Chapter 14- Now You Have Wings
Welcome back, this chapter packs quite the punch. The Gamemakers will get what they want. THE END.
I JUST LIKE TYPING "YOUNG KUMQUATS!"
tee hee
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My fingers have already fumbled into a noose. I keep my pack and weapons on. The faster my knives are out of here the better. For Chip. For Glamour and Gadget. Daniel. The little girl from District 12 whose name I never learned. I tie the rope into the tree. Witch Hazel trees generally have thin branches but these are the Games. Do they make muttation plants? I wonder stepping onto a rock almost too perfectly placed under the branch. This is my Hanging Tree. I'm closer to Collin. And my mother. My mother. My family is watching. Still, my fingers pull the rope around my throat and I'm about to jump when I hear it.
"Don't do it." It's a little girl's voice for sure. I look around and see a small girl. She's a good quarter-mile away. She has no chance fighting me. The moonlight glints off of her golden hair. Pale skin. Blue eyes staring me down. The girl Daniel saved from the bloodbath. A memory of her interveiw floods my mind. Deep purple dress that almost glowed. A crown of violets braided into her hair.
"So do you think you could win the Games?" Caesar asked her.
"Well, I'm good at hiding. They can't find me, they can't kill me." She'd said.
"I would never count you out." Caesar said.
Well she's been hiding long enough. Then I see Daniel come out a few feet behind her. He stares at her in wonder.
"Willow, come on." He tells her. So that's her name. And that's how she's still alive. She teamed up with Daniel. I keep looking at her. Her blue eyes lock onto mine. She shakes her head. I can feel the cameras zooming in on her face. Now coming back to mine. Then Daniel motions her with his hands. Then she runs after him. She looks back at me one last time. Mouthing something I can't make out. Then they leave. In the few moments that I'm frozen in place I begin to think. My family. I can't do this. I can't do this. I have to live as long as possible. My hands are still on the noose around my neck. A mockingjay sings softly, the song I sang to Collin. My head whips to face it. I have friends here. Even if I was an inch from death I would never eat a mockingjay. I snap back to reality. There are people who love me watching. Abigal, Bailey, Travis, Emily, Finnick- Finnick! How could I forget him? Annie went crazy. He was sick of waiting for her. I can't go crazy. I have to keep my identity, for him. For the man I love.
"No." I say taking off the rope and undoing the noose. "No. I'm going to fight." I get back to camp.
"Angel?" Ringlet asks me.
"You get some sleep. I'll gaurd. We'll head out to find Glamour tomorrow." I say. He understands. Ringlet falls asleep in seconds. Then I mourn Collin in peace.
"Collin, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should've gone with you guys. Then it would be me." I sob. "Alexa I'm sorry, I couldn't save him. But I'm going to win. For Collin. For the pride of District 4."
The sun rises and it's warm. The snow is going to start melting soon. While the boys are asleep I pull off my jacket, then my sweater. I pack the sweater in my bag then zip up my jacket. I head over to the river. I remember how frozen it was yesterday. There was ice. Today it's as cold as my saltwater beaches in the winter. I find a nest of eggs and steal three. Snag some blackberries. I even resort to chewing mint leaves. My stomach seems fine. I lower the zipper on my jacket due to the fact that I'm still warm. The Gamemakers must be behind this sudden heat wave. I come back to the camp. Marshal is still limping, he's walking in circles to exercise his leg. Ringlet is rolling up his sleeping bag.
"Breakfast. Eggs and blackberries. Shut your mouths and eat." I snap. I slurp the insides of my egg while Marshal and Ringlet stare at me. "What?"
"You're suddenly fierce. I like it." Marshal says grinning cockily.
"Oh shut up." I say rolling my eyes. "Stop flirting with me every ten seconds. I don't find you attractive. Do you really think telling me 'nice tits' makes me like you?"
"What?" Marshal asks surprised by my sudden confidence boost. I'm not sure if it's Collin's death or a reminder that I love Finnick but suddenly it's natural for me to say these things.
"Yeah. Go cry me a river, build yourself a bridge and GET OVER IT." I say. For a few moments it's dead silent. Then what happens next is so fast I can barely prossess it. Marshal runs over, takes a knife from my belt, rips off my jacket, then un-does the clasp on my bra. He's going to rape me. He's going to rape me, then kill me. I think. But instead I find the tip of the knife digging into the flesh of my shoulder blade. I let out a scream. But Marshal isn't killing me. He's carving into my back. And when I think he's done, he goes to work on my other shoulder blade. He snaps my bra back into place. The fabric is stinging so bad. Marshal takes some rope tying my hands together. Then grabs my jaw in tight grip. He turns me so my back is facing Ringlet.
"What do you think?" He asks.
"You're an artist." Ringlet says. Whatever kindness I had for him earlier is now gone. "We should just kill her now. With those knives she's too dangerous."
"Yeah." Marshal agrees. But just before his spear touches me. he jumps ontop of me, places his hands on my breasts, then kisses me long with his tongue down my throat. They both laugh at me. How could these monsters be the two boys who let me grieve in peace last night? Ringlet hangs over my face.
"There's something satisfying about killing the prettiest girl here. Next we'll get Glamour, and that weakling Gadget." He says with venom dripping from his words. Suddenly I'm so angry that I can't stand it. I push Marshal off of me and cut him deep in the forehead. Then I slash Ringlet across the stomach. In the time that they're out I grab Ringlet's backpack, pull on my jacket, then run out of there as quickly as possible. Then I literally run into Glamour and Gadget.
"You?" All three of us say.
"We need to get out of here, I just cut both of the guys, they'll be back soon." I pant.
"Gadg, how much time is on your time bomb?" Glamour asks.
"I can set it for thirty seconds." She says.
"Set it, throw it, then we run." Glamour says. "On the count of three. Onetwothree!" Gadget screams throwing her gizmo of wires and spear heads and clocklike gears over her shoulder.
"Go!" Glamour shouts as we run faster and faster. Eventually I have to pick up Gadget so Glamour and I can keep going. Then it goes off.
"Take cover!" I shout as we fall to the ground. Dust flies up everywhere two cannons fire. Hovercrafts pluck the dead bodies from the ground. "So what's the plan?" I ask.
"Me and Glamour have been secretly plotting this whole time. It was going to be us, plus you and Collin." Gadget says.
"Now it's just us three." Glamour says. "C'mon there's a pond on the other side of the field."
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I couldn't come up with a good cliff hanger but oh well. Thank-you everyone for your kind reviews and urges for me to write! If you haven't already I have another story I publish in honor the new The Amazing Spider-Man moive that came out on Monday. (I saw it already!) It's called Venom Tastes Sweet. Check it out and the next chapter will come soon!