#Katniss Everdeen brings thoughts of war and desperation but Katniss Mellark brings hope for a new day | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dhampiravidi · 1 year

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[ heather ]: one of our muses is lost in the wilds, and the other is desperately searching for them. (For Cassia and Caleb- can take place whenever on the time line you want!)

That wasn't part of the plan, Caleb thought to himself as he ran through the dark, eerie landscape.

His plan had been to volunteer and then win because he really had no other option. After the war with the Rebellion, the Capitol had been reduced to rubble--not counting the few stores and residential buildings that had survived the bombings. Caleb Danvers and his mom were some of the old money refugees, who'd been relocated to District 1. Though people like them had been allowed to join the new republic and bring along a good portion of their finances (the rest was donated to the fledgling government), they were not well-off anymore. Many of the ex-Capitol residents had to learn how to work with their hands for the first time. Caleb's mother had gotten a job at a small library, but she missed some of her shifts due to her problems that stemmed from alcoholism. Caleb's father had died not long before Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won their first Hunger Games, having long suffered from some debilitating illness. Caleb himself was working two jobs (tutoring and cooking) when he wasn't checking on his friends and taking care of his mother.

Long story short, when the new government announced the final Hunger Games, one where the Tributes would be chosen from the Capitol (in addition to Districts 1 and 2, which had supported President Snow for most of the war), Caleb volunteered. He was the only one of the twenty-four Tributes who did. He hoped that winning the Games would earn him enough tessera so he and his mom could stop working so hard all the time. His mentor was one of the former trainers from the Capitol; while she wasn't great at coaching him to attract sponsors, she did help him learn to fight. Jayn, the other Tribute from the Capitol, was small, yet kind and smart. So Caleb thought he had a pretty good shot at winning. That was before Pogue and Cassia came into the picture.

Pogue was his boyfriend. That wasn't a secret before the war, but while the cameras were on, they'd decided to distance themselves to just allies. Eight people were chosen from each "District", so eventually they knew they'd have to fight each other. Still, the two young men couldn't help but steal kisses and long gazes while they were alone in their apartment (which was really just a dusty old home in the Victors' Village).

Cassia took Caleb's breath away the moment he saw her on the recording from her Reaping. She was a girl from District 2. He had always heard that everyone from that District was bulky and violent, but she was nothing but sunshine, with a fit, toned body and a nice smile. He was careful not to fall for her until the Games started. Twice, she'd saved him: once, by dueling another Tribute while Caleb was wounded, and the other time was when he'd almost eaten a poisonous plant (mistaking it for an edible one), since she'd seen it in a book prior to the Games.

Since then, Jayn had fallen behind while the four of them were running to avoid an earthquake. They'd hoped she was alive, but her face was projected into the sky that night. Pogue had died, intercepting the blade of some creepy District 2 Tribute who had been eyeing Caleb since training. Now Caleb was sprinting, trying to get to Cassia before Pogue's murderer could. He knew that he should see their separation as a sign, as a new opportunity. But he couldn't let her die, any more than he could let his mom do all the work back in their new house.

Maybe things would be better in another world. Maybe he'd see Pogue, Jayn, and his dad again.

#hunger games au #in--somnium #thanks for the ask!#sad tw

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