Heat Chapter 27
Day Two, in which more people die.
Warning: This chapter contains descriptions of violence and death, because you know, Hunger Games. Proceed at your own risk.
A/N: Well, we've got through one day, further than I ever thought we would sometimes! I'm sure further than some of our Tributes thought they would go! And now, we continue the story… Who will win? Who will lose? It just now occurs to me that I forgot about the faces in the sky last chapter, so please pretend that happened, and I will do that in this one. Also, this will be a fairly short Games, as no one can die from the environment, so any survival story is not particularly interesting. Just a forewarning…
The sun is rising on day Two of the Arena. Some Tributes are stirring, some have already awoken…
Brooke Nash –15- -D4- POV
I wake up to a loud noise. Instinctively, I reach for my trident, but it's been kicked away from the side of the sleeping bag. As my awareness comes back, I realize that Kai isn't next to me. He's behind me, and… who is that in front of me? I roll back towards Kai and grab the pack of throwing knives that lays at his feet, as he steps over me. I crouch and walk to his side. He runs forward and-
2 minutes ago…
Kai Presley –18- -D4- POV
I hear a rustling noise from the trees around us. I woke up a few minutes ago, and have been enjoying the feeling of a still-sleeping Brooke next to me. I carefully extract myself from the sleeping bag and grab my sword, kneeling over Brooke. I don't know if the noise is anything, so I don't want to wake her up. Suddenly, another Tribute, the boy from six, I think, breaks through the treeline surrounding our little clearing. He has a large sword, and looks like he wants to kill me. I stand up.
"Brooke!" I shout. I see her stir, and she reaches for her trident… which I moved away when I got up. I step in front of her to protect her as she rolls behind me. I run forward at the boy, and our swords lock.
Edmund Caden –15- -D4- POV
I couldn't sleep that well in the cold, with the pain from the leg wound Lindsay gave me. So I got up early and started walking. I was walking when I ran into these two. I think they're the pair from four, but it doesn't matter. They'll be dead soon. The boy runs at me, and our swords lock. Then I feel a sharp pain in my shoulder, which almost makes me drop my sword. Almost.
Brooke Nash POV
I grab a knife from the pack and throw it at the boy from six, hitting his shoulder. He recoils from the pain.
"Kai!" I shout. "Move out of the way!" Kai obliges, and I send another knife at the boy. This one hits his other shoulder, and he charges at me. I fumble with the next knife. I grab it and send it towards him, but I miss. I try to get the last one, but my fingers aren't working. I'm scared. I fall backward, and the boy is here. He raises his sword to bring it down on me and – I'm pushed to the side by a large force.
Kai Presley POV
"Kai!" Brooke shouts. "Move out of the way!" I oblige, and move out of the way for her to throw her knives. She hits him once but misses the third shot. He's almost reached her. I consider my options quickly. I could kill him from where I am, but his sword will still fall down, and kill Brooke. I hate gravity right now. The only way to save her is what I'm about to do. I close my eyes for a second that feels like forever. I'm doing what you would have wanted, Galia, I think. I'm coming to see you soon. I love you. Then, I dive to the ground, keeping my sword up and to the side. I push Brooke out of the way and bring my blade to the left. I see my sword make contact with his skin as I feel a sharp pain in my chest. Stabbed through the chest, just like Galia, I think. I open my eyes long enough to see his eyes go blank.
Edmund Caden POV
The girl shouts something at the boy, and he moves, giving me a clear shot at the small girl, crouching on the ground. I charge at her, barely feeling the pain from another knife to my shoulder. I stumble slightly on the leg that Lindsay cut, slowing my charge by a second. I raise my sword, ready to send it through the girl's chest when suddenly she's not below me. Just as soon as I realize that she's not there anymore, I feel a sharp pain through my side, and I choke on blood. I fall onto the boy from four, whose sword is now in my side. At least he's dead too.
