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Chapter 31- Terra Coppersmith
"You can curl up with me; we'll be plenty warm tonight," Fletcher says, and I can hear him smiling, even if I can't see it. I can't see much right now, with it being night and all.
"We'll see how cold I get," I say, pulling my jacket tighter around myself. Who am I deluding? I'm going to sleep next to him no matter what. I wonder what Deecey will think.
I've got to stop thinking about Deecey and Fletcher! It doesn't help my concentration in the arena, and really, when I think about her liking him, I want to punch my best friend, so it's better if I put her out of my mind.
It took most of the day to find the pool Fletcher was talking about this morning. Surprisingly, we didn't see any other tributes today. I kept my bow loaded just in case, though. All we saw were plants, sand, and some odd desert animals that didn't seem to pose much of a threat. Fletcher was clearly entranced with the scenery, quietly pointing out things as we walked along. I was happy.
"So who's left?" I ask, looking up at the fantastic stars above us.
"Not sure. Careers, us, a bunch of others scattered around," Fletcher says. We're sitting by the pool tonight, a distance away in case a predator comes in the night to drink. I'm starving, but I haven't had the opportunity to shoot anything down. I wouldn't be able to cook it anyway. I have matches, but lighting a fire right now is a death sentence. Anyone would be able to see it from miles away.
"So, Terra," Fletcher says, interrupting my thoughts.
"So, Fletcher," I say back.
"What do you want to do tomorrow?"
"Stay alive?"
"That's a given, isn't it?"
"I hope so, Fletcher."
"Anything special you want to do tomorrow?"
"I don't know, get back to the mountain? I feel safer up high."
A pause. I run my hands over the smooth bow.
"What do you want to do tonight?" he asks, and I can hear his tone, it makes my stomach drop like back in the Capitol.
"Keep feeling and being alive," I say again, but I can't help smiling. This is a fight to the death that I'm in, and I'm falling in love! I must be the stupidest girl in here. I don't really care. Let me be stupid for a while.
"Why don't I help you feel alive right now?" Fletcher says.
"And how can you do that?" I ask mischievously.
Without a moment's hesitation, he breaches the gap between us and we're kissing again; I drop my bow into the sand and just pull him closer to me. To hell with what Deecey thinks. I'm the dying one, not her. Plus she and Iry can't see me anyway. The dark conceals me and gives me freedom.
Fletcher pulls away for a second. "I'm getting warmer," I say. Of course I'm warmer; he's practically sitting on me. Touching his face, I can feel his smile. Then I kiss him back and the warm feeling spreads all through my insides and out. Is it ridiculous to feel so happy in the arena?
The shuffling sound coming from a little ways away makes me pull away. Fletcher tries to speak, but I press my finger to his lips. He stops when he hears it too. Footsteps?
Unless the person has a flashlight, they're not going to be able to see us. I silently pick my bow back up and nock the arrow again. Fletcher is unarmed, but I can feel him tensing.
The unnamed tribute is limping; I can tell by the step-shuffle every time they move. Who? If it's a lone tribute, odds are it's not a Career. Whoever it is drops to the ground by the pool and begins drinking like their life depends on it. It probably does. Hearing somebody so close brings me back into the Games. We're all hidden now, but when that sun comes up there will be no hiding.
The tribute appears to have collapsed by the water and is not moving. Fletcher and I aren't moving either. I wonder, could we kill them? I killed the boy from 11; something I haven't worked through yet. This is not the time to do so, however.
"Should we go?" Fletcher breathes into my ear. I shake my head. Not yet.
We sit there, the two of us warm together. My leg falls asleep after a while, but I don't dare move it. I'm dead tired, but I'm not going to sleep; not when there's a threat right in front of me. Instead, I just lean into Fletcher the whole night, watching the stars move overhead. It's really spectacular, the star show.
The tribute has either fallen asleep or fallen unconscious. Either way, it seems safe to move. Fletcher's dozed off a little, so I poke him awake gently. The sky is turning from black to a deep purple; the sunrise isn't far off. Have we been sitting here the whole night?
"Let's go," I whisper to him, and he nods. As quietly as we can, we detangle ourselves, bringing life into our numb limbs. Luckily, our packs are nearby, so we slip them on silently. Without a backwards look, Fletcher and I take off walking as fast and as quiet as we can, away from the pool and the tribute.
I don't know what we're going to find in the desert in the dark. I'm a little scared, if I'm going to be honest. Then Fletcher weaves his hand into mine, and we walk that way for a while, hands clasped tight.
"We'll be okay, don't worry," Fletcher says reassuringly, once we get a distance away.
"I know," I say. I know because we're together, we have each others' backs. Nothing is going to happen while we're together.
We'll be okay.