11/9/14

Hi again! I feel like I say this all the time, but I'm sorry for being behind on my update schedule.

Thank you Mrsjmw for following.

Reviews:

Gabby Delacour- Thanks! Oh, and I don't think my sister is going to update until December. We're both kinda behind on our word count for NaNoWriMo, and she's not counting author's notes like I do.

Demiwizardtributeinitiate- Thanks :)

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or anything else I may mention.

…..

Chapter 21: Separated

"Where's Marina?" Shimma asks.

"She went to go look for other tributes on the island. If Alana died for this, we need to make it worthwhile," I sigh.

"Oh. Speaking of which, I don't think Nolan's doing too good. Can you go talk to him?"

"Why?" I ask.

"Right now, he's just kind of… you know, useless? At the moment, we need all the help we can get," Shimma says, rubbing her temples.

"Oh, okay. I'll go talk to him?" I say. I'm a little confused at this point. Shimma has to have some ulterior motive that I'm not seeing. However, when I see how upset Nolan looks, I decide that it's not the case.

"Are you okay?" I ask Nolan.

"Yeah, I- I'll be fine. Don't worry about it kid," Nolan says.

"You really loved her, didn't you?" I ask.

"Yes," he says weakly. "I mean, I thought I'd be okay if something happened to her, so I, you know, shoved my feelings to the side. Look where that got me," he says.

"You didn't know if she liked you back?" I ask. I feel like all my manliness is being ripped away just by having this conversation, but Shimma's right. Someone needs to get him out of his... whatever you'd call this.

"I-I never asked," Nolan admits. He looks up at the sky and yells, "If anyone's listening, never follow my example. It sucks!"

I hold in a laugh. "I think she did," I say.

"Really?" Nolan asks.

"Really," I say. "I mean-" I'm interrupted by the sound of rustling bushes. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding when Marina and Brilliant come out instead of, say, another tribute.

"Find anything?" Nolan asks, taking a drink from his canteen.

"Nothing but a bunch of vines," Marina sighs. "No tributes in sight."

"So I guess we need to go to another island?" Shimma asks.

Nolan spits out his drink. "Are you crazy!"

"Maybe," Brilliant says, "But it's the only thing we can do at this point."

Isn't this the part where Alana always pointed out some impending danger?

Nearly 30 seconds after Alana would have figured it out, the ground starts shaking. "Guys?"

They continue to chatter on.

"Guys?"

Now I know how Alana felt.

"Guys!"

The ground starts shaking even more viciously. Murmurs of shock erupt from my alliance. Suddenly, the island cracks in half, leaving me and the girls on one half and Nolan and Brilliant on the other.

"What did I tell you?" I gasp as the islands start to float away from each other.

"Could this day possibly get any worse?" Nolan yells, kicking a nearby rock. "Ow!"

"Calm down! We'll get back to you guys!" Marina yells in a worried tone.

"Okay, I'll see you then," Brilliant says. The look they give each other says it all. It says that we won't see each other again. That they enjoyed working together, enjoyed having someone from another district they could trust. That maybe separation is for the best, that if they stayed together their story would end like Nolan and Alana's. And for just a second, they seem to be thinking about what could have been.

I put a hand on Marina's shoulder reassuringly. She looks down at me and smiles. "Hey, I'll be okay. Don't worry about me."

"See you then!" Shimma yells. She then turns to us and sighs. "I guess we need to set up camp."

"I guess we do."

…..

Quote of the Day!

"Listen *makes fart noise* Ah, still good!" –Aladdin, that weird guy at the beginning that everyone thinks is the genie

May the odds be ever in your favor,

Spectrobes Princess