A/N- Well, so much for more frequent updates. But, whatever, here's the chapter. It's a little short, but I hope that you like it. As always, I'd like to hear any criticism or compliments you have. Thank you.
The day that the Games started was most likely the worst night of my life. Before my own Games, there was the adrenaline, the strategizing, all that to think about. Before Annie's there's nothing to think about except for her. The nightmares start coming back full force, and there's nothing that I can do about it. Rafe and Eliza take turns watching me, I'm guessing to make sure that I don't kill myself in my sleep, but I couldn't do that if I wanted to. Something in my head tells me that maybe if I don't look away from the television, Annie will come home.
From when I awake to the voice of Claudius Templesmith announcing the favorites and whatnot. It's not important, so I only pay attention when Annie's face comes up. Since District 4 has had victors two of the past four years, it's impossible to count her out, but she definitely isn't a favorite. I ignore that. Eliza wasn't either, and she won.
Then the actual Games are ready to start, and the camera goes to the arena. The one that I notice immediately is that there's no water Annie can use, not to her advantage anyway. The main sources of water is deep, raging river the flows in a circle around the arena. A dam of rocks prevents it from entering the actual arena in more than a trickle, and that won't help Annie at all. Other than the river, which seems to be the main feature of that arena, it's basically just a humungous field. There are very few trees, lots of chin high yellow grass, and herds of strange animals that storm around the outskirts of the arena. The only place that I can imagine would offer any kind of shelter is a mountain range about ten miles from the cornucopia. I pray that Annie has enough sense to go there.
I don't have any more time to pray though, because then the platforms rise and the camera pans out to show the tributes coming up into the arena. All of them look around in confusion, except for the tributes from Four. I'm guessing that they're hearing the sound of the rushing river. So many rivers cut through Four on their way to the ocean that Annie and the boy from out district, Altos, have got to recognize the noise.
It's sort of a good thing, too, because both of them are ready when the cornucopia sounds, when most of the other tributes are still searching for the sound of the roar. Neither of them try to get supplies though, for which I'm both thankful and weary. I don't want Annie to get caught up in the blood bath, but I also want her to have something at least. At least she runs off with Altos, so she has someone to help her out, at least for now.
I watch as Annie and Altos run from the cornucopia as fast as they can, and towards the mountains too. They have a decent head start over the other tributes, so I found myself relaxing for a while, until they basically just quit showing them. I understand that they weren't killing anybody, but updates every hour just made me horribly nervous.
Both of them make it through the night, though, and they get to the mountains the next day. I actually relax for just a second after they get a nice camp set up in this cave where it's impossible for anyone to sneak up on them. That is, until the Gamemakers decide that it's getting boring. The fire starts a mile away, so I'm not too concerned at first. Then I realize how dry that grass really is, and how fast it burns up. It takes just a matter of minutes for the fire to turn half of the savanna into a barren wasteland. It wipes out another three tributes, but it also leaves smoke everywhere.
It's obvious that none of the tributes can see more than a few feet in front of their face, not to mention that Annie and Altos are forced out of their cave because of the lack of ventilation. So by that night both of them are crawling on the ground, unable to see, with no weapons on them. My nerves are strung up to their breaking point. Eliza holds my hand, whispering to me that everything's going to be okay. I know something's wrong when he words die in her throat. I see the other tributes a second after she does. Three big Careers, wearing some kind of gasmasks, walking right towards Annie and Altos.
I watch in horror as one of the Careers basically trips over Altos. Then, before he can react, the Career jabs his hand into his back and pins him to the ground. Another takes a huge knife and brings it down on his neck. No warning, nothing. It happens so fast that I can hardly comprehend it, but sure enough, it happens. I barely even have time to be afraid for Annie before the Careers are past, without even seeing her.
But even after they're long gone, Annie doesn't move. She lies on the ground, in the middle of all that unnatural smoke, curled up into a little ball. I know that the Gamemakers are probably getting mad at her because they can't take Altos' body until she moves, but she just won't. After a little while longer, she even starts shaking. I just watch in horror, willing her to move, praying that she can get her head together. But she doesn't. Eventually the Gamemakers must decide that they're just going to have to take the body, because the hovercraft comes and picks Altos up, then goes away.
The sun dips below the horizon, then raises again. My eyes are drooping, and my head is pounding from lack of sleep, but I can't look away, not with Annie so vulnerable like that.
Eventually, Annie does get up, and she even makes her way to a part of the mountain without smoke, but there's a blank look in her eyes, and I really don't think she knows what she's doing. It seems like she's wandering around, rather than actually doing anything useful. That's made more obvious when, after she paces around in front of a small crevice, she just ducks inside and gets into the fetal position.