Brooke Nash POV
I scramble to my feet after being knocked out of the way of the boy's blow and turn around to face – oh my goodness. No, no, no! No. This can't be right. I push the boy from six off Kai. He's clearly dead, and I hear a cannon fire. I pull the sword out of Kai's gut and hold his head in my hands. I realize that I'm crying. His face is blurry, and I hear my own sobs.
"Kai… no… Kai… why?" I ask. He chokes on blood but raises his hand to my cheek.
He coughs up blood again, before answering. "It – it's what – what Galia would have – would have want – wanted. Now, you – you're alive, and – I – I get to be with her… again. For – forever."
"I – I love you, Kai," I say, my own voice broken by sobs.
"I love you too, Brooke," he says, his voice clear for a few seconds. Then his eyes close, and his body goes limp.
"No!" I shout. I move my hands, trying to pick him up, trying to – trying to what? I can't do anything for him – as if to confirm my thought, I hear another cannon go off. Maybe I can give him a better burial than the Capitol well – but I have nothing to dig with. Then I look up, and through my blurry vision, I see the remnants of the fire. The fire, that's it. I quickly grab some of the spare firewood and throw it on the fire. It burns with renewed vigor. I try to pick Kai up, but I can't, especially now that the adrenaline has faded. No! I… I need to do this. I grab Kai and roll him onto the fire. He lands, and his body starts to burn. A poor man's cremation. He deserved better. I lay on the ground, sobbing.
Athena Fallow –17- -D5- POV
I wake Sofie up, gently.
"Sofie? Sofie? It's time to wake up," I say, gently shaking her shoulder.
"I don't want to get up, – oh. I'm not at home, am I?" She asks.
"What gave it away?" I ask, jokingly, as she sits up and rubs her eyes. She pulls her hands away from her face, and her pale green eyes look at me. They look tired but quickly fill with life and energy. I don't want to see her die, she's such a good person.
"The rock under my side," she says. "There aren't normally any rocks in my bed. Unless one of my siblings puts one there, but they've stopped doing that." She smiles and pauses for a second. "Oh. Athena, I think I forgot something last night. I asked you to finish my story, but I also want something else."
"To take care of your family?" I ask.
"Yeah," she says. "There's a lot of them, and we don't have a lot of money."
"Of course," I say. "You know I will, Sofie."
"Thanks, Athena," she says.
"No problem. We should pack up camp. Did you get to work more on your story last night?" I ask.
"We should," she says, and starts putting the food and water back in the bag, then she stops, and grabs a water pack, taking a sip from it. "Want a sip?" She asks.
"Sure," I say, taking it from her, and taking a drink, before handing it back. "Thanks. Want a ration bar?" I ask as I bite into one myself.
"Sure," she says, and I pass her one. "Anyway," she says, taking a bite of her bar, "thanks for asking about my story, nobody ever really did that before. And, yes I did. I actually wrote a bit about us. All good things about you," she says, with a smile.
"Well, that's good to hear," I say. "I'm glad you got some work done on it, it sounds great. I would say I hope I'll get to read it one day, but you know… I guess I hope that you get to finish it," I say.
"Thanks, Athena," Sofie says. "Let's get going. Where exactly are we going, anyway?"
"The same direction as yesterday, I guess," I say. Sofie slings the backpack over her shoulder, and we start walking.
Abi Hendrix –14- -D12- POV
Myself, Wyatt, and Azalea pack up camp quickly, sharing some water.
"We need food," I say.
"We do," Wyatt says. "Have you seen any animals around?"
"I saw some rabbits," Azalea says.
"Where?" I ask.
"Over there," Azalea says.
"Show us," Wyatt says. Azalea shows us to a den full of small rabbits.
"Who wants to kill them?" I ask.
"I heard you, Abi," Wyatt says. I give him a death glare. "No."
"You have the dagger," he says.
