Chapter 9
Kayos has to grab onto my waist to keep me from falling backwards out of the tree. My head is spinning, and I feel like I am going to be sick. The power pack is using my brother, and when they get what they want, they'll kill him. I know what they want also, they want me. The girl who scored a ten in training and stole their thunder by killing one of their own in the first few minutes of the Games. I'm sure that one of them would have won if the girl from District 4 and Joiyse hadn't been killed. I am also sure that they are aware of this fact. Kayos puts a hand over my mouth to keep my squeaks of pain from being heard. The power pack remain directly below us, and we can't afford to give away our positions, because Resin still has a bow, and based on past experiences he's fairly decent at it. I rub my shoulder, and instinctively pull back my jacket to inspect the wound.
Whatever Kayos put on it has made the wound almost disappear completely. A thin red scratch is all that remains of where my brother shot me, though it will probably leave a thin jagged scar. I trace circles around the small incision, and let my mind go back to my dream last night, and the river of blood. If it really was meant to be the blood of the Tributes, how many of us are going to have to die until something happens. The girl that became the mockingjay was according to my dream supposed to take revenge for the Tributes, but how? A twig snaps below me and my attention returns to the three Tributes below me as Vivi's soft steady voice rings out across the clearing.
"Oh shut up Liasion. We like Resin remember." She ruffles my brother's hair, and I automatically bristle in anger at her touching any part of him. I want to jump out of this tree, and cut her hands off for laying a hand on him. I remember I have my knives, and I pull one out silently, aiming at Vivi's beautiful flawless obnoxious little head. Vivi sounds completely irritated and she points her spear directly at Liasion. I hold my knives, if we are lucky, she'll get mad enough to kill him for us. He seems to be the biggest threat in the games, so the sooner he is disposed of the better it will be for all who are involved here. Liasion turns his gaze to Resin, and hisses in annoyance. He actually hissed. I never knew that people actually did that. He actually hissed like a feral cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Resin returns Liasion's gaze just as steadily.
"I'm here now so let's just go already." His annoyance flickers in his voice, and I actually find a bit of amusement in this.
"I could've sworn I heard someone around here." Liasion looks around frantically for a moment before sighing in resignation and leading the power pack out of the clearing, and as Vivi is about to leave I throw a knife at her head. The sound of an object flying through the air comforts me, and I smile as I see it heading towards the girl who is here to make my life hell.
The knife sticks into a tree as her head ducks around it, and I swear under my breath.
Somehow, none of them heard the soft sound of the knife lodging itself into the bark of the tree. I would have thought that at least Vivi would have noticed, but I suppose that it is a lucky break for us. Maybe they aren't as all seeing as everyone would have hoped. I climb tentatively out of the tree to retrieve my knife from the tree, drop the last ten feet and land softly on the balls of my feet, the sound of impact making a soft thud in the soft earth. If they come back they are sure to notice the knife protruding from a tree. I tuck it safely into my belt, and grab onto the tree, hoisting myself up into its branch's embrace. Kayos helps me up onto the large branch and I look over to see him staring at me.
"What?" Annoyance creeps into my voice, as I see the pity in his eyes. I don't want his pity. I want Resin to be safe from the arena, but that's not going to happen. I don't need anyone's pity, I just need to get as far as I can in these Games.
He just shakes his head and leans back into the trunk of the tree. I look into the sky and watch as the last rays of light are extinguished from the sky.
The anthem of Panem plays and the sky goes pitch black to show the face of the girl that we killed. The girl from District 11. Her family will be grieving for her, and her District will be screaming for these Games to end. They will be forced to watch until only one Tribute is left standing, but they know that neither of their children will be coming home.
I try to recall which Tributes are still in the competition. Thirteen died yesterday, then the girl from eleven today. Two days into the Games and fourteen Tributes are already dead and on their way back to their families. So, there are ten Tributes left in the arena. It seems like an endlessly large arena for so few survivors to ever come into contact, and I wonder how ratings for the Games will be if it gets dull watching us circle each other.
