(A/N: More music here. The song will be "Aeons" from the Final Fantasy X-2 OST. Same procedure, start at the star. End song with the second paragraph.)
Discovery
Lumen runs off into the woods somewhere, but I can hear his retching from where I stand. Hunter looks like he's suppressing the urge to do the same, and frankly, so am I. It's not so much the fact that I killed her that disgusts me, it's what I did to her, and that I enjoyed it. What scares me most is that I want to do it again.
Hunter's still gaping at me, frozen. When I approach him, he sputters, "What—how—why?"
I can't look him in the eye when I mumble, "Revenge. She looked like the Peacekeeper that killed my mother." I can't bring myself to go back and take her things because I'd have to face what I've done. I just walk away, allowing the hovercraft to collect her. Not long after, I break into a run and don't stop until I reach another river and jump right in, desperate to wash the girl's blood off me. This time, the blood isn't just on my hands. It's everywhere. My face, my neck, my legs, and it won't come off. I stand there for who knows how long, trying to get her blood off me, scratching myself raw. I don't stop until a gentle hand closes over my own.
I look up at Hunter and say nothing as he leads me to the shallows, sitting me on a rock and wiping the blood and tears from my face. I say nothing still as he takes me into his arms and whispers sweet nothings about home and our families in an attempt to calm me down. I don't even realize I'm still shaking until I feel him next to me, steady and calm. At least I can pretend I'm just cold. When I finally speak, I disgustedly say, "I can't believe I cried."
Hunter laughs softly, "Of all the things for you to be bothered with. You're human, Aera. It's perfectly normal for you to feel sorry about what you did."
"It was absolute overkill."
"I'm not going to disagree with that. Honestly, I think I would've done the same thing if I were you."
I scoff, "You're too soft. You'd just get it over with quickly because you don't like unnecessary suffering."
Another soft laugh. "You know me too well."
The sun is starting to set, and we decide to make camp by the river so we have a water source nearby. Our stomachs growl and remind us that we haven't eaten since early this morning. We have nothing but our weapons now, and we're too exhausted to go hunting. Not even the boom of a cannon is enough to get us to move. What does spur us to action is the drop of a parachute. They were added a few years ago, during Lyra's Games, so the Capitol citizens would help their favorite tributes. I guess this is a reward for giving them a good show earlier.
I crawl forward on my hands and knees, curious as to what's inside. The container yields a first aid kit, better stocked than the one Azani picked up by the Cornucopia on the first day. This kit includes a healing liquid brewed in the Capitol labs. I eagerly rip the bandage from my leg and repair my breaking body, audibly sighing in relief as the burning and throbbing pains disappear, leaving only the most minor wounds behind. I toss the bottle to the boys and they do the same. Finally being able to move without any discomfort feels amazing. We search around camp for edible plants, coming up with a few morsels.
Tonight, the sky shows the girl from District One, John Stone, Filferro, the boy from Four, and the girl from Nine. I'm a bit annoyed that I wasn't the one to kill Stone, but I'm still glad he's gone. Guilt from the death of the girl from Nine is still eating away at me, and I strongly suspect that it will stay that way for a long time. Lyra's voice echoes in my head, 'Justifying their deaths will be the only consolation.' But what I did can't be justified. When Lumen volunteers for first watch, I don't object. I just curl up next to Hunter and drift off into worlds of my own.
A cannon's boom jolts me awake. Lumen is slumped against a tree with his bangs covering his eyes. I move to wake him and yell at him for falling asleep on watch when I realize the cannon was for him. Someone's slit his throat, and there's nothing I can do. No, it wasn't just someone. Celeste. There's a pair of interlocking C's just above the cut. It's been a fairly recent fad among the Careers to mark their kills, and I know of only one tribute with the initials of "CC". Who else would only kill one of us instead of all of us?
Footfalls running away from camp trigger an immediate reaction from me. Before I realize it, I'm on my feet and chasing after the intruder, axe in hand. I howl loud enough to wake the dead, "Celeste! Get back here and face me, you traitor!" Of course, she doesn't. "You coward! Come back and fight!" I take to the trees, hoping for a better vantage point. No such luck. The moon is still in the sky, but not giving off enough light to see by. The fading footsteps tell me I've lost my prey. Thoroughly enraged, I turn around and head back to camp to find Hunter next to Lumen, taking his sword and closing his eyes. I tug on Hunter's hand and lead him away. "Come on. There's nothing we can do for him. Time for him to go back to his real family."
