OMG I am sooooo sorry for not updating fast! I got sidetracked D:
Katniss's POV
I walk into Haymitch's room and shake him awake.
"Haymitch wake up!" I almost yell in his ear. I know he won't wake up by just shaking him, past experience. But… surprisingly he does. He stirs in his bed and takes the covers off of his head.
"How long have I been asleep?" He rubs his eyes and I rock on the balls of my feet, not wanting to tell him.
"Oh…about seventeen hours." I say quietly, but he heard me.
"Seventeen hours? That might as well be a day! Why didn't you wake me up?" He asks in a stern voice.
"Because, you actually had a full night's rest without any nightmares." He looks at me with those cold eyes of his.
"Did anything happen to the two?" He asks, getting off subject. I shake my head but then remember the alliance.
"But they did form an alliance." I add. He just gets up and walks out, since he slept in his clothes. But I do hear him mumble something.
"You actually had a full night's rest without any nightmares." I hear him mock me and I can't help but laugh. "I heard that!" I stop laughing but the smile stays. Oh Haymitch.
I walk out of the room and sit in one of the chairs next to him. I see him glance at me but then intently back at the screen.
"Are you stalking me or something? Why don't you go collect sponsors or go find that lover boy of yours." He says and I get up looking offended.
"And I thought you loved me?" It would've worked, if it weren't for the smile.
"Till my dying breath, now go." He says sarcastically and pushes me lightly out the door but I notice a smile forming on his lips as I walk away.
I go to collect sponsors but decide to find Peeta first. It takes a while, but I eventually find him. He's talking to Annie as they laugh and joke.
"Hey Annie." I butt in. She smiles widely at me and holds out her arms for a friendly hug. I return it and then look at Peeta.
"Finally got Haymitch up, just to let you know." I say. Lately I've been in a good mood. I guess it's because Ray and Dray formed an alliance with Amary.
"Congratulations." He laughs.
"Where's little Fin?" I ask Annie.
"He's back home. My one friend is taking care of him while I help my tributes." Annie tells me. I nod and Peeta and me say our good-byes. We walk down the corridor (I guess that's what it is?) and I turn to Peeta.
"I'm going to collect sponsors, why don't you go help Haymitch?" I ask.
"We didn't even talk and you want to get rid of me." He says with a laugh. "Okay then, see ya Katniss." He waves and goes down the opposite hall. I too go my own way and go to collect sponsors.
Ray's POV
I hear the last of the crickets' chirps and the nocturnal growls of the night as the sun creeps up over the horizon line. It's weird though, how such a beautiful sight was made by some of the most horrible people.
"Ray?" I hear someone mumble to my right. I look over to find Dray just waking up. His ankle is sticking out of what blanket he has left. This brings the urgent question to mind.
"How's your ankle?" I instinctively ask. He sits up more and just nods his head slightly. I hear rustling to my left and Amary rubs what's left of sleep from her eyes.
"What's going on?" She slurs from most likely lack of sleep.
"Nothing, Ray was just wondering about my ankle." Dray answers in a quiet tone.
"Oh m'kay." Amary says and gets up from her resent position. Dray and me follow and I stretch my sore muscles. I look over at Dray who's doing the same but… Amary's gone.
"Amary?" I whisper so I don't get anyone else's attention. No response so I raise my voice. "Amary?" Soon she emerges from the bushes, motioning for us to follow. I take a quick glance at Dray who's limping badly. I pretend not to notice and walk out of our safety zone. Though, no place is safe in the arena.
"What are you doing?" Dray croaks.
"Last night we agreed to go hunting right?" I shake my head remembering last night's discussion.
"Well yeah, but I didn't agree to do it early in the morning." Dray never really was a morning person, he would just sit around until he 'found' his energy. Typical Dray.
"Now's not the time to be lazy Dray, we need to find food or else we starve." I hiss at him. He just rolls his stupid gray eyes and grabs hold of his sword. He must've picked it up the backpack and sword when I wasn't looking because I don't remember him grabbing them.
"Wouldn't have been the first." He mumbles.
We creep through the forest until the rocks take over the terrain and the trees slowly disappear. It's probably better because most of the animals are out by the rocks. Dray's limping ahead with the sound of his leg dragging against the rocks. I'm about to follow him when I notice that there is one less sound of footsteps. I look back to see that Amary has stopped walking.
"Dray." I say loud enough so he can hear and hold up a finger for him to wait. He stops walking and waits by a boulder, arms crossed. I ignore his rude behavior and go over to Amary.
"I-I haven't been out of the forest ever since the games started." She states and quickly glances at Dray.
"You haven't been on the rest of the mountain yet?" I'm stunned; most of the food, water, and shelter are out beyond the woods.
"Well the woods are kind of my safety zone. Besides not a lot of people come through here, just for shade or something." She has a point with the people, but I have a feeling that's not the main reason. Instead I shrug and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Well, you're gonna have to come out of the forest if you want to find some food." She's hesitant, but she takes slow steps out of the forest.
