Beneath the Crystal Sky

by laptop246

Fawn Dogwood is 16. She lives in District 7. She is part of a prosperous scouting troop. She has two little sisters. She is learning a trade. She is being courted. She was never meant to be Reaped. "Scout. Sister. Performer. Tribute. What am I, now? Staring into my own brown eyes, I find that I can't tell anymore." High quality. Works very closely with the original series.

18. III BETRAYAL

PART III. GAMES.
CHAPTER 18. BETRAYAL

So it's been a while again. We have a new cover, one made by Sade Harlem from . I like this one more. The other was just... not good enough. lol. Um... we get into some deeper stuff in this chapter, and we do end on a bad note. Sorry!

I won't hold you up with a forward today, but please review. It really does make my day.

~BTCS~

When the sun begins to set, we set off with our hunting parties to search for tributes. Our stomachs are full of white rabbit, caught by my traps. I unflicnching-ly kill rabbits, but as we set off to hunt tributes, I am practically shaking. I can't kill – I let Cabel go, and I missed Chip. I want nothing more than to drop my axe, run away, and find a tall tree to hide in until this game is over.

But I walk forward. Tide is before me, and Mason behind. They do not trust me – and why should they? They didn't trust me before today, and I haven't given them reason to today.

As we walk softly through the snow, my thoughts turn to Maze and October. How are they faring in this arena? They must both be thrilled by the abundance of trees. Does the cold bother them terribly? They are to come to the Cornucopia tonight, and October and I are to join them. What will they do, I wonder, when I am not there? Will they escape with October and leave me to fend for myself? Or…

A twig snaps from behind, and we freeze. Suddenly, I am back in reality. The sun has set, and the wind is picking up. The temperature has dropped. The stars are out.

Tide motions toward the sound, and we creep closer. My heart pounds. Don't let it be Raven or Maze, I pray. Then, a thought that is somehow worse: Not Cabel.

Breath dead, I creep forward, still between Tide and Mason. The latter's fists are clenched nervously, as he has no weapon. Tide's eyes are narrowed almost to a close. I pray they won't see how ready I am to run.

A rustle. Our heads snap in the direction of the sound. Something is coming closer, and fast. Tide slowly pivots around, as if something is about to pounce on him. My heart flies in fear as I turn to face it as well. I grip my axe, my precious lifeline.

Then, suddenly, a new rustling is evident to my ear, following the other noise. Something has joined in on the run. The sounds get closer steadily, quickly. I hold my breath, heart pounding so I can barely hear anything but my heartbeat. Staring into the darkness, wide-eyed, the survival instincts kick in. Suddenly, in my mind, Tide and Mason are my true allies, and whatever is in the trees is a threat. For our survival, it must be killed.

The noises – the threats – continue to come closer. I realize that they are not directly exactly towards us. They will pass slightly to our right. Maybe they don't know that we are here.

"AHHHH!" The scream is terrified, and high pitched, as though in pain. It cuts off abruptly, halted by a cannon in the distance. Mason, with a wild look in his eye, takes off in the direction of the scream. Tide and I hastily follow.

I nearly step on the body before I see it. Stumbling backwards, I utter a small cry. Tide and Mason, who ran right by it, hurry back towards me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tide looking around frantically for the attacker, and Mason staring at the body blankly, like me. There is a shocked expression on its face, and its blood is seeping into the snow, illuminated by the starlight.

It is Gneiss.

~~BTCS~~

We leave Gneiss's body, taking her coat. She had nothing else to offer us again. I carry the coat as we rush back to the Cornucopia. The attacker (we now assume that Gneiss was running from whomever killed her) has disappeared. Maybe they are watching us now, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Fueled by fear, we are back at the Cornucopia in what feels like minutes. October guards the supplies alone, looking sharply in our direction as we approach. Gneiss was guarding with him tonight. What – or who - lured her away?

"Thank goodness," October says as we draw near. "We were attacked." I notice his sword is stained by blood.

"Who?" Tide's voice is sharp. The Careers being attacked is a very rare thing, especially this early in the Games. The attacker getting away is unheard of.

