Thank you guys for reading this, and thank you so much for over 1,000 views! I know it's not an incredible amount but it means a lot that people actually like it. xD
A lot happens in this chapter, so let me know if you think that it's too fast paced. Also, I was wondering if any of you would be interested in a chapter from Luke's point of view? It wouldn't influence the story, and the events would still happen from Juliet's point of view, but I though it might be interesting if I posted a one-short or short chapter from his point of view! Let me know what you think, and enjoy!
Ch. 11
"Juliet, wake up. We missed the anthem last night." A cold hand on my shoulder shook me out of my slumber.
"What?" I responded lamely, still groggy from a restless sleep. I quickly sat up as his words registered in my brain. Light filtered through the entrance to our miniature cave, illuminating his anxious face. Hank had his backpack slung over his good shoulder and a sword in the same hand.
"We need to move." He didn't wait for a response before he stuck his head out of the crack in the rocks, checking to see if the coast was clear. As he shifted his upper body to fit through the opening, his muffled grunt reminded me of his injury.
"Wait a minute, Hank. I know you're eager to find Laurette, but you need to let me check your arm. I exited the cave and clipped on my knife belt, which I had taken off last night. I blinked through the pain of the light piercing my eyes, stark in contrast to the darkness of the rock cave.
Hank kept his face impassive and reassured me he was fine, but I could see the red that had seeped through the thick bandage in the middle of the night. I decided not to push further, considering our best bet was to find Laurette and have her look at his wound.
"Alright, let's get going." I raised my eyebrows doubtfully but followed Hank nonetheless.
The two of us had been walking for a while before Hank turned to me suddenly. "We need to check the stream where the mutt first attacked us. She could be waiting for us."
I didn't argue, but I refused to get my hopes up. Besides, I had no idea where we were in the forest, or how to get back to the stream. I had become discombobulated in the darkness last night and had no idea which way was North or South. Fortunately, Hank seemed to have some idea and walked purposely forward in a set direction.
"Are you hungry?" I broke the comfortable silence between us and swung my back pack around so it was in front of me. It was a stupid question-everyone in the Hunger Games was hungry. But although that was a well-known fact, Hank stubbornly shook his head. I rolled my eyes and decided I liked Hank better when he wasn't playing the hero.
"Come on, you need to eat something. You won't be any use to Laurette if you're dead from hunger." I put it bluntly, attempting to get Hank to take the dried fruit from my outstretched hand.
He put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. "We need meat. We'll go hunting later."
The lanky boy ahead of me stopped suddenly, causing me to bump into him from behind. "It's around here somewhere, if I'm correct."
We had been walking for hours, so I accepted his words without hesitation. I didn't doubt his ability to find his way to the stream. Hank was super observant, and I would have been surprised if he didn't keep good track of the places he's been in the arena.
"She'll be there." He mumbled, mostly to himself.
And she was. Sitting by the stream with her backpack next to her, she gripped her spear so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. Although she seemed to be on high alert, it wasn't until Hank breathed a sigh of relief that she finally noticed us.
Her body relaxed and she dropped her spear, rushing over to Hank and throwing her arms around his neck. Tears streamed down her face, but Hank brushed them away.
"Thank Panem, I wasn't ready to lose you." She beamed, clutching tightly to his shoulders. I made eye contact with her from behind Hank and she stepped back away from him, her smile growing wider.
"You found each other!" She gave me a nod, composing herself, "I was sure I was on my own. Good thing I had the idea to come back here. I was sure Hank would think the same thing, but I was getting worried when you took your damn time getting here." Her wide eyes twinkled with happiness, but it seemed short lived as she realized our reality.
Her eyes took in Hank's bloody bandage and she gasped. "What happened?"
"It's nothing, really. Just a small gash from the mutt."
I glared at Hank, hating how he was being so casual about it.
"Let me look." The bubbly brunette demanded, her eyebrows scrunched together in a fierce expression.
"No." Hank barked. "I said it's nothing."
