SCHOOL'S OVER! Ok… Happy Reading!
P.S. I'm writing this on the plane :D
Chapter 20!
The sun starts to set on the horizon as Cato and I stroll uneasily to the center of town. Our goodbyes to Clove and Marvel were long, and tear-filled, knowing we were never going to see each other again. We might only see them again if Cato and I participated in the Huger Games again, and I DO NOT want that to happen. Eventually Cato and I had to suck it up and leave. The old man who talked to us yesterday is there along with two other women; both dressed in long white dresses that flow in the breeze. As soon as we stand before them, all three of them turn around and start walking towards the gate. We follow them and are ushered out of the gate, which brought us to this strange word. The three suddenly stop next to a large palm tree at the edge of the jungle. The old man begins to talk.
"This is tree right here," the pats the large coconut tree, " is how we will send you back to the real world."
Cato and I look at each other both utterly confused. He continues to explain.
"This coconut tree and twenty – two other tributes were the only things here when I arrived. I participated in the First Annual Hunger Games."
He paused for dramatic effect.
I am going to tell you the story of how this place evolved, from a barren beach to a fruitful town. When we first arrived, most people were horrified at events that had taken place only a few days before. Everyone was shell-shocked. None of us knew what to do. The sea was salty, so we didn't have any water. The only source of food was the coconut tree, so I took charge and climbed up it. I grabbed the closest coconut and fell from the top of the tree and blacked out. After I regained my consciousness, everyone was arguing about what to do with the coconut. I stood up and yelled as loud as I could, 'STOP'. It was made known from then on I would be the leader and no one really disagreed. I took the coconut from a boy's hands and dug a hole in the ground and buried the coconut. Everyone look at me like I was crazy, burying the only food source. But I didn't let anyone touch the mound. Somehow I knew I was doing the right thing. The next day a small sprout had pushed out of the ground and we were all amazed. The next day, the sprout's height had doubled, and the accelerated growing speed continued, until by the seventh day, we had another coconut tree. By then the other coconuts from the first tree had been either planted or eaten. So we made a system where we would plant half the seeds and eat the other half. However, one night, we noticed some of the kids who had eaten the coconuts from the first tree were glowing, like fireflies. The next morning, the glowing ones had disappeared. Just disappeared. No one complained because their absence meant more food for the rest of us."
The man stopped and gestured to one of the ladies to continue.
"After a while we all totally forgot about the missing ones and our coconut grove and grown considerably. We had our grove, and then many other plants began emerging from the ground, ferns, and various flowering plants, including apple, peach and pear trees. Eventually we had enough trees to cut some of them down for houses. That's when the second round of kids started to arrive. We realized all the tributes that came had been killed, and there was always only twenty- three that came within three or four weeks of each other. We assumed, correctly, this would continue as long as the Hunger Games were around. So we quickly built a sustainable town and used the specialties of the Districts to prosper."
She ended the story, but it didn't really explain why we are at this tree, so I asked.
"Wait… So what does this have to do with us coming here?"
The other lady spoke up this time.
"Right, well as our town grew more and more advanced, we started to research the plants on this island. Very few of us remember the various tributes that vanished, but the ones that did were curious about what happened to them. So we took one of the coconuts from the first tree and took it into the lab. The results were shocking. It turns out the milk and the meat of the coconut can transport a person back to the living world."
Now it all makes sense. We basically have to eat a magic coconut and we'll be back to where we came from. The old man hits the tree with his large fist. A coconut starts to drop and lands in his outstretched palm. I have to admit it is pretty cool. One of the ladies produces a knife and carefully cuts open the coconut. She gives one half to me and the other half to Cato. We both look at each other, unsure whether or not to go through with it. But the trio obviously wouldn't move until we did, that is certain.
With both hands I cup my half of the coconut and drink the water inside. I feel this tingling feeling in the tips of my toes and I look down to find my feet glowing. The sensation continues up my body until it reaches the top of my skull. I glance over at Cato and his whole body is also glowing. I take a step towards him and when my foot hits the ground, it explodes into a million pieces. Like if I had dropped a vase on the floor, the broken shards would be my body. The weird thing is I don't feel anything. The rest of my body continues to shatter, as does Cato's. My pieces are being lifted into the air by a warm breeze and I am taken up above the island 'til I only see a speck. We have arrived in the middle of nowhere. The stars and the sky are the only things that surround us. Cato is beside me the whole time, both of us perplexed, but amazed at the same time. Only our faces have not broken which is kind of a strange sight.
Then suddenly, we're falling, falling to Earth without anything to stop us from hitting the floor at hundreds of miles an hour. I see the various shards of my body circling around me. I make my way to Cato in the air and we hold hands, hoping if we die, we die together. The world is coming closer by the second. I close my eyes into hope I'll wake up from this terrible dream and we'll be back in the house with Clove and Marvel. And as we descend further and further into the atmosphere, the raging wind seems to slow down a bit. I slowly open my eyes and see we are about 500 feet from the ground and our speed is slowing rapidly. We begin to fall upright, as if we were lifted back into the world of living by strings. By the time we have touched the ground, our bodies have reformed into our full forms. The gravity of Earth crashes down on us all at once and we fall face down onto the warm grass.
What do you guys think? Interesting right? Tell me what you think! REVIEW!
I'm finally home! AND have WiFi :D
To Anime Lover: I'm sorry but I don't write much of that stuff, but your right, I have been sort of neglecting the Glato shipping. I'll try and write a little more about it. Sorry, if you are disappointed, but I'm sure there is plenty of other authors that write about that kind of stuff.