"Fine," I say, giving him another death glare. I lay, stomach down, on the ground. The rabbits, or technically they're hares in the desert, are in a den, only a few feet in front of me. I crawl forward, and the hares descend further into their burrow. I crawl further forward and try to stick my arm in the hole. It doesn't go past my wrist, and the hares sniff their noses at the edge of the blade. "I don't fit," I say. I stand up and brush the dirt off my white clothes. Seriously. White in the desert, who thought of this?
"I certainly won't fit," Wyatt says.
"So what do we do?" Azalea asks. I and Wyatt both look at her. "No," she says. "No. No. No. No, no, no. I am not killing bunnies." Her stomach growls. Or maybe it's Wyatt's. I don't know, and it doesn't matter.
"It sounds like your stomach disagrees," I say.
"Fine," she says. "Give me the dagger. And you better not stab me in the back and eat me while I'm down there. Also, Wyatt was checking out your butt, Abi." I stare daggers at Wyatt, as Azalea lays down on the ground.
"What?" He asks innocently. I stare more daggers at him. If looks could kill, he would be dead and burned to a crisp by now. "So what if I was? I love you, Abi."
"Hmph," I say, and turn away from him, arms crossed.
"Fine," he says.
"Hey, anybody care about me down here? Your local bunny murderer?" Azalea asks.
"Of course, Azalea. You alright?" I ask.
"Just fine murdering bunnies. You?"
"Dandy," I say. "You need some help?"
"I think this is a one-person thing," she says. Then I hear the flash of metal, a sequel, and a scream. Before I can say anything, Azalea comes out of the den with a dead rabbit, a cut on her finger, and the dagger.
"Are you alright?" I ask.
"I'm fine," she says, shifting the hare to her other hand, and sucking her finger. "Breakfast," she says, holding up the hare.
"Which one," Wyatt asks, "the hare, or the dagger?"
I stare at Wyatt. "If you look at me that way again, it'll be the dagger, boy." Then I burst out laughing, and so does he.
Azalea stares at us blankly, and then finally asks, "You two were teasing each other the whole time?"
"Of course," I say, still chuckling. "We love each other, of course, we tease each other."
"Let's cook this rabbit up," Wyatt says, taking the hare from Azalea.
"It's a hare, you know," I say.
As we walk toward the fire, I swear I hear Azalea mutter, "I'm allied with idiots and OCD people. Idiots and obsessives. I'm dead."
"What did you say, Azalea?" I ask.
"Hm?" She looks up at me with puppy dog eyes. "Nothing."
"Oh, okay," I say.
I help Wyatt skin the hare (or more accurately, I do all the work because he's too disgusted to do it himself), and we cook it up. All three of us take a different part, sit, and eat, with myself and Wyatt regaling Azalea with tales of life in District Twelve. Whether or not she enjoys them, and especially if she rolls her eyes. Eventually, we finish breakfast, drink some water, and head out.
Kaine Thomason –14- -D8- POV
I wake up, grab a quick bite to eat and some water, and keep walking in the same direction I did yesterday. At one point, I thought that I heard voices, but I walked towards them, and they disappeared. I hope I'm not going crazy.
Lily Cross –17- -D2- POV
I wake up next to Arc, and after breakfast, all four of us fan out. It doesn't take long before we find our target.
"I think he's still asleep," I whisper to Arc.
"I think so," he says.
"Let's go," I say. We turn around and walk backward, still crouching, out of our spying position, back to where the other two wait.
"Okay," I say. "Here's the plan."
Spire Windell –16- -D5- POV
I wake up to a stabbing pain. I quickly open my eyes and try to move the hand with the pain in it. It doesn't move very much, and I'm greeted with more pain. I feel more pain in my other hand and one foot. From the side of the first hand, I see the girl from two standing over me.
"Hi, Spire," she says, in a fake sweet voice. "What's up?" I move my head, and I realize that all of the other careers are there. Two more of them, the boy from three and the boy from two, have pushed knives, just like the girl from two has, into my hands and feet. The boy from one is standing over me. He grabs a knife and puts it through my foot. Then he grabs another one, but he doesn't use it yet.
