the southern wood, day 6

That D'Arcy had the chance to awaken that morning felt like nothing short of a miracle.

She had faith, of course, that the paper had not been designed to kill her. The list of ingredients, the apology, it all seemed too much to be a mechanic for the Gamemakers to trick the tributes into harming themselves further in an arena that had proven quite capable of doing that kind of job for them. It had been far too much of a coincidence that the marks on their bodies wouldn't wash away, that each of them seemed to be turning slowly into a statue more than a tribute. There was nothing to lose by trusting it that she couldn't have lost without it.

Still, there had been a part of her that couldn’t stop worrying throughout the night. She wasn't sure what she should expect once the elixir was inside of her. Surely there would be something? Perhaps the mark would vanish, or she'd suddenly feel the energy she had lost return to her. Instead there seemed to be… nothing. No real sign that it had worked, other than that things hadn't gotten worse. It was hard to tell, anyhow, whether it was the restless night or the lingering of whatever spell she was under that was making her feel tired this morning.

She worked quickly to gather her things (she had noticed her four-leaf clover had gone missing. Perhaps it had been Lord Froggington? She had admittedly been distracted lately and perhaps not feeding him enough. She promised the tiny frog with a kiss on the forehead that she'd be sure to find him some froggy treats later), and soon she was on Percival's back once again, ready to leave yesterday and the Throne Room far behind her.

As she looked over her overnight hideout once more she noticed them; a new kind of flower dotting the crumbling stones. The flowers she had found, used in the potion, seemed to have appeared out of nowhere in full bloom. As she stared they began to open up proudly, a shimmer of mist exiting the cocoon of petals as they unfurled. They were beautiful, but they reminded D'Arcy of the razor-sharp flowers she once had the misfortune of encountering. "C'mon Percival, let's get away from these flowers," her words met with a huff of air as Percival started his gallop towards the treeline.

Only, there seemed to be no "away" from the flowers and their mist.

Everywhere D'Arcy looked there were more and more of them, each pouring out a mist of its own that was condensing into the air, almost glowing as it obstructed her views of the horizon. It was mesmerising, enchanting. D'Arcy couldn't help but feel a bit curious about it. After all, it was just a mist, right? Not blades or stones or things that might rip and tear at her flesh. What harm could it be?

As they entered the cover of the trees she heard her name from somewhere deep in the fog. D'Arcy… D'Arcy… She brought Percival to a halt and listened again. D'Arcy… she could've sworn the voice sounded familiar to her, close to her, and yet she couldn't seem to conjure up a face or a name as to who it might be. "Hello?" D'Arcy called out, as loud as she dared to risk. She took a step toward where the voice was coming from, then another…

The fog began to clear a little, revealing a familiar clearing of flowers in front of D'Arcy's eyes, filled with daisies and periwinkle and her favourite, forget-me-nots. D'Arcy could've swore it was almost like - no, it couldn't be - could it? It looked almost uncannily like her meadow back in District Six. All of the same flowers, in the same places she had left it. It felt comforting, it felt like home.

D'Arcy, come here! I found so many good ones!

One little blonde head popped up from the flowers, looked over at D'Arcy with a great big smile, while another little figure was bent over and examining something on the ground. Two people that D'Arcy couldn't believe she was seeing, who she thought she might never get a chance to see again.

"Cecily? Evvie? Is that you? Is it really you?" The tears were welling up in D'Arcy's eyes. D'Arcy, you're silly! Cecily was giggling at her now, Come over here! We have something for you! D'Arcy was overjoyed at the sight of her sisters, just a few feet away. She turned towards Percival, "Percival, it's my sist-" only to find that she was standing alone in the fog. Strange, she only remembered taking one or two steps. Surely Percival wouldn't have wandered off, or left her behind? The fog was dense, her mind feeling a little hazy, unable to really focus on much other than the joy of seeing family again.

Oh well, she was sure she'd be able to find Percival again in no time. Her sisters were here, her meadow was here! She ran over to them, ready to give them the biggest hugs imaginable. "I can't believe it's really you guys, oh I missed you so much!" Before she could wrap little Evvie in her arms Cecily stepped in, D'Arcy, look! I made you this! In her hands there was a beautiful ring of flowers, entwined together into a circle crown. "Oh, Cecily, it's gorgeous!"

