AVOGADRO'S POV
Mick shakes me awake that morning. My eyes open slowly, and when they do, I see Mick's grinning face just centimeters away from mine. I jump at the closeness of it, and his smile widens.
"Hey, Sunshine," he whispers quietly. I have to smile up at him, as sleepy as I might feel. His hair hangs down and tickles my face. "Hi there."
He sits up and helps me up before handing me a small breakfast. We both eat up and then we notice, in the distance, small puffs of smoke, or steam, or… Something.
"So, what's the agenda for today?" he asks, laying down on his back and watching the sky.
"What do you think should be on the agenda?" I ask. I guess I feel bad for not letting Mick make decisions, so I give him a choice today.
Mick stares at the clouds and thinks (or, at least, I think that's what he's doing).
"I think we should look for the source 'f that," he points to the puffs of smoke in the distance.
"That might not be a very good idea," I remind him. So maybe I shouldn't have given Mick so much choice after all. After all, he has an outdoor spirit, and not much of a brain. His spirit often gets the best of him, especially at times like this.
"Who knows what could be over there?" I ask, looking over. "It could be mutts... Careers… Poison…"
"But aren't you curious?" he asks, as I lay down on the ground next to him, studying the sky.
I roll over on my side to face him. "Huh?"
"Ain't it your job t' find stuff out? As a scientist? Do it f'r science, Av!"
I try to come up with an argument but soon find that I'm not going to find one. So, Mick will have to get his way.
I sit up. "Damn."
He jumps to his feet. "Ha! C'mon, then!" He picks up our backpack and his pillow and blanket and slings them all over his shoulders. I take mine and put them on my back, too.
I take the compass out of my pocket and we start walking towards the little puffs.
Mick walks so fast I have to jog to keep up with him. Suddenly, he takes off in a run. "Mick, wait up!" I chase after him, running as fast as my short little legs will take me.
"Keep up, Av!" he cheers gleefully. Then, he turns around and stops, causing me to run into him before I can slow my momentum. Suddenly, he sweeps me off my feet and I make a squealing noise.
"Let me down!" I try not to grin, but I can't help grinning.
Mick puts me down and slows to my pace after that.
We walk together until the sun is high in the sky and we decide to stop for a small lunch. Soon, we realize that we're out of water.
"Uh, Mick? Shouldn't we probably try to find water to drink?"
He blinks, debating this. "Where'd you think we'd look?" he asks.
I think about it. I don't like not knowing. Maybe we should go toward the big blue block. But maybe I'd be… Wrong!
Oh, I can't stand to be wrong! Every time I'm wrong, I get hurt. Usually I beat myself around, when I don't know something. Scratching down my forearms until it bleeds usually helps me to remember the right answer. It's so that I can live up to everybody's expectations of me. I have to be that person that knows all of the answers, I can never be wrong.
"Well?" asks Mick. "Any ideas?" God, I don't want to choose. I don't want to let Mick down… I don't want him to think that I'm a waste of his time… And the statistics of me leading us to water are- plants.
Plants! Toward the blue block, there are small green plants sprouting in the cracks of the blocks. I decide to go for it.
"This way." I lead Mick toward the blue block.
"There are plants, all through here," I tell him as we walk. We walk until the terrain changes. The blocks become more and more overgrown with green plants. By the time we reach the water, the wood isn't visible and we have to step across leaves and vines. There's a stream of trickling water and there's a couple of trees there!
"Wow…" Mick and I exchange an excited look.
Mick throws his supplies down and I do the same. We kneel in the foliage by the water and fill our canteens. We see some shiny, silver fish in the water so I decide to disinfect our share with the iodine we got the other day.
Suddenly, our fun is spoiled when we see a group of tributes.
There are five in number, five of the most blood-thirsty people to step foot in this Arena. The Careers.
Mick raises his machete. "Run and hide," he hisses. "Go."
"I can't leave you," I whisper back. The two of us slowly start to back away.
"You won't be leaving me. We'll meet up later."
We almost made it, but the Careers spot us just then.
"Run," Mick says, "Run and I'll find you."
Finally my brain wins over my heart and I turn around and run.
"Go on!" Laurentina chants, smiling and looking over at Pride. The District 1 boy puts his sword up and I crouch behind a block to watch.
Mick hesitates to attack, but Pride doesn't. I cover my eyes with my hands but watch through a crack in my fingers. There are five Careers, after all, and there's only one Mick.
The others watch the fight and cheer for Pride, all holding onto their weapons in case Pride loses.
The two boys, though both are blonde and built strong, are completely different.
Mick has soft, gentle eyes that are brown like mine, but more like chocolate. Pride has bright cerulean eyes that sparkle. Mick has dimples and his hair is more golden, while Pride is more whitish-blonde.
Mick's haircut is slightly dorky and Pride's is more fitting, I think. Soon, though, I can barely tell them apart- both are covered in blood.
Then I hear Laurentina cackle, "About time Pride!" she grins and says, "Good work. What next?"