October doesn't miss a beat, and snarls, "Maze and Raven."

I hold back a cry of despair, staring at his sword. Did he hurt them? Or did he chase away Gneiss and kill her? I feel sick. Gneiss's coat, still warm, seems a heavy burden to me now. I throw it onto the neat pile of supplies with an air of disgust.

"What happened?" Mason's voice is hoarse, and I feel a strike of pity for him. Gneiss may have been competition, but she was from District 2.

October is staring at the coat. "They attacked us when we were talking. Trying to get to the supplies, no doubt. They probably figured that it was the time it would be least guarded." I marvel at the way his gaze doesn't even waver. "Gneiss ran for Maze, but was tripped. I think she pulled Maze down with her." He shrugs slightly. "I lost track of them as I grabbed my sword and lunched for Raven." A dark laugh comes from October's lips. "I think he believed that I was still loyal to him. He seemed surprised when I cut his hand off."

I gasp in surprise, staring at October's bloody sword. Tide throws a suspicious glance at me, and says to October, "Where is his hand, if you cut it off?"

My redheaded ally flinches. "Well, it didn't come all the way off," he concedes. "Nearly, though. If he or Maze don't amputate it, he will likely die from infection." I tear my gaze from the sword and to October's face. He's lying. He has to be – there are holes in his story. Only the blood on the sword makes me uneasy. October has shed someone's blood tonight.

"What of Gneiss?" Mason asks, the same frantic energy in his eyes, as if knowing what happened to her will change things somehow.

"After Raven ran (I let him go – I was reluctant to leave the supplies unguarded), I looked around for Gneiss and Maze, but they were gone. I've been alone ever since." He eyes the coat again. "What brings you back so early?"

Tide and Mason don't answer, so I do. "We found Gneiss." Mason flinches. "Well, her body anyway."

October's surprise is genuine. "Gneiss is dead? But… how?"

"We don't know," Tide snaps. "I'd imagine your old friend killed her." The silence crackles with tension.

A moment of silence passes, and then October says calmly, "Fawn and I are as much a part of this alliance as you." He steps slightly closer to me, and I have to fight not to step away from him and his bloody sword. This is my October. He'd never hurt me.

Tide and Mason stare at us a long moment. Finally, Mason nods. "You are. We aren't accusing you of not acting like it." Tide's eyes linger on my face for a long moment, and he doesn't agree.

Mason leaves our circle in silence, going inside the tent. Again, my heart wrings for him. A thrill of fear wells up inside of me. Is Raven dying now, out in the darkness?

Tide stares at the tent a few long moments, and then goes to sit outside it, staring at the ground and the trees, but obviously keeping an eye on October and I. We won't be going hunting any more tonight.

I sit with my back to the Cornucopia, and October does likewise. I stare at the stars. Are they the same stars from District 7? Are my ancestors in the trees and the stars here, in the arena, like they are home?

So sudden that I jump up, the Capitol anthem blares from the peaceful silence. I force myself to sit down quickly, feeling like an idiot. No one's eyes are on me, however, but the sky as the Capitol's seal is projected into the stars.

Gneiss's face appears, and Mason's face appears as well, framed by the tent's opening flaps. Instead of the mighty slabs of rock inside the dual circles, there is Gneiss's face, smiling slightly as though she knows a secret we don't, for just a moment.

