Saul Rigel, D12
As soon as the war of the hawk mutts is over and we turn around, we come face to face with our old friend, the girl from 8.
"Impressive," she says, her arms crossed over her chest. She carries no weapon, only a canvas sack of supplies over her shoulder. I rest my sword. Clementine and Freedom follow my lead.
"What do you want?" I ask, gasping for breath. I've been busting my ass for these girls' lives and they don't seem the least bit grateful. It is grating on my nerves.
"Protection," she sighs. "And you want supplies, I presume?"
"There should be plenty back at the feast table in the Cornucopia," says Freedom.
The girl from 8 grins slightly, patting her bag that is slung over her shoulder. "Not anymore."
I don't turn away from this sneaky tribute because she could get away. "Clem," I say, "go see if she is telling the truth."
Clem obeys silently and slinks off to the Cornucopia. The 8 girl seems unworried. Clem returns immediately, rushing back to Freedom's side. "It's all gone, Saul," she reports.
"Then it seems that you're coming with us," I sigh. Taking on another ally isn't a good idea this late in the Quell, but she has what we need. Plus, now it is four against two in our war against the retreating Careers now.
"I'm Rosemary," she says, and we shake hands.
"Saul," I say.
"I know," she replies to my surprise. "Your alliance has been the hit of the Quell. And you're Freedom, and you're Clementine." She greets my other two allies amiably.
"Welcome to the love nest," grumbles Freedom from behind, who has been hanging back lately.
"Hey, Freedom, pick on someone your own size," I call from over my shoulder as I walk to the Cornucopia to fish out some more building material. Our makeshift shelter isn't stable enough, and I am tired of sleeping on metal flooring. If my memory from training serves me right, all I need to build hammocks is lots and lots of rope. I'm hoping that some is left in the Cornucopia from the start of the Quell. Rosemary has some back at camp, but I'll need more for four hammocks.
And that's when I hit the jackpot.
There, inside the golden horn, lie miles and miles of rope. It's a miracle! I don't know how this happened and I don't care. It's a blessing and that's all that matters.
I gather up as much of the stuff as I can in my arms and drag it back to camp. The girls are all hanging around, doing absolutely nothing like we aren't in a deathtrap arena. I dump all the rope at their feet and point to it.
"Hammocks," I say simply before turning to go get more rope. Freedom's whiny protests turn me around again.
"Ugh! Why? And what are you doing, walking away? Saul!" she complains.
"Getting more," I say like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Now weave." I look over at our newest addition and motion for her to join me. She nods gratefully because I saved her from hours on end of continual weaving.
Freedom, however, is not blind to anything. She notices right away that her friend is leaving and opens her mouth to protest. I smirk at her and look at her expectantly. Luckily for her, she shuts her mouth and starts weaving hammocks. I have a strange feeling that she's going to put tons of holes and gaps in mine. Clem nervously watches us walk away, but when I wink at her, her whole face brightens up.
Rosemary helps me carry loads of rope back and forth from the Cornucopia to camp. I'm glad for her help because I could have never carried all this rope alone. During this time, I fire question after question at her. Seemingly innocent questions, but what she doesn't know and I do is that underneath the surface of each question, I am finding out more and more of her loyalty and if she will become a threat to my alliance.
"Do you have any family back in 8?"
"Yes, I have an aunt and a baby brother."
So she has ties and isn't totally alone in this world. I notice the parent gap. I wonder how they were lost but don't tarry on that thought.
"Who was your district partner?"
She takes a while to answer that one. When she finally does, it is vague and leaves me guessing. "Just this kid. I didn't really even know him that well."
I think she grew too close to this kid, and when he died, she fell apart. I can feel it coming in my own future if I am to survive and Clem is to die. The mere thought of it is painful to think of, let alone have it really happen. I quickly move on.
"Did you enjoy the Capitol?"
Rosemary hesitates. "It was beautiful, but nothing compares to home, of course."
She avoided my question, but that could be based mainly on the fact that we are sitting in the center of the Capitol's shooting range. They could kill us at any moment and she doesn't want to die from having a fat mouth. I understand that and admire that level of intelligence and awareness.
"What was your training score?"
"10," she grins.
Holy cow. Didn't see that one coming.
"How?" I can't help myself from asking.
She shrugs. "I just fooled around with fire and a dummy. They were much too kind."
Complimenting the Gamemakers. Nice strategy. Yes, this girl is definitely fit for the Hunger Games. Smart, sneaky, and evasive of tough questions. If Freedom, Clem, or I don't win, I hope she does. Rosemary can survive the world of being a victor. I know it.
Once we are finished conveying all the rope back and forth, Rosemary and I sit down to weave ourselves. Freedom and Clem have gotten into a grove and have already finished two out of four hammocks. When we return, they sit back and relax and watch us weave.
My hammock is done within minutes and Rosemary isn't far behind. We tie up our new hammocks in the crushed doorways of the maze. This way, the hammock stays up and no one can barge through the doorways, flipping us and our hammocks over.
Our new camp is well set up. We placed it in a dead end of the maze. The hammocks are spread out in a circle surrounding the center of the floor. Two paths lead out. One goes to the Cornucopia, the other travels into oblivion. A pile of wood is stacked in the middle of the floor for fires. Various supplies are stashed under the hammocks and spread out around the fire. For once in this Quell, I want to stay in one place and not have to keep moving. Luckily with only two Careers left, that shouldn't be a problem.
The first night with our new shelter is peaceful and serene, and it is incredible not to have to sleep on the ground. Freedom takes the first watch and the rest of us fall asleep immediately. Freedom wakes me for my watch, and I am reluctant to have to stay awake for two more hours before Clem's turn.
Nothing happens. The Capitol crowd must be getting bored. There haven't been any recent deaths. Well, that may change soon.
I squash the fire Freedom started because the smoke could alert the Careers. I lay in hiding for my allotted two hours before waking Clem. She groggily gets up and starts her watch as I lay back down on my hammock. Weariness overwhelms me and I sleep for a few more hours until a blinding light appears on the horizon for the first time.
AN: This chapter was mainly a filler, and I apologize for that. I hope you liked it anyway.