Sparks

Chapter 6

Survival of the Fittest

"Five… four… three… two… one. Let the Sixty-Eighth Hunger Games begin and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

I bolted, running faster than I had before. A scream pierced the air followed by the thud of a body hitting the ground. The first death.

I did not dare to look back, knowing if I stopped I would would most likely die. I kept my eyes trained on the navy blue pack I had spotted from my platform. I pumped my legs, hurrying towards it. An arrow zoomed past my head, too close for comfort. I ignored the shouts from behind me and kept running. I scooped up the bag as I sprinted past it. I curved my path, making a beeline towards the woods, heading for cover.

The screech of metal against metal rang in my ears, shouts and screams echoed around me. A volley of arrows flew overhead. I glanced to my side to see another tribute a few steps behind me stumble and fall to the ground, having been hit by the barrage of arrows, several spurting from his back, clustered together like a deadly bouquet.

I gagged and focused on the woods that drew closer and closer with every step I took. Thunk.

I had just made it past the treeline when a knife slammed into the tree I had just passed. I turned back, yanking the blade from the wood and launched myself behind the foliage as another blade flew my way. The silver blade just missed the tree I stood behind, flying farther into the forest.

I risked a peek. Beryl stood atop the Cornucopia, a large bow in her hands, a matching quiver of arrows tossed carelessly over her shoulder. Her flaming red hair swirled around her as she spun, sending arrow after arrow into the fray. I spotted Alex in the middle of a fist fight with the blue haired boy from District 4. Diamond stood nearby, holding a girl by the hair slicing her neck with a wickedly sharp knife. He smirked as he dropped her lifeless body to the ground and lunged back into action to find his next victim.

I turned and took off once more, running away from the bloody battles that rang out in the clearing. Running as fast as I could, I sprinted away from the sounds of raging battles. I ran until the burning in my sides was too much to bear. I crumpled to the ground, grabbing at my sides, my legs aching.

I glanced up at my surroundings, the trees rising far above my head, reminding me of the way the buildings in the Capitol rose up towards the sky, their large branches forming a shield from the glaring rays of the sun. A small stream wove its way through trees, clearing a narrow path. I pulled myself up from where I lay crumpled on the ground, crawling to lean against a large tree. I pulled my knees up to my chest, gasping for air, trying to calm my racing heart.

I pulled the small pack I had snagged from my shoulder. Much to my surprise, a leather-wrapped knife handle stuck out from the green canvas fabric. Muttering under my breath I pulled the throwing knife from the pack, thankful that the pack had stopped it from piercing my body. I set the blade down next to me, along with the matching knife I had risked my life for.

The pack itself was small, yet packed with supplies. Unzipping it I began taking out the contents and setting them down next to me, evaluating what I had. A small canteen, a long length of thick rope, a dark green tarp, (though it had a large rip in it from the knife), and lastly a small bag of what appeared to be dried fruit. I stuffed everything but the canteen and the knives back in the pack, and tucked the knives into one of the pockets of my pants. Sighing, I got to my feet and shakily walking the few feet to the stream's edge. I filled up the canteen, placing it back in the pack, which I then slung over my shoulder as I began to make my way further into the forest.

I walked alongside the stream for what felt like hours. The further into the woods I went the thicker the trees became. The light that trickled through the broad leafed trees had begun to dim, the sun sliding lower in the sky. Evening would be here before long. There was a small clearing up ahead where the stream widened, and the trees opened up to the pale pink sky where I could see the sun setting. I slowed to a stop in the clearing, deciding to make camp here for the night.

I settled in a nook between two large trees, just big enough for me to curl up in. It was far enough into the treeline that I was hidden in the shadows, yet I could still look out into the clearing. I clasped one of my knives in hand, ready to throw it if anything or anyone came into the clearing. The sound of a cannon boomed in the distance.

In the back of my mind I vaguely remembered someone telling me that the cannons marking the deaths of tributes were never sounded until the end of the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Another blast rang out, followed by several others. I counted eleven in total, eleven deaths, eleven tributes gone, eliminated from the competition. The first day and already almost half of us were gone. I wondered how many of us would be left by morning, who would be left.

Leaning back, I watched the darkening sky, the first stars making their appearance overhead. Within the hour the sky was a deep navy, the light from the rising moon not having made it over the trees yet.

