A/N: Hey everyone, welcome back! So we continue with Day 3, hope you guys enjoy it.
Corren Faleaf – District 9
14:00
I kneel down beside the bubbling stream, reaching in and washing my face vigorously with the cool water. It's good to freshen up, and I sit back, taking a quick drink from my now-filled water bottle. I found this stream just ten minutes ago, and although it has quenched my thirst, I'm still starving hungry. I sigh as I think of the Capitol dishes we gorged on in preparation week. I'd do anything for one of those now. Maybe one of the icecream sundaes, or…
Stop tormenting yourself, I think firmly, and stand up, stuffing my bottle into my pack. I can't stay here forever, and I'm pretty vulnerable too, in this large clearing. Glancing around nervously, I lean back against a tree and narrow my eyes.
I need a plan. Plans always make me feel better. Yesterday it seemed wise to look for Vita, but after those two cannons a few hours ago, I'm not sure she's still around. At least I'll be able to see who's dead tonight, but for the rest of the day, I don't want to risk searching for a dead person who's already being flown to the Capitol in a hovercraft.
Shaking my head, I step away from the tree and adjust the straps of my backpack. I'm stalling a bit. I need time to think, but I don't have any. I need to find food, but where? Possibly, I could head back to the Cornucopia, but I don't have a map to guide me there. Sponsorship? Nope, I can tell nobody cares about me, the male tribute from District 9.
"Ughhh!" I growl, running my hands through my hair. Then I regret my outburst. Anyone could be nearby. I have to be more careful.
I look around. Maybe I can just…carry on walking. Maybe I could make a weapon or make a snare? No, I don't know how to. Crap. Well, I suppose the only thing to do is keep on searching.
Henrietta "Hen" Joseph – District 11
14:50
"A cannon already?" I ask Will. I must have missed it while I was napping. Maybe the Careers are busy. The thought of them killing some innocent tribute makes me shiver, knowing it could easily be me.
Will nods solemnly. "Yeah, I was thinking it might be one of those twins – Scarlet or Orion. Or that boy from 9."
I shrug. "Could be anybody, really. I heard the second one though, that was just when I woke up, right? Any idea who that might've been?"
Will shakes her head, fiddling with the zipper of her jacket. "No. I'm just glad it's not either of us."
I stare at the ground, wondering how to phrase my question. I've been wanting to talk about this for some time now, but there's never been the opportunity, or I've just chickened out. "Um…Will? What are we going to do, if, y'know, we have to…um, break alliance?"
Will freezes up. For a moment, I wonder if she's going to answer at all. Her face is completely blank as she replies calmly, "Look. I don't know about you, but I really, really want to get home. I bet everyone here does, even the Careers. So…I'd do whatever it took to see my family again."
I nod, fear twisting my stomach. "Do…do you think we have a chance?" It's so uncomfortable talking about this, now and so soon, but I have to ask. I'm scared.
"I think…" Will pauses. "You want my honest opinion? I don't think either of us are cut out for this. But, well, I think you have a better chance than me."
"What?" I'm surprised to say the least. "Um…thanks, I guess."
For a moment, there's silence, then Will starts to laugh and I join in. It feels so good, just to laugh, to feel happy after days and days of terror and anger and crying. For the first time, I realize how utterly twisted this all is: twenty-four kids fighting to the death in a random arena, killing each other just to see their District again, see their families and friends. But at least I have an ally.
"Hey, are we, like, friends?" Will asks suddenly. I hesitate.
"Well, I don't think I trust anyone here enough to call my friend," I say. "But, if I do win, I'd remember you most prominently."
There's a second of silence. Then Will says, "Thank you. Wow, bonding over a deathmatch, huh? What a friendship."
I laugh again, and I feel so much better. Who knew the Hunger Games could make me feel happy?
Zachary Hillman – District 5
15:15
I know I'm not all here anymore.
I know I'm slipping off.
This whole day has been spent in a dizzying hallucination which blanks out all sounds and smells. I can't feel the bark of the pine tree against my head. I'm out of it. I'm dead.
I wonder how this happened? Maybe someone got some poison on their sword and then sliced me. Who did this anyway? I hope they die. I hope they die too for never letting me see District 5 again.
My vision is blurry and dancing with odd, bright rainbows, like the ones I sometimes see in the oil spills back home. Oil. It kills you if you drink it. Home. I'll never see it again. I try to think of people I'll never see again, just for the sake of my memory. My mother. My younger brother and sister, who will grow up without me. My father. I can't remember their names. But it doesn't matter anyway. I won't ever need to know their names where I'm going.
I think of that girl…my…District partner? Is that what they're called? I can't remember her name either. Again, it doesn't matter. She's probably dead by now.
Suddenly, I feel something happening. Something's changing. My body's…freezing up. I'm paralyzed. How? How did that happen? I try desperately to move my legs or arms, feeling terrified, shaken out of my thoughts, the rainbows dancing everywhere.
Strangely, I can feel my heart beat slowing down. It used to be pounding in my ears, but now it's softer, slower. I wonder why that is.
I close my eyes, and the darkness feels better. Maybe, if I'm lucky, dying won't hurt. Maybe I'll just die peacefully out here.
The last word echoes in my head. Here. With no-one else. Just on my own. Dying. I open my eyes one last time, my eyes scanning the trees and huge webs slowly, then I close them again.
