"Bellona! What a pleasant surprise!"

To say Bellona hadn't expected to find herself yet again in Festus's living room with his mother anytime soon was an understatement.

And yet, here she was, smiling awkwardly as the woman offered her some supposedly famous egg sandwiches. 

"Mrs. Creed, it's lovely to see you again," said Bellona as their maid escorted her to the table.

As Bellona made herself busy with setting her plate, Mrs. Creed pulled her son to the side and flicked his head.

"Festus Creed, you should've let me know Bellona was coming. I would've cleaned up."

Festus ignored the flick as he watched Bellona.

"Trust me, Mom, I wasn't expecting it either," he said, smirking a moment before continuing, "but it's not like I'm complaining."

Festus didn't even wait for his ma's response before approaching the girl from two.

"So, how do you like the sandwiches?"

Bellona turned away from the sandwiches for a moment, watching as the curly-haired boy sat down.

"They were great until you came over. Now I'm losing my appetite," Bellona jabbed at the boy, causing Festus to laugh. Both of them knew that wasn't true. Not when he had heard her stomach growl all the way here. And not when she clearly enjoyed his company enough to be here still.

"What a pity. Ma made an excellent dessert I know you'd wanna try," said Festus with a cocky smirk, intriguing Bellona.

"And what might that be?"

"Me."

Immediately, Bellona scoffed.

"Yeah, I'll pass."

But Festus wasn't giving up.

"Are you sure? You liked it the other day in my room-"

"Festus Creed," Bellona muttered, sending him a warning glance. Festus only chuckled, though, reveling in her embarrassment.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing!"

-

Much to Bellona's surprise, lunch with the Creeds was actually quite enjoyable. Sure, Festus made sure to get on her nerves occasionally with his flirtatious comments and lingering touches on her thigh. Still, even his inability to keep his hands to himself didn't compare to his manners with his mother. 

"Well, thank you again, Mrs. Creed. It was lovely to see you," said Bellona as she stood at the entrance with Festus by her side. 

"Oh, of course. You're always welcome here, Bellona," said Mrs. Creed with full sincerity. God, how did she find herself in this situation yet again? It's like she was destined to be stuck in this neverending loop of weird uncertainty with Festus Creed.

"Did you enjoy your lunch?" Festus teased as the two walked back, purposely bumping his hip with Bellona's. The girl from two rolled her eyes playfully.

"It was good company," said Bellona with a smile, "minus you, of course."

Festus held a hand to his heart as he usually did when he was trying to exaggerate his pain.

"You wound me, Bellona. And here I thought you were beginning to enjoy my company just as much as I enjoy yours." 

Bellona scoffed as she shoved him away.

"As if."

"Come on, we all know you like me enough to kiss me," he taunted, earning another shove.

"Ow!"

"Keep it up, and you'll be kissing your pillow," Bellona muttered, stepping closer so no one could hear her. Festus, of course, saw this as a sign to keep flirting.

"Come on, Bell. Aren't you dying to kiss me too?" Festus mumbled, eyes on her lips as he smiled down at her. Bellona scoffed as she felt her cheeks heat up. 

God, why was he such a smooth talker?

"Someone might see," Bellona muttered, yet Festus noticed how she stood still, letting his face lean closer.

"No one's around," Festus reassured her, face so close she could feel his breath on his face.

Bellona hesitated for a moment as she thought about it. As much as she loathed the idea of others knowing she enjoyed kissing Festus, the chances of anyone finding them here were slim to none.

So, she gave in.

"One kiss."

Festus beamed as he nodded. 

"That works for me," the boy muttered before leaning in. Instantly, Bellona closed her eyes, letting Festus press his lips against hers for a moment before reciprocating. 

The kiss was short but sweet, as if they knew more moments like this would come. But that didn't stop Festus from leaning in once more to plant a peck on Bellona's lips as the girl began to pull away.

"Hey! I said one kiss!"

-

Bellona's one form of misery changed with another as the two approached their spots in the auditorium. See, while she was finally getting used to Festus's pestering, the games and her forced participation in them were something she could never get used to.

