Boltson Howcroft, 17
District 5 12th Male
"Is Threada a lost cause yet?" Felix asks.
"I think so," Brigitta answers. "We've been searching for days. If she's nearby, we'd have found her by now. It isn't like we can't stumble upon her by accident later in the games. Right now, we need to be hunting. Nine more deaths to go before we're out of this place."
I nod, following Felix and Brigitta down the path. I had a thing for Threada, and the thought of her curly hair makes something ring deep down inside me. Having lost her makes me really sad. She hasn't been in the death recaps yet, and there haven't been any cannons today. That doesn't mean she isn't slowly dying.
I take a deep breath. It's best that I stop worrying right now. The three of us are safe, at least for now. There will be a time for worrying and that time is not now.
As noon arrives, we stop for lunch. The package of dinner rolls Felix grabbed from the bloodbath has run out completely. Now we have to rely solely on the arena for our food. And sponsors, of course, but we've gotten virtually no sponsor gifts since the bloodbath.
The sponsors are probably biding their time, waiting until later on when each individual tribute has more of a chance.
"How's this for lunch?" Brigitta says, pointing upward.
"What?" I ask.
"They're apple trees." Brigitta jumps up and grabs one of the thick green fruits in her hand. It breaks off of the branch easily.
"Last time I checked, apples are red," I say.
"That's when they're ripe. When they first grow, they're this green color." Brigitta takes a big bite. "Delicious. Now you two get your own."
Felix jumps into the air and falls back down much less gracefully than Brigitta. There is no apple in his hand. I try not to laugh, because it's my turn next. It's at least a minute before Felix pulls down a tiny green apple. I manage to snatch one on my second try. "Not bad for a beginner," Brigitta murmurs as I take the first bite.
"You know, these apples aren't that bad. I would totally…"
"Shhh!" Brigitta interrupts. Felix and I fall quiet instantly. I let the apple chunk in my mouth fall quietly into my hands. A crashing sound comes from just ahead, but it isn't very loud. The bodies must be small. At first I think it must be a deer or some other kind of animal. Then the two little kids run out of the trees.
Looper and Everly, I think they're called. Definitely boyfriend and girlfriend. The moment they see us, they turn around and run for their lives, screaming.
"Do we chase them?" I ask.
"Of course!" Brigitta and Felix shout in unison, grabbing their weapons. "Now come on, hurry!"
Dawson Brisk, 15
District 5 8th Male
Thred, Rollag, and I continue to tread along the deer path as the fourth day passes. The path is completely straight and has been going on for at least ten miles. I wouldn't be surprised if we've crossed the entire arena by this point.
Thred brings his thermos of water to his lips. Nothing comes out. He bangs on the side of the thermos, forcing the last few drops down into his mouth.
I'm out too, so I shrug. Rollag has been hiding his last half-thermos of water from us for days. Neither of us brings it up.
"We need to find water," I say, and Thred nods rapidly in agreement. "We're dying. Literally."
"Well, I'm not dying," Rollag says. "You can hold out for another hour while we hunt."
"We can hunt after we find water," I say. The word "water" itself feels like heaven in my mouth.
"What is that?" Thred shouts.
At first I think he means water. Then I see what he's pointing at: a dead body, completely still on the ground.
I wrinkle my face. "Is she alive?"
Thred kneels and feels the girl's wrist. "Her heart's beating. And she's breathing."
"Hey, we talked to her in the training center," Rollag says, moving her hair aside to reveal her face. "Her name's Threada Collins. You guys deal with her. I'm searching for water."
Thred pulls out his knife. "Well, this will be quick."
"No." I'm surprised by how firm I sound. "We aren't killing her."
"Yeah, we are." Thred rolls his eyes. "Get away."
"Hey Dawson! Thred!" Rollag shouts. "While you were busy arguing, I saved our fucking lives and found a river!"
Thred sighs. "Fine. We'll give her some water and see what happens."
We run toward Rollag's voice and fill our thermoses with water from the river. Part of me expects the water to be poison somehow, but I find myself feeling nothing but refreshment as I chug down the clear liquid.
We return to Threada's still (but alive) body, and I pour a little bit of the water into her mouth.
"Not so fast," Rollag says. "You'll drown her."
Thred looks like he'd like her to drown, but he doesn't say anything as the girl sits up suddenly. "Where… who are… uhhh."
"I know. You need to keep drinking the water."
It's only a few minutes before she's standing and moving around. "I know you guys. You're Rollag. And you're Thred." She points at me. "And you're Dawson."
"Yep, I'm Thred," Thred says. "And I just saved your life."
"No you didn't," I say. "I did."
"Thanks." Threada still looks a little off. Her gaze looks pretty distant. She jogs a short distance away to pee, and Thred stares daggers at me.
"We hardly have enough food as is," Thred grunts. "The last thing we needed was a fourth person. I'm going to kill her."
"No, you're not." I point at the nearest camera. The Capitol will love us for this. It'll be the cutest thing in history. They'll love this."