The boy from 4 smiles. "The boy from Three went that way." He points at the block I'm hiding behind, probably right at me.
"It was easy to see hi run away," Fabian says, "Because of his hair!"
I gulp, knowing that I might soon be the next casualty of the Careers. But, Mick's cannon hasn't shot off yet…
"You three," Pride says to Fabian, Reginald, and Candle, "Take their supplies."
Candle picks up the blanket and pillow that used to be Mick's. I feel like I'm going to throw up.
Fabian takes the backpack and Reginald takes my blanket and pillow. Candle runs ahead with Pride and Laurentina, but the other two walk.
Suddenly I hear a thumping noise as my supplies are returned to me by Fabian and Reginald.
I try to find words but they're gone before I can say anything.
Then my heart wins over my brain and I run to the body, seeing as I haven't heard a cannon.
Mick is dying. I assume he has about five minutes left or so, if he's lucky.
I run over and look down at his face. When he sees me there, ginger hair hanging down and almost touching his face, he lights up. Something in his eyes that was flickering away looked like it was coming back, even if it was just for a second.
"Av…" he whispers quietly.
I stroke his hair, not moving away from him, and nod. "Yeah. I'm alive, Mick. Thanks to you. You saved me, Mick…" I suddenly get hit with an overwhelming wave of sadness.
"Good," Mick says. "So… You have to win the Games, now."
I bite my lip. "I'll try. I mean, the probability of that, mathematically-"
He cuts me off, "Sh. Don't overthink it."
I provide a small nod, biting the inside of my cheeks to prevent myself from crying.
"I'll always be with you," Mick says, "No matter where you are. Your guardian angel."
I choke back a sob, "D-don't get so cheesy on me, Evans." A tear rolls down my cheek and his smile gets a lot sadder.
He chuckles weakly to himself, "Sorry."
I stroke his hair and try to hold it together. "S'okay," I whisper in a wavering voice.
"Don't be sad. It had to happen eventually."
"I know, but Mick, I just don't know what to even say to you. I mean, I just wanted to say thanks for-" I'm interrupted by a loud cannon booming, and I realize that whatever thought I was going to tell him is pointless now.
I quickly grab the supplies I got back from the Careers and run as fast as I can, using my compass, in the opposite direction than the Careers went.
When I look at the sky later, the sun is low and the sky is darkening. I climb up on a block and take some dinner, in an attempt to calm myself down from the events of today. Guess I'll have to recalculate my food-dividing, now that there's only one person, instead of two.
Though I now have a source of water, and food in the fish, I don't have a weapon anymore: or a fighter. Which means that I have to stay hidden.
The stars come out and I realize that this is the first night that I see them without Mick. Tomorrow will be the first morning I don't wake up to his voice and gentle shaking. Tonight is the first time I'll watch the deaths without him. He'll be up there in the sky.
I can't stop myself from breaking down this time. I'm really going to miss him. I cry until the sky goes completely dark and I hear the Capitol national anthem play. The seal flashes, and then Mick's face, alone, up there in the stars. More tears leak out of my eyes and I bury my face in my arms. Then the seal flashes one more time, to remind us that we're not in control of anything, and it all disappears.
Then, I sit by myself and start to think. If I win the Games, I'll have to stand in front of his friends, his family, even his dogs, and read words that the Capitol will have put in my mouth about Mick and Teegan. Threats will be put on me if I actually wanted to say anything genuine. But no, it'll be just as thoughtless and empty as the words on the paper.
I'm used to having words put into my mouth. Maybe it was because Mick was my first real friend, that I liked him so much. He never tried to change me. He never challenged me and never expected me to be anything other than myself. And he actually liked me. A lot, in fact.
I wish that could've gone on forever.
But, I guess that it was nice while it lasted.
FABIAN'S POV
We walk through the forest together, though Pride's practically bleeding to death. Boy, do we all wish he would.
After a while, Laurentina glares back at Reginald and myself. "Are you two dweebs positive he went this way!?"
Reginald remains calm, something I really can't do when dealing with her. "Laurentina, I am one-hundred percent positive where he went. Keep walking."
She keeps stomping along and whines, "And I can't believe you forgot the supplies! WE JUST FUCKING TOLD YOU TO GET THEM AND YOU LEFT THEM!"
I shrug, following the District 4 boy's lead and staying calm. "Wait… Are you implying that you're afraid of a boy from District 3? I thought you could take any of them, no matter what they had."
She huffs and says, "I can. And I could take any of you."
"Besides, the Capitol'll probably pick up all the supplies before any other tribute can get to them, anyways."
"Fine. But we could've had them."
"Please, what do you think a Three boy could've gotten?" Pride says, agreeing with us.
"You're really siding with the twats!?" Laurentina scowls.
"I'm allowed to have an opinion. Besides, they're right. That kid's good as dead, especially now that we're on his trail. Now shut up, all of you, and keep walking." He and Laurentina turn back around. Reginald makes a face at me and I exchange the look. Candle rolls her eyes and continues to look around.
