Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games. They belong to Suzanne Collins.
Note: Nothing much to really say this time. I was uninspired for everything else, and became very inspired for this, and the chapter you see now is the result. This is where I feel the plot really begins picking up and getting good. Hope you all agree. Enjoy!
BANG!
I yelp, even squeaking a little as I awake to the sound of a cannon firing. Are the Careers hunting again?! Ok, I seem to be in one piece, so it wasn't my cannon. Though I suppose that much is blatantly obvious. But, who else was it? How does that change my odds. ...Well, actually, I suspect they won't change much when they're already pitiful anyway.
Lacey is fast asleep, leaning against me as she snores. It seems that girl could sleep through anything. Most people don't sleep through cannons. Well, unless it's the person who just died.
...Oh no…
...Oh dear…
No, no, no, no, no…
No!
Sparky lays on the ground, his blood spreading out to stain the grass and several spear wounds in his gut, all fresh. I think the first one was probably enough to kill him, but it seems his killer wanted to be thorough. That, or he just liked the sound it made. Seeing Sparky, a possible friend, laying dead on the ground is certainly bad, and makes me feel an urge to vomit, but seeing his killer approaching me, bloody spear in hand, almost makes me wet my pants. As if my odds were not already bad enough.
Weldar, my District Partner, looks down upon me. His face lacks much emotion as he stands above me. Me eyes, now wide and afraid, dart between his face and the spear. And, sometimes to Lacey. I'm amazed she is still asleep, to be honest.
"I wondered where you'd gotten off to," Weldar says calmly. "I expected you to be dead by now. How did you not get killed at the Bloodbath?"
I try to make a dash out of the clearing, but Weldar hits me with the blunt end of his spear. I let out a sob, falling over in a heap upon the ground. I cannot say this is an entirely unfamiliar situation. Daddy sometimes spanked me or hit me if I was not efficient, and I've never gotten along with this boy.
Weldar puts a foot on my chest as we stare at each other. He may not be as physically scary as the brute from District 2...but emotionally, he is frightening me, and always has. I can see the weapons I made are laying snapped a distance away. Weldar seems to have been smart enough to take away any defence we'd have before he made his attack.
"No! You can't kill me!" I plead, trying to struggle. Like I could actually get away. All height, no muscle.
"Why not? Only one of us is getting out of here," Weldar shrugs. "You're gonna die anyway Gadget, we all know it. Might as well be from somebody you know."
"Yeah, but..." I pause. I only have one shot at this. No muscle on me, but I do have words. "...It's a taboo! If you kill your District Partner you'll...y-y-you'll be like me! An outcast with nobody! You know me, and how easy it is to hurt me, but I know you...and if you kill me, you'll set yourself up for nothing but misery."
I'm terrified, close to wetting myself and my heart is pounding. Somehow, Lacey is still fast asleep. Weldar pauses to consider my words, but he keeps the spear aimed at me. It looks well made, no doubt a good find from the Cornucopia. Weldar is not exactly strong, so it's a wonder he was not killed like I would have certainly been if I had ran in.
I squeal, wheezing in pain as Weldar stomps on my gut before getting off of me. I cough and gag, vomiting dry and burning bile. It hurts so much, but it's a step above being dead. While I try to get my bearings, my head spinning and my gut churning, I hear Weldar approach Lacey and give her a kick. Yelping in alarm she quickly wakes up. I pivot myself, sitting up as I look at her and Weldar. She can't use the same pitch I did.
No!
"Oh, hi!" Lacey says as she tries to get up.
Weldar grunts, kicking Lacey over.
"Are you with that one?" Weldar asks, pointing his spear at me for a moment. I look away in fright.
"Uh huh, Gadget's my friend," Lacey confirms. It makes me smile, being called a friend...I can barely hold back screams and tears. Lacey is in danger and seems to not know it.
"Was that guy your 'friend'?" Weldar asks, pointing the spear towards Sparky's corpse. I cannot hold back, and I puke again.
Lacey screams, looking horrified. Weldar simply rolls his eyes.
"Don't kill me!" Lacey pleads, not losing all pep and showing real fear. "I can be useful!"
"How?" Weldar asks, his spear already raised.
I try to get up to my feet, to try and help, but Weldar easily strides over to me and hits me down again. I sob, trying not to cry. It hurts so much.
"Uh, I'm really good at sewing!" Lacey says timidly. "Also, I know how to bake really good bread."
"Yeah, no," Weldar says, kicking Lacey over and raising his spear.
"Wait, no!" I beg, hot tears in my eyes. "Lacey gives us more numbers! Three of us, with you as the boss! You have two slaves!"
