Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-15215573-20151217050328/@comment-31779172-20151220231818

Backstory: 

Even before he was born, Garrison’s parents had already mapped out what their ideal child would be like: Somebody who was not the average mindless killing machine, but could still pack a punch. A future career tribute that would actually be liked by the other tributes. Somebody who would not allow prejudice to affect their opinions. Eight weeks later, his mother was expecting. An extra thirty five weeks, and Garrison was finally introduced to a new world. Already, his parents saw his future paved out in front of him.

 From a very young age, Garrison was taught to be somebody who was polite and helpful, yet strict. They believed that if he could prove himself useful to anybody else, he would be able to obtain friends and prove himself better than those who lusted after bloodshed. There was, however, a primary reason for this: They didn’t want him to endure bullying like his mother had done from being a social outcast. It was a great success that would stay in Garrison’s mind for years to come.

 Later on, Garrison enrolled in a career academy. Because of the training, he grew greater in strength until he became one of the best trainees at the academy. This got him attention from a couple of girls, but he had to reject them. Because of his personality and how he made it sound polite, they weren’t that cut up about it. For the majority, everybody either liked or respected Garrison. There were only four people who held resentment towards him: Tiw, Verne, Metella and Lero, better known as Triple X. The latter was the leader, and the one who badmouthed Garrison. He was the typical bully, except nobody feared him and everybody praised him for his prowess in hand-to-hand combat. The other three members were just his brainwashed cronies, always there at hand to support him. Garrison tried his best to find good in the quartet, but for the most part he avoided them because there was something about them that was shifty to him. Triple X’s behaviour towards him always remained the same, until the arrival of a new student changed it into something more sinister.

 Now at the age of sixteen, Garrison had grown incredibly mature. He always boasted this through the way he guided new careers, even if it was unknown territory to him. On the day the new student was due to come, he had unintentionally been making a fool of himself trying to help a twelve year old use throwing knives. He only managed to get one hit in the bull’s-eye, but that was only because he became startled when the door opened up to the new recruit.

 They were a chestnut-haired girl with wide grey eyes. Her complexion was flawless, having been lucky to avoid the horrors of acne and other skin-related problems. She was as pretty as an oil painting. The only crease that could potentially have spoilt this was the way her eyebrows were always knitted down.

 “I’ll catch you later,” Said Garrison to the twelve-year old. “It looks like there’s somebody else who may need help.” He jogged over to the new girl, but before he could reach her he was beaten by Lero.

 “Why hello, little angel,” He said with a smirk. The girl raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m Lero, and I was wondering if-“He was cut off as a fist landed on his cheek.

 “Don’t talk to me like I’m a typical blonde-headed sl*t!” She snapped. “I already know what this place looks like. I already know what stations I’d be a specialist at. Now piss off!” Evidently furious, she stormed off towards the crossbows. She made a couple of shots, both of which were inches from the target. Garrison could hear her growl under her breath as she kept missing the centre spot. He knew he had to chip in somehow. Not even thinking, he strolled towards her and watched as she continued to miss.

 “Having a bit of trouble there?” He said, arms crossed and a neutral expression stitched onto his face.

 “No! Of course not!” She remarked. “If you’re suggesting I need help, then f*ck off! Only a weakling asks for it.” She bellowed with rage as one of the bolts sailed past the board.

 “Help isn’t for the weak: Help is for those who may merely be having a bad day. Here, lemme show you.” He aligned he crossbow as needed. “Now hold it steady… and fire!” The bolt shot through the air, into the centre. The girl rolled her eyes as it landed there.

 “Just who do you think you are? Superman?” She scoffed. “But you seem to be pretty good at this.”

 “And you seem to be pretty good at warding away everybody.” He chuckled.

 “No sh*t Sherlock.” She cackled. This time, it seemed to be a lot heartier. “I like you already.”

 “Why thank you.” Garrison said in a fake posh accent. “The name’s Garrison: Garrison Hayles.”