Family. It doesn't have to be bound by blood. Our alliance was—is a family, unconventional is it may be. We looked out for another, took care of each other. We placed our lives in each other's hands. And look where it's gotten us. When we leave and the hovercraft appears to collect Lumen's body, Hunter and I simultaneously whisper our goodbyes. The two of us head for the trees and try to banish the recent events from our minds with more sleep.
When the sun rises and we wake up for the second time that day, we wander the arena and stumble upon an animal that isn't a mutt and have a decent breakfast for the first time in days. We spend the morning searching for Azani, but still haven't found a trace of her. We come across this one particularly creepy section of woods that's as dark as night, despite the fact that it's high noon right now. From what I can see, this part is mostly marshy wetland. There are little blinking lights floating around, making this secluded area strangely alluring. Unlike the territory of the metal birds, the trees here seem to make a wall between this region and the rest of the arena. An alarm goes off in my head, and I pause right before the entrance, throwing an arm out to my side to stop Hunter.
"What's wrong?" he asks.
I point to the lights in the marsh. "Fireflies. I'm not taking the risk." The "fireflies" are more Capitol muttations used during the rebellion. They look like solid black tracker jackers, but their abdomens glow like real fireflies' do. Unlike real fireflies, the mutt's glow comes from their poison. When they sting, it burns like…well, fire, hence the name. They're just as dangerous as tracker jackers because their stings paralyze, leaving the victim to the mercy of the elements for several days. If exposure doesn't get them, dehydration will. To be stung while alone is a virtual death sentence. The fireflies hover around the skeletons that were so graciously placed there to remind us where we are. "Let's get out of here."
A twig snaps behind us and I reflexively swing my axe, cleaving into the collarbone and side of the neck of the boy from District Twelve. He drops like a rock, making a horrible choking sound while the life twitches out of him. I don't enjoy hearing him die, so I turn away and hand Hunter one of my knives so he can put the poor boy out of his misery. The choking stops, a cannon goes off, and the sounds of the wild reign once more.
The trek through the arena is unsuccessful. There are only seven tributes left, and the arena is huge. I move as though I'm on one of my reconnaissance missions, sneaking around almost soundlessly. I don't go running through the trees again because the foliage is so thick, I wouldn't be able to see anything. I have to find my target. I have to find Celeste. I'm so absorbed in this self-imposed mission that when Hunter calls my name, I automatically, almost robotically respond, "I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else. That's not my name."
He simply repeats, "Aera." I turn to scowl at him. "You're not on a mission, don't give me that look."
"How did you—"
"I've known you for what, twelve years? I'd be an idiot if I couldn't read you by now." His trademark smirk appears, and I'm quickly mirroring it. Even now, as the Games slowly wind down to a close, we haven't been and won't be driven apart. Together to the end. An odd metallic groan rises up in the west, not too far away from our current position. "What is that?" I shrug and lead the way, curious as to what it is.
A short walk brings us to where the Cornucopia lies, now collapsing in on itself. Mutts are attacking the golden horn for reasons unknown, destroying it. When the mutts attack the tail end, one tribute runs out the mouth. I don't see who it is because the mutts—the metal birds, the rockbeasts, and several other breeds, new and old—fall upon the tribute, biting and tearing and stinging. The tail of the Cornucopia has been lifted, revealing an open underground entrance. While the mutts are concentrating on their victim, I grab Hunter's hand and dart into the tunnel, sealing off the entrance behind us.
Though we are underground, light is being emitted from some crystals embedded in the rock walls. The movement of the short strands of hair in front of my face tells me that there's a fresh supply of air drifting in from somewhere. There's no telling how far these tunnels extend under the arena, but I can hear water dripping somewhere off in the distance. The walls are still somewhat sharp and jagged, and though there is light, it isn't bright enough to distinguish certain colors; only enough to see where we're going. The wide tunnels manage to echo every sound, including our ragged breaths. The area must the main crossroad, because there are at least eight other tunnels leading away from this room.
