The Reckless And The Brave - Chapter 14
Pairing: Jalex, Riassadee, slight Rydon.
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: Each year, the Capitol of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to fight to the death on national TV - until Alex Gaskarth, of District 11, and Jack Barakat, of District 7, change everything.
Warning: Character death.
Disclaimer: Fictional. Title credit to All Time Low. Based on The Hunger Games.
Author's Notes: Please comment?? :)
Masterpost
"I wanted to follow the Careers and stop them from hurting people." Alex and Jack are sharing a packet for breakfast. "So after I got 5, they started following 10, but then they split up after you lit their camp on fire and..." Jack's face crumples. "He got your friend before I could get him. Fuck. Fuck. I could have saved both of your lives. I'm so sorry."
Alex wraps his arm around Jack, squeezing until the taller boy relaxes into his touch. The contact is simultaneously comforting and thrilling, but he still doesn't let his guard down. This could still be a trick.
But if Jack really wanted to kill him, why didn't he just do it after killing Jonathan?
"Joe and I had this thing where if they picked me, he'd volunteer." Alex feels the vibrations of Jack's voice against his own skin, where the taller boy's throat is pressed into his shoulder. "This year he was too old to do it."
"I'm sorry. If we're the only ones left, you can - "
"I'll kill myself." Jack straightens up, the fire returning to his eyes.
"What? No - "
"Alex, I killed two people. You deserve to win more than me."
"No one deserves this, Jack. It's not your fault."
"Yeah. Yeah, this is all the Capitol's fault." Jack's voice is defiant in spite of his sad eyes.
"Exactly." This is all the Capitol's fault. For forcing them against each other, against other innocent people, for their own entertainment. For leaving even the victors broken.
Jack suddenly points upwards, his eyes lighting up. "Hey, look - mockingjays!"
There are four of them, perching on a branch above their heads.
"All the, small things," Jack sings in Tom DeLonge's exaggerated accent. They don't respond. One of them begins to preen. "You try."
Alex shyly hesitates before singing just the notes - and all four mockingjays burst into song.
"Na na, na na, na na na na na." Alex sings the next few notes. Soon, the entire forest chimes and pipes with harmonics.
A sudden cry of pain drowns them out.
Jack is on his feet in a flash, fitting an arrow to his bow as they cut through the forest in the direction of the cries. They stop just outside a break in the trees.
There's a figure crouching in the middle of the clearing. It's Rian, the guy from District 12, his right leg caught in a trap, attempting to break the iron jaws. There's a large sledgehammer lying in the grass next to him. Two figures are approaching him, arrogant and unhurried. John draws a sword with a needle-thin blade.
The first stone comes flying out of nowhere and glances off his shoulder. He cries out in pain and drops his sword. Hayley draws a knife from her belt and throws it in the direction of the stone - and screams as another stone breaks her wrist with an incisive snap.
By this time, Rian has managed to free himself, picking up his hammer and running off into the forest. John and Hayley have only pursued him ten feet before another stone hits the tall boy in the eye, and another in the middle of his chest.
The rhythm of Rian's footfalls is unfamiliar and painful. Blood spurts from the slits in his leg where the iron fangs of the trap had pierced him to the bone. He clenches his teeth against the pain.
"Rian!"
He stops and turns his head. She's running alongside him just a few yards away. A lithe shadow, coming closer. Clearer. Holding a slingshot in one hand.
"Cassadee?"
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: Each year, the Capitol of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to fight to the death on national TV - until Alex Gaskarth, of District 11, and Jack Barakat, of District 7, change everything.
Warning: Character death.
Disclaimer: Fictional. Title credit to All Time Low. Based on The Hunger Games.
Author's Notes: Please comment?? :)
Masterpost
"I wanted to follow the Careers and stop them from hurting people." Alex and Jack are sharing a packet for breakfast. "So after I got 5, they started following 10, but then they split up after you lit their camp on fire and..." Jack's face crumples. "He got your friend before I could get him. Fuck. Fuck. I could have saved both of your lives. I'm so sorry."
Alex wraps his arm around Jack, squeezing until the taller boy relaxes into his touch. The contact is simultaneously comforting and thrilling, but he still doesn't let his guard down. This could still be a trick.
But if Jack really wanted to kill him, why didn't he just do it after killing Jonathan?
"Joe and I had this thing where if they picked me, he'd volunteer." Alex feels the vibrations of Jack's voice against his own skin, where the taller boy's throat is pressed into his shoulder. "This year he was too old to do it."
"I'm sorry. If we're the only ones left, you can - "
"I'll kill myself." Jack straightens up, the fire returning to his eyes.
"What? No - "
"Alex, I killed two people. You deserve to win more than me."
"No one deserves this, Jack. It's not your fault."
"Yeah. Yeah, this is all the Capitol's fault." Jack's voice is defiant in spite of his sad eyes.
"Exactly." This is all the Capitol's fault. For forcing them against each other, against other innocent people, for their own entertainment. For leaving even the victors broken.
Jack suddenly points upwards, his eyes lighting up. "Hey, look - mockingjays!"
There are four of them, perching on a branch above their heads.
"All the, small things," Jack sings in Tom DeLonge's exaggerated accent. They don't respond. One of them begins to preen. "You try."
Alex shyly hesitates before singing just the notes - and all four mockingjays burst into song.
"Na na, na na, na na na na na." Alex sings the next few notes. Soon, the entire forest chimes and pipes with harmonics.
A sudden cry of pain drowns them out.
Jack is on his feet in a flash, fitting an arrow to his bow as they cut through the forest in the direction of the cries. They stop just outside a break in the trees.
There's a figure crouching in the middle of the clearing. It's Rian, the guy from District 12, his right leg caught in a trap, attempting to break the iron jaws. There's a large sledgehammer lying in the grass next to him. Two figures are approaching him, arrogant and unhurried. John draws a sword with a needle-thin blade.
The first stone comes flying out of nowhere and glances off his shoulder. He cries out in pain and drops his sword. Hayley draws a knife from her belt and throws it in the direction of the stone - and screams as another stone breaks her wrist with an incisive snap.
By this time, Rian has managed to free himself, picking up his hammer and running off into the forest. John and Hayley have only pursued him ten feet before another stone hits the tall boy in the eye, and another in the middle of his chest.
The rhythm of Rian's footfalls is unfamiliar and painful. Blood spurts from the slits in his leg where the iron fangs of the trap had pierced him to the bone. He clenches his teeth against the pain.
"Rian!"
He stops and turns his head. She's running alongside him just a few yards away. A lithe shadow, coming closer. Clearer. Holding a slingshot in one hand.
"Cassadee?"