Thred rolls his eyes, but something about the way his arms slack tells me that I've won the argument. "Fine. But I won't be the one to give up part of my ration."
Cloth Topper, 18
District 8 6th Male
Velvet and I have been searching for Crochet I don't know how long. Ever since the lightning storm forced him away, it's been a constant search on our parts. It's exhausting, sure, but we have a duty to put a decent effort into this.
"It's time for a break," Velvet says as we step into a small clearing. I nod in agreement and sit cross-legged on the ground, rested my chin in my hands. This feels really nice.
"There's literally nowhere else he could have gone," Velvet says, running his fingers through his hair. "We've searched everywhere he could have covered last night."
"He must be still moving," I say. "Maybe he's antsy. Or maybe the gamemakers sent some other threat in his direction."
Velvet shakes his head. "There's no way. We would've seen something. Or heard something."
"Either way, I need a wash. We may as well stick close to the river. That's where Crochet would be."
The river wash isn't nearly as relaxing as I imagined. For one thing, the water feels to be the first thing above freezing. From the moment I dip my toe below the surface I know this will be a struggle. Several rocky objects from the bed of the river dig into my skin, making my feet bleed.
Afterward, I don't feel clean at all. I just feel wet, cold, and sore.
Velvet seems at least somewhat rejuvenated afterward, and I'm glad for him, but I can't deny that my spirits are sinking as we continue the search for Crochet Undersee.
Sasha Grotrekk, 14
District 8 10th Female
Nimona and I are pretty quietly as we trudge through the dense forest. It's been hard to think of things to talk about since Moxie and Silky both died within the space of one minute. They're all I can think about.
"How much food do you have?" I finally ask. My throat feels like sandpaper and my stomach feels like a cold, empty cave.
"An apple. And I'm not sharing." Nimona crosses her arms.
"Come on. Just one bite?"
"No. Not one bite. I'm not responsible for your survival." She makes a good point, so I shut up.
It's less than ten minutes when I perk up. The thumping sound is faint, but it's definitely there. Nimona has definitely heard it as well, because she stops dead in her tracks and lowers her arms.
I raise my eyebrows. "What do you think?" I whisper.
"I don't think it's anything serious. Probably a harmless mutt," Nimona says. "But we should duck down just in case."
Not fast enough. Just then, an older girl bursts out of the trees, shaking. Her hair is dyed a million different colors and she has a tattoo on either side of neck.
"The careers. They're nearby," the girl pants. It's only when I've remembered her name, Francina, that I hear the sound of more footsteps. Francina, Nimona, and I crouch down, lying flat on the ground.
Panic races through me. I try hard not to breathe, and the force of so much suppressed air pushes against the inside of my mouth until I eventually have to open it. If Francina is telling the truth and the careers are near, there's no way we have time to escape. We just have to hope they don't see us.
I'm confused when four career tributes come into sight; I'm pretty sure there are five of them left. Then I remember one of them is probably guarding the horn. The careers travel quickly, and there are two tiny tributes running in front of them. They're the prey. The careers are the predators. And the prey run far too slow to have a chance at survival.
"Leave us alone!" the little boy shouts, and the little girl lets out a scream as Patternia tosses a throwing knife. It nicks her neck, leaving a small red mark.
The little girl claps a hand to her neck and stumbles, falling onto her knees. She hisses in pain and tries to get back to her feet, but she isn't fast enough. One of the career boys, Preston, has a sword, and the boy can't sidestep fast enough before the sword is skewered straight through his neck.
"Looper!" the girl screams. "Looper!"
"They always shout the names," Organza mocks, circling the little girl. "Like that'll bring him back to life."
Sooner than later, the four careers have Everly completely surrounded. She spins in a circle, holding out her arms and screaming at the top of her lungs. When Looper's cannon sounds, they dive in, and I can't tell who lays the first mark on her.
"Run!" Francina hisses. She quickly stands up and bolts away as fast as her legs can carry her. Nimona follows close behind. I only find the energy to move when Everly's cannon booms.
Madras Kestler, 17
District 8 1st Male
"Well. We only made two kills today." I bring my knees to my chin.
Patternia scowls, then continues to sharpen her knives. "And it was only those two little kids. We have to do better tomorrow. We have to."
Electron raises a fist, and he looks like he wants to shout some choice words at the girl he hates for some reason. But then Organza gives him the stink eye, and he falls back.
"When's that damn death recap going to come on?" Preston asks, continuing to stare at the sky. "It must be midnight by now."
As if on cue, the faces of the little boy and girl shine in the sky amidst the blaring anthem.
Looper Wattson, District 5 10th Male
Everly Fless, District 5 11th Female
Remaining Tributes (19): Preston, Felix, Francina, Dawson, Thred, Electron, Nimona, Boltson, Organza, Madras, Patternia, Lycra, Cloth, Velvet, Rollag, Brigitta, Sasha, Threada, Crochet