"The girl you killed, do you know her name?" He asks.
"No," I say. It's a little hard to think straight, with all the pain, you know.
"Her name was Satin. Satin Hermes. And you stabbed her in the back," he says. "Say it! Say that you killed her like a coward!"
"You're right. I did kill her, I did kill Satin," I say. Nothing is going to get me out of this now, "and I liked it. She deserved it, the little- ahhhhhhhh!" He stabs me in the chest before I can finish my sentence. I spit blood in his face. Then he tortures me. And I wish that I didn't feel everything that came after, but I do.
Topaz Hazard –17- -D1- POV
Boom! Spire's cannon fires and I pull my knife out of him. Or what's left of him. It doesn't really look like Spire anymore. I kept him alive as long as I could so that he could feel the pain.
"Let's go," I spit at my allies, and we grab our weapons and head back to camp. We never quite make it back.
Azalea Saffron POV
Myself, Abi, and Wyatt were walking along through the forest when we heard rustling in the bushes.
"Stop," Wyatt says. All three of us stop.
"What is that?" Abi asks. Her question is answered by an arrow that barely misses my shoulder. I scream. Suddenly, three enemy Tributes come toward us, with swords raised.
Wyatt raises his knife against the first boy, and Abi raises the dagger to fend off an attack by the girl. I raise my knife to fight one of the boys.
Lily Cross POV
I just wanted to get back to camp. But we had to run into the pair from twelve and the girl from nine, walking along merrily with no attempt at stealth. So, of course, we had to attack. I had hoped this would be an easy fight, but it doesn't look like it. Topaz acted as our archer, and instead of killing the little girl, he missed. But I have the older girl. She should be easy. She blocks my first strike, and I come up for my second strike. She blocks it. I knee her in the crotch, and she drops to the ground, her arms sprawling to her sides. I get ready to deliver the killing blow but am distracted by a scream from the girl from nine. I look over to see her falling backward, Arc's sword coming out of her chest. A cannon goes off. The boy looks over at her, then at me and at his partner sprawled on the ground.
"Abi! Run!" He shouts. I look down just in time to realize that well I've been distracted, she's got to her knees, and is sprinting off. I start to run after her, but a scream from behind me stops me, as I turn around, and rush to help Titanium, who is bleeding from a cut in his chest.
Azalea Saffron POV
I manage to dodge the boy's first strike, diving under his blade. Too slow. I slash his legs with my knife, but it doesn't seem to phase him. I quickly dive through his legs and slash the backs of them. That does phase him. He lets out a small scream, and I allow myself an internal smile. He turns around, but I dodge his next strike. I make a small cut on his side and step back, ready to go in for another strike. And I see his arms coming down. I try to move back, but I'm not fast enough. His sword comes down to my height and plunges straight through my chest. I fall backward as he pulls the sword out.
Wyatt Fritz POV
I manage to block my opponent's first strike, and I get in a stab, which misses, and almost sends me flying, but it doesn't, luckily. I recover my balance. Unfortunately, it gives my opponent enough time for another strike, and he lands a glancing blow on my shoulder. I hear a scream from Azalea's direction, and see that she's dead, although her opponent won't be recovering anytime soon. He appears to bleeding from both sides of his legs, and I'm rather curious if he'll be able to walk from the way he's clutching his legs. Another glancing hit from my opponent, on my stomach. Actually, I don't think that was so glancing. Luckily, his attack has thrown him off balance, so I slice my knife across his chest, causing him to cry out in pain. He drops his sword and falls to the ground, and for a second, I think that I might stand a chance at winning. I forgot about the girl from two. Her sword slices a clean line through my neck from behind me. A cannon fires, probably mine.
