In the morning, it's pouring down rain and extremely windy.
"This had to be work of the Gamemakers." Talon utters.
"Probably. They have to keep the Games interesting since no one died yesterday." Saffra adds. I thought I was the only that viewed the Capitol that way. We sit in our shelter all morning waiting for the wind and rain to die down. About three hours later, the wind is still blowing and the rain is still coming down. The wind is blowing harder by the second.
"What's that sound?" Saffra yells. I've heard of these things before. They occur during bad storms and heavy winds.
"A tornado." I breathe with disbelief.
"We need to get out of here now. We need to head in whatever direction the Gamemakers want us too." Talon yells. It's getting really hard to hear each other now.
We get out of the shelter and I can't believe my eyes. There are at least four tornadoes in the little area we are in.
"Look, over there." I say pointing toward the direction of the Cornucopia. It's not raining in that direction." I state. We start running in that direction as fast and as hard as we can.
By now we're soaked to the bone and cold. There is debris flying all around us. I'm glad that I chose to train on the obstacle course now. The running and dodging is really coming in handy. Without the training, I would surely be in much worse condition than I am now.
The wind is so strong, even still, as we're walking away from it. We all are barely able to stand. Saffra can barely move. She's too light and the wind is pushing her back. Talon has to stand behind her and keep her forward. A strong gust of wind knocks me down and I can't regain my feet. It doesn't take long for Talon and Saffra to be out of sight.
I must have hit my head when I got knocked back because I feel disoriented. How I didn't feel it, I haven't the slightest clue. When I'm able to stand, I have to grasp a nearby tree. I'm woozy. How hard did I hit my head? Has Talon noticed I'm gone? I reach my hand to the back of my head and find it covered in blood. This is bad. Tornadoes are all around me, my head is wounded, and I can barely walk. I start walking in the direction that we were headed in before I fell. At least I think it's the same direction.
I clumsily walk for about a half hour and fall to my knees. I'm too dizzy. All of the sudden the world becomes wobbly. As if it's spinning around me, tilting and wobbling. Despite the freezing rain, I feel queasy and hot. What is happening, I wonder. I can't get my vision to stop blurring. Dark spots are slowly creeping their way into my vision and before I know it I hit the ground.
I wake up with an immense headache and no clue of the time. How long was I out; a day, two, maybe three? Is Talon trying to find me? So many questions flood my head at once.
I certainly lost a substantial amount of blood. No matter how long I've been out head wounds bleed a lot. I'm lucky not to have bled out. Or that no one found me. Did anyone die while I was out? Let's see, there are fourteen left I think. At least there were before I passed out.
I carefully stand and survey the area. I clearly went in the wrong direction. This is nowhere near the Cornucopia. In fact, it's just about the complete opposite. It's not beautiful at all; it's wet, very wet. It feels like I'm walking on a sponge. There's a heavy fog all around me and I almost run into several trees and vines since the visibility is so poor. The stench is awful. I can't wait to get out of here. I feel too vulnerable in this haze. I turn around and head in the direction I came from... however many days ago.
I continue walking when I hear something. It sounds like someone walking in the marshy area. I whip my head from side to side and then turn around. I don't see anyone so I continue in the same direction. I wonder if I'm being featured right now, if the cameras are following me. I suppose that it all depends on what's happening everywhere else. A wandering tribute is hardly anything to follow nonstop, but if there aren't any fights happening, I'm guaranteed to be on the screens at least briefly.
What does Kenner think of me being in the Arena? Is he proud of me, sorry for me, worried? Surely he's at least willing me to come home. It wouldn't surprise me if he's been trying to save up money to sponsor me. What would Kenner do in the Games, I think. Would he become part of the Career pack or would he stay alone. Travel the Arena with nothing but his thoughts. He'd at least make it if he stayed alone, I on the other hand can't take this. I miss Talon, I miss Saffra. If Talon dies and I'm not back with them, what would she do? I'd like to think she'd be smart enough to survive. Maybe find some berries, climb a tree, and outlast the others. I bet she could do it, even without being good with weapons. She's smart, she can gather. That's what she told Caesar. I think about my last night in the Capitol, during the interviews.
"So Saffra, how will you approach the Games?"
"I'll gather berries, roots, eggs, just about anything I can in order to survive."
"As for hunting-"
"No hunting. I couldn't, for one thing I'm not good with weapons. I'll rely on my gathering skills. I'm smart and I can climb." She interjected.
"I see. Have you created an alliance?"
"Look Caesar, I would like to live throughout the days I'm in the arena. I can't let you know everything I' doing. Alliance or not, I'm confident. I can win."
That's when her bell rang and she walked back to her seat, head held high. I believe her. She could win. Sit up in the treetops and let the fighting unfold below, and then happily get sent back to District Eleven. How many people are left? Is Densper one of them? I don't like the thought of Densper being shipped back home, dead and cold. Bled dry and patched up in a wooden box. Home, with his wounds covered and well hidden, all so his family can see him as Densper one last time and say goodbye. What a twist that would be, me outlasting Densper Elphinstone.
