Jolissa

I switched watch twice in the night, and my body was not up to being up half the night. I closed my lips and didn't complain- what good would that do?- but I was still feeling the effects as I roused Adron to move. The leech-mutts had disappeared at about dawn- all of them going back to the holes that they came from at once, as though they were on some kind of radio wave. They had all swarmed the holes, and jumped and wriggled through them. It was really disgusting to watch. Of all things, why did they have to mutate something that was bad enough as it was?

Adron woke up smoothly enough, and we quietly packed our backpacks. I turned my attention away from the holes- making sure the leeches were not going to come back- and looked into the forest. What I saw took my breath away. There was a silvery mist that was rising from the water and was turning the Gamemaker's deathtrap into a scene of beauty. The mist clung to everything, hovering through the trees and paling the colors, transforming the muddy swamp.

"Look." I breathed, tugging at Adron and showing him the sight. He grunted.

"Huh. Yeah. Well, it will make us less easier to find." He commented, then swung his packs over his shoulder, put his sword in his belt and picked up the heavy club. I shrugged on my pack too, and took my dagger and spear.

"What are we going to do about the stuff we leave behind?" I asked.

Adron glanced at it.

"We'll just leave it. It can't do much harm to us." He says, and slipped down to the muddy swamp ground below. I followed him, careful of my hand. I could use it more now, but I was noticing that the swelling was not going down. It wasn't really a swelling anymore, either. It had hardened into a rough, thick layer of skin over my normal skin. I flexed it. It was a bit stiffer to move than the rest of my skin, but apart from that it was fine.

"Adron! Look! The stuff in the vines must react with skin and make it harder!" I said, pushing my hand and him. He glanced at his own hands. His layer of skin is a lot thicker and covers more surface area than mine. He poked it, and moved it about. He then lifted his hand up and ran his fingers across his face. There was now a large, ugly line running down his face, making him look a bit manic. Looking at it with fresh eyes made me realize how odd he looked with it- not like his usual cocky self. He looked more dangerous now, more worn and rugged. He looked a lot tougher.

"Let's head off." He said, and started walking. I didn't bother asking him if he knew where we were going. I knew we were looking for water, but I didn't know where. We were heading west and as we drew away from the wall and into the mist it enveloped us. It was still beautiful, but cold now, and menacing.

As the day wore on, the mist was burnt off by the sun, leaving the forest like it had been yesterday. I was still looking at the mud in front of us carefully, not wanting to be caught in the sinking muddy trap we had been in before. A few hours passed, and with them came a few changes in direction, but none of them yielded results for the location of water. I had a feeling that something was going to happen soon –had to happen soon- so the audience wouldn't be bored watching us. The cannons hadn't fired in ages, and I was just wondering if the Gamemakers were going to send the leeches back into the Arena when Adron stopped. I wound around him and looked to where he was looking. There, barely 20 feet ahead of us was a sleek, shiny metal bowl. It looked like a giant water fountain- like the ones we had at the factories, except this one was about 6 feet across. Contained within it was clear, shining, pure water.

Adron and I stared at it without moving, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing- it was too good to be true.

"They wouldn't just leave it there." I said. Adron nodded, looking like he's thinking hard.

I scanned the area around it. There were no trees leading up to it, but there were branches above it- thick enough to sit on. There was nothing in the swampy water surrounding it except a few reed-like plants and a couple of floating branches and logs.

I crouch down and examine the mud by my feet. There's a change in it- a small change, but a change. The mud by the basin is slightly darker.

"Let's find another way." I said.

"To get the water?" Said Adron doubtfully, glancing up at the branches.

"You mean we have to climb all the way up there?"

"Yes, unless we want to die from lack of hydration or by some other nasty trap the Gamemakers set up for us." I told him.

"Why don't we set up base here? I mean, if we climb a tree and set up base, then we can come and go, we'll be right by the water, and no-one will be able to even see us." I added, glancing up at a tree right beside us. It was the biggest tree I had seen in the forest yet- its trunk was almost as thick as one of the towers I had seen in the Capitol, and it was as practically as tall, too. It would have been near impossible to climb due it its girth, but it was covered with vines, moss and other clinging plants. Adron followed my gaze, scanning up the tree.

"Yeah, I guess we could." He said. "If we found a sleeping place near the base to the middle, it would be pretty safe." He said.