Then her face is replaced by Chip's, followed by Barley's, and Angela's. When Angela's face is replaced by the Capitol seal, the anthem blares a flourish, and the sky goes dark.

~~~BTCS~~~

The next day, we decide to move camp. Whomever the thief was (and everyone assumes it was Raven and Maze) knows where we are. We will be a much effective threat elsewhere. I am not part of the group that goes to look for a spot, so I wander around the area outside the Cornucopia, checking my traps and dismantling them. There is a squirrel in one, and when I take it back to camp, Syren and Luster start a fire to fry it.

"We won't be able to have a fire at the new camp," Syren comments, warming her hands before the bright flames. "It will be too obvious, if we are trying to hide."

Luster nods in agreement, and I frown. I'm not used to hiding. In the Crescent Moon Troop, we waited for the predators to attack us. After we beat them, there was no need to hide. Everything stayed away from us. "Where do you think they'll set up camp?" I ask.

"Tide mentioned a cave," Luster comments. "I expect they're heading up the mountainside." He motions to a large and impressive mountain that isn't too far from here.

My eyes pop open from where they had lazily closed, lulled by the warmth of the fire. "A cave?"

Luster and Syren exchange a glance, as if surprised by my sudden outburst. "It makes sense," Syren reasons. "Shelter from the elements, a wide view…"

I'm shaking my head fervently. "No. Caves collapse all the time – they are stable one moment, and the next, they come down upon your head. And then there's avalanches that could block the entrance…" I shudder. We were carefully warned about the danger of caves as children.

"We'll just find a stable one," Luster says, returning his gaze to the fire, completely unconcerned. I narrow my eyes at him. I had thought him sensible. How can he ignore the evident danger?

"Fawn," Syren's eyes are placating. "It's just a cave. It will be fine." I settle into an uncomfortable silence, unwilling to tell them just how wrong they are.

We eat the squirrel, and I go for a walk. Syren and Luster obviously trust me much more than my other allies, because they hardly glance at me as I walk away under the green pines.

When I am a safe distance away from the camp, and closer to the great mountain, I climb a tree. The air is clear, and it seems I can see for miles. I stare, blinking. Where are Maze and Raven? Is Raven as badly injured as October claimed? Has he truly lost his hand?

I let out the birdcall we had decided to be our code, and listen to the silence afterwards. Maybe it's just my imagination, but I think I hear it returned to me. I call it again, staring eagerly at the trees. Maze and Raven will come, and we will be together, and we can make a new plan.

I wait for twenty minutes, but my allies do not appear. I let out the birdcall one last time, and come down from the tree. My foot hits the ground, leaving a deep impression, and an idea comes to me. Reaching up, I break a small branch from the tree, praying to my ancestors for forgiveness. I bend down and write carefully in the snow, Mountain. Tonight? I draw an arrow pointing in the direction of the mountain and walk back to the Cornucopia. I can only hope that Maze and Raven will find my message.

When I return to the Cornucopia, the sun is at its arch, and the rest of the Careers have arrived. Luster throws me a relieved glance. There has obviously just been an argument. "She's back." He announces.

Everyone turns to look at me, and I smile slightly. "Just… checking that I'd gotten all of the traps one last time," I say. "Wouldn't want any tributes getting food because I was careless."

I join the group, and eyes look away, except Tide's. He stares at me much longer than etiquette allows, and my heart pounds the whole time, as if he can read my thoughts.

"We found a cave," October tells me. I turn to him, eyebrow raised slightly. "It's not too high up, and it's easy enough to climb to."

I sigh. "I don't think it's safe." I tell him.

October nods, tensely. "I know. Luster and Syren were telling us." I tense, but relax quickly, trying not to show it. That's what the argument had been about?

"What was the decision, then?" I ask.

Before October can answer, Tide says loudly, "We are going to the cave. Only three people are against it." I glance around, looking for the two people supporting me. No one's face changes as I glance at them, and so I look away.

We pick up all of the supplies. I have a backpack containing nearly half of the supplies. Syren has the other, and Mason, October, and Shyne take turns hauling the large dismantled tent. Tide leads the way, unburdened by anything but his own sword.

As we walk through the trees, my heart pounds perhaps stronger than ever. I pray that we will not pass by the note I wrote in the snow, and that we will not run into Raven and Maze. We do not, however, and soon reach the mountain.

