How precious you were // Diamond oneshot

Diamond Millison

She promised.

Sensitive children never break things, not even abstract concepts. A promise from Diamond meant little in most contexts, but a promise from Pearl meant sitting in front of the television every day to hear the latest updates from Caesar Flickerman. Everything checked out so far – her appearance in the tribute parade, her training score, her interview, her connections with The Capitol. Pearl was trying with every fiber of her being, just like she promised. But Diamond knew that it wasn’t only a promise fueling her fire. Their mother was with her, heckling her every second of her life. Of course her tribute parade outfit was flawless; Ruby knew what colors, shoes, and jewelry made her daughter look elegant. Of course her training score was high; Ruby would never accept anything below a 9, and Pearl would hate to be disowned before the Games even started.

And of course her interview went well; Ruby forced her to rehearse it. No doubt Pearl had to repeat her answers over and over again under her mother’s scrutinizing gaze until she could say them with a genuine smile. It was no wonder she could captivate an audience. She was trained by the best.

And by best, she meant the worst.

Pearl had never conformed to their mother’s ways before The Reaping, and she wasn’t going to start now. That was the worrying part. This performance was all robotics. It was all manipulated by their mothers’ hand, and its purpose was necessary. If Pearl wanted sponsors, she had to make The Capitol fall in love with her. It wasn’t difficult; she was a District One tribute with a cute face and a victor for a mother, and Capitolites were a sucker for bashful smiles and blushing cheeks. The money wouldn’t be an issue. The real issue would emerge within the boundaries in the arena, where Pearl would be alone and deprived of her mother’s influence. Naturally, Pearl was not aggressive or confident. She was not a shining star. She was the shadow of a star, fading with every sunset that pulled them closer to the commencement of the Games.

Shadows couldn’t thrive in the dark.

Diamond’s outrage was evident the moment she realized the cameras were using night vision. The harsh green shade made her squint. Caesar announced the rising of the tributes and the first tick of the countdown. Pearl’s face appeared for a split second, panicked and tear-streaked.

Diamond slammed her fist into the sofa cushion. The chances of survival had plummeted. Pearl was literally blind. Someone could skewer her without even knowing who she was.

She needed a miracle.

It was different to look at something familiar with a new perspective. Diamond never held any regard for tributes in the Games. Everything she saw was confined to her television screen. Save for the victor – whom she would see in person – everything was impersonal. It was more of a Game than anything. It was a yearly routine, like her birthday. Every year she would throw a festive party, and everyone was invited. It was predictable. Bloodbaths were just was expected and just as predictable.

She tried to imagine a birthday without Pearl. She was always the one who reminded Diamond of the time. She would tap her shoulder and say ”I think it’s time for cake,” or ”Diamond, you should open presents now.” What a strange party that would be.

What a strange thing it was now to be biting nails over a Bloodbath.

There was a fire at the Cornucopia to light their path. She watched anxiously – her father a statue beside her – as the crowd rapidly dispersed and left her sister unscathed. The tension in her muscles was too thick to allow any relief. It felt too good to be true.

A girl was crawling feebly away from the strays – one of those strays being Pearl. Diamond had forgotten all about alliances. Was this redhead girl supposed to be an ally? The one screaming at her to ”Do it.”? Part of her wanted to slap that girl upside the head for bullying her sister into violence. Another part agreed with her. The rest wanted the redhead to do it instead. She was the one with the sword, she should be the one to execute. Nobody should order Pearl around like that.

Caesar’s voice was like thunder in the background. Ryin Sileece’s cannon marked the “first career kill” of the Games, but Diamond shook her head. Pearl didn’t kill anybody. One blow to the head didn’t murder that girl – she was dead to begin with. She would’ve bled out within minutes. Pearl was just the last one to strike, and with a blunt force. She wasn’t strong enough to kill a girl in one crack.

She tried to analyze Pearl’s alliance and sort the advantages from the disadvantages. One advantage was Asa Reau, a fellow career tribute. Diamond was surprised that she had managed to arrange a partnership with another career; she was often timid around the ones in District One. The disadvantage to this was the potential occurrence of vicious backstabbing, and another was the boy’s evident protectiveness over Barnabas. Barnabas was also a disadvantage, but she could see why Pearl was okay with him. He might’ve been a package deal with Asa, or perhaps it was simply because she could see herself in him. Superficially, they were similar in nature. Maybe that was exactly what Pearl needed.

