《Silence Hayley anderton》Chapter Seven
Advertisement
I have to say, dinner was definitely not a disappointment. I tried a bit of everything, figuring I would never have the chance again. A steaming pot of stew was served with fresh white bread with a thick crust. Then came a huge lobster served on noodles. Pieces of chicken soaked in creamy orange sauce and potatoes. For dessert, there was a spicy fruit cake with cream and a selection of ripe, colourful fruits. Dinner was also surprisingly civilised. Not much was said, but Drew kept his thoughts to himself, and so kept the peace. I sat beside Valeria and we spoke a little about Eddie and battle strategies. She suggested that I watched some replays of previous Games, so after dinner I bid the others goodnight and settled in the television room. I decided to watch the ones where Drew and Valeria won. After all, they were my mentors. Valeria’s came first, and it was one I had never seen before, seeing as I hadn’t been alive at the time.
Though her reaping and chariot debut were not memorable, she stood out in her interview. After receiving a respectable score of nine in training, she proceeded to wow the Capitol with her charm, laughing at the jokes the presenter, Venus Swift made and looking beautiful despite her cow print jumpsuit. She had the same strong presence she had almost twenty five years on, and her red hair fell in curls on her shoulders.
I fast forwarded to when the Games began. The arena was mostly made up of rocky mountains, and anyone could see how dangerous a place it could be. One slip up and you’d be skewered on a jagged rock. Valeria didn’t seem fazed though. She got caught up in the battle at the Cornocopia, but after killing several kids attacking her, the others realised she was a tough opponent, and this allowed her to escape into a cave with a bounty of food and weapons. There was a small amount of soft ground in one of the caves she camped in, and so she dug a ditch in front of the cave and a wall in front of the mouth to protect her. She only left her spot again when it got to the final three. The other two were still working as a team, boys from Districts 3 and 1. Somehow, they had stuck together, and hadn’t turned on each other. They tried to defeat Valeria together, but it was quickly clear that it was futile. The battle lasted less than half an hour and Valeria was crowned victor.
Advertisement
I felt nervous as I pressed play on Drew’s tape. I had seen it before, but something made me scared of what I was about to see. It had been a horrible Games. It was set in an abandoned city, and it reminded me of the destroyed images of District 13. I spotted Drew straight away, frowning ahead at the Cornocopia, obviously trying to figure out what to do. When the gong sounds, he runs speedily to the Cornocopia, grabs a rucksack and a small bag of apples. However, around ten minutes after the bloodbath finishes and the Careers had headed off, he remerged from behind a building. Grinning, like a young boy, he ran back to the Cornocopia and looked through all the goods the Careers had left behind. There was all the food that they had turned their noses up at, plus a couple of knives and shields. He had been very lucky. And so, he made himself at home inside the Cornocopia. During the days, he watched out for tributes, and hid behind a table when he spotted any. Some days, he ventured out and found toys in the wreckages of the buildings, and the smile on his face when he played with a yoyo brought tears to my eyes. He had quite good sponsors, obviously as moved by the young boy as I was. I couldn’t believe the mess of a man that I had just met was the same boy who looked so carefree in the tape.
Then things began to change. They were down to the last eleven tributes, when Drew’s hiding place was ambushed. The tributes from District 2 attacked together, and Drew was overwhelmed. Then, from out of nowhere, the young girl from District 6 appeared and smashed the skulls of both of them with a hammer. They were dead before they could react. The girl turned to face Drew and smiled. She was pretty, with long blonde hair to her thighs, and you would never have guessed she was a ruthless killer. To her belt, she had three different knifes attached, plus a spare hammer. Unsurprisingly, Drew looked terrified.
“Hey. No need to look so scared. I’m not going to hurt you,” she said. “My name is Lucia.”
