CHAPTER 14:
I'm falling into darkness. There's emptiness around me and I feel like I'm being sucked into a hole. When I finally wake up, I'm strapped into a tall tree and Celeste is nowhere in sight. I start to sit up but someone pushes me back down.
"Don't get up or you'll get even worse." I heard. I turned and saw Celeste wrapped in a cloak of leaves.
"What on earth are you wearing Celeste?" I asked. I looked down and saw I was wearing the same thing.
"Well since you were passed out, I had to find some way to protect us. So I covered the blankets in leaves and twigs for camouflage." She said.
"Thanks but how long have I been out?"
"For about two days." She replied.
"Two days! Has there been any deaths?" I asked.
"There were two deaths. Probably from starvation." She said. I took the blanket off of me and looked at my foot. Ten of us left. I saw the blood poisoning had stopped and my ankle was back to normal colors. It was still swelled but I could run on it.
"Is Marcus?" I asked
"No he's not dead, unless his body somehow shrunk and turned into a girls." She said laughing.
"Has the career group come by at all in the last two days? Have you seen or heard them." I asked. She pointed to deeper in the woods.
"I started fallowing them. They're camping out around a huge waterfall. They ran out of water and needed food." She said
"Did you see Marcus with them?" She nodded but was frowning.
"They have him locked up and tied to some tree so he won't escape. But Lei won't kill him." She said.
"I wonder why that is." Celeste said.
"It's because she likes him." I said. Celeste spit out her water.
"You're kidding!" she screamed. I shook my head.
"Does Marcus know?" she asked.
"Not a clue." I said. I hadn't thought about what Celeste had put into my foot.
"What was that medicine you gave me?" I asked.
"Some capitol remedy. But it must have been pretty strong because you blacked out instantly." She said.
"You should get some rest before we leave so we can find some fresh water in the morning." Celeste said lying down. I looked up at the sky. It was dark out. So I closed my eyes.
"Celeste?" I asked.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you." I said slowly closing my eyes and resting.
A snap of a branch and a blood curdling scream was all I heard before I woke up. I looked around for Celeste.
"Celeste!" I screamed. I got down from the tree and saw her lying on the ground. Her back was misshaped and she had blood coming out of her mouth.
"Celeste!" I yelled running to her aid. I looked up from where she was. She must have fallen from the tree. Her hand slowly, shaking, slid across her body and to her side. When she showed me her hand, there was a tremendous amount of blood. The grass had turned red and she was shaking. I held onto her hand and started crying.
"I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry." I said. She shook her head.
"You…did….noting…wrong." she stuttered. She put her hand around her neck and took a golden necklace out from under her shirt. It was a sun. The exact same as mine.
"Please….win….please." she said. I nodded my head.
"Tell…Elliot…how…I…feel." She said.
"I promise I will. I will win." I said. She looked up at the sky and closed her eyes.
"Thank….you…thank...you." she said. Her hand slowly slid down and didn't move a bit. She took one last breath. I waited for her to open her eyes one more time. I looked at her motionless body. I let go of her hand and put it as her side. I got up and wiped the blood off on my pants. I started to climb the tree, but couldn't. My body wouldn't let me. I carefully grabbed Celeste's body and lifted her until she was off the ground. Then I carried her to the field to be picked up. I saw the hole in her back and almost puked. Then I looked back at where she fell. There was a huge rock. And it stuck out from the ground covered in blood. I looked away; she must have fallen in her sleep and landed on the rock. Her spine must have broken. I lay her in the field and put her hands at her stomach. I kissed both cheeks, a sign to represent peace in my district. Then backed away and climbed into the tree. I watched the hover craft come and pick up her body. Then disappear forever. To be seen no more. I looked away from the field and gathered up my stuff. Including the camouflage blanket that Celeste had made. Then I hopped from tree to tree. Not sure where I was going anymore. I then remembered Marcus. My only other friend in the arena. I started climbing, but the memories were haunting me. So I lie down and closed my eyes. Before I knew it, the world went black.
"You saved my life, Celeste." I said clinging onto the tree so I wouldn't fall.
"I told you, anytime and anyplace." She smiled.
"What's it like to love someone?" she asks.
"I'm serious! What's it like to be in love?"
"I'm not sure I can explain it. Almost like everything else in the world doesn't matter anymore. Just you and that person." I reply.
"Then I'm in love." She sighs.
"Tell…Elliot…how…I…feel." I heard.
These memories haunted me in my sleep. I woke up and cried and cried. Until I was out of tears. I made a promise, and I was going to fulfill it. No matter what. No matter who stands in my way, I will win. For Celeste.