Princess, Hold Your Head High [day 3, Bella v zombie mutt]

[ryan]

Bella woke up to the music that told her that death was upon her. The anthem played loudly, like it was meant to warn them about what was to come. She left her igloo for a moment, not too cold for once, but she was still thinking way too much about how much she needed to make a fire soon.

She knew that she would get there soon. She just needed to get through the night.

And the Anthem.

She saw it play in the sky and her mouth fell open for a moment when she saw the face of Demelza Shim show up first. She didn’t know how, but she knew about the Shims and how they hadn’t had luck in the games for years. Last year, Atlas Shim was cut down by the girl from Eleven, and I do remember people being sad about it. Not as sad as Kraygon Truus being cut down by the career from one, but still, it was something that Bella thought about as the face disappeared in the night sky.

Then one of the twelve years olds appeared on the screen. District Six’s Vesper Daisy, another person that she did not know personally. She tried to think if she even remember what she looked like, even though she just saw a picture of her plastered in black. She wondered who killed her, hoping that her death was somewhat merciful. She didn’t know what was going on anymore, and she wondered where everyone was right now. She wondered if they were warm. Or alone. Like she was.

She blinked for a moment, and then her mouth dropped, ”No…” She said to herself as she watched C’rizz’s face appear in the sky. C’rizz was the one person that she never understood, but in the best way possible. She didn’t want to see him go, but she knew that was the way of the games. She hoped that he found his peace and that his death was as beautiful as the person that she met in the training center. His cousin the year before had a strong run, getting struck down by a mutt in the feast. He was interesting, but he seemed like he had a kind soul, or that is what Bella thought. She watched his face disappear into the sky, and with that, the Anthem was complete.

Three more souls lost in this hell.

Bella just hoped that they could all find their peace.

---

The morning came, and she was cold, and still alone. However, she couldn’t focus on that right now. She knew that she needed to be strong if she was going to last longer than people thought she was. She could feel the embroidered ten on her back stick to her skin and the cut on her hand felt like ice. She sighed, peering her head out of her enclosure and realizing that she was lucky.

She was alone.

And even though she hated it, she was happy that she was still alive.

She took a deep breath and grabbed her bag that she was now using as a pillow. She looked inside to make sure that everything was there, and when she realized that it was, she exited her igloo and crushed it, making sure that no one would know that she was here. After all, leaving a trail meant that she could be tracked, and the last thing that she wanted was give someone a reason to come find her.

So she made her way out and walked away from her spot. It was still early enough to assume that other tributes weren’t awake, but not too early to travel, and Bella needed to get somewhere that had some firewood. A fire would make all of this more bearable in Bella’s mind, and her hands felt like ice at this point.

So she moved in the snow, as quick as she could.

---

And then she found herself in a woodland area, covered with trees. It felt warmer here to Bella, like someone was here already. That’s when she noticed the blood splattered around many pieces of wood. She took a second to observe it closer, but then a snap behind her made her head snap back. When she saw nothing there, she stood from the spot, holding her spear close to her.

She had to be vigilant, or she was sure that she would end up like the three souls she watched drift away in the night sky.

She walked around for a couple minutes, the snow crumbling under her feet. She was looking for something, anything that would get her what she wanted the most. As much as she hated fire, she knew that she needed one in order to make it through the arena. Soon enough, she would die of hypothermia if she didn’t find some way to keep warm.

That’s when she noticed the smell of something putrid.

She looked around, confused for a moment. She thought that the game makers were good about removing tributes from the days end to make sure the mystery of where they went remained.

That’s when she noticed that she wasn’t alone.

---

Bella thought about who Luxa Pellote was. She was a career from district four who was as vicious as they came. Bella didn’t want to admit that she watched those games, but she was so enthralled with the people that were in them. Adelaide Theros, Emberely Lowe, and Raquel Izar were all people that she secretly idolized while she watched each one of them perish day by day.

The end of the games was the hardest, but she watched as Teddy Ursa struck Lux down in a glorious finale that she could remember so well.

Lux was known for her ruthlessness, and that was something that Bella wished she could mimic. The hollowness of her emotions were something that Bella was perplexed by. She found it fascinating, and she wondered if she would ever be like that one day. If she didn’t get out of here alive, she would never know.

---

So when Bella saw her standing in front of her, she nearly screamed. However, she told herself not too. It wasn’t worth it. Not for giving up her location.

She looked at Lux and wondered how they kept her preserved this whole time. It had been over two years since she died.

Bella wanted to kick herself. She didn’t need to think about it because she shouldn’t be surprised. The Capitol was known to do anything to put on a good show.

And that included exploiting the sadness of the people who cared for the fallen.

”You’re Luxa Pelotte right?” She said, holding her spear close to her as she needed to be ready for anything. She could tell that this wasn’t something cordial. No. This was going to be a fight.

Bella thought about how sick the Capitol was for such a thing.

However, she wasn’t going to let that stop her.

”Y’know, I admired you in your games.” She said to her, holding out her spear, getting ready for an attack.

”Maybe you can tell me your story. Tell me about your peace Lux.” Bella said to her, remembering the words of Teddy as he stood over her once dead body.

