AN-Here's chapter 16! Disclaimer and enjoy! Please review!
Chapter 16:
"Let the Hunger Games begin!"
That's what I hear for a split second, announced by Caesar Flickerman. It echoes in my mind, but it doesn't seem to have any meaning; not now. My head is spinning with anxiety and plans to get to out of here alive.
Lachlan...Where's Lachlan?
I look around. White surrounds me everywhere as if I were trapped in an empty dimension. Only the blood of an unknown Tribute seeping around my shoes pulls me back to reality. I snap my head up, knowing I've wasted probably half my time spacing out and hopelessly looking for Lachlan. I only have one choice to make.
Cornucopia or away? Cornucopia or away?
The gong rings out, and my feet carry me to the Cornucopia. I guess I don't want to go into the endless mist unprotected.
Wait, it's not mist... It's extremely heavy snow. It crunches under my boot and making it sink into its freezing wet surface.
In District Four, we've always dreamed of snow since we lived in a tropical climate. Well, I got my wish, but not in the way I wanted.
Gold flashes before my eyes, and I realize the Cornucopia is very near. I see no one has caught up to me, or at least in my path wielding a weapon. So close, to everything I need to survive. So close to survival heaven!
Wham!
A strong body crashes into me the force of a speedboat. Flawless golden hair flies to my face, and I instantly know its Pladia.
Is she trying to kill me right now? I thought we had an alliance! She'd better not forget that!
I spot the silver glint of her knife rising up above my head. No... Not yet! I WON'T die in the Bloodbath! I'm stronger than that!
The knife freezes in midair as I stare at it curiously, wondering what's going through Pladia's mind.
"Oh, Aura, it's you," she says embarrassed. She pockets her knife and pulls me up. "I'm sorry; it's hard to tell who's an ally and whose prey in this crappy weather."
"Its fine," I say picking up a backpack and a few knives around my feet before anyone snatches them. "I would've done the same by accident anyways." It's true. I probably would've even killed me if I were in her position.
"They'll meet us here. Keep on guard," she tells me. Like I need to be told twice to keep on guard. We stand around in the mist-like snow straining our ears for any sign of life. Eventually we hear sloshing through the ankle deep snow and we draw our weapons. As we can see many dark haired forms coming through the snow, Pladia has the nerve to call out, "Who's there?"
A deep husky voice answers, "Careers." Pladia drops her stance completely when her District partner, Lucretius is followed by Nelly, Bedros, and Lachlan; each carrying a backpack and a weapon. Fresh scarlet drips onto the snow off of Lucretius' sword. Nelly speaks up, shifting the weight on her shoulder from her backpack. "I thought I saw someone head over there but-"
She's interrupted by a low moan that's filled with pain. Without saying a word, Lachlan dashes off and the moaning stops. He returns within a few minutes, without explaining where he went. But we can all guess what he did. We take Nelly's suggestion and start off in a direction that to me seems pointless, but I go with it. With Pladia in the lead, we come to a downhill slope and go in a single file line. I hear a few distant screams of kids that seem to get softer and softer until I can't hear them anymore.
I wonder what happened to them. I get my answer when my foot slips of the path we're walking on. I save myself just in time as I hear the rocks the fell loose fall into what seems like a bottomless pit of white.
From the looks of it, those kids don't have a chance of surviving that big of a fall.
"We scouted the place out," Nelly states behind me. "Teamwork, y' know?"
"Yeah," I breathe. I slowly calm myself down as we walk down the snowy path as it curves around an invisible wall.
I run a hand along the wall and feel jagged rocks through my thick gloves. Putting all the evidence together, the snow, the rocks, the steep, steep cliff, I surmise that we're on a mountain. High up on a mountain.
I let out a very deep sigh, white smoke coming out of my mouth. Lachlan and I are doomed unless the ice melts. We're amphibians, and I'm pretty sure frogs don't belong up on the peak of high mountains.
My suspicions are confirmed when the blizzard clears for a split second, allowing me to see the peak of the mountain. It seems like there's a spiral pattern carved along the sides, which I assume is the continuation of the trail. From my estimations, I can see that if we plan to go all the way to the top, then we're in for two or more days of grueling hiking against high winds and the freezing cold. There are also the Gamemakers traps, too. This is going to be a tedious year in the Games.
The coldness is biting into my face, but somehow every other body part that is covered is warm. That's Capitol grade uniforms for you.
Tiny snowflakes begin to fall. How I wish to be back in the sea. Stupid Gamemakers taking two fish out of water.
We continue a bit further and I take notice of the weapons everyone has. Lucretius has his brilliant double bladed sword gripped in his right hand with the dried blood on the tip. Nelly has a blow dart loaded with who-knows-what, something I don't want in me; that I know. Bedros has a mace made out of some type of metal that doesn't look heavy but if it is, he shows no sign of strain. Lachlan carries a medium sized spear- not too heavy. I take a closer look at what Pladia has which are a pack of small, handheld throwing knives along with a normal knife, the one she almost killed me with earlier and a backpack similar to the others-white and medium sized with a 1 on it.
Depending on how good your district is in wealth and stature and whether or not you grab your own backpack, the color of the backpack blends into the Arena and the size grows or shrinks the further away your district is. So far, everyone's managed to grab the right backpack.
I take a look of what I snatched earlier in my haste- a simple dagger and a couple of throwing knives as well.
Mediocre pickings in terms of weapons. Maybe I'll have to reuse these knives as fighting knives. Not the best, but hey, anything sharp is a plus one in the arena.
I hope that the others grabbed some food and matches. Water isn't something to worry about since we could melt the snow. If I ignore the bitter cold- easier said than done- then I can say the Gamemakers gave us a break.
The blizzard starts up again and within a few minutes, it's hard to see anything in front of myself. We have to continually call to each other over the wind and snow, so much that my voice begins to get tired. It's a miracle the inside of my mouth isn't frozen solid.
A crunch of snow that felt out of place. That's the only warning I hear before it all happens.
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AN-Hope you liked this chapter. Please review!