Hello to anyone reading this.
I am so sorry! Sososososo sorry! I really meant to update but I didn't like my ideas and well, here we are. It's been a long time I know. But now I've got this chapter done I'm pretty happy with where I'm going so hopefully I'll get more done really really soon. Hope you enjoy!
Fire. Spreading out in front of us. Liquid fire. What do the history books call it? Lava? Yes, that's right. It's what comes out of those volcano things. We never had any of them in 5. I try to think of anything I've ever read about the stuff and decide that whatever we do, we don't touch it. I can remember that it burns and I know the gamemakers haven't included it to help us.
It all appeared so suddenly. One minute we were walking through the trees, the next there was an earthquake. And then, then the ground started to tear itself apart. Our pathway was replaced with the firey substance that rose from beneath us. Now, we all stand around on our little islands surrounded by the stuff, not knowing what to do next. The game-makers have managed to split us too. I stand where we were with Mistra, Michael and Bingo –the district 8 tribute who joined us yesterday – while Fox and Aliona are slowly being dragged away from us on their own little earthy boat floating on fire.
"What do we do?" I hear Aliona wail and guess she's crying again. She does that a lot right now. In the two days that have passed since the bloodbath, it's been her main pastime. "Michael? Avery? What do we do?!" I want to tell her it'll be okay. That everything will calm down and the ground will reconnect and we'll all walk off into the sunset, into a feast to fill our empty stomach and then to our homes. But I can't. This is the Hunger Games. Nothing is ever going to be okay again.
"Calm down Ali, nothing will come of you panicking" Michael tells her, his voice steady and supportive. I cant help but be amazed how far he's come in the time I've known him. When we met, he was this normal young kid, his life was set out, a simple life in 3. Now, he's fighting for his survival, and keeping Aliona alive at the same time. And that's without mentioning his injury. He's lived a sheltered life, a life where any injury would receive medical treatment. But he's living through the worst one he's ever had with some make-shift stitches Bingo created. He approached us yesterday as we were leaving our camp, offering his skills from his work in a textile factory as part of an alliance. Michael really needed the treatment and there's something trustworthy about Bingo so we agreed. "We need to stick together. They're doing this to split us up. Fox, can you see a way to get to us?"
"No. Well, maybe. But it's too risky for me to be comfortable with it. I think it might just be worth seeing how it goes. Don't really want to do anything to anger it, well THEM, do we?" I know he's right. I mean nothing life threatening has happened, yet. But that could all change. One false step and who knows what could happen. Lava tidal waves, or raindrops, or just the earth beneath us crumbling away leaving nothing between us and the liquid, nothing between us and death.
"I don't like this" I mumble. But I know we don't have a choice. The three surrounding me look at me, like my compromising over the situation will change it. "Okay, Ali, Fox, stay together! Do not let the other leave your sights." As I shout over, the smoke from the lava billows stronger than before, blocking my view of them.
"Michael! Avery!" I hear Ali shouting again but they're moving even further away.
"Stay with her Fox!" Michael yells, and for the first time I can hear the desperation in his voice. I grab his hand automatically, and feel Mistra do the same to me and we listen as Ali's cries fade.
"We all need to stay as close as possible." She whispers. "They might try to split us up too, we cant allow that. Maybe we should look for land and head down that way? We might be able to meet them on the way down."
"It's the best plan we'll get." I say and we head off along the land that we have left, looking for the area where no ground has been taken by lava.
After hours of walking that lead nowhere, we decide we have to make camp. None of us want to, but we're all exhausted and continuing will just waste precious energy. We settle in a small clearing, large enough to be comfortable but small enough to go unnoticed and set up a watch. There are still two careers left afterall. Winston from district 2 left the bloodbath uninjured and we can only assume was then joined by Fisher. At least, we know Fisher has to be with someone considering the extent of his injuries after his run in with Fox and Mistra.
Bingo and I decide we'll take the first watch. I'm uncertain about how I feel about him so far, but he's yet to do anything wrong which definitely goes in his favour. We sit in the clearing and watch as the anthem plays and the names and faces of the dead flash across the sky.
"At least they're alive." I whisper, not necessarily to anyone. While a few faces appeared in the sky, none of them were Fox or Ali which can only be good.
"How many dead now?" Bing asks me. I look at his hands to see he's been trying to count them.
"13. Over half gone now. And four of them are my fault. Well, five if you count.." I stop, unable to say the words. If you count Isaac's death. Count the moment where my brother took a spear from me. Yes, that's my fault too.
"That one wasn't your fault. And the others… Well it wasn't YOU. I was there, I saw it. And I didn't see the girl I'm sitting beside now doing that. I saw something else. I saw grief, sadness, desperation. I saw –" I cut him off.
"You saw a monster of the games. That's what I've become."
"No. It wasn't the games. It was a part of you that the games brought out. It was your protective instinct, your love. It was positives manipulated to seem negative to you."
"So, what? You're saying That I'm just a monster?!" I snap, my tone showing I'm not all that calm about the accusation. "You're saying that I am just made to be a monster, that I'm dangerous by nature?!"
"No, that's not what I meant Avery! I just mean that what you did, it was understandable. The games, they manipulated these good things inside of you and made them bad. You just couldn't control your actions. They were beyond you. It was your natural instinct and you acted on it. That's what the games are about."
"I feel like you're patronising me. Are you trying to say I'm mental? That I cant keep a hold of myself? That my 'natural instincts' are more than I can control? Or that I'm letting the games use me? Well yes, I was upset my brother had just been murdered in front of me! And yes, I did want revenge. I wanted to kill the scum who killed him and I did. But I regret it. It was a momentary thing and looking back, it wasn't what I'd like to do. But you shouldn't be complaining because it took out some pretty tough enemies for you. What have you done so far?! Exchanged your stitching abilities for a place in a group. Nice work. Really skilful."
"Hey, there's no need for that!" I see his face reddening and know I've hit a nerve. "I saved your friends life! And yeah, I joined in a group because I knew I'd be safer this way. Is that so bad? Why are you in this group? For your safety. Because we both know it isn't for theres."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I feel the rage boiling up inside me because really, I know what he means and I don't like it.
"It means.." His voice is soft again, making everything he says so much worse. "It means that you're the reason that lava happened, you're the reason Fox and Ali are off somewhere unknown on their own, because you're dangerous. And you're entertaining. The gamemakers think if they can upset you and make you snap again they'll have their winner in you. And it'll be brutal and exciting and talked about for years to come. I mean look at you. You're nothing special strength wise. You're smart and you're strong minded, but you're not a warrior. You're not that threatening is what I mean. And yet, you took out 4 careers in minutes. Those guys and girls, they trained all their lives to be in these games and you came along and knocked them down as quickly as a bomb. You don't know how dangerous you are. But know this. While you're here, none of us are safe."
I watch him, watch the realisation cross his face when he understands that he's said too much. It wont look good for him. He looks cold, heartless. I'm liked and the other sponsors wont like him much when they see. Not to mention the reaction of Mistra and Michael if I were to tell them. But I wont tell them.
"You're right." I tell him as I get to my feet and collect my things. "None of you are safe."
And with that, I leave the clearing. Ignoring the calls from Bingo behind me.
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