I hate the idea of this. I hate the idea of being under Weldar's power. But, he has found us and killed the only one of us who would be able to stand against him with ease. With no weapons, and Lacey only a few moments from being impaled by a nasty spear, it's the only card I have left to play. For once in my life, let something go my way.
My sad, tired eyes must look shocked to all of Panem, as Weldar seems to nod. He lowers his spear and pulls Lacey up. He then yanks me up as well. I may stand a good few inches above Weldar, but yet I am shaking like a leaf in the Fall.
"Ok, fine," Weldar says coldly. "But only one of us is getting out of this Arena. You'll live longer if you do exactly what I say. Right now, we're all going to the Cornucopia."
"What?!" I gasp, my face probably getting a little paler.
"Will there be corn?" Lacey asks. "...Oh wait, no! The Careers are there!"
Weldar smirks, the same cocky smirk he has back home when he gets a really good idea that he knows he has thought of before anybody else could have. Admittedly his ideas are usually good. Then again, I feel skeptical of this being a good idea. How is approaching the Careers a good plan? Weldar may have power over me and Lacey, but Cato would snap his neck in a second.
Actually, maybe this will be a good idea after all. So long as Weldar walks in front of me.
"...I expect you have a plan?" I say quietly, wringing my hands a little.
"The Careers always band together, but will let useful people into their pack. Now you two may be useless except to provide a number, but as you have figured out, I have a plan. We go to the Careers and offer to dig up the landmines around the launch pedestals to rearm them and use them to protect the supplies the Careers have got. After that, the scum from One and Two will not attack us, for a while," Weldar says confidently. He almost seems like a Career, he is that sure of his plan.
"I don't know how to rearm a land mine," Lacey says awkwardly.
"You are not going anywhere near them. I know what a moron you are," Weldar says with a scoff. "You just do whatever you are told to. Gadget will be doing this, and me too when I'm not negotiating with the Careers. Gadget cannot do much of anything besides tech, while I have more than one skill."
It's nothing new to hear such words, really, but it still hurts. The worst part though? Weldar is right. I'm starting to wish I had let myself fall to the landmines before the countdown ended. At least it'd be so quick I'd not feel any pain.
"...You're not very nice," Lacey says, pouting in disapproval.
"Only one person lives. Who cares if I'm not being pleasant?" Weldar scoffs. "Come on, get moving. Sooner we get this plan in motion, sooner I can sleep without one eye open."
If nothing else, at least Weldar is honest. No need for him to pretend this plan is for the benefit of myself or Lacey. It's tempting to run away, but we're both unarmed and Weldar has a spear. And if he didn't catch the one who ran, he'd just kill the other. I can't do that to Lacey, even if only one of us will live.
I can hear the hovercraft a ways behind us descending to collect Sparky's corpse. I hardly knew him at all, but I still feel sad about his death. At least he died in his sleep, not wide awake like Rammy did yesterday.
Lacey sniffles a bit as she walks beside me.
"I fell asleep when it was my turn to watch," Lacey whispers. "I'm so sorry."
Even in the situation we are now, I can't stop myself from patting Lacey on the back and very weakly smiling.
"It's alright. If it was not this it would be something else," I mumble.
Lacey pulls me into a hug. A surprising occurrence for sure...but it feels rather nice.
"Don't you worry Gadget my pal, we'll survive this!" Lacey says seriously, looking me in the eyes. "I bet that Cornucopia has a kick ass weapon we could use! It'll be alright."
Before I can reply Weldar beats me to it.
"Quiet. Keep moving!" Weldar orders.
Weldar swings the flat of his spear, striking us both on our butts. Naturally, his really hurts and we scream in both pain and alarm. But, there is nothing we can do about this. Not now. Maybe not ever? In fact, maybe Weldar's plan will backfire and all three of us will get killed?
But, the tiny little glimmer of good I can see coming from this, well...if this does work then I'd have access to at least some of the Cornucopia supplies. I could build some brilliant things with the bounty of the silver horn.
But, how will I build my secret weapon without Weldar or the Careers noticing? I'm timid, but not subtle.
(Some time passes…)
It feels like I am walking to a funeral. My own, specifically. We're just about at the Cornucopia now, the clearing not even ten meters away, and two things are clear. First, if Weldar's plan backfires then myself and Lacey are going to be his shields while he flees. Second, the Careers are here. With no need to hide, they are loud and obnoxious...it's as though they are having some kind of a party.
Shyness or not, I'd rather not attend a 'Career party', but with Weldar's spear occasionally poking my back to keep me moving it's clear that I have no choice. The taboo of killing a District Partner before the final two will only work for so long, and I know that all too well.
"So, what will we say?" Lacey asks, working hard to get a tangled leaf out of her curly hair.
"You two are going to stay silent, unless you're begging or backing me up. I'm gonna be the one offering the plan," Weldar says coolly. "Cato is missing a hand you said, so this may work better than I expected."
