Corruption of Ambition | Sejanus Plinth

Nineteen

Riyana was disgustingly hungover by the next morning. Luckily, she was not sweating, due to the fact she splept on the cold bathroom tile. No matter how much Beatrice tried tweaking Riyana's appearance, or suggesting hair changes, Riyana looked dreadful. She had settled on two simple braids, and luckily they still had to wear their uniform, because she did have the brain capacity to pick an outfit in this state.

Her father would have made a bigger deal of this is it had mattered, but since the only students invited to appear on the pre show were the seven that participated in the interviews, her presence would be likely unnoticeable. Plus, it was not as though she looked like she rolled out of bed, she looked neat, just sickly.

The pre show interviews with just the mentors started playing while Riyana waited in the living room for her family. She listened as Coriolanus explained that Lucy Gray was barely even district, really should be exempt from prejudice. She then listened to Lysistrata talk up the relationship that had formed between Lucy Gray and Jessup. Heading out the door, she heard snippets of Dean Highbottom explaining the mentor-tribute program.

"It is a shame your girl was too idiotic to last until the games." Riyana's father noted as they climbed into the car.

"She wasn't an idiot, just tried to survive. She was likely going to tell anyone, I'm sure her way was less brutal." Riyana replied.

She was far too tired to have an argument about human decency with a man that would never listen.

"Actually, since the wall isn't that high. It is more than likely that she did not die on impact, in fact according to my textbook it would have taken-"

"Beatrice." Riyana snapped.

Beatrice nodded and looked down at her lap. She always looked defeated when her words got shot down.

Riyana made no effort to speak to anyone when they arrived at the hall. She did not have to go through the same formalities as those whose tributes were still alive, so she simply made her way to her assigned seat while her family sat in the viewing area behind. She was given a bright yellow badge that labeled her as Mentor, but not the communicuffs.

Lysistrata came and sat on the right of Riyana, and Coriolanus to her side. They both did a small wave to Riyana, but made no effort to include her in their conversation. She half heartedly listened to their conversation as they planned how to help each other's tributes. Then, something they said caught her attention.

"That must have been one hell of a flu."

Riyana turned to see what had caught their attention, or who. Clemensia stood in the back of the room, having just collected her badge and communicuff. Riyana flinched at the sight of her, she looked like she should have been kept in an isolation ward. Her skin was covered in dry patches and her eyes a bright yellow. Riyana instinctively held her breath as Clemensia walked over to Coriolanus.

Riyana did not listen to the two's conversation. She wanted a distraction from Clemensia's appearance, it was making her stomach churn. Clemensia was scratching flakes of her skin into the air. She turned towards the entrance and just sat watching until a familiar face walked in.

Sejanus was joined by his parents, who separated from him at the entrance.  Sejanus looked unwell and exhausted, with a feverish tint. Coriolanus called him over and he took the only seat left in the row, next to Riyana.

Lysistrata reached over Riyana and grabbed Sejanus' hand. Riyana felt guilty for the annoyance she felt towards Lysistrata, she was only trying to comfort her friend. When Lysistrata dropped his hand he turned over to Riyana. He had nothing to say, nor did he force a smile, just sat and looked at her.

"You look like shit." Riyana told him.

He chuckled dryly and wiped at his forehead that was beginning to form beads of sweat. "You do too." He said.

Riyana nodded. "It'll be over soon enough."

"Until next year." He said.

Lucky Flickerman stepped in front of the cameras and waved his hand enthusiastically. "Ladies and Gentleman." He smiled. "Let the tenth hunger games begin."

The screen changed from Lucky to an overview of the arena. The fourteen remaining tributes stood around the arena forming a circle. No one paid mind to the rubble all around them from the bombing. When Riyana heard gasps and murmurs she realized it was not the fourteen tributes' presence that was shocking, but something in the corner of the arena.

The camera zoomed into a pair of steel poles, twenty feet high, joined together by a crossbar. Hanging from the crossbar was Marcus' manacled wrist, and his body dangled. Riyana assumed he was dead, his body so beaten and battered. Then Marcus bloody lips moved so slightly- he was alive.

Riyana thought she might be sick as the camera stayed panning over his hanging body. This was a crime not fitting for someone with great offenses, not the less an innocent boy. It was beyond human torture, one would not even do such cruelty to an animal. Even the tribute who murdered Arachne did not get hung until after her death.

Riyana could hear Sejanus' breath quicken and the sound of his foot tapping wildly against the floor. Just as she was about to reach out her hand, he sprang to his feet. Running towards the front of the room, he grabbed an empty seat reserved for their passed classmates. Everyone flinched at the sound of impact when he hurled it into the screen, smashing into the image Marcus' face.

"Monsters!" He screamed. "You're all monsters! All of you!"

Then he dashed back down the aisle and out the main entrance door. No one moved a muscle to stop him. Riyana knew she should, but with her father watching, she didn't. If she had time to sit back and think later in life what decision caused everything to go wrong, she would pinpoint it back to this exact moment.