Author Games: Renegade | CLOSED

SF Entry - Berenice Vipointe

[•part one•]

The dark, bloodstained forest finally broke away to grassy, rolling hills days after trekking hopelessly through the woods. It was an odd sight to see so much light, as darkness had ruled over Berenice's life for many days in the forest.

And every single day killed her. The guilt ate away at her, and large, harsh, red scratches could be found at where she had clawed at her tracker as she went through sleepless nights. Berenice was falling apart, and nothing could save her. Soon, she would be beyond repair, and the other three could already see it. Berenice had always been the weaker one of sorts, the one who couldn't throw a knife as easily as walking, the one who couldn't come up with marvelous strategies because she wasn't smart enough. She was just there, the spoiled, pompous brat, whining over a best friend who had died years ago.

Talking to Berenice was like walking around a minefield. You didn't know when you would accidentally hit the wrong spot, and when you did, she would hurriedly run away, then disappear for hours at a time. Berenice had contemplated leaving the others, but the result had always lead up with her deciding not to, and the guilt would build up a mountain higher. She had overheard the others talking about her once, and she had tried, oh-so desperately to not let a single word hurt her.

"She's like a...runt in a sense. Berenice is just so innocent!" Mai Li explained to the others, trying to define her thoughts.

"She can't fight. She can't even think properly," Luna sulked, driving Berenice deeper into this quicksand-like pit of guilt and uselessness.

"She's not all that bad, honestly, Neha murmurs softly. "She's kind, I guess. She's not all that bad company either. And she does know her way around the Capitol, which might be useful. I mean, Luna, you know the way around the Capitol too, I'm not saying you don't, but the more the merrier, right?" Neha chuckles nervously.

"The thing is, I don't know anymore, Neha, whether or not she can actually do anything. Sure, she has survived this long, longer than all the others who have died, but she hasn't proved anything else! Berenice is a liability, Neha, and she's going nuts. You can feel it, can't you?" Mai Li ranted, before sinking down, shoulders sagging tiredly.

She's going nuts. It was merely an hour after hearing those words, and God, they destroyed her. Berenice looked over her shoulder, her movements stocky and strained from her lack of energy. She was sitting on a boulder at yet again, another hill. And as she processed what she saw, she felt calm for just a moment. Mai Li no longer had trees to use as target boards, so instead, she substituted the forest with the ground around her.

Berenice could see the odd, deathly grace as Mai Li drew back her arm, and then whipped it forward launching the knife spiraling through the air, flying. The sharp, blade glistened in the sun as it sunk into the ground, piercing a small patch of ground where there was no grass. A few markings scratched into the ground showed a small triangular target, and the knife had hit just the middle. Neha hooted excitedly from the side as she saw the success that Mai Li had made. Berenice smiled weakly at the sight, but quick turned away seconds later.

She's going nuts. She was, wasn't she? The way she could no longer look at a bow without hearing Jade's voice call out to her, or how the purple flowers seemed to scream, yelling bloody murder, it meant something. And there was that voice, that kept talking to her. Are you talking about me, Berenice? You said you felt guilty. Berenice, if you're so guilty, why do you still have that tracker in your arm? Shouldn't you...do something about it? Remove it so the Capitol can't follow your every step? After all, you wouldn't want to be caught when you're just this close to making it to the rebellion base. She hissed slightly at the voice, clawing at her forehead, trying to get it out. Do you want the rest of them to die, now? Oh wait-if you take that tracker out, someone else will die. My bad.