Quality Company [Teddy and Friends | Day 1]

There’s still oxygen in my lunges.

My heart still beats.

Not a single drop of blood.

Here I am, alone in this forest like area…with my life. All I could do was run. Run from the fists of the two girls that came hurling towards me, raised hands pushed their attacks away and I fled. Bang! Bang! Two cannons but neither attached my name. It is madness how I survived the fiasco. My brother stayed until the end, I fled once the countdown ended and now I am alone with just the clothes on my back.

What now?

I struggle to keep my footing as the descent to the wooded area becomes steeper, breaking my neck while walking isn’t my plan so I drop to my backside and slide the rest of the way down. I land in the canopied area, leaves masking the light that tries to penetrate down to the ground. Back on my feet, my unplanned wandering begins. There’s eyes on me everywhere, mutts camouflaged into the scenery ready for their master’s call to pounce and the masters themselves, tucked up safely in a room with a glass of champagne in their right hand.

And of course, back home.

I hope he is worried. I bet he thought it was going to be over so quickly. ”Here I am Rodney, alive and well!” Cameras may not be on me, it is obvious with the number three next to my name that I am not going to be the exciting aspect of the gamemakers narrative but Rodney needs to see the truth. I hope there is sweat across his brow; shaking feet in his boots, momma and pops are going to get the truth one way or another. Be it my last breath or the miracle of me returning home, they will learn of the murderer that they brought up.

"I want you dead, lil' brother." And I thought slapping Rodrick as way to say goodbye in the justice building was bad.

A ringing noise sends me to find salvation behind one of the wooden fortresses but where my ears sound panic, my eyes watch the parachute drop to the ground, a bundle of gifts attached to it. A ten written on the packages, ”Who in their right minds sponsored me?”

The first package, a coconut disguised as a bag, inside an empty canteen, medical supplies, a flint and…what the fuck is that? A stuffed animal, the animal in question, something that I have never seen before in District Ten. ”Is this a squished cow?” Whatever the use of this is, I just stuff it back into the bag and venture through the other packages.

A weapon, a sword, so someone wants to see me fight despite the lack of me showing the non-existent skills. There is a fool in the Capitol who has just wasted a lot of money. And again, they provide me with more useless items, two large balls…”How am I meant to move all of this?”

There is just one more thing, a mechanical looking object with a leather strap and a button…click, a flash ignites from a part of the device directed straight into my eyes. An orchestra of sounds from within it are conducted until a piece of paper is spat out from underneath. A picture of half a close up of my face, oh so someone wants me to take photographs…fine then. I gather up all the belongings, sword in the sheath provided, camera around my neck and bag over my shoulder. I push each ball besides me; I will come up with some bizarre use for them.

It is not long before I am met by the another but I am not struck by fear, instead, I am compelled to the scene of madness unfolding.

It is the District Six; he too must have been blessed by gifts but to an extent. A stuffed animal like my own but far greater, rests near him, he’ll have fun carrying that.

The male speaks but not to me, there are no other tributes here…a mutt. A small bear looking mutt, it’s appearance welcoming but with what goes on in the Capitol’s minds, I am sure it is a trap. I am going to watch this boy be swallowed up by a little brown bear thing, great.

But my wish is not granted, instead he pursues it further, talking of being travelling buddies and best friends, I know tributes lose their minds in the arena, but this early?

I roll my balls closer to the male and all I can do is watch, my head shakes with every action that he makes. ”What is all this?” A gigantic stuffed animal and small living animal, creature comforts that are not needed in a time like this. ”Are ya mad or what? This is just madness really, are ya on drugs or something?”

It is always reflected into the games the over the top quirkiness of the Capitol, that I will never grasp. The original score was to kill the innocence but time as adapted this kind of madness into it. Oversized stuffed animals, mutations that were once deadly, now friends of the tributes; these ever changing adaptations are they going to be the cause that puts an end to all the death? Well that theory is too early for me, years, it will be years; I may as well relish in this obscurity, it is out of the ordinary, away from the ever predictable life back home.

I suppose I used to befriend animals back home, a little furry creature to keep me as company will not do much harm, if this District Six has acquired one so easily, nothing says I cannot. There is one creeping in the tree, not far from reach. As long as I am sly, I will make it my friend.

Another voice breaks the conversation as Teddy explains how he accumulated the peculiar items, the District Seven male, the one Wendall warned me about. But must I believe a bully’s words? Should I unleash the sword that I lack any ability to use on a male who could strike me down, like a leaf in the wind?

Before I am even able to plant my hand onto the weapon’s handle, a female’s voice breaks the action. A well-spoken girl, with manners unlikely to be found back home, only the Capitol rears such people who care about how they talk. Introductions follow, and a name I doubt I will be able to pronounce is revealed, despite it falling from her own lips.

Retoreek…

….Andaplosis…

…Rehtoreck…

….Antrotopolis?

I’ll just call her Eight.

Teddy follows with his own name and well, the four of us are here, instead of attacks being thrown at each other; it is just our names being shared. Is this how allies are made?

”Rory, that’s all. We gonna be allies then or what? Game law says we should attack but we’ve been stood here what? Five minutes? And we all seem unhurt so yeah, let’s just work together.”