However, now, she was standing right in front of Bella, and she looked like she was ready to draw blood.

So before she could try to get a swing in, she struck.

Bella Rose attacks Luxa Dead-lotte with her ski pole
PnGzadUTspear
3179 -- Block -- 0.0 damage
(Spear)

spear

[gamemaker artemie 🦉nyte]

l u x a  ♛  p e l o t t e
???

Snow rests upon the apples of her cheeks. Consciousness is sudden, bright as dawn sun bouncing off of half-closed eyes and sitting up felt as natural as ever. Eyes closed and then opened, as if blinking off the wear and tear of years past. Memories were fireflies, warm in the back of her mind and yet- nothing. Determination set in the crease of her brow, she carefully climbed to her feet, gracefully bracing the cold earth. 

Home now, wasn't it? 

Like flower petals, she falls. Leaving bits and pieces of what she once was upon the ground with every shuddering step. She Was. She Wasn't. She Was. She Wasn't. Time was but an illusion, trapped behind the glass cage of an unseen clock and so there was no rush. No time. It was by her own hand that the lady fell to pieces. Searching for something, anything, to sate a monster raging within her. 

Hunger. She was empty, devouring herself from the inside out and desperation was found within the increased pace of her shuffling. A scent, warm and wonderful - flowing through veins of which her own had long since stood still. 

Prey in her sights she stands, taller than the trees. She stands, ignoring just how lost she feels plunged within their midst. It speaks, words she can only vaguely understand. A name which sounds familiar and yet- brings only a gentle warmth to this tips of her fingers, tongue tingling as she opens her mouth to respond.

Tell me about your peace.

Her jaw falls upon the forest floor. Echoing among the eerie silence. 

Even if she wanted to- there were no more stories left to tell.

Now was the time for a feast.

[attacks Bella Rose -- spear]
savyCoFjspear
[Shallow Cut on Left Forearm -- 3.5 damage]

spear

[ryan]

Bella was always going to be scared. Of everything. No matter what. She would try to put it off in her mind, but her mind was an abyss and she could tell that everything was starting to take a toll on her. She couldn’t breathe for a moment, but she took in her surroundings. The snow was growing around her, but she felt like it didn’t come from the sky.

Nothing came from the sky anymore. She knew that when the devil took her parents from her. The ground was a monster, and it gave up what it could to make sure that people knew what it could do.

That was why she was looking at Lux right now.

And in retrospect, she was still absolutely breathtaking. Bella wondered if they were in the same games if they would have allied together. Sure, she was a blood thirsty career who didn’t have any regard for human feeling, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t care. After all, the fall of Hero Maravay and Adeliade Theros sent Lux into a frenzy that Bella could only describe as despair.

That was when people noticed that Lux did have a heart. However, it might have been too late to call it.

Bella however, did have a heart, and that was something that she was afraid of. She cared too much, and she knew that would be her downfall. It was a sad reality that pushed to the front of her mind often, and when she tried to keep it locked up, it found a way to unhinge her simple mind.

The thought of dying scared Bella, but the thought of living?

That terrified her.

She knew that to live, she had to kill, and while she had been lucky so far not to run into any other tributes, she knew that a time would come where she would have to hold her spear to someone that she knew. Or trusted.

After all, the only people who died so far were people that she didn’t know.

Minus C’rizz of course.

And she hoped that C’rizz was reunited with Zagreus in a way that would be fitting. The day they met in the training center, she could feel his despair over the loss of his cousin, and while she knew what it was like to lose people that she loved, she couldn’t imagine the gravity of what he felt.

She couldn’t imagine the gravity of what anyone felt because Bella was not them.

And when she trained with Euley and Exar, she didn’t know what it was like to be a career. Just because they showed her how to fight, that didn’t mean that she was a fighter.

And just because her sister told her that she needed to go on and win the games. To come home. To be with her.

She wasn’t sure if that was a choice any more.

Bella rose was not a fighter.

She was not a warrior.

She was not trained to kill.

And she was not trained to handle taking a life.

But she knew she had to do it. And even though she only went up again a critter, she still took its life.

She had to remember that when her life was in danger, she had to keep her head high.

She would go on to do wonderful things if she got out of this alive. However, the first step was making sure that she did just that.

---

And then when she looked at Lux and saw her in her prime, she wondered if there was anything left of the girl that once was.

From the sounds that were coming from her corpse, no.

Lux Pelotte was gone, and it was probably for the best. Lux did not need to come back. She did not need to live another day.

The world didn’t need another person that disregarding human life for their own gain.

Bella was fascinated with Lux and her personality, but not enough to know that she wasn’t like her.

Bella cared about people, and she cared about them in a way that mimicked her parents. She always knew that she was destined to be a mother, she just didn’t think it would come so soon.

She also thought she would never be reaped, but here she was.

Staring down someone whose soul wasn’t even in their body.

Bella knew that she was out for blood, just like the Lux Pelotte that everyone knew and feared.

So Bella held up her spear.

Certain that she was going to strike her down as fast as she could.

Because, while Bella might have not been a career, or had any of the fancy training that some of the others had, she had one thing that most didn’t.

