Princess, Hold Your Head High [day 3, Bella v zombie mutt]

Bella woke up to the music that told her that death was upon her. The anthem played loudly, like it was meant to warn them about what was to come. She left her igloo for a moment, not too cold for once, but she was still thinking way too much about how much she needed to make a fire soon.

She knew that she would get there soon. She just needed to get through the night.

And the Anthem.

She saw it play in the sky and her mouth fell open for a moment when she saw the face of Demelza Shim show up first. She didn’t know how, but she knew about the Shims and how they hadn’t had luck in the games for years. Last year, Atlas Shim was cut down by the girl from Eleven, and I do remember people being sad about it. Not as sad as Kraygon Truus being cut down by the career from one, but still, it was something that Bella thought about as the face disappeared in the night sky.

Then one of the twelve years olds appeared on the screen. District Six’s Vesper Daisy, another person that she did not know personally. She tried to think if she even remember what she looked like, even though she just saw a picture of her plastered in black. She wondered who killed her, hoping that her death was somewhat merciful. She didn’t know what was going on anymore, and she wondered where everyone was right now. She wondered if they were warm. Or alone. Like she was.

She blinked for a moment, and then her mouth dropped, ”No…” She said to herself as she watched C’rizz’s face appear in the sky. C’rizz was the one person that she never understood, but in the best way possible. She didn’t want to see him go, but she knew that was the way of the games. She hoped that he found his peace and that his death was as beautiful as the person that she met in the training center. His cousin the year before had a strong run, getting struck down by a mutt in the feast. He was interesting, but he seemed like he had a kind soul, or that is what Bella thought. She watched his face disappear into the sky, and with that, the Anthem was complete.

Three more souls lost in this hell.

Bella just hoped that they could all find their peace.

---

The morning came, and she was cold, and still alone. However, she couldn’t focus on that right now. She knew that she needed to be strong if she was going to last longer than people thought she was. She could feel the embroidered ten on her back stick to her skin and the cut on her hand felt like ice. She sighed, peering her head out of her enclosure and realizing that she was lucky.

She was alone.

And even though she hated it, she was happy that she was still alive.

She took a deep breath and grabbed her bag that she was now using as a pillow. She looked inside to make sure that everything was there, and when she realized that it was, she exited her igloo and crushed it, making sure that no one would know that she was here. After all, leaving a trail meant that she could be tracked, and the last thing that she wanted was give someone a reason to come find her.

So she made her way out and walked away from her spot. It was still early enough to assume that other tributes weren’t awake, but not too early to travel, and Bella needed to get somewhere that had some firewood. A fire would make all of this more bearable in Bella’s mind, and her hands felt like ice at this point.

So she moved in the snow, as quick as she could.

---

And then she found herself in a woodland area, covered with trees. It felt warmer here to Bella, like someone was here already. That’s when she noticed the blood splattered around many pieces of wood. She took a second to observe it closer, but then a snap behind her made her head snap back. When she saw nothing there, she stood from the spot, holding her spear close to her.

She had to be vigilant, or she was sure that she would end up like the three souls she watched drift away in the night sky.

She walked around for a couple minutes, the snow crumbling under her feet. She was looking for something, anything that would get her what she wanted the most. As much as she hated fire, she knew that she needed one in order to make it through the arena. Soon enough, she would die of hypothermia if she didn’t find some way to keep warm.

That’s when she noticed the smell of something putrid.

She looked around, confused for a moment. She thought that the game makers were good about removing tributes from the days end to make sure the mystery of where they went remained.

That’s when she noticed that she wasn’t alone.

---

Bella thought about who Luxa Pellote was. She was a career from district four who was as vicious as they came. Bella didn’t want to admit that she watched those games, but she was so enthralled with the people that were in them. Adelaide Theros, Emberely Lowe, and Raquel Izar were all people that she secretly idolized while she watched each one of them perish day by day.

The end of the games was the hardest, but she watched as Teddy Ursa struck Lux down in a glorious finale that she could remember so well.

Lux was known for her ruthlessness, and that was something that Bella wished she could mimic. The hollowness of her emotions were something that Bella was perplexed by. She found it fascinating, and she wondered if she would ever be like that one day. If she didn’t get out of here alive, she would never know.

---

So when Bella saw her standing in front of her, she nearly screamed. However, she told herself not too. It wasn’t worth it. Not for giving up her location.

She looked at Lux and wondered how they kept her preserved this whole time. It had been over two years since she died.

Bella wanted to kick herself. She didn’t need to think about it because she shouldn’t be surprised. The Capitol was known to do anything to put on a good show.

And that included exploiting the sadness of the people who cared for the fallen.

”You’re Luxa Pelotte right?” She said, holding her spear close to her as she needed to be ready for anything. She could tell that this wasn’t something cordial. No. This was going to be a fight.

Bella thought about how sick the Capitol was for such a thing.

However, she wasn’t going to let that stop her.

”Y’know, I admired you in your games.” She said to her, holding out her spear, getting ready for an attack.

”Maybe you can tell me your story. Tell me about your peace Lux.” Bella said to her, remembering the words of Teddy as he stood over her once dead body.

However, now, she was standing right in front of Bella, and she looked like she was ready to draw blood.

So before she could try to get a swing in, she struck.