The ringing call of a trumpet heralded the start of the anthem of Panem as the seal of the Capitol flashed to life in the night sky, projected for all the Arena to see. One by one pictures of the fallen were shown amongst the stars, their name and District alongside the image. I recognized the girl from D2, along with the boy from 3. The pink haired girl from 4, along with both the tributes from District 5. Districts 6,7, and 8 had each lost one of their tributes. I choked on a gasp as the now familiar face of Alex smiled down at me. I hadn't known him long, but I still felt the sharp stab of sadness go through me. His image was replaced with that of the young girl from 11, before the anthem was played along with the Panem seal. The projections faded back into nothing just as moonlight spilled over the treetops.

I gazed up at the night sky as the moon, full and bright made its way through the sky. The chirping of cicadas and the slightly chilly night breeze brought on a sense of loneliness. I reached under the neckline of my shirt, my fingers gripping around the star-shaped locket that hung around my neck. I ran my finger along the side of the smooth metal until it hit the small latch that opened the top. Soft music drifted over me, the haunting melody reminding me of home. I rubbed my finger over the glass dome that protected the moving parts inside, I watched as the small crescent moon wound its way around the shining red stone set in the middle of the locket. The locket's song slowed to a stop and I snapped it shut, looking at the clear gem that hung next to it.

The charm had been in my family for as long as anyone can remember, being passed down from mother to daughter for countless generations. I thought of my mother and of home, tears welling up in my eyes as I wondered if I'd ever get to see her again. A single tear rolled down my cheek and landed on the crystal charm, which seemed to shine with an ethereal glow, though that could have just been the moonlight reflecting off it's surface.

I slipped the chain back under my shirt and looked back to the sky, clear and cloudless I could easily see the full moon. I let my mind wander back the the story of the moon princess, imagining what it must be like to live on the moon. A castle of white marble and gleaming silver, standing on a balcony gazing up at the Earth the way I was at the moon.

Somewhere between the soft sounds of the flowing water and the chirping of cicadas, and being lost in my thoughts I drifted off to sleep.

… .. …

I jerked awake as a cannon blast echoed through the trees. I hit my head on something as I jolted upwards, letting out a small shriek of pain. A hand clamped over my mouth, muffling my cries. I let out another yell, grasping for my knife, which seemed to be nowhere to be found. I swung my arm hitting whoever was covering my mouth.

"Stop it Dumpling. Do you want to make a scene?"

I whipped around to see the tall raven haired girl hanging upside from a tree branch above me. "What the hell Seiya?!" I snapped, still trying to find my knife.

"Looking for these?" she asked playfully, holding both of the throwing knives out for me to see.

I snatched them from her as she easily dropped from the tree, ducking into a roll and hopping up to her feet.

"Where did you come from?" I demanded, stuffing the knives back into my pocket, still within reach in case the tall girl decided to attack me.

She shrugged "I have been following you since the beginning, I was up in the trees." she stated simply.

I held back a gasp at the information that I had been followed all day, chiding myself for being so stupid as to think no one was behind me. I looked wearily at her, "Why didn't you kill me? You obviously had several opportunities" I questioned cautiously.

Navy eyes stared down at me. "Because, Dumpling, I wanted to offer you a deal."

I looked up at her, "What kind of deal?"

"You and me, allies. I think we'd have a better chance of surviving if there were two of us."

"Allies?" I asked.

"Yeah, we could team up and work together." Seiya continued. "Just think, if we group together we could…"

I stopped listening to her rambling to consider her proposal, trying to weigh the pros and cons in my head. One part of me trusted her, wanted to be her friend, despite the fact that at least one of us would die. But an ally could be an advantage, and boy did I need all the advantages I could get. Combining forces would give me access to her weapons, skills, and knowledge, as well as someone to watch my back. Yet on the other had, she could easily change her mind and kill me while I slept.

"I do it." I blurted, hoping my gut reaction wouldn't get me killed.

Seiya stopped mid sentence, a surprised look on her face. "You'll do what?"

"I said that I'll do it, I'll be your ally." I repeated, watching as the dark haired girl's face broke into a large grin.

She held out her hand, "Partners?"

I grasped her hand tightly, "Partners."