"What did you expect?" I ask quietly.
I yelp as Weldar pokes me rear with the spear. I barely have time to whimper in protest before we enter the clearing.
"Hmm, the game-makers sure know how to clear up the mess," Lacey says awkwardly.
Lacey is right. No proof of any carnage that happened on the first day remains to be seen, and everything appears to be eerily peaceful. All the supplies, be they consumables or weapons or any other items, are placed into separate piles near the mouth of the Cornucopia. The pedestals that we started on stand forgotten, the mines most likely dormant underground. I can help but briefly wonder if the seventy three past Arenas have their mines still laying formant in the ground. Souvenirs for the Capital, perhaps? How morbid.
Of course, none of this really stands out to me much. After all, I can only tremble in fright at the sight of the four Careers. They've set up a small shelter near the Cornucopia and are relaxing in the sun. I cannot hear what they are saying, but they seem to be laughing and joking around. How strange, to act like that in this twisted Game...but I suppose the fact I feel attached to Lacey shows I lack a point. But the knives of the girl from two, they have very sharp points, and right now she's juggling them.
The Careers don't stay in place for long though, as one of them glances in our direction.
"Look! There's a few of them!" The other girl exclaims. Oh yeah, she's Glimmer. "Let's kill them!"
They may be a distance away, still grabbing their weapons, but it takes me less than a second to drop to my knees and cower, trembling and whimpering. Weldar walks beside me, shoving me over as he steps in front of me. Lacey quickly kneels beside me, helping me up. She doesn't speak, but she does smile. However, even she looks afraid.
"Ok, we're gonna have fun with you," Clove says, leering as she comes near with a knife in hand. It appears to be serrated.
"I call dibs on the curly haired one! I'll plow my spear right into her! Oh yeah!" Marvel exclaims in glee. The way he pumps his spear up and down and make those...motions...with his hips, it makes me wonder if he made that innuendo on purpose or not. Either way, it's gross to think about.
"Any last words?" Glimmer asks, holding her bow and botching an arrow with a sickening giggle. So savage.
"Thanks for waiting up guys," Cato scoffs as he walks up, awkwardly holding a sword in his remaining hand. "Ok, let's get killing."
It seems to me that Weldar is scared. A small comfort, knowing I am not the only one who will be screaming as I die.
"I don't think you should kill us," Weldar says in as casual a tone as he can muster. Oh boy, it's time for the smug lecture voice I know all too well. Brace yourselves Careers.
"And why not?" Clove asks, scoffing as she takes out a second knife.
"Because we can provide a valuable service that you need," Weldar continues. "Me and this one from my District, we can dig up the mines from by the pedestals. We could set a mine field so your supplies stay safe while you go hunting. And, with Cato being given the hand-out he's got, you need that extra aide."
I take a step back. If not for the fact Clove can throw knives, Marvel can throw spears with ease and Glimmer seems competent with a bow, Cato's expression would have sent me running to the other side of the arena, screaming all the way.
"Watch it you little District 3 wretch. Even missing a hand I can still snap your neck in a second, so you better shut your fucking mouth," Cato scowls. It appears Cato has a very short fuse, shorter than I thought. Hopefully I won't need to speak with him one on one at any point.
Weldar looks anxious, but manages to regain his metaphorical footing and crosses his arms.
"That may be true, but doesn't having your own protective mine field sound good to you?" Weldar asks, smirking. His smirk matches the one Cato had back in the training centre. I don't like it.
The Careers look amongst themselves. It appears to be a question of who is going to speak first. Once again, I feel just about ready to wet my pants.
"...I think it's a good idea," Marvel says after a few slow seconds have passed. "Gives us more time to hunt down the other tributes."
"True. It would be nice carving out a wider smile on Fire Girl," Clove says, a nasty grin on her face. The one she wants to give Katniss though, that's even nastier.
"Eh, we can just kill these three later once everybody else is dead, or if we get bored, so I don't really mind," Glimmer says, shrugging in indifference. She locks eyes with me and I cower under her gaze.
Cato just scowls, looking off to the side bitterly. I can tell he doesn't want to 'lower himself' to work with us, but he's outvoted and missing a hand. For the first time ever, it seems somebody from District 2 is lacking a bit of power.
"Well, what can that girl do? Her District is Textiles, not Tech, and she seems like a moron," Cato says, gripping his sword tighter.
"I can make really awesome bread," Lacey offers. "It has sunflower seeds in it."
"Yeah, I'm not sold," Glimmer says as she pulls back the string on her bow.
And suddenly, before I realize it, I'm already talking on Lacey's behalf.
