Chapter 20

My eyes open slowly and my vision is slightly blurry, but it becomes clear once I blink a few times. My head turns and finds Flame. His arms are wrapped around his knees, just like how I was sitting yesterday. He's shivering violently.

"Hey," I start, but I stop, after realizing that my throat is sore. My voice is hoarse.

"H-Hey, James." His teeth chatter.

I look down to see his jacket covering me, even though I'm already wearing my jacket.

"You idiot!" I sit up quickly and give him his jacket. He puts it on. "Why did you give me this?"

"You were shivering in your sleep." Flame zips up the jacket all the way to his neck and jams his hands in his pockets. "In the middle of the night."

"Oh," I say. "Thanks," I add awkwardly.

"No problem. By the way, I got a gift from a sponsor." He digs out of the brown backpack a loaf of our district bread and a new canteen filled with water. I snatch the bread from him.

"Hey, easy!" he exclaims. "The bread's not going anywhere!"

"Yeah it is, it's going to my stomach!" I take a slice and wolf it down. "I'm sorry!" I apologize with bread in my mouth. "You know it's been a week since we've eaten anything solid?"

"That's right," Flame recalls. "Day 7." He looks down at the bread. "Can I please have a slice before you eat it all?"

"What are you trying to say?" I joke as I give him a slice.

We eat a couple more, then we each have a gulp of water.

"So I think we should move to somewhere a little less... freezing."

"The desert?" I offer.

"Eh, too hot."

"But it's less likely that tributes are there. Not any water, no plants..."

"True. All right. We'll go to the desert. But I heard there's a lake over there. We'll have to pass through that to get to the desert."

"Hmmm. Doesn't sound too hard. Is there a way around it?" I ask hopefully.

"Should be. Would you rather take that way?"

"Yes," I answer immediately.

"Okay. Sounds like a plan."

We pack up and pretty soon, we're well on our way. In a few minutes, we're like a mile from the lake, then we hear a loud crack!

"What was that?" I ask.

"Don't know." Flame says. "Sounds like it's coming from the lake."

We run up ahead. Only we find a large hole where the lake's supposed to be. Oh, thank God, no lake.

"Hart? I thought you said there was a lake here?" I ask, trying to hide my glee.

"There was. I mean, look, this big hole's here." Flame gestures to it. "Although, I don't think that's supposed to be near a lake."

I see a giant, stone wall behind the lake. "No, that's definitely not supposed to be here." I say. "Maybe it's a Gamemaker trick. Nobody's died since-" I fall silent, remembering Kalliope's and Taylor's violent deaths.

Crack!

We both jump. "There it is again!" Flame says.

"I have a hunch," I say. "And I'm afraid I'm right." I squint at the wall to see a big crack- and water leaking through.

"RUN!" I scream.

Flame and I both begin to sprint, but it's too late.

CRASH. Water pours out from the dam. The waves, as though they were thousands of pairs of hands, scoop me and Flame up. Flame, of course, is able to swim and his head stays above the water.

I don't.

I sink down, water flowing into my mouth.

"VIOLET!"

I break the surface and choke on the water. "Can't... swim..."

More water crashes into me. I feel my ponytail holder finally come loose and it sinks down. I somersault in the water, then try to come up to the surface again, but it's too far away...

I'm dying... I'm sorry, Mom. Sorry, Dad. I broke my promise.

Flame dives down and tries to grab me, but he goes back up for air and I sink down even further. I look up hazily to see two new shadows with Flame.

Good... He found new allies.

I start fading into darkness. The last thing I see is a pale arm reaching towards me.

I black out.

Oh crap! Is this the end? Will Violet survive? And who was that pale arm belong to? You'll find out soon...

Song for Chapter: Going Under by Evanescence

~LDD