The 150th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 7, part 2

Star's POV

"I can't believe they got away!"

Furiously I kick the side of the Cornucopia, hoping to dent the stupid thing. I manage to make a small incision with the toe of my steel-capped boot and, satisfied, I turn back to the others. Rush is still sifting through the leftover supplies, Blaize helping him, and Spark is stood with his hands in his pockets looking like the saddest fucker alive.

"Stop mooning over 4, will you? We're going to kill her anyway," I snap, forcing him to look at me. He does and I glare hard.

"You didn't actually think you had a chance with her? Get a life, Spark."

"While I've still got chance," he snarls back.

I snort in his face and toss my gorgeous hair as I strut over to the Cornucopia, in search for knives. A body gets in my way and I kick it carelessly aside. Ugh. I fucking hate the outer districts. So utterly untrained and incredibly thick.

"Found anything useful?" I shout to Rush as I climb over piles of useless crap like backpacks and tarpaulin- seriously, who needs the stuff anyway? Still, it could come in handy I suppose. I could strangle that little cretin- what was her name, Harper?- with a length of the plastic, which pleases me greatly.

"Not yet." Boys can be so incompetent. I pluck a belt of throwing knives from right underneath my feet without even looking for two seconds. Bingo.

"Well, I have," I say, clipping the belt firmly around my hips, "get to work."

Blaize glowers at me and I roll my eyes. Fucking emo, stood there thinking she's the Princess of Death or something. Well, I'm the sex goddess, in case she hasn't noticed, so she can quit staring at me like that.

My eyes float back to the cornfield where Linnet and that bitch disappeared through. I suppress a snarl and press my perfect pink lips together. Doesn't she know that when a District 1 girl wants something, she gets it? But I don't worry. A smile plays on my face at the thought of me snapping her neck or something. As soon as that pretty little thing's out of the way, Linnet will be all mine. And I intend to make it happen, whatever the cost.

Harper's POV

Linnet and I sprint for hours- long distance running doesn't bother us and with our strong swimmers' bodies we can dart in between the trees quickly and tear through the underbrush without a second thought. I have a knife and backpack, at least, but Linnet has nothing.

When we finally stop, dense pine trees surround us. Our throats are parched with thirst and the bare forest floor, dry as bone, doesn't look promising. Linnet leans against a tree, his face pale.

"Where the hell are we going to find water? We can't go back to the lake," he croaks as I kneel on the floor to comb through the contents of my backpack. I find an empty water bottle, some fishhooks, tarpaulin, a bottle of iodine solution, crackers, and dried fruit.

"No idea," I huff, coughing. Linnet looks so weak, unlike himself, and I fear that he won't last as long as I expected him to. My stomach drops and I slip an arm around his shoulders. He's a lot taller and with quite a bit more muscle than me- he's going to need twice as much food as I will.

"But we'll find some. I'll find some. And we can set traps or something."

"With what, shoelaces?" he coughs. He has got a point. Although I have a knife, it's not ideal for spear fishing- but it's serrated near the handle, made of a strong metal, and very light to carry. I could make a wooden spear, or a stake, until we get some real weapons.

Going back to the lake, as Linnet pointed out before, isn't ideal, but if it helps us to survive, I'll take the risk. I stand, walking over to glance back towards the way we came, already planning a route to the Cornucopia and the lake. My fingers tap almost independently against my thigh, something I do when I'm thinking. We could take the trail back through the glade of pine trees to the right, and then travel on through until the thicket of willows…

"Don't even think about it." Linnet stands up to face me, still pale as snow.

"What?" I ask innocently, although I know that he's guessed what I'll do if I have to. His blue eyes bore into my green ones so intensely I have to look away from losing the nerve to even go at all.

"Linnet, it's the only source of water we know of, besides, we could divert the Careers or something while we collect it-"

"Harper, listen to me. They'll mutilate you. Star was looking at you like you were supper. Please don't go back there."

"We'll be dead in a day or two if we don't get water."

"We'll be dead by the end of this fucked-up mess anyway."

I glare hard at him, the brutal honesty and truth of his words resting in my belly like a cold stone. He's right, of course, but so am I. We have to at least try to survive.