Goodbye, I guess.
Boom.
Jai Zenon – District 3
15:20
I jump a little at the sound of the cannon, but Tierney doesn't react. Another one dead, the third today. They're dropping like flies. I stare down at my sister, watching her face. She's sleeping, has been for the past hour or so.
Standing up, I pull out the backpack from beside our log and open it up. We have the three water bottles: two seem to have water inside, but when I open the first one it's only about a quarter full. The second, which is heavier, is half-full. Great. Already we need more water. I down the contents of the first bottle and stuff it back into the pack.
"Tier…Tier, wake up," I say, as loudly as I dare. Her eyes flutter open, and then she groans, probably because of the pain in her arm. "Tier, I'm going to collect water, so stay here and stay very, very quiet, OK?"
Tier stares at me for a moment, then nods. "Yeah, OK. But don't be long."
I give her the backpack. "Keep this in case you need it," I say. "Remember, better to run that to attack. Don't worry about me, and don't wait for me. Just do whatever it takes to escape and survive."
"If anyone does appear," Tierney says wryly. It's one of her rare moments, her snappy side that she usually shows when she's not quite with it.
"Yeah, if anyone does appear." I turn and head through the trees, being careful to avoid the massive cobwebs stretching around me. I wonder what made these. The answer to that question makes my blood run cold. Spiders make webs, don't they?
Don't think about that, Jai. Think about getting water for you and Tier.
I search for about fifteen minutes, keeping a careful note of how far away our camp is, so that I don't get lost. Another fifteen minutes pass. I hope Tier's OK. If she isn't, hopefully I'll hear her screaming, right? And she knows to run. She's fast.
Finally, after a little over half-an-hour, I find a brackish pool of water…not sufficient. "You're gonna have to give me more than that," I say, staring down at the dark brown pond. Maybe if we had some iodine, it could clear away a little of the mud and dirt, but not enough to drink it.
I decide to head back. Hopefully Tier's not worried about me.
After quite a while (I didn't realize how hard it would be to find my way back), I reach our camp. Tier looks up from her place beside the log, but when I tell her about my bad luck she sighs.
"Perfect. We have no water or food." She covers her face with her hands.
I sit down on the log. I'm feeling pretty hopeless too, but I have to keep going, for myself and for my sister. "Tier, I've been training for this most of my life," I say. "We can get through this. I'm sure of it."
"Yeah, you've been training," Tier says, raising her head. "But what about me?"
Pavati Nox – District 4
17:60
"So, who do you think that cannon belonged to?" I ask Scyllas.
He shrugs. "I don't know. Probably one of the lower District tributes." He seems uncomfortable being near me.
I sigh. "Yeah, hopefully. I still don't think we should have let over six deaths go to the others. We're Careers! Killing is what we do, right?" When I say it like that, I feel a weight in my stomach. Killing. Maybe not as exciting as it seemed on Reaping Day.
"OK, guys," Lysander says loudly, calling us around the campfire which has just gone out. "We need to figure out some kind of plan, right?"
Most of the group nods in agreement, with the exception of Shailene, who doesn't seem to like anything that comes out of Lysander's mouth. Stuck-up bitch. As if she could do any better.
"What I was thinking was that if we were to target that pair from 3, we might get both of them," Lysander continues.
"Wait, isn't the boy trained? Jai?" Hypatia asks. "So wouldn't he be harder to kill?"
"What, one against five?" Shailene butts in. "Yeah, really hard to kill."
"Guys!" Lysander says, holding out his hands. "Let's not make a big fuss over this. As I was saying, if we kill the pair from 3 –"
"No, I've got a better idea," Shailene says, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. "We should split up, hunt down a few tributes, then meet back at a special place. That way we get even more kills in."
Lysander glares at her, but to my surprise, Scyllas raises his hand. "Sounds good," he says.
"I'm going to have to say yes to that one, even if the speaker is stupid," Hypatia says airily. Shailene's eyes widen and her mouth opens, ready to retort furiously, but I quickly put up my hand. "I think it's a good idea, regardless of the speaker." The truth is, it sounds better than Lysander's plan, and if we get to make some kills, all the better really.
"Four against one, Lysander," Shailene smirks. "What do you say?"
Lysander folds his arms. "Fine. I guess it could work. But I'm still the leader here."
"Of course," Shailene says sweetly. There's something I hate about her face, something that screams 'untrustworthy' and 'sneaky bitch'. But I keep quiet. There will be plenty of time to teach her a lesson later.
A/N: And that was the end of Day 3, with one more, kinda inevitable death.
14th – Zachary Hillman, District 5, killed by infection & blood poisoning – Zachary was one of the sweetest, nicest characters in my opinion, and I actually really liked him – he definitely felt like one of the realest to me. However, he had to go sometime after getting that bad cut, and today was the day. It was hard making him suffer though…thanks again to PoppingBalloons for submitting him.
Questions:
1. What do you think of the Careers' new plan? What do you think of Shailene taking control?
2. What do you think of Will and Hen's alliance?
3. Top 5 tributes and bottom 5 tributes?
Alliances Update:
The Elite – Lysander, Hypatia, Shailene, Pavati and Scyllas.
Brother & Sister – Jai and Tierney.
Friends…Maybe – Will and Hen.
Loners – Camelia, Vita, Corren, Scarlet
~Sky~