I don't have time to post review responses, I'll do that next chapter.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Rose
I sigh, aimlessly braiding and unbraiding my hair to pass the time. It's pouring down rain outside, and there are still ten of us left. Yesterday was when the shadow chasers attacked, as well as when Septimus died. That makes today day 7… or is it day 6 of the arena? I don't know. I'm already ready to go home.
Thunder crashes outside, and I think about my cousin. I can't remember exactly how we were related. Mom told me once, but it has slipped my mind. It was a long time ago. Was he my third cousin, and grandpa had a sister as well as a brother? No, grandpa's sister didn't have any kids. She died at a young age. Mom didn't have any siblings. So that means…
Yes, I remember now! He was my dad's sister's son. That makes him my cousin, but from my dad's side. I close my eyes, the memory coming to my mind easily.
"Rose," mom says, pulling out a scrapbook. "There's something I need to show you."
"Okay, mommy," a five-year-old me says, running up to mom. "What is it?"
"You know that new boy in your after-school class?"
"Yeah, but he won't be here for very long. He's really nice, and he's super tall!"
"Yes, he is five years older than you."
"Wow, he's a lot older than me!" I exclaim, my eyes large in awe.
"He's not that much older than you. As I was saying," she continues, opening the book.
"What's that?" I interrupt.
"It was your fathers. He left it here by mistake."
"Oh. Why are you showing it to me?"
"I'm getting to that. Patience, Rosie," mom says in a calm voice. "Anyways, this was a picture that we took at one of your father's family reunions."
Mom opens it, immediately covering a tall man's face with her hand. That would be my father. Mom always does that. Using her other hand, mom points to a small boy who looks about three years old. I can immediately see the resemblance.
"That's the boy!" I squeal happily.
"Yes, it is. His name is Septimus, and he's your cousin."
"Why do I never see him then?"
"Because, since we're not related to your father anymore, we can't go to his family reunions."
"Okay mommy," I say, but I still didn't understand. She shuts the scrapbook, and I run off to play.
A flash of lightning jolts me out of my memory. I shake my head, ducking under the covers of my sleeping bag. I keep a sharp ear for any cannons, although I don't hear any. Bambii sits at the mouth of the cave, looking through the waterfall and trying to see the rain. The waterfall has become louder and more violent, almost trapping us in. If we were trying to get out, the waterfall would sweep us away and into the river, leading us to who-knows-where? Besides, with this much of a current, we'd be swept off to the side of the river and hit all of those sharp rocks. I wouldn't want to go like that.
I decide to leave my hair in its braid this time. I use the small ponytail that Clio provided for me to tie it up, keeping it out of my face. I look around to see what the rest of my allies are doing. Amor is tying knots using the spare piece of rope, making sure to face away from Bambii while doing so. Zinc was the one that trained at the knot-tying station.
Linda, on the other hand, is looking at the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. I look up, too. One clump of them that is right over my head looks like a puppy.
"Hey Linda," I whisper. "This looks like a dog."
"Really?" she asks, coming over to look at it. When she looks up, she nods in approval. "Yeah, it does. What kind of dog do you think it looks like?"
"I think it looks like a Shetland Sheepdog," I say.
"Really? I think it looks more like an Old English."
"Yeah, it looks like that too. From here it doesn't look fluffy enough, though."
I move my head to see more of Linda's perspective of it, seeing that it does look more long-haired. I tell her this, and she laughs. She sits down, pointing out that another one a few inches away from that looks like a rabbit. We continue finding shapes in the stalactites as if they are clouds. It's almost just as easy, too. It's like the Gamemakers set it up like this on purpose. I'm kinda glad they did. It gives us something to do.
I can't tell what time of day it is right now, but it begins getting significantly darker as time passes. Linda and I play the stalactite game until we run out of shapes. Then we move to a different spot. I find out that it looks really different when you're standing in two different places. I find out that the one that looked like a rabbit a while ago now looks more like a horse. One time, I'm positive that I see a clown on a unicycle juggling cheeseburgers while eating a banana and leading a band of rabid sheep through a field of flowers… or it could just be my imagination.
When it finally gets too dark to see, we decide to stop playing. I find my way over to my sleeping bag using the occasional flash of lightning. It's still raining, apparently. This has kept up since yesterday afternoon, so I'm getting kind of concerned. When will it stop raining?
I lay down, before I hear Amor's voice for the first time today.
"We need someone to be on watch," he says. "The Careers have had time to catch up. If they have any way of finding us, then they probably will soon."
In the light of a bolt of lightning, Bambii raises her hand.
"You want to be on watch?"
Bambii nods her head, her eyes not moving from the waterfall. Amor lets her take watch, setting up his sleeping bag next to mine. Linda moves hers to where it's on the other side of mine.
"Bambii, wake someone up when you're ready to go to sleep, okay?" Amor asks.
Bambii nods her head.
"Okay. Good luck."
"Do you think that we should let her?" Linda asks quietly once we're all settled in for the night. "I mean, she's pretty depressed right now. It's been almost a week, too."
"I think that we should let her," Amor responds. "She won't be getting any sleep anyways. And if she does, she'll just wake up screaming."
All of us have learned that lesson before. We've all barely gotten any sleep when Bambii wakes up. No offence to her, but it's kinda hard to keep watch over her 24 hours a day.
I stare up at the stalactites hanging from the ceiling, trying to get some sleep. I listen to the rain hitting the waterfall, adding to the already overwhelming amount of water falling off the cliff. The thunder and the lightning don't let up, and I have a feeling that they won't anytime soon. The rain will probably last for a few more days, knowing the Gamemakers.
But no matter what, I can't seem to get to sleep. Just as I'm about to drift off, I hear a strange sound. It seems as though the waterfall has split into two separate falls that join just above our hideout, making to opening to the cave visible to anyone walking past. Suddenly feeling more insecure, I turn over onto my side and shut my eyes. This time, after a few minutes of silence, I drift off into a peaceful sleep…
I jolt up at the sound of Bambii's scream. I grab my bow, which was resting a few inches away from my head, latching an arrow onto it and pointing it at the figure standing in the entrance. Linda gets ready to throw her axe, while Amor sits up and readies his spear.
"Don't shoot…" a raspy voice says, before coughing. "P…please…"
I narrow my eyes to get a better look at the person. Her long black hair, which is tied into a ponytail, is dripping with water. Her clothes are soaked, and the bags under her eyes are very noticeable thanks to her pale skin. She looks as if she could collapse at any moment. From hunger, fatigue, or some sort of mix is what I can't tell. I almost gasp when I realize that the only person that I know with black hair that is in this arena is…
Amor apparently has the same thought, because he is the next one to regain his voice. When he speaks, his tone is cold and uninviting.
"Felicia."
Still can't think of an ending sign,
Dawn101907