"Incredible," I murmur. "This network must spread underneath the entire arena. But why is this even here? There was a good chance that no one would ever find it."
"Hey, look on the bright side." Even with my back to him, I can tell he's grinning. "We got time to relax. Whoever's left up there will be fighting off mutts and each other while we're down here, perfectly safe."
A frown immediately appears on my face. "Then that means we'll only get a day at best. If we're here too long, they'll flush us out. You saw what they did to that kid earlier." I stalk off in a random direction, not caring what traps may lie in wait. This tunnel has loads of false exits and dead ends, but what surprises me is the presence of a stone staircase. All this time, I thought we were walking parallel to the ground above us, when we were actually descending slowly. I start walking up when Hunter suddenly grabs my jacket and yanks me back just as a set of spikes shoot up from the floor, right where my foot would have landed. "How did you know…?" He just points to the holes in the step where the spikes reside. "Oh. Thanks."
We wander for some time before coming across a massive cavern and springs. This place is beautiful. The air feels fresh here, unlike the rest of the tunnels, where it's musty and stifling. There are some cracks in the stone ceiling, allowing sunlight to sift through and brighten the room. With the light from the crystals and the mist rising up from the water, the place has an ethereal feel to it. Plants by the water's edge glow softly, adding to the dreamlike quality. The crystalline blue water cascades down a small waterfall on one end of the pool and disappears underneath the rock wall at the other. Something tells me that if anyone goes under over there, they're not coming back up alive.
I relax here, stooping by the spring for a drink. As my hands near the water, I catch my reflection in the shining mirror. I look ragged, with dark circles under my once bright emerald eyes, scrapes on my cheeks from encounters with mutts and trees, and my hair in wild matted knots. Repulsed, I slap the water, shattering the mirror and sending my reflection away so I can drink in peace. After a while, I just shed my shoes, jacket, and all but one of my weapons and jump in. There isn't anyone else around, so I don't have to worry about being attacked. Still, I don't like being unarmed. Since the rebellion, I've always carried a knife with me, just as I do now.
I lose myself in the seemingly bottomless spring, swimming in lazy circles and sighing contentedly. It's a running joke around Seven that I'm a lost child from Four because of how much I enjoy swimming. When I submerge myself completely, I find the spring bed of the shallows covered with plants, and schools of brightly colored fish dart back and forth. *For a second, I forget where I am and pretend I'm in paradise. At least, until I feel something wrap around my right ankle and pull me down. I struggle to break the surface and gasp in a breath before being dragged down again. I slash blindly at whatever holds me, catching my ankle a few times instead. When the red seeps into the water, some of the larger fish attack me with their needlepoint teeth. All I can do is stab and slash at the blurry splashes of color in front of me. My lungs are starting to burn for air; I don't know how much longer I can hold out. With one last swipe, I manage to sever the vine, tentacle, whatever it is that holds me, and make a mad dash for the surface, greedily gulping in the air that rests above.
The fish are still biting, so I head for the shoreline as fast as I can without going under again. They keep snapping at me until the water becomes too shallow for them to follow, which is about halfway up my calf. I stick a few of them with my knife and fling them onto the rocks, enjoying the sight of them flopping around helplessly. They tried to make me their dinner, and now they're going to become mine. The moment I leave the water, the adrenaline rush wears off and I'm suddenly aware of the acute pain in my right leg. As soon as I attempt to walk again, I tumble forward, cursing loudly as I go down.
Hunter is napping on the shoreline with his hood covering his face, unaware of what just happened. I snap, "Hey useless, wake up!"
He rolls over to look at me and immediately notices my mangled legs. "Holy—what happened to you?" He's already on his feet and running to me with first-aid kit in hand.
I wince, "Same as every other time. Mutts. Something grabbed my leg and tried to drown me, and then the fish tried to eat me. I'd be dead right now if I didn't always keep a knife on me." I grit my teeth and turn myself over so that my injuries will be easier to treat. I'm pretty sure my right ankle was broken by that thing because it's bending at an odd angle and even the slightest movement sends spikes of pain shooting up my leg. A small whimper escapes, despite my efforts to keep from showing how much it hurts.
