Chapter Text
The final days leading up to the final day was pure torture for Spider. The training was amped up and much harder than it started. He wasn't necessarily complaining, but it just made his body extremely sore and tired. While he trained with Ravyn and Lo'ak, he would continuously catch Neteyam watching him from behind the glass where the previous victors are free to watch the new tributes train. He wasn't the only one either, he even caught Kiri watching him at times. He even caught those other three kids that Neteyam called over to watch him the first time he caught him. He's not really looking forward to ever meeting them. He probably won't ever meet them; he'll most likely die in the games.
He wishes he could know what it was that Neteyam was thinking as he stared at him. He doesn't know if it's good or bad. But Neteyam has been quite friendly with him, so he doesn't think it's anything bad. He hopes so.
Spider and Lo'ak have also grown significantly closer over the last remaining days. He knows it's only going to hurt more for Lo'ak when he has to die in the games. Their friendship and alliance that is growing stronger as the days pass will only make this situation more difficult. But Spider made a promise, and he was going to fulfill that promise in the very end. He hopes Lo'ak won't miss him too much.
Today was the day where each Tribute is to be interviewed by this year's Hunger Games host. Spider can't remember the guy's name, not that he really cares, though. He'll know it once he's watching the interviews before his own himself. Spider was very much dreading this interview that will be broadcasted to the entirety of Pandora. Capitol civilians will be in the audience watching them in live action. That just makes things all the better, sarcasm very evident in this thought.
The Tributes have to interact with the crowd and put on an interesting show even if it is in a short amount of time. Spider is internally panicking about the interacting with the crowd part. He doesn't know how to please people or how to make others like him. He's never cared enough to do such a thing. But things were obviously different here in the Capitol. He is just simply going to be his own self. He won't put on a show as he does not know how. He's not made for that kind of stuff.
In this moment, he sits in a styling chair with multiple stylists around him. Ravyn sits a few feet away in the same situation. He had different people doing different things to him. One was applying subtle makeup to match his suit, which was very beautiful if Spider says so himself. It had licks of fake flames on the bottom of the coat and a long train that loomed on the floor as he walked. It looked tremendously different than what he was used to, but it didn't look bad at all. It looked nice.
Disregarding that piece of information, he also has multiple people styling his hair in some way he doesn't understand. This is why he only trusts Ravyn to touch his hair. These Capitol people don't even know how to style hair. He would much rather settle for a few braids as opposed to whatever they were doing. He just hopes they don't make him look like an absolute skxawng. This would be very embarrassing if they did.
The multitude of stylists eventually finished their work on him. He then leaned forward and took a look in the mirror in front of him to see the finished product. He actually looked... pretty. They made him look sort of androgynous, if that's the word he's going for. He doesn't know how to explain it. Whatever they did, he liked it. Surprisingly.
Spider then stood up and made his way over to Max who was fixing something on Ravyn's outfit that matched his. Instead, she wore a long dress that flowed outward towards the end. Ravyn suited the dress very well.
"Okay! You're ready." Max says stepping back to admire his work and allowing the young girl to stand up from the uncomfortable chair.
"Finally, my back was killin' me." Ravyn complains as he rubs her back.
"Sorry about that, but we need to go. The interviews are about to start in a few minutes." Max apologizes before grabbing both of their hands to drag them backstage of the stage where the interview will take place.
"Where's Norm?" Spider asks noticing that their mentor was absent.
"He will be waiting backstage for you guys to give you some advice before going on stage." Max answers as he speedwalks.
In takes a few moments for Max to finally lead them to where the other tributes are lining up to head backstage. Max tells them to line up and wait their turn to be let in backstage, and from there Norm will instruct them on what to do. Spider tells Ravyn to get in front of him as he noticed that it was in order of girls first and boys second based on each district. She nodded and got in line. From there, they begin the waiting game.
As Spider watched the interviews, he can't help but think that the Careers are absolute fucking clowns. There was no way the audience is believing anything they're saying. If they did, they are all fools. The only Career that Spider liked watching was Lo'ak. He had to admit that Lo'ak knew how to get the crowd involved with his conversation. He knew how to interact with them. Spider knows that Lo'ak is definitely a fan favorite of the citizens of Pandora. He even caught himself getting lost in Lo'ak's interview because of his alluring voice and his amber eyes. They were just so stunning. He could honestly stare into his eyes for an eternity.