"Wait! Uh, she provides a number! She'd be a shield," I say, fearfully improvising. Oh, if I mess this up I'll never forgive myself. "Plus, Lacey can find non-poisonous berries really easily, and could be good to put to work at c-c-c-carrying stuff."
I hope Lacey knows Im trying to save her, not demean her and put her as the lowest rung. I chance a quick look at her. One look in her eyes, and I know she understands what my plan is. She even briefly smiles.
Glimmer scowls as she lowers her bow.
"Well fine then! But if I get bored, she dies first," Glimmer huffs, turning on her heel and storming away. "If anybody needs me, I'll be eating chocolate! So don't need me!"
Mmmmm, chocolate. Besides cheese buns, it's my favourite snack in Panem. It seems the Careers have bought into Weldar's plan, so my odds of tasting a cheese bun again just went up. Maybe my odds of living did as well, even if only slightly.
I only have a few seconds to feel good about all this before Marvel kicks me to the ground.
"Ok, get to work! Dig up those mines!" Marvel orders firmly. "Do it fast, do it effective and, most of all, do it marvelously. Unless you want to die."
Pumping his spear suggestively once more Marvel heads off to follow Glimmer. Cato just glares at the three of us and leaves as well. Clove, however, has no intent of leaving. She looms over me, holding her knives smugly.
"You heard him, get digging. I'll make sure to motivate you if you need it," Clove sneers. "Now!"
(Half an hour later...)
It's not very much longer that myself and Lacey are on our knees digging with our hands for the mines. Our hands are numb and a bit sore, and we're thirsty from the tiring work in the hot sun, but at least we're alive. It seems the Cornucopia had a shovel, which Weldar quickly claimed. It's a small comfort that he's a few pedestals away from me, digging silently. Of course, with Clove pacing back and forth I cannot afford to relax. We have to dig up all these mines, and it's a slow job. There must be about three mines for each pedestal.
In most Districts the digging would be the easy part and the rearming the hard part. I suppose my home never was one to follow the crowds. Thankfully, the mines are only about a foot below the ground, but for my weak thirteen year old self even that much takes effort.
"Can we have some water, please?" Lacey asks as Clove walks near us.
"Shut up and work, 8!" Clove yells.
"But I'm thirsty," Lacey whines quietly.
Clove backhands Lacey, thankfully with the hand not holding a knife, not saying a word. She just points her knife to where the mines lay buried and heads off to check on Weldar. I wonder what kind of District raised her. 2 may be right before 3, but it seems we're still worlds apart.
I try to gather some saliva within my mouth to swallow, but it doesn't do anything to quench my first. It's clear we'll only drink after we work. It occurs to me that, if Clove gets out of here alive, she'd be a good peacekeeper with the way she uses her authority.
I finally dig up the mine I was looking for. Perfect condition, easy to rearm. I set it down with the others we've dug up, wordlessly moving onto the next one, at which point Lacey speaks to me.
"Thanks for defending me back there. You're really one cool gal," Lacey says, smiling eagerly. "I'm nor worthy! Heehee!"
"It's fine," I say, focusing on the digging. "You're...all I've got. I don't want to lose you."
Lacey smiles, looking touched. Of course, one way or the other, we'll lose each other eventually. Could be in over a week. Could be in ten minutes. It'll be hard saying goodbye...how strange it is that the person I care about most if somebody I've not really known for longer than three days. These Games, they make and break bonds all the time.
"I don't wanna lose you either. That's why I'm not letting you out of my sight for a second!" Lacey vows, smiling perkily. "I'll stick to you like two sheets of fabric sewn together!"
"...Thanks," I say quietly. I hope, however unlikely it probably is, that this girl is able to make it home. "...The Careers scare me."
Lacey nods in agreement, looking anxious as she takes a landmine out from the hole she was digging. As with the rest, it's in perfect condition. But seeing Lacey afraid and not goofy as she's been most of the time I have known her, that makes me feel anxious and takes away feeling good that were making progress with our jobs.
"They scare me too. Oooooh nasty," Lacey murmurs. "They aren't bad on the eyes though, know what I mean?"
"Well...I guess?" I reply. Romance is not something I have once though about in life, least of all in the games. "Do you, um, fancy one of them?"
"Not really, but I know a certain One who looks pretty nice," Lacey giggles. "Ok, that's another pedestal down. Time for the next one!"
I briefly glance at Marvel, not really seeing what Lacey might see, and we resume digging. As we do, something suddenly occurs to me.
This was my pedestal.
I can't stop myself looking longingly at the first mine I unearth. This could have spared me all the pain. I must have held this longer than I thought, because Lacey pats my on the shoulder suddenly.
"...If you hadn't chosen to try, I'd not be here," Lacey says quietly. "C'mon BFF, there's always a bright side. Why, I think I feel a song coming on~!"
"No!" Clove barks throwing a knife between us.