Advertisement
Drew stood up and shook her hand cautiously “I’m Drew. Do you…want to be allies? I have lots of food.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Over the next few days, I could see a great friendship blossoming. Every time Lucia smiled, I swear I could see Drew shining like a star. They made easy conversation about their homes, and no one would have thought they were in an arena trying to kill each other. On the third night of their alliance, when they were in the final six tributes, Lucia offered to share her sleeping bag with Drew. He crawled in next to her and she snuggled into him and fell asleep. When they woke the next morning, Lucia whispered “You’re my best friend, Drew. And you always will be. But we have to part now. It’s better this way.”
She laid a kiss on his curly hair and left. She took nothing with her, except Drew’s heart. It was clear he loved her, and without her, he was nothing. The day she died, he sat for hours and did nothing. When her face flashed in the sky, he went looking for her, calling her name. He was attacked by a tribute, and he stabbed her without a seconds thought. Only then did he cry, and when he cried, I found myself wiping my cheeks frantically to blot my steady flow of tears. I made myself watch until the very end. The tears had passed and the anger arrived. Drew’s final opponent lay on the ground, unconscious. Drew lifted Lucia’s hammer in the air and smashed the girl’s head repeatedly. On and on, he didn’t stop, not even when the cannon fired. Someone had to drag him away from the body. He was victor, but in the end he hadn’t won. He had lost everything.
“Enjoying the show?”
I whipped my head around. Drew. He looked emotionless, but I knew better.
“Of course not. I’m training,” I sniffed.
“Yeah, yeah. You’re worse than the Capitol people. Crying like that, as though you know me. As though you know what I went through, losing Lucia.”
“As it happens, I do. My brother. Last year. You would have mentored him,” I snapped. Drew looked surprised.
“Jonah? He was your brother?”
“Yes he was. So don’t you dare judge me. Don’t you dare. Maybe if you had been a better mentor, he’d still be alive. You only think of yourself” I snarled.
Drew looked at me nervously. It was the first time I had seen him feel the consequences of his actions “Raven, I’m sorry.”
I turned away so he couldn’t see my tears “Yeah? Well so am I.”
I sat in silence for a minute, thinking he had left, but he surprised me and came and sat beside me. He pulled his knees up to his chin, and I was reminded of the boy I saw in the Games. Lost and alone.
“You know, I wasn’t always this way. I used to be a nice guy…or so I like to think,” he said, laughing with no humour “I wish I’d died in that arena. It’s easier to die than live with the pain. It’s a lose lose game. What does winning mean if you have to live with your actions?”
I nodded, but said nothing.
“My parents don’t want to know me now. They think I’m mad. Messed up. Wouldn’t it be so much better if Lucia had lived?”
“I can see why you think that.”
“Have you ever been in love? Oh…of course. Edward.”
I shuffled uncomfortably “Uhh…yeah.”
“You’re not fooling anyone.”
I laughed “As long as I convince Valeria, I’m not bothered.”
“She’d kill you if she knew.”
“Literally.”
And at that moment, I saw Drew smile for the first time. Properly. And I smiled back. Then he left and I allowed myself a moment of satisfaction. Drew had opened up to me, and I was a step further to befriending him.
