The good die young {Leticia's DP}

Speaks Thinks Lucas speaks Luke speaks Marcus speaks A stranger in the graveyard speaks BANG Other



The boy Leticia attacked laughed, turning to her. But she knew that she hurt him. The laugh didn't sound very natural and seemed to be more like a growl in which pain, anger and contempt came together.


"Darling, your district partner attacked us first, in case you didn't notice. What do you expect me to do? Simply roll over and let him kill me? Sorry, but no can do."

Gentian's face popped up in the girl's memory. That time, he attacked Riven without a reason. This time she was the bully. Her face changed for a moment and she took a step back. It was too late to run. She didn't know what was going to happen next, but decided not to attack anymore unless someone tried to hurt her. One limp backwards. Her mouth almost opened to blurt out a gloomy "Sorry, I didn't know. But if you touch him you'll regret it."...

"If I were you, my dear, I'd rethink my life choices."

A loud crack broke the silence and a sharp needle of pain pierced her body once more. Both the sound and the feeling were way too familiar. The boy's weapon hit her hand, ripping one of her improvised gloves, made of cute cat ears. "Damn," - Leticia thought as she gasped quietly and limped back again. Three broken bones. An aching leg. The axe fell out of her right hand and she grabbed it with her other hand quickly. The girl felt more than thankful to her everyday gymnastics exercises at the moment, because she knew that even with a weapon in her left hand she still had a fair chance. Her muscles wouldn't let her down. She felt pain and anger all over again.

"He wouldn't have done it if you kept your damn distance. Leave us alone." She snapped at Lucas through gritted teeth, trying to jump back once more.

However, when she looked around her and saw another girl attacking Seth, she realised that this was a battle that couldn't be won. One eighteen year old daydreamer and two kids, one of them all broken and bruised, stood no chance against the three. This was the moment when she knew they were doomed.

Leticia's eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of her feet and she let out a nervous giggle. The girl almost forgot that she used her tuxedo and jacket to make herself a pair of shoes. Only now it crossed her mind that except for the black leather pants and the "boots" she was only wearing a glamorous jewel encrusted corset. "Damn... Should have thought about that earlier... Who cares, though? Everyone around is wearing crazy stuff, they won't even notice." 

Riven appeared out of nowhere and lunged at a district eight girl. The guy Leticia's ally killed the other day must have been this tribute's relative. But this time the girls weren't on the winning side and seeing another Hope's dead body was not very likely.

"Thanks," - Leticia muttered and tightened her grip on the red axe again. She was not going to back off now, when her ally was fighting by her side. "And thanks for saving my life in the Bloodbath, by the way..." - she continued, raising her weapon again and making a step forward. She didn't have any intention of leaving this world with any kind of unfinished business on her shoulders, - "I never really got a chance to thank..."

Something hard and cold hit her in the chest, tearing the thin fabric of the corset. This was the end. And there was so much she still had to do. She couldn't be of any help to her friends anymore. If they didn't get away, they could get murdered in a matter of seconds.

"Riven, run..." - she yelled, but the yell came out as a hushed whisper.

The shadows were flooding her eyes and thoughts as she sank down on her knees slowly. The axe, red like the blood that was running down her body, hit the ground near her injured foot. Her hand grabbed someone's strangely tough and stone hard leg, as if she didn't want to let go.

A vision of two kids on a roof with a vintage umbrella flowed slowly through her mind. "Luke, are you sure you can do this?" 
"Don't panick, Tix, of course I can! I have my parachute!"... A motionless body of the boy on the ground...
"I am so sorry, brother..."

Three hugging figures, a mother and two sisters, saying goodbye once and for all...
"I am sorry I couldn't keep your bracelet, sis... And sorry about being such a disappointment for you so often, mom..."

A face of a drunk man she met near her father's grave when she was ten... "If your daddy knew what was about to happen to him that day, he would most certainly say "DAMMIT!"... Don't tell anyone that I said this."

A pretty girl in front of the trash pile... Camilla... "Where is she now?"

A slender figure of a blond boy in the woods... "None of your damn business... I should report you, you know... I hate Math... Your leg is injured, and I wanted to make sure it was okay... If you need any help walking... Um... My name is John... John Doe... What's your name, princess?... My name is Flossy, I am your great-grandmother..."

Marcus.

The red circles were dragging her into a hot swamp of darkness and she fell on the ground with her face down. Then everything started going blank... She tried to raise her voice once more, fighting the curtain that was falling in front of her:

"Seth... Promise you'll keep Marcus safe... Tell him he is the best jerk I ever met... Please promise you'll find Mar..."


BANG.

And the crippled body of a girl who had just turned sixteen wasn't moving anymore.