The thought of him being murdered… murdered. The word sinks in and I start to really think about the Games. I've always known the Games to be murder and I've thought it many times as well, but it takes on a whole new meaning when I'm thinking about a friend, no matter how remote that friend is. Is it possible that someone murdered him? Say he is dead, I hope Talon wasn't the one to kill him.
A sound snaps me out of thought.
"What is that?" I mutter under my breath. Just then something crashes through the wet undergrowth. I involuntarily scream as I take in what is before me. It looks weird, definitely a muttation. What is it though? I look a second longer and realize that it doesn't look weird at all and the fog was just distorting the image. It's human, but not tribute.
"Kenner!" I gasp running towards him. "What are you doing here?" I'm not sure if I should be happy or worried. Why is he here? The more I process the fact that Kenner's in the arena, the more it makes no sense. My initial thought must be right. Whatever stands before me, no matter how much it looks like my brother, is not him. I turn around and run away from him, it.
The mutt is making an unnatural growling noise. It's advancing quickly behind me and I know that it's meant to kill me. The Gamemakers want me dead. Okay, maybe not dead, just badly harmed. The real entertainment of the Games has nothing to do with tributes dying, it's in the fighting and killing of a fellow tribute.
I turn my head to absorb my current situation. The thing has razor sharp teeth and nails, or claws. I'm still not sure what to classify this mutt as. It's half human—half Kenner—and half something else. Maybe it's a mixture of every possible harmful animal. There's no telling what the Capitol will create. It's almost at my heels now, seeking my blood. I hate how much this feels like Kenner chasing me and trying to kill me. I have to kill it if I want to live. The Capitol's muttations likely won't stop until they complete what they were made for.
I scurry up the nearest tree and ready my bow. As the mutt starts climbing, I send an arrow through its head and jump down. It's so human-like that I half expect a cannon to fire. I look into the lifeless green eyes and see myself in their glassy reflection. "This is not really Kenner, it's not your brother." I say half for myself and half for the audience. I stay on the same track that I was traveling when that mutt appeared. That must have been what I heard earlier.
I really don't remember traveling this far yesterday, or whatever day it was. Of course, that all is sort of hazy. I don't remember much about it. How am I ever going to find Talon? The arena is huge. He could be anywhere. Even though we're so close, it feels like we're worlds apart. I hope he hasn't given up on me, I—
Something's walking dangerously close me. Whether it's dangerous for it or me, I' not sure yet; hopefully I won't have to find out. It's likely that it's only another mutt. But what if it's not just another mutt? It could be anything really. I turn to the side and see a tribute roaring toward me. I don't hesitate and I pull a knife from my belt and throw it at the tribute. I keep running and don't look back. I finally make it back to the normal forest. Shouldn't a cannon have fired by now? Then it hits me. I didn't kill the person. I know that my aims good enough that they're greatly suffering now. How could I do this? I could at least have made sure that they were dead first. It looked like the male from 8. If I remember correctly, he was only fifteen. The only thing I can hope is that I didn't get him in a place that will leave him in pain. Hopefully he'll die soon or of something else.
I pass the place where Talon, Saffra, and I slept the first night of the Games. How long ago was that? I can't even begin to guess. "Talon, Saffra?" I allow myself to shout. I know it's risky but I need to find them. I'm near the Cornucopia so they shouldn't be too far off. "Talon," I shout again.
"Althaea," He says with excitement as he and Saffra break through the trees. "Althaea, I was so worried about you. What happened? I tried to find you, but I couldn't." He wraps his arms around me. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, much better now though. How long was I missing exactly."
"About three days. Why?"
"Oh…um… the wind knocked me back and I hit my head during the storm. That's when I fell behind and couldn't find you." I tell them exactly what happened. I can't believe that I was out for three days.
"Come on we better start walking again." Saffra says. She leads in the direction of the Cornucopia. I wonder where she's going, but I don't say anything.
After what seems like an eternity, we reach the area near the Cornucopia. We run into a female tribute. I'm not sure what District she's from. She's badly injured and that's all the more I know about her.
"Please, kill me." She pleads with us. "I'm only suffering here. I'm too injured to be able to make it through the rest of the day. I'm only twelve. I'm so small that I'll die of infection or I'll just slowly bleed out. Please."
Even though this is what she wants, I don't want to kill her. I can't take it. It takes an emotional toll on your body that I can't even explain and I don't want to have to deal with that again.
Talon, who is carrying my bow so I had less to carry, takes an arrow from the sheath I have slung across my back, and shoots her right through the heart. A cannon fires. I turn to look at him. I have tears in my eyes.
"She was only twelve, Talon." My voice breaks as I say this to him.
"That's why I had to do it Althaea. She was only suffering. It would have been worse to leave her here." Talon envelopes me in his arms and whispers in my ear, "It's better for her this way."