We both scream in alarm, falling over. Clove may have missed on purpose, but it is still terrifying.
"Pitiful," Weldar says with a scoff.
A part of me wonders if Weldar would scream at a higher pitch than me if a knife came his way. They do say fear does amazing things to the male vocal cords. Maybe Clove will prove or disprove this theory soon enough. Unless she kills me first. I just need to appear useful, but not in any way a threat.
I'm on a time limit. If it comes down to the seven of us, myself and Lacey will be dead in a matter of seconds. I wonder if Weldar has a plan for this. A plan for himself, but...surely he knows that Lacey and I would be easier to fight than the Careers.
Depressingly easy…
(A few hours later…)
It took a long time, and now myself and Lacey have rather sore arms, but all of the mines have been dug up and placed into a neat pile. It's getting dark, and now it's time to eat and drink. Naturally, the Careers get the best of everything with bounty like fancy cheese, soft bread, fruit juice, well cut meat. As for the rest of us, we get what we are given and what we get is nothing special. It seems Weldar has gotten a somewhat bigger portion than me or Lacey did. I suppose it's clear who the Careers would like to kill last.
I drink greedily and eat ravenously, the long day of digging having made me desperate for food and drink. I sit silently as the Careers talk. If they don't look at me too much they might not want to kill me.
"Ok, so there are now seven of us here," Cato says. He's still scowling over the loss of his hand. "That means there are still six others out there we need to get killing. Thresh is in his field over yonder, and the girl from Four is hiding out around the lake. Who else is there?"
"The girl from Five, the two lovebirds from Twelve...and some other outer District rat," Clove says, tossing her knife up and catching it as she speaks.
"The boy from Nine," Lacey says cheerfully. "He stole from me and Gadget you know. So sneaky."
Clove wordlessly smacks Lacey to silence her. I draw up my knees, making sure to keep all the Careers, and Weldar, in my vision. I barely dare to blink, just in case they make a sudden movement.
"Anybody from Nine is no threat," Marvel chimes in, sharpening his spear with a machete. "They've had no winners in our lifetimes."
The Careers all nod in agreement, chuckling a little.
"So, who do we go for first?" Marvel continues. "I wouldn't mind spearing the Girl on Fire."
"Without this bow, she'll be easy meat," Glimmer says with a giggle, lightly patting her bow. "But we need to do something about 11 or 4."
"Why not just go kill them?" Weldar asks, tossing an apple core behind him.
"It makes sense," I say quietly, Lacey nodding her head in agreement.
The Careers just sneer at us. Even Cato, with one hand missing, has a nasty sneer on his face. Their Districts may be very rich, but this gives me the idea that the weak, like me, would never be welcome. Then again, I suppose even 3 is of limited comfort.
"4 is a really good swimmer, and has a trident. 11 is hidden in the tall grass of the field and is built like a fucking monster," Clove spits, a foul look in her eyes. "The Academy makes clear that we are never to directly confront somebody if they have a massive terrain advantage over us."
"Oh, can't you swim?" Lacey asks gently. "It's nothing to be ashamed off."
"Shut up!" Clove snaps, waving a knife threateningly. "I can swim! Just not as good as she can!"
"Good thing I killed her runt of a District Partner, or this would be a bigger problem," Cato says, a proud smirk on his face. Her may feel pride, but I just feel sad for the boy who was even younger than I am. "We've tried shooting arrows at her, but she can swim underwater really well and then pop up somewhere else."
"And we can't blast her out with Mines. If arrows didn't work, I don't know if they would," Glimmer says, pouting.
We eat silently for a few minutes. It's quite a relief to have a little quiet as I nibble on some crackers, but it's clear everybody except me and Lacey have many bloody plans within their heads. Meanwhile, I simply have blood in mine.
"Ok, here's an idea," Weldar says after a while. "4 is in water. Water is highly conductive. Just electrify the water."
"Yeah? And how do you propose we do that?" Marvel scoffs, opening a canteen and chugging down some water. "The Cornucopia never has tazers."
"But they can be sponsored. 73rd Games ring a bell?" Weldar replies with a scoff, aggressively opening his own water canteen as he speaks. "They're not hard to make. Right, Gadget?"
"Y-y-yeah, it is pretty easy," I say quietly. "But it'd take a very strong one to electrify the lake."
Weldar firmly bops me on the shoulder. Not enough to hurt, but enough to make me tremble at what he may do next.
"Well, stay up late until you finish it then," Weldar snorts.
"But it was y-y-your idea...ok," I say, knowing that if I keep arguing I both will get beat up, and not get my way. "Do we have supplies."
"Probably," Cato shrugs as he gets up. "Do it by dawn, or you'll be dead."