Try it on D'Arcy! Cecily giggled. Evvie hadn't noticed yet, hadn't looked up from the spot she was so intently focused on. D'Arcy nodded the go-ahead to Cecily through the happy tears, and crouched down to let her sister place the wreath on her head. It all felt too good to be true.

In fact, way too good to be true. How was this possible? How were her sisters here with her? Her mind felt as foggy as the mist around them. Was she still in the Games? Was she back at home? It felt like she was trying to wake from a dream that wouldn't let go of her.

And the second the flower crown was on her head, thorns seemed to jab into her temples.

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D'Arcy's head was pounding, as if her mind was trying to claw its way through her skull and escape. She hardly cared at all - she didn't want to focus on anything other than her sisters here with her. She was worried that if she stopped looking for too long they would vanish into the fog around them, and she'd once again be left alone in the woods. "I still don't understand, how are you here? Where are we?" Her brow furrowed. It was getting tough to think straight.

Cecily giggled. We're in the meadow silly! We're here to see you! Little Evvie nodded in agreement, grinning ear to ear. Something was still nagging D'Arcy at the back of her mind, trying to get her attention, but she pushed it away as she watched her sisters dancing around her. They didn't seem to be worried at all about where they might be, so D'Arcy wouldn't be either. She wanted to give herself into the moment, allow herself to give into this moment of bliss.

As she relaxed she felt the emotions she had fought so hard to hide throughout the games come bubbling up from their hiding place, and the tears began to fall. Her sisters wrapped themselves around her in comfort, hugging her tight as she wept and wailed. They traced gentle fingers across the shallow scars that were now engraved into her canvas of skin. She wanted to tell them all about how horrible it had been - how alone and scared she had been in the arena, the pain she endured to stay alive, what she had to do in order to survive. She wanted to stop having to be brave and tough and strong and just stay here in the meadow with her sisters forever.

Her body felt lighter as the weight she had been carrying with her poured out in each teardrop. Soon enough the tears dried up and D'Arcy felt truly happy. She was in paradise, crouched back in her field with her sisters, picking the prickly flowers. Every few minutes one of her sisters was there with a set of flowers in hand, woven into a sash, a necklace, a wreath for her to wear. You're so pretty, D'Arcy! Look what I found, D'Arcy! Some of the flowers were her favourites from the meadow she knew so well. Others were exotic plants she had only ever seen when training for the Games - brilliant pinks, royal blues, colours across the rainbow that dazzled in their beauty.

"Princess D'Arcy!"

Another voice echoed from farther on, somewhere in the fog that still surrounded the meadow. It was not the voice of either of her sisters, but one she still recognized from a memory that started to feel more like a dream. "Georgie? Is that you?" Her heart lifted a bit - she was sure it had been Georgie's voice that had called out to her, the other princess of the Games' realm. The girl who had stepped in to be her big sister in a world she had been otherwise forced to face alone. Georgie was still alive, somewhere close by. She excitedly turned back to her sisters. "That's Georgie's voice, she's from Six too!" They had barely reacted to the news, still full of smiles as they continued picking flowers. "Where are you, Georgie?"

"Sister, who do you speak to? I am here, come to me!"

"Sister, I’m coming!" D'Arcy jumped to her feet, started running in the direction of Georgie's voice. "You won't believe it, my little sisters, they're here! I want you to meet them!" It was a wonderful idea, her new big sister together with her little sisters, all picking flowers in the meadow together. D'Arcy ignored Cecily and Evvie as they cried out, D'Arcy come back! Where are you going? She knew they wouldn't understand until they saw Georgie, got to know her like D'Arcy had.

The fog was a bit thicker now, the world a bit less clear around her, but near the ground she could make out the shape of a girl lying down. "Georgie, I'm almost there!" She pulls out her new lantern, a spoil from her battle at the Throne Room, hoping its light might help clear the foggy path separating her from her fellow princess.

Just a few more steps to take until she'd be able to have all her sisters together for the very first time. She just wished her head would stop hurting so much.

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