Ch. 12 Hide and Seek
Finally the fighting dies down and the tributes go their separate ways. Sam and I hide quietly in the shadows as some pass us and a group of careers make their camp around the water. When the faces appear in the sky, I see eight have died the first day.
My throat begins to burn with thirst and I shake Sam's shoulders, "What are we going to do about water?" The six careers had a huge fire going and ate their supplies, laughing loud and smug. I could hear one of the girls, Kori, bragging about one of her kills. Her words made me sick to my stomach.
"Whoa," Sam says as I bend over and throw up. He rubs my back as wretch and whispers into my ear, "It's going to be okay Cally." I try to be as quiet as I can, and when I'm done I sit back holding my stomach. "You need to keep hydrated."
"I don't see how we can with the careers guarding the place," I say in a raspy voice.
"Then we'll have to make them stop guarding the place," Sam says deep in thought. I look up at him questioningly. "There are only two of us, so obviously we can't fight them… but maybe we can trick them."
Handing me the canteen Sam asks, "Are you sure you're okay to do this Cally?" I nod, as I give him the flashlight. We wish each other good luck and I make my way to the North side. I watch where I know Sam is intently. The light flickers once. Twice. Three times.
"What's that?" the muscular guy from district 2 asks, pointing to Sam's signals.
His friend from 2, Kori, says smugly, "Some idiot. Let's check it out." Her, the guy from 2, and another from 1 walk over to Sam.
It's now or never. Quiet and swift, I make my way to the pool. The other three tributes are less than 10 feet away from me with their backs turned, as I fill the canteen with water. I screw the lid on, and slip away unnoticed.
But then I hear Kori and the others arguing, "Let's keep him." "No! He's better off dead!" "Lover boy can be some help to us!" From the safety of the cornfield, I watch them drag Sam into the clearing.
Holding her knife against his throat, Kori snarls, "Tell us where she is."
"Okay," Sam grumbles. "I'll find her for you. She trusts me. It'll be as easy as taking candy away from a baby."
"You're lying," Kori accuses.
"Why would I be? You have control of the water and you have supplies. Cally is already on my side and an easy kill," Sam says curtly.
"Proof it," she challenges. "Bring her to us unaware and unsuspecting, and we'll let you join our group."
"Deal."