drapetomonia - the overwhelming urge to run away.
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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...
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36. Lamina
The morning starts off rather slowly. Lucky begins with a recap of the remaining tributes and their current positions, before the TV crew takes mentor by mentor aside to give a brief interview on each individual tribute's performance.
June finds it relieving that Coriolanus has to go first because that means she can zone out a little bit. She eats the breakfast Cas brought her and helps herself to some tea, trying to catch a glimpse of Treech. All he talks about are yesterday's events, specifically the rabies scare with Jessup, and he briefly thanks Lyssie for her quick thinking and generosity. Then, he moves on to the topic of Lucy Gray, and she suppresses the urge to roll her eyes when he keeps on both subtly and not subtly at all, trying to steer it in the direction of Lucy Gray acting more like a Capitol girl than someone from the districts because she stayed with Jessup until the end.
Does he really think that's it? She can't help but scoff. There are many people in the Capitol that she knows would leave even a friend or family to die alone just to save themselves. And if acting like Lucy Gray did is representing the Capitol's values, maybe they should all think long and hard about what Arachne did. Lucy Gray stayed with Jessup because he was a friend and she didn't want him to feel alone, whereas Arachne taunted a girl who had been starving for a long time.
And yet, Arachne is the one who got a funeral like a war hero instead. It's embarrassing, really, how almost no one seems to see how hypocritical that kind of thinking is.
Thankfully, she isn't the only one, because while Coriolanus is going over his time again, talking so much that she's surprised his jaw isn't sore yet, Pup grumbles to himself and sends Lamina her breakfast. It's good to know she's not alone. Lately, she can't help but feel like Coriolanus is more fake than ever. She never liked him much, but ever since the mentorship started, she can't say he has grown on her. Even when they went into the arena together, she felt like he only did it because of Dr. Gaul's threats.
Otherwise, she would've had to go in there all alone. And maybe, just maybe, she'd be dead, too. She doesn't know and doesn't want to think about it.
At least he can't go on forever, and the other mentor's comments are rather brief and objective. While she mentally prepares herself for her turn, she finds herself looking back at the screen to distract herself. It switches to Wovey roaming the tunnels but then rapidly switches to the open area of the arena, zooming in on Reaper, who emerges from the tunnels again.
Io Jasper's interview is cut short when Reaper begins walking across the arena in big and purposeful strides, right up to the beam Lamina is sitting on. He doesn't look like he's planning on attacking her, much to Pup's relief, but it's clear that he wants something from her. The cameras don't quite catch what they're saying but zoom in closer anyway when Reaper points at Lamina's sunburnt face and the sun, then at her food.