Lily Cross POV
I see that Arc has leg wounds, and Titanium is bleeding from a large wound across the chest. What Topaz is doing, I don't know. Either way, I know that I need to kill this boy, and now. So, I quickly close the short distance that had opened up between us when I pursued his partner, and slice my sword through his neck in one swift motion. More blood on my shirt. Just what I need. His head falls to the side, close to where his partner should have lain dead, and his body falls forward, onto Titanium. I shove the dead boy's body off and call for Topaz.
"Topaz! Get out here right now!" I shout.
"I'm here," he says. "I was trying to get a good shot. That's what you wanted, right?" I take a second to think. That had been what I asked him to do.
"Right," I say. "Okay. Grab some bandages from the survival kit, Titanium really needs them if he's going to live, and Arc might need some. You doing alright, Arc?" I ask.
"I'll live," he says. "Some bandages might be nice, to stop the bleeding. That girl did a number on my legs."
"Gotcha," I say. Topaz returns with one of the survival kits, and over the next few minutes, we get the two boys bandaged up. "Let's head back to camp," I say. "Titanium, me and Topaz will carry you, you're in no shape to walk. Arc, you'll have to manage."
"Yes, ma'am," Arc says, sarcastically.
We manage to get everyone back to camp.
"I don't know about the rest of you," I say, "but I'm tired of fighting for today." I get nods of agreement from everyone else.
Abi Hendrix –14- -D12- POV
I run. And run. And run. I run until I can't run anymore, and then I sit against a tree and cry. I heard a cannon go off. One for Azalea. And I heard another one go off. For Wyatt. If he had won, it would have been four cannons. It was only one. I can feel it, he's dead. I cry, and I cry, and I cry, and I cry until I can't cry anymore. Then I get up and walk. I don't have a direction in mind, I just walk. I don't know how long I walk for, probably hours, maybe only minutes. Eventually, I stop. I stop because I see a red-haired girl with blue eyes holding a trident, who has clearly been crying.
Brooke Nash –15- -D4- POV
I don't know how long I cry for, but the sun has shifted by the time I finally stop. He's dead. Kai, the sweet, selfless boy. The boy who loved Galia. The boy who loved me. The boy I loved. And he's dead because of me. Because I didn't help him more, because I asked him to step aside because I thought that I could do better than he could. Because I… because I was too weak and he had to save me. And it cost him his life. Eventually, I pick up our equipment, my trident, and leave his sword. And I start walking. I don't know where I'm going, or why I don't just pick up his sword and end my life. After all, without him… Then I remember what he said. It's what Galia would have wanted. And now you're alive. He sacrificed himself so that I could live. I need to live, for him. It's what he would have wanted. I straighten up at that thought. I'll survive, I'll win, for him. My thoughts are interrupted when I run into somebody else in the middle of the forest. It's a shorter blonde girl, maybe a little younger than me. She's carrying a dagger and has obviously been crying. I'm pretty sure that she's the girl from twelve. Abi, I think.
"Hi," I say. "Abi, right?"
"Yeah," she says.
"Brooke," I say, pointing to myself. Then I remember that she's supposed to have allies. "Where's your district partner and that girl from nine?"
"Dead," she says. "Careers."
"Oh," I say. "I'm sorry."
"Why?" She asks. "You're going to kill me anyway."
"No, I'm not," I say.
"Why?"
"Because I've seen enough death for today," I say.
"Right. Your District partner?" She asks.
"Dead. The boy from six," I say. "I… I was in love with him."
"I can tell," she says, pointing to me.
"Wh- oh." I look down at myself. Kai's blood is all over my clothes, turning the white cloth red.
"I'm sorry," she says. "I lost the boy I loved today too."
"Your District Partner, right?" I ask. She nods.
"What's your name?" She asks.
"Brooke," I say.
"Look, Brooke. I don't want to kill you either. But-"
"You will if you have to," I say, finishing her thought.
"Yeah," she says.
"I don't want to kill you either," I say. "And I think I'd win."
"Oh really?" She asks.
"You," I point to her, "have a dagger. I," I indicate myself, "have this trident. You're standing still. If I wanted too, this trident could be in you before you could react."