 “Lila Boswell.” As they went back to training, he could see that she no longer looked cross. Behind her head though, Garrison could make out the scowl of Lero. Already, a storm was brewing. One that he had unintentionally made.

 Lila and Garrison grew closer together. Because of their senses of humour, it almost seemed like they would become a couple. However, Garrison wasn’t romantically interested in her. He saw her more as a sister than anything else. He knew, however, that Lero had twisted it differently from the truth. His foe had a crush on Lila for certain, but he believed Garrison would steal her heart. This led to Garrison getting anonymous hate at the academy, all of which were from Triple X.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> Not too many days after, a letter was placed at the crossbow station, signed for Garrison. When he saw this, he thought it would just be a stupid insult. However, it wasn’t the case. Instead, it was an offer for a duel. He was a bit iffy about it; nonetheless he kept it for when the time came.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> Eventually, Garrison waited at the sword station for the spar he was going to have. A few minutes passed afterwards, and at first he thought it was just a prank. That was, until a few extra footsteps rebounded across the entire room. Lero had just entered, along with his friends.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “Are you ready for this?” He snickered.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “As ready as I’ll ever be.” The two of them brandished their swords, when something was brought down onto Garrison’s head. He fell to the floor in shock, hearing the gasps of the other students. Although he was too weak to move, he was very much conscious.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “Tiw, what did you just do?!” Came a voice that he recognised as Lila’s.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “He was threatening to kill us!” Metella hissed. “It was necessary.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “Garrison? Threaten to kill you?” He could hear her tone grow more fire. “That’s a bunch of baloney!” There came another gasp as a slapping sound was heard. Garrison groaned lightly as he heard somebody come towards him.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “Are you ok?” Lila asked as she knelt by him, stroking his hair.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “Take a wild guess.” He moaned.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “Oh, poor little you.” She pulled Garrison up to his feet, supporting him on top of her shoulder. This time, Garrison could clearly see everything. The crowd of careers gawked in his direction. It wasn’t until then that he noticed a red mark of Metella’s cheek, and that Tiw had been pinned down. Verne was rooted there doing nothing. Last of all, Lero smirked as he held his sword.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “Weakling.” He spat. “Needing help from a headstrong girl? Still weak, however you look at it.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “No,” Garrison said croakily. “It’s a favour. I helped her with her crossbow skills, she’s helping me now.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “Still weak.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “Lero, sit down your filthy little ass where it belongs!” The scowl had returned on Lila’s face. “I know you love me, but I don’t date spoilt pr*cks like you.” Her smile faded into existence for a second. “I won’t date anybody. Garrison here is like my brother. If you can’t accept it, you may as well leave the academy.” Silence. Not a single muscle twitched. Lero was sweating badly, when a Cheshire grin protruded from his lips. He began to laugh like a maniac, his pupils distorting with each passing second.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “Ah yes, I am aware of that. That’s why I came to request Garrison to duel me: So that I can die with dignity.” He thrust a sword into Garrison’s hands. “Now kill me! Please! Without the girl, I have nothing.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> Garrison stared uncertainly at Lero. Even though he was the bully, it felt wrong to slaughter him here and there.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “No.” He hid the sword on a rack. “I won’t let you do that.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “But why?!” Lero lunged for the nearest weapon, but Verne rugby tackled him to the ground and pinned him.

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> “Somebody call the mental asylum and his parents.” Said Tiw. “It’s going to be vital. If everybody here is going to leave in safety.”

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> After that point, Lero was taken away to be put in a mental care unit. Garrison and Lila both suggested their sympathy if anybody asked about the incident. Life was good for Garrison, until he overheard his parents talking to each other about him volunteering for the games. Not wanting to disappoint them, he volunteered and got selected to represent the district. As he looked out to the crowd, he could see Lila shedding small tears. He knew that she would’ve volunteered, had the female tribute not been announced. And for that, he vowed to win for his sister figure.