Little by little, the line continues moving. The number of Tributes gets smaller and smaller as more of them get interviewed. Eventually, Spider and Ravyn are allowed to enter the backstage portion of the stage to prepare to be interviewed. Norm intercepts them when they are somewhat near the walkway of where you enter and exit the stage. His face was twisted into an expression of sadness but hopefulness hidden under it all. Spider doesn't know why Norm would be hopeful during these times. There's nothing to be hopeful for.
"Well, I guess this is it. This is my last day with you other than tomorrow when I send you off to the games." Norm says sadly as he looks over his Tributes.
"You two are going to do great out there. Just... Just be yourself, but try to interact with the audience a bit. Try to get them to like you to attract Sponsors for tomorrow." Norm advises them quietly while the interview beside them acts as whitenoise for Spider.
"Way ahead of you." Spider says quietly, a slight grin forming on his face despite the numerous negative emotions he felt at the moment.
Norm chuckles with a faraway look in his eye. He sighs, "Just have fun, and represent District 12."
Spider and Ravyn nod with a sure look on their face before the last Tribute of District 11 finally walked off the stage. The Tribute passes by them with their head held down, their shoes hitting the ground softly.
"Alright kids, you guys are up. It's showtime." Norm pats them on their backs before moving to the side where Spider is after telling Ravyn to stand on the walkway to be ready to walk on stage when her name is called.
Spider watches Ravyn's interview with one thing in mind. He's utterly fucked. He can't do this at all. He knows he's going to fumble something and embarrass himself in front of the entirety of Pandora on live television. Eywa should've let him jump out of his room window when he had the chance to. He could have prevented this!
He suddenly thinks of the Gamemaker that he saw on a screen inside the styling room Max had him and Ravyn in. It was also the man he made direct eye contact with when he shot the arrow at him and those other rich people. Spider never did get the man's name.
"Hey, Norm?" Spider whispers.
"Yeah?" Norm replies in a whisper as they watch Ravyn's interview.
"What's the name of the Gamemaker for this year?" Spider asks.
"Parker Selfridge," Norm answers, bitterness tinging his tone. He seemed to hold some sort of bias or grudge against the man.
"Any reason why you want to know?" Norm turns his head away from the screen to look at Spider.
"Just curious is all..." Spider replies shrugging. Norm eyes him funnily for a second before turning his attention back to the screen. Spider feels like his heart is about to jump out of his chest with how nervous he is.
Ravyn eventually walks off stage with a tight smile and sighs heavily once she's out of view from the audience. Spider is immediately at her side comforting her as she mutters something under her breath, clinging to his torso with a tight grip.
"You're up next, Spider." Norm whispers from behind him and Ravyn.
He nods and whispers to Ravyn to wait for him to finish his interview so they can talk afterwards. She nods and hesitantly let's his torso go, finding herself a place next to Norm. Spider makes his way to the walkway and stands there. He listens to the host talking with the audience enthusiastically, he feels sick to his stomach. He might actually throw up from how queasy he feels.
Spider only snaps out of it when he hears a loud, "Lastly, we have Spider Socorro from District 12. Give him a round of applause!"
Spider doesn't know how, but he somehow made himself walk on that stage and wave to the audience cheering loudly for him. He shook the hosts hand before sitting down on the very vibrant chairs. He willed himself to pay close attention to the hosts words to not embarrass himself.
"Spider Socorro! It's lovely to meet you once and for all!" The host exclaims excitedly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. How are you doing on this fine night?" Spider interacts with the host a bit to make a good-ish impression.
"Why, how sweet of you! I'm doing very well tonight. Thank you for asking." The host smiles widely turning to the audience in mock surprise.
"The pleasure is all mine." Spider replies smoothly, a small smile making its way onto his lips.
"What a heartthrob you are. Spider, I must say, when I saw you walk onto this stage with that outfit, my heart actually stopped. Don't you agree with me ladies and gentlemen?" The host asks animatedly, facing the large audience who are fawning over Spider.
