nepenthe (n.) - an ancient Greek word, defined as a medicine for sorrow. it is a place, a person or thing, which can aid in forgetting your pain and suffering.
━
Leora always knew her stealing would get her into trouble one day. That's okay, she lov...
THE NEXT MORNING, THE TRIBUTES RECEIVE THEIR FIRST MEAL FROM THE CAPITOL. It's not much, consisting of just cheese and bread, but it's something to fill their empty stomachs, at least. The previous evening, they were rounded up by the Peacekeepers and a few of the younger children passed out. Whether it's concern for the children or concern that the Games won't be entertaining if the tributes are too weak to fight, Leora can't say she cares.
Truth be told, she knows the Capitol hasn't just decided to feed them out of the goodness of their hearts. But a tiny part of her, no matter how naive, would like to believe that not all of its citizens want to see more children dying in its heart.
However, with hope, the harsh truth comes crashing down on her when they're once again rounded up, not too shortly after, and taken out of the monkey cage in shackles. Another truck means another trip for the exhausted children, but Leora finds herself relieved.
She remembers Iphigenia and Dennis mentioning something about an arena tour, and as much as she doesn't want to pay that place a visit, she prefers a new setting. The monkey cage has become boring. No visitors means the tributes are essentially left to their own devices, but it's not like they have anything to keep themselves busy with. The sun has been harsh ever since they arrived, shining mercilessly down on them. She's surprised she doesn't have a sunburn yet, but she knows it's only a matter of time.
There is a catch. Leora realizes this immediately because the sight she's greeted with once she exits the back of the truck is not a grand arena. It's a flatbed truck equipped with chains and shackles.
The Peacekeepers are a lot worse that day, for whatever reason. It takes them a good amount of time to chain up all the tributes, and when they do, two men come out carrying Brandy's corpse on a stretcher. A feeling of nausea washes over Leora at the sight of the girl's body littered with bullet wounds, and she has to look away. The chains are heavier than before, weighing them down in a humiliating display, and some of the tributes are crying.
Hy's heavy and uneven breathing is all she can focus on. She tries to murmur a few words of comfort, but the sound of the truck's crane raising Brandy's body to dangle above their heads drowns it out. In a last attempt to calm him down, she opts to rest her head on his shoulder, holding on to her last bits of self-control and dignity.
The truck begins to move, its movements choppy at first until it has found its pace. It's not slow, but not fast either. Just the right kind of speed for her to take in her surroundings. Ignoring the corpse above their heads is hard, but Leora does her best to focus on literally anything else. But it seems the Capitol is almost empty considering the time of day, and she finds the streets spotless.
