Next chapter! I'm starting to run out of ideas, but I'm sure I'll come up with something after these next few chapters. I already have most of the deaths figured out, and who kills who, so all I have to do is write it, and luckily it's now the weekend, so I have lots of time! Please review and let me know what you think!
Jaze's POV
Sweat runs down my face, a mixture of fear and excitement. We did it! We got away! Now all we have to do is stay hidden, an impossible task in itself. Emory will be searching for us for sure, and there's no telling who else. I glance over to Everbloom, and my stomach does a flip. Even with her shoulder wound, her hair in a complete mess, tears streaming down her face, she's impossibly beautiful. Her curly blond hair falls around her shoulders, and her ice blue eyes catch the light just right, making them shine like tiny jewels. Or maybe it's just me, a very likely possibility. Nothing she can do will ever make her less beautiful, but then again, I'm biased.
"So what do we do now?" Shayla asks, turning her face to me as we run. I frown, my thoughts a jumble of emotions.
"I don't know," I reply. "We have to find a place to stay. I don't think Everbloom can run much longer." We both look to Everbloom, who's struggling through the undergrowth of the forest, her feet catching on every root, rock, and stump. She's crying so hard I doubt she can see where she's going, and clutching at her shoulder. She hasn't complained once, but I think that's mostly due to the shock of our recent experience. Shayla nods her consent, and moves closer to me as we run, already putting her full trust in me. I would be slightly flattered if it wasn't for the insane fear clouding up my mind, that and my attraction to Everbloom.
"There has to be somewhere we can rest around here," Shayla says, her eyebrows wrinkling in thought. We run for another good ten minutes before we find a suitable place. It's a cliff, going straight up, so high you can't even tell where it ends. Up a few feet, easily climbable, there's a decent sized cave dug into the rock. It's the perfect place to rest and stay hidden in for a while, at least until we are strong enough to leave. Shayla lifts herself up onto the ledge, and let's down her hand for Everbloom to take, but she doesn't even realize what's going on. Shyly, I grab her around the waist and lift her up to Shayla, who grabs her arms and pulls her to safety. I climb up after Everbloom, glancing at the trees, praying that no one's been watching us through their cover. Once inside the cave, the air cools down, and Everbloom goes and sits in a corner, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She's taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself. I want so badly to go and over and comfort her, but I don't know how, or if she would even want me to. Instead, I take a seat by the opening of the cave, my back against the wall, and look out over the trees. Shayla takes a seat next to me, and rests her chin on her knees. It's silent for a moment, and I glance over at her, but she keeps on staring ahead, out into the forest.
"Why did you save us?" she asks finally, looking up at me with her caramel brown eyes, her voice soft. I look down and away from her, unable to meet her gaze. What would she think if I told her I saved them just to make sure Everbloom wouldn't die? I don't know if I can tell her the truth, not with Everbloom sitting behind us, most likely listening in on our conversation. When I finally look back up at her, I try to tell her through my eyes that I can't tell, that there's just no way I could let out my secret, and she seems to understand, maybe even a little too well. She turns away to look out at the trees again, not pushing the issue any further, but Everbloom is more persistent. She comes to sit next to me, her tears dried on her face. I feel my heart stop for a second at her closeness, but then force myself to relax. She's just like any other girl, I tell myself. And she doesn't even like you back, so get over it!
"I want to know," she says, turning to face me, a serious look on her face. "Tell me, why did you save us? Why did you go against the careers, your alliance?" I bite my lip, trying to find some excuse. I'm taking too long, because she's starting to frown. She's just about to get up and leave when I finally blurt out an answer.
"Because it was the right thing to do!" I say quickly, not wanting her to move away from me. She studies me for a moment before scooting closer to Shayla, who wraps her in a hug. I know it must have been hard for them to lose their friend today. They seemed pretty close. Giving them some space, I get up and head over towards the back of the cave, feeling like I'm intruding on something. I hear Everbloom start to cry again, my heart breaking at the sounds of her sobs. Shortly after Shayla joins in, though not nearly as loud as Everbloom.