Clove smirks wickedly, showing off her knives. I whimper and nod quickly, scrambling over to the supplies to see what I have to work with. But as I busy myself looking at everything, I keep my ears open. If they say anything at all, it's better I know about it. Being taken off-guard takes lives, both in the Games and out of them.
"Ok, we're going hunting," Cato says. "If any supplies are missing besides what is needed for 3 girl's tazer, all three of you will die. Got it?"
"Yeah, got it?" Marvel adds. "You'll die either way, but you'd be amazed how long it can be drawn out. Ten minutes can feel like years when you're in agony."
Glimmer giggles while I spit out a little bit of bile. If I don't work quickly, that'll be me. I don't wanna know what my guts look like, I don't wanna know!
"They'll be left as they are," Weldar says. "I'm gonna be busy working on the mine field anyway. This one will help me, or something resembling help anyway."
"You know, it has occurred to me that you guys are not nice," Lacey says, huffing a little.
I wince and close my tired eyes tightly as I hear a hard, loud smack and a scream. I don't know who did it, but clearly Lacey was bashed to the ground.
"Shut up and get working!" Clove screams. "Come on guys, let's go get 'em."
With energetic, loud cheers the four Careers run off into the woods. It's not long before they are gone, though for how long I do not know. Whether it's for the whole night or just five minutes, I let out a relieved sigh that they're not here anymore.
My relief quickly turns into familiar depression when I heard Weldar kick Lacey, making her cry out again.
"On your feet, get to work!" Weldar orders harshly. "We need to get the supplies put into a neat, tempting pile and then bury the mines around them. Enough to blow up any tribute who comes close, or you and her if the Careers get bored."
"Are you gonna use all of those mines?" Lacey asks. I bet she has a very thoughtful look on her face right now. "I mean, it's one mine field and while I no expert it's twenty four pedestals and three mines each, and that's...um...uh..."
"Seventy two," I say blandly without looking up. Oooo, a battery. Sweet.
"Yeah, that. It seems to be too many," Lacey states. I agree with what my friend is saying. That many mines close together. If one goes off, the whole clearing might blow to bits.
"Well duh. I'm not a moron," Weldar says with another scoff. "We're keeping a bunch of them separate. I need them for another plan. Get to work!"
Lacey yelps in fright and obeys. It's not long before the supplies are getting moved to where they will look most tempting. As for me, I've got what I need to make a tazer with. It'd be a good weapon, but I know it's not for me to keep. Its strange, but making devices I won't get to keep for myself, well, it reminds me of being back home a bit.
I settle down, leaning against the inside of the Cornucopia as I get to work. All distractions and happenings no longer matter. Its just me and the technology in front of me.
(Later…)
Night has fallen now, and the Careers are not back yet. There haven't been any cannons, so it's not too unlikely that the Careers are probably angry, impatient and craving action right now. I'm just glad there is distance between us. At least that way they might calm down a little by the time they get back.
I don't mind how quiet the night has been so far. It has given me time to calm down a bit after how scary today has been. I feel sore from being hit around, but thankfully no serious injuries have happened to me today. None that do more than ache horribly at least. Weldar is snoring lightly from within the Cornucopia, while I sit outside in the gentle wind, working on the tazer.
It should be a good few hours before dawn, so my deadly time limit isn't making me panic too much. Technology and me just go together.
I look up for a moment. Was that a mutt?! No, just Lacey snoring a bit. I can't help but giggle at how comical it sounds.
"Whoa, she's loud," I say to myself, quietly giggling. "Good thing the Careers have no reason to hunt us at the moment."
I continue to work on the tazer for a while. At this point, it's just a matter of connecting wires and adjusting the voltage output, nothing too hard. I've made harder things than this. I've also been paid more too. But not being stabbed in the face it probably worth about as much as fifty Caps. I sometimes wonder how a Cap would value compared to one of those archaic Dollars from before Panem was formed, but either way the fact is I'm poor.
What was that?!
I quickly look up, gazing around wildly. I know I just heard something, and since I can hear Weldar and Lacey snoring away...it's got to be somebody else. Not the Careers as they'd have no reason to be sneaky. So, who? I quietly put down the unfinished tazer and look around. Who is it? Are they close?
I'm unarmed.
Now feeling afraid, I hold the flashlight beside me in both hands and carefully peer around the side of the Cornucopia I'm on, moving the light in a sweep of the area. Over there! I can see a figure dashing off into the forest, holding something. Maybe a small bag of apples? It's so hard to see who it is, but I caught a tiny sight of green on them. Looks like the boy from 9 stole from us again. At least it's not enough for it to be noticeable to the Careers. They'd be more interested in where all of the weapons are.
"Wait a second...the 9 boy got past the mines," I say to myself quietly. "Has he been watching us? Or, did he figure out the plan that easily? Hmm...maybe I won't tell Weldar about that."