I know that both from District 1 are still alive, Resin and I. Both from two are still alive, Kayos and Vivi, as well as Liasion from District 4. I think that at least one is alive from District 6, but I can't recall any of the others. I shake my head to get rid of any remaining thoughts and pull out one of the last quarts of water. I have seen absolutely no water in the arena so far, and I wonder if the Capitol wants us to die of dehydration if we aren't killed by other Tributes. I take a sip of the water to quench my parched throat, but I drink sparingly, and then hand the bottle to Kayos, who finished his last bottle after climbing up the tree.
I watch him drink, and smile at how adorable it is. I shake my head again to get rid of the thought. I can't think like this. Keziah, you have to let it go. The Capitol has taken your future, so stop trying to think about how it could have been. There is not future for most of Panem. He hands me back the bottle, and our fingers brush, sending a shock up my arm that makes me feel extremely exposed. I nestle the water back into my backpack and sit with my legs dangling off of the branch waving them around like a child.
"Ziah, you should sleep we need to be able to move tomorrow." I turn my gaze to rest on him and see the concern in his eyes, so I consent for his sake. He lies down on the branch and opens his arms for me to share his warmth. The temperature is dropping rapidly, and I am grateful to have him trust me enough for us both to sleep. I curl up in his arms and let my eyes close, thinking about the bloodshed and murders.
Murder. That's what this pageant is, but I would never dare speak it aloud. I drift off into a light fitful sleep, where jabberjays run throughout the Districts, and the rebellion is still in its full potential. When there was still hope for the Districts. The rebellion is still alive in my dreams, as I'm sure it is in the majority of Panem.
I open my eyes to the bright flickering light, and blink several times to get my eyes to adjust. The smell in the air is acidic, and it looks as though the sky has exploded into a rainstorm of ash and rubble. The ash burns as it hits my eyes, and even blinking will not relieve the pain. I force myself to stand, and look around me. There are Peacekeepers and citizens of Panem. They are standing in front of a screen, with an arena. A little girl is being shown on the screen, and the girl from yesterday is there as well. Tears flow freely down her face as she sings softly to the girl. A lullaby for her to die to, even the birds have joined in to say goodbye to this young girl. The girl on fire pounds her fists in anger and closes the girl's eyes before leaving the clearing. The ash starts to rain down in heavier clumps, making it harder to see the screen.
The girl on fire has returned with her arms filled with flowers. She walks back to the little girl and starts to cover the wound that the girl had sustained before she died with the white flowers. She lines her entire body with the flowers before standing and looking around for a moment. Her gaze finds a camera and she holds up three fingers in a silent farewell to the dead Tribute. I watch the reaction of the people around me. The dead Tribute must have been from this District.
One shorter man with dark skin balls up his fists and runs at one of the Peacekeepers. Several others follow suit, and a fight breaks out across the entire square. The ash rains down heavily to where I cannot see my hand if I hold it in front of my face. Fire explodes across the ash, and the picture in front of me clears again. I see a single white rose that matches the one from last night. It has vines that stretch out from the bush in every direction and curl around the twelve trees that surround it. The vines have cut into the trees to the point where there is no way to remove it without cutting down the trees. Sap oozes out from the places where the vines sliced into the huge trunks. It looks as though the rose has been wrapping into the trees for almost a century. I walk into the clearing and approach the rose. It's beautiful and flawless in a dangerous way, and it reminds me of President Hill in a way.
I reach out a hand to touch it, and a vine whips out and wraps around my wrist, cutting off circulation with the thorns slicing in. I watch as my blood drips from my wrist and splashes onto the flawless white of the rose. It falls from the rose into a puddle on the ground. An arrow flies in from the distance and pierces the rose, making the petals fall to the floor in a graceful floating motion. The white petals turn black and transform into feathers. Flames burst out on the rose bush, and it explodes over the vines, burning them to the ground. There is a bright flash, and I have to close my eyes to the blinding light.
When I open my eyes, the vines are gone, and the areas on the trees that had been affected still bore the scars from where the vines were, but no trace of them remained. Burn marks can be seen on all of the trees but the leaves are still green so they will live. In fact they should grow with little impact from the years of strangulation from the rose's vines. In a decade or so, the rose's existence will be forgotten by the trees.