"I just don't want you getting hurt, okay? I'd rather we tried to find other sources of water first before rushing into a bloodbath."

I sigh and roll my eyes. Linnet's always been a little overprotective of me, sometimes suffocating me even. But it's because I'm his best friend, right? It's what friends do, I suppose, so grudgingly I agree.

"We need rest, then," I say, eyeing up trees that we could climb. There are a few tall, sturdy ones that will be a challenge to scale, but we'll manage. I glance at my best friend and he looks back at me. As long as he's by my side, we can always manage.

When the sky is dark and the stars are just unveiling themselves to us, Linnet and I have been curled up high in a willow tree for a few hours already, obscured by the draping fronds and thick forked branches. I sit propped up in one of these forks, Linnet sleeping peacefully at my side as I absentmindedly stroke his hair.

He looks so deathly pale now; I have to keep checking he's still breathing. He's never been this weak or vulnerable in the time that I've known him. I guess he's always tried to be strong for me, never shown any weakness at all to protect me, but I can see him breaking. In his sleep, his eyes flicker back and forth underneath his eyelids, a frown marring his lips. His breathing increases rapidly, as if he's scared of something. A nightmare? He never has nightmares- it's always been me. I feel glad that it's my turn to comfort him.

"Ssh," I croon, tracing my thumb across his high cheekbone, stroking his face until his mouth relaxes and his breathing regulates. I smile at his serene expression and listen to the silence of the night, constantly on alert. I wonder if there are cameras watching me right now, if the Capitol are staring at us and placing their bets. I bet there are quite a few of us who are perched like sitting ducks.

Another hour passes, at least, before the Capitol theme rings out, the sky bursting to life with the artificial glow of the transmission. I nudge Linnet awake and crawl to the edge of the branch, peering out of the fronds of our willow tree at the sky above. A moment later, Linnet peeks out from the branch next to mine, and the faces of the fallen begin to show.

Both tributes from 3 are down, their faces gone in an instant to replace the photographs of those from 5, 8, 10 and 11. Ten tributes down, 13 to go until the Capitol are presented with their precious victor. Of course, 1 & 2 have survived- they're probably hunting down the rest of us in their Career pack right at this very moment.

The sky darkens once again, leaving Linnet and I silent in the shadows with nothing to say. I hear the sound of him moving, and a second later he's reached out across the abyss between us to hold my hand, squeezing it tight.

"We can do this, Harper," he says.

I do nothing but hold his hand tighter, words failing me. As we lie there in the dark, I'm glad that he can't see the tears that are streaming down my face.


The next morning, we wake up early. This time it's Linnet who has to shake me awake, and I think he knows that I've been crying because he presses a soft kiss to my forehead. I wipe my face of the still-damp tear trails which show the tears that have slid down my cheeks in my sleep, gathering our belongings together. Of course, we only have the backpack, but we stay in the tree for another half-an-hour, listening out for anyone who may be near, before we make our descent from the tree.

We desperately need water. As well as Linnet being severely hydrated, I can feel the thirst creeping up on me too as we hike upwards through the trees- we're heading towards the mountains because all running water has to flow down from somewhere, right?

"You okay?" I ask him as we tackle a complicated labyrinth of tiny trees, which stretch their branches out in every direction, blocking our path.

"I'm always okay," he replies breathlessly, showing that he's not. I hold his hand, helping him through the maze of branches, guiding him until we reach a jutting piece of rock that sticks out far enough for us to sit on. I pounce onto it, dragging Linnet up after me, and we realise that we can see the whole of the arena's forest part where we sit. It's positively massive. Instantly my green eyes scan the treetops, searching for any sign of life that could be a threat to us. So far, there's nothing.

"Oh, Linnet," I sigh when I turn back to him, examining his waxen skin. He can't even sweat because he's so parched. My own tongue is dry as sandpaper, but I don't care. He needs it much more than I do.

"We'll find something," he says bravely, but I don't hear anything optimistic in his dry voice. I press a hand against his forehead.