Spider looks over at the audience with a fake but realistic looking laugh and sees Max sitting in the front row giving him a thumbs up. The sight of Max instantly makes him feel ten times better. But when his eyes roam around the hollering crowd, he finds multiple pairs of amber eyes staring right back at him.
While it doesn't show outwardly, he flinches internally especially when he sees Neteyam staring at him intensely. It wasn't in a bad way or with contempt. It... seemed like he was... admiring him, somehow entranced. He also came across a few bright blue eyes staring at him once again, one pair seemingly not pulling away from his. They were such a piercing blue that had hints of a green tint to it. They were so... beautiful. They were hard to look away from, just like how it was hard to look away from Lo'ak and Neteyam's eyes. These blue eyes from this person he knows of just pull him in, but he forces himself to look back at the male host; choosing to ignore everything that just occurred.
"Well, I would give you, and that outfit, an eleven - which reminds me of your Training Score. Tell us about that." The host chuckles before settling more into his seat as he waits for Spider's answer.
"All I can say is, I think it was a first." Spider replies with a faint shrug.
"Are you at all afraid it might put a target on your back?" The host asks with mock concern leaning in, anticipating his answer.
"I doubt my fellow Tributes paid much attention to it. But if they did, I'm not too concerned about them targeting me. It's fine if they do, honestly." Spider responds honestly.
"Brave boy you are. Let's go back to the moment they called that poor boy's name at The Reaping. And you volunteered. Can you tell us about him?" The man asks with anticipation. The audience seems to have leaned in a bit, wanting to know the answer to his question as well.
"His name's Ian. He's twelve, just like my fellow Tribute. And he was the one who gave me the name I go by today when I was very young." Spider replies after a beat of silence.
"What did he say to you after The Reaping?" The host questions.
"He asked me to try really hard to win. And I swore I would." Spider lies to make the citizens think of other theories they want to debunk. He knows that Ian is most likely confused as to why he lied, but he couldn't just say that he told the kid to not miss him too much and to not expect him to come home. While he wasn't trying to win the audience over, simply being himself; mostly, he didn't want people to think he was a piece of shit.
"I bet you did. I bet you did. It has also come to my attention that you might have gained the attention from a few powerful families. I've been hearing a rumor that you might have been claimed! That would be of great use during the games. What do you have to say about this rumor?" The host suddenly asks something Spider had not expected.
"Have I got claimed? I wouldn't know a thing 'cause no one tells me anything." Spider laughs as he faces the audience in mock surprise. He's very much deviating from the plan, but desperate times call for desperate measures. But thankfully his impromptu stunt managed to make the entire audience laugh with him.
"If you did get claimed, which is a very serious thing, what is your opinion on that?" The host pushes further.
"I personally have no need or interest in getting claimed, but if I did, which no one informed me about, I wouldn't acknowledge it much as I'd be stuck with it regardless. I want to win the games fair and square. I wouldn't want to cheat my way through it, it wouldn't be fair to the other Tributes who've worked hard preparing for it." Spider responds honestly. He doesn't even know how he pulled this out of his ass.
When he says these words, he feels heated stares on the side of his head. They were stares that definitely stuck out the most compared to the other normal stares. And he knew exactly where they were coming from.
"You are one wise and selfless young man. Aren't I right ladies and gentlemen?" The man turns to the audience to address them. They clap and whoop loudly for his speech.
"Say, Spider, a little birdie told me you and a certain Tribute have gotten close during your time here. I believe said Tribute is Lo'ak Sully from District 3?" The host suddenly brings up the boy who he'd been staring at during his interview on the TV screen.
"Uhm, yes. We have gotten close over our training period." Spider stumbles on his words for a second but quickly composers himself.
"Perhaps I sense an alliance in the making? Oh, wouldn't that be just wonderful?" The host gushes.
"There might be an alliance, maybe there won't. We'll find out tomorrow after all." Spider shrugs theatrically, his answer makes the audience whoop loudly for him and clap.
The host then looks over at the large clock after Spider's answer and sees that he is out of time to continue this interesting interview. "Sorry folks, we're out of time. Best of luck, Spider Socorro, Tribute from District Twelve!" He speaks in mock sadness as Spider stands up to make his way off the stage.