"It's all right, Bloomie," I hear her mutter. "She's in a better place now. She's safe." And in that moment I realize something, something important. Shayla would give her life to protect Everbloom, and she was prepared to do it, too, before Aisling took matters into her own hands. I know, because I would do the same thing. If it came down to it, I would give my life for either of them, even Shayla, because I know if she died, Everbloom might not be able to handle it.
"J-jaze?" I hear Everbloom call after a while. I look up at her, her face once again wet with tears, but better now.
"Yeah?" I say, my voice coming out shakier than I wanted it to, but she doesn't seem to notice.
"Do you think we'll be safe here?" she asks. "I mean, no one will find us, right?" Shayla meets my gaze and sends me a signal with her eyes, telling me not to worry her.
"No one is going to find us," I say. "We're going to be just fine. I'll keep you safe." Everbloom just nods, too exhausted to really think hard about my words, but Shayla meets my eyes, a small smirk on her face, causing me to blush. Thank god it's starting to get dark, because I don't think I could ever live it down if Shayla saw me blush.
"I think you should sleep, Bloomie," Shayla says. "You deserve some rest. Jaze and I will keep watch." Everbloom doesn't argue. She moves to the back of the cave and lies down, using one of the backpacks as a pillow, too tired to bother to use a sleeping bag. I move to where Shayla sits, and it's silent for a long time. It's not until Everbloom's breaths become even and soft that Shayla speaks, and her voice come out as a whisper.
"You like her," she says. It's not a question, but a statement, a fact, and I have to close my eyes in defeat. I wasn't being that obvious was I? "She likes you, too." My eyes snap open and I turn to her.
"What?" I ask, sure I've heard her wrong, but she just grins.
"I said she likes you, too," she says. "Well, technically she said she's not sure, but believe me, she does." I don't know what to say to that, so I just keep quiet for a while, and it's silent again for the longest time.
"How did you know?" I say finally. "I mean, how did you know I like her?"
"I'm a girl, Jaze," she says. "We know these things." She laughs quietly. "But seriously, you make it kind of obvious, well, at least to everyone but Everbloom."
"But, what gives it away?" I ask, starting to get frustrated.
"Well, for one, you've saved her life more than once," she says. "Which I've never thanked you for, so, thanks. Also, it's just the way you act around her. You can barely even talk to her, and I saw you staring at her when we were running away." I blush fiercely, glad for the dark.
"What does it matter if I like her? It's not like anything's going to happen between us, anyway. This is the hunger games. There's no time for love," I say.
"What does that have to do with anything? Just because we're in the games doesn't mean you can't spend your last days happy. Everbloom deserves to be happy, Jaze, and so do you. You have to live the life you have left," she says. I open my mouth to protest, and then realize that she's right.
"She'll pretend that she doesn't like me," I say. "You know that. She knows that it's no use getting attached to someone in the games."
"Maybe," she says. "But maybe if you get to know her better, then she'll open up to you." There's the sound of a bird chirping in the distance, and Everbloom rolls over where she lays. "Just don't break her heart, Jaze. She's already lost so much." We've all lost a lot, I think. But at least I'm not alone. At least I know she likes me back.
Auden's POV
I watch Graeden as he tries to fish, gathering the berries at the edge of the tree line. He has a look of deep concentration on his face, a poorly made net in one hand. I sigh to myself and look back at the berry bush in front of me. They're blackberries, and there's a ton of them, just waiting to be picked. There's a shout from Graeden as he lunges for a fish and misses, again. Sayre is sitting at the edge of the water, giving him advice, though she hardly knows how to fish herself. My jacket is almost filled with berries, so there will be enough for all three of us, and there's still more left on the branches. I can't think of a better place to stay during the games. There's fresh water, berries, and fish, though we can pretty much count fish out, considering none of us can fish.
"Why don't you let me try?" I hear Sayre suggest, and as I head back to them, my jacket overflowing with fruit, Graeden topples into the water, getting soaked. Sayre stands up to help him, but I can't help but laugh.