Resilience.

And so she struck.

Bella Rose attacks Luxa Dead-lotte with her ski pole
L5cAy11wspear
3076 -- Shallow Cut on Back of Head -- 4.5 damage
(Spear)

spear

[gamemaker artemie 🦉nyte]

l u x a  ♛  p e l o t t e
???

She was certain she knew pain. Familiar scratching, ebb and flow of agony against numb flesh and the weight of a weapon in her palms was familiar. Right. Warrior, goddess. Titles which fell upon lips she wished she remained able to curl- had her body not been falling to pieces. Stripped down to her essence, purpose turned to nothing but primal need.

Her blood smelled delicious. Tongue wagging out of a mouth so suddenly exposed- surely her limb could be re-attached. It would be hard to bite into butter soft flesh when half of her face was planted upon the ground. The ordeal was jaw dropping, surely. Growls, soft and then louder. Confidence taking the place of pain, ghostly smiles staining her spirit.

Perhaps she could not remember her name and yet- there was something there. She was nothing more than she. And yet it felt a powerful title. Luxa, she was called. And Luxa she was.

A warrior. A winner.

It began again.


[attacks bella rose -- spear]
2ZxnC6X|spear
[Stabbed in Bicep -- 8.5 damage]

spear

[ryan]

The sting of the spear piercing into her flesh felt too real for a moment there. This was probably the first time she had experienced such a thing. She took a deep breath, trying to think of how this could have gone anyway other than this.

She could be fighting someone who was actually living, and Bella knew that would have been an interesting fight. She hadn’t thought about how painful it would have been to kill someone, however, watching someone died was something that she was already familiar with.

So when Lux took a swing at her with her ski pole, Bella knew that this was something that she needed to do.

Kill.

So she looked at her for a moment, and thought about the person that Lux was. She was a beautiful girl who didn’t have much left to her. Her limbs seemed like they were falling off at the seams, Bella was honestly horrified by it.

However, that wasn’t what she needed to focus on. She admired Lux for her ability to be ruthless, and maybe that was something that she needed to keep in mind when she went up against people like her.

Just how ruthless she needed to be.

She was hoping that her sister wasn’t watching what was going on. She didn’t need to know the horrors, of what went on in these games.

She didn’t need to watch Bella slowly fall into nothing.

What she needed to do was go out and live her life, because Bella knew that she wasn’t going to make it out alive.

She wasn’t strong enough, however, she was still going to try.

She looked at Lux. ”One thing I always admired about you was that you were ruthless. You did not care who you hurt.” Bella was musing for a moment, trying to get a couple more deep breathes before arming herself again.

She was in pain, but she needed to get over it.

She was going to die if she didn’t.

”However, you and me are different, because I care about people.”

She said to her with a certain type of vibrato that she forgot she had. The adrenaline was starting to pump through her again. She was going to make it out of this alive. She knew that much.

Maybe she wouldn’t make it to the finale, but that didn’t mean that Bella wasn’t going to give a good show.

”So now, because I care about you, I am going to put you back in the ground.” She smiled, taking her spear and pointing it at her.

”Get ready Lux, to find your peace.”

She swung.

”Again.”

Bella Rose attacks Luxa Dead-lotte with her ski pole
|4IRyu6qspear
3167 -- Shallow Cut on Cheek -- 3.5 damage
(Spear)

spear

[gamemaker artemie 🦉nyte]

l u x a  ♛  p e l o t t e
???

R u t h l e s s. She catches onto words, like the frayed ends of a spider's web. Forced through the static that was her famine, constant roaring within her ears. It was hard to concentrated with this prey bleeding so freely. Bright and red, beading upon the places that her blade had kissed. Ruthless. The word itself was hollow, eyes blinking in slow succession. One was so much heavier than the other, falling closed as the desperate creature dug more holes into a risen vixen.

Can you kill what will never die? D i f f e r e n t. The word dances in and out of what little consciousness remained within a husk of greatness. Her head fell to the side, caused by more than the weakness strung through her tendons. Woven within muscles atrophied by the time and spaced having collapsed between her rebirth. Caused by curiosity which she knew better than to feel.

P e a c e. Again? Was it something that she had ever found? Doubt, imperfection. More of a plague than the rot which clings to greying skin. Hidden at the base of her skull, with the memories so tantalizingly placed out of reach. Louder grunts, indignation. She feels as though through a barrier. Soft, subtle. Barely there.

She cared only about her next meal.


[attacks bella rose -- spear]
Tv5HMRQNspear
[Block -- 0.0 damage]

spear

[ryan]

Bella felt like she was doing nothing here. Her attacks were only barely doing anything, and while she didn’t want to harm Lux’s pretty face, she knew that if she was going to make it out of this alive, she was going to have to kill.

Again.

And that thought scared her more than making it out of this forsaken place.

She looked at Lux and thought about Adelaide. She thought about Emberely and Walerich, and all the other people that Lux stepped on in order to only get second place. She thought about how bittersweet it was to not make it out alive.

Bella would always hold onto that thought even when she crossed over into the afterlife.

She tried not to think about it too much while she was here, however the thought of hell did warm her up a bit in the frozen tundra.

