drapetomonia - the overwhelming urge to run away.
━
When Junia Beaumont, her brother and their classmates get a last assignment before the end of the school year, she doesn't know just how quickly things will change for her.
Who would have thought t...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ
33.rescue mission
Other than the alliance stumbling into Otto, the boy from Six, not much more happens after the sun sets. He marks the fifth and final death of the first day.
Five tributes dead — Panlo, Hy, Sol, Marcus, and now Otto — June doesn’t know if she expected more or less. Usually, the Games would’ve been nearing the end, but it’s unusually slow this year. It might be because of the introduction of the sponsor gifts, but she has a feeling it’s because so many already passed away before the Games even started.
The screens displaying the tributes makes it more noticeable. She can’t help but wonder what things would be like if the tributes had been brought to the arena the day after they arrived instead. There wouldn’t have been any deaths on either side — no bombing, nothing.
But in that case, she would have also never gotten to know Treech. In some twisted sense, the Capitol and the existence of the Games brought them together. It’s a strange thing, really. She wouldn’t know it, but she’d be missing out on someone who would mean a lot to her.
But even with the Games being different this year, some of the other mentors still can’t help but grow restless. Lucky Flickerman himself is evidently underprepared, too, with the way he keeps on scrambling for new content when he’s not giving updates on the weather forecast.
Some time after the sun has disappeared completely and the moonlight is now the only source of light in the open area of the arena, the alliance finally emerges from the tunnels, with Coral leading the way. The sight of Treech out in the open brings June a sense of relief, though he seems to have abandoned his lucky hat in the tunnels. Maybe he feels like it’s getting in the way when he wields the ax for longer than usual. She doesn’t know.
Either way, as soon as they come out, Festus, Persephone, and Domitia send food and water to their tributes. June follows immediately after, and this time, the drones actually deliver the food without any incidents. The group leaves Lamina alone on the beam and rests near one of the tunnels, splitting the food and water among themselves.
Some of the other mentors also send food or water, except for Clemmie, who vehemently refuses to do so. Whatever the venom did to her, it seems to have lingering effects because this kind of apathy is alarming coming from her. Lyssie tries talking some sense into her, reminding her that Reaper needs food, but it’s like talking to a wall.
No one recognizes Clemmie anymore. June doesn’t know how to feel about the fact that the snake venom apparently also causes neurological damage. As if the physical symptoms aren’t already enough.
After that, Lucky dismisses the mentors for the night since no one expects anything to happen until the morning. Most of the tributes are trying to get some rest now, but not the alliance. After their shared meal, Coral takes the lead again and makes Tanner and Treech collect the bodies of the fallen tributes in the middle of the arena.