"Shh. Stay still and lie back while I try to fix this." He unscrews a small bottle of alcohol and pours a bit onto a strip of bandage. I hiss and stare daggers at it, knowing what will come next. "Don't give me that look," he says. "You know as well as I do that this has to be done."
"Still doesn't mean I have to enjoy it," I mutter. He presses the damp cloth to the broken skin directly above the break, and a scream involuntarily rips from my throat.
"It wasn't that bad," he says.
"You put pressure on the fracture, moron. Broken leg plus alcohol burn equals my reaction."
"Sorry…"
"It's fine. If I could, I'd do it myself. You know what, hand me that elixir bottle." "Elixir" is the name we gave that Capitol potion because none of us knew what it was really called. I sigh in relief as the smaller wounds knit themselves back together, erasing some of the aches.
"Aera, I need to set the bone. We have no idea what will happen if we use that elixir without doing anything." I nod and grit my teeth and try not to scream again while he sets the bone so it can heal correctly. When he takes his hands off, I shove the elixir bottle in his face because I'm getting close to tears. Pouring the liquid will just waste it, so he gently spreads it over the wound and we watch as the skin closes up. "Okay, I think it's safe to try to move."
I slowly roll my ankle and wince. "It's still really sore, but I think it's actually healed. Thanks."
"No problem. Besides, I can't just leave my sister like that, can I?" Ah, there it is again. Sister. I can't help but smile slightly at the thought that the Games are designed to drive us apart, yet it's failing horribly. Our bond is as strong as ever, and it's not breaking any time soon.
"Day's not over yet. You wanna stay a little longer?" Actually, I want to stay, even though something's lurking in the water. It's a veritable paradise here, even though it's in the Games.
"Sure. I'm in no rush to get out of here." Sure enough, he's grinning. "It'd be nice to relax for once. Maybe I could go for a swim—"
I order, "You are not going in there. Never mind the fact that I'm a better swimmer, I am not letting you get killed by whatever the hell it is in there."
He immediately puts his hands up in surrender. "Geez, kidding, kidding. You're so uptight for one so young."
I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'so young'? You're only two years older than me, Hunter."
Still wearing his stupid grin, he says, "And I'm stronger, faster—"
"More arrogant, more stubborn, and much less mature," I cut in with a smirk.
"Most definitely," he nods. "Besides, you've got enough doom and gloom for the both of us."
"It's not pessimism, it's being realistic," I shoot back.
"Call it what you want, it's still doom and gloom," he laughs.
"Oh shut up already."
"Whatever you say, 'boss'." I can clearly hear the quotation marks, but I don't care. Little spats like this were commonplace back home; this is nothing new. I recollect my weapons and sigh as Hunter lies back against a rock and resumes his nap. Having nothing better to do, I take this fish from the rocks I threw them on earlier and clean them, throwing the heads and innards back into the water to fatten up their companions. Getting a fire started is nearly impossible here, but I manage. I roast the fish as the last bits of sunlight disappear from our tiny skylights, leaving only the illumination of the crystals behind. I wake Hunter and we share our dinner with some recollections of home, laughing at past moments of stupidity and talking about anything and everything but the Dark Days and the time between our reapings and now. All this talk makes me realize I miss my district—and its people—more than I thought. I simply drop out of the conversation and sigh as I turn my gaze to the little skylights, earning a concerned look from Hunter.
"What's wrong? Your leg still bothering you?"
I force a small smile and wave him off. "Just a little tired," I yawn. Without a word, he picks me up and carries me to the rock he was leaning against earlier. "Hey, what are you—I don't need—"
Ignoring my protests, he chuckles softly, "Just being nice. Don't want you to be putting your injury under too much stress," and sets me on the water-beaten lump.
I can't help but roll my eyes. "Since when is a fifteen step walk stressful, considering what we used to do?" I put a hand over my mouth and cough to hide a laugh because of my unintentional innuendo. Wonder how the leeches are taking that statement, if they caught it at all.
The light in Hunter's eyes tells me he didn't miss it as he pulls my hood over my head and says, "I'm just being a good big brother. Night, sis."
I give a short laugh. "Night, old man."
"Old man? You wound me, Aera."
I yawn again, "You'll live. Night, Hunter."