"I could throw the dagger too, you know," she says.
"Yeah, and unless you're a great shot, it wouldn't kill me. I don't have to be very precise with this trident."
"Fair point."
"Let's not kill each other," I say.
"Then what do we do?" She asks.
"Allies?" I ask. "For now? We've both lost people we love, and let's be honest, one of us will die before the other one. It's unlikely we'll have to kill each other."
"Sure," she says. I step forward, and then she does. Then we both walk towards each other, and transfer our weapons to our other hands. We shake hands.
"We should get going," I say.
"Where?" She asks.
"Good question," I say. "We could set up camp here."
"Do you have equipment?" She asks. "We didn't have much, and Wyatt was carrying a lot of it."
"I do," I say, smiling. I grab the survival kit from my back. "Two sleeping bags, to start, some water, and some food. Some flint and steel, and some bandages."
"Wow," she says. "That's quite the haul."
"Thanks," I say. "Let's get a fire started and get situated then."
"Let's," she says. Her face is still stained with tears. I wonder… I wonder if she wants to live anymore. She seems like she's in shock, her surface conciseness running her interactions, her real self retreated into a tiny corner of her brain. Maybe not. But then again, maybe so.
Sofie Guinness –16- -D5- POV
After I and Athena walk for hours, we set up camp again for the night. This time, Athena takes first watch, and I take second. Will she sleeps, I continue writing. I'm now caught up on the Games, at least from my perspective, so I write a little bit more of Luna and George.
Aurora Dayton –17- -D7- POV
I and Cyder pack up camp in the morning, drinking some water, eating some of our food, and start walking again. We don't talk much. I'm not that social anyways, and there's not much to talk about. We walk in silence until it's time to set up camp again for the night.
"Aurora?" He asks, as I'm chopping firewood.
"Yeah?" I reply.
"Do we think we can win?" He asks.
"I don't know," I say.
"Against all those careers?" He asks. I see what's going on. He's scared
"Look, Cyder," I say, putting down the ax and wiping sawdust off of my hands. "The careers might win, they have good odds. Unless they all kill each other. Or the pair from four, who for some reason aren't with the careers. Or that kid from five, he looks pretty strong, and I think he was the one who killed the girl from one. Look, anyone might win. Including us. Let's not worry about other people until we meet them, and focus on surviving. We might barely meet anyone, they might all kill each other first, and then it's two against one. And that one might be the twelve-year-old from nine or the boy from four. We don't know, okay, so let's not worry. But, I think that whatever happens, we'll find out soon."
Cyder had been nodding throughout my explanation, but now he has a question. "Why do you say that?"
"Because," I say, "there have already been five deaths today. There where eight yesterday, so that's thirteen in two days. At this rate, we'll know who wins by day four."
"What if someone just hides?" He asks.
"Then the Gamemakers will flush them out," I say. "And besides, the Arena is smaller this year. I don't know why, but haven't you noticed?"
"No," he says. "I guess you're right though, we ran into the edge of the Arena fairly quickly."
"Right," I say. "I think they want more fighting, quicker action, for some reason."
"I think you're right," he says. "No let's get this fire started, I'm freezing."
I grab a chunk of firewood and throw it to him to start the fire pile. "Plus," I say, grabbing another hunk of wood, "the Gamemakers have been very generous with supplies. We got a decent haul, and we didn't go anywhere near the center."
"You're right," he says. "I guess we won't have to live in suspense very long."
"Nope," I say, as he starts to light the fire. Once he gets the fire lit, we finish the last of our pack of food, and drink some more water. Then the list of the dead comes up. I see the boy from four, Kai Presley. Not the girl from Four though. Odd. I wonder if she killed him. Then the boy from six. Then the boy from five. Then the girl from nine, and the boy from twelve. Not the girl from twelve. She doesn't seem like the type to kill her two allies well they slept, but I don't know how she could have got away if they were attacked. Maybe if it was the boy from five or the one from six, and they killed him, but the boy from twelve and the girl from nine died in the process. I don't know, it doesn't matter. Cyder sleeps first tonight, and after what I hope is half the night, I wake him up and fall asleep myself.