October was right. The climb isn't hard. We all manage, and the only person that struggles is the one carrying the tent. Eventually, October, Shyne, and Mason carry the tent together to make the job easier. I let the exercise drain my brain of thought. It is nice, for a short while, to concentrate on nothing but putting one foot in front of the other.

Boom! A cannon sounds. We halt in our tracks, glancing around instinctively. My heart pounds, and a horrible thought comes to me unbidden. Was that the cannon announcing the death of Raven?

"Come on." It is Shyne's voice that awakens us all. "Let's get to the cave quick. We're in no shape to fight now." She's right. If someone attacked us, we only have one unburdened fighter. Syren and I might manage well enough, but Mason, October, and Shyne are vulnerable.

The light is getting worse as the sun descends. We hurry recklessly, and soon the sunset turns to twilight. My heart continues to pound. Is Raven dead? Did Maze find my note? Is she following us now?

The cave comes into view suddenly. We rush towards it, the party massing into the entrance. I stand a bit apart from the group, still reluctant to go under the mass of rock. October shoots me a look of annoyance but doesn't comment on my unwillingness to stand near to the cave. I turn slightly, looking the way we came, my heart still pounding. The clouds are massing, pink and purple, against the sky. As I watch, the grow, turning darker. "There's a storm coming," I say suddenly.

"Storm?" Luster is directly behind me, staring over my shoulder. "What does that mean?"

I roll my eyes. It is strange to think that someone with so much training has no idea what a storm means here. "Back home, it means clumps of snow, swirling and blisteringly cold winds, and hard rocks of ice. The sky goes completely dark sometimes from the clouds, like night. Avalanches are common - giant amounts of snow and rock tumbling down the mountains. You never know what to expect - you could be untouched, or killed. And here ... who knows?" There is silence as they absorb my words. I turn slowly to face them. "If there is an avalanche, the cave will be blocked."

A hint of my fear appears in their eyes. "It's too late now." Tide says. "We're here, and the storm is coming. If there will be ice falling from the sky, we can't exactly stay outside. We have no place to go but here." He motions inside the cave, and they trudge in slowly, casting dark looks at the coming storm. I remain outside, convinced of our doom should we go in.

A bird, a mockingjay, perhaps, twitters in the difference. I narrow my eyes a moment. All the birds should be quiet, hiding in their hidden places. The birds that can survive in this terrain, even in a Gamemaker's version of it, have sense enough to hide when they see a bird coming in. The sound comes again, and my body goes stiff with recognition.

"Fawn?" I turn slowly, startled by the voice. October is at the entrance of the cave, staring at me. I meet his eyes, trying to unravel the mystery inside of them. "Fawn, you... I..." He shakes himself, blinking rapidly. "You should really come inside, especially if it is as dangerous as you say."

I can't break eye contact with him. There is something extremely deep in his eyes."About Raven, October..." Before I can say anymore, there is a soft thumping noise behind me. I spin, thinking that Raven and Maze are there, watching us. But it is only a silver package, trailed by a silver parachute. "It's a sponsor gift." I whisper.

"What is it?" October doesn't move, and I realize that he expects me to take it. "It's yours," he insists. "it landed by you."

I nod in silent agreement, and walk, half trembling towards the package. If it is what I hope it is... my entire odds in these Games might be changed. I open it slowly, not daring to hope. "October!" I cry, a smile breaking over my face. I hardly notice as the flakes begin to fall, thick and heavy, upon my hair.

"What is it?" October says for the second time, rushing over to me. His hand hovers awkwardly beside me as he crouches down.

"Knives, October!" I am grinning uncontrollably, picking one of them up and turning it over in my hand. It is a deep brown, a wood that I can quickly identify as mahogany. It's blade is long and smooth and on both sides of the knife. "Knives!" I am pulling them out quickly now, ignoring how the flakes are now piling on top of each other. I count them slowly, once, and then again. The bottom of the pile covers the twelfth by the time I get to it. "There's twelve, October! Twelve!"

He smiles and laughs, and for a moment, I pretend that he is River for a moment, warm by my side and ready to sweep me into his arms... For a moment, we are silent, staring at my knives. Then I shake myself and look up. The light is already dimming, and the snow flurries are speeding. "We should go in," October says quietly

