Chapter 8

{{ Renesmee's POV ❤ }}
Renesmee couldn't watch. No matter how many times it happened, she could never bring herself to watch the life drain from the childrens’ eyes. Thomas was standing at his control table, watching the screens but glanced at her when she turned away from the gory scene. He noticed the slight grimace crossing Renesmee's amber-toned face and gave her a pitying smile.
“I’ll be alright Thomas, I just have a weak stomach,” she managed to give him a half-hearted smile.
“If you’re feeling unwell, you don’t have to be here. I understand that a lot that goes on in this room is very unsettling to most.”
“That's very kind of you Thomas, but Ms. Binet had a meeting and asked me to be here in her stead. The report is due on the conditions of the new contestants,” her voice came out shakier than she would have liked as she felt a wave of nausea overtake her.
“Ms. Aguirre, you don’t look very well. If you would like, I can collect the necessary data and send it to you later for the report.”
All Renesmee could muster was a small nod as she stood and hastily left the stale white room. She would have to thank Thomas later, he was always so kind it was almost laughable that he was Infinity Controller.
She walked down the carpeted hall, trying to forget the image of the dead child and thankful to finally be leaving the Stream. Eventually, the walls changed from the sterile glowing white of the control wing to the elegant wood and velvet of the living wing. In an attempt to distract herself, she focused her attention on the mahogany trim lining the walls and doorways and their intricate carvings. This part of the mansion had always been her favorite. The pine green walls lined with dark wood, the burgundy carpet, and the black brass lanterns hanging from the ceiling gave an elegant feel to the hallways.
Renesmee nodded to a servant who was leaving the conference room and glanced inside. The only people inside were the maids and servants cleaning up the leftover food and dishes from the meeting. She assumed Rayne was in her office now that the meeting was over and started off down another set of hallways. She would have to explain to the Governor why she had left the control wing early.
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Renesmee pulled the deep crimson comforter down and sat on the bed. She had her own small apartment inside the mansion just a few doors down from the Governor's personal suite. She hadn’t been able to talk with Ranye in the end so after finishing some paperwork, she had gone to her room.
As she lay down, the child’s face began to circle her mind once more. Her paper-white skin, her bloodshot eyes, the blood; there was so much blood. She tried to close her eyes, to block out the red stains, but the darkness made it worse.
The Infinity Games created so much death, caused so much pain and suffering, but for what cost? Peace? The more she thought about it, the more the truth became inescapable. The games did not solve the issue of revolution, they created it. How much longer would they have to continue this brutal murder before it quelled the people’s want for rebellion? Murder. She had never thought of the Infinity Games as murder, but maybe what she had been told, what she had believed, was really all a lie.

{{ Andrew's POV 🌊 }}
Andrew Dawson was trying his best to keep his eyes open. What was the point of a lookout if he was asleep?
He glanced behind him at the small line of sleeping bags and blankets and noticed that one was empty. K.C. Of course it was her. He had only known her for a few weeks but he had quickly learned that she couldn’t sit still for more than ten minutes.
He stood up from his spot at the blazing fire and craned his neck in search of the small girl. She was the youngest in their group and one of the smallest so it wouldn’t have taken much for someone to grab her.
She had probably gotten bored and ran off into the forest. There was no telling what was lurking just behind the tree line but he didn’t want to find out. If she had gone into the woods, she was probably dead or too far away to find, but for some reason, he couldn’t just sit back down at the fire and hope for the best. He felt some sort of pull to the snarky girl who was dragging him into the forest. Screw it.
With a sign, Andrew grabbed the spear lying next to the fire and started for the incline that led out of the valley. He pulled the knife out of his boot with his other hand as he neared the wall of trees. How stupid could she be to just walk through the woods at night? They were in the Infinity Games for god’s sake, who knew what evil creation lay behind the curtain of the darkness.
He knew he should wait till morning so he’d have light and other people to help him look. He knew the whole thing was a stupid idea but he couldn’t argue with himself. He gripped his blades a little tighter and walked into the trees.