— 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐬 —

━━━━━━ ☽【❖】☾ ━━━━━━

Taking a life was much easier than I thought it would be. A single knife had ignited the chain reaction of death to come. One cut deep enough to stain the snow. It was mesmerizing to watch the white powder melt and then freeze an entirely different color. But I wasn't smiling... not like Rena was.

They never tell you how much it stains when it comes into contact with your skin. That no matter how hard you scrub the callouses from years of training, the blood remains ingrained. Now part of you for all time. They never tell you how much the arteries spray. They never tell you that death doesn't always come before your body betrays you and has nothing left to offer as you drown in your own blood. They taught you how to remain stone faced, they didn't teach you how to deal with the dirt that now marred your conscience.

Lux and Halo were breathing heavily as they joined us. The canon echoed for the fourth time. Whatever stragglers remained from the bloodbath of the cornucopia wouldn't stay awake much longer. Either the blood loss would take them or the hypothermia claiming each of our lives.

"We should find shelter," I noted, keeping my eyes toward the horizon... or wherever I assumed the horizon might be. The snow flurrying around us continued to act as a blinding factor.

"And what about the Queen?" Rena asked, spitting toward the ground as she did. Only once I furrowed my brow, showing no recognition to her statement, did she consider explaining what she'd meant. "You said we'd get rid of district nine first. And you missed."

"I didn't miss," I contradicted. I'd felt the resistance of the blade cutting against skin. "It just wasn't a death-dealt blow."

"Besides," Lux whistled, a sound that was immediately covered by the wind. "I doubt we'll find anyone else tonight. We've each gotten a kill, we'll regroup with the other two and make camp."

Halo agreed with a nod of her head then laughed as she nudged Rena to loosen up. "Enjoy the moment. We have time. Take a cue from your partner, it takes more than just killer instinct to win. You need showmanship."

"He's as much my partner as Lux is yours," Rena didn't hesitate to contradict the assumption.

"Right," Halo quietly agreed as if not convinced. "But you still made the choice to be here."

"That was before we were dropped off in an arctic wasteland," she snapped and hissed. "I'm freezing."

"Then shut up and move," I finally voiced my annoyance with her complaints. "If you walked faster than you talk, you'd be warm by now."

Halo snickered as she turned to catch up with Lux who had returned with Beckett and Joule. I made the mistake of turning my back—my intention to join the others. That's when I felt the tip of a dagger lightly pressed against my side.

Rena breath was hot as her lips brushed against my ear with a venomous whisper, "Watch your back."

She passed by as if the moment hadn't happened, placing that twisted, sickly-sweet smile on her lips while leaving me behind. I touched my side, pulling my fingers away to reveal the drop of blood she'd drawn—digging the dagger just deep enough to prove her point without doing harm.

Whether either of us liked it or not, only one of use was making it out of here alive. It looked like she was finally past those delusions that had clouded her judgement at the academy... or maybe she just finally realized that her flirtatious remarks and eyelash batting only made her a fool in my eyes.

We didn't waste time making camp. Most of the supplies were left littered around the cornucopia, so we'd had our fair pick of what we pleased. Lux wielded an axe over his shoulder while Halo had chosen a garrote. Beckett had claimed a harpoon while Joule claimed an electric bo. I'd taken a sword and Rena had chosen a set of throwing knives. We had more rations than we knew what to do with and more supplies than we needed. So when Lux suggested we have a good time and celebrate the day's kills, no one objected.

We'd found a clearing in the woods, covered from the storm by a canopy of trees. Our fire roared with life, almost daring other tributes to draw near, none were as foolish as we'd hoped.

We had our fill of rations, rations that could've lasted for weeks that we assumed wouldn't be necessary. Already we were down to twenty tributes, we all saw this ending within a week's time—failing to see the irony that we dined with either our victims or our executor.

Slowly, my eyes closed and I peacefully drifted off to sleep. My dreams were far from peaceful though. It was the same vision repeated over and over again, with minor variations. One moment I was standing above all of Panem, hands stained red with a crown of bones adorning my head. The next, it was Rena who stood in my place, or Lux, or Halo. For a brief moment there was even a flash of red hair and golden light descending on Panem with the righteous wrath she'd warned the people of before they thrust their goddess into a pit of wolves. And finally, I was lying in the snow, buried alive, choking on my own blood as I tried to pry Rena's dagger from my gut and remove her hands from my throat.

And that's when my eyes flashed over... only I wasn't sure I'd woken up after all. A shadow knelt over me, their hands clasped over my nose and mouth while their knees began to crush my windpipe. The fire had dimmed but no one was standing watch. I struggled and fought against the weight that served as a disadvantage, but this stranger did not budge.

My hands scrambled in the dirt and ice, searching for my weapon. I didn't find my sword, but the rock I cracked against their skull worked well enough. They stumbled back, disoriented, and I showed no hesitation. I turned the tides of this battle that they initiated. I rushed forward, falling to the ground as they weighed much less than I had expected. My voice cried out into the still air as the color red no longer stained just my hands, but my face and hair too. I put all of my strength into the force of the rock, bringing it down again and again until a hand touched my shoulder.

I whipped around, prepared to attack whoever dared get close, but Rena stole the rock from my hand and allowed it to fall to the ground. I allowed my hands to fall as I released the tension from my body with a heaved sigh. I tried to turn my head and confront the tribute I'd just killed in an act of self-defense, but Rena cupped my face in her hands and pulled it back.

"Don't." There was genuine in fear in her eyes as they had yet to meet mine, fixated on the tribute behind my back.

"Who?" my voice rasped, implying that the tribute hadn't died without doing any damage.

Her gaze softened as she finally looked up from the ground. "The female tribute from district seven I think... I can't tell anymore."

"Who was standing guard?" I asked, slowly rising from the ground and the pool of blood that had stained the fabric around my knees.

"We all fell asleep," Rena admitted then scoffed. "We didn't think anyone would be stupid enough—"

I frowned and shook my head as I massaged my throat. "Yeah, well I wouldn't consider it stupid since they almost got away with it. Where are the others?"

"Woah," Lux's eyes widened as he and Halo entered the clearing from the north side of the woods. "What happened here?"

"Where were you?" I asked, my voice still cracking with every other syllable.

"Firewood," Halo interjected. "We went to get some firewood. Joule was left on watch."

"And a great job she did," I scoffed then winced.

"And what of Beckett?" Rena asked.

"Can't a guy take a piss without the world falling apart?" Beckett answered that question as he returned; however, he wasn't alone. In his arms, he carried Joule. Apparently she'd been the first victim before I was attacked. Her windpipe was bruised and it looked as if her neck had been broken from the way her head lolled to the side. And to think I'd narrowly escaped the same fate.

The cannon echoed twice and then the evening's light show started as if we'd all just woken up in time. The Capitol's anthem played while images of the deceased tributes were projected into the sky. Joule's image was the first to appear then her fellow tribute from district five, both tributes from district seven, the girl from district eleven, and the two from district twelve. Seven in total. Seventeen left. And as we sat around the campfire, I think we all started to realize that we weren't the only predators roaming the tundra, and we'd made a severe mistake underestimating our opponents.