Spider takes a moment and wave at the audience as he walks off the stage, accidentally making intense eye contact with Neteyam. The raven-haired boy stared back at him in a way he didn't understand. Chocolate and amber mixed into one at that moment. Spider felt himself drawn to the boy just like he was with Lo'ak. He didn't know who he was drawn to most, though.
Spider averted his stare and fully walked off the stage. He was met with a smiley Ravyn and proud Norm. Ravyn seems to have calmed down from her previous actions. She looked happy instead of dejected like before. She rushed to hug him and congratulate him.
"You did great, kid! See, I told you a lot of people like you." Norm claps him on his shoulder a bit too hard.
Spider simply nods with an unreadable expression adorning his face. He didn't know what to feel as of now. He may have helped himself earn Sponsors and such, but he was marked for death tomorrow. The Hunger Games was tomorrow. He only needed to protect Ravyn and Lo'ak, try to at least get one of them home. There could only be one winner. He was just going to pray to Eywa tonight to ensure he stays alive long enough to make sure Lo'ak and Ravyn can make it.
___
The next day he and Ravyn are instructed to wear specific outfits that pertain to the games. Spider had been taken to a hairstylist to have them braid his hair in a way that wouldn't hinder him in the games. He wished it was Ravyn who did it for him, but she was whisked away by Norm to her own room to enter the games.
Now, he and Max are standing in a pearlescent room that was very technology based. Before being led here, he and the rest of the Tributes were brought here via aircraft. There was also a tracker painfully inserted into their forearms. There was a tube at the end of the room waiting for him to enter so he can be lifted into the games.
Spider turns to Max to just get one last look at someone he grew to like. It's a shame that he won't be able to see Max and Norm again. Despite the amount of times he and Norm argue and pick on each other, Spider grew a connection with his mentor.
"Here," Max holds out a pin in front of Spider.
"What's that?" Spider asks confused as to what it was.
"It's a pin with an ikran in the center. It is a mighty creature that is in the old history books." Max answers, pulling a piece of his jacket away to hide the pin on his person.
"Thank you." Spider whispers.
"Don't thank me, kiddo. I know I'm not supposed to bet, but if I could, my bets on you." Max admits, a bitter smile on his face. He then steps forward and grabs Spider's face to press a loving kiss to his forehead.
Spider could only gaze at the man with a sense of longing. He truly would never see Max again. His jumbled thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the Gamemaker's voice telling the Tributes that they had a minute to enter the games. Spider lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding, making his way to the tube at the end of the room and entering the machine.
He turned once more to face Max as a goodbye. The door to the tube slid closed, the tube suddenly activating and moving upwards. The sudden movement made Spider flinch and place his hands on the glass walls of the tube to ground himself. He couldn't see Max anymore the more the tube brought him up.
Eventually, he could only see nothing but nature. The greenery looked just like home. The trees leaves swayed withe a gentle breeze, the heat of the sun beating down on Spider as soon as he's brought into the arena. It was a forest. This was his habitat; this was something he has leverage in. He had an advantage against everyone else in the arena. He could see all the other Tributes standing on the same platform he is, looking at one another and at the arena around them.
Spider is able to spot Ravyn on the opposite side of him. Her face is pulled into one of fear and nervousness. He wishes he could go over there and comfort her. He also spots Lo'ak not too far away from him. The two of them make eye contact with one another, their eyes holding a conversation of their own.
Out of the blue, he feels a pair of strong hands grabbing his arms and pushing him to sit down on the platform he's on. He begrudgingly lets the person, who he now knows is a peacekeeper, manhandle him into a sitting position. The other Tributes are seen going through the same exact treatment.
Once he's seated, the peacekeeper comes around in front of him and places a lock around his ankle. Spider feels the coolness of the metal through his thin trousers. The peacekeeper then steps away and leaves Spider to go back to wherever the hell he came from.
Now that Spider is more aware of his surroundings, he sees the large obstacle course in the center of the arena. It looks... busy. That's the only way Spider can describe it. He assumes that they need to get out their locks and go through the obstacle course to avoid being killed off so early in the games. Wonderful.
