DAY THREE
Lainey Rain (D4)
I rub my eyes, I'm so tired it's just ridiculous, but I can't fall asleep, I really don't know if Twira was being serious when she said she'd decapitate us, but I'm not waiting to find out. It's second watch so I have had some sleep but not nearly enough, anyway, who would come into our career camp? I sigh and look again at the arena around me. In front of me is some levelled shrubbery getting taller and taller until finally it reaches out into a forest. The forest seems to grip around to the right too, where everything seems a bit wetter. But nothing is near wet in the left of me, a fiery desert with burning sands in the day and an icy grip in the night. No-one would go through there in their right mind if it wasn't for the crevasse splitting us off from the almost heavenly hill with a plateau top, full of life and promises for a good stay. I look at the silver loop of water, thin like thread, that is circling the Cornucopia. It keeps on moving around in circles yet it has nowhere to flow to, Gamemaker tricks so that we can't tell if there is a downhill or not no doubt, though I can't see what careers would want with that information, unless...
They're going to drain the water! I yelp and glance around hurriedly, it's not happening yet but it will happen and we have to move on to a more steady supply. But where? Where is downhill? I look around and see the slightly wetter place, a forest still but not a swamp. I smile cheekily, that's where it is, that's where I will find water! I have to go and warn the others – then we'll be able to leave. But a thought hits me, Twira won't trust me, she won't believe it and she definitely won't leave. Well she can die of thirst; I'm going to leave myself! I rush into my tent and creep past Shale. I slowly start packing up some things. I need bandages, an extra flask of water, make that two, four knives, a small dagger and I better pack a sword. Then I need a sleeping bag, a blanket, two packs of crackers, a loaf of bread, some dried fruit, a first aid kit, shove the bandages in there, oh and I should have some dried meat as well.
Looking at all the supplies I've packed it looks like it's going to be a hard time travelling, especially with the portable water purifying system and the pot I packed. I sigh, I really need all this stuff, but I can't carry it on my own. I close my eyes impatiently and then hear a rustling come from Shale. I freeze and then hide the backpack behind my back. He opens his dreary eyes and then sees me, he jumps back.
"What are you doing?" He hisses and then sees the pack and provisions hastily stuffed in it. He leaps up and I flinch, now for my death.
"I'm going too." He says and I eye him.
"What?" I say, "No, no, stay here."
Shale grabs another pack and transfers some of my things into it and then stuffs in some more food and water. "I'm going too." He repeats firmly and I sigh, it's not such a bad thing to have an ally and Shale seems to hate this as much as I do.
"Fine," I say, "Let's go."
We dash out of the camp and run into the cover of the trees, making our way to a place we will find steady water and a safe place where we don't have to kill and slaughter and pretend we enjoy it, where we can be ourselves.
Thistle Clay (D11)
I squint at the early morning light through the tree I am perched on. It really hurts my eyes, I groan and am feeling perfectly normal, well as normal as you can be in the middle of the hunger games, when I remember the bloodbath and my arrow flying through the air and ripping a hole in that poor boy's chest. Then I see myself gaping and shocked as I run and prise a loaf of bread out of his dead hands. I shiver, I'm even scaring myself. I slip slowly down from the tree and crouch down beside the small puddle of water I have found. It's all rain water so is perfectly fine to drink; I know this because I've tested it. I grimace and scoop up some water with my hands and then pour it into my mouth, now to see if I've caught any breakfast. I've made a few basic traps with the items I could find, small pits covered with leaves, that sort of thing. They're mainly improvised though really to tell the truth. I smile awkwardly as I find all I've managed to catch is a large snail and go off to gather some berries. Then I remember something I heard once, I heard that an ancient civilisation used to eat snails. I look at the snail, so huge it's about the size of my fist screwed up. I wince, it probably isn't a good idea to eat it, but then again, when have I ever had a good idea?
I start a tiny fire, so small the smoke couldn't be seen even a few metres away and pick up the snail from its shell. I try not to squirm as I poke a sharp stick through the living snail so it's suspended and slowly turn it over the fire. I don't know if snails scream and I don't want to so I hook the stick onto two others to keep it balanced up in the air and go off to gather berries, using the small piece of cloth that was attached separately to our outfit to collect them in. I only get things I know are safe to eat, dandelions, blackberries, roots, that kind of thing. I specially avoid a potato I see when I remember someone telling me that potatoes are actually poisonous when not cooked properly and I don't want to risk that eventuality.
I bring back my provisions to the base of my tree and add them to the pile; it's just going to have to work. I shuffle awkwardly on my feet and glance at my food and then lap up some more water, this time acting like a dog, not even bothering to scoop it up in my hands. The cool, refreshing liquid soothes my throat and I look around me, the sun has risen and now it's the morning, soon other tributes will be up and about, scavenging and getting ready for a day, trying to prevent their deaths. I just really hope I don't encounter anyone or I'll surely be wounded, but you never know, with my bow and arrows it might be the other person who gets wounded, it might just be the other person that dies and I might become a murderer once again, I might kill for a second time.
