I lay in bed; my eyes dry and itchy from keeping them open for so long. I know I should've tried to sleep, but I couldn't. The sun is slightly rising now, and I know soon I'll be getting up. There's a quiet knock on my door and it opens. I sit up and see its Molly, coming in to help get me ready. I crawl out of the covers, sitting on the edge of my bed. I clench the blankets tightly in my hand, feeling another wave of fear wash over my body. She puts me in a simple outfit, a long sleeved white shirt and black pants. She helps me off the bed and pulls me into a hug.
I don't hug her back, just stand there. I need to be strong today, and hugging her back would probably cause me to burst into tears. She pulls back, wiping away a tear of her own, and leads me to the door. Rubbing my shoulder, she opens it and motions for me to go down the hall. I need to say a few words to her, in case I never do see her again.
"Molly… Thank you. For everything." She waves her hand like it was nothing. "I'll… See you soon." I say, and leave her. Everyone else is here, along with six death eaters, one to escort each of us. We'll go to some building beneath the arena, meet up with our stylists, and then be pushed into whatever horrors they've designed for us. I'm roughly shoved into an elevator by my escort. I glare at him, realizing its Spider, the scarily tall Death Eater from the train ride. He mumbles something I don't catch, so I glare at him harder.
He notices me and laughs. "Be mad all 'ya want, you'll be dead soon anyways." I blink and straighten my body, refusing to look at him for the rest of our ride. He laughs even more at this. I have the strong urge to kick him in his soft spot, but decide against it, I don't want any bruises in the arena.
We're led into a car with a large back seat and I push myself as far away from him as I can. He doesn't say anything, just grunts at the effort of folding his body into the car. I bet any money he was altered to be that tall.
The car ride is only about an hour, and Spider is soon ushering me down a dark stairwell. I don't get to see anything around me because he pushes me in too fast. He hurries me down the hall and into a room, completely empty except for a table and two chairs.
"Good luck, 'nd may the odds be ever in your favor" He chuckles and slams the large metal door behind him. I sit down at the table, staring blankly at the wall. In the corner of the room is a large cylinder glass tube, but it looks like I can't get in it yet.
The door opens again, and Maud bursts in. He's holding the outfit I'll be wearing in the arena.
"Piper! So great to see you again!" He comes close and kisses me cheeks. Again with the cheeks! "Let's get you into this outfit and ready!" He sounds excited. I let him pull the shirt over my head, and he hands me a new pair of pants to put on. Looking down, I see he has be dressed in a light blue tunic, with a dark brown belt around my waist, that has pockets for holding weapons and pouches for holding other necessary items. Since he left my white shirt on, the white sleeves are covering what the tunic doesn't cover on my arms. I have tight light brown pants that are silky and seem to stretch easily. Lastly, I have knee high leather boots that are the same color as my belt. He puts my hair into a French braid, reminding me of Molly.
"You look fantastic!" He gushes. "They got all the tributes in such adorable costumes this year." I give him a dirty look. Costumes? He doesn't seem to realize he said something wrong.
"Oh and I almost forgot! Here are you gloves!" He hands me brown, fingerless gloves, that also match my boot and belts. I put them on, they're made of dragon scales, I believe, because they're quite stiff. I clench my fist and unclench it again.
"Oh look, everything fits so perfectly!" He clasps his hands together. I sigh; I thought he was different than the usual stylists. I so wish Shay was my stylist. Though I'm not sure he'd be good at picking outfits.
"Um, Maud, do you know Shay? He's a trainer." Maud cocks his head to the side, putting his fingers under his chin. "Nope! Can't say I do. Why?"
I sigh again, my mood dropping. "I wanted to say good bye to him. Do you think you could find him for me, and tell him I say thanks?"
His expression softens. "Sure thing. It's the least I can do."
I'm not sure why I like Shay so much. I just feel like he'd be a good person to know. And, he sort of reminds me of Draco. I don't know how, but I just get the same vibe off of him as I did Draco.
"So, do you want anything to eat? We have about five minutes before you need to go up." Maud asks me. Five minutes. I feel as if the small breakfast I had in the car is about to come up. I don't want to eat anything, in case I throw it up, but I know I probably should.
I settle for nibbling on some biscuits and sipping hot chocolate. Five minutes to go. Four minutes. Three. Two. One.
Maud takes me food and I stand up. I take deep breaths as I walk over to the tall cylinder. I can't afford to be nervous; it will cause me to make stupid mistakes. I clench and unclench my fists, grinding my teeth together. This is the moment I've been waiting for. I step inside and the glass walls close around me. I don't turn around to look at Maud, instead raise my chin and wait. After a few seconds, a pleasant female voice comes on, telling me the cylinder will be rising, and I will be in the arena shortly. She reminds me as I rise, and probably all the other tributes, that stepping off the platform to quickly will result in death. We must wait 60 seconds before we can start. A bright flash of light, and I'm in the arena.
