Filler time! Sorry it's late :( I'm at school right now, waiting for my sister to finish tennis, which has just started -_-
"But the only other option is to die trying." –Alder Zane
Chapter 21
When we finally stop walking, safely out of sight behind the thick shrubbery, I notice a change in the Careers' camp. Their enormous stack of supplies has been leveled. Now the crates and backpacks are spread out on the ground. In the middle of it all stands Julius, inspecting the tip of his spear and looking all too content for a Career who's missing out on a hunting trip.
"What now?" asks Violet.
"Stick to the plan," says Jacinth.
"Nope," says Terrence immediately, "That's suicide."
"Not if we're careful," replies Jacinth, loading her blowgun and pointing it at Julius. I look down at the ground, wishing some other Career was keeping watch over the supplies. Something about the boy from 4 makes him different from the other members of his alliance. Less Career-like. He's friendly; that's it.
At least, he was. I think, remembering the Cornucopia. Had he made any kills there? I hear a sound and look up just in time to see Julius crumple to the ground, a dart in his neck.
"C'mon!" says Leandros, jumping up and running into the camp, closely followed by Jacinth and Terrence. Leandros lifts up a crate, as Terrence opens a burlap bag and searches through it. Jacinth nods her head for Violet and I to follow them. I stand up and walk into the clearing, just before Violet tentatively does the same. Then, I pick a medium-sized crate at random. It's lighter than it looks.
As I turn to leave, I nearly stumble over something. The boy from 4. I'm about to keep going when I notice his spear, lying on the ground next to him. It seems wrong to take it from him now, but what use will he have for it?
We leave the clearing less than a minute later, each of us carrying a box. Terrence has the burlap bag slung over his shoulder, and I have the spear under my arm. The Careers will know someone was there, especially when they see Julius. Although, Leandros still does a good job of covering our tracks in the clearing. By the time we get back to our camp, we are virtually untraceable. We stack our supplies into a pile and celebrate by breaking open one of the larger crates. Apples. Terrence grins triumphantly and holds one up.
"To leaving the Careers at a loss." He takes a bite of his apple. Jacinth reaches into the crate and takes out another.
"We didn't take that much," says Violet, looking slightly uneasy.
"True," Jacinth admits, tossing the apple to Violet. "We'll have to see about that. Won't we?" Violet catches the fruit, but doesn't respond. Our allies start to talk about something as they watch the sky, most likely that fact that Julius's picture isn't there. But right now, there are other things on my mind.
I have a spear now. For the first time in nearly a week, I can try to imagine winning the Hunger Games. See myself going home. It's a blurry, faded picture, and very far away. I don't know what I'm going to have to do to get there.
But the only other option is to die trying.
I'll try my best to get another filler chapter out today, and soon enough…ACTION. :) But I won't know how I did until you review!