Quazza Willowwhisper (D3)
I leap down from the tree I slept in overnight and rub the sleep out of my eyes, argh I feel cranky. I could kill any tribute that came my way, well, if I had a weapon. All I have is the spare water container, Cole has the water container. Cole, when I found out he didn't die I was overjoyed but still, maybe it would have been best. Now it means I might have to kill him. I struggle with the thought and stretch, and then I see a squirrel dart across the ground. I could have caught that! But then I see another follow that exact route and I dive at it, catching it. I snap its neck and hold it up, breakfast. I set off to gather some firewood and then decide against it, I've already had one close encounter. I examine the squirrel for a second and then bend down on the floor looking for something to cut it with, there, a sharp looking flint. It feels like I'm going back to the stone age but I don't complain, I would but there's no-one to complain to. I sigh and get the flint and use it to rip open the dead squirrel.
I try to ignore the guts squirming around inside it and the muscle reflexes inside it as the squirrel twitches. The gut as warm and sticky to my hand but I can't think about that now, I have to sort through what is edible and what isn't. I shuffle through the squirrel awkwardly and pile it into two heaps, one of which I will eat and the other I will throw away so not to attract wild animals. Everything now is really the hunger games, I haven't eaten for a da
I try to ignore the guts squirming around inside it and the muscle reflexes inside it as the squirrel twitches. The gut as warm and sticky to my hand but I can't think about that now, I have to sort through what is edible and what isn't. I shuffle through the squirrel awkwardly and pile it into two heaps, one of which I will eat and the other I will throw away so not to attract wild animals. Everything now is really the hunger games, I haven't eaten for a day or so and I'm hungry. I pause and then stuff the raw squirrel in my mouth. My taste buds recoil in disgust but I chew until I've eaten half of it, I'll keep the other half for later. I stand up and examine the berries in the bushes and squash one underfoot, poisonous, I should have known as much. I sigh and wrap the squirrel up in the spare piece of cloth we were given and tie it to my belt so that it won't prove a distraction. I look at the bushes again and then they start to rustle and Cole steps out of it. I jump.
"Don't do that!" I yelp at him, then check what his status is, "are you ok Cole?"
"I'm fine, you?"
I nod, "You saw Braxlin's face?" I ask and he nods, "I guess it was to be suspected, not all of us could get away from the careers."
"I agree, though that doesn't stop me wishing he was still alive." Mutters Cole.
"So do I Cole, so do I."
"So what now?"
"I have no idea whatsoever, you should think of something."
"We should find food, water and a shelter."
"We have that." I say and point to my spare water container, the half of the squirrel and his tarpaulin.
"Maybe we should look for something more permanent."
"Maybe."
"Maybe."
I just realized that we haven't seen Thistle since the bloodbath so I thought I'd stick her in here. So now Cole and Quazza are back together, Shale and Lainey have run off and we know Thistle's fine.
District One – Luxury Goods
BOY Tournaline "Tour" Solier X (Destiny Bond)
GIRL Destiny Bond (Twira Hearthright, Roderick "Rod" Giffords)
District Two – Weapons, Peacekeepers +Architecture
BOY Shale Overheart (Lainey Rain)
GIRL Twira Hearthright (Destiny Bond, Roderick "Rod" Giffords)
District Three - Electronics
BOY Cole Dallan (Quazza Willowwhisper)
GIRL Quazza Willowwhisper (Cole Dallan)
District Four - Fishing
BOY Roderick "Rod" Giffords (Destiny Bond, Twira Hearthright)
GIRL Lainey Rain (Shale Overheart)
District Five - Science
BOY Arcturus "Arc" Starre (Fenora Kensington, Axel Leaf, Lindsey Grey)
GIRL Fenora Kensington (Arcturus "Arc" Starre, Axel Leaf, Lindsey Grey)
District Six - Medicine
BOY Brink Freeman X (Thistle Clay)
GIRL Reena Woodson X (Lusa Canvis)
District Seven - Lumber
BOY Axel Leaf (Lindsey Gray, Fenora Kensington, Arcturs "Arc" Starre)
GIRL Lindsey Gray (Axel Leaf, Febora Kensington, Arcturus "Arc Starre)
District Eight - Textiles
BOY Robert Tars X (Tournaline "Tour" Solier)
GIRL Tessinal "Tess" Carter X (Roderick "Rod" Giffords)
District Nine – Food Processing
BOY Dallas StarconnX (Twira Hearthright)
GIRL Lusa Canvis X (Mutts)
District Ten - Livestock
BOY Mitchel Rye (Willow Grams, Nate Morgue)
GIRL Willow Grams (Mitchel Rye, Nate Morgue)
District Eleven - Agriculture
BOY Nate Morgue (Willow Grams, Mitchel Rye)
GIRL Thistle Clay
District Twelve – Coal Mining
BOY Braxlin Coal X (Lainey Rain)
GIRL Match Lyte X (Twira Hearthright)
I've updated the list! PLEASE review and say what you think about all this!