I nod, cringing at the knowledge that the cave was my only refuge. Carefully, I gather the knives into my hands. A glance into the box shows me that the sponsors included one more gift: a pristine white knife belt. I clip it on quickly, putting the knives gingerly in each of the pockets. Then I accept October's hand, and he helps me up. A chilly wind pushes us towards the ledge, and we hover for a moment, near falling. When it lets off slightly, we exchange a look and hurry inside the cave.

"Where did you get those?" Syren's voice is sharp, and I freeze, remembering our argument over knives, back during training. Her eyes glint dangerously, and I understand that the stress of the storm has forced all fake pleasantries away. The only difference between now and the argument during training is that now she can kill me.

I meet her gaze, trying to keep an air of calm, though I am privately imagining the ceiling collapsing on us. "They were a gift," I say. "from a sponsor. They came right as you all went in." I can hear the sound of the hail beginning, the heavy blocks of ice hitting the stone of the mountain we are inside. I want to close my eyes and simply listen. I want to have a warning if we are going to be trapped or worse.

"Good," Syren says, with a smile full of venom. "I've been wanting knives."

She advances towards me suddenly, and I make eye contact with her, backing up slowly. My mind instinctively tunes into her every movement, noting how she clenches her fist, the other hand curled tightly around her dagger. My breaths quicken, as I stare at her, trying to formulate a plan. I'm having a hard time processing her transformation. Just this morning she was pleading with me, telling me not to worry about the cave, and now... now she was going to kill me?

I put my hands up in a surrendering gesture, trying to ignore the fact that I have twelve knives and an axe on me, and that I am currently the best armed Career in the lot. "Syren," I say quietly. "you're not thinking this through. Just put the dagger down."

"Oh, I'm thinking." She throws back her head and laughs, the same laugh that she laughed when we were joking around the campfire only this morning. It gives me chills now, to know that I thought myself so safe, when I am so near death now. I can feel it - the heavy shroud of death is coming near to me, ready to envelope me and steal my breath.

Syren glances at the other Careers, as though obtaining permission. They all wear blank faces. October looks strained, but even he doesn't step forward to stop the girl from District 4. "We have been planning this moment." Syren hisses at me, her smile vicious and with a feline snarl. How had I not seen this before now? How had I thought I could become a true Career, even if for only a while?

"What do you mean?" I'm stalling, trying to buy myself time. I think that I hear the rocks sliding a bit, and my eyes widen. I glance back towards the entrance. Going into the storm isn't a sensible option, but what else can I do?

A grim smile passes between the Careers, and all I can do is shift my gaze to October's face. He knew about this? Suddenly, it makes sense - his guilty looks, Career-like attitude, and unfinished sentence outside of the cave. I'd thought that it was all an act until we could get to Maze and Raven. Raven... with horror I think of the blood on the sword. October couldn't have possibly... he couldn't have actually...

"Piecing it all together, are you?" asked Syren. I am shaking as I draw two knives from my belt. I'm not going down without a fight. Taking a deep breath, I attempt to steady my hand. I can't throw as nervous as I am. "From the start, we knew that you couldn't live. With you in the alliance... we could keep an eye on you."

I look at October, still backing up, trying to buy myself more time. "You knew." There is no hiding the hurt in my voice, the way that it cracks on the last syllable. His face clouds with that same guilt again, and I can't even bear to look at him. "You... all of you... you set me up." I'm almost to the opening now - only nine or so more yards are between me and the large hail.

Syren rolls her eyes at me. "So naive, even now, so close to death." She twirls her dagger around for a moment. "Really, Fawn, I expected more."

I can't help it. Anger wells inside of me, and I think again of home, of Creta and Aria, my troop and River, my mother and Web. They are all watching me, breathless already. Has my mother forced Creta and Aria away yet, sent them running back to our shack? "All I have to do is throw this knife, Syren, and you're dead," I say, in a low voice. "You've seen me throw. I won't miss. And you're too close to jump aside."

Syren stops walking, and I follow suit. "You could kill me," she sneers, her body proud, but eyes panicking. "but you'd be dead in the next instant." She's right. The Careers have all gotten up and are standing a short distance behind her, weapons at the ready. Even October holds his sword tight in his hand. My heart is racing. I have to sprint for it. I have no choice.

