I am so sorry for taking forever with this upload. Hopefully I'll continue to update more frequently. A chapter is coming up soon in Luke's point of view. Just so you guys can see his opinion on everything that's been happening!
Thanks for reading, please review! It lets me know what I can do better and what you guys like about the story. Enjoy!
Chapter 12
I woke up shivering. The ground felt unusually hard beneath me, and my limbs were cramped from the fetal position I fell asleep in. Unfortunately, I was too numb to feel anything else except for my hands clamped firmly against my ears.
I untangled myself and felt an eerie chill that had seemed to settle over the forest. The difference in temperature was clear. The Gamemakers had undoubtedly decided to increase our suffering, as if putting twenty four kids together to fight to the death wasn't enough.
It was dark, and it was quiet. The Jabber Jays had gone silent and there was no sound. No indication of life except for my own hands in front of me, barely visible in the dark. Suddenly, the danger of my position dawned on me. The sense of danger chilled me to the bone, along with the feeling of loneliness. For the first time in the arena, I was completely alone, with no allies to search for. I realized that the drop in temperature wasn't the only reason I was shivering.
The chiming of the anthem jolted me out of my stupor. I figured the anthem had passed while I was sleeping, but it must have gotten dark only seconds before I woke up. Although I knew I was out in the open, I couldn't bring myself to move as I watched the deceased tributes appear in the sky.
I prepared myself for Laurette's face in the sky. What I wasn't expecting to see what the fierce glare of Essie from District Four. If I wasn't in the arena myself, I would have bet on her to be the victor. Had the career pack teamed up to take her out? If so, had her district partner went along with it? I wasn't sure if her death relieved me or if it made me more worried.
Hank's face appeared next. My breath hitched in slight surprise, even though I had been there when it happened. It seemed like forever since the three of us were together, but it had barely been a day. I counted his death on day four, but I had forgotten that it was after yesterday's anthem. Laurette's face appeared next, but I managed to keep a stony expression on my face.
I wouldn't be weak anymore. For Kit, my parents, and Luke, I would put on a brave face and fight. It would be too selfish to wish for death at this point. I would be free from all of this, but I knew it would tear apart everyone I cared about. My parents would probably be able to deal. I don't doubt that they would be hoping for me to come back, but when my name was reaped, they knew it would be a death sentence. And I didn't blame them.
Kit would be torn apart. She would expect me to come home, even though she knew just as well as I did that I probably wouldn't.
Then there was Luke. Going through the Hunger Games was awful-something no one should have to go through. But, being a victor seemed worse. You had to live with the memories. You also had to live with all the new shit thrown at you by the Capital, along with mentoring tributes that you were helpless to protect once they were in the arena. Call it whatever you want, but it was cruel to force a victor to watch their tributes die year after year. Seven didn't have many victors, so it was going to be Luke's responsibility for a long time.
I brought myself back to reality and quickly packed up my things. I had a decent amount of supplies, but I lost most of it along with my allies. Thankfully, the windbreaker I got in the pack from the first day was still buried at the bottom of my bag. It didn't completely warm me up, but it helped. Besides, I didn't know how long it would be until I was able to make a fire.
Following my usual routine, I scaled a tree and strapped myself in for another sleepless night. Tomorrow, I would play the Capital's game. I was already a murderer, what difference would it make if I made a few more kills? If it meant I could get out of here alive, then so be it.
I didn't like this new mind set, but it was necessary. The will to live was too strong to deny, and I was giving in. Everyone did, eventually.
My toes were cold. The numbing pain wasn't that bad, but I let it consume me. It helped block out the other stuff- the stuff that really mattered.
The plan was to scout out the arena, and hopefully the Careers. I wasn't stupid. I couldn't take them out on my own, but a little spying wouldn't hurt.
The forest melted into a rocky surface and I knew I was getting close either the mountain or the cliff with the Cornucopia. I hadn't bothered to climb up high enough to check, and frankly, I didn't care. Nowhere was safe in the Hunger Games.
