I push Davis away with what little strength I still possess. "Davis, stop!" I cry. "Stop..." My shoulder shakes as I sob. But it's too late; he's forced all the medicine into my mouth, and I wasn't stupid enough to waste it. "Why, Davis?"
"I can't live, knowing that you could've taken my place," he whispers.
I bury my head into his chest.
Why? Why? Why did it have to happen to Davis? Why did we have to be chosen to participate in the Games? Why must the Capitol do this to us? It's so unfair!
Davis stands—I'm surprised that he still has strength to—and holds onto me, letting me ruin his clothes with my tears. "Shh, Annie," he soothes, rocking me back and forth gently. I can almost imagine Finnick comforting me in the same way.
No! I mustn't think about Finnick now. Davis is more important.
"I can still walk," Davis continues, "So we should walk as much as we can today. I don't know when..."
When the poison will finish him off.
Would it be better if he died now? If I killed him now? No! What are you thinking, Annie?
I pull away and wipe my eyes with a sleeve. "Y-You're right," I say, forcing on the brightest smile I could. "We should keep going. We're not far from the dam now."
"I can make things easier for you, if I kill him now," the voice I had heard from before offer. I spin around, but I can't see anyone. Yup, I really was going crazy. I shake my head and ignore the voice, yet there's something strangely familiar about it.
Did it belong to someone I know?
It was raspy and low, so I wasn't even sure whether the speaker was male or female. But I have definitely heard it before. Where?
"Annie?" Davis prompts. I realize that he has spoken while the voice had distracted me.
"Huh?"
"I was saying, 'Shall we get going, then?'" He picks up our bag and swings it over his shoulder, his face twisting in pain from the simple movement. My heart aches for him. Oh, Davis. I'm sorry.
I don't care if the Capitol forces him into prostitution. Would it really be that bad if he won? As long as he was still alive, I'd feel better. I wouldn't be responsible for his death.
Because no matter how I see it, I am responsible for his death. Without me there to burden him, he would be able to win before anyone says "Happy Hunger Games!" I'll never be able to live peacefully, knowing that I was what hindered his victory. Just like how Ellie is still in my nightmares, because she was killed while trying to ask Finnick to help me win.
If he died, I'd most likely have nightmares about Davis, too.
"You're thinking," he notes. "What about?"
"Nothing of importance." I straighten myself and take his hand. "Come on, let's go. The sooner we get to the dam, the better. I just...feel safer around water, you know?"
He nods in understanding. "Well, I would expect that much at least, with you coming from District Four."
Neither of us speak during our expedition. I don't want him to loose any energy by talking to me, and he doesn't start a conversation.
Every now and then, I would see a part of a stream in the undergrowth. It must be connected to the dam, somehow. At least we constantly had a water supply, and I would instruct Davis to wait while I gather water to drink. It was probably contaminated, but it was still water, and it was something we desperately needed.
"Here you go." I hand him the bottle. He thanks me, and, tipping his head back, drink deeply. I lean against the tree and watch him drink.
Now, don't get me wrong, drinking water isn't something that fascinates me. I don't spend all my free time watching other people drink water. It's not the water that's interesting. It's the drinker.
Davis notices me watching him, and asks smugly, "Can't take your eyes off me, eh, Annie?"
I snort and turn my head away, choosing not to answer him.
He's like Finnick. Too much like Finnick, in fact. Being near him hurts, because being near him reminds me of Finnick, and just thinking about Finnick hurts too much. I probably won't get another chance to see him...
"There haven't been many deaths this time," Davis muses. "I wonder...but I'm sure there's going to be something interesting, soon, right? I mean, the Capitol citizens will find it utterly boring watching tributes die of poisoning and natural causes. If it continues like this, we'll still be in the arena two hundred years later."
"You can say that again," I agree, and I can't help but giggle at his latest comment.
He's right. It's bound to get more interesting, and by the Capitol's standards, interesting could be anything from a fire bomb to a herd of bizarre animals to drugs that force tributes to lust for death. Either way, only the strongest will come out alive. Certainly not someone weak, like me.
"An everlasting Hunger Games...? Sounds like something," Davis goes on.
