Lovise Holst-Mathiasen
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It hurts a lot to remember the two deaths I've watched, as the games are broad-casted to the entire Mallorian, in a panel with 30 different televisions, 28 of them each focused in one of the chosen ones, one in the host who present the games, and the 30th on the room where all the area leaders and comment together on the games and on who they think will be the protagonist of it, and on who will die first and doom their areas.
There is also a public vote where each person votes in which person will win or lose, and post their own ranking, each person can vote three times, if they get it right at least once when it's all done, they win prizes. If they post the same ranking three times and get it right in all, their prize will triple. They can only fill up the ranking with the top 1 to 5, 8 to 10, 14 to 16, and 26 to 28, and everyone always votes on the Haynes for top 1.
And I just know everyone will bet for me to get 27 or 28.
"I know, auntie," I kissed her forehead. "And though a part of me does consider getting revenge, I won't go into it with that mindset, because I just know it won't be good for me. Silas tried getting revenge for dad and died. Mom tried getting it for dad, Silas, and all of her family that she had to watch dying in the games, and died. All by the hands of the Haynes, and I'm sure they expect me to do the same."
"But they deserve to die," auntie snapped.
"The games are fair, like it or not, if you're strong and skilled and rational, you go far and might make it out alive. If you are weak minded and let your emotions take the best out of you, you will be bound to be taken hostage by your own actions and ultimately die," sigh. "Again, sure, getting revenge is attractive, but it's not the right thing to do. I do not plan on dying, I don't plan on committing the same mistakes my family did. I have a plan."
She swallowed, pausing the hug and staring at me. "What plan?"
"Vote for me to take 1st place."
Her jaw dropped, "What?"
"Vote for the tribute of area 28 to be in 3rd, and Haynes in 2nd."
"What kind of plan is that?" She gasped.
"Vote for the guys from areas 13, 14, 15, to take 26, 27, and 28."
After a second staring at me as if I had turned blue, she sighed and nodded, "Alright, I'll do that. I trust your intuition more than anything, and your dreams. Sure, I don't understand how that's going to turn out like that, but okay, I'll listen to you. Are you sure you feel like that'll be the case?"
I'm going to kill them myself. "I do," I nodded.
"What else do you feel like will happen?"
"Haynes will be a male this year, and I feel like it'll be an even fight opposite to the other years. 14 women, 14 men. If I am the tribute of area 27, and I am a women, then I fell like area 28 and 26 will send out males, and there on, until the first, which will be a male. Besides, there are only 3 Haynes that have yet to go to the games, the only girl is 9 and doesn't make the cut, the other two are males, 16 and 23 years old, all siblings."
Auntie clenched her jaw, "Law Haynes' spawns."
Sigh, "Yes. One more thing,"
"What?" She asked suddenly worried.
"I feel like I'll be the second youngest, and the other will be a girl. However, I feel like we'll all mostly be between 21 and 30 to 35 years old, and that only two people will be elders, but not past 50. The youngest will be a child between 10 and 15 years old, I can feel it in my bones."
"How do you feel all that?" She gasped.
"I just… do. I don't know. It's my thing."
"You have to make allies, Love," she held my face gently, worried.
"Well, about that, I have a feeling I'll make two. I would go as far as to say that I'll be the child and the boy from 28, because they will go out for the child's neck think she'll be the weakest, and everyone will try to kill me and the 28th first. I'm not going to let that happen. So, from whatever are the child may be, when she's announced, put her on the 5th, and the one from area 2 in 4th."
"What? Why area 2?" She blinked confusing.
"Haynes will align himself with the one from 2, women or men. It is what it is, the top 1 and 2 always get together as a duo, and I would do as far to say that the one from area 3 will also join in, but end up in the 6th."
"What about the 26th?"
"That one will surely come for my neck and 28th, because he won't want to end up in the bottom again. He'll be vicious, maybe a psychopath, and he'll aim for top 10, and he will survive until then, I just know that. You should put 26th on the 10th position, he'll go high but not that high."
"Do you have a bad feeling about the tribute of any other area?"
"6th, 7th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th. 6th and the 7th might unite to each other and go for the 4th and 5th, since they will definitely be hungry for the top 5. Just as the five tributes from 16th to 20th might unite to go after the tribute of the 11th to 15th, I don't think they will get greedy for that much, right now they will just want to focus on going at least 5 spots higher."
"And you think 13th, 14th, and 15th will be the first ones to die?"
I will make that happen, I intend on shaking this shit up like never before, and not only make everyone lose their bets on me losing and on the Haynes guy winning 1st, but also making my grandma bite her viper tongue. "Yes. 15th will die first, then 14th, and 13th will die next. The only two people that will probably hide are the ones from area 12 and 17, as they stay in the same positions. Together with area 1 they are the only ones, so they will opt for stability, since 12th and 17th aren't bad, they are in the middle."
She dropped down on the wooden seat of our small table, "Those things you're telling me sound like batshit, that will definitely shake the structure of the entire current pyramid of power."
"As far as I know, that's the purpose of the Grim Games," I scoffed.
"I swear to God, Lovise Holst-Mathiasen, you better not die, or I'll go hell, bring you back, and kill you myself," she glared at me, worried.
I smiled softly, "Deal. I not only will win, as I'll change our lives for the next 7 years, auntie," I promised. "Have faith in me."
Then came the agonizing divine siren throughout Mallorian, "No," she cried, when she realized it was going to happen today, right now. "No, no." She grabbed my right arm, as if scared I would vanish in thin air. "No. This can't be happening right now. We didn't have much time, we,"
"Auntie," I covered her hand with mine, "trust me."
"But,"
"100 days," I told her and she gulped. "We will see each other again in 100 days, okay? I promise you. I won't be stupid. If I don't get the two weapons I trained in the woods with, I'll get an axe, I'm used to it, we use it a lot around here, you taught me how, yeah? Just trust me."
"Why did this had to happen to our family?" She cried. "Why you?"
"Because I'll change what's left of our world, auntie," I hope so. "Everyone of the upper areas are too damn comfortable, that's something that pisses me off and that I'm willing to change." Even if I have to kill all of them and be the last one standing, I will be the first, even if I die right after I win, because that will mean auntie and my people from area 27 will be on top. "It'll be alright."
Soon a hard knock came from the door, "Holst," someone called for aunt loudly, "come out, bring the cursed girl with you, the choosing is about to begin and everyone needs to be in there." Then the person left.
"That piece of,"
"Let's go, auntie," I held her hand and made her stand up. "It's not like they are lying, I am cursed, but it's time to turn the curse at my favor just like the Haynes always do, and make of it a blessing."
"I'll miss you, Love," she huffed.
"I'll miss you too, auntie, I'll win this, I promise you!"