ＷＩＴＳ | ＭＡＲＶＥＬ ＨＵＮＧＥＲ ＧＡＭＥＳ ✅

ｎｉｎｅ

"Hey." Her voice is gentle. not wanting to make the boy jump. However he still flinches, turning to look over his shoulder. Once he sees who it is, his shoulders relax, a calm expression on his face.

"Hey," he smiles softly. "Come here," he waves her over, looking back at the Capitol. She moves to sit beside him, letting her feet dangle off the edge of the balcony. Looking down, she sees how high up she is. Looking up, she sees how tall the building is, and how easy it would be for someone from the higher stories would we able to kill themselves so easily.

"You think someone killed themselves jumping off here?" Rybbon blurts out, looking down at the ground that's a long ways away from them. Well, she couldn't really see much of the ground, thanks to the bustling crowd beneath them, rounds of cheers and "horaah"s coming from them all.

"They can't even if they wanted to."

"Why not?" Chase leaves her without a second thought, Rye watching him curiously. He walks over to one of the potted plants on the terrace, grabs a rock from it, and walks back over and sits where he once was.

"A boy from our district who tried to kill himself before the game. He got caught by an Avox and was pulled off the ledge before he could."

"Avox?"

"The people who served us food and stuff. Beetee told me." She nods in understanding, waving for him to continue. "So I wondered if the Capitol decided to do anything just in case someone tried to do it again." Turning his attention to the edge, he tosses the rock over it, watching as gravity takes over. However, after falling for a second or two, it bounces back up, right into Chase's hand.

Rybbon's brows furrow, amazed and curious on how the Capitol was able to do this. Taking the rock from Chase, she tosses it over the edge herself, watching it carefully. She sees at a certain point it hits something nearly invisible before bouncing back into her hand.

"Huh," she says in awe. "That's interesting. A force field." Chase hums in agreement, before falling silent, only the sound of cheering from the Capitol citizens being heard for some time.

"Life is so precious," Chase says, Rye humming in agreement as he continues. "It's so precious but the Capitol takes it for granted."

"Because we're not seen as people." Her words gain his attention, the boy looking over to her. He sees her eyes become drained of life, the color gradually fading from them. The slight blush she had on her cheeks from the cool air disappears as well, making her look lifeless. "In the Backbone–where my father fought–there were also dogs fights. And..." Rye holds her breath, remembering how those dogs looks. "I remember seeing their ribs through their fur, and how angry they looked when they barked, with the white foam in their mouth. But I saw how scared they looked in their eyes when they had to fight the other dogs." She swallows roughly. "I guess we're the dogs now. We're the toys..." her words gently trail into nothingness, as if she's afraid of the truth herself. Chase looks her up and down, seeing how low she's dropped in just a few short moments. Reminds him of how his sister acts at home.

Instinctively, he wraps an arm around Rye, hoping to comfort her. She jumps slightly at the touch, not knowing how to react. She's never the one to be comforted. She comforts others. It makes her feel weird, like her stomach becomes knotted.

"You have a better chance than me in surviving this," Chase waves, motioning at the Capitol city. His calm nature soon calms Rybbon, who relaxes into his touch after a few seconds.

"Nah," she chuckles, leaning into his touch. "We're both pretty fucked." Her words make him laugh solemnly before falling silent, both falling into a state of despair. Neither show it though, both trying to be strong for each other.

"We should go to bed. We have to start training tomorrow," Chase states, getting up off the ledge. Rybbon follows quietly, giving the city one last glance before walking to leaving the terrace and walking to her room. She gave Chase a quick wave before shutting her bedroom door, turning the lights off, and laying in her bed. She sinks softly into the bed, cushioning her body. Moving to lay beneath the covers and the sheets, her body is consumed by the warmth they give, as if they're heated. It makes her moan silently, her eyes fluttering shut as a wave of exhaustion hits her.

sorry the chapter is short