's color coding in place. She's not around right now, but "will be back to fill this in within the day!" Thank you for your patience.

[Jacinta attacks Daniela Rasoio; axe]
KVFLUktuaxe
[Deep Gash on Right Bicep -- 8.0 damage + 2 Strength & Rivalry]

it's only been a moment
it's only been a lifetime
but tonight you're a stranger
or some silhouette

. . .

lyrics: "silhouette" by aquilo.

axe