I shake my head, yawning lightly, ready to get back to work. Wait, there's something else! I shine my flashlight once more. A redheaded girl freezes in place, looking terrified. Like a Groosling caught in the headlights. She seems totally unarmed, and lacking muscle as much as I am. Her jacket is the same colour as Sparky's was...this must be his District partner.
"Please, please, don't kill me!" Five girl begs, fear in her eyes. "I'm just so, so hungry. I haven't eaten since two minutes before launch. I don't want to hurt you. Please, let me go..."
She looks quite thin, already losing weight in this nasty arena. But the 9 boy just stole a small helping of food. Anymore and the Careers might notice, or worse they may assume one of us ate it and then kill all of us. Only one of us can win, so would I lose anything by chasing her off? It's what Weldar would do.
I'm not Weldar. It's one of the few things in life I am thankful for.
"...There are mines buried around the pile," I say quietly, my eyes looking down as I trace my foot in little circles. "You're roughly six and a half inches from a mine."
The girl whose name I cannot recall from the score announcements squeaks a little. The way she does it sorta sounds kind of like a little fox. She looks prepared to run away into the night, but how long would she last? Being hungry really hurts. I can't just let her go and do nothing. Well, I can, but I wouldn't feel good about it. Maybe if I gave her just a small something then nobody would notice?
"Wait there," I say quietly.
I made sure to watch where the mines got buried, just in case I ever had to go through the field of them to get supplies for myself or, more likely, a lazy Career. It only takes a few awkward, formless jumps to reach the mountain of supplies and take a netted bag of apples down from the top. Maybe it's just as well I'm doing this, as if those ever came loose...well, it's a massive safety hazard with the mines being so sensitive.
"Here," I say quietly, passing the bag of apples to the girl. "Don't tell anybody."
"I won't," the girl says with an understanding nod. "Thank you."
With that, as quickly as she came into the clearing, the foxy girl sprints off and into the woods. I'm alone again, the wind a little firmer than before but still gentle. It felt good, giving help like that. I helped somebody, and got rid of a hazard hanging over the mines all in one. I don't have very long to weakly smile though as I feel a tap on my shoulder.
I scream in alarm, falling over and somehow missing the mines. My heart pounding in case Weldar is ready to kill me I fearfully look up. Much to my relief, it's just Lacey. Though, did she see what just happened?
"That was really nice of you. So nice!" Lacey exclaims. "You're such a go giver, aren't you?£
"Sssshhhh!" I yelp in alarm. "Don't wake Weldar!"
"Don't worry, he's out like a light," Lacey says with a confident giggle. "He snores like a mutt! Heehee! So, you gonna come to bed now? Or, the horn that is for all intents and purposes a bed, at least?"
I can appreciate the invite and the fact Lacey is somebody sweet, but I shake my head as I walk back towards the unfinished tazer. I have to get it done, and there's not much left to do on it anyway. A small part of me hopes the District 4 girl will be gone by the time it's used. She seemed alright in the training centre.
"Sorry Lacey, but I have to finish my job. I'd rather not ave all four Careers kill me at once," I say quietly.
"Would you rather just one?" Lacey asks casually as can be.
"That, or none of them if possible," I say, softly chuckling. "Sleep tight, I'll keep watch."
With a perky smile Lacey scuttles back into the Cornucopia, huddling up under some thick blankets, wrapping herself into them like a bug in a cocoon. Once again, I'm all alone as I sit quietly and work on the tazer, and it's only a few minutes before it is finished to my personal satisfaction. I experimentally turn it on, yelping and dropping the device due to the loud and powerful crackle it emits.
"Yikes," I say quietly. "Wouldn't want to be hurt my this...I wonder who is gonna claim this once the job is done? Certainly not me, even if I want it. Maybe Marvel. He seems to like bright sparkly things."
I lay on my back, looking up at the sky. It's quiet. Very dormant and eerie. I can't help but feel a little uncomfortable. I hold the tazer closer to me.
"...Tazer seems like a boring term. Panem, I give you...the Spark Shot," I say softly, holing up the device without any enthusiasm. Sure, it's not a bad device, but there are other things I'd prefer to spend my time working on.
It's a few moments later I hear a soft beeping sound. I sit straight up, looking all around. Just a few meters away a parachute lands, a metal box attached to it. Scampering over to it like a curious rodent I open it. I actually manage to smile at what is inside. More building supplies. Precious building supplies. And not just that, but tools as well! I have enough to start my ultimate invention!
...Only thing is, where would I hide it from all of the other tributes? I can't build it out in the open. If Clove got a hold of it…
I tremble in fright at such a horrible thought and take a few deep breathes to try and calm myself down. Of course, that fails when I let out a sort scream of alarm when a horrible noise starts. Oh...it's just the anthem.