It's a giant clearing. Around me, huge hedges, with gaps in them, and what look to be paths leading in many different directions. There's large tree's on the other side of the hedges, but this clearing is empty, except for the Cornucopia and its goodies. I can see the array of weapons, bags filled with survival tools, and little random things. My eyes lock on a black back, and I can see it has two daggers on each side, and is aligned with many small knives. It's not too far away, but it's also amongst many other bags. I look around for Isla and Michael. Islas opposite of me, her eyes wide with fear, but surprisingly, her stance is strong. Michael's four tributes down from me, not even looking at anything except for a huge sword in the heart of the Cornucopia. I pray he doesn't get hurt well trying to get it. I don't want to look at the other tributes, so I focus on the bag of knives. The countdown begins, loud in the completely silent forest.
60.
59.
58.
57.
Take a deep breath Pip, you'll be okay.
56.
55.
54.
53.
I can hear my heart beating, so loud, almost like a drum. I wonder if any of the other tributes can hear it. Or is their own heart beating too loudly?
52.
51.
50.
I feel people's eyes on me, and I look up and realize its Kelly. I shake my head, trying to keep my focus off her. I don't want to be threatened by anyone now. I need to stay in my own little word.
40.
39.
38.
37.
36.
35.
34.
33.
32.
31.
20.
The numbers flash across my mind, bold and blood red. My death is so close I can taste it. I realize I've been biting my tongue, and that's actually what I taste. I loosen my jaw, shaking my head again. I need to remain calm.
10.
Breath, Pip.
9.
Inhale.
8.
Exhale.
7.
Inhale.
6.
Exhale.
5.
You.
4.
Will.
3.
Not.
2.
Die.
1.
The gong goes off, loud and clear. I can't hear anything as I jump from the pedestal, using the moment to get to my bag faster. I grab it, releasing a breath I didn't realize I was holding. I sling it around my shoulders, pulling out a dagger, and whipping my head around. I see someone's fist coming towards me, and instantly duck. It misses me completely, and without thinking, I grab the arm and slam my opponent into the ground, slicing my dagger straight into their throat. The blood sprays in my face, covering it with its warm stickiness. I recognize my target, Jack Stevensun, the Hufflepuff tribute. He tries to make a noise, but it comes out as a gurgling sound, causing more blood to spray at me. His eyes widen for a moment, before rolling back into his head. I gasp slightly, pulling my dagger out and staggering away. Somewhere, my mind registers Kate's anguished howl. Acting on instinct, I grab the bag Jack had been holding, and flee. I look around, and see Isla cowering away from Preena Little, a Slytherin tribute who's advancing on her.
I move away from the brawl, trying to get to Isla as fast as I can, because it looks like she doesn't have a weapon. I slip by Kelly, who's removing her scythe from Jeremy Huggunts stomach.
Pulling out a knife from my bag, I whip it at Preena. It hits her in the thigh, causing her to scream in pain and fall down.
"Isla!" I call, sprinting over to her. She moves closer to me, but stays near the opening in the hedge. I reach her and kick Preena in the face, sending her sprawling. "Where's Michael?" I ask her frantically. I can't see him through the mass of fighting people.
"H-he w-was jus-just here. We-went back for an-another bag" She whimpers. Damnit Michael! This is the stuff that gets you killed, being over confident and taking too much. Isla notices the blood on my face and uses her sleeve to whip it up. Were more away from the crowd, so I don't think anyone will bother us, especially because I think I look crazy.
Michael appears out of nowhere beside me, breathing deeply. He's covered in blood, and I have no idea if it's his or not. I don't bother asking him, all I want is to get away from this. Other tributes are already scattering, heading down other paths.
"Let's go!" I instruct, turning and heading down our path. No one argues and we jog down, trying to get away. The hedge remains at our sides, following us. It opens up sometimes, and I realize.
This is a giant maze.
"We'll continue to go straight." I order. Michael just grunts, and Isla doesn't say anything. We move quickly, turning and twisting, and once we were actually forced to turn around. We run for what seems like hours. All I can think of is how I killed Jack. The feeling of my knife sinking deep into his skin still lingers on my hand, which is still tightly gripping the said weapon that ended his life. Finally, I feel I can run no more, and ask them to stop for a second.
We're pretty far away; I can't hear the sound of screaming anymore. Isla tells me there was a little dead end a bit back that would be great for hiding. We walk slowly to it, and she's right. It's dark and hidden from the path, I didn't even notice it. I thank her and we sit down, exhausted.
I open the two bags I got and check what I've got. For starters, I have two daggers. I hand one to Isla, because she'll need a weapon. In total, I have 19 knives. I curse as I realize I left the twentieth in Preena's leg. Opening the weapon bag, I find a rope inside, along with a sleeping bag. I open Jack's bag, and find a small amount of food, a canteen that looks like it's made out of some animal hide, and proves to be empty, and matches.
"What did you guys get?" I ask them quietly. I'm too nervous to speak loudly. "I got some food, an empty canteen, some rope and matches, and a sleeping bag."