There were things that Bella was looking for, and one of them happened to be warmth.

She wasn’t going to get that out of Lux.

In life or in death.

She knew that Lux was gone, and even though she wanted to hope that there was some sort of person in there, there wasn’t.

It was nothing but a zombie.

Hollow.

So she knew what she had to do.

---

There was a time that Bella used to be afraid of everything.

Back in ten, she had difficulty talking to people that she didn’t know. Mostly because her father had a lot of people that would come through their house on business. Marley was always the more social one while Bella mostly stayed in her room.

She wondered what she would tell that girl now.

How beautiful she was going to become. How much she cared about people. How much of a mother she was going to be.

If she could go back, she wouldn’t. Why?

Because that was someone that she didn’t know anymore and she didn’t want to see ever.

---

She now was someone that was confident in herself.

She wasn’t a killer, but she knew that she could be trained to be one, and while that thought was scary, it was the only thing that kept her sane enough to make it to the next day.

She wasn’t going to do anything brash of course, however, the thought of taking her own life did cross her mind.

Why give the capitol anything over her?

She knew that if she won, she would just be their slave forever.

In death, there was something free.

However, Bella wasn’t ready to die just yet.

No. She was ready to kill once again.

”I do wish you were in there Lux.” She said to her, trying to keep her eyes on the prize. ”I feel like there is a lot you could have taught me.” Bella was right. She knew that. She knew that Lux could have taught her how to fight. How to not care. How to be vicious.

”So this isn’t going to hurt me when I strike you down.” Bella was fierce in her words.

Because she was a princess, who had to keep her head high.

Bella Rose attacks Luxa Dead-lotte with her ski pole
HnPKbaOnspear
3099 -- Shallow Cut on Back -- 4.0 damage
(Spear)

spear

[gamemaker artemie 🦉nyte]

l u x a  ♛  p e l o t t e
???

What was she, before a monster? The answer was there, somewhere. Perhaps hidden somewhere within her opponent. Her next his does not land, no fresh blood crawling down tasty flesh. A soft whine escapes what is left of her. She wants. She wants. She wants. This yearning for victory- the taste of it. So familiar. Only ever fleeting, forbidden fruit blossoming from in between sliced skin.

It's voice is melodic, drawing her a step closer. And then another. She wants. Was it scared of her? It should be. A killer laid within the husk, asleep but stirring. Tempted by bloodlust, locked in battle. Her spear was ready. And so was she.

It was not yet time to be laid to rest.

Her spirit was strong.

Strong as it could be.

[attacks bella rose -- spear]
ldB5ge5kspear
[Shallow Cut on Right Thigh -- 3.5 damage]

spear

[ryan]

Bella wished she could talk to her mother. Mostly because she would want to know what she would say to her. She wished that she didn’t die, but everything happens for a reason, and sadly, there was a reason that Bella Rose no longer had her parents.

Maybe it was because she needed to grow up quicker than she thought. Death does something to the mind that no one could imagine.

However, Bella just didn’t know about death. She saw it. She experienced it.

She would die in her dreams all the time, and maybe that was because she knew deep down that she was going to die in real life.

Everything happened for a reason, and Bella wished that she knew that reason. She wasn’t going too though because she did not have a connection with death like that. No. Death was always going to be a stranger to her until it met her at the gate where souls crossed over.

Maybe then, Bella and Death could get more acquainted.

---

Death would probably tell her that she was stronger than her parents. That made her mad. Red would flash in her eyes and she would probably try to strangle death itself.

She wondered what would happen if she did kill death.

Would anyone else die? Would death just come back and exact some sort of revenge on her?

Would it kill someone that she loved?

She didn’t know, and she didn’t want to find out.

She had no plans of dying here.

---

The spear was growing cold in her hands, and she felt like she was drifting off into a dream. She thought about her parents often, but her mother more than anything.

She wondered what kind of woman she would have grown to be.

In her dreams, she would imagine herself making dinner with her, like any other day they would spend together.

They would be cutting up vegetables and cooking whatever animal they may have had to put down that day.

However, when they would lay the meat on the griddle over the fireplace where it was mantled, she would see sparks flying out like fireworks.

And then minutes later, she could smell smoke.

And charred flesh.

And then her mother would turn around and ask her for a hug, but it wasn’t her mother.

No. It was what was left of her. In all her Charcoal colored beauty.

That’s when she realized that she wasn’t in a dream.

But in an actual nightmare.

And she would wake up, screaming sometimes, because she wanted so bad to see her mother in her own skin.

But she never would, and that was the most crushing realization that Bella would ever have.

---

that is why she made it a point to bring that locket with her. Because it was the first picture in years that reminded her of what used to be.

Of what could have been if they were both still alive.

However, in spirit, she knew that they were with her, and she tried her hardest not to cry about it.

Crying was the last thing she needed to do, especially right now.

---

Bella took a deep breath and looked at Lux, wishing she could actually speak to whatever was in there.

However, every time she tried to strike, it spoke volumes to her. Lux Pelotte was not in there anymore. She didn’t know where she was, and she hoped that her soul had found some sort of absolution.

