The Fandom Games

Chapter 15 ~ Let the Games Begin

WARNING - THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS SERIES. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOKS AND PLAN ON READING THEM YOU MAY WANT TO SKIP THIS CHAPTER.

Sebastian says the memories are real, but his very existance contradicts that. My memories tell me I killed him. He won't tell me anything about why he's here, or why my memories were taken away. I asked him a billion questions last night and he wouldn't answer a single one. 

"You ask dangerous questions, Clarissa, " he said, "It's best for you if you don't know the answers yet. You need to practice your patience. All will be revealed in due time."

All will be revealed in due time.

My brother's words echo through my head as I step onto the metal platform. I realize I can't afford to be thinking about this. Not now. The glass cylinder slides down around me and the platform begins to rise. What will the arena be like this year? A frozen wasteland? A desert? A tropical forest? 

I see light above me, and I close my eyes. When I open them again I am in the arena. There are trees behind me, I notice, but in front of me is a grassy meadow. It is circular, and the tributes are dispersed evenly around the circle. In the center is the huge golden cornucopia, overflowing with weapons, food, and other tools for survival. 

I look for Sebastian, and finally spot him about fourteen tributes down from me. The boy from 7 is on my left, and the girl from 11 is on my right. Draco, I remember. And Cassia. Draco is staring at the girl from his district, who is about 9 tributes down from me on my right. I can't quite remember her name. Something with an H. 

Claudius Templesmith speaks. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, let the Fandom Games begin! Thirty more seconds until the gong sounds. I review the plan in my head. "Don't go to the cornucopia," Hodge had told me, "you'll never make it out." My brother had agreed wholeheartedly. 

Hodge told me to find cover and wait until the bloodbath was over. Sebastian promised he would find me as soon as possible. But when the gong sounds, I run towards the cornucopia rather than away from it. I won't survive without a weapon, and this is the only way to guarantee that I get one.

The cornucopia is surrounded by bushes on all sides. I duck behind one to assess my situation. I peer through the leaves and see my brother. He moves so fast he's hardly more than a flash, expertly handling the seraph blade he has retrieved. He moves out of sight and I rush toward the cornucopia. 

I see the sun reflecting off something in the grass and move closer to inspect it. It's a stele. I change my course and run for the stele. A silver flash emerges from the bushes, headed straight for my chest. I attempt to dodge it, but a sharp pain in my side tells me I have only partly succeeded.  

I pick up the long, silver knife from the grass and wipe it on my jacket to clean it. At least now I have a weapon. When I examine the bleeding wound in my side it looks like a deep gash, and the pain is increasing by the second. I reach for the stele, needing an iratze, but it's gone. I wish I had time to search for it, but I know I need to take cover. I've heard at least four cannons go off, maybe more.

I run for the woods, hoping my bright red hair doesn't attract unwanted attention. Blood is spilling from my side, but it's too risky to stop now to bind it. I have to find a safe place in the woods.

After ten minutes of running, I'm exhausted. I clutch my side, gasping in pain. I can't last much longer before I black out. I sit down, leaning against a tree to catch my breath. Every breath is a desperate gasp for air, and hurts like hell.

Taking off my jacket, I tear a sleeve off of my shirt and tie it around my torso, stopping the blood flow. I hear a noise in front of me, and see a flash of white in the trees. 

"Show yourself," I gasp. I hold the knife out in front of me, my hands shaking. 

The person steps out into the light, chuckling.

"Sebastian," I sigh.

My brother laughs. "Although I admire your bravery, I doubt you could have held off an attacker with that-" He looks at me accusingly. "Where did you get that knife, Clarissa?"

"I...."

"You went to the cornucopia, didn't you?" he asks.

"I needed a weapon!"

Sebastian scowls. "And I would have provided you with one if you had just obeyed my orders!"

His orders? Since when does he give me orders? I'm starting to protest when he sees the binding around my wound.

"You're hurt," he says, and reaches out to touch it. I slap his hand away.

"It's just a scratch," I lie, "All it needs is an iratze....."

"Do you have a stele, Clarissa?"

I sigh in defeat. "No, but-"

"How were you planning to draw an iratze without a stele? Now if you'd just let me examine the wound-"

"NO!" I exclaim, when he reaches for it again.

My brother glares at me. "Unless you'd like to brodcast out location to all the other tributes, I suggest you keep your voice down."

I decide this is a good opporotunity to change the subject. "How many are dead?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "At least five. The girl from three, the boy from eleven, both from eight, and the girl from five. There might be more."

Something about the way he said that makes me uneasy. "How many of those did you kill?"

"Both from eight and the girl from three. The girl from twelve killed the boy from eleven, but she might be dead too. The girl from eleven was chasing after her. The boy from one killed the girl from five."

I shiver. The way he's talking about murder... Like it's just a game. It scares me. The Sebastian from my memories is starting to show. The Sebastian who controlled Jace. The Sebastian who made Amatis drink from the cup. The Sebastian who killed Max. The Sebastian who raped me.

I realize that from now on, I'm going to do whatever he tells me. Because if I don't, the consequences are unthinkable.

I'm sorry this chapter took forever for me to post, but I've been really busy and I have to use my mom's laptop. Next chapter should come out faster. Don't forget to vote!