The Rumour Has It | Treech

4 | What are the Hunger Games for?

The two got back to the academy. Linnia was trying to find her twin, that's until someone grabbed her and she looked back.

"LINNIA CARDEW! God! Thank goodness you're fine! I saw on TV, everyone did." Livia exclaims.
"Liv, of course I'm okay! Me and Coryo would be on sooo much trouble now." Linnia laughs while saying that.
"Obviously Linnie. How's meeting the lumberjack, he's handsome?" Livia asks while laughing.
"Oh come on Liv, I needed to make him look amazing in front of the whole Capitol."
"But still, 'handsome'."
"Liv, stop!"
The twins laughed as they went inside the 'classroom'.

"Mr. Snow, Ms. Cardew sit down."
Highbottom greets them.
"Your little excursion was a violation of about five academy rules, I'm about to talk to Dr. Gaul to disqualify you two as mentors."
Livia who was about stand up for her sister was stopped by Linnia, knowing that she wouldn't stand up for Coryo too.
"Dean, you said we help them perform not get away from them." Snow snaps at him, obviously annoyed.

"Mr. Highbottom. Coryo and Linnia didn't show those people anything they didn't know." Sejanus interferes.
"Sejanus, we don't need your help." Coriolanus responds, obviously with an annoyed face towards Dean.
"Both of them showed us that those tributes are children. Humans who have a family and deserve a better life. This is why no one watches the games!" Says Sejanus, obviously wanting to stop these games.

Little do these students know, Highbottom wanted the same. End the Hunger Games.

"Two academy students fell down the cage but landed on..."
Before Dr. Gaul even finished her sentence, Linnia and Coriolanus finished it for her.
"Stage." Says the two synchronized.

"Now you two, tell me what are the Hunger Games for?" Dr. Gaul asks.
"The Hunger Games are a punishment to the districts for their uprising, to commemorate-" Before Coriolanus could finish Dr. Gaul turned to Linnia to ask her the question again.
"Like Coryo said, a punishment for the districts, for their rebellious acts towards the Capitol." Linnia responds.

"We do know now that the games will continue if Mr. Snow and Ms. Cardew's performance continue." Dr. Gaul says with that voice of hers.
"Are we sure that these games would continue with that type of performance? They held the tributes' hands and made them look like they're one of us!" Arachne asks, low-key screaming.

"Sejanus and Dr. Gaul have a point. We should give the watchers something to root for. They will root for a tribute, bet on them, give donations or sponsors to help the tributes win." Says Coriolanus, smart as always.

"Now you two, write a proposal about that for my games. And-"
"Wait, Dr. Gaul. Livia, me, and Coryo are class partners. Weve helped each other ever since, I would like to help them too." Clemensia says before Dr. Gaul finshes.
"Sure, Ms. Dovecote. Pass it before the games start." Gaul says with that grin on her face.

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Linnia and Livia ate their lunch quickly and they decided to go to the markets to buy foods for their tributes together with Arachne. Linnia promised Treech to bring them sandwiches and drinks.

"Liv, should I buy some sweets and fruits too?"
"If you want, he's your tribute anyway." Livia replies.
"You can. I'm gonna buy some grapes for Brandy. Got inspired with you and Coryo at the zoo." Arachne says with that tone again.

Linnia could never hate Arachne. She was her sister's best friend and acted like a sister to her too. No matter how much bratty she was.

The three then went to the zoo to feed their tributes.

"Treech, hey! Come here, bring Lamina too. Her mentor's here with me!" Linnia calls for him.

"Lamina, let's go, we have to eat."
The two tributes of 7 walked towards Linnia and Pliny.
"Hey Lamina, I'm Pup Harrington. Your mentor, trust me, I'll do my very best to help you."
Lamina didn't reply, she just silently sobbed and Treech comforted her.
"Lamina.. don't cry, me and Pup will try our very best to help you and Treech. You have to eat, there's not much time to eat inside the arena." Linnia says as she tries to comfort Lamina.

Treech smiled at Linnia. At least now he was trusting her.

"Thank you, for this. You want some?" Treech asks her.
"No, you have it. You'll need it, I ate some while walking."

They talked for a few minutes, shared experiences and strategies but that's until someone screamed.

"ARACHNE! NO!" Livia screamed whilst Linnia looked and ran towards Arachne.

"Oh shit!" Linnia exclaims as the peacekeepers shoot Brandy.

"Coryo, call for help. Please." Linnia tells Coriolanus and he ran for help asking for medics.
"Hold on Arachne, stay with us. Coryo's getting help." Livia tells Arachne as she's choking.

Linnia tries to stop the bleeding but it just choked Arachne more. When medics came, it was too late. Arachne turned pale, whilst her amazing brown hair with ribbons are soaked in her thick blood.

"No.. no... I told you to hold on." Livia says still in shock with tears flowing down her face.

The students were shocked about their classmate's death. They grew up together. Arachne didn't even get to graduate with them. She was a brat, but she didn't deserve that short life.

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The night after Arachne's death Clemensia couldn't stop crying, so did Livia since she was her best friend. Linnia never liked her but she felt the pain. It was as if her heart was being squeezed, but she can't cry anymore. Her tears ran out already when she witnessed Brandy getting shot and her friend choking with tears falling down her face. Arachne is gone, she didn't hold on.

Linnia tried to distract herself. She wanted to cry but tears aren't falling anymore. She then went to Coriolanus' house, she thought that maybe she would calm herself there, especially with Tigris.

"Linnia.. enter." Tigris greets with a sad expression.
"Coryo! Linnia's here!"
"Hi grandma'am." Linnia greets Coryo's grandma.
"Hi dear, I'm so glad you and Coriolanus are okay. You two got lucky with your lumberjack and songbird." Grandma'am says.
"No grandma'am they're not like that. Their tributes are not rebels I know that." Tigris replies.

"I can't still believe Arachne's dead. I just saw you three together with your sister at the market buying those fruits." Tigris says with that sad shocked expression.
"Yeah, came here to distract myself. I can't cry anymore, there's no more tears coming out my eyes."
"Li.. it was my fault." Coriolanus says.
"No.. it's ours."

The two just stared at the table still shocked with their classmate's death. Though Coriolanus never liked her, he still felt something.

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That's it for this chapter grgrgr I'll try to continue later once we get home. Eee thanku!