Ch. 9

My eyes shot open at the sound of a cannon. Within a few seconds, I had my knife in my hand, pointing it out in front of me.

It was dark. So dark, that I could barely see my hands when I put them in front of my face. I needed to leave the forest (no doubt this would be the first place the Careers would look), but I didn't want to risk injuring myself in the dark. Besides, who knows what kind of mutations were lurking around.

I sat still in the tree, my eyes searching for something in the dark and my ears straining to hear something in the still silence. An eerie feeling came over me as I realized that there wasn't one sound to be heard. No sound of bugs or any type of animals, contrary to the loud and full of life forests that we had back in District Seven.

I couldn't help but wonder what Panem was seeing on the television right now. Was it early morning there as well, or was time altered in the arena? Was the camera on me, or was there something more interesting going on? I assumed the Careers were probably on camera right now, if they were the ones who killed the tribute whose cannon woke me up.

The sky brightened considerably in the next few minutes, and I began to feel the sweltering heat of the sun on my back once again. Of course, the capital would defy physics. Shouldn't I be provided with some relief in the shade of the trees? Definitely not-they were out to make us suffer, after all.

With a dread filled heart, I made my way down the tree. My feet made a slight thud as they connected with the soft forest floor. I had no idea what to do next. Although I was comfortable in the tree, it wasn't safe to stay in one place for long. Last night I had decided to make my way to the mountain, but I couldn't remember which direction was in.

I decided to head to straight. The forest should end eventually, right?

But where was I supposed to find Laurette and Hank?

A rustling noise came from my right. Before I had a chance to reach my knife, a body stepped out from behind a bush.

"Oh I knew I saw something! They tried to tell me it was just an animal, but I knew better." Layla grinned menacingly, casually reaching down to grasp the spear that was threaded through a loop hole in her pants. "Even better that it's you, of course. I finally get to show Panem what I'm capable of."

Anyone brave would stay and fight. After all, it didn't seem like there were any other Careers around, so it would be a one on one fight. But, I wasn't brave. So I turned on my heel and sprinted off into the forest.

She followed close behind, but I could tell that she was weighed down by her heavy weapon. I had managed to transfer my knife into my hand, just in case.

While I was faster, Layla had much more stamina. I didn't know how far I could go before I grew tired and needed to stop. Going against all sane thoughts, I turned around and chucked my knife as hard as I could. It missed by a landslide, sailing high over her head and causing her to laugh in delight.

Why did I just do that? Now I had no weapon, which means that I would be easily over powered in a fight. I took a sharp turn left, then another turn, hoping I could get back to the spot I lost my knife. Layla was now close enough to reach over and spear me in the gut, but I pushed on, hoping she would be caught by surprised at my idiotic actions.

Thankfully, she didn't expect me to begin running in the opposite direction, and I wasn't speared. The knife was laying in plain view, and I easily scooped it back up. I had no idea what to do now, since my first idea failed. In fact, this reminded me a ton of my training session, where I was running around the mini forest, unsure what to do.

The memory gave me an idea, which I should have thought of in the first place. I put on a burst of speed, rushing to get ahead of Layla and out of her line of sight. I heard her calling curses at me as she got further away. I knew she was still following me; the noise of our feet stampeding through the underbrush was the only noise in the forest. Once I was sure she couldn't see me, I grabbed onto a low branch and hoisted myself up.

Just as I predicted, she came running underneath me. A few yards ahead, she stopped, mumbling to herself as she looked around.

"Come out and fight, Seven." Layla taunted, sensing that I was somewhere nearby. I honored her request and jumped down from the tree, landing behind her in a squatting position. Her shoulders tensed and she whirled around in surprise. As if I wasn't in control of my limbs, my arm lifted into the air, the knife flying out of my hand with deadly accuracy. The blade met her rib cage, and the redhead screamed in agony, collapsing to the ground.

My hands flew to my mouth, shocked at what I had just done. I had willingly injured another person, and possibly killed them. I darted forward, falling to the ground beside her.

"Oh my god." I repeated to myself as I knelt down beside the injured tribute. Her eyes were wide and unfocused, her stomach matted with blood. I placed my hands near the wound, ignoring the bile rising up in my throat. Her breathing was rough and staggered, and I wasn't sure if she was getting oxygen at all. Blood trickled out of her mouth and down her porcelain face. I must have punctured a long, or otherwise the wound wouldn't have been so deadly.

"Please don't die." I sobbed, looking at her helplessly. It was selfish of me to ask that. I didn't want her to die, because I didn't want her death on my conscious.

A minute later, a canon went off. Fresh tears spilled from my eyes, and I looked around the forest in a haze. It no longer mattered that she was my enemy. We were all human, all hoping to survive. Now, I literally had her blood on my hands, and I hated myself.

I didn't have to end like this. I could have gone as long as I can without injuring another. I didn't have to play the Capital's games. Even if I did make it out alive, wouldn't I be haunted by these images forever? I knew Luke was, I didn't even need to ask him. I could see the pain in his eyes, every day.

Would I even want to come out of the arena? The games never ended. The victor would always be the Capital's toy, responding to their every request. Becoming the victor didn't solve anything. It only complicated things.