Especially when she could sense that the game makers were clearly planning something.

But unlike most days, Bellona didn't have much time to think about the game makers. Not when the arena was filled with so much commotion. 

It all started when Coral, Mizzen, and Tanner began to approach Lamina, the girl from Seven who had shown sympathy to Marcus a few days ago. Bellona held her breath, knowing and fearing what was going to happen next.

From the bottom of the beam, Mizzen and Coral cornered her, each choosing a side to climb as Tanner watched with Coral's trident below. Clearly aware of the two approaching her, Lamina stood up slowly and assessed the situation. 

From the look on her face, Bellona could tell the girl was weighing her options, fighting in her head about who would be an easier target. Bellona knew it was neither. 

As Lamina made her way towards Coral, Bellona could hear Pup groan.

"Wrong choice," the boy muttered, clearly underestimating Bellona's tribute. But Bellona knew better. Even though Mizzen was much younger and smaller, he was agile and could be vicious if needed. And clearly, he needed to be.

Unfortunately, though, Tanner was not as agile, missing by a meter as he tried to get the weapon up to Mizzen, who had reached the top. Meanwhile, Lamina fought with Coral, barely missing as she swung toward the girl from Four's head. 

"Fuck," Bellona muttered, biting her lip as she watched anxiously at the scene. Currently, Mizzen is stuck at the top with no weapon and nowhere to go but down, thanks to Tanner's mistake.

And it wasn't just Bellona who noticed this either. Of course, Lamina did, too, seizing the opportunity as she abandoned Coral and headed for Bellona's tribute.

Mizzen tried his best to attack the girl and escape her grasp, but Lamina had the advantage of swinging the blunt side of her axe down at Mizzen and knocking him off the ledge.

"Mizzen!" Bellona yelled out as she watched in horror, covering her mouth as she watched the boy scream in agony. It was clear that the fall had caused irrecevable damage, even if it wasn't fatal.

From next to her, Bellona could feel the way Festus placed a hand on her knee, a silent show of support.

But Bellona was too focused on the screen to care, watching as Coral let out a scream before charging toward Lamina, the trident finally in hand. 

Even though Lamina fought hard, Coral was much stronger. She quickly overpowered the girl, piercing the trident in her chest before throwing her off the beam.

"No!" yelled Pip, staring at the screen in horror as he watched Lamina pass, all while Festus let out a relieved gasp, clearly worried about Coral's fate. 

Bellona, however, could not be as relieved as she watched Coral climb down with a look of determination, hoping to find Mizzen alive. He was, but Bellona wasn't sure for how long. 

Meanwhile, Tanner began celebrating, dancing as he watched Lamina on the ground. It was all crass, really, but Bellona suspected that as the game went on, the tributes would slowly lose their empathy, causing them to act as they usually wouldn't.

His celebration didn't last long, though, not when Coral was clearly seeking revenge.

"Good job!" said Tanner, raising his hand up for a high five before being stabbed through the chest by Coral's trident. A second later, Mizzend popped up, grunting as he pierced Tanner's neck with his knife.

"I guess we should probably send them some food now," Festus muttered awkwardly, eyes trailing Bellona's face. The girl stared closely at the screen for a moment as Coral tended to Mizzen's wounds before nodding. 

"If only we could send medicine."

After the two sent a supply of food and water, they retreated to their hiding spot -- Coral assisting Mizzen as he hobbled towards their hideaway and out of sight.

"He'll be alright," said Festus, interrupting any bad thoughts Bellona might've been having.

Bellona let out a sigh as she watched their figures retreat. All she wanted was for Mizzen to be safe. To win the games and go home to his family. And that injury might just be what stops him from having that.

"I sure hope so."

-

A/N: hi guys! If you're still here, thank you for reading. It's been a long time since I've written and I'm so sorry for that. But! I finally think I've gotten the motivation to finish at least this fic.

anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's been a bit since I've written anything that wasn't analytical, so I'm sorry if it's bad, but hopefully, I'll get in the groove of things soon enough!

thank you so much for reading and I'll see you next chapter! 

love you!

hannah <333