Laurette's frown deepened and her eyebrows furrowed even more. "Okay." She responded sharply. Her voice laced with something I couldn't catch.
With her back to us, she continued her way through the forest. Hank and I followed immediately, not wanting to lose our ally again. I felt awkward among the obvious tension between the pair. It was clear that Laurette was hurt by Hank's response, and Hank was being too selfless. He didn't want her to worry about him, but it only made her angry.
I quickened my pace to catch up with Laurette.
"Hey," I breathed, a little out of breath from the fast pace we had set. "How was your night?"
Her head turned toward me for a split second before setting her gaze straight. "Uneventful." Her voice came out harsh, but her expression immediately turned apologetic.
"I'm sorry it's just that, Hank and I-"
"I understand, Laurette, he told me everything. You do realize he just wants to keep you safe and not worried about him. Hank would do anything to protect you, don't forget that."
After a moment's hesitation, she nodded slowly. "I know."
I placed a hand on Laurette's arm and turned around to wait for Hank to catch up. Once he saw that we were waiting, he sped up his pace to reach us faster.
A muffled thud came from behind me and I whipped around, only to see a small roll of bandages lying on the path ahead. I turned suspiciously to the side, checking to see if either Laurette's or my backpack was open.
I titled my head upward and scanned the trees for any sign of movement. I opened my mouth to speak, but instantly cut myself off when I heard a twig snap from straight above. My head snapped upward once again and I made eye contact with another tribute.
Instantly, I recognized him as Moe's district partner, Alan. My whole body tensed, but I felt frozen. The look in his eyes gave me suspicion that he wasn't the same boy he had been before the arena.
Time slowed. Alan flung himself from the tree, a long knife clutched in his skinny fingers. Laurette and Hank whipped around, eyes wide in surprise as the District Three tribute came at them with a knife.
Alan tackled Hank as the latter stepped in front of Laurette. The two hit the ground hard, rolling away from Laurette and me.
Laurette shrieked, bringing me back from my initial shock. I whipped a knife out of my belt and snapped my wrist. The silver blade reflected the glare of the sun. It was ironic how something so deadly could look so beautiful as it flew through the air.
The knife found its mark. The blade buried itself deep in the back of Alan's head, looking fake like something out of a comic film.
A canon sounded, and immediately, everything went still. Alan's body was unmoving on top of Hank and Laurette was frozen in shock beside me. The only sound was Hank's heavy breathing as he pushed Alan's skinny frame off of himself.
Laurette snapped out of her stupor and knelt to the ground beside Hank. I saw blood, but I was unsure if it was Alan's or Hanks.
"Pass me my backpack, Juliet." She demanded, surprisingly calm as she slowly pulled Alan's knife out of Hank's side. His breathing was shallow, and his face was white. I stood off to the side as Laurette hovered over her district partner, cleaning and stitching up his wound the best she could.
"You're going to be fine." She told Hank with such conviction that even I believed it. All three of us looked up as we heard a quiet tinkling. A sponsor gift had landed next to Laurette. It was a small package with a giant number Nine written on the side.
Inside was a small bottle of pills. Without bothering to read the label, Laurette popped them into Hank's mouth and forced him to swallow.
"Let's get him somewhere for the night." She turned to me with an expressionless face.
"I'm guessing a tree is off limits?" I bit my lip, unsure of where we could stay for the night. I hadn't seen any places nearby that would provide protection, and I doubt Hank could make it far enough to find a better spot.
She shook her head and pointed to a line of thick bushes to our left. "We're going to have to make that work. If we place some branches around it, it may cover us enough that no one will see us in the dark."
We helped Hank to a spot between the bushes where he would be most shielded. Then, we set to work making our shelter for the night.
"I'll take first watch. Just make sure Hank is okay." My voice quivered, but it wasn't because of the chill that had started to set in. Laurette responded with a nod then slipped between the bushes without saying a word. It made me sad to think that the quirky Laurette was gone, and in her place was a quiet girl, changed by the Hunger Games like the rest of us.
