But no boy from 12.
I smile. I smile broadley, and I'm sure I'm about to break into a maniacal fit of laughter when I hear footsteps. I hold in my laughter, and roll into the cave, hoping no one knows I'm here. I hear the footsteps pass right outside the mouth, and I flinch, gripping my sword tighter. But the footsteps go straight past, and eventualy echo into nothing.
Screams. That's what wakes me up. The screams of children. Small children, too. No. Just one child. A girl. And then laughter.
It could be a ploy, to attract other tributes to their death, but I can't take that chance. I crawl out of my cave, sword in hand, and run towards the sound of the screaming. Eventually I skid to a stop behind a large tree. I peak out from behind it, to see hat small, pale girl on the climbing frame trapped in a tree, three careers waiting to pull her down.
Thankfully, it's not Daven, who would most likely still try to get me to enroll in the career pack. As i had though, the careers would split into two groups, three in each, making them more deadly. In front of me are Jasper, Garnet and Fisher. Jasper is halfway up the tree, his legs wrapped around it, shimmying up towards the girl. She screams, and screams, and it takes a while for me to block her out completely.
I try to observe. Fisher has no weapon, which is peculiar. He could be hiding it somewhere. I search his body for signs of a dagger or a sword concealed in his clothing, but there seems to be none. And then I see it, on the floor. The blow dart. He's dropped it. Or he's been so eager to get the little girl that he's abandoned it.
I pick it up, and examine it. It has no darts, so I take the nails from my bag. They should do just fine, though they won't do much damage. My plan is out Garnet, as she has the weapon, and then before Fisher can pick it up, take him out with fists. Jasper probably won't even turn away from the girl. Simple.
I put a nail into the tube, and press my mouth to it. Wait, I tell myself. Just wait.
And then I take my opportunity. Exhaling in a gust into the dart, the nail shoots outward, and hits Garnet in the eye. Both Jasper and Fisher turn in the direction of the dart, and I spring out from behind the tree, punching Fisher in the face. He recoils and tries to grab Garnet's knife, but I jump, kicking out as I do, and finding his face. He falls to the ground, unconscious. I spin round the take out Jasper and rescue the little girl, when I hear a thud beside me, and some whimpering, and then there is a body on mine.
Jasper has lunged on me with his sword, and is pressing me down. I try to hold his arm back, and get him off me, but he's too strong. At least I died trying to help someone else. At least it wasn't all in vain.
His sword gets closer and closer to my throat, until it's pressed against my skin. Through gritted teeth, he snarls, "You're no Katniss Everdeen, are you Delly?"
I growl, and try to push him off. He laughs. "What? You thought you could be better than her? No. You're no mockingjay. Not at all. You're just a sad, stuck up little girl, who-"
He stops. His eyes roll back in his head, and his grip on me loosens. I blink, eyes widening, not knowing what's happened. Jasper falls on top of me, and I roll him off. A knife lies in his skull, right in his brain, I reckon. I look up, sure that this time I will die, but all I see is a boy, quite tall, with dark hair and grey eyes.
"I thought you weren't going to leave me." Cole says, holding his hand out to help me up.
"You kind of forget everything once a loud canon goes off and everyone's running for weapons to kill you with." I reply, and then we laugh. He hugs me, tightly, and I hug him back.
"The girl." I murmur, and I force my way out of Cole's arms quickly to see the little girl with fair hair, struggling to breathe as she battles against the gaping hole in her chest.
She gasps as I come near her, kneeling beside her. I pull her head into my lap, and Cole sits opposite me, holding her hand.
"You're so brave." I tell her, as she looks up at me. "You were so brave."
"I w- I was?" She asks.
I nod. "So brave. "
She smiles, and I smile back, tears threatening to spill onto my cheeks. She takes one last, ragged breath, and then falls still. I squeeze my eyes tight shut, and purse my lips, and I hear Cole sigh.
"Come on." He says eventually. "We can't stay here."
I nod, and lie the little girl down. I close her eyes, and clasp her hans together on her stomach. I brush a few strands of golden hair out of her face, and then stand up.
"Gather up these weapons." Cole says. "We can use them."
I nod, turning to pick up the blow dart, and listen to the canon as it booms over us.