After walking for at least three hours, the tree line came to an abrupt stop and the rocks gave way to an ocean. The placed seemed somewhat familiar, and I realized I must be near the Cornucopia. I had run this way on the first day, alongside the forest for a while.
I was wary to step out from under the trees; I would be completely visible to any other tribute walking along. I decided I would stay in the forest, but following along the edge until I reached the Cornucopia. Hunger and thirst settled in, and I was forced to take a break. I still had one full canteen of water, but it wouldn't last long. I nibbled on the last of the dried fruit and refrained myself from eating the rest of the nuts. At this rate, I would run out by tomorrow.
Pushing aside my worries, I used a stick to create a crude drawing of the arena in the dirt. From what I had seen, the entire Arena was a giant plateau. Around the entire plateau was an ocean, presumably with a few islands. The Cornucopia was off to the side, resting on the edge of the steep rock wall that we had been forced to climb up. The small, strip of rock connected the Cornucopia area to the rest of the plateau, which consisted mostly of the forest. The mountain was on the opposite side of the forest, and I knew it would be at least a day's walk to reach it.
I couldn't be sure how many tributes were hiding out there, but it probably wasn't many. I had a feeling that it was planned for the grand finale of the games.
Carefully, I studied the drawing in the dirt. If I wanted to survive, I need supplies. The only way I could get that was through sponsor gifts or the Cornucopia. Since my breakdown during the Jabber Jay episode, I doubted I would be seeing a silver parachute anytime soon. So, the Cornucopia it was. Straight into Career territory.
I stabbed at the dirt with the blunt stick, getting rid of any traces of my drawing. Feeling rested yet on edge, I continued my journey.
It wasn't long until I reached the corner of the forest. It was odd how unnatural it was. The forest was literally square shaped, and I stood right at the corner. Ocean to my right, Cornucopia in front of me.
The skinny rock bridge that separated the forest and the Cornucopia didn't seem as long as it had on the first day. I resisted the urge to make a break for it, and instead climbed up the nearest tree. The Careers could still be in the Cornucopia and it would mean sure death for me to run across the open bridge.
I desperately hoped the Careers were still camped at the Cornucopia. Of course, it would make getting supplies much more difficult, but if they had already cleared out then they would have taken their food and weapons with them, leaving me with nothing.
I peeked out from between the thin branches once I got high enough. Sure enough, four tributes sat near the Cornucopia, a fire burning between them. I heard faint shouting, and I realized the fifteen-year-old, Aida, from District Two was shoving the male from District Four. The male from District Two moved to break it up, his tall frame matching Aida's and towering over Gordon from Four. Cliff, the Career who had gotten a six, sat off to the side, watching the fight with a passive expression.
Gordon's voice seemed to echo in the arena as he yelled at Aida.
"You can't kill my District partner and expect me not to get angry!" They were talking about Essie. Aida must have killed her the day before, and I wasn't surprised Gordon had snapped.
"We lost our sponsors because of you. It's only day six, no sponsors want to see the Career pack split this early. And no sponsors want to see some fifteen-year-old stab their favorite tribute in a fit of rage." Gordon seemed eerily composed, although he continued to jab his finger into Aida's chest as he made his point. Al, Aidia's district partner, held her back as she growled in Gordon's face. The fight eventually died down, yet both Careers remained tense.
I looked up at the sky, absorbed in thought. If the Career's had lost their sponsors, then the money must have been going elsewhere.
I wouldn't be surprised if Moe had a decent amount of sponsors. I didn't think the brute from ten would have many, especially after he snapped his young district partner's neck. No doubt, a majority of the sponsors would be going to Atlas and the little psycho from five. They would be blinded by Atlas' good looks and similarity to Luke. Not that I would ever admit that to my mentor.
Technically, Luke could be using Atlas' sponsor money for me. It is up to the mentors how they split the sponsor money between their tributes. Most choose the tribute that was most likely to succeed. It hurt to think that there was a possibility that Luke had chosen Atlas over me.
Just then, a silver parachute landed in the tree a few feet above me. On further inspection, the parachute contained a pair of night vision goggles. I almost laughed out loud. Luke knew exactly what I was thinking.