I look down at my still bleeding wrist. There are always casualties of war. How many will this one take? How many innocent lives will have to be taken before the ashes begin to fall? I bend down and pick up one of the black feathers, watching as blood falls onto it, staining the white tips red. Blood is the root of all of the problems of this world. You are either born with the blood of a leader or a follower, you have the blood of a noble or the blood of a common man, and sadly for the Districts all of us are born with the blood of the common man
I wake to a movement below me, and I blink against the bright morning light, trying to see what the threat is. My eyes adjust, and I smile at the luck of this new development. I nudge Kayos into a semi waking state and continue to watch below me. A boy Tribute has chosen to make camp directly below our tree, and continues to sleep. The movement that I heard was the boy rolling over. He was lying on a pile of leaves, so any movement would be able to summon a hunter from a mile away. I nudge Kayos again, careful not to frighten him. I really don't want to be responsible for him falling out of the tree. He blinks at me with a look of irritation at being awoken, and I point down below us. He processes for a moment before smiling, and gesturing that this is my turn to play the games. I creep down the tree silently, and stalk quietly to the other side of the clearing before picking up a stick and throwing it with all of my strength at a nearby tree.
The sharp crack of wood snapping in half makes the boy jump up from his sleep into instant alertness. I watch as the stick shatters and splinters into small pieces with intrigue and slowly turn my gaze to the boy before having them flit up to Kayos, who smiles mischievously. I half smile, and return my attention to the crouching boy. He is warily taking me in, and his hand reaches for a spear that rests on the ground. I resist the urge to pull out my knives, and take a step closer. He seems to be more adequate at the whole survival skills thing than the girl from yesterday, and I carefully take him in. I take a step towards him and he grasps the spear and jumps to his feet in one fluid movement that blurs together so quickly that I barely catch it. I cock my head to the side and give him a flirtatious smile. Well I guess we have a fighter here. That will make this Game all the more fun. I continue to evaluate the situation. This one could potentially cause a problem for me if I don't think things through completely.
His eyes flicker in fear, and he throws the spear directly at my chest. I drop to the ground just as the spear lodges into the tree where I stood only moments ago. My eyes widen in shock, and I pull my knife out walking up to him now that his weapon is gone. Alright, I guess this kid is more than adequate at survival skills, let's see how well he can fight. I'm really glad that I have fast reflexes right now. This kid's pretty damn good. I walk up to him angrily.
"Now honey, that wasn't smart. I didn't have to be your enemy." My fury boils over as I reach him and shove him to the ground. He grabs my ankle and pulls it out from under me causing me to crash to the ground clumsily. I yelp in pain as I land awkwardly on my wrist, sending tendrils of pain up my left arm. I can hear Kayos shifting above me, readying himself to shimmy down the tree to assist me, and I shake my head at him furiously. This is my fight and I will succeed or fail on my own. I pull out a long thin bladed knife, and turn back to the boy, who launches to his feet and bolts for the tree that has his spear still lodged in it. Perfect, I take a deep breath in and as I release the breath the knife cuts loose from my hand like it is a part of my breathing pattern. The moment seems to move in slow motion as the boy rolls to avoid the blade. I watch in horror as the blade lodges itself into the tree right next to the spear. The kid is fast, amazingly fast, and there is no way that my knives are going to cause half as much damage as that spear. I position myself into a crouch and pull out a curved blade. If he wants a fight, then he can have one. He has managed to pry the spear from the tree and has turned to face me, his eyes blazing in excitement and fury.
I launch myself forward with as much speed as my legs will allow and watch as the boy's face shows an ounce of fear. This knife I will not throw, I need to see his fear as I stare him in the face. He positions himself, and heaves the spear with his entire body. He stumbles forward, and I sidestep. The spear flies through my hair, shearing off a good portion of it, and I can feel a warm liquid dripping down my neck. I misjudged the speed slightly. I bring my hand to my neck, and when I pull it away, a thin line of blood stains it. Okay, it's just a scratch not a big deal. I breathe in, and the breath is knocked out of me as something solid slams into my stomach and knocks me to the ground. I roll my weight with the opposing force and manage to land on my hands and knees. I look below me, and I see the boy's face inches away from mine. I blink at him several times before making sure that his arms were pinned by my knees. His feet kept kicking at me, but that pain is nothing. I lost my curved knife when he ran at me, so I have to retrieve another from my belt. I hold it to the boy's neck pushing hard enough to dimple the skin without breaking it. He holds my gaze steadily, and I stop momentarily. His huge brown eyes dig into my heart. They look like those of a wounded puppy, and I can't bring myself to kill him.