"That's good." Michael whispers back. "I got rope, food, and a canteen too. I also got some medicine. I think. Its pills. It say's to take for pain." I nod, feeling a bit better.
"Isla? Did you get anything?" She nods quickly, pulling out a deep purple bag.
"Potion ingredients." She says proudly. "I can heal you with it, or kill people with it." I stare at her in shock. Not only did she not stutter, but she didn't even blink when she said she'd kill people. I sort of regret giving her one of my daggers.
Some of the hair has come out of my braid, making a haze around my face. I blow it away, annoyed. Michael grunts, and I look at him.
"We should probably look for a source of water." He says. I sigh, feeling far too comfortable here. I know water will be inventible though, so I stand up.
"Hopefully there's something close." I stretch. Maybe I'll be able to wipe the rest of the blood off my face if we get too a water source.
We stumble around, not really paying attention, lost in thoughts. I broke off a branch from a tree and started slowly slicing it with my dagger. I wonder what the people at home are thinking. I doubt anyone's hoping I last much longer. I can almost picture Molly, standing by some cocky death eater, trying hard to make it look like she wasn't watching the games on the huge screen, but also not being able to take her eyes off it.
We're still wandering, looking. I'm not entirely sure how we're supposed to find water in a maze. Maybe only sponsors can send us water. It's already been dark for a while by the time Isla suggest we set up camp.
"Where should we stay? I don't think hiding in the middle of the path is going to be very helpful." I snort.
Michael frowns, chewing on his lip. "I think this maze has random clearings throughout it. I've seen a couple. We could camp there. I think we're going to be safe for tonight at least. And one of us can keep watch."
I agree, and we double back to an empty clearing we passed early. It's small, barely enough room for the three of us to lie down.
I offer to take first watch. We spread out my sleeping bag and Isla and Michael bunk right down, somehow falling asleep effortlessly. I stare up at the sky, knowing the anthem should start playing soon, showing us the dead tributes. Looking at the star filled sky, I wonder if it's real or fake. If the moon I'm staring at is merely an illusion. Maybe it's not even night time. Maybe it's actually day.
I nudge my empty canteen, feeling annoyed. Where the heck is water? We won't last long without it. Couldn't they make it easier to find? I know starvation and dehydration isn't a popular way to die. Hopefully we'll come across a pond or something tomorrow. I tap my fingers against my legs, wondering how the other tributes are doing. Many will be injured from the blood bath. I wonder how Kyle and Kelly are doing. They now know I've chosen to ignore their invitation, will they try to deliberately seek me out for it? I hope not.
The anthem plays, a harsh harmonic melody. The fallen tributes begin to flash.
Cynthia Mox and Jake Parksley, two Slytherin tributes appear first.
Jeremy Huggunt is the only Gryffindor to die today.
Alexis Clint, Sylvia Dunt and Jack Stevensun appear next. I swallow hard as Jack's young face appears.
Jill Page and Dylan Kowlswell are the dead Ravenclaws. Dylan's face flashes, and then the anthem and images disappear.
The forest falls silent again. Eight tributes dead. Sixteen left. I know for a fact Preena is injured, and there has to be a couple for injuries. I bite my lip. Sixteen more people stand in the way of my life. I glance down at Michael and Isla, sleeping. Could I kill them? That would leave me with only fourteen tributes. No, I need them. They can help me take out the others. I twitch. These thoughts shouldn't be going through my head.
My mind wanders to Jack. His death is replayed through my mind. I didn't even think as my knife slide effortlessly through his soft skin. Did he believe he had a chance? Did he think he would be able to go home and see his family? What if he had a younger sibling at home, who was praying to whatever god there is for their older brother to come home?
I'm so guilt ridden about his death. It doesn't matter, Pip. It was either him or you. I tell myself. I still know that's no excuse for killing someone however. I'm a murderer, plain and simple.
I hear something, and quickly get up, my fingers moving towards one of the knives on my belt. I peer around the corner of the hedge, and see someone making their way towards my hide out. I squint, looking at who it is. They're tunic is bright red, so they're a Gryffindor. They get nearer and I'm able to make out who it is, Alyssa Kigg. I take a deep breath and aim with my knife. She's got a weapon herself, a good sized axe.
She pauses for a moment, listening. I take this as my opportunity and throw my knife at her. It plunges deep into her skull. I gag for a moment, and she crumples to the ground, but I know she's not finished yet. Taking my trusty dagger, I tiptoe over to her. She's moaning, curled up on her side.
Oh god I think. I have to kill another one. I bring my knife down quickly, wanting to end this for her. It plunges straight through her heart. The cannon fires, signalling the end of the game for her. I retrieve my weapons from her body, and take hers as well, using my fingers to close her eyes forever. I hurry back to the camp spot, taking my position again, covered in even more blood, twitching slightly.
Fifteen tributes left.
And finally! We're into the arena.
I've been sick so I've had a lot of time too write, which is why the updates are coming in a bit faster.
Thanks again for reading, and the next chapter will hopefully be up soon!