"You should really try to be more careful, Graeden," I call to him, and he glares at me from where he sits, waist deep in water.
"No funny, Auden," he says as Sayre helps him up.
"What happened anyway?" I ask. "How come you fell into the water?"
"That stupid fish got caught in my net!" he says, glaring into the depths of the river. "It was a big one, too, pulled me right into the water." I set down the berries with a grin, and grab the net from him.
"Let me try," I say, and he just sits down with a sigh while Sayre offers him her jacket to help him dry off. He's still grumbling to himself, something about a demon fish. The water is clear, so clear that you can see the pebble on the bottom, and fish swimming by every so often. This doesn't seem too hard, I think to myself. All you have to do is wait until a fish comes by, and then grab it with your net. But it's a lot harder than it looks. The fish keep swimming out of the holes in the net, which are way too big for fish this size. After another few minutes I accept defeat, and drop the net on the ground, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"It's okay," Sayre says. "We can just eat the berries you've picked, Auden." I nod and sit down next to her, my eyes resting on the wound in her arm, the wound Kesar inflicted on her. I'm still confused as to why he would want to protect me. I mean, what did I ever do to deserve his protection? And Sayre did not deserve to be hurt like that. She was just as scared as I was, and never intended to hurt me. I feel safe with Sayre here, like we finally have someone to protect us, though I know if it came down to it, she wouldn't be able to protect us, much less herself. It's not that she's not strong, because she is., but she's just one person, and there are a lot of people in the games that are a lot stronger than her, a lot stronger than us. All we can do is hope that nobody finds us, at least not for a while. I look at Graeden, who's shivering despite how warm the weather is, and my stomach twists in fear for all of us. I can't even imagine Graeden dying, leaving this world forever. I can't imagine him not being there. I don't know what I would do if he were to die, but I know I wouldn't last long without him. Without him and Sayre, I'm all alone in these games, something I'm not sure I could handle. Sayre takes a sip of water from the river, and catches me looking at her.
"What is it, Auden?" she asks, studying me closely. I shake my head and turn my gaze to the river, watching all the fish swim by, mocking us. I would give anything to have fresh meat. Anything would be better than eating just berries all day. My stomach growls, but I refuse to eat. It's better to save the food we have, because if it runs out, we're screwed. I feel a hand on my shoulder and jump, startled, but it's just Sayre.
"I'm fine," I say quickly, but she doesn't remover her hand, and gradually I begin to calm down. My eyes suddenly feel heavy, and I realize I haven't slept in days, even when Sayre was keeping watch. I've been too afraid to go to sleep, because I'm afraid that when I wake up, there won't be anyone but me, and that I'll be all alone. I hold back the yawn that tries to push its way up my throat, and close my eyes, leaning against Sayre's shoulder. Gently, she picks my head up and rests it in her lap, which I have to admit is a lot comfier than leaning agaist her shoulder, and it probably is better for her, too. I don't sleep, though, just rest, listening to the steady beat of Sayre's heart. She brushes the hair out of my face, and it reminds me of my mother, and how she used to do the same thing when I was little. My mother's engagement ring is in my pocket, my token for the games. My father died before I was born, crushed by a tree, which resulted in my mother going into premature labor, and causing me to be smaller than usual. What an awful way to die, I think. Being crushed by a tree must be so painful, so agonizing. But a lot of things in this world are, and there are much worse ways to die, like being cut open by the careers, or dying from an infection caused by a swollen wound. I open my eyes again to stare at Sayre's wound, and I'm suddenly so much more afraid of how bad it could be. What if she dies from it getting infected? What will Graeden and I do then? Sayre brushes my hair back again, and my eyes automatically close. For a while, I'm back in my home in district seven, the wind whistling through the trees as my mother calms me with her gently stroking of my hair. For a while, I'm happy again, safe again, without a single worry to infect my mind. I don't remember drifting off into sleep, but when I do, I only feel relief.
There it is! It was a more laid back chapter. No killing this time, but there will be killing in the next chapter, so don't worry! Remember to review!