I take him in completely, and assume he is about fourteen, with shoulder length sleek brown hair, and tanned skin. His body is small and thin, but he is muscular for one so small.
"Aren't you going to kill me?" His voice is cracking and strong, and my heart wrenches. He's still just a boy, just like Resin. I feel an automatic need to protect him from the world, from the prying eyes of the Capitol.
"No. I won't kill you." I drop my knife to the ground to prove my point, and look up at Kayos. He is furious, I can tell by how his mouth is clenched in a thin line. I motion for him to come out of the tree, and the boy's eyes widen in fear at the presence of the larger boy, and he takes a step closer to me figuring that I am less of a threat now. Kayos jumps the last ten feet, and lands gracefully on his feet. His eyes are glistening in anger, and I walk over with my head hung in shame. I remember that the boy is still in the clearing, and I turn to him.
"Do not try to run, or you'll be dead." My anger is boiling over, and I don't want to have to kill this Tribute, so I hope he has the common sense to listen. I turn away from him and walk over to the fuming Kayos.
"You couldn't even go through with your own damn plan Keziah. What the hell is wrong with you. Kill the boy so we can move on." His fists are clenching and unclenching in anger, so I look him in the eyes.
"No. I won't kill him. He's scared Kayos, why can't we keep him with us." My voice is almost coming out in a whine. I want someone that will remind me of my purpose in the arena. I am not just a piece in the Gamemakers Hunger Games, I am here to protect Resin and get him home, that's it. So I guess I am a piece in my own games as fun as that thought is. The unknown boy will help me keep my head about the Games, and give me an anchor to keep me focused on keeping Resin alive. Besides, odds are something else will kill him before I will have to.
"If you won't kill him, I will." He draws his sword, and strides toward the boy, who sinks to the ground pleading with him to spare him. His cries drive me to my senses, and I run full speed in front of the boy as Kayos raises his blade to strike him down. A scream comes from my mouth as a fiery pain explodes across my arm where I was attempting to block the blow. The boy screams in shock and I sink to my knees, blood pouring from my forearm. I look down at the cut to see that the sword has penetrated to the bone. I collapse to the ground in a heap and cry out in pain, not caring who hears anymore.
"Keziah, what the hell!" Kayos screams at me in anger and fear. He kneels in front of me and fumbles to get a look at my arm. The boy sits on my other side, hugging my good arm tightly. I focus on the pressure that he is putting on my left arm, instead of the mangled mess of my right.
"You can't kill him. Please Kayos." My eyes plead silently with him, and I silently make him promise to do anything that I want. He lowers his gaze and nods slightly at me. I hold out my good hand to the boy.
"Allies?" My voice is weakening, and he looks up at me in shock like this was more than he'd ever hoped would happen. His small hand grasps mine and the deal is sealed. I collapse completely, and clutch at my arm in pain.
A thump in the distance sends another scream from my lips. Kayos grabs his sword in an instant and flies out of the clearing to protect his wounded family. In the arena this is as close to family as we will ever get. The boy looks at my arm, and whispers softly into my ear.
"Thank you for saving me." he wraps his arms around my neck and clings to me in companionship. I am glad that I decided to save him. He really does remind me of Resin. Both are sweet, and he is so small that even Resin might be slightly bigger. I would assume that he can't weigh more than eighty pounds. I smile at him and watch as my blood stains the ground.
Even stitches won't hold this together. I'm pretty much screwed at this point, but that's alright. Maybe Resin can do this on his own. I hope that he can. Hope is all that I have left. I hear the trees on the left of the clearing rustle as someone walks toward us. Kayos walks into the clearing holding some sort of container with a large silver parachute attached. He joins us on the ground again, and looks at me in confusion.
