𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤// 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐮✔️

twelve

bill had died died from getting shot by an arrow. one of the careers found him and wiped him out.
eddie hasn't left marcias side for the last day or so. they've grown close.
she taught him a lot of things about survival. the leaves for your stings. her mother was a healer, so she knew a lot about that stuff.
today, they wandered around by a creek in search of fish to skin and cook.
marcia stayed silent the entire time. not only with her mouth, but also her feet. there was no way of knowing she was even beside him anymore.
eddie was getting better at muting himself when it comes to sneaking around. he was larger than young marcia though, so he did snap a few twigs and rustle a few patches of grass.
one thing he learned was to always pick your feet up, and walk on the tips of your feet. if you scuff you're feet, it skids across leaves and grass and makes a sound. walking on your tip toes means less coverage of land that would generally happen with your feet, so less chances of breaking a stick.
he kept his arms at his sides until he reached the stream, crouching down and lowering the line of their homemade fishing pole.
they caught about four fish before they packed them up and headed back. they found shelter in a grassy area surrounded by trees. they sit down and are mostly sheltered.
marcia set down her hot rocks and prepared them for cooking the fish while eddie skinned them and cut off their heads. hot rocks wouldn't cook fish all the way, and eddie was praying they wouldn't die from salmonella.
the fish were cooked decently, definitely not too raw. the taste was incredibly bland with the lack of seasoning but eddie kept that too himself, and instead complimented marcia.
she smiled in thanks, choking down her fish like she hadn't eaten in weeks. in her defense, she is super skinny and short. i guess that runs through district twelve. eddie never knew too much about the other districts, only what little he sees on television.
one thing anyone could notice about marcia is that she is incredibly quiet. she's sly, like a fox. sneaky, even. eddie never thought he'd find himself befriending a young girl, but it had been a while since he had any sort of human contact, so having someone to share a meal with was comforting.
"you think you'll win?" marcia looked up at him, her eyes wide and attentive.
"i don't think so," eddie sighed. "i've never been one for fighting. i'll probably just end up killing myself."
"maybe," marcia shrugged. "imagine the guilt of leaving with so much...blood on your hands. being responsible for so much death and violence. i wouldn't be able to live with it."
"me neither," eddie felt himself loosen up. he finally was able to express his feelings, with no one but marcia to hear. except he knew that the entirety of panem, including the president, could hear his treasonous words. yet, he didn't see it so bad. he sort of liked the idea of finally being heard.
"i think these games are horrible. so much violence. why are they taking it out on us? it's not like we were the ones who started the uprising!" eddies voice was low, but enthusiasm lacing each word.
"the whole concept should be illegal," marcia agreed. "sending children out to die. twelve year olds, like me! what did i even do to deserve this?"
eddie nodded sadly as they finished their fish. "marcia, i'm gonna go get some berries and plants for a soup i'm gonna make. think you'll be okay for the time being?"
marcia nodded, "i've lasted this long, i think i'll be okay."
eddie smiled, hugging her and launching into the wood.
he retrieved lots of berries, but decided to leave a few that looked similar to nightlock. he wasn't going to take his chances.
he found some onion grass and stuffed it into his pouch, along with mint leaves and some tea leaves. he was careful to put them in a container and not just toss them in the bag, not wanting to potentially mess up the meal he had planned.
     the sun beamed onto his skin, bright and warm. but not hot. just warm. almost perfect. he stood in the comfort of nature's blanket, only to forget for a second that he was a pawn in the capitol's game. a piece of chess. a character in a video game. he was not free. he should not be enjoying the nature in such circumstances. his own thoughts led him to believe he was free for a moment. he remembered beverlys bravery. mike's mystery. stan's maturity. bill's charm. ben's wisdom. richie's... richie. richie wasn't like the others. he was so...there. so friendly. so breathtakingly handsome. eddie was getting way off topic.
     he hit himself in the head to break from his thoughts, gathering his bag to head back home. or, what he considered to be his home. more of a camp. temporary. definitely temporary.
he scolded himself for finding another friend. he escaped to get away from an alliance. to get away from the guilt, yet here he is, providing for two.
he hears a shrill scream followed by a canon. a pitch so high that no boy could match. the scream of a girl, a girl. marcia!
eddie is no longer walking, but is now charging full speed through the wood, chest heaving with every lunge. he has to get to marcia. now. now. now!
his eyes fill to the brim with tears. why him? why does everything happen to him?
he reaches the camp, standing in the grass, jerking his head into the direction of any sound. he hears a rustle in the bushes, close by. he knows someone is there; watching, lurking, waiting. he pulls out his knife to show he is armed, and obviously looked in the wrong direction at the wrong time.
a figure that seemed to be larger than him lunged from the depths of the trees, gripping him in a headlock.
eddies instinct reaction is to plunge his knife deep into the persons thigh, earning a loud grunt from the anonymous tribute.
eddie forces the knife free and stabs it higher this time, closer to the crotch. the grip around his neck is loosened just enough for eddie to slip out. he turns to face carla bordeaux. she lets out a growl, collapsing into herself in pain. he stabs her again, directly in the throat. the blood spews from her neck like a fountain, pouring as she collapses into herself. she takes her last breath, and eddie stands triumphantly above the body, blood littering his fingertips.
     he treads further into the forest, until he discovers a bloody, lifeless body of marcia fadden. he instantly drops to his knees as the tears return to his eyes and pour. he holds her in his arms, his lips quivering and dry.
    

"deep in the meadow
under the willow
a bed of grass
a soft green pillow

  lay down your head
and close your eyes
and when they open
the sun will rise

here it's safe
here it's warm
here the daisies guard
you from every harm

and here your dreams are sweet
and tomorrow brings them true
here is the place where i love you

deep in the meadow
hidden far away
a cloak of leaves
a moonbeam ray"

      he supposes he no longer has to care for two, now.