taking the leap.— [six/mauve]

[Deleted]

There was something about the girl from district three. There was something off about her that Six just couldn't quite get past. Something that made him uneasy. He noticed it when training, and it hadn't left him yet. But today he realised something. Lock would be disappointed in him. He was judging this girl despite ever meeting her, avoiding her like there was something wrong with her. That wasn't right for him to do. Lock would've gone up to this girl with a big smile and tried to make friends. Besides, judging people for no reason wasn't who Six was. His whole life they were the weird family with fifteen kids. He grew up only having his siblings for friends because of those judgements. He was becoming the people he was against. Because of that, he decided to take a leap.

He wanted to try to make friends with her. She seemed nice enough. Besides, Lock would be proud of him. Lock told him before they got ripped away in the justice building he could make friends. So when it came for lunch time, he waited before sitting down. He waited until Mauve sat down first. Luckily she was alone and the spot directly across from her was open - his for the taking. Six was a bit nervous about all of this. Even if she didn't creep him out a little, he was never the social type. He spent his whole life being the quiet one in the family. He wasn't brave. He wasn't confident. The past few days had just been him pretending to be brave. Pretending to be confident. But he wasn't. He was that same kid that just three days ago was struggling as a peacekeeper pulled him out of the room, away from his family. He was the same kid that sobbed and begged not to have to go, He was just hiding it. 

He was tired of hiding it. He really was. Six didn't want to pretend to be brave. He wanted to be himself. A quiet kid who is scared of a lot of things. But, if he was himself in a place like this he'd be ripped to shreds. Honestly, he'd probably be ripped to shreds anyway once the Games started. But, right now he was trying not to think about that. He was trying to focus on the fact that in this moment he was alive. He wanted to make the most of what little life he had left. So even if his conversation with Mauve went poorly, it didn't matter. He kept telling himself it wouldn't matter. Because chances were, they were both going to die soon anyway. So he took a deep breath and went to the table Mauve was sitting at. He tried his best to look brave. He stood straight and made eye contact as he grabbed the chair directly across from her. But his voice gave it away, his voice was still quiet.

"Are you alright if I sit here?"

[k!ah]

How many days could someone live without water or food? Mauve had asked at the survival stand, aware that is had already been several days since the reaping. They had said that it could vary, depending on the environment, and the subjects condition. In the arena they said a maximum of a week, but such as on your deathbed where little energy is required, you could last almost three weeks.

The news had been somewhat of a comfort, after all her mother dearest only had a small room, sheltered from the weather. According to her calculations her mother should be alive by the time she made it home. She might look the part of the dead, starvation and dehydration at critical levels, but she would be alive- and isn't that what matters? Mauve would be sure that she would be relieved to see her, alive and well. She loved her after all, didn't she? Sure she was mad when she had killed Beth, but Mauve was sure that she had crossed the road to forgiveness, or at the very least had covered some good ground.

"Are you alright if I sit here?"

Mauve looks up to see the boy with hair that reminded her of burning embers. His face attempted to be brave, but the facade is shattered by the shake in his voice. She couldn't quite remember his name, but when she looked at him she saw a mouse, small, unthreatening, something that would be easily crushed with the right amount of pressure. She was almost sure that it would be easy to make him scream, and she wondered what it might sound like, if it would be a satisfying sound or something more exhilarating. She hoped it would be the latter.

She smiles widely at him, an innocent act as she gestured to the chair waiting for him to slip in, placing his food tray carefully on the table.

She is silently for a moment as she studied him, taking notes of the small movements that gave away his discomfort. She picks up a strawberry from her plate, dipping it into some chocolate before taking a large bite. "Which district are you from, Red?"

[Deleted]

When she smiled, Six couldn't help but to think that she had a pretty smile as he sat down. As a whole, Mauve was definitely a pretty girl. He couldn't deny that. But within that beauty, there was something else there. Hidden behind her blue eyes and nice smile was a darkness that Six couldn't quite put his finger on. It was almost like a void trying to suck him in. He tried to ignore that feeling, but there was still an ominous feeling to it all. He just kept telling himself to keep an open mind, the feeling of fear was probably just from the fact that he was about to fight her and twenty-two other people to the death.

What district are you from, Red? He knew that the nickname was due to his hair color, but it still threw him off quite a bit. He just wasn't expecting that in all honesty. Though, since he didn't introduce himself he couldn't expect her to know his name yet. Sure he knew her name and district, but he hadn't memorised most of the other tributes yet. Besides, his reaping video wasn't particularly interesting. After his partner volunteered, there was nothing worth watching. Just a scared redhead boy walking up the stage. Nothing memorable.