I know he's right, but I still feel horrible. I can only imagine how Talon feels. He's had to kill two tributes already. The worst part is, is that they were both girls. One of them being small and defenseless and the other coming from a District that rarely wins. District Twelve is always ignored by the Capitol. They've had one victor.
"Come on, we need to move." Saffra declares again. This time Saffra leads. We head to the right side of the arena. Far off into the distance, I can see a mountain. It has beautiful flowers toward the bottom of it and a perfect white snow cap on the top.
"Where are we headed Saffra?" I finally ask.
"Hopefully, to that mountain." I know why she's drawn to it, because it seems like a place that will have birds there. Birds that we won't see where we are now. Birds that she will likely never get a chance to see again. We quietly walk along, following Saffra. Talon occasionally points out a flower to me that he thinks is especially beautiful.
"This one's called… well, actually, I don't remember. I really only know that it's pretty." I laugh at his comment.
"Just like you." He says to me sweetly.
The simple comment makes the blood rush to my cheeks. I'm slightly embarrassed by how easily he can make me blush.
"You okay?" He asks me.
"I'm fine. Why?"
"I just wanted to make sure. If you hit your head and passed out for three days, you better bet that I'm going to be worried about you."
"I'm fine, thanks."
I decide to lead for a little bit and Talon takes my sheath as well. I want to see what's in the front and I want to see those things first. I'm admiring a flower as I walk by it, when all of the sudden, my feet are no longer on the ground. Something has me surrounded in the air. I can feel these sharp things poking into me with every move I make.
A barbed wire trap. Someone set a trap out of barbed wire net to catch their prey. Whether that prey is supposed to be human or not, I hope I'll never know.
"Althaea, don't move. We'll figure something out." I can hear the worry in Talon's voice as he paces back and forth.
"Please hurry. This really hurts." I'm trying not to cry. I know that if I cry, it'll make it worse for everyone.
"Talon, I can climb the tree and cut her out of it. As long as you can catch her, this plan is full proof." Talon nods his head. I can tell he doesn't want her up in the tree, but he doesn't have a better plan.
"It's okay Althaea. You'll be down in no time." Saffra reassures me as she reaches the top of the net. She pulls out her knife and starts to saw at the rope. There's no barbed wire on the part where she's cutting, thankfully. With every sawing motion that Saffra makes, I get a new cut. The pain is almost unbearable now. I have to bite my lip to keep from yelling or crying.
"Are you almost done?" I ask.
"Yes."
When the net breaks, my body rolls and sticks to every barb. The pain makes me scream. Thankfully, Talon is at the bottom. He catches me and tells me how happy he is that I'm okay. He sets me on my feet and I turn around to look at Saffra and thank her. Right as I'm about to say it, an arrow hits her chest. I know that it's not a kill shot. I whirl back around to look at Talon. He still has my bow and I don't understand why he'd do this to her. I hear a thud which means that she's hits the ground.
That's when I see someone. I don't even take time to see who it is. I take the bow from Talon, who isn't moving, and send an arrow straight through their heart. The person I shot stands just long enough for me to see who it is.
"No!" I scream. "This didn't happen. I didn't just kill him. Talon, go over to Saffra, I'll be right there." I cry. Talon walks lifelessly over to Saffra and stands there.
Too worried about what I've just done, I let it go. I run over to the body lying on the ground and find that he's not dead yet. "Densper, I'm so sorry." I cry. Kneeling beside him I take his hand.
"I'm sorry too. I didn't realize that it was her, or you." He struggles to get out.
Tears stream down my face. I can't believe that I shot Densper. I know he won't live, it's beyond me or even the Capitol probably.
"I'm sorry." I whisper again.
"Althaea, I have always liked you, loved you. I know I didn't act like it and I'm sorry."
"The past is the past, nothing will change it. I'm not mad about that and I never have been."
"I only wish that I could go back and change how I treated you. Maybe things would be different. Maybe you would've liked me."
The tears continue to fall in a steady a stream as he speaks his feelings to me. It had never crossed my mind that Densper might like me. "Maybe." I admit. If he would've treated me differently, there's a good chance that I would have fallen for him. He's good looking enough; his personality turned me off though.
He grips my hand with as much strength as he can muster, and I do the same.
"Althaea…" He breathes his voice raspy and quiet. He says nothing more, trying to find his breath to finish speaking. A cannon fires and Densper says nothing else.
"No! Densper you can't be dead. Please." I plead.
I lean my forehead on his chest and let my tears soak through his clothes. When I lift my head, my hair tangles in the arrow that pierced his chest.
In anger I take the arrow out and snap it in half while screaming. If nothing else, I've always known Densper, I can't handle the fact that he's dead on account of me. These Games have turned me into someone I'm not. I don't kill, that's not me.
His death leaves me feeling strangely empty and alone. I have never understood him and now I never will, because Densper Elphinstone is dead.