ＷＩＴＳ | ＭＡＲＶＥＬ ＨＵＮＧＥＲ ＧＡＭＥＳ ✅

ｔｗｅｎｔｙ ｔｗｏ

A buzz wakes Rye up. The hair on her neck stands, wondering if a peacekeeper will shock her again. When she sees the rows upon rows of trees in front of her, she relaxes. A deep breath escapes her. Despite her ease, the slight buzzing still continues. It's a familiar buzz she's heard before, but she can't pinpoint where. Maybe she had burst her eardrum, leading to a continuous ringing in her ear. However nothing has happened for that to be probable.

Moving to lay on her back, she stretches and groans before rubbing her eyes open. Her vision blurs before she's able to spot something above her. Leaning forward, she squints her eyes to see it. A tree branch moving back and forth, the buzzing coming from up there. But what would be buzzing from up there...

Mom always loved to bring her to the outskirts of the district. There used to be a grassy field on the east side before more people had to build their own homes. But Rye and her mom used to go there all the time whenever she was free from working at the factory. It was up until she was a month or so away from giving birth to Cookie she stopped taking her. Because as both skipped towards the rickety tree along the fence, Mom stopped them both in their tracks. It had been sometime since they been there but they didn't think they were gone for that long. A loud buzzing came from the tree. Golden specks flied around the giant sphere that attached itself to the tree. The buzzing was so loud. The buzz...

Oh no. 12 cut through the branch.

"RUN!" She grabs her jacket and sword before pulling at Marvel, forcing him to his feet. He grabs his stuff half asleep before a loud bang wakes him and everyone else up. Everyone screams immediately. "THE LAKE! THE LAKE!" Rye screams out, pulling Marvel for a bit before sprinting on her own. She smacks herself multiple times, feeling the tracker jackets land on her. Despite the burn of the sting she feels on her legs she continues sprinting, slowly beginning to see the lake. Another sting burns on her stomach before she jumps into the water.

The water moves against her as the others jump into the water after her. But that's where reality ends and fantasy begins because when she looks over at Marvel he's not himself. As she stares at him he begins to melt like a candle. A vomit green candle. His skin bubbles and bubbles as everything blends into the water. She watches as those around her do the same, leaving nothing but there skeleton floating in the water.

Rye looks down, staring at her stomach as it slowly dissolves into a green mist. She grabs at at the green water, hoping to fix herself but it only makes it worse, her body slowly dissolving and mixing with the lake. Her mouth slowly dissipates as her eyes roll into the back of her head before everything goes black.

And then it's not. She's back home, standing outside her apartment complex. She stares at the number scratched into the concrete, the number barely visible after all these years. 017. Her stomach churns looking at it, wondering how her brother would feel seeing her once again.

Suddenly she's in her room. Looking down she's smaller than she remembers, like she's young again. And then she hears her mother's laugh. It makes tears form in her eyes. When she spots her the tears fall instantly. She looks as young as she used to with only a few grays in her hair showing her true age. And she has her large belly again. Despite the circumstances she was always cheery throughout the pregnancy.

"Do you want to feel them kicking?" Rye looks up at her mother with a grin on her face. Her feet putter patter as she runs to kneel before her. She presses her ear against her mom's large stomach. After a moment she feels a soft thud against her cheek before pulling back, giggling like a schoolgirl. "They're going to be strong," her mom chuckles, rubbing her stomach, "just like you my perfect Rybbon." She holds Rye's chin, gently stroking her cheek. The young girl leans into her mother's affection, tears still slowly streaming from her face. "I'll miss you, my Rybbon."

"Where are you going, Mama?"

The loud bang of the door makes Rye jump. She sees her mother is gone, the room dark except for a small candle, and her father at the door with a bottle in hand. "There you are. Where's my money?" Her eyes widen, her breathing becoming rapid. But then she hears a squeak, discovering little Cookie is here, all cuddle to a blanket. "Answer me you little shit! Or do I have to beat your brother first?!" He stumbles forward, bringing his arm up to swing down on the toddler.

Rye moves quickly, getting up in front of her little brother. "No dad n-" she doesn't finish her sentence before she's hit across, her head hitting the concrete floor soon after.

When Rybbon finally rises from her forced slumber, she shutters in pain. Her stomach and leg throb in pain, making her groan. Despite this, she forces herself to sit up, holding the large lump on her stomach. She then forces herself up to her feet, hoping to figure out how long she's been unconscious. All she can remember is hallucinating before blacking out in the lake. Her clothes are still a little damp so it hasn't been long then. A day at most. Looking around she sees her fellow careers unconscious beside her. All except Glimmer are here. She puts two and two together.

"What a glamorous death," Rye mumbles. She goes to take a step only for her leg to collapse beneath her. Feeling down her left leg, she feels a large lump has also formed on the side of her knee, it painful to the tough. "Great." Despite this she forced herself to her feet for the last time (hopefully) before moving forward.

She limps towards the cornucopia, hoping to see if there's any medications that could help with these boils. She has to stop a few times along the way, the pain becoming too much to bare sometimes. When she finally gets to the silver cornucopia, using the giant object as a crutch, she's met with a slight surprise.

"Chase?" Her voice makes his head turn, his hands tightening on the food he was going to take.

"Ry-Rybbon?" He drops the pack of jerky and runs to her. He grabs and pulls her into a hug, making her groan in pain. He pulls away, looking her up and down. "What happened to you? Where have you been this whole time?"

"Tracker jackers and careers," she sighs, the pain slowly disappearing from her chest but not quite leaving.

"Look we gotta go before they wake up. I was just stealing some supplies-"

"I am a career, Chase," she says, it finally clicking in his head. He takes a step back.

"Why didn't you tell me? When did this happen?" She sighs tiredly. She limps forward before sitting on a crate with a groan.

"They asked me after the interviews."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't know what to say-"

"I spilled out everything that night."

"Okay I get it!" she snaps, shutting him up. She rubs the sweat from her brow, letting out another sigh. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know how to tell you, especially after what happened that night." She moans in pain before thought pops in her head. Well more of a plan, a not so very good plan, at least for Chase it wouldn't be good. For her it could keep her alive, and that's all she needed. "But look, I can you help live longer if you can help me." He narrows his eyes at her.

"Why do you think I would want to help you?" She eyes him, calling his bluff without saying a word. "It's a good thing you're pretty," he groans.

"We can kiss and makeup later alr-"

"Really?"

"Chase."

"Sorry."