That was something Six wanted to work on, being memorable. Being memorable is how you get a high training score. It's how you get sponsors. It's how you live. But Six? He spent his whole life trying to hide away onto the sidelines. Living in the shadows of others had become a comfort to him. But like all of the comforts of his life, the Capitol would rip it away from him. They would rip away his safety, family, life, and anything else that's important to him. By doing this they could control him. Turn him into what they want - a pawn for their own sick amusement. And he had to let them do that if he wanted to get some of those comforts back.

"I'm from district eleven... and my name's Six O'Malley, so you can just call me Six. Why are you sitting all alone?"

He felt bad correcting her for the nickname, but it felt weird. The Capitol had taken everything from him all because they pulled his name out of a glass bowl. They had taken everything, he didn't want his name taken too. In a weird way his name felt so intrinsically tied to his identity and to his humanity. He was Six O'Malley since the day he was born. He was Six O'Malley when they called out his name. He was Six O'Malley when he left district eleven. And he'd die as Six O'Malley. That was one thing not even the Capitol could take away from him.

The fact that she was alone stood out to him. It made him wonder if he wasn't the only one who got a weird feeling about Mauve. Maybe her friends weren't quite here yet or she was too shy to make an alliance quite yet. Or maybe she was waiting to see who was brave enough to approach her first. Hopefully, Six would know soon. He began eating his own food. He took a bite of his favourite food since arriving to the Capitol - strawberry shortcake. He never really had sweets in his home district and now that he was here his sweet tooth was taking control.

[k!ah]

"I'm from district eleven..."

Mauve should have known. He was scrappy, under developed in the way those from the lower districts were. He looked like those kids on the streets of three, begging for a meal, their parents wasting their income on booze and drugs. Sometimes Mauve found herself down on those streets, hands wrapped around a delicious mug of beef broth with an aroma that was mouth watering. She would sip on it, her coat pulled around her tightly, as the smell wafted into the air, filling the desperate noses of the kids that sniffed at the sky like blood hounds searching for a scent.

Sometimes she really was a bitch.

Sometimes.

"... And my name's Six O'Malley, so you can just call me Six."

Mauve brushed off his name with a wave of her hand, his name wasn't that important to her, and the fact that the nickname 'Red' was a source of annoyance for him, was like him waving a big juicy treat before her, and she lunged out, sinking her teeth in deep, refusing to let go.

"Why are you sitting all alone?"

Mauve's smile becomes teasing as she looks up at him through lowered eyelashes, "maybe most are to intimidated by my stunning beauty." A moment later she breaks into a chuckle, a maniacal one that causes her shoulders to shake. The moment is only short, the laughter dying as she flicks her hair over her shoulder and she picks up another strawberry from her plate, "do you want to know the truth, Red?" She takes a bite, her tongue running over her lips to catch the last remnants of the sweet berry.

"I think they are scared of me." She bites her lips, looking at him with an intense gaze. "I think someone is spreading rumours. Whispers that are nothing by fiction," the lie slips between her lips easily. Mauve was an expert liar, she had to be when, always putting on the perfect fake smile when mother looked at her, expectantly waiting for her to praise Beth. And Mauve would, lips pulled back, inflating an ego that was already so big that Mauve hadn't had to hit her hard in the end for it to explode.

Wasn't it funny how quickly it could deflate after years of growing?

"Have you heard what they say?"

[Deleted]

Six regretted so much in that moment. First, he regretted even showing up for the reaping. Maybe he should've just tried to run away that day and leave the district. Sure his life would be over as he knew it, but he could die a quiet and dignified death rather than a largely televised one. He also regretted asking to sit with Mauve. His gut was right and he should've listened. Sometimes bad reputations were unearned, but he was feeling more and more uneasy the more that this girl spoke. Something wasn't right. And he regretted asking her why she was sitting alone. Maybe he should've just been quietly eating.

But, he did all of that and now he couldn't undo it. He had to sit here and deal with the consequences of his actions. And he made it a mental note to bring it up to his alliance that he wants to stay the fuck away from Mauve in the Hunger Games. Honestly, she was more terrifying than both the Le Roux cousins. Six decided he would rather fight both Le Roux's at once than fight Mauve by herself.

He almost didn't want to respond to her question. He wanted to pretend he didn't hear her say anything. He continued to eat his strawberry shortcake as he shook his head. He wiped his mouth with a napkin before speaking, he doesn't use his tongue because he's not a psycho like some people at the table. He couldn't look at her, he was too scared to. Right now he felt like a cornered mouse, waiting for the cat to gobble him up at any moment.

When he spoke, he doubted anyone not at the table could hear him. He was so quiet, so scared. He wanted to be home right now. He wanted his older brothers to protect him. He wanted to be curled up with his blankets back on the farm. His voice was trembling and his hand was tightly gripping his fork, as if he was ready to stab her with it at any moment. And part of him was ready to use it if needed. The moment he felt threatened he decided he would attack her with the fork. He hated hurting people, but a fork to the hand wouldn't kill anyone and it might just save him. Well- unless she decided to get revenge in the Hunger Games.