She didn’t know what to think of the domineering Patricia Valfierno. She was no career, but she had already killed and practically taken charge of the situation. She had an obvious influence over Pearl, and she could see it in the way she followed her around and sought her out for answers. Diamond didn’t trust it. The alliance – like most – was split in half. Asa and Barnabas slept snugly together the first two nights, like they expected to become a married couple within the next few days. Meanwhile, Pearl was left to console with Patricia. Diamond didn’t trust or admire her. Pearl was receiving the short end of the stick.

One of them was going to kill her.

It sucked watching her sister cry constantly. It sucked listening to Caesar call it “an unexpected turn of events.” Pearl backing into corners and screaming at every drop of blood would not amuse the Capitol, but it was too late to withdraw investments. She already had her sponsored sword and medical kit. People were in an uproar about it, whether they were supportive of her humanity or disgusted by her cowardice. Diamond rolled her eyes at all of them. She knew her sister better than anyone, and all of this was bound to happen. Pearl was a sensitive soul.

Everything went to shit when they lost Asa to the winding tunnels. A television was always on in the Millison household, but Diamond dreaded to glance at them in fear of learning that her sister’s demise had happened overnight. The last thing she wanted to do was discover it from Caesar, who was always chipper about the latest news. With her only career connection gone, Pearl’s chances had reached an all-time low.

Barnabas and Asa died on same day. They dramatized the moment Pearl plunged her sword into Blaire, and the tears that fell for Barnabas afterward. It hurt to see her sister sobbing over someone she considered a friend, but Diamond was more concerned about the enormous beast in pursuit of her. Caesar called it the “Rancor”. Her nails practically ripped into the couch as she hissed ”Run!” under her breath. No boy was worth risking her life to the claws of a mutt.

The “iconic” and “moving” conversation between Patricia and Pearl happened while Diamond was asleep, but there were plenty of recaps playing the next morning. The Capitol called it an “unforgettable friendship.” Diamond called it hopeless. Pearl was pursuing an emotional connection that wouldn’t last. Mother would be disappointed. Diamond simply shrugged; she expected this from her sister, yet it was frustrating all the same. Don’t trust that girl, don’t die for that girl. Try for me. You promised. Fortunately, they survived the feast with a few scratches until the cave-in. Pearl wasted all of her energy healing Patricia’s head wounds after that.

And then, in the middle of the night, Patricia abandoned her.

She couldn’t say she was surprised. Alliances – not even duos – rarely lasted the entirety of the Games. But after all of that emotional exchange it was a dick move to leave someone so vulnerable. This was her sister. How could someone leave an angel exposed like that?

Selfish.

Diamond could understand self-centeredness. That was what she would aim for in a Games, and that was what Pearl should’ve aimed for. But don’t pretend to care about my sister then abandon her once she falls asleep. It reminded her too much of her mother’s Games.

Diamond refused to leave the sofa. For the first time in the Games Pearl was completely alone. She had nobody to rely on, and nobody to risk her life for. She didn’t know if this was a good thing or not – until that hulking mass of a tribute appeared on-screen, hunting her oblivious sister like he was a cave lion. Every muscle in her body screamed with tension. A sharp intake of breath yanked her upright as she speechlessly gaped at what appeared to be her sister’s final moments. But they weren’t, he didn’t kill her. He burned and gashed her, but he didn’t kill her. Not yet.

Both hands cupped themselves over her glossed lips. All – even Caesar Flickerman – was silent. It was nothing but raw footage. Crusader hacked half of Pearl’s leg off, and she screamed. Diamond pressed hard enough to form an ache in her jaw.

You don’t survive with a missing limb.

”DAD!” she shouted. Pearl was scrambling for her life. Then she remembered that her dad wasn’t home. He was making business arrangements. Who was going to tell him?

His sword punctured Pearl's torso from back to front. Her expression of terror and agony engulfed the screen. A noise escaped Diamond’s throat, incoherent and pained like that of a dying animal. They ended the shot with the fading of Pearl’s bleeding body on the ground, and transitioned to Caesar as a cannon fired in the background.

Eyes burning, Diamond muted the television and clenched the sides of her head.

It wasn’t surprising.

It wasn’t surprising.

But it was still agony.