The voice of the Gamemaker, Parker Selfridge, echoes through the arena as he counts down. Nothing is in Spider's mind except 'escape lock, get across obstacle course, and find a weapon.'
When the timer gets to zero and the canon goes off, every Tribute is locked in on figuring out their ankle lock. It would either be a combination cipher, a riddle, or a math equation. Spider hopes it's a riddle, he's better at those.
'Poor people have it. Rich people need it. If you eat it, you die. What am I?'
There is a combination lock underneath with seven letters, each currently sitting on ‘A’.
Spider frowns at the question, at first glance immediately coming up short for an answer. Frustration presents itself, quickly shadowed by fear and it takes him clawing his fingers through shallow grass and a patch of daisies to ground himself.
At least it wasn’t a combination cipher.
No symbols in sight, Spider starts to filter through possible answers. The questions and solutions are more or less supposed to be a reference to each runner individually. Which is why his first guess is a complete shot in the dark.
Fingers push at the wheel of letters and Spider slots the word ‘DIGNITY’ into place. Hoping maybe whoever designed his imprisonments was making a half assed jab at his volunteer for Ian.
The light flashes red.
Spider hears the sound of someone getting their locks off and running to the obstacle course. He looks back down at his riddle and takes a minute to think carefully.
'What do poor people have?' They have nothing, Spider thinks.
'What do rich people need?' Nothing because they have everything they need and could ever want, Spider thinks.
'If you eat it you die.' You would die if you ate nothing; you need to eat or you'll die, Spider thinks to himself.
'What am I?'
Spider goes through his answers to those questions and thinks. More and more Tributes are breaking out of their locks and attempting the obstacle course. The number of Tributes at the start gets smaller and smaller as time passes.
He almost gasps when it hits him. This had to be the answer. Unsteady hands pull letters into place until he spells out the fear.
The lock reads out, ‘NOTHING’.
And the light flashes green.
Spider tears at the metal, clicking it open and throwing his limb out of its offending grasp. He’s wasted enough time already, he hasn’t the privilege to dwell on half-baked concerns. Riddles are just that. Riddles.
He runs to the center of the arena where other Tributes who have escaped their locks are attempting to get across the obstacle course. He thinks there might have been like ten or so people left still working on their locks, but he can't focus on that right now. He just needs to focus on getting through this obstacle course.
The first thing he needs to do is climb a multitude of steps before jumping down to the floor and weaving through tight spaces. At the end he sees a dome with weapons and bags on the ground waiting to be picked. This was something he could do easily. He was light on his feet and could bob and weave through tight spaces.
He's in his zone when he's breezing through the obstacle course with ease. He fails to see the stunned looks of other Tributes still working on getting through the obstacle course.
Spider quickly finishes the easy obstacle course, not even breaking out a sweat or panting. He runs over to the dome of supplies and grabs a bag. He unfortunately does not see a bow and arrow, so he'll just worry about a weapon later. For now, he just needed to get somewhere safe.
He slings the bag over his shoulders and runs around the dome in a random direction, he certainly does not expect a knife being thrown at him the second he turns the corner. He ducks out of the way by a split second and sees that it's a Career from District 2.
He groans internally and quickly gets up, running in the opposite direction. Multiple throwing knives flying past him in an attempt to kill him. He somehow, by the grace of Eywa, manages to dodge them all and lose the Career once he runs into the deep forest.
He's so focused on getting as far away as possible that he doesn't even see another person coming from around a tree in front of him. The both of them go down hard, groaning at the force and impact. They look at each other in surprise, not one of them looking to kill the other. The other Tribute looks at Spider with fear but tries to force out a weak smile. They look at Spider with fear, but Eywa are they trying their best to hide it. He's upset that he cannot remember which district this Tribute comes from.
Spider gives a weak smile back before taking off, the other Tribute following his lead but going in a different direction. They had just spared each other in a game that they're supposed to kill each other. It proves that they are still kids at the end of the day forced to kill one another and die in the process.
Spider could only think about one thing while he is running through the forest: Are Lo'ak and Ravyn safe? He only cared about those two's safety and wellbeing. He needed to make sure they live. One of them at least. He would make sure of it.