I guess I just didn't understand how someone would volunteer for this. Did they not understand what it was like to be responsible for another's life? Maybe it wasn't fair to blame the Career districts; those types of thoughts were instilled in their brains since they were young.

It didn't condone their actions, though. There was always a choice. Obviously, I made the wrong one. Otherwise, I wouldn't be sitting on the forest floor, crying over top of a dead body.

Feeling numb, I stood up and away from Layla's lifeless form. I couldn't bring myself to take the knife out of her body. It was bad enough that my hands and face were covered in blood. I looked like a murder.

And I was.

But it was time to move on. When I made it out of the Games-if I made it out of the games- I would have time for grief. I continued walking aimlessly through the forest, hoping I was going in the right direction.

My thoughts were consumed by the need for water. I hadn't realized how thirsty I was until now. With this heat, I was probably severely dehydrated. My legs shook beneath me, threatening to give out. After another half mile, they did.

I fell forward, catching myself at the last minute. I laid my head down against the soft dirt, hoping for some relief from the heat. My eyes shut, content on just lying on the ground. I took a huge breath, my exhale turning into a giggle. How odd I must look, sprawled out on the arena floor, with my face in the dirt. Not to mention the blood covering my hands and face. I probably looked crazy. Maybe I was.

I started drifting off to sleep, except it was more like slipping into a coma. The feeling of unconsciousness threatened to overtake me. A mix of stress, lack of sleep, dehydration, and emotional exhaustion left me wishing for this all just to be over. Maybe another tribute would come find me and put me out of my misery. I would be done with all of this. Never again would I have to acquiesce to the Capital. Never again would I watch the life drain out of another person's eyes.

A heard the chime of the silver parachute, but the sound didn't register until something collided with my temple. My eyes flickered open and I pulled my body into a sitting position, ignoring my protesting muscles. I was well aware of my vulnerable position, but hopefully something in the sponsor gift would aid me.

I tore open the silver package, hoping to find water inside. Instead, all that sat in the tiny package was a thin, small piece of thread.

I looked up at the sky with a scowl on my face, half expecting to see Luke looking back, taunting me. Obviously, he was trying to tell me to get a move on it and give up my pathetic act. Even when our relationship was in shambles, Luke wouldn't do something without a reason. I raised my middle finger high into the air, flipping him off with a tiny smile on my face.

As pathetic as it sounded, it made me happy that Luke was acknowledging my existence. Even though I knew he would never purposefully ignore me in the arena, I was relieved that he was trying to help me. Not that a thread was much help, but I'd take what I could get.

It wasn't long until I stumbled upon a thin, jagged stream that zig-zagged through the trees. Sprinting the last few yards, I knelt down in front of the fresh flowing water and stuck my hands in. I watched as the dark red stains covering my palms gradually dissolved, reliving me of the physical reminder of Layla. Gently cupping my hands, I brought a pool of water up to my face and washed it clean. I felt as if I was finally able to let go of the previous events and start fresh-beginning with hydrating myself before I passed out.

The sound of my backpack's zipper echoing through the silent forest made me cringe as I took out the empty water canteen. My eyes focused on the running water as it slowly trickled into the canteen. Eventually, it was full, and I brought the tin up to my mouth. Before I could take a sip, I spotted a silver parachute out of the corner of my eye.

I paused, holding the canteen against my lips. After a second thought, I slowly lowered the water and placed it on the ground. I reached over to pick up the sponsor gift and tore it open, careful to preserve whatever was inside. Wrapped in cloth and sitting at the bottom of the package was a small bottle. Squinting my eyes, I read the small font printed on the bottle.

Luke had sent me iodine drops. My eyes grew wide, and I silently thanked him in my head. I was too caught up in finding water to realize how it may make me sick in the long run. I followed the instructions on the bottle, and after waiting an agonizing amount of time, the water was finally drinkable. It didn't take long for me to finish off the entire canteen. Finally satisfied, I filled it up again with water to save for later.

Despite my heavy heart, I pushed myself into a standing position and left the stream.

The sky began to grow dark eventually, and soon the anthem would be shown in the sky. My eyes drifted toward the nearest tree and I hoisted myself up, knowing the forest would be what would keep me alive as long as possible. It wasn't unusual for a District Seven tribute to stick to the trees. Most of us make it far in a forest arena, but unfortunately, knowing our way around trees does not help us beat the trained Careers.

Peaking between the branches, I looked to the sky as the anthem began to play. The first face shown in the sky was Layla. Her fierce glare seemed to be directed right at me, and my breath caught in my through. I clamped a hand over my mouth and breathed deeply, not wanting to be caught by another tribute because of my sobbing.

Only one other tribute died today, which must have been the canon that woke me in the morning. Amya Rigget, a sixteen year old from District Eleven, stared back at me with a frightened expression. I wouldn't have even recognized her if I saw her in the arena. Although I was angry at myself for acting as if the other tributes were competition instead of real people, it was the only thing that would help me in the arena. I fell into an uneasy sleep, wishing that I could wake up back in District Seven.