Chapter 44- Dexsia Greentree
"We're in for a change in the weather," Calypso says, looking at the sky. She's sitting out at the entrance to the Cornucopia, trident balanced across her lap.
"Looks like rain," Velvet says, coming back from the oasis after filling up some of the water bottles. As usual, Treasure is in the back combing her hair. I know today is the day, the day that the alliance breaks. I feel tense, but I'm trying not to show it.
Something is going to happen with the weather today too. I think Velvet might be right about the rain, but the fact that it's cooler today than it has been for the past five days leads me to believe something else might be going on.
I fiddle with my sword, drawing pictures in the sand outside the Cornucopia. "Nice flower," Velvet says offhandedly as he passes me with the water, stacking it up with the other jugs.
"Thank you," I say. I'm ready to strike, whenever Calypso decides it's time. She initiated the initial plan to break, so I'm going to let her take the lead. I can hold my own anyway, against any one of these people. I'm not going to die today, they are.
"Look what I found!" Treasure says, coming out from the back with something black in her hands. Her high-pitched and cheerful voice grates on my ears, especially when it turns whiny. Everyone's up early today, and it's irritating. Getting their living in while they can, I guess.
"What is it?" I ask, putting my hand out for whatever she's holding.
"Binoculars! They were buried under some food!" Treasure says cheerfully, waving them around.
"Give them here," I say, and Treasure hands them over. "Oh, these are excellent." Looking through them, I can see all around the arena as though I was there, even though the light isn't very good right now. The sun isn't even really up yet. This is a game changer for sure; with these I will be unstoppable.
I zoom in on the mountain area, and at the base of it I can see two figures. "Two tributes sighted," I say, squinting to see better through the lenses. Damn this dim light!
"Which ones?" Calypso asks, taking the binoculars from me. "Oh, it's the District 8s."
"What are we going to do about them?" Treasure asks, bouncing up and down.
"Velvet, what do you say we go take them out?" Calypso asks, turning to our only male ally. I can read her plan; we can take out two tributes at once, and then kill Velvet and Treasure in the desert.
"Alright," Velvet says, more readily than I would have thought. "I hate that kid from 8, the boy. Thinks he's such a smooth talker."
"Well, gear up because we're going to go kill him," I say brightly. "Dress warm, it's a cool day."
"I can notice that for myself, Dexsia," Velvet says grumpily, but he goes and finds another layer in one of the crates. While the other tributes are probably starving and dying of thirst, we're living the good life. We have more supplies here than we'll ever use.
Calypso arms herself with a trident, Velvet with a sword, and Treasure with two knives. I pack two knives along with my sword. The plan is, two of us are coming back. One of them is going to be me.
"Ready?" Calypso asks. I nod.
"Let's go kill some tributes," she says, and we start out, Treasure complaining about the wind chill.
The sun's barely up when we start out, and the whole arena is grey with shadows. The wind whistles through the dunes, and it chills me to the bone.
"I don't remember it being this cold," Treasure says, shivering.
"It hasn't been, that's why," Calypso says. The wind blows against us, making me stagger a few times.
"What's going on up there?" Velvet asks, looking up at the sky.
"Storm?" I suggest. After that, the wind is too cold and too strong to talk, so we walk in silence for the next hour or so.
When we're about two thirds of the way to the mountain, the first snowflake falls.
"What the hell was that?" Calypso says, wiping her cheek. Another falls, then another, until we're caught in a snowstorm.
"Who ever thought to put snow in a desert?" Treasure asks.
"I'll give you three guesses," I say, fed up with the girl. I want her dead first. I'll be doing her District a favor. I doubt they even want her back.
"Should we turn back?" Calypso asks in doubt. I am not leaving until four tributes are dead!
"No, we're almost there," I say, and we plow on. Velvet starts to grumble after a little bit, but I just ignore him. Enjoy being alive, Velvet, because you're not going to be for much longer.
Slowly but surely, the mountain begins to take shape in front of us, climbing tall into the sky and then disappearing in the snow.
"Where are we?" Treasure asks, looking around.
"The mountain is literally right there," I say, pointing with my sword. I can't see the tributes yet, and I don't know if they've seen us. The snow isn't letting up; if anything, it's getting worse, and the temperature's plummeting.
Very clever on the Gamemakers' part; who would have expected a snowstorm in a desert? Not me, that's who. I'll bet the Capitol people are glued to their sets right now, even though it's so early in the morning. I wonder what my family is thinking of this.
"I see them!" Calypso says, loud over the howl of the wind.
"Let's go," Velvet says, and we break into a run, fighting against the storm.