Because Bella was determined to put her to rest right now.

End of story.

So she looked at her, with the caring eyes that she knew she had, and took a swing.

Don’t let your crown fall. Don’t let it fall girl.

Bella Rose attacks Luxa Dead-lotte with her ski pole
03Bb1IfLspear
3007 -- Shallow Cut on Left Thigh -- 3.5 damage
(Spear)

spear

[gamemaker artemie 🦉nyte]

l u x a  ♛  p e l o t t e
???

Cold sweat. Death is near. Again? Again. It's numb this time. Nothing in comparison to the creature writhing within her stomach. Hungry and desperate. It does not matter that she stands upon her last legs, even if there were none left to stand upon she would yearn only for a chunk of this girl's flesh dissolving between her teeth.

Yes, hunger. It's all that mattered. Hunger for something more than what she was given. She wanted nothing of the human's pity. Even now there were laurels rested upon her temples, greatness shrouded in dying shadow. Fighting, winning. They mattered now. Feasting upon failure. She was ready.

Her stomach growled.

[attacks bella rose -- spear]
DQkir7HPspear
[Shallow Cut on Stomach -- 4.0 damage
]

spear

[ryan]

Bella was starting to get frustrated with herself, because she knew that she could do better than this. Her father would probably be disappointed with her right now, because he didn’t raise someone who was weak.

Or at least, that was what she could remember.

Since she got into the arena, she had been having a hard time remembering certain things about her past.

Like how her father had told her that she was going to take over the farm they once owned.

Or how much her mother was secretly an alcoholic.

However, she didn’t remember much of that as a kid, because her father told her that it was none of her business. Bella knew from a young age that he was very strict on her mother and what she did in the house.

Bella however, always could smell the alcohol on her breath, and even when her mother thought she was being coy, she knew that deep down Bella knew what was going on.

It was hard to trick her into thinking otherwise.

---

Maybe it was because this was a moment of great duress that Bella was thinking about her parents more than ever. She felt like she was close to them, sadly. Like, tangibly close to them. She knew that soon enough, she would join them wherever they were, she just didn’t know which day she would perish.

So for now, she was going to give it all she had because that was what she was taught to do.

Give it her all.

---

She took deep breaths, watching the spear hit her shin guards. She wished she could have thanked the people that sent it to her, however, she had a feeling that it had to have been someone in ten.

Every year, the tributes from ten always put up a good fight. Emberley two years ago, Kraygon last year, and now, it was Bella’s turn to make her mark on everyone.

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to prove to everyone that she could be as strong as a career was.

She wondered who Euley was fighting right now. She wondered who all her friends were fighting. She was trying to pay attention to the area around her, but her imagination kept taking over, thinking about the people that she wanted to fight for.

She was determined to meet them again, after all.

---

And so she looked at Lux again, and she wanted to ask her more questions. However, there wasn’t time for that.

She wasn’t meant to be a part of this world anymore and that made Bella’s task even more important.

She had to do what Teddy Ursa did two years ago.

Kill Lux Pelotte again.

She wondered if her family was watching this right now. Wondering what would come from this. Wondering why their daughter was still at the mercy of the capitol.

Bella wondered if they thought that she was actually alive.

And if Bella was going to put them through killing her again.

However, Bella knew that if she died once to them, and they watched.

Then she would just keep dying, again, and again, and again.

There was no way to escape from that hell.

As much as they all tried.

---

And so Bella took a moment to say a couple words to herself. A speech that no one would hear because she knew that no one cared.

She was branded as average, but above average if anything.

She knew that a seven wasn’t something to be ashamed off, and that a ten was meant to be worn with pride.

But that pressure was what was going to make her crack.

But she would take that pressure, and use it to end her opponent.

It was time to be ruthless.

Thank you lux.

Bella Rose attacks Luxa Dead-lotte with her ski pole
XlztMeeaspear
3152 -- Deep Gash on Left Forearm -- 8.0 damage
(Spear)

spear

[ryan]

Watching the games back then, Bella didn’t know how to react when she watched someone die. It was always a sight that she never thought she would see personally.

It was different, seeing blood in person. In this magnitude. It didn’t sit well with Bella, especially cause the blood was her own. She looked at herself, standing over the corpse of what used to be Lux and thought about how red she looked.

Crimson on black was something that she never wanted to see again.

However, she knew that if she was going to keep on fighting the good fight, she was going to have to suffer a couple more cuts along the way.

She would have to stay strong as long as she could.

And as she stood over her body, she wondered what might have happened to Lux if she were still alive. If she was still a perfect soul not devoid of emotions. If she would have been friendly to Bella, or at least try to take care of her while they were in the arena together.

Bella knew the answer to that question, but she didn’t want to think about it.

She wanted to be hopeful for once in her life.

So she turned away and hoped that Lux was in a better place for now.

Where ever the real one might be.

---

She finally found some firewood, and she nearly cried. She could tell it was so because of how rough it felt when her exposed hand touched the wood.

She could finally keep warm.

She looked around, trying to find the best place for her to start a fire. She had been thirsty for quite a while now, so she now would have the perfect chance to at least drink something.

