Song: Sea Swallow Me by Cocteau Twins
Day 5
"Where are you going?"
"Bathroom."
"We should all go."
"You're not watching me take a piss, perv,"
"Jeez, Andromache."
"I'm obviously kidding. It's fine. I'll be ten seconds."
"I'm holding you to that."
"Whatever."
Andromache slinks off into a side street and does her business. The cameras usually cut away when tributes are going to the bathroom, which is one small bit of privacy they allow us in the arena.
She's about to head back to the group when she sees half a dusty footprint. She stares at it for a moment, and looks up and down the street. I can practically see her ears twitching like a rabbit's.
Don't go by yourself, I beg her.
"Jason! Fern!" she hisses loudly. They don't hear her. There's a noise from the street over – a pattering of footsteps. Andromache's breath catches in her throat. I look to one of the other monitors – but whoever it is must have found one of the few spots without cameras.
They haven't come across any of the other tributes since the Bloodbath. There's still thirteen people alive. For day five of the Games – let's just say the audience is getting very bored. I guess Andromache wants the glory or something, of killing the first tribute since the start, but surely she's smarter than that – surely. Please go find your allies, I beg her in my mind.
She doesn't. Silly thing. She creeps forward, her feet soft on the gravel – but audible. She creeps forward, forward, forward, and she's soon in the street over – it's like she can't help herself.
One of the monitors Whoever was hiding must have crept into view of the cameras. The monitor flickers, and Ashley from Seven appears, hiding behind a pile of rubble. But where is his ally?
Andromache doesn't see her. But I do. Leaning in a doorway, plain as die. "Hi there," she says, her drawling Ten accent charming but with a threatening tone underneath.
Andromache leaps into action, throwing her spear straight at the girl. Ten dodges, rolling forward, and before Andromache can get a knife out, Grace has trapped her in a lasso, pulling it tight and pinning Andromache's arms to her side. "Jason! Fern!" she screams. "Hel-"
Grace wrestles Andromache to the ground, but she's putting up a good fight, thrashing and pulling on the rope as much as she can.
Ashley runs out to help, and throws one of his axes at Andromache. But she doesn't make an easy target – she's moving all over the place, and Ashley's no Johanna.
"That was a terrible throw!" Grace yells, a sheen of sweat on her forehead.
He scowls, and throws the second axe – this one is a bit luckier, hitting Andromache in the leg. She screeches in pain, and it's then that Jason and Fern hear her. "Andromache?" Jason yells from the distance.
Grace and Ashley look at each other. "Shit!"
Grace pulls Andromache closer with the lasso and stabs her in the stomach, tearing the knife back out with a cruel twist. Andromache gasps and clutches at her stomach, blood blossoming over her shirt under her shaking hands. The two of them quickly unwrap the lasso from her and take her backpack – Ashley attempts to grab her knife vest as well but Grace grabs his arm. "We have to go!"
They run off into the labyrinthine city, taking Andromache's things with them. It was an awkward hit, but Andromache is dying. Her allies burst into the street, moments too late. She points in the direction Ashley and Grace ran. Fern stops by her, but she squeezes his hand and shakes her head. "Go with him," she says, her voice strained. "I'm fine, it's just a scratch."
Fern gives her a worried glance, but doesn't argue. He rushes off after Jason, his feet pounding against the road.
The girl is dying. Slowly, that's true, but she will be dead within the hour. I quickly type something into the supply catalogue, and select a few items. Praying that the parachute is aimed well so she doesn't have to move to get it, I press send.
Andromache is staring up at the deep blue of the sky, and she sees the parachute immediately. She stretches her arms up and grabs it – which is lucky, because it would have otherwise hit her in the face. She opens it, and smiles. "Thanks, Mags."
She works her head onto the pillow and covers herself with the fleecy blanket I sent. The last thing comes straight from our district – something Andromache had mentioned her love for. A small jar of mango sweets, shaped like fish. She puts one in her mouth, and smiles again. She closes her eyes, eats another sweet, and waits. That is one of the things I love about being from District Four – the guaranteed sponsors. We can usually afford anything we want – and we can usually help our kids die in comfort. It's a privilege not everyone has, and I am grateful for it every year. These three items didn't even make a dent in our account – it would have made a difference later in the Games, of course, but not now.
The vitals monitor begins lighting up, telling me that she's going to die. She's close. Her heartbeat has slowed right down – the puddle of blood has crept out beyond the fleecy blanket I sent. Her eyes flicker shut – she exhales – and the cannon booms.
Jason and Fern stop in their tracks, staring at each other. They're hurriedly following the footprints Grace and Ashley left behind in the dusty road. "We can't go back," Jason says.
"Jason!" Fern says, shocked.
"We can't do anything for her now."
"What if it wasn't her?"
"I saw her. She was stabbed in the stomach." Jason tries to start running again.
Fern grabs his arm and pulls him back, forcing Jason to meet him in the eye. "I can't believe you would just abandon her like that. She's our friend –"
"She's not our friend. She was our ally, Fern, there's a difference."
"I just –"
"I don't know how you do things at home, but this is how we do things here. You're not in Eleven anymore," Jason says, his voice hard. He must have realised that he sounded harsh, because his face softens, and he reaches for Fern, squeezing his hand with more tenderness I've ever seen from a boy from Two. "We need to find them. We're losing sponsors."
"Okay," Fern says quietly, and they start running.