AN. I'M BACK! I am so sorry for the delay! I know I said I'd update on the Tenth but I have been so, so busy since that I didn't have time! And sorry for the shortness of this chapter. But don't worry, the next one will be much longer!
Blackbird singing in the dead of night,
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life,
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
Alice POV
Changed
I lie against a tree, watching the sunrise, my legs pulled up to my chest. I look at Aurora and Hex, watching them sleep. They are so peaceful when they are doing that. Aurora looks like a little child when she's sleeping, and Hex always looks alert. They can defend themselves both very nicely.
It's funny. The Capital thinks that I'm some sort of rabid monster and Aurora is a martyr or something. She can kill cold blood, and I would only ever use my weapons in self defense. I don't know who to trust anymore. Aurora seems like some sweet little daisy picking girl, but a few nights ago she killed that boy, and didn't even seem to regret it. Her face never changes from this sweet smile. I don't know if she'll stab me in the back. I can't tell!
As for Hex, I just know his head is all about his family. Anailia I think his sister is named. He only talks about her. I know where his priorities stand, and Aurora and I aren't one of them. Or at least I don't think.
Something that bothers me is they always talk about missing their families. They always say such nice things about them. Their faces light up so much just at the mention of their precious people back home. How do they love them so much? How do they care about them like that? How are they so happy? I'm never this happy. I've never been as happy as Aurora seems just naturally in my whole life. Are their families different from mine? I know not all families are like mine, but they talk about their family as if they trust them with their lives. How can they trust them? What are other families like?
I know that Hex just has Anailia, but Aurora has this huge family. What are they like? I just have my parents. My parents aren't good people. What is Anailia like? He's lucky not to have parents. Their horrible, selfish, cruel people who have caused me so, so much pain...
I need to stop thinking about them. This is probably the biggest break I'm going to get. I have time away from them. I don't need to see them, or think about them.
I wish I could trust Aurora and Hex. They are so kind. They are always just so nice to me. They treat me like a friend. I have never met anyone nicer. But how can I trust them? How can I trust anyone? I haven't trusted people in such a long time, and I don't think I'm going to start now.
I keep watching them. I wonder how I look when I sleep?
Aurora begins to stir, a small bit of drool escaping her mouth, sliding from her chin to her hand. I wonder how she'll react to that. I imagine that she won't even have much of a reaction.
Hex sniffles every few minutes, and sometimes snores. It's quite funny to watch, actually.
The sun is in the sky now, and everything is bright. Everything is boiling hot. It feels...hotter for some reason. Hotter than it did yesterday. I hate sand. I hate the heat. I hate everything about this stupid Arena! I have sand everywhere, I haven't bathed in days, and I always have beads of sweat dripping down my face. I am so used to a hotter climate. This is truly awful.
Aurora's eyes sloppily open, and she sits up, with a yawn. She wipes the drool off her mouth, with a small sigh. A few seconds later, a smile appears on her face. She rubs the sleep (and sand) out of her eyes and begins to stretch her arms.
"Any canons?" She asks. I shake my head. She nods. "Well, that is both good and bad. I wonder who will be next?" That makes my stomach turn. Is she plotting something? Am I next? Maybe Hex? She killed Jonas...I can still remember the screams. I can still remember the blood on Aurora's hands...I can still remember that I helped. I hate myself. I make my own stomach hurt. This Arena really has changed me.
Hex wakes up a moment later. "Hello, ladies," He says, with a smile. "Ready to go looking for food?" Aurora and I nod. I pick up my bow and arrow, and we head out. I feel hungry, but after that night, I don't think I can eat anymore.
Ivan POV
The Perfect Mismatches
I shoot a large lizard with my bow. I recognize it from a book. It isn't poisonous, I think. I think it will be good to eat. Lizer makes a gagging noise behind me.
"You're going to eat a lizard?" She asks, alarmed. I nod my head. Lizer scrunches up her face in disapproval.
"Hey!" I say. "It's either this, or the sand. Or maybe a cactus." Lizer makes another gagging noise.
"Okay...fine. But I won't enjoy this."
"I know, cannibalism is usually frowned upon, but it's a survival technique, Lizer."
Lizer lets out a chuckle, which brings a smile to my face. I'm glad that worked. I don't even want to start a fire. I'm sure that this lizard will cook on it's own, but we need to make sure. So I begin rubbing two sticks together. Lizer frowns.
"Why are you doing that?"
"Because, if we want to eat it, we need to make sure it's cooked."
"Aren't you supposed to gut it or something?"
I put down the sticks. Right...
I begin to do so. Lizer makes a sound of distaste and turns away, staring out at the rest of the desert. There is so much room here. I'm sure if Lizer wanted to, she would explore everything. She loves exploring, but she knows that I don't want her to do that. We could get in serious trouble. We could die. She would probably put herself in that sort of danger, but I'm not comfortable with that, which is why Lizer and I are so different. I'm not even sure how we mesh together so well. We're just...so different.
Once the lizard is gutted, I begin to try to start a fire again. It luckily works, and I begin to cook it.
"Heads or tails?"
"Hmm?"
"Which side do you want?"
"Oh! Tails, definitely," Lizer says. I nod, and once the lizard is fully cooked, and hand an end to her. Lizer grunts, taking a bite into it. I smile, and I take a bite of my own. She makes a face, not liking it. But like it or not, Lizer knows that it's the only food we have. We ran out of food this morning. Now, we either need to steal from the Careers, meaning one of us loses our head, or we hunt. We've decided that hunting is the better option, even if neither of us really like the options.
We both sit down. I watch her eat for a second. At first she is very hesitant, but once she gets used to it, she digs into it. I knew she was hungry. She is very hungry, actually. It makes me realize just how hungry I am. I begin to eat my own. It isn't a pleasant flavor, I have to agree with her on that, but it's meat, and it is here. It's very, very good, and I'm glad I can eat it.
Lizer smirks at me.
"Okay, thanks for hunting. I guess I could live off this for a few weeks..."
"Good," I say. "Cause it really is our only option."
"It's alright with me."
"Me, too."
We continue eating, and Lizer begins to giggle.
"What?" I ask.
"It's just...we agree on something," She says.
"We agree on a lot."
"Yeah, but we also disagree with just as much!" She says. "We are nothing alike, but look at us! I mean, would you be friends with me in the District?" Truthfully, no, I wouldn't. I'd probably be afraid of her, if anything. I don't answer. She nods, and giggles again. I mean, I never saw her that much in the District, but still. "Exactly!"
"What? I didn't say anything."
"No, I know you didn't," She says. "It's just...weird. We're so mismatched."
"But it seems to work out pretty well."
"Yep. It works out perfectly. I'm glad we're here. Anyway, come on, lets go do some more hunting. Oh! I know! Lets go mess with the Careers! That would be fun."
She's right. We are different. Extremely different.
AN. And we are done for this chapter. Sorry for the shortness, and if you're wondering how the song is relivent, I can answer, because it is actually extremely relivent to this chapter.
Anyway, questions:
Favorite POV?:
Favorite Quote?:
Coffee.