The sky darkened quickly and soon the anthem began the play. The only face shown in the sky was Alan's. His frightened-yet sane-expression shown in his picture contrasted deeply with the broken boy who I we saw today.
I didn't enjoy having time to think. Being alone with my thoughts gave me time to reflect on everything that I tried to push deep down. I was officially a murder. At least the second time was justified. Almost. Alan had attacked Hank, and my ally would probably be dead if I didn't do what I did, but I still wasn't fast enough to keep Hank from being hurt. Well, at least more than he was already.
Laurette's shaky laugh reached my ears and I noticed their hushed whispers. After hearing an 'I love you', I decided to stop listening in on their private conversations.
It didn't help much, though, because my thoughts landed on Luke.
God, I missed him so much. Was he watching me right now? Probably. As a mentor, he had a constant video stream of his tributes whether they were being broadcasted or not. I wiped away a tear and quietly laughed at myself.
Before I was reaped, I rarely cried. Even when Luke was in the arena, I spent more time being angry at the Capital than upset. The Hunger Games had made me more sensitive to my emotions, even though I was abandoning any morals I previously held.
I forced my thoughts away from Luke and began to think strategy. Five of the eleven tributes left were Careers. Or, so I thought. I had never found out whose canon had gone off yesterday, considering I missed the anthem.
Was Atlas still alive? It wouldn't surprise me if he was. A shiver went through my body at the thought of running into him. I wouldn't put it past him to murder me as soon as he saw me. I mean, it was frowned upon for tributes to kill their district partner, but I didn't think Atlas would have any qualms about putting a knife through my heart.
And there was Moe. Although we weren't allied, I still hoped that she was alive. I couldn't bear the thought of her small body mangled by some Career or mutt.
My eyes slowly drifted shut but I forced them open. I was exhausted by today's events but I refused put us all in danger by falling asleep on watch. My knife twirled expertly in my hands as I scanned the dark forest.
The sudden blast of the canon caused me to shoot upright, scratching my face on branches in the process. My heart beat began to slow, but I jumped again when Laurette pushed her way into our small shelter.
"Is Hank okay?" Her eyes were wide with fear, mirroring mine as we looked toward our ally.
His eyes were shut and his pale face looked peaceful. If we hadn't just heard the canon, we wouldn't have thought twice about the fact that he may not be sleeping.
Laurette crawled slowly over to him and placed a hand on his cold face.
"Is he…?" I trailed off unable to say it out loud. Laurette hesitantly nodded, tears brimming. She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't speak.
I sat in silence, feeling like an awful person. LMaybe if I had done something different, we wouldn't be in this position. But that was a stupid thought. Hank had sacrificed himself and done everything he could to keep Laurette alive, and it was his choice to die a noble death. I was torn between letting Laurette mourn in peace and giving her tough love. If we didn't clear out now, the hovercraft would alert other tributes of our location. But, I couldn't bear the thought of tearing Laurette away. Fortunately, she made the decision for me.
"We should go." Laurette sniffled, wiping away her tears with the sleeves of her arena suit. Once outside of our old shelter, she straightened up and narrowed her eyebrows. Her expression was hard, and I knew from that moment on that she wouldn't be the same as she was before the arena. Not that it really mattered; everyone changed in the arena. It was a reality that you couldn't escape.
Luke was lucky. He may be mentally scarred, but at least he kept his sanity.
The rest of the morning was spent in silence. Laurette hadn't said a word and there was nothing I could do to make this any less painful.
We trudged on, taking small sips from our newly filled canteen. There was no purpose to our direction; we had no specific location in mind. I think we had both silently agreed to just get as far away as possible, if not out of the forest completely.
"Look what we have here!" The young, innocent voice sounded slightly off putting using such a nasty tone. Laurette and I both grasped our weapons as the same time and whipped around.
The small twelve-year-old crouched in front of us with a twisted smile. "I'm all out of weapons, which is such a same. You'll have to take it easy on me."
"Get out of here, twerp. We aren't afraid to kill you." Laurette shook her spear threateningly, but I could tell she shared the same reserve I did about killing a twelve-year-old.