Claudius Templesmith is having a field day trying to wonder what's wrong with her, but I already have a pretty good idea. Annie, perfect, sweet, Annie, just saw someone she knew, her ally, get his head cut off. She can't handle it, just like she won't win these Games. She's a decent person, and there's no way that she's going to make it. She can't handle death, not like that anyway.
Another day passes, and she doesn't move an inch. She has to be getting hungry, but whatever sponsors she may have had are gone now, and no food comes her way. I don't know if she'd eat anyway. She's staring into space, holding her legs to her chest, and shaking back and forth a little bit. She's gone, and the Games did this to her, and now she's going to die, and I basically lose my ability to function with her.
My mind becomes all consumed with death visions of Snow, the only thing that I can feel is hate, hate for Snow, hate for whoever ends up killing her, and hate for myself for letting this happen.
There are nine tributes left the next morning. One more dies. Annie doesn't move. None die the next day, or the one after that. I'm sort of in my own little world at this point, but most of that world involves the tv, so I know what's happening, and I know that the Gamemakers are going to make something happen. And they do, something that brings me back from my little dream world.
An earthquake rolls through the arena, causing rockslides, opening huge cracks in the ground, and shocking most of the tributes. Annie doesn't notice, but that doesn't matter. Because more than anything else, the earthquake opens this huge whole in the rock that was keeping the river out of the main part of the arena. This sends a torrent of water that buries the entire savanna under at least eight feet of water. Since there's no hills, nothing except for the small mountain range that's only housing two tributes other than Annie, there's no place to escape too. Most of the scarce trees have burnt down, and nothing else is above water level except for a couple pieces of floating debris.
Now, I'm really watching again. I'm sure that Annie can win, since she's in a safe place. Until the Gamemakers decide that Annie and the other tribute in the mountains have an unfair advantage. The bats chase the other tribute out of her cave, but Annie doesn't seem to notice. For a second, I'm terrified that the Gamemakers will just kill her, but instead, they do something that I've never seen before. A mutt that looks exactly like her sister hurries to her place in the cave, then convinces her to follow. Annie is so far gone that she doesn't even remember that she died four years ago. And that mutt leads Annie right off the edge of that mountain.
Of course, it's not that high, and she lands in the water, but there's no easy way for her to get back up. Annie isn't in the best of shape anyway, so I don't think she could do it. That doesn't matter, though, because Annie is different once she's in the water. I'm not talking about an amazing transformation, she doesn't get her brain back at all. But she does start moving.
She still doesn't realize she's in the Games, that's obvious, but she isn't just a sitting duck. Instead, she starts gliding through the water like a mermaid, acting like there isn't a person in the world to see her. She has to be starving, and I know she's not in the right kind of mind to get food, but I'm not that worried. Since the flood, tributes are dropping fast.
One died from a rockslide the earthquake caused. Another three have drowned. Five left. The sun sets, but only Annie sleeps. She has that floating on her back thing down. The other tributes have no place to go, and they're getting tired. The next day, another one drowns. A couple of them find each other that night, and a somewhat pathetic battle ensues. Knives are awkwardly stabbed at each other, blood dyes the water, and the tributes end up killing each other. One of them escapes the initial fight, but his injuries are so bad that he drowns just an hour later.
That leaves two. Annie does flips and hums to herself, putting her hands over her ears like she's trying as hard as she can to go to her happy place. The other tribute, a fierce looking girl from one, is searching fiercely for Annie, but even though she's strong, she's a slow swimmer and doesn't cover much ground.
Annie keeps up her mermaid act, even though she's now horribly pale and skinny, and I know that she'll die of starvation if she keeps going like she is. She's drinking the water, which probably isn't healthy, but it isn't salt water and it's better than nothing. That'll keep her going a while, I hope.
Except maybe a while is too long. The next day, nothing happens, and I wonder if the Gamemakers would allow Annie to just starve to death.
That's when I notice the girl from One getting way too close. Later that night, she finds Annie. Annie, who's completely lost it, sees her just in time, but just stares at her. Then, miracle of miracles, she darts under the water and gets away from her. A short chase ensues, but I don't have a doubt that Annie's going to get away, she's just too fast. After that, the Gamemakers then lose their patience. They throw these huge, fierce looking fish in the water. Annie gets away, let's say that the other girl doesn't. I watch in shock, anxiety, and joy as the trumpets blare and Annie is lifting from the arena. Eliza hugs me, and I breathe for the first time in over a week. Annie is coming home.