"And I'm just getting color back
Into my face"
- So Long, London by T. Swift
In which,
Anemone Crane develops a crush on her classmate, not knowing he'll fall back during waterfalls of blood and death.
💌
Festus Creed x Fem!Oc
#1 in Arachne Crane
#2...
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ANEMONE STEPPED INSIDE of the Academy. The pre-funeral coverage started at seven, and by nine the student body again filled the stairs in front of the Academy.
The Capitol doubled the efforts made for Arachne's funeral, which wasn't really fair for Anemone. More speeches, more Peacekeepers, more banners. Although didn't mind seeing the twins praised, even extravagantly, she felt a bit bitter about the whole effort put in.
The dead tribute count had escalated, with the two tributes from District Nine having died from their injuries. Apparently Jovian was right, and the veterinarian had done her best, but her repeated requests to admit them to the hospital had been refused.
Their scarred bodies, along with what remained of the District Six tributes, were draped over the backs of horses and paraded down Scholars Road. The two tributes from District One and the girl from District Two, as befitting their cowardly escape attempt, were dragged behind them. Then came a pair of those caged trucks.
Anemone watched it with clenched jaw, wondering if Mizzen was okay. That was what mattered the most.
"These trucks aren't something necessary." Spoke Persephone from Anemone's side. The Crane girl turned her head to spot her friend staring at the trucks with an unpleasant look in her eyes.
"Sure they're not," Anemone muttered. Every word still caused her a lot of pain, so she tried to not speak long, often speeches.
After a while of silence, Persephone spoke up again, "Do you remember that game? Ring-around-the-Rings."
Anemone frowned, her mind rushing through all the memories to search for the one intertwined with the Ring twins and their game. Nothing could be remembered. She shook her head, gaze waiting for Persephone to remind her of the nostalgic times of their childhood.
"The rest of the kids would chase down Didi and Pollo and then grab hands, forming a circle around them and trapping them." The Price girl sighed, staring at the sight in front of her with a nostalgic facial expression.
"It usually ended with all of us, Rings included, laughing our heads off in a heap on the ground." Persephone chuckled softly.
Anemone looked down, lips forming a small smile. She wanted to be seven again, with no worries, no mentor problems, and just cherishing every day when she'd come outside and play with her friends. Half of them are dead, the rest are her classmates, split into little groups.
•*⁀➷
Anemone attended school the next day, for another meeting with the tributes. She had one tangerine, two chocolate bars, and a bottle of water in her bag. All of this for Mizzen.
Eight tributes had died, and one was missing, but there were still twenty-four little tables, leaving a jagged, disconcerting mess. No tributes at all from Districts One, Two, Six, or Nine, and only one from Ten - Tanner, Persephone's tribute.
Most of the kids who remained were injured, and all looked unwell. Mizzen could be worse as if he had bandaged one hand. What disturbed Anemone was that the bandage was old and all covered in blood.
As the mentors joined their assignees, the losses became even more pronounced. Six mentors were either dead or hospitalized, and those partnered with the escapees of Districts One and Two had no tributes at their tables and therefore no reason to show up.
Seemed like nothing could happen from the alliance.
Livia Cardew had yapped about the turn of events, demanding new tributes be brought from the districts, or at least that she would be given Reaper, the boy assigned to Clemensia. Her wishes had not been accommodated, and Reaper sat alone at his table, a bandage stained with rusty dried blood wrapped around his head. Same as Mizzen's hand.
Anemone took the seat in front of the District Four boy. "How are you?" She asked, her voice a little cracked and forced.
"I'm fine," said Mizzen. Although his expression was rather devastated, his voice seemed to be fine. "Coral covered me during the bombing."
"And your hand?" asked Anemone. "I fell on a spike or something," said Mizzen, scrunching his nose at the memory.
Anemone sighed, but took the food from her bag, put it on the table, and slid it to Mizzen. "Thank you." The boy forced a small smile, which Anemone appreciated. Good to know he was smiling.
"Do you need some new bandages?" asked the girl, nodding at his hand. "No," Mizzen shook his head, but after seeing Anemone's face, he changed his mind, saying he might've needed fresh ones.
"I remember when I was ten and jumping off a bridge," said Mizzen. "I accidentally cut deep my leg."
Anemone smacked her lips, staring at the boy in awe. "What happened?"
"My siblings took me out of the water and ran for the medics, who were not so close to us. My sister tried to stop the bleeding, but she sang me a song." Mizzen declared. Seeing Anemone's questionable expression, he started singing the song.
"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, and here it's warm. Here the daisies guard you from every harm. 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 green, a moonbeam ray. Forget your woes, and let your troubles lay. And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.
Here it's safe, and here it's warm. Here the daisies guard you from every harm. Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true. Here is the place where I love you."
Anemone couldn't help but smile. Not that it was only Mizzen's voice - it was the sense of nostalgia that crashed on her like a strong wave of the ocean. It brought some sense of comfort Anemone needed to feel.
"Alright, time to split up!"
"When I will see you again?" asked Mizzen. "I don't know. Probably soon." Anemone said in a rush as the Peacekeepers approached them.
"See you soon, Starfish." She sighed. "Bye, the best mentor." Mizzen huffed, before the Peacekeepers dragged him away, leaving Anemone sat still with a smile on her face.
The brief meeting ended with Professor Sickle ordering the mentors back to the high biology lab. The able-bodied mentors of the dead and missing tributes, including Livia and Sejanus, already sat at the lab tables, watching Dr. Gaul drop carrots into the rabbit's cage.
"Hippity, hoppity, carrot or stick? Everyone's dying and you're..."
₊• ↳ a/n Such a bad chapter, I am SO sorry guys😭 I'm on vacation so I don't have much time:(