I knew the goggles weren't that expensive; it was actually a common gift for tributes to receive at this stage of the game. But they were worth my life.
The sun began to set over the horizon, and I sat back and waited for night to fall. It was risky, but I knew what I had to do. I needed to take out the Careers when they were least prepared.
My eyes drooped from lack of sleep. The sun had set hours ago, but I was waiting for the right moment. The Careers were taking turns on watch, and I couldn't over power Gordon or District 2. I had to wait for Cliff, their weakest link. I received a higher training score than he did, but that didn't make my idea any less foolish. I knew this would be a long shot, but it was worth the risk.
Al eventually woke up Cliff and settled down in a sleeping bag. I didn't know how long it would take for him to fall asleep, so I waited as long as possible.
The forest was silent as I dropped to the ground. As soon as I landed, I took off, sprinting out from the trees and across the rock bridge, the goggles secure on my face. A knife in each of my hand, I quietly made my way to the Cornucopia, where the Careers were foolishly sleeping on the other side. Why they had set camp up in a spot where they couldn't see the only entrance and exit to their camp, I didn't know. But they were about to pay the price.
I mustered up whatever confidence I had left and slipped out from the shadows. I poised my knife in the air, ready to throw it straight at Cliff's heart.
Instead, I was met with a surprising scene. Cliff was kneeling over Aida, oblivious to my presence. Before I could blink, he slit her throat. He moved on to Al and repeated his actions. District Two's cannons went off, shocking Gordon out of his sleep. Before Cliff had a chance to draw his knife across his throat, Gordon sprang up and tackled Cliff to the ground.
In the dark, both tributes were disoriented. With my night vision goggles, I could clearly see what was happening, but I was too scared to move.
Gordon had the clear disadvantage, being weaponless and disoriented from sleep, but he earned a nine for a reason. He had Cliff pinned underneath him, but the weaker Career had a knife in his hand. He kneed Gordon in the stomach, momentarily throwing his former ally off of him. He lunged at the first opportunity and stabbed his knife into Gordon's chest.
Unable to help myself, I gasped, capturing Cliff's attention. His gaze met mine, and I was surprised to see his expression was as shocked as mine.
Gordon's cannon went off, snapping Cliff and I out of our daze. He took one look at the knives in my hand before taking off, running across the rock bridge and into the forest with only a small bag on his back.
Was I that menacing that I scared off a Career? Or was Cliff just an unusually weak Career? He was a coward. Although I was prepared to do the same thing myself- slit their throats while they slept- they were his allies, even if it was just a temporary alliance. To top it off, he ran from a tribute half his size.
The sun was rising fast, and I knew I had to move on so the hovercrafts could take the bodies. I rummaged through their pile of supplies, shocked to see how much food was there. They must have had generous sponsors if they had this much, so I could only imagine why Gordon was so upset that they lost them.
I grabbed everything I could fit in my backpack, including first aid items. I found a warmer jacket and pulled it on over my windbreaker, feeling warmer already. It would only get colder, and it seemed weird to think that I was sweating a few days ago. Stupid Gamemakers.
By the time I had finally finished sorting through the supplies, the sun was high in the sky. My night vision goggles were hanging uselessly around my neck and I stuffed them into my backpack. I turned to run back into the forest, but I caught my reflection in the shiny Cornucopia. My face was a mess; smudges of dirt and blood cover my cheeks and forehead. I couldn't even remember where it had come from. My long ponytail was caked with blood and there was a long cut across my hairline. No wonder Cliff had run away from me. I looked crazier than Mandy.
I looked down at my body and examined my arena suit. The supposedly wonderful suit made with material from the capital had small rips and tears everywhere from climbing trees.
I held my hands out in front of me. No, not my hands. A murderer's hands. But I guess that's who I had become.
My eyes shifted upward and I squinted against the sun. I could almost picture Luke's scowl, looking out of place on his handsome face.
Get a move on it, Juliet.
I took off into a sprint.