I waggle my eyebrows at him. "Don't give the Capitol any ideas, Mister. What if they do decide on an everlasting Hunger Games? It'll be like Hell."
Uh-oh. I probably shouldn't have said that. But, it's already been said, and there's nothing I can do to take it back. Even a single word can defy the Capitol, and who knows how much it'll affect the Capitol?
"Have you finished your love talk yet?" a sweet, cold voice asks.
We both spin around to find Karat leaning against a tree, watching us with amusement on her face. My blood runs cold.
I exchange a glance with Davis, and we both have the same question plastered to our faces: When did she get here?
"You!" I gasp, pointing at her. I realize with a jolt that she's the one whispering death threats in my ears. Ugh, I can't believe I hadn't noticed her until now!
"Yes, me," Karat says. She flicks her hair back and begins stalking toward us. One of her hands is hidden behind her back, and I have a sickening feeling that she must be hiding some deadly weapon behind it. "It's too bad that there was only enough medicine for one person, huh? I must say, Finnick is getting...picky, isn't he?"
"How dare you speak about Finnick like that?" I snarl, leaping to my mentor's defense. He must've had to sleep with at least ten women to get even that small amount of medicine. Not that I liked it, but I understand why he would.
Karat clucks her tongue. "Ah, I haven't forgotten your refusal to join the Careers, little mermaid," she says, using the nickname that Finnick had for me. I stiffen as I stare at her, and Davis immediately moves forward into her path, blocking me from her. "I have to thank Lillia, though. Her plan worked brilliantly, even though she had to loose her life in the process. Well, it had to be believable, right?"
My eyes widen with horror. "Don't tell me you..."
She smiles humorlessly. "Oh, yes. I spared her life, knowing that you had spoken to each other in the training area. It was her idea to poison the groosling. Said she didn't want to die yet. She offered herself as a sacrifice so you could both die, too. Finnick just had to spoil our plan, but, it worked out in the end."
No...it can't be...
"You don't want to kill your beloved Davis, do you, Annie? I'll do you a favor and end his life for you. How's that? Then I can kill you slowly, and make you suffer...yes, that's a great idea! I don't forget rejections easily," she says, taking another step.
"You're sick," Davis spits out, clenching his hand into a fist. "Annie didn't want to join the Careers, and you go this far to pay her back? It's ridiculous!"
"Tell me about it," she says calmly. "I could tell you my backstory of why I hate people rejecting me, but unfortunately, we don't have the time for that! Because...Davis Odair, it's time for you to die!" She lets out a laugh and lunge at him, just as Davis's fist meet her face.
It all happened so fast. I couldn't even keep up with their movements. In less than one heartbeat, she had twisted Davis's arm so it was hanging limply at his side.
All I did was watch.
I couldn't do anything to help Davis. He was already weak from the stomachache, and Karat is too strong for him, now. Davis didn't have a weapon to defend himself. I know I could've jumped in front of him, but my legs froze and I couldn't move. I could only watch in terror as she finally reveals her secret weapon—a strange metal disk that I've never seen before—and flings it at Davis.
He tries to dodge it, but he moves the wrong way, and gives the disk a even better chance to hit him. The last thing I hear him shout is, "Annie! I want to tell you that I—"
—and the disk slides smoothly through his neck.
His head rolls off his shoulder and stops right in front of me. His lifeless, empty eyes stare ahead. For a moment, I see Finnick's head lying there instead of Davis's, and I scream.
Panting, Karat produces a knife from her pocket and makes her way toward me. "Now it's your turn!"
"NO! FINNICK!" I shriek, and, without thinking, thrust my fingers at her face. I feel them lodge right into her eyes, and she yells out in pain.
Then I turn and run.
Disclaimer: The Hunger Games doesn't belong to me!
Oh, dun dun dun, the epic death. And, although Finnick was a good guess (I've never even thought of him!) the correct answer is Karat! (another twist! I'm evil like that XD) Hopefully her explanation was understandable? Karat almost killed Lillia, but Lillia suggested the plan so she could live a little longer, even if she had to eat the poisoned groosling too.
Finals are almost over for me! So I have more time to write! :)
Annie screams for Finnick at the end because she's confused.. X3