Food was something that wasn’t on her brain, but she had two fish just in case she did need to eat something.

She moved with grace through the snow that crinkled under her feet. Each step felt uneven, like her psyche was right now. This was the closest thing that she had killed to a human, and while she didn’t know Lux personally, she felt like she found out her whole life story in that fight.

There were nothing but mumbles and gargles from Lux, but she was in there, as much as Bella didn’t want to admit it to herself. Her soul might have been devoid, but her spirit lingered inside that hollow shell. It scared her.

Scared her to the point of insanity.

But she calmed herself down, taking the snow around her to cover some of the cuts on her body. If anything, she was just trying to numb the pain a bit before she applied the first aid. She felt slight stings up and down her body as she found a log in the middle of the trees that looked good enough to start a resting spot.

She started smoothing over the snow, creating something flat, and then started building firewood on top of it.

With a little force from a piece that she picked up, she saw light grey smoke form under the friction of the wood.

And from that, she felt warm.

Orange and red embers started to form, and she blew on it slightly, to make sure the fire spread to each piece of firewood she collected.

Each time the fire got larger, she threw another piece on top, and she watched as a domino effect occurred. The fire rising from ashes to glow in the sunset sky.

And she cried.

---

Fire was something that Bella had always feared. After her parents died, it took her a long time to work up the courage it took to even touch a stove. It was an oddity in ten, but the orphanage that she went too was lucky enough to have one.

Each time their foster mother would cook dinner, she always expected Bella to help her because she was the oldest of the bunch. However, Bella would look at her foster mother and refuse to go anywhere near that monster. As crazy as it sounded, the stove would grow arms and legs when Bella wasn’t thinking about it. It would haunt her wherever she went, and while it was scary, it wasn’t real.

Bella Rose had an irrational fear of something that couldn’t actually hurt her unless she actually worked it.

And her foster mother didn’t like that.

So she made her stand in front of that stove, and told her to think of a time when she didn’t hate stove, or fire in general.

And Bella thought about all the times when she would cook with her mother. All those times they worked to make a meal that their father would love.

The fire felt warm then, and now it felt warm too.

---

That’s when she realized that the only thing that was going to keep her alive right now was the flames that were in front of her. She knew if she went another day without something to keep her warm, she would freeze to death. That was not how she wanted to go out.

As much as she was still afraid of the flames, it was the only thing that was going to keep her alive. So she had to embrace it and hope that the fire wouldn’t betray her like it did all those years ago.

---

She dug through her bag and grabbed one of the canteen’s that was full of water from the springs. She held it over the fire feeling the water bubble inside of the container. She then placed it in the snow to cool off the canteen before taking a sip of the water.

It felt refreshing as ever.

The now cool liquid seeping down her throat, and filling her thirst.

She smiled after that, feeling like the fire was going to become her best friend.

She looked around to see that there was still no one around her, and she took a deep breath. Good. She didn’t want to be found.

She pulled out the first aid kit and applied the bandages to the shallow cuts on her body before grabbing the needle and thread. She took the leather strap from the backpack and bit down on it hard as she pierced her skin and weaved the thread through the cut on her arm.

She could feel the mixture of leather and saliva go down her throat and she wanted to start spitting everything back up.

But she didn’t, because she was stronger than that. This was something that she needed to remember.

And when she pulled tight on the thread to close her skin, she felt like she was that much closer to remembering who she was.

She was capable, strong, and resilient.

And she needed to show everyone else that.

And if she was struck down before that happened, then she knew that she at least tried.

So she started build her igloo encasing, this time, not covering the top of it, so she could look at the night sky while huddled around the fire.

and while she wasnt tired yet, she knew that when she was, that it would be a sight that she finally felt like she deserved to see for once.

Bella Rose is using Camouflage for now
Bella Starts a fire using firemaking and firewood
Gathers another bundle of firewood
Bella Purifies water in the canteen and drinks it
Bella Rose tries to catch a delivery word
4ZEuzbz81-4
fail

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[*]

"Mom. Why did that boy volunteer for the other one?" I questioned my mother the moment I stepped in the doorway. My sandy hair had finally dried by the time I had gotten home. My cheeks were red from the previous days sunburn. The freckles seemed to shine brighter for some reason today of all days and I only noticed when my mother had taken her hands against my chin and made me look at up her. She smiled at me, kissing me on the forehead and then stroking her thumb against the many freckles that adorned my nose and cheeks. The words she examined first was "because he is brave" and then I watched as tears flooded her eyes. She coddled me, barely letting me go. At first, I couldn't really understand the reasoning that she was so upset, but I do now. As the snow continues to fall around me, catching my eyelashes ever so often, I look up wondering if she'll see my youthful eyes and beg to hold me again. My last reaping that Id ever have to attend was also going to be my last for living my life.

"Angel." I mutter, shivering with every step in this snow. How pleasant would it be just to take my shoes off and run through this snow as if it were just warm sand and jump head first into the sea of snow and let my body waste away as I keep living and breathing. Slowly let my body slip away into an unconscious way and let my mind drift off into warmer lands. The goggles fogged up for a moment and I took them off, wiping them clean before I replaced them on my face. My fingers were so swollen and stiff. Just moving them made them hurt. I never thought I would want to be warm so bad before. If only...

That's when I looked to the ground and how pristine the blanket was. How it was untouched as I traveled further away from the rotting corpse left behind. The black goo that represented what blood should have been for them made me cringe. That girl's face frozen in place as I watched her go still once more. She had placed one very well hit on my arm but I did much worse to her. She had stabbed right through the shirt and the skin of my upper arm. She penetrated the veins and muscles and I had, without a thought, pulled it out creating more damage. I just wanted her away from me. I didn't want her ungodly self to be too close.

"She was a demon, Dymas. You did what you had to." I reason. My nose runs with the effort to defrost my digits. Rubbing for friction barely even works. Exhaustion sneaks up on me in the worst ways and presents itself in a way it makes my joints feel stiff and my muscles scream. "I can't sleep. I have to find shelter." If only there was shelter in this icy hell.

Smoke!

Not far ahead, I could see smoke of some sort. I would be crazy if I didn't think it was a trap lingering ahead of me. Someone knew that the smoke would draw someone near to it and my mind started a great debate. I stopped in my tracks.

My lungs filled with another painful gasp as the frigid temperatures made me cough. With a shake of my head, I fell to my knees in the snow and then rolled onto my back. The icy temperatures seeped through the fabrics, but I moved slowly to form a snow angel among the ground, breaking up the smooth surface of glistening white.

"Angel. You have to know that I'm still okay. I want to be in your arms, and this is the only way I can." Movements stop and I find myself sprawled out, resting on the snow, begging for death. Only, I hear his voice somewhere from within telling me to get up. I can feel his presence trying to tell me not to give up so easily and to trudge on to the smoke. "But what if the smoke kills me?" Out of curiosity I await an answer that never comes.

Like a child being made to get up and do their chores, I find the strength to get to my feet and seek out the firemaker.

The glowing embers of the fire teased my sights at first thinking how could there be such beauty in something so colorful. That the snow was jealous of the yellow hues mixing with orange. How the black smoke raising up into the sky taints the clean air with its soot. I linger near the person making the fire.

Caution is my friend.

Carelessness is my mentor though.

"Friend or Foe?" A whisp of a evades my lips as I recognize the girl immediately. I barely had any interaction with her during the training center, never saw her in the blood bath, but here we are and she's got something so precious that it could ultimately save my life. The only question dashing through my mind is whether this blue beauty will take my presence as an enemy invador or a friendly face?

"I mean you no harm... I just - I can't feel my fingers anymore." I want nothing more then to keep her company as I've had no one to share my fears or my orphaned ways with. "... and I need a friend."

wGlG2Wkp1-4
Pass or fail for delivery word?

1-4

[ryan]

Bella felt the warmth of the fire encapsulate everything around her. She felt like she was finally becoming herself, and she could not lie.

Being herself was something that she missed dearly.

Since she got into the arena, she became a girl who had to do anything to survive out here, and that included killing things that she did not want to kill.

However, she was able to convince herself that it was for the greater good of the situation. Killing animals, whether they were created for the sake of the games or not, was something that she could live with. It was the way of the world that she knew from Ten, and while she didn’t like it, she had no choice.

Unless she wanted to die herself.

And when she held that spear, she felt strong. She felt like she could do anything. She wasn’t sure if she could take another life, but if the situation called for it, she was going to have to learn to put her fears aside and be the big girl that she talked herself up to be.

She was more than capable of taking a life. She just needed to be put into a situation where she could do so.

And even though Lux wasn’t a human. She was a humanoid, she was the closest thing to putting her fear to the test. As much as Bella told herself that she was just a hollow shell. That hollow shell still showed signs of humanity that not even the capitol probably realized they had.

Bella thought so little of the capitol at this point that she wanted to throw it all away, but she didn’t.

She had someone to go home too. Just like the rest of the people here.

---

And running into Caine.

That made it more apparent that she had something to fight for. He looked awful, scared even. Like he had literally seen a ghost. Sure, Mitchell Laws was probably the last person on his mind, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t irrelevant to games history. He was one of the only tributes to die at the hands of a Yeti in the 74th.

And for him to come back and show everyone what the capitol made of him, that was enough to keep Bella up for days.

And even Lux, who didn’t suffer as bad as Mitchell did, still would haunt her till the day she met her end.

She was beautiful in every sense of the word. Even in death, she was still someone to look up too, and that was something that scared Bella even more than watching a friend die in front of her eyes.

That or realizing that her and Lux had a lot more in common than she thought.

However, Bella didn’t see it that way.

No.

She saw it as something to learn rather than as something to fear.

While Lux might have been decaying and silent, her actions are what spoke to her even more.

She didn’t waste time with words or pleasantries. No.

Instead, she swung first and asked questions never.

And maybe that was something that Bella could learn from.

But for the time being, she wasn’t going to think too much about it.

The last thing she wanted to do was stay up through the night because she couldn’t sleep.

Lux Pelotte was someone who no one should care about anymore, but Bella knew that she would probably hold this experience with her forever.

Well, forever or until she was struck down herself.

She just hoped that whoever did strike her down, would at least let her mention who Lux Pelotte was to her.

---

The fire burned bright and she was starting to relax her body so she could drift off into slumber. The water she drank filled her stomach, and for once, she wasn’t on guard like she usually would have been.

Running into Caine put her mind at ease. Well, enough ease to let her guard down. She knew that Caine wouldn’t be coming after her, and while she had to be ready for anything, she thought this was the time more than any to let her guard down.

The idea of a good night’s rest was something that she longed for since she got into the arena.

However, she was focused on the stars, and she was waiting for the Anthem to play so she could see who else might have fallen.

She hated to think that someone she trusted would show up in the sky, but then again, Bella thought they would have become angels in time.

Their wings would stretch out and encompass her body, protecting her from any harm that could have come her way.

She thought that was what C’rizz was doing right now, either that or catching up with Zagreus somewhere up there.

She wondered if anyone who died in this arena had reanimated for a moment, and she hoped that didn’t happen.

Though Bella Rose was naïve.

And innocent.

Even though she had blood on her hands that she would never be able to wash off.

Ever.

---

And when she heard a rustle out of nowhere, her hand went right to her spear. She wasn’t going to chance anything, and while she was hoping that it was Caine, she knew better.

He was probably doing something more worthwhile then spending time with his weak district partner.

She stood from her spot to find a blond boy coming out of the woodworks.

“Dymas?” She said, holding her spear to her chest, the wood felt coarse against her uniform. ”Friend. Of course.” She said, happy to see someone else that she knew.

”Im glad to see you.” She smiled as she sat down on the log that her and Caine shared for a moment. ”Honestly thought I was going to be alone forever.” She was honest in her words.

Even though alone was starting to become something that she was getting too accustomed too.

”Please, come, warm up.” Bella offered to the boy who looked like her only about an hour ago.

”Youre the second person I have run into tonight. Well, minus my zombie Lux.” She said, pointing to the deep gash on her arm that she stitched up. ”How are you holding up?”

Of course, when someone else came into the picture, Bella’s maternal instinct took over.

It was the one thing that she knew would either get her far into this games, or get her killed.

”Come sit. Lets chat.” She patted the log beside her.

Happy to finally come across someone who she knew cared.

Bella Rose tries to catch a delivery word
BYIPwKUq1-4

1-4

[*]

The fire was roaring right in my face, taunting me so. It was patronizing me in a way that I wouldn't expect something that was mostly inanimate to do despite it's non humanistic traits. Still, as the questions came out - carrying on the wind to the girl, I could only imagine the heat that it was putting out. It was warming everything around it's immediate area and I could only barely feel the tempting warmth. "You have to be brave" echoed into my mind. It sounded only faintly like momma T's voice. The sound of what her voice was soothed my mind as Bella was hardly anything but a friend. I can't help but scoff at the idea that she would be my enemy, but in the games, I've witnessed so many people turn on their friends and rivals became friends in the end.

Still, my mind wanted to protect my body from further harm. I staggered standing still waiting to see if anyone else would appear. No more sounds erupted through the crisp air. No sound of boots on snow crunching underfoot and no frosted fogs representing another human being hiding in the woods. I definitely didn't think I could handle yet another fight. I've already felt so many wounds upon my body.

"Are you really?" I do question her, curious if she was having a rough time as I was. It only confirmed what I had thought when she mentioned her own zombie and I shook my head. "You to? I had to face the girl I admired when I was twelve. I don't know how the capitol does it, but they know just who to torture someone with." And the fresh stitched wound was shown as an example of how her days had been. I nod to her, showing her the blood stained arm of my own.

"Zombie girl. Spear... but it didn't help that I ripped it out either. Hurts like hell." I mention and finally, as she patted the log, I took the offer. My steps were a bit more slower then normal, but the closer I got to the fire, my face drank it up. The light and the heat felt more like home and memories of bonfires reeled. Nights on the oceans front flickered in front of my eyes. For a moment, I swear I could see a vision from a few weeks ago with Angel sitting in front of me and my mothers huddled together wrapped in a blanket. A normal night out among the stars and moonlit night. Campfire stories being shared amongst us all, and here in this arena, I guess this is as close to home as I'll get.

"Thanks." I sit near her, and stretch my arms out to warm my bitten fingers. Numbness spreads so fast but hardly enough to thaw them out so easily. "I'm... holding up - you're lucky to have already met someone. I thought that the only person I'd see before I die would be that of an enemy with no remorse."

A barrier of heat pushes against my skin. Eyes closed, I fall in love with this idea that the heat would last forever. Now, if someone were to want my death on their hands, I would so gladly give it to them. I was finally getting warm. "I think I barely escaped the bloodbath in time, they were not going to let me leave with anything. I honestly thought I was going to die yesterday if it wasn't for the sponsors that helped protect me with armor. Only moments ago, I just about wanted to give up until I saw the smoke." Side eyeing her, I place my hand out hoping that this friendship would transcend a lifetime. "How about you... blue Bella? Why so blue?" I smirk for a moment.

4xBPr_U21-4
Pass or fail for delivery word?

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