𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 / 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒄𝒉

𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈

As I made my way out of the hospital, I almost immediately spotted the car that my parent's had sent to pick me up. I hobbled over to the door opening it and falling onto the leather seats.

"To the zoo please" I said to the avox who silently nodded.

I rummaged through a bag that sat in the car, it was the bag I always left filled with the essentials, including spare clothes. It took some effort, but I managed to get changed into a baggy pair of denim jeans and an oversized dress shirt I bought at a second-hand shop in district 9.

Soon the car pulled up to the entrance of the zoo, the looming gates spelling out 'Capitol Zoo', it looked majestic in the orange sunset.

I opened the door, grabbing my crutch making my way out into the cool breeze. "Thank you, and I'm sorry" I said to the avox, she was my favourite, and I knew that for driving me here instead of the penthouse she would most likely not see another day. She nodded at me in thanks before pressing a button closing the door and driving off.

I made my way into the zoo passing all the empty cages and enclosures once filled with animals of all around Panem. The breeze pushed my hair back slightly flowing in the wind as a chill ran down my spine, it was going to be yet another cold night. I couldn't possibly imagine sleeping on hard ground with no blanket. I weighed the option of giving Treech a blanket, I probably should, although he's only staying one more night.

I approached the monkey house, pursing my lips together seeing all the tributes lay there motionless, out of energy.

"Treeech, your girlfriend is heeere" said a boy in a sing song tone. I glanced around the cage looking for the culprit to the words and my gaze fell on Mizzen, the little one from 4 making kissy faces at Treech.

His head turned around to find me standing, once again, on the other side of the bars. He got up and made is way over, eager to get away from Mizzen who was still making the kissy faces.

"Do you wanna sit?" he asked standing across from me.

"Ah, yes that would be nice" I replied lowering myself to the ground. I sat down stretching out my leg with my hurt foot.

"So how are you?" I asked him, smiling at his presence.

"I'm good just a little banged up". He said nonchalantly, "What about you?" he asked looking at my foot.

"I broke my foot in quite a lot of places" I replied sighing.

My mind wandered back to the hospital, back to what the nurse and Lysistrata said. "Oh, I almost forgot, I brought you and Lamina some food, sorry there isn't much the hospital doesn't offer that much."

He took the food from my hands and handed half of it over to Lamina, who seemed reluctant at first, but still grabbed the food. I managed to grab two small packets of dry crackers, some fruit, two water bottles and a small cupcake. Treech began to eat the food as I watched the sky. The shades of oranges, golden hour.

"So, how's your new alliance treating you," I asked him glancing over at them, all huddled up on a few rocks looking at us. Mizzen had a devilish sort of grin, like he was expecting us to make out.

"Alright, although, as I'm sure you just heard, Mizzen is definitely the most annoying 13-year-old I have ever met, guess they are just built different in 4. When I was 13, I was chopping down trees" he said rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I make fishhooks, and I am not annoying" Mizzen shouted out to Treech mater-of-factly.

Treech scoffed rolling his eyes. I decided this would be the perfect time to change the conversation away from a fight in the making.

"The sunsets aren't usually this pretty, guess the sky is being nice to you guys, giving you all the most breath-taking sunsets as they might be your final" I talked aimlessly, not really registering what I had just said.

Treech looked up at the sky, orange painted his face as his hazel eyes sparkled. "Yeah, back in 7 the sunsets were always pretty" he said with sadness laced into his words.

"Y'know what else is pretty?" he asked a smirk already on his lips. I gave him a slightly confused look before he pointed at himself. I snorted at his answer, Coral following with an annoyed scoff.

"Treech your attempts at at being funny aren't working in your favour" she called out from the rocks. "Who said I was trying to be funny?" he replied back to Coral defensively. "I'm just stating facts here" he said turning back to me.

I decided to shift the conversation to a more important topic, one that I needed to address.

"Tomorrow night there are the tribute interviews, its optional though so you don't have to do it if you don't want to" I told him. "I figured you don't have to do i- "

"Okay, that's good" I said, relived that he would get a better chance at winning by just agreeing.

A silence filled the air between us, I looked up at the sky, pinks dressing the orange as night came. I could feel Treech's eyes on me, it seemed like he was taking in every inch of my face.

"He's like so in love with her" Mizzen whispered loudly so we could clearly hear him. I looked over at Treech, his face was bright red, most likely holding back the urge to fight back Mizzen and his comments. I giggled a little at his reaction.

"You got any hobbies here?" he asked trying to change the topic.

"Well, I like gardening, I have a garden on the top of the roof, I spend a lot of my time there, my escape from the Capitol. I also like to play the piano and paint, really just anything to get my mind of stuff." I replied to him, going along with his question despite my mind still being stuck on what Mizzen said.

"You paint?" he said sounding puzzled.

"Yes, why?" I responded to him.

"My sister paints, she would sell them at the market on the weekends, pretty ambitious for only 15" he said. "Her and Lamina were the closest of friends, I didn't even know a friendship like that could exist. I wonder how she's holding up having her best friend and brother being reaped." His eyes grew glassy at the mention of his sister, I couldn't imagine the pain that that girl has.

"Guess we have it good here in the Capitol" I sighed, not everything was perfect, but certainly better than the districts.

"Guess you do" he said back to me.

"I better get going soon, I may or may not be able to visit you tomorrow, depends on how my foot and head are feeling" I said to him slowly getting up.

"Its fine I'll manage" he replied smiling.

"I'll see you around 8 or 9 for the interviews, be somewhat ready by then" I told him.

He nodded before walking back over to the pack.

I got up and walked to the entrance of the zoo, a new car waiting at the entrance. I got in, a new avox waiting for me. I pursed my lips together, I had just killed an innocent woman by wanting to visit my tribute, gosh, why was I so selfish.

I couldn't help but think about him, how we both knew why each other were there, at least after I explained why I was. How he trusted me, despite me just being a girl from the Capitol.

𝐀.𝐍 all done with this chapter!! next chapter will be the interviews and im still deciding if it will be the start of the games as well. Anyway its like 4 weeks into school and I've already got so much homework, like its unreasonable. 

Anyway sorry if I have been uploading slower and slightly shorter chapters, school really sucks🥲  au revoir my lil cabbages   💘