The Capital Seal shows for a few moments before Sparky's face appears in the sky. I quickly look away, closing my eyes. What a horrible wake-up call that had been. Was it really as recent as this morning? Feels so much longer than that.
The Anthem ends and once again the dark night is silent, aside from the south of my breathing. Maybe I should get some sleep. The Careers will surely put me to work again tomorrow. Oh wait, it seems there's a message with the sponsor gift. What does this one say?
-You're doing fine so far Gadget. With the Careers kind of on your side, it's time for you to get to work on your secret weapon you drew in the dirt. The sooner you get started, the sooner more sponsors will be interested. They love a good show. There is a hidden cave beyond the tail of the Cornucopia you could hide the device in.Hurry, as the clock ticking...tick tock tock tock tick tock.
W-
Wiress is right. The sooner the device is ready, the sooner I might actually stand a chance at not getting horribly slaughtered. I'll have to be quick though...if I get caught, I'll be killed. Would anybody buy the excuse of me having to pee? Not like anybody is gross enough to want to check for 'evidence'…
I may be lanky and awkward with no muscle, but I know how to be light on my feet. Carefully I gather up all my sponsor gifts and tools I will need. They are rather weighty in my arms, but Wiress wouldn't suggest a hiding spot unreasonably far away. I carefully sneak towards the edge of the clearing, and then break into a sprint. I hardly dare to breath as I dash through the night. I can't risk anybody seeing me.
(Not much later…)
Wiress was right, the cave is concealed. Vines grow in front of the entrance, making it very hard to spot if you don't know it's there. In fact, it took me a few minutes to find it, and I knew it was here. It's rocky, dark and smells like death in here, and I do not like the look of those spiders, but I have bigger things to focus on right now. I'm giving myself just two hours to work on the device before I head back. By then I ought to have an excuse in mind.
"Ok, careful, careful," I say quietly as I gently put the rivets into place on the feet. "Not bad, not bad."
This might be my best work, but I'm yelping and jumping at the slightest of sounds. All it takes is one person to catch me in here and my life is over. Probably in a painful way too.
Still, being all by myself in the darkness and working on a new invention of sorts...it makes me happy, and brings a sense of familiarity. The feeling of quietly working on the base of the legs is probably the most at peace I have felt in months, actually. I even find myself humming a soft tune before long, one that Wiress taught me. It gave her some comfort in her Games. Looks like history is repeating to a small degree.
"~Why do you hide inside your walls, when there is music in my halls, all I see is an empty room, but still some joy within this tomb, it's so fun to dance all day, to dance to spin to fly away~..." I sing softly. I bet it sounds haunting to some, but to me it's an oddly pretty song to sing.
If only I could stop squealing and cowering at every shadow and movement I see. But, what if it's Weldar, here to kill me?
Gadget Byte, the odds are not in your favour...but, tomorrow is another day.
END OF DAY 3…
REMAINING TRIBUTES
Marvel (District 1 Male)
Glimmer (District 1 Female)
Cato (District 2 Male)
Clove (District 2 Female)
Weldar (District 3 Male)
Gadget (District 3 Female)
Marina (District 4 Female)
Cinder / Foxface (District 5 Female)
Lacey (District 8 Female)
Miller (District 9 Male)
Thresh (District 11 Male)
Peeta (District 12 Male)
Katniss (District 12 Female)
THE FALLEN
14th- Sparky (District 5 Male)- Speared in the gut repeatedly by Weldar.
15th- Rue (District 11 Female)- Speared in the heart, gut and face by Weldar.
16th- Rammy (District 10 Male)- Arms sliced off and decapitated by Clove.
17th- Urchin (District 4 Male)- Throat slashed with a machete by Cato
18th- Jason (District 6 Male)- Tripped and slashed to death with a scythe by Cato
19th- Nettle (District 7 Female)- Speared in the heart with a spear by Marvel
20th- Sickle (District 9 Female)- Knife to the lung by Clove
21st- Wood (District 7 Male)- Slashed in the throat with a crescent sword by Thresh
22nd- Tamora (District 6 Female)- Stabbed with a knife by Glimmer.
23rd- Sable (District 10 Female)- Hit in the skull with an axe by Cato.
24th- Callico (District 8 Male)- Stabbed with a kukri by Marvel.
TRIBUTE NOTES
Sparky: Anybody surprised to see him die this early? For the first time he was set up to do stuff and be a key player in helping Gadget (and Lacey) survive...which is why Weldar killed him out of the three. He was the one he'd not be able to control and beat into submission. Sparky was very much a decoy and fake-out in the plot, and was a source of possible hope snatched away all too soon. At least the fact he died in his sleep meant he went out painlessly.