Next chapter, hopefully this one will be a little longer! :D ~Cassie xx
I curse under my breath. Electricity. Damn the Capitol. Lucky for me, I come from a family who are able to have electricity. I shake Kieron and Ash awake. Kieron murmurs under his breath. I shove Ash out of the hedge, grab everything and jump out too. ZAAAP! Kieron gives a strangled yell and flies out of the hedge, paralysed. "NO!" I shriek and rush over to him, just as a feathered dart flies into Kieron's neck. He takes a long rattled breath, shaking and sweating. I'm frozen in horror as I watch his eyes glass over and his heart gives out. Tears fall down my cheeks and Kieron's cannon sounds. I turn, fuming. I see Ash with the small boy from District 9 in a head-lock. Reiss. I crouch and pick up my bow. I nock an arrow and Ash pushes him towards me. Hate and despair fills my heart as I ready my bow at Reiss' neck. He gives me a cunning smile and raises a blow-pipe to his lips. Ash yells and draws his sword. Reiss blows and a dart flies towards my face. I duck, hear a cannon, look up and see Reiss on the floor, a mace hanging out of his head. I look behind Ash. The boy from 4 and the girl from 1 are stood there. "Sorry about that." The boy from 4 says. His name escapes my memory. "We can't let the Girl on Fire's niece die by the hands of some scrawny little kid now could we?" He says to the girl from 1. She shakes her head laughing. 4 extends his hand towards me. "Name's Ross. This is Maddy." I nod. "Look, don't leave me hanging girl, why don't we join forces?" I glance at Ash who just shrugs. I grin and place my small hand in his large one. "Allies." I say. Maddy hugs me. "I knew you'd say yes. I can tell we're going to be great friends." I can see Viola in her. "How old are you?" I ask her. "Fourteen." She giggles. "Me too!" We hug again. But then I spot Kieron's lifeless body and my tears flow. "He was so innocent, so young. He didn't even have anything to protect himself with." I spot Ross picking up his mace. "So, why aren't you two with the Careers?" Ash asks. Maddy and Ross exchange glances. "Well," Ross starts. "That's a long story."
Ross and Maddy were part of the Careers, at the beginning of the Games. They had not a care in the world. But, when the Careers murdered the girl from Ross' District, Imoni, right in front of him. Maddy didn't like this so they planned to steal the supplies and sneak off in the night. Ross was on watch, he woke Maddy and they gathered supplies. They then lit a fire and stole away into the night.
"I liked Imoni," Ross said. "She and I were good friends." I nod. I know exactly how he feels. We don't bother finding somewhere secret to camp. There are enough of us with good skills to stay out in the open. Maddy throws knives. She's good too. We swap tools one day, she fairly good with a bow too.
It's my turn to keep watch. I stare into the glowing embers of the fire, occasionally prodding them with a stick. I hear a shuffle as Maddy sits up next to me. "Hey." I whisper. She grins. We sit in silence for a moment, looking up at the stars. "Hey, Renèe?" Maddy asks. "Yes?" I reply.
"Are you and Ash... together?" She giggles. I blush deeply. "I guess the answer is yes then." We chuckle quietly together. During the course of my watch period, Maddy falls asleep on my shoulder. I spot a couple of Tributes running, too frightened to come near us. Ross wakes and takes over. Together we put Maddy back to bed. "Sweet dreams Renèe." I smile and thank him, before curling up in my sleeping bag. I sleep almost instantly.
I wake with the sun. Ash is sat keeping watch. Ross and Maddy are still fast asleep. I crawl out of my sleeping bag and sit next to Ash. He puts an arm around my neck and I rest my head on his shoulder. I nibble on one of my precious crackers. "You know, these Games aren't as bad as we thought they'd be." He says.
"I know what you mean." I start. "We haven't seen much death or pain, excluding Kieron and Reiss' deaths and the bloodbath. It's not a good experience, but I can cope with it for now." He kisses me lightly and I hear a stifled giggle from behind us. We turn and see Maddy with her hand pressed to her mouth. "Hey!" I frown. "It's not funny." She bursts out laughing. I start to giggle too. Ash doesn't quite get it. But then again, Ash doesn't get most things.
Maddy and I leave to go hunting, there is a small patch of trees at the edge of the maze, a place I discovered that has a modest amount of rabbits and birds. I work for the trees, Maddy works on the ground. Together we pull up a large amount of game, five rabbits, seven birds and three squirrels. Maddy also collected some herbs and berries. We make our way back to Ross and Ash. They're in a combat session with a couple of Careers. Maddy and I ready our weapons. We hide in a bush and our Allies push the Careers in our direction. We let our weapons fly. After Ross drags the two dead into a hedge and Ash collects our arrows and knives, we set down to eat a hearty meal of squirrel stew made with a bowl that Ross and Maddy brought with them and some water, herbs and juices from the meat. Once we are finished, Maddy sets about making a berry dessert while I clear up. I hear a gagging noise behind me, then a thud. Maddy has fallen to the floor, fingers stained with berry juice. Her eyes shake and her body convulses. "HELP!" I scream. Ross and Ash run over as Maddy takes her final breath. BOOM. Maddy's cannon fires. I raise a shaking hand to my mouth as I watch Ross try to resuscitate her, but it's pointless. Maddy. Dead. Ash studies the berry juice on her lips and hands. He peers into the berry dessert she had been making. He stomps on the berries. "What is it Ash?" I mutter. "Nightlock." I gasp. Nightlock is an extremely poisonous berry, that looks very similar to blueberries, only slightly purpler. Maddy couldn't have known. I sigh and watch Ross with his head in his hands. "Ross?" He looks at me. His dirty face is streaked with tear tracks, which he quickly brushes away. He bends down, and kisses Maddy's forehead. I close her eyes.
We can't leave Maddy as she is. I wash the berry juice from her mouth and fingers. Ross carries her limp body into the meadow. I place a poppy flower behind her ear. I brush her light brown hair out of her eyes as Ross kisses her forehead again. I then kiss her temple and we stand. I take hold of Ross and Ash's hands. "Goodbye Maddy." Ash and I raise three of our fingers from our right hands to our lips, and hold them out to her. Tears flood from my eyes. We turn and walk from her body. We hear the claw reach down, pick up her body and retract. Ross and Ash keep walking back to our camp, I turn back to where her body lay and spot the poppy, lying on the bright green grass. I pick it up and hold it to my chest. Maddy's last gift.