I am tensing my muscles to do it when we all hear the noise - the bird call coming from the middle of the hailstorm. My eyes meet October's, and my heart races. Don't do it. Don't give them away, too.

"What was that?" Tide demands, staring at me. I don't glance at him. There's that deep thing in October's eyes again, and I can't look away. Please, please, at least spare them, I beg him silently.

October breaks the eye contact, looking guiltily at the floor once more. "It's the signal," he says quietly. "that Maze, Raven, Fawn, and I set up. Apparently... apparently Fawn's allegiance never left them."

"If you had any sense, you'd have done the same!" I scream, lurching forward to stab Syren with my knife. The force of it pushes her to the floor. I glance up just in time to see the shocked faces of the Careers. I aim at one of them randomly, throwing the knife blindly, and run without caring to see if it hit its mark.

I sprint through the snow, daring to let out the bird call once, loudly. The world is a swirling white mass, a complete mess. I let it out again, and listen for it to be returned. It's hard to hear anything in the whistling wind. I glance down at my hand and immediately regret it. My hand is damp with Syren's dark, crimson blood. Biting my lip and looking away, I fill my lungs with air and scream, hoping to the stars that Maze and Raven will be able to hear me.

There is a rumbling sound, and I stop running suddenly, staring in the white darkness to where it came from. Realization fills me. I realize what I have done. As the rumbling grows louder, I hear a shrieking sound joining the wind. It isn't until I am running again that I realize it is my own scream.

I run down the mountain, all thoughts of Maze, Raven, and the Careers gone. I am driven by the simple primal instinct: survival. The world is white and black, and all that matters is stumbling from ledge to ledge. I fall several times, each time the blood on my hand marking the snow, leaving it red. But it doesn't leave my hand, no matter how panicked I become. The wind around me is howling, screaming with me. I can hear the rumble behind me, snow falling down the mountainside.

Suddenly, the ground is gone before me. I slide to a halt at the very last moment, looking back to see if I can see the avalanche coming towards me. But there is only black and white, and it is impossible to tell anything from anything else. I stare down at the ledge. How far down is the drop? The white steals all senses of perception. How am I to tell?

"Fawn!" I stare at the ledge, and my eyes dart around, looking for an alternative. "Fawn!" With dread, I realize that I need to head back up the mountain, back towards the avalanche. "FAWN!"

I spin, hearing the sound of my name, but see nothing but white and black. "Fawn!" Caution runs through me quickly. It is impossible to identify the voice with the whistling wind. It could be a Career.

Drawing a knife, I walk until my back is against a slab of rock. The rumbling is getting louder. I can't go back up the mountain now. I just have to hope that whoever is calling my name will not find me, and that the rock will be protection enough from the avalanche. "Fawn!"

The rumbling is so strong now that my feet are bouncing off of the ground. I have to hold the knife carefully, for fear of stabbing my own face. "Fawn!" the cry is desperate, and the face appears suddenly, lost in a second in the white.

"Maze," I tell myself quietly. The avalanche is almost here. "Maze!" I cry, desperate as well. "Maze, I'm here! Over here, Maze!" I'm too terrified to leave my rock, but her face appears again for a second, and I think that she is coming closer to me. "Maze, here!" I can see her now, smiling in relief. Raven is not with her. She must have left him, as I had earlier thought.

"Fawn!" she calls to me, hurrying to join me at the rock.

"Maze!" relief is breaking in my chest. I found Maze. No Career was following me. We might survive pressed behind this rock. I am beginning to smile when I see him, directly behind Maze, with his sword in his hand. "MAZE!" I scream in terror, holding my knife in my numb fingers and taking aim. "MAZE, DUCK!"

Her eyes cloud, not understanding, but she doesn't hesitate to dive towards the ground. The ice carries her out of the range of the sword, and the attacker wails in anger. I meet his eyes, and the betrayal and anger fill me again. My grip tightens on the knife. Maze, crawling quickly towards me, glances from my knife to the attacker. "Fawn, don't!" her voice is constricted, panicking. "Don't, Fawn, don't!"

I ignore her, taking aim, but before I can throw the knife, the avalanche is upon us. Maze screams as I pull her towards me and the rock. She screams as October plummets over the edge of the chasm, into the avalanche.

~~~~BTCS~~~~

:0

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