"Linnet! You're burning up!" I pull my fingers away from his blazing skin, the scorching sun above us not helping matters, as I try to think of something to do.

"I'm fine-"

"No, you're not! Didn't you drink any water before we came here?"

"I had coffee."

"Linnet! That nasty Capitol coffee dries you out and gives you an adrenaline boost- but that's all. No nutritional value, it just hypes you up for a few hours. After that, you become as weak as a kitten. Didn't anyone back in 4 tell you that?"

"Well, sorry Dr. Butterfield. How do you know, anyway? As I recall, all you drank back in the Capitol was tea."

"My mother told me- besides, we have enough of that coffee at home and I've tasted it before. And I drank water too, I'll have you know."

"Oh, really?"

"Really! Now just admit that you have a fever and that you need water-"

My voice stops abruptly as I hear something in the distance. I shut my mouth and narrow my eyes, glaring out at the forest. Nothing. And then…

The most guttural, horrific snarling I have ever heard suddenly erupts from behind us, further up the ascent. My head snaps around and I catch movement on the horizon. My stomach drops. A massive hound is pacing restlessly, blazing red eyes darting back and forth, on its haunches as it stalks the crest of the hill, sniffing the air. Hunting. Terror grips my heart.

"Move," I hiss under my breath. Linnet has already feinted to my left, traceless as a ghost as he grips my wrist, his hand shaking horribly with his lack of strength. The hound hasn't seen us just yet- but it has caught our scent. Throwing its monstrous head back, its chilling howl haunts us as we slip away and sprint downhill, stumbling away from the potential water source that could have been lying at the top of that mountain.

I am furious that the Capitol has sabotaged us and put Linnet's life at stake even further, and I am furious that they have sent this hound after us, to hunt us down before we've even had a chance to fight for our freedom.

The howling draws closer, forcing us to give up trying to run altogether, reducing us to curl up and tumble downhill, freefalling in some parts as the ground gives way. The world is a blur until I reach the bottom, still dazed from the fall, and spring to my feet. I look around desperately for my best friend.

"Oh my God!"

The hushed whisper escapes my mouth before I can even hope to stop it as I sprint towards a figure lying motionless in the grass. My heart stutters as I fall next to Linnet, terrified to touch him in case he's injured. He lies on his back, eyes shut. He shows no sign of being alive. Desperately, I press an ear to his chest, hoping to hear the familiar thudding of his heart. Nothing.

"Linnet…"

Wracked with sobs already, I race to find a pulse. My fingers are clamped down so hard on his wrist that I'm surprised I haven't broken it… Yes! I've found it- a faint flutter against the pads of my shaking fingers, answering my prayers. He's alive- but only just.

The howling is dangerously close. I spin on my heels, still protectively placed beside my best friend, and my eyes meet the most hatred-filled gaze I have ever had the misfortune to see in my short life. The hound snarls threateningly from across the clearing, yellow canines bared and ready, sharp as knives. It takes a step forward, shaking with adrenaline as its horrific face is revealed out of the shadows. One half of its face is normal wolf, the other half a shining metal cage, a bionic mess of wires and technology as the artificial eye searches me. The way it moves is robotic- it has a certain precision to how it plans its next step, so obviously being controlled by some Gamemaker in a far away control room that it almost makes me laugh. Dumb animal.

What happens next shocks us both down to the core. As the hound takes another treacherous step closer, I feel my lips curl upwards in a snarl, a feral growl rising in my chest as I rock forwards into a poised crouch, my eyes narrowing into slits as I feel my hands curling into claws in the dirt, mud creeping into my fingernails like the anger that is crawling up my skin.

"Don't. You. Fucking. Dare."

My voice sounds nothing like my own. Still, I hold my ground and stare the hound down with all I've got. It glares back, unblinking, wondering what to do next. I dare it to come closer, taunting it with my eyes as we size each other up, girl and beast, human and animal. It's a game of chicken.

Maybe I have been too cocky, or the Gamemaker has had enough. The hound shakes its head, remembering its purpose, eyes snapping back to refocus on me. The realisation of the fight I have picked sinks in, striking deep into my bones. Too late.

With one last enraged growl, the hound charges towards me.