Chapter 46- Silver Bellcreek
My eyes open at last and I'm blinded by the light. Where am I? My body hurts so much; everything aches. My brain seems foggy still. Where on earth am I? Who am I?
I look up to green foliage that spins slightly and I smell smoke. Where am I? I'm on the ground, but where?
Then my mind clears and I remember. I am Silver Bellcreek. I am in the Hunger Games. But what happened? The last thing I remember is those bugs- the bugs!
I open and close my hands and wiggle my toes; the paralysis is gone. It must have worked its way out. I've been dead to the world for who knows how long. What's happened?
I sit up painfully; I feel like I'm made of rusty metal. My back is damp and covered in leaves. I pull a beetle out of my hair and smother a scream. I hate bugs, hate them, hate them! Even more now because of the lightning bugs.
Who's dead? What day is this? I clutch my knees and rock back and forth. I can't even move very well I'm so hungry. I've never been this hungry in my life. Who's dead? I'm not dead, but who is? Am I the only one left?
Eventually my mind clears more. I am Silver Bellcreek. I am sixteen years old. I am in the Hunger Games. I do not know what the day is or how many people are dead. But I am alive. And if I was the only one left I would be in the Capitol. I suppose I'll have to be content with that.
Where's Violet? Where did my ally go? The last scenes of us together flash through my mind- the beasts, the bugs, Buck, the grass field and the dying boy… My face hurts less now but my teeth are still gone. I feel so ugly. My hair is tangled and I'm sure I look like a mad woman. What can my family be thinking of me now? What does Flaire think? I can hardly bear it. I'm sure they're happy I'm still alive, though.
I find a stick and prop myself up with it. Slowly I crawl over to the pond, which seems to be drier now. My stuff is still there; my bow and my water bottle and my pack. I'm terrified I'll see the bugs again, but they're nowhere. Nevertheless, I don't intend on spending a lot of time here. Time to move on.
I fill my water bottle up again, eat some of the dried meat that was in my pack, and the whole bag of dried fruit. I feel much better after. Not so hollow. Now it's time to move on.
Anyone can catch up to me I move so slow, leaning on the stick with shaky arms. I have my bow but only two arrows now. I'll have to use them sparingly.
I see nothing and I hear nothing. The birds have ceased to sing. There's nothing to shoot either. No food for me. Finally I get lucky with a small bird that I manage to shoot. I retrieve my arrow with the bird.
The sky grows dark earlier than I thought it would. Maybe I misjudged the time? Lighting a fire now would be suicide. But what choice do I have? I light the fire with a match, quickly cook the bird, then smother the flames and the smoke. The whole forest smells smoky anyway; I think there was a fire. Even though there's no damage to the trees.
I drag my stuff up into a tree and gnaw on the bird. The Capitol seal comes and goes with no faces in the sky. But then there's another announcement.
"Hello tributes of the first Hunger Games! I'm sure you've noticed that food is few and far between. Come to the Cornucopia at dawn and enjoy a feast that can only be found in the Capitol! And may the odds be ever in your favor."
Silence.
"Are you going to go?" I jump a mile at Violet's whisper. "You're alive!" I whisper back. "I'm fine. Are you going to go to the feast?"
I think about food, and I think about Curia and Glow, if they're still alive. I think they are. And I'm very reluctant to show my face to them.
"No. I don't think so," I whisper. "Good. We can wait them out." I nod. Soon I can sense Violet is asleep above me in the trees. I don't think there will be beasts tonight, not with the feast tomorrow. So I sleep too.