Advertisement
- In Serial71 Chapters
Re:The Worst System Leveling Turned Me Into A Zombie
Before I reached Lvl. 100, they called me Death God Hei. But when I broke the limit, the System punished me. It cursed me to become this monster. I woke up as a Lvl. 0 again. Dying only brings me back to a save point now. But I don't go back until I die twice. First I suffer as a human, then I hunger as a zombie. The worst part is...I still have to watch when that thing takes over my corpse. I call it the Gray. I can't do anything even when it's hunting down those I'm trying to save. Sometimes, I wonder. When I level, I swear I can hear a voice speaking to me. This thing...can it think? It's like Re:zero crossed with SAO, Solo Leveling, and Tokyo Ghoul Re:The Worst System is a dark, 1st person timeloop story where the main character is slowly driven insane by his ability to respawn at a save point. However, each time he levels, there's a possibility that the next time he dies, the zombie inside him will become too powerful for anyone to stop. So he has to level up a harem...ahem, others, to fight for him against the System. Oftentimes, Hei will get trapped in repeating death loops which are truly terrifying. You've been warned...please don't read if you're not willing to see the darkness all the way through. The light on the other side may be a long ways away...I'll be trying to post on Thurs/Sundays, but honestly, depending on how I'm feeling, chapters could come out at some wonky times. If you want to support the story, read ahead, or bribe me to write more, I'd appreciate you checking out my Patreon, but this story will be updated frequently for free anyways. Come chat about the story with other Hunters: https://discord.gg/BUhQ23qw Cover licensed under Creative Commons 2.0 from https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/35083407110/in/album-72157682306838123/
8 214 - In Serial22 Chapters
Man of Earth
Magic is a terrifying force. Logic itself is subject to this energy, which is (logically speaking) impossible for us to comprehend. Every universe requires some version of magic to exist. That is, all but one. Our world functiouns based on a powerful and intricate net of laws that act independently from magical interference. The most notable of these is the human brain, which is capable of even more than its creator had thought possible. Naturally, this prompted the question: "How would a human fare in a world of magic?" Soon, there was a bet. Next, a human was selected. Finally, an odd young man with a strange black hat was introduced to his new world, and all restraints were removed.
8 73 - In Serial12 Chapters
The Legends of Granis Book 1: The Evergreen Forest
Granis, a world full of mysteries and legends. A world where seven realms have been bound together and adventurers travel abound to find adenture, glory, riches, and many more. Of all the legends that tie this world together, there are two that are most prominant. The tale of seven fallen stars and a lost kingdom, these tales are as old as Granis itself and many write them off as children's stories. A foolish tale for foolish people. Though, of all the guilds that dot Granis and its kingdoms, there is one that holds these legends as true. The Blue Star Guild seeks the truth to these stories and refuse to let anyone dissuade them, for in the words of their master: "The most foolish of tales, make for the greatest of adventures" Image supplied by Shutterstock
8 182 - In Serial11 Chapters
The Hand of Sigmar. A Warhammer Fiction.
Adebar von Bolstedt was a normal young Aristocrat once. Third son of the middling von Bolstedt line of Altdorf, capital of the prestigious Empire at the heart of the Old World, but when a quarrel with his brother escalates he decides to leave his pampered home, and soon finds himself stranded in the countryside. When confronted about his presence he claims to be led by the God-King Sigmar, but with the name of the Protector of Mankind come his responsiblities. Soon Adebar finds himself tasked with ridding a town of a mad killer, and settling some lethal family quarrels.Word from the AuthorGreetings! The Hand of Sigmar plays out in the much beloved Warhammer Fantasy setting (owned, of course, by Games Workshop). Do not fret, however, as I've made it a point to make the story digestible even to the uninitiated, and maybe even be a good introduction to the setting. This work will be shorter overall, partly because its born out of a sudden passion, partly because I thought I'd try my hand at a more comfortable story than the grim darkness of the 41st Millenium (psychotic murderer and fraudulent holyman included). Depending on how this does and my time allows more adventures may be coming.While I cannot claim the places, concepts and gods etc. mentioned within as my own, the story and all characters flowed from my own fingers.
8 101 - In Serial9 Chapters
Gravity
Emery was once at the very top, looking down on all others. Her ?power? was incomparable. Those weaker than her could only kneel before her. But three years ago, a certain incident pushed her from the peak, leaving her abandoned and forgotten. Now a chance presents itself for Emery to rise to the top once again. Will she seize this chance, or will she remain at the bottom?
8 65 - In Serial7 Chapters
A Story That You Wouldn't Want To Read +
You have read stories, any kind of stories, The Uncommon and the Common, The Popular and The Unpopular, The Interesting and the Uninteresting, The Good and the Bad. Well If one would have to choose which one to write it will always be the first to be mentioned but what would unfold before you if you decide it - will be the latter! Because is nothing more extraordinary than telling what is ordinary! P.S. That's just the author rambling about something, something to draw some readers to read a Story that you wouldn't even want to read. Regarding the pace of how I pass new chapters. Won't be doing for a while
8 68