He decided the best way to answer this was to try to defuse the situation. If everything calmed down they could eat in peace, no one would have to be stabbed with a fork, and he wouldn't feel like crying. Because right now? Damn he felt close to it. He thought maybe he could reassure her that no rumours existed. That they don't matter. That he doesn't need to know what they said. He wanted to move past it.

"Um... I- I don't think there's rumours. Some-some times I sit alone too. Besides, rumours are just rumours. Let's- can we move on?"

[k!ah]

For a moment she isn't sure that he will respond, refusing to look her in the eye as she took another bite. She was sure that if she watched him closely enough she could see him tremble, his hands shaking as he wiped his lips with a napkin. He looked so small, shaking like a leaf caught in a rough breeze. On the verge of tears he stumbles over words spoken so softly that she had to lean in, straining her ears to catch his words.

"Um... I- I don't think there's rumours. Some-some times I sit alone too. Besides, rumours are just rumours. Let's- can we move on?"

She pulls back slightly, tilting her head to the side as she studied him quizzically. Move on? She thought not, she was enjoying his discomfort a little too much. Casually she reaches over to his plate, her fork scoping up the last of his strawberry shortcake. Popping it into her mouth, she savours the taste, her eyes never leaving his face, even as he refused to meet her gaze. Swallowing she tosses her fort onto her plate, leaning over the table so that he hands crossed onto his half, an attempt to invade his personal space.

"So you have heard something!" She pauses, trying to catch his eye, "what have you heard?

Do you believe them?"

[Deleted]

As soon as Mauve reached over to his plate it's like a switch flipped inside of him. Suddenly there was a roaring fire inside of Six that he couldn't control. He was tired of being looked down on. Maybe she wasn't saying anything rude to him, but those actions told Six all he needed to know about her opinion of him. Just like everyone else, she thought he was a coward. She thought he was weak. She thought he wouldn't make it past the Bloodbath.

And he was tired of it, he was really tired of it all. In that moment she wasn't just Mauve. She was everyone who had laughed at him since he showed up. She was all of the kids who bullied Six back home in district eleven. And for once some part of him wanted to feel in-control, wanted to be the bully instead of the bullied, the victor instead of the victim.

But, not yet. He felt that growing flame within him and it terrified him. The urge to hurt her over something like a bite of food. For now he managed to keep those instincts in check, but he could feel them fighting back against their chains. Now when he spoke, it was a little bit different. His voice was a little louder, a bit more assertive. He wasn't sure if not stabbing Mauve was more for his benefit or her own at this point. And he didn't care, he just knew he didn't want to do it. He didn't want to become someone like her.

"Mauve, I'm only going to say this once, please back away and give me some space."

That wasn't a question, it was a demand. Not only did he demand her, but he blatantly ignored the questions she was asking him. Right now he could give less than a fuck than whatever it was Mauve wanted to talk about - because it hit him. She didn't care if there was gossip about her. She was trying to scare him. Mauve saw Six as weak and she was proving it right now. And, after she didn't move her hands, it happened.

There was no hesitation - no remorse - in his actions. Suddenly his fork had lodged itself in her hand, deep enough to draw blood from the wound. It took his brain a minute to really process what had just happened. He saw his hand forcing the utensil into the back of hers, but it didn't feel like him. It felt like some mystical force controlling him. In that moment he didn't feel like Six O'Malley. He felt powerful, and maybe that was the real thing that had scared him so much. If you spend your whole life being powerless, change like that can be terrifying.

[k!ah]

Six surprised her.

First he makes a demand.

Second he stabs his fork into the back of her hand.

And Mauve is up from her seat in a second, lunging across the table. Her body crashes with his, one hand around his neck as she leans down, her lips against his ear, “I don’t take demands from anyone, let alone someone as pathetic as you.” The words are laced with venom, but the temporary flash of anger that had sent a shock through her like a bolt of lightening morphs into something more sinister, her lips peeled back into a nasty grin. “You better watch yourself, Red,” she growls, finger tightening around his neck, eager to break it, as peacekeepers swarmed them, ripping her from his body.

“I’m going to find you in the arena, and I’m going to kill you.” She struggles in the iron clad hold of a couple peacekeepers, her eyes flashing wildly, She gives him a smile, a twisted dark one, “but it will be slow and painful. I’m going to break you, break you as your family watch and I am going to love every second of it.”

She hoped that when she did find him that he would attempt to fight back, feeling hopeful for a moment before she crushed it between her fingers. “Out there you won’t have any peacekeepers to hide behind, your gonna wish you did though, your gonna  beg for it to end, and it is going to be music to my ears.”