… .. …

We set up camp when the rain started. The rain started in what we thought was the early afternoon, starting light and drizzly, but it had quickly turned into a downpour. We hung my small tarp from a low tree branch to provide us with protection from the rainfall.

Seiya had the brilliant idea of heading back to the Cornucopia to see what we could salvage, which wasn't much, as the pile of weapons and supplies that were there had been picked through, most likely by the Careers. She had found a crossbow and quiver of bolts, which now hung from her pack, as well as a small backpack with minimal supplies in it.

We sat huddled together sharing what little dry space we had. "What do we do now?" I asked, looking out into the wet jungle.

"Try to survive. If one of us dies, the other should win…" the response was delivered in a serious tone the frightened me.

I leaned against Seiya's shoulder, "I like that, win. Win for the one who doesn't make it."

She didn't reply, just sat in silence. I decided to change the topic. "What's home like?"

She turned, but didn't look at me, instead stared out at the rain, which had begun to fall harder. "District 12. What is there to say about it. It's dark and gloomy, not much to it. We mine coal. Nothing exciting. We don't have much."

"Who's we? Your family?" I asked, probing deeper.

"My sisters, Yaten and Taiki, our mom died a few years ago, so we are on our own. I take care of them. Took care of them. Now I'm here, and I don't know what they are doing. Or if they're okay." She turned to look at me. "What about you, Dumpling?"

I groaned at the nickname, "I thought I told you not to call me that, it makes no sense, it's gibberish."

"But what about you?"

"What about me?"

She laughed, a small chortle that lit up her eyes. "Your home, what's it like? Your family?"

I sat there, listening to the sound of rain pattering against our tarp, trying to think of what to say without getting choked up. "They're kind, loving, and caring. There's four of us, my mom and dad, and my little brother Sammy. Then Darien, although he's not really part of the family, he's my best friend, but it feels like he is sometimes. He's always there for us, for me."

"You mentioned him in the interviews, right? Said he gave you that." The dark haired girl pointed to the necklace that hung around my neck.

I clutched the locket tightly, holding it to my heart. "Yeah, it's his. All he had left from his family. They died a long time ago, a tragic accident took their lives. He survived but lost his memory. I tried to tell him to keep it, but well he's stubborn and was so adamant about me having it."

Seiya gave me a small smile, "He sounds like a nice guy, pretty clear he cares a lot about you. You're lucky to have him, ya know."

"Is there anyone waiting for you back home?" I asked hesitantly, not sure if i would upset her or strike a sad cord.

"No, not really. Well, there is this one girl, but she treats me," she paused. "Treated me more like a friend. I didn't want to mess up my friendship with her."

"A girl?"

Seiya looked at me, seemingly offended by my comment. "Yes a girl, is that a problem?"

I shook my head no, not wanting to upset her by my curiosity. "No, not at all. I was just gonna say that one of the ladies who was in my prep team was dating another girl and-" I faltered as a loud crack of thunder clapped startling me. My eyes grew wide with fear as a strike of lighting lit up the sky.

"Are you okay?" Seiya asked, probably seeing the frightened look on my face.

Shaking my head no, I curled my legs up to my chest. I felt an arm wrap around me as Seiya pulled me close to her. "It's alright, Dumpling. It's just some rain, I'm sure it will pass soon enough."

I buried my head in my knees as another crack of thunder rolled over us. My new ally held me close as the rain continued to fall. The time passed with us sitting in a comfortable silence and true to her word they rain soon began to lighten up.

The clouds hung around even after the rain left, leaving the air heavy with moisture and the sky dark. Seiya stood, shaking water from her jacket. "Time to go."

"Where are we going?" I asked getting to my own feet and following her.

"We need to move, we can't stay in one place for too long." She pulled the tarp down from the tree, shaking it out and quickly folding it up to fit in her pack as she started walking away. "We can find a new place to camp tonight. But I want to get a feel for the land. Come on, let's go."

Hey! So it's been almost two years since I updated this, but I got some reviews and well it reminded me that this is a thing I have and I had some free time so I dug this up from my hard drive and got to work editing again! I have no idea when the next chapter will me out but I promise it won't be almost two years.

I wanted to say thank you to those who reviewed this and got me going again, I find it amazing how even the simplest of comments can give you so much encouragement!

XOXO Allie