Dray's POV
At some point while Ray's talking to Amary, I sit down against the rock because of my ankle. Ever since that mutt accident, it has had a burning sensation and has been killing me. Not literally, I hope. But I'm not going to tell Ray or Amary because that might send Ray into a little fit.
Eventually, Ray comes over with Amary and I get back up onto my feet. For some odd reason Ray has a smile on her face, Amary too, but she's wearing hers upside-down. I shake my head and begin to walk off.
"I don't want to know." I say quietly. It gets annoying limping especially after hours of walking. Also a bit tiring on the other foot because I'm bearing most of my weight on that foot.
It takes us a long time to find food. Well, mid-day a goat crosses our path, and we almost got it, but I guess we're not natural hunters. Now it's late afternoon and we still didn't catch anything. My stomach keeps growling and I'm hoping it's not loud enough for someone to hear it.
"Maybe we should head back for the night." Ray says dragging her feet as she walks. Amary is in the same boat too. If it weren't for their different physical features then they could basically be sisters. They're always acting the same and thinking alike.
"Yeah, we should head back." Amary says.
My point taken.
They both turn on their heels and I begin to complain. "But we haven't caught anything-." I'm cut of short from rustling behind me. "Wait." We all stop and I look back at the rocks. I have my sword gripped firmly in my hand, ready to slice any animal that crosses my path. But to my surprise, it's not an animal; it's the District 4 boy.
I never really acknowledged him because during the Reaping he seemed scared and helpless…despite his size and age. So I never took him as a huge threat. Right now he seems jumpy and a bit messed up in the head. Also, he has this crazed look in his eyes. I automatically notice the big metal club in his left hand. This can't be good.
I raise my sword and say one simple sentence. "Back off." The kid just laughs and looks at Ray and Amary.
"You're actually protecting those squirts? How dumb are you? They won't last one second without you!" His right eye twitches and he has this evil grin on his face.
"Shut your flippin' face before I shut it for you!" I snarl with hate leaking into my voice. I take a quick glance behind me and Ray is literally right behind me scared out of her wits probably.
"Oh, a bit overprotective are we?" He tilts his head slightly.
"Why the hell are you even here anyway?" My tone becomes louder every second I have to look at this kid.
"I came to kill your sister and her little ally, being the youngest in the arena. Won't last one more day anyway so I just figured, why not put them out of their misery?" He lets out a loud laugh and Amary Jumps at him while Ray flees behind the nearest boulder.
"Amary!" I warn but she doesn't stop, she just keeps running at him with her knife entwined between her fingers. I take one step before the boy kicks her in the side and Amary hits the rock right beside her. She lies on the ground motionless but breathing. "Amary!" I scream again and let out some sort of growl at the District 4 boy. I raise my sword and we both run, no, sprint towards each other. I raise my sword high until the boy and me meet and then I try to jab him in his throat. It doesn't work because he blocks my attack with that club of his. I keep trying to hit him but he maneuvers and blocks all of my failed attempts to kill him.
Metal crashes against metal and I'm a bit surprised of how well my sword is holding up against his large club. This goes on for a while until the thing I want the least to happen happens. He kicks me in my weak ankle and I drop my sword while falling to the ground. I hear it clang somewhere in the distance but the noise is not what I'm paying attention to.
District 4 raises his club and slams it down on my ribs. A searing pain shoots through my whole side, around my torso, and into my lungs. Blood comes flying out of my mouth with the taste of iron lingering behind as it splatters to the ground. I hear someone call my name but it's quiet and almost inaudible.
Everything goes by too fast. Ray coming out from behind the rock. Amary waking and running to the boy. And finally, hearing something fall, like metal. The boy lets out one last laugh and it feels like he should be dead, but no cannon goes off.
"He got away!" I'm guessing Amary yells. Then I feel someone come right beside me with shaking hands. Ray.
"Oh, Dray please." She pleads. But why? "Dray." By now I'm wheezing, trying to catch every bit of precious air. But nothing comes. I figure I must have broken my ribs and punctured my lung in the process. "Dray!"
Instead of crying with her I just smile with what energy I have left. "I didn't fail." Is all I manage to say as life slips from my fingers. All I'm thinking about is that in the end, I kept my promise and help my little sister stay alive.
Ray gives a very slim smile and shakes her head. "You didn't fail." She lets my head rest on the stone covered ground as I hear my cannon sound and everything goes black.
Amary's POV
Dray lays there, motionless as the last drops of blood trickle down the side of his face and his cannon rings through the empty air. I can't help but let one tear fall as Ray stands up and wipes her own tears from her face. She doesn't talk but instead goes and picks up his sword and rests it on his chest.
"You didn't fail at all." She says again and walks towards the woods. I know I should be heading back with her so the hovercraft can lift his corpse up but I need to do one last thing, something that I feel like I need to do. I hope Katniss is watching.
I take my three middle fingers, press them to my lips and hold them out to Dray's dead body. I know I might pay the price but hopefully the Capital doesn't think it's an act of rebellion.
"Good-bye." I say and walk away, thinking of Rue.
Well one of them had to die. Please tell me if I was rushing it or if it was too sappy D: