cracking shells [frankel]

[pearl mcclain d4 [ryan]]

Annie knew that she didn’t have too much down time before she was going to be needed in the capitol again. The 85th was going to be upon them soon enough, and that meant that another quell was going to be coming up. Annie knew that they would not repeat a quell theme, even though she knew that there were a lot of capitolites that did enjoy the twist of her own games. Annie didn’t, but she didn’t get much say in that now did she? She pressed her lips together as she got out of bed. She sometimes hated waking up in this house, but she would get over it. Anything was better than having to live with her father for the rest of her life.

She felt the same way when she thought about Beatrice, and just how much winning meant for their family. They could be whisped away from her fathers clutches, and while it was never something that she thought would happen, it did. She killed to own something like this, a safe haven, her life for her own. She was not going to let anyone stop her from saving whoever she wanted. After all, she saved herself all those years ago. She wasn’t going to let the pride of Bette Sublino, or the desperation of Denali Lyons haunt her like it would have haunted other victors. After all, she could go see both of them if she wanted too. She was far from doing that though. She wouldn’t be caught dead seeing Denali. That was too much for her. Bette on the other hand always had to have some sort of reason, and most of the time, it had Wander written all over it. She wasn’t sure where they stood, but they had at least been cordial with each other, and Annie would take that over anything.

Though her standards were always lower.

---

She found herself in the kitchen, realizing that today was her day to host the dinner in Beck’s honor. At this point, she thought that maybe Beck was over all the dinners and being told that everything was for him. After all, he had to go through so much just to get here, and Annie was no fool. She knew that he did not get the same opportunity as her. He did not get to see his allies again. He did not get to see his sister, or his brother, or his other sister again. They were all dead and gone at this point, though Annie wasn’t sure how much they were actually gone. Annie feared that the capitol had been up to something nefarious. If they were able to resurrect 23 other tributes just at the drop of a hat, then what else would they be capable of. Annie shook her head as she picked up the salad bowl that had been given to her by some capitolite that she did not know. She had gotten used to that, people offering her gifts that had no business doing so. It was all to gain her favor after all.

Favor that they didn’t need to earn, seeing as she did not have any towards the capitol.

People said she should be grateful, but as she pulled a piece of celery into her mouth and crunched on it loud enough for one of the cooks to glare at her with a surprising amount of attitude, she realized that didn’t matter to her. To her, the capitol can take their generosity and shove it right up their ass. She wouldn’t publicly say that though, because she knew that everyone was watching, even when she didn’t expect it. It was hard to live a life of constant fear, but it was the only thing that she knew at this point. Fear, denial, pain, loss and death.

She wished she could know what joy felt like.

---

She went to the stairs after pulling out everything that the chefs needed to make a couple of the dishes. She needed to get some extra hands in order make something of her own. Annie had never been much of a chef, but her mother did teach her a couple things in the kitchen as she was growing up. It was just another one of those memories that Annie cherished. Fish Tacos were always something that Annie enjoyed to make on special occasions, especially when she was in the mood to make the shell by hand. Her mother had a certain way to make the dough, almost similar to something called naan. The fun of it was always the presentation, seeing as you could eat it as a taco, or a pizza. It was that type of choose your own adventure that did excite Annie. She wished she could dedicate more time to learning how to cook.

But for now, she would at least call down Trish to help her. ”Trish, come down, help me do a little cooking.” She said as she walked away from the stairs and back into the spacious kitchen. Annie still didn’t know what caused the capitol to make sure that everything in this house was huge. There was so much room everywhere, that only one person in here felt like way too little. That was why Annie had made sure to give whoever she wanted a key. Wander, Trish, Angel, Addison, Axel. The people she liked and loved all the same. Sure, she could take one or two of them at face value, but it was always good to have a home to go back too. At least, that was Annies reasoning for being so open with her living situation.

Maybe she wanted to be told that she was somewhere safe to go. After being trained to be a killer, she was done with that. She would always be a skilled warrior, but she did not want to do it for the sake of doing it anymore. She would only do what she needed to do if she was forced into a situation. Sadly, that could happen at any moment, even if it was just for fun. That scared Annie.

She watched as Trish walked into the kitchen, Annie had already started pouring the flour in the bowl, grabbing a couple eggs and rolling them towards Trish. ”Think fast!” She smirked, watching them roll towards the counter.

Maybe they would crack.

Annie was just happy that she didn’t quite yet.

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

Beatrice Morrisen

A new District Four victor, it is a relief to Trish at how fast it came. Four years of being ’that victor’s sister. People rarely called her by her real name, instead a new title that she really does not honour. Now all the attention can be on the new kid, the new pride and joy for everyone to boast about and find the excuse for a drunkard celebration. Trish can finally be Trish for a short while, but the new title is now permanent. There can be twenty District Four victors in the next twenty years but she will always be Anatalia Morrisen’s little sister.

The one without the A name, Trish still does not have the answers as to why her parents decided to cut the trend when they saw her as babe and name her Beatrice. The next letter in the alphabet. Letter number two. Always the number two.

Now the eighty fourth is over, there is just two more years to go before she can hang up her training centre sneakers and slam the door shut in her father’s face. Just seven hundred and thirty more days drag herself out of bed and make the journey to the sweaty, humid bitter building that her father forces her to go too. Hopefully Annie will spare her some of her new treasure to throw the biggest, baddest nineteenth birthday ever. It will be on the beach of course, a tiki shack lined with fairy lights. A barbecue to cook the best salmon steaks and a nice collection of Four’s hardest spirits to help wash it all down. Now that will be a dinner. Not something formal that Annie has planned today for poor Beck.

Trish is not as envious of Beck then she is her sister. Everyone is dead from his games; Annie’s ghosts are all still alive and far away enough to not haunt her. Ripred will have all the spirits of the kids poor Beck murdered lingering around him every hour of the day. Now there is no envy for that. Maybe there is envy for the dinners he will have had in the Capitol; not for what Annie is about to cook up for us all today.

Trish spends most of the day in her room at Annie’s house. Her father has been so rare and used the small ounce of kindness has left in him, to excuse her from training for a day. Although this morning he did go against his word and made her do some circuits before breakfast. She lays out three dresses on her bed, the decision being the hardest she has made in awhile and after trying all of them on at least four times. She still has not made a choice.

”Trish, come down, help me do a little cooking.”

The heaviest of sighs falls from her lips as she hears Annie call her from downstairs. She is sure there are cooks down there with her, what help will Trish’s hands be? She makes everyone aware in the house that she is walking downstairs, each step making thump rattle all the walls.

”I thought you pay people to help you cook, Annie? I think the saying is too many cooks…” Trish says as she immediately enters the ginormous kitchen, she is pretty sure it is probably bigger than their father’s whole downstairs interior.

Her reflexes pounce at the rolling eggs that Annie has sent her way, all leading to their doom of being splatted onto the floor. A perfect waste of food. She is sure she has caught them all, but one crack confirms a loose one has made an escape. ”Don’t tell father that I didn’t catch them all. He will have me doing reflex training all night long.” Trish gathers all of the unmarked eggs into a little pile, not exactly sure on what to do with them. Trish’s cooking expertise go as far as making a sandwich and the food scavenging taught in the survival training at the centre. ”What do you want me to do with these?”

[pearl mcclain d4 [ryan]]

Another reaping was coming to pass and four had been as lively as it was when Annie had come back from her games. She had been charged with watching over some of the training academy curriculum when she was in town, and she was always dumbfounded by how much more vicious some of the careers had gotten in the mix. She knew that people took the games seriously enough here, but the fact that most of them had wanted it more than she could have ever always made her feel just a little uncomfortable.

Maybe that was because her father had wanted it even more than she did. He always had pushed her to be the best, and when she claimed the spot in four, he told her very clearly that she was not to come home unless she had taken home to crown. Of course, she had already been one foot out the door, no matter how much she wanted to admit it to herself, but Trish and Christian had kept her around long enough. She had to make sure they did not take the brunt of the abuse that their father had been capable of dishing out, the worst of it coming way before Christian had even become a Morrisen. She never brought it up around Trish because it wasnt necessary. She would do anything for her.

She was the last person in her family, besides Angel and Axel, that she actually liked.

Thats why she gave them the option to live with her instead of living with their father. Because at least there, they could try to find some sort peace away from the calamity that had become house Morrisen. She knew well that her father became hungrier for a win seeing as Annie had done well to completely shut him out of her life. As long as she lived, he would not be able to basque in the life of a victor, because if she had her choice, she would have stuck a knife right into his neck. There was no saving their relationship, and even if he found a way to call her up to tell her that he was dying, she would laugh in his face.

She would savor that.

---

But right now she needed to focus on the meal that she was preparing. Annie had always been the type of person to want to contribute something. It was what she was known for in her games after all. After her day two experience, she had a hand in almost 3 other deaths that occurred in the arena. She was always told that she was deadly with a pair of throwing knives, but she didnt have to be told. She knew that much. Her father made sure that she could throw one blindfolded at this point, and it would still hit her target. It was always enough of a talent to show off when she had to do victor exhibitions from time to time when she was in the capitol. It tired her out, but at least she wasnt subjected to other things that the capitol wanted.

Thats where she wanted to keep her distance.

She watched as Trish entered the kitchen and she couldnt help but smile. She always felt a little bit of relief when Trish had spent the night at her place rather than at home. Of course, Annie knew that Trish had to be present at their fathers place early in the morning, but where Annie stood, that was a lesser evil. Trish had been subjected to everything that Annie had been too as well, so she could handle it. She was a capable girl that could rise up against the toughest opponents, and that actually was thanks to her father as much as she didnt want to admit it. There was a method to his madness, and Annie had been proof of that.

"Mom always said we should always bring something to the table." Annie said with a small smile, realizing that it had been almost ten years since she had heard those words from her lips. She missed her a lot, her necklace still tight around her neck. She rarely took it off, even in the games, where it could have been a hazard to her. It gave her enough strength to keep going after all. "Besides, it might be worth while to actually know how to cook something right?" Annie smirked as she cracked an egg into the silver bowl. "Cant live off sandwiches forever." Annie had been in a good mood for once, which some would say is rare. However, when it came to the part of her family that she liked, she always had a bit more pep in her step. She wanted to be there, unlike the times she had to spend in the capitol listening to people who thought they knew everything about her. Sometimes it angered her when she would turn on the tv and "experts" would be weighing in on her strategy during her games. She was still shocked they were even covering something as old as the 80th, but seeing as Beck had just came home from the 84th, it was bound to happen.

They would be put up side by side and ripped to shreds from both sides.

Annie had rolled those eggs towards her, and she watched as Trish had caught the first two. The third one however, was not so lucking, finding itself splattered all over the kitchen floor. One of the avoxes had come over quickly and mopped up the mess before Annie could even say something. "Never." she said to Trish as she grabbed another egg from the carton laid out. "Crack them into this bowl and grab a fork and whisk them together." Annie said as she turned her attention to the vegetables that had laying on the counter. She could smell them from where she stood, which impressed her, seeing as most people had a hard time finding things this fresh around here. She knew that these had to had come from eleven directly, which of course, meant the capitol supplied them. She had never been the biggest fan of their generosity, but she had to fake it for now. Especially since they were sort of celebrating Beck's first year as a mentor alongside Annie. "Im gonna chop some of these green onions. Do you want to cut the bell peppers?" Annie placed a cutting board near Trish with a knife and a couple of the peppers. Annie gave her a smile as she realized this had been the first time they had really spent any extended amount of time together.

Annie wouldnt have traded it for the world.