I hear his retreating footsteps echo through the cavern as he says, "Sweet dreams, kid." I just scoff as I drift into darkness.
"Aera! Aera, wake up!" Hunter's shaking me violently in an attempt to wake me. I snap my eyes open, but apparently that's too slow a reaction because he just throws me over his shoulder and starts running.
"H-Hunter! What's happening?" My vision is still blurry, and being jolted around from the running is not helping. He starts to answer me, but an eardrum-shattering roar rings throughout the cavern, reverberating against the rock walls. I look up and greet the gaze of a giant snake rising out of the spring. I whisper to it, "How are you even possible?" It roars again, rising even higher to meet the ceiling and coming down after us. This time, I can clearly see its gaping jaws, with wicked fangs nearly as large as me and a tongue that looks like it's had the end cut off. As much as this massive mutt invokes my curiosity, my survival instinct overrides that. I pry myself from Hunter's grip and drop to the ground, running behind him.
"Hurry up!" he pants. "We won't be able to fight it!"
My laugh almost sounds insane as I answer, "Sure you can! If you're suicidal!" Despite being chased by a giant snake, I can still crack a bad joke. I must really be losing it.
"Aera, as much as I love you, now is not for the time for that! Shut up and run!"
Damn, he's really scared then. Well, I am too. Of all ends for us to meet, getting torn apart by that mutt is not one I wish to have. We dash down unknown tunnels in an attempt to lose the mutt, and only end up getting lost ourselves. It's taking its sweet time coming after us as though it knows we're lost and trapped down here. No matter how much distance we put between us, as long as we're down here, it's going to find us. The only way we'll be able to escape is if we manage to get aboveground. With the mutt so far behind us now, we slow down to search for a way out. We've run into a section of unfamiliar tunnels and have no idea how to get back to the Cornucopia. It may be the only way out of here. If it is…then I've sentenced us to death by mutt.
Around a bend, the tunnel seems to brighten. Hoping for an exit, I sprint ahead only to find holes in the wall that let the natural light in, like the cavern with the spring. The holes are large enough to fit an arm through, but that's all. At the very least, we might be able to figure out where in the arena we are. A quick look reveals the dead woods, territory of the metal bird mutts. I don't remember any rock outcroppings here, but this specific area is one I've been trying to forget. I wish there were a way for us to simply dig our way out, but the rock is far too thick and we don't have the tools. I pound my fist against the tunnel wall and let out a frustrated scream. I want to get out of here, to get back outside where I'm not restricted by impassable barriers and trapped like a rat. I'm a child of the wind; all I've ever known is the sky above me.
Something goes off in the distance that sounds like a cannon, but not quite. I look to Hunter to see if he has an answer, but he just shrugs. I start walking away from the natural windows when a nearby explosion rocks the tunnel. Small sharp shards of stone and crystal break off the ceiling and fall towards us like rain. Dodging the pieces is putting a strain on my ankle and my reaction time is getting worse. We're moving forwards, but slowly. A second explosion goes off much closer to where we are, and knocks me off my feet.
I push myself up and shake my head to clear my blurry vision and ringing ears. Staggering forward a few steps before falling again, I call out, "Hunter!" I can't lose him. I have to bring him home. "Hunter, where are you?"
Somewhere behind me, he coughs, "Right here. Don't worry, I'm okay." He's as dusty and as ragged as I am, but at least he doesn't look hurt. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." I turn around to help him because I'm sure he's lying just as much as I am, but he looks fine. There's barely a scratch on him. A sharp crack comes from somewhere above.
His eyes suddenly widen in fear and he's reaching for me, screaming, "Aera, watch out!"
I don't even see what he's warning me about before the world goes black.
(A/N: I really liked the crystal cavern. I would've had them stay there longer, but I didn't know what to fill that space with other than some pointless talking. And yeah, that snake-mutt-thing tried to eat Aera earlier, and she cut off the end of its tongue. Celeste's kill signature ended up being like the Chanel logo, though that was completely unintentional. Standard procedure now, R&R!
I also feel the need to add a disclaimer right now. The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins. Only the cast and arena in this story belong to me.
Really, are disclaimers necessary? I mean, this is FanFiction, a place to post stories we write about things we don't own.)