"Open it, what's the worst that can happen?" I give him a lopsided smile. Of course the worst that can happen is that we are all killed by whatever is inside, but odds are we are all going to die anyways, so what difference does it make when. He turns it around to look for an opening, and finds a small silver latch on one of the sides. It clicks as the latch opens, and I am transfixed by the strange little container. The lid flips open, and Kayos reaches his hand tentatively in, and his fear of the container is palpable.
His eyes widen as he grasps something and pulls it out. A small round container. We all look at it in confusion, and he pulls out the little piece of paper that was found in the bottom of the container. The stiff paper crinkles as it is opened.
'Apply generously.'
I look at the small jar, and grab it from Kayos' hands. He rolls his eyes in amusement as I try to get the lid off with one hand. His hands cover mine, and he twists the cover off. I dip my hand into the creamy gel, and cautiously move some of the salve up onto a portion of my arm.
There is a slight hissing sound and I drop the salve in alarm. My arm gives off a smoky mist, and I stare at it, so this is it, I'm going to die of poisoning from the Capitol. They tricked me into thinking that they were being generous and sending medicine, but no this was just a play to get me out of the picture. I'm sure my smoky death will be amusing to the Capitol.
The smoking stops and the portion of my arm that had the salve has been changed from a bloody useless piece of flesh to new skin and muscle. I giggle in relief. Heyfer really hasn't left us to fend for ourselves. This must be a gift from sponsors. She really is trying to keep me alive. I whisper thanks to her, and allow Kayos to apply a thick layer to the rest of the cut.
The hissing and smoking continues for a few minutes before fading away, leaving my arm as good as it had been this morning. I smile at Kayos, and the new addition to our alliance, and Kayos moves close to me.
"Put this on the wound in your chest." He whispers it gently, and I feel bad for him so I comply. His eyes are full of pain and misery. He thought that he had mortally wounded me, and he did. I don't blame him though. Once my chest is treated I hand the salve to the boy, who treats a large cut on his arm that looks infected. He winces in pain as the medicine begins to work, and shortly after begins to sigh in relief.
"What's your name and District?" I turn to face the boy completely.
"My name is Disho, District seven." He looks me in the eyes and smiles at me, revealing an adorable young boy that only tried to fight because he was scared.
"I'm Keziah, District one, and pissy pants over there is Kayos, he's from two." I inspect his arm to make sure that the infection was driven away, and once I am satisfied, I help him to his feet. Kayos has his back to us, and refuses to turn around. I'm sure he is still irritated that I didn't do what I was supposed to. I can tell that he is not very fond of Disho, and I don't really blame him completely. Choosing to trust another person in here is dangerous, especially one who knows how to fight, but I have a good feeling about this boy so I shrug off his pouting.
"Disho, why don't you go look around for some edible roots or water. Just don't go too far." I ruffle his long hair as he grins at me and runs off into the woods.
I sigh and walk over to Kayos, crouching in front of him. His eyes rest on my face for a moment, before flitting back to the ground. I guess I have to play mom and ask the baby what his problem is. My throat is parched from the lack of water, but that is the least of my worries right now. An alliance that cannot get along will result in failure.
"What's wrong Kay?" I cock my head to the side, questioningly, and let my legs go out from under me, making me plop onto the cold dry earth.
"I almost killed you." His voice trembles with emotion, and I grab his hand. He pulls it away and put it back in his lap.
"Well you didn't. It was an accident." I grab his hand again, and refuse to let go no matter how hard he pulls to free himself.
"My rage got the better of me, and I could have killed you." He looks miserable, and I raise his head to look me in the eyes.
"It's ok, you didn't." He tries to get me to let go of his face, and I sigh in resignation. I know what will make him let everything go. I need him to be on top of things, anything could happen here, and i can't do this alone.
I look into his eyes. A tear escapes from his closed eyes.
"Kayos, it's going to be okay. I promise." He tries to fight me, but I cup his chin in my hands, and stare into his light brown eyes. This is one thing that the Capitol cannot take from us. They have taken our pasts and out futures, but the present is ours for the taking. At least for the moment, this moment is ours and ours alone. Not even the Capitol can take that from us.
I lean forward and kiss him gently, pressing my lips softly against his, showing him that we are still our own persons, even if the Games are changing us.