[17] - Rochelle
The sun beats down on me as I try to make myself as small as possible. I'm hiding behind a pedestal by the Cornucopia; luckily, nobody's thought to check back here yet. If all goes well, I can stay here until the chaos has died down.
My heart is racing, and it hasn't stopped since I entered the Arena. All I've felt in these last few minutes is terror. My whole strategy in here depended on August, and who knows where he could be now. After all the work I've put in since I got here, it only took one twist to destroy my plan entirely. Now I have to think fast - my life depends on it.
A girl screams behind me, and I wince a bit. Zinnia and Princess must be hard at work killing the other girls.
I have three options right now as I see it, and none of them are good. No matter how I look at it, I could be screwed no matter what I choose.
The first option would be to stick with my intended allies - the Careers. That would mean entering the Arena with Princess and Zinnia. Obviously, not the ideal scenario. Princess hates me, and I've never really talked to Zinnia. It would be far too easy for them to kill me without August here to protect me.
My second option would be to team up with Astrid. She's Diego's partner, so I feel like I need to keep her safe in here. Plus, she definitely wouldn't kill me. The only problem is that she's one of the weakest girls in here - she got a score of one in Training, and it was justifiably earned. Astrid wouldn't be a threat to me, but it could cost me to protect her in the long run.
My last option now looks the most appealing to me - I enter the Arena by myself. The only problem with that plan is that I would be absolutely defenseless. Entering the Arena alone could be a death wish, especially with the intense heat. Not to mention that any of the other tributes could kill me; at the very least, being with Astrid would allow me to use her as a meat shield as a last resort.
The area behind me has gone silent; I need to make a move now. As I stand, I know what I need to do. I can't afford to look out for Astrid, and I won't be able to survive in here alone. I need to join the Careers. Princess may despise me, but I am August's partner, and I need to use that to my advantage. If I can manipulate Princess into protecting me, it's possible that I can stay alive until we find August.
My knees are weak as I approach the Cornucopia; I feel like I've never walked before in my life. In front of me, I see Princess and Zinnia. Princess is standing over her latest victim as Zinnia wipes blood from her hands onto her pants.
My knees almost give out when I see the girl at Princess' feet. That small, feeble frame could only belong to one person: Astrid.
I feel sick. How could this be? I told her to run, I told her this would happen!
"Get out of here," I call to Astrid. She looks terrified from the pedestal next to me. "I'll bring you supplies, I promise. But you can't go in there, it's too dangerous."
Astrid just nods, looking back at the clock, and I feel relieved. At least I know that Diego will be safe. Now I just need to worry about getting Astrid enough resources to stay alive in here.
"What are you doing here?" Princess says, bringing me back to reality. The smirk on her face makes it more than obvious that she knows what she's done. That by killing Astrid, she's killed my closest friend in this Arena.
I can't let Princess win, but I need to tread carefully right now. I fight to keep my face neutral as I stare into Princess' beady eyes.
"I'm here to join you," I say with as much confidence as I can muster.
Princess just laughs her annoying, high-pitched laugh. "You? Join us? Listen, August's not around anymore to be your bodyguard. It's just me now, so we're playing by my rules. To be with us, you need to work for it."
I'm already starting to have regrets about this; I don't know how long I'll be able to handle Princess treating me like scum before I snap. This is my key to survival, though. I have to be smart.
"Don't just send her away, Princess," Zinnia calls from behind Princess. She's finally gotten all the blood off of her hands. "If August wanted Rochelle to stick with us, then maybe we should follow his plans."
All of a sudden, Zinnia's my favorite person in the world. At the sound of August's name, Princess hesitates. I can see the gears turning in her head - if she keeps me close to her, she can ensure that August stays alive until we're able to find him.
"If Princess doesn't want me to join you then that's her decision," I shrug, trying to provoke Princess as much as possible. "I know I'm not gonna win anyways, so there's not really any point for me to stay in here. If you don't care if August lives or not, I'll just kill myself. Doesn't make much of a difference for me."
"Don't," Princess says, her cocky demeanor now gone. "Of course I care about August. And I care about you, too, Rochelle, even if I don't show it. Any friend of August's is a friend of mine."
I have to hold back my laugh, staring at the ground at my feet. This has to be a joke.
"Grab a bag and pick up what you can," Princess orders me, turning to face Zinnia.
I guess that's that, then. I have a good feeling that Princess will protect me in here, but I don't know if I'll be able to put up with her for too long. I have to for now, though. My life depends on it.
The nearest bag lies next to the body of a small girl, and I already know who it is without looking. It's the girl from Three - the one who was paired with Damon. I already know it's her because I'm the one that put her there; I'm the one who put that knife in her chest, and I'm the one who killed her.
I shudder as I pick up the bag. I never thought that I'd kill someone in my lifetime. But here I am, a murderer.
It needed to be done, I know that. August and I promised each other that we'd kill the girl from Three if we were given the chance. It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up on. But still, she didn't deserve to die. None of them did.
This is the Hunger Games, though. Everyone in here needs to die eventually, even August. If I need to kill everyone else in here, I will do it.