Mandy tilted her head sideways and pursed her lips. If it weren't for the crazy gleam in her eye, as well as the dirt and blood coating her body, I would have thought she was cute.
She lunged, and I reacted too quickly. My knife sailed harmlessly above her head and I cursed out loud. Mandy continued to rush toward us and Laurette threw her spear. The weapon barely skimmed her calf, but it slowed her down enough for me to regain my footing just in time.
I ran forward to meet Mandy halfway and wrestled her to the ground. She may have been small, but she was feisty. Her small teeth sunk into my arm, actually tearing through the fabric of my suit and drawing blood. I shrieked and drew back in shock. The smaller girl used my surprise to throw me backwards, using my weight against me. My body rolled uncontrollably down the slight slope before slamming into the base of a tree.
Groaning as my ribs came in contact with the thick trunk, I spotted Laurette frantically searching the ground for her spear.
My ally and my enemy spotted it at the same time, and both lunged for it. They collided in a mess of long, tangled hair and dirt. My hand flew to my knife belt, but I only had a few left and I didn't want to accidentally hit Laurette.
I heard one of them cry out in pain, but I couldn't tell who it was. Mandy rolled herself over on top, and I saw the blood covering her hands. The twelve-year-old stood up and turned to me. For a moment I saw a frightened look glaze over her eyes, but it was gone as soon as it came. She took off into the forest and I didn't have the energy to chase her.
Laurette's spear was lodged in her stomach, sticking straight up almost comically.
"No, no, no." I mumbled, rushing over to her. "You can't leave me this soon. I-I promised Hank I would keep you safe, but I didn't." My hands shook uncontrollably but Laurette held them still.
"It's okay, Juliet, it isn't your fault. I'm right where I want to be. I get to be with Hank." Her voice was laced with tears and she reached a hand up to my face.
"I'm going to kill her for doing this to you, I promise. Maybe I can fix it, just let me see it." I was on the verge of hysterics. We had just lost Hank, and now I was losing the only friend I had in the arena. She shook her head and relaxed her head, her unfocused eyes looking up at the sky
"Please win, Juliet." Laurette whispered as her eyes glazed over. I wanted to be there for her, but I was too selfish for not wanting that image haunting me. I gave her hand one last squeeze before sprinting as fast as I could. Maybe if I ran fast enough, I could put everything behind me. The tributes, the game makers, Luke, and even the arena. But I knew it was impossible. I couldn't run forever, and I would never be able to escape the Hunger Games.
I slowed to a stop once my legs grew numb. Surprisingly, I must have reached the edge of the forest. The trees were thinning out, and the ground was beginning to become rocky. An unusual atmosphere hung in the air, making me feel uncomfortable.
Something was off. I wasn't about to fall into another one of the Gamemaker's traps. I either had to leave the forest, or stay where I was most comfortable in the arena, no matter how many bad memories went along with it.
It was too late in the day to scout out completely new territory, so I hesitantly turned back the way I came from. The sky seemed to have darkened considerably, although it was only mid-afternoon. An ominous feeling washed over me and I spun around in paranoia.
A shriek echoed through the air. At first I thought it was Laurette, and a warm feeling washed over me. But as it came again, all feeling of happiness left my body and I felt frozen to the core.
My little sister's scream came a third time and I covered my ears. What had they done to Kit? She was supposed to be safe in District Seven. That was the deal! Only one female tribute goes into the arena, and this year it was me, not her.
I knew it must have been a sick trick by the Gamemakers. I had seen enough tributes driven crazy by Jabber Jays, but it was worse when you were the one in that position.
Luke's hoarse yell began to replay through the forest, joining Kit's as they screamed my name together.
"Stop!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. My knees hit the forest floor and I curled up in a ball. I slapped my palms over my ears and did whatever I could to block out the noise, but it continued to echo in my brain.
"Stop!" I sobbed again, but my voice wouldn't come out louder than a whisper. The last thing I remembered was the torturing screams of my love ones as they pleaded my name.