Chapter 11
I go into a daze, imagining different scenarios of how Kingsley could kill me right now. He's already asked me to be allies and I've already agreed but I can't help keeping my guard up. I must have been unaware where I was looking because Kingsley smirks and goes,
"Enjoying the view?"
I frown and sputter "No!" but I feel my face go warm anyways.
How conceited is this guy? He takes a step closer to me and lifts his hand. I flinch thinking he's going to hit me. All he does is lift my chin a little higher and examine my face.
"Nasty cut you've got here. What's it from?"
"A mountain lion."
He raises his eyes and whistles in surprise.
'Really? And you got away with just this?"
"Drove a knife into its head." I mumble.
Kingsley smiles in approval.
"Here, I've got something for that." He says, kneeling down and reaching into his backpack and pulling out a first aid kit. He cleans my cut with some antiseptic, which hurts more being applied than the actual cut. I don't understand why he's so gentle and is being so kind. It would be a lot easier if he just offed me right now. You know, save me the stress.
"There must be a lot out here. That's how Anemone went, basically got her face eaten off." He grimaces.
So that's how she went. How horrific. Did the other careers escape while they left her to die a slow and painful death? Kingsley puts a Band-Aid on my cut, his fingers lingering a little.
"I cleaned it so hopefully you won't die from tetanus."
Was that supposed to be a joke? Because he says it with a smile, his eyebrows raised. I don't bother asking; instead I dig my boot into the soft earth, watching the water pool in the dent from my heel. My eyes stay focused on the ground when I speak to him. He looks me in the eyes but I can't seem to give him the same sort of respect. Yet.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" I ask.
Kingsley sort of shrugs, the corner of his lips turning up, "I'm not sure. Is that bad?"
I nod. The rain begins to pound down, dripping through the tick canopy of the forest and drowning out the calls of the mockingjays with the steady patter of droplets to leaves. Kingsley flips his hood up, his eyes trailing around the forest.
"Don't you just think that we'll last longer as two?" He says, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and grabbing his harpoons.
I pull my hood over my eyes and scowl, "yeah I guess so."
Being allies with Kingsley will be fine as long as I don't get attached. I keep telling myself this. It becomes hard when one gets to know another too much. It's difficult, in general I like people, I like being with people and I like interacting with them. On my own terms mostly. I feel threatened when someone suddenly wants to know everything about me and I feel no need to disclose any information on a stranger. I guess I'm just wary like that. I immediately think people's intentions are bad, like how Kingsley is already treating me like a friend, it puts my guard up, especially in this sort of situation. Although I'm sure Kingsley will be a good ally. He is strong and smart as far as I know. We will get farther working together; until there is maybe five or six of us left then we will have to split. Or maybe he'll just kill me right on the spot, no longer having any use for me.
We trudge through he forest in a direction I have never been. I assume the arena must be larger than I thought, seeing as Kingsley is the first tribute I've encountered. I wonder where Lucifer is. What is he doing? Has he made any allies as well? And what about all the other tributes? There are still ten of us, both from one and two, Kingsley and Myself, Lucifer, Eden the girl from five, Apollo the boy from ten, and Spektor the boy from eleven.
We walk for almost the whole afternoon, forcing small talk I won't remember in an hour. Occasionally he'll ask me about myself, District seven, or my family. In turn I'll ask about him, District four, and his family. He tells me he worked on the fishing boats back in District four. He was in charge of hauling the nets up from the boats. He tells me that's how he got so buff. I roll my eyes at this comment, unimpressed. I asked him about his family once but he just laughed and shook his head. He was unusually quiet for about an hour until I spotted a bush of red huckleberries, which we stopped to pick.
After a while I ask him why we're walking so far. We must have crossed about five or six ravines.
"Just to set a good distance from everyone else." He says
He tells me that my camp was unsettlingly close to the career pack as well as the boy from ten. Oh, he must have been the one that took my pack. Brat. I sigh; I shouldn't have left it alone. This game is truly survival of the fittest. Something tells me that I am somewhat less than fit for this sick, twisted game of natural selection.
It's verging on evening when we find a hollowed out cedar. We both agree that this will be a good place to stop tonight. I'm a little on edge. No one has died today which means the Capitol audience will be getting bored. To up the anti the gamemakers will start to interfere. I won't be surprised if someone dies 'accidentally' tonight.
It's cold tonight; I wish we could light a fire. I can see my breath clouding out into the air. We eat a quiet dinner of beef jerky and huckleberries. Kingsley tells me he doesn't like the beef jerky, he would have preferred some fish. I tell him he can catch some for us if we find a body of water. His other teammates had used up most of their food in the first two days so all he could come up with was the jerky when he left. I feel a bit more comfortable with him, we even laugh a bit.
"You're not as bad I thought"
Kingsley half smiles, "Is that supposed to be a compliment? What did you think I was a killing machine or something?"
"Honestly? Sort of, since you're a career." I tell him.
"Well, just so you know, I haven't trained for the games at all, most district four tributes don't, I guess what we learn is practical in the arena." He says, picking at a piece of his jerky.
"Really? I just assumed. It's good to know though."
The anthem interrupts our conversation, the capitol seal shining in the night sky signaling another day over. No fallen tributes tonight so the sky just cuts to black once the anthem ends. I rest my head against the inside of the tree settling in.
"Goodnight Kingsley." I say.
I can't see him anymore in the pitch dark but I hear him shift and settle.
"Night."