Kaine Thomason –14- -D8- POV
I've been walking all day! And I haven't seen a single person, darn it! I drink the last of my water, and eat more of my food. I probably have one more of my minimum nutrition meals left. I hope that I find someone tomorrow, or I'll have to go back to the Cornucopia. I try to sleep in the cold desert again. I'm honestly surprised that they haven't killed me off yet. I doubt I'm very interesting, walking all day in search of prey. Maybe everyone else is hiding. I notice that five more people died today. They're all going fast this year. These Games will probably be over in under a week. I just hope that I'll live to finish them.
Abi Hendrix –14- -D12- POV
"You have flint?" I ask, surprised, as Brooke pulls the flint out of her bag.
"I told you that already," she says, with a small wink. She looks sad. I think we both are.
"Right," I say, as she lights the fire. "So, Brooke. Your District partner. You said you were in love with him. Do… do you want to tell me more? It might help."
"Thanks," Brooke says. "Sure, I guess. Kai was his name. And I didn't know him before the Games. But, he talked to me on the train. Do you remember his interview?" I nod. "Right. Galia?" I nod again. "Yeah, well, he was in love with her, right? So he volunteered so that he would die, he wouldn't have to watch anyone else die, he didn't want to live without her. He told me that on the train. Then, before training, he took me up to the roof. He asked me to be allies, I agreed, and then he fell off the roof." Brooke must see the surprised look on my face because she laughs. It's good to see her laughing, maybe this is working. I don't need a depressed ally. I have enough depression for two. "Luckily," she continues her story, "there was a force field, so he didn't fall far. After he almost died, he almost called me Galia before he went to sleep. Then, when I was lying on my nice comfy Capitol bed, I realized that I had a crush on him. I tried to deny it, but that didn't work. I would keep realizing that I thought he was handsome or holding his hand. Anyway, last night – that seems like so long ago now –, last night he told me that he loved me. Not as much as Galia, but he loved me. I told him I loved him too. We snuggled together the whole night. And when I woke up… when I woke up… he… he was already up. He had noticed something, I guess, and didn't want to wake me up until he knew what it was," she starts to tear up. "It was the boy from six. So, he woke me up. I went to grab my trident," she motions to it, "except that for some reason it wasn't there. So, I rolled behind him, and grabbed a pack of throwing knives. He went in with a sword to hold off the boy. He was doing okay, and I threw a knife at the boy's arm. I hit, and he sort of stumbled," she's fighting off tears, I can tell. "I told Kai to move out of the way. I thought I could kill they boy with my knives. But… but I couldn't. I was too slow. And he was going to kill me. And if Kai lived, I guess I would have been okay with that. But… but..." she's crying now. I put my arm around her, and rub her back.
"It's alright, Brooke, it's alright," I say.
"I'm okay," she says, wiping her eyes and pulling away. "Anyway, he… he… he pushed me out of the way. And he killed the boy. But… but… he put himself in the way of the boy's sword in the process. I… I… cremated him," she finishes her story. "He said… he said that he wanted to protect me… that that's how Galia would have wanted him to die, protecting somebody. And that," she sniffles, "and that he would be with her now."
"You know, Brooke, he's right," I say. "From what I know, it sounds like that's exactly what this Galia girl would have wanted. And even if it's not, it's what he wanted. What do you think he would if done if you had died? He would have decided that he failed both of the women he loved, and he still would have died. He never wanted to win. He was never going to win. He died how he would have wanted to. Protecting you, giving you another chance at life. Okay, Brooke?"
"You're right," she says. "And I know that. It's just still sad, you know? And hard. Really hard. But, I'm not going to waste this chance he gave me. I'm going to do my best to win," she says. "But, Abi, I shouldn't be soaking up all the sympathy. You and the boy from twelve, you were clearly a couple. How do you feel? What happened?"