We walk until it's night and we set up camp. Laurentina patches up Pride's wounds, and the Capitol anthem starts to play. Ten flashes in the sky and I soon remember the look on his pale ally's face when the fight starts. My stomach turns.
I have to take watch with Reginald so we can talk about this.
Laurentina forces Pride to get in a sleeping bag and sleep.
Reginald takes a sleeping bag, as well, and I say, "Laurentina, you sleep too. We can stay on watch."
"Nonsense. Four, sleep. You and I can stay up."
I shrug, swearing loudly on the inside and sitting against a block. Laurentina wraps up in the blanket we got from 10 and stares up at the sky. I look up there, too, and we don't talk for a while.
"Missing home?" Laurentina asks, in a genuine-sounding voice. I'm surprised but I just shrug.
"I don't have much home."
"I do. I miss it."
"That's a little surprising."
"What? You thought I was a cold, heartless, self-centered, merciless bitch?"
"Yeah."
She looks over and smiles at me, and I immediately know something's off.
"Well, Fabian Rockwell, you're right. I am a cold, heartless, celf-centered, merciless bitch!" She whips out a knife but her hand gets tangled in Mick's blanket.
She whips it off and whispers, "And I'm not even going to let you reach for your weapon."
She throws another knife and I jump out of the way so it only hurts my thigh.
"Can't run forever, orphan."
I suddenly run over and tackle her. But she was expecting that, I guess, because she and I go tumbling on the ground until I get her pinned. Then she knees me where it hurts and pins me down. She holds a knife to my neck and I struggle.
"Weren't you always going to die, Fabian?"
"I'm going to win!" She digs her knife into my forearm and giggles.
"You were planning to get to the final two with Four, weren't you? And then suicide because you wuv him."
The response comes out later than I would've hoped. "I don't love Reginald!"
"You twat. We can all see it in your big brown puppy eyes. You worship him."
She digs her knife into the crease of my right elbow and I bite my lip to keep from screaming, and continue to struggle against her grip.
"Looks like the odds weren't in your favor after all, were they?" She presses the knife to my neck.
This is it. This is the end.
Suddenly, though, she makes a choked noise and flops over to the side, dead, with an arrow clean through her chest.
Reginald stands from where he was kneeling, a fair distance away from us. He slings his bow back over his shoulder, looking very graceful (which isn't very easy when you're a tall 18-year-old boy). He takes the body and carries it away from the others who were sleeping, me following.
"Listen," he hisses, "If Pride asks, 12 came and killed her and you tried to save her. We kill Pride and Candle tomorrow, and then I kill you. Or, uh, I try."
"Reginald, you saved me!" I whisper. "Really, that was totally cool of you. How'd you know what was going on?"
"Sleep is for the weak," he mumbles, though he seems sleepy.
I smile slightly. "Thanks, though. Really, thanks."
"Fabian, listen. I watched the whole thing unfold, and I was originally going to let it happen and not save you."
I swallow hard, knowing that though it's brutal, it's the truth. "Why'd you do it, then?"
"I'm asking the same question. There was something in my mind, in my system, that made me do it. And I don't know why, but part of me wishes I'd let her kill you."
I blink, nervous. "Is…Is there a reason for that?"
He looks at me with serious green eyes.
"Because I don't want to do it."
"Oh." There's a long pause as Reginald gets in his sleeping bag. "Good night, Fabian." But soon, Laurentina's cannon goes off and Pride jolts awake. He cringes at the pain of the sudden movement, but looks around. "Who died? Where's Laurentina!?"
"It was Twelve!" I say, letting out the hysteria of the night's events. "H-he came and killed her! I…I tried to fight him… But… But it was too late… He got away…"
"Why didn't you wake us, idiot!?" Reginald asks, wiping the "sleep" out of his eyes.
"Because Pride's injured, Candle wouldn't have woken up for me anyways, and Reginald aims his bow and arrows at whichever unlucky soul wakes him up. I…I thought I could take him. I'm sorry, you guys."
Pride blinks. Then he starts to chuckle. "Ha, ha! HA! Well, that turned out nicely, because she was getting a little intolerable." He yawns, "Wish you would've killed Twelve, but I'll take what I can get. You, dork, get some rest. I'll stay up." Pride sits up, trying not to cringe.
Candle sits up and yawns, climbing out of her sleeping bag. "I'll stay up, too." She stretches, sighing to herself.
"Ah, down to four. And what a pity."
A/N: Well, I just destroyed my own feels. *grumbles* Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Chapter Question: I've started shipping, like, all of these characters together. So, what are some of YOUR favorites from the interactions/alliances? (Expect many fluff-bunnies in the chapters. There were already a lot of them.)
POINTS:
Kate: 142
Dreamer: 84
Jess: 157
falyn. oliver: 43
seaotter99: 22
Turtlewithwings: 24
Blonde4ever: 62
Beauty. Is. Strange: 49