Something rustled and splashed in the water nearby, and we both froze, falling silent. I backed up against a tree, and Adron pulled out his club, holding it above his head. A bird flapped it's way out of a shadow grove nearby and flew out of the water. We both relaxed, but still remained alert as we moved slowly towards the huge tree. When we reached it, I started climbing first, careful to locate the vines that did not have nettle stings on them. When I reached the top of the roots, however, I found that we were facing a problem. The next branch was about 30 feet above my head, and the only way to climb to it was by the red-haired vines. Adron scrambled up beside me, and looked up.

"What are we going to do?" I say.

"Well, if I could get up there, the rope in our bag would reach, and the rest of the way looks easier." He told me.

"Yeah, I know that, but how are we going to get up? The only way is via the nettle-vines!" I told him. He looks and grunts.

"Huh. I guess we'll have to find another tree." He told me. I sighed and looked down, checking for danger, and then started my decent. I had really liked that huge tree- it was more of the fact it was the first one I had chosen- and partly for the lack of sleep I had had – or not had- last night. The tiredness was attacking my like a wave. I was paying attention so much to the disappointment and tiredness of the situation that I grabbed onto a nettle vine with my bad hand. I felt the burning in the sides of my hands, and wrenched it away, staring at it. The fresh skin around the ugly lump was burning and swelling anew, but the pre-affected skin was not burning at all. I could see the spines of the vines sticking out of the skin, but I couldn't feel any pain in that area.

The poison, after it's worn off, must form a numb barrier against attack! This could be used for a mutualistic relationship between the vine and another animal in the wild, but right now it means Adron can climb the tree without getting crippled!

I scrambled back up, ignoring the pain in my hands.

"Adron! Look! The vines don't affect pre-burned skin! You can climb the vines without getting affected!" I practically shouted at him, and he motioned for me to be quiet.

"Are you sure?" He said, looking doubtful again.

"Yes! Try it!" I said. He cautiously touched a vine with the callused part of his hand and then took it away.

"Sweet." He said, and started to climb.

I didn't take him too long, and he was tying the rope to the branch when I realized something. I couldn't climb ropes.

"Adron?" I called up to him, as quietly as I can.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"Can you tie the rope at few-foot intervals? So I can climb it?" I asked him. I was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was up there and I was on my own.

A splashing noise caught my attention, and I crouched down, peering in its direction. It was definitely human because of its rhythm, and it sounded like a single person. It was coming from the other side of the water basin. I couldn't see properly, and shifted to the side. I could only hear it for a few more seconds- it was making an awful amount of noise, and then a girl came into view. She had the nettle-vine marks all over her face, but hadn't seemed to have treated them with anything. She was definitely older than me- probably 18- and had very long, very curly black hair. I couldn't remember her name, but I thought she was from District 6. She was walking with a limp, and left boot looked ripped and chewn. She must have had it in the water when the leeches came.

She saw the water basin and her eyes open wide.

No, I thought, no! It's a trap!

I wanted to yell at her to go away, and would have done if it had been just me, but I did not want to endanger Adron and have her come and attack us. She was past the darker-mud line now, and starting to run waveringly towards the water. Nothing was happening. She stopped, hesitating- perhaps wondering if it's poisoned- but recklessly dipped her hands in and scooped up handfuls of it, splashing it into her mouth. She looked really thirsty, and still nothing was happening to her.

Perhaps we were wrong, I thought, Maybe it isn't a trap after all. Maybe the Gamemakers just wanted us to think it was a trap and then not get the water. Maybe-

I cut myself of as the girl started moving again, started to limp away from the basin. I saw something move in the water. It was one of the logs, sliding towards her. I stared at it, confused. Was there a current in the water? The log slipped under the water, and other logs started moving too, towards the girl. She was limping faster, as unnerved as I was at the strange behavior of the dead wood that was floating around. Then, I realized that they weren't logs floating in the water. They had a bark-like pattern, they even had little twigs sticking out of them- which I was sure was due to the capitol's intervention- but once I noticed it, there was no mistaking the two beady little eyes, the large, fat back, the long tail of an Alligator.

I tensed up against the tree as one of the huge beasts flew out of the water, droplets flying off it like pollen in spring. It's maw was open wide and hanging; it's long rows of teeth were glistening. The girl didn't scream- out of acceptance or surprise, I didn't know, but she just had time to crouch and turn before the strong fangs of the Alligator snapped closed around her body.

So that's what the trap was. The alligators. They must not be able to come out of the dark mud, or something, bound to protect the clear, fresh water in their midst. A cannon went off, and the alligator opened its mouth, leaving its prey alone. It sickened me that the scientists who made these strange, leafy, twiggy Gators even changed their instincts so that they would not eat what they had just killed.

Soon enough, a hovercraft is overhead, and the body of the District 6 girl is being lifted into the air.