"Clearly?" I ask.
"Yeah," she says. "Your body language, the way you two acted at the Reaping, the fact that you were allying, that you took in a little kid, oh, and you know, your interviews, where you said you were in love."
"Right," I say. "We never saw it coming. We were just walking, then Wyatt, that's his name, told us to stop. Then, three careers attacked us. The other one was using a bow, although he didn't get in more than one shot. I only survived because Azalea's dying scream distracted the girl who was attacking me, and Wyatt told me to run. She chased me, but then there was a scream, and she turned around. Probably to stab Wyatt in the back. I know he died, I heard a cannon go off when I was still running. It must have been his." Now I'm the one who's crying, and it's Brooke's turn to pat my back.
"Look, Abi," she says. "It sounds like he wanted you to live. I think that what you told me is exactly the same. Except that in this case, you didn't do anything wrong. You could never have won against the careers. No offense," she says, looking me over.
"None taken," I say. "It's just the truth."
"Right," she says. "So, at least you survived. It's what he wanted."
"I know," I say. "But… it's still painful. I loved him, and now… and now… now he's dead."
"I know," she says, rubbing my back. "But he probably would have sacrificed himself for you anyway, just later."
"I know," I say, laying my head on her shoulder. "What a great alliance we make."
"Yeah," she says. "The HeartBroken Ladies, maybe?"
"Yeah!" I say, pumping my fist in the air jokingly. "HeartBroken ladies for the win!" She smiles.
"Let's do this thing!"
I take first watch, over Brooke's amendment protests. Having many little siblings comes in handy sometimes, when you need to go, 'No, no, no, no no no no no no no no no, I can say no more times than you can say yes no no no no no no no no no no no no.' So, I took first watch. Eventually, I woke Brooke up and went to sleep myself.
Peter Mallard –35- -Capitol Resident- –Head Gamemaker- POV
The Capitol, Arena control room.
"But, Sir!" The tech pleads with me. "He's right there! We could flush him towards either of the groups!"
"Just wait," I say. "If he continues in his present direction, he'll run into those tomorrow. If he goes North, he'll run into the two that he's been avoiding so far."
"Sir..." the tech pleads again.
"Patience, young one," I say. "Now, would someone please bring me some coffee?"
"Yes, Sir!"
A/N: And another day of the glorious seventieth Hunger Games has passed! Half of our brave Tributes have now fallen, all at another's blade! Who will win? Who will lose? Who has style? Who has grace? Who can answer why that song is stuck in my head? These are the questions of the universe. See you tomorrow. –Astra
The Fallen:
Day 1. Satin Hermes, 18F, D1. Career. Stabbed in the back by Spire Windell.
Day 1. Rianna Meade, 16F, D3. Killed with an ax by Titanium Sparks.
Day 2. Kai Presley, 18M, D4. Sacrifice. Stabbed in the chest by Edmund Caden.
Day 2. Spire Windell, 16M, D5. Tortured. Killed by Topaz Hazard.
Day 1. Lindsay Cutt, 13F, D6. Decapitated by Edmund Caden.
Day 2. Edmund Caden, 15M, D6. Stabbed in the chest by Kai Presley.
Day 1. Twyler Onzui, 16F, D8. Throat slit by Lily Cross.
Day 2. Azalea Saffron, 12F, D9. Stabbed in the chest by Topaz Hazard.
Day 1. Angus Blush, Dem Blush, Miller Blush, 17M, D9. Stabbed by Edmund Caden.
Day 1. Belinda Mosler, 15F, D10. Shot in the back by Satin Hermes.
Day 1. Noah Jones, 17M, D10. Shot in the back by Satin Hermes.
Day 1. Calyx Anther, 17M, D11. Stabbed in the chest by Arc Woods.
Day 2. Wyatt Fritz, 14M, D12. Stabbed in the chest by Arc Woods.