Chapter 13

Annie made fairly pleasant company for the next few hours. She seemed delighted by my company and I found hers oddly comforting. It was the first time in days that I hadn't felt like every human being around me wanted me dead. We had no more food and very little water but I had no idea even where to start looking for Jasper to end these games, so we stayed put, there was no point in tiring ourselves just so that we could get to him exhausted.

I tried to get Annie to take one of my knives. I explained to her as kindly as I could that she would need it if Jasper came. I even tried to just put it straight into her hand, but she let it fall and I found myself diving into the water, yet again, to get it before it sunk. She refused to touch the thing, no matter how much I explained and pleaded, so in the end I just left her without one. You could only help people so much.

After a while, she started playing with her treasures. The slip of fabric seemed to have a particular significance in these games and I wondered, in horror, whether it had belonged to the District 4 boy who she seemed to have taken to so much. Watching her play made me kind of nervous, so I turned my back to her and instead watched the horizon with glazed eyes.

I wondered about home, whether they were screening Annie and me right now into the television in my home in District 1. Had my parents allowed themselves to hope that I would come home yet? I supposed they must have seen a lot of me these last couple of days, there weren't many tributes that the capitol could show, really. It still seemed stupid to me that they had made these games so complicated and therefore short. I thought they had just wanted a good show. Maybe it was more to show everyone that they were in control of these games.

Thinking about my parents made me homesick, but it also made me even more determined to win. I had to see my father's face again, smell the strange and sometimes unpleasant smells coming from the perfumery. See my mother and get to roll my eyes at her foolishness. I felt a small pang for the parents of those whose bodies were probably already back in the capitol right now.

And that was when I saw him. He was paddling furiously, clearly he had seen us. He was even picking up speed.

I drew my daggers out. He had a bow and arrow, but I hoped that the water damage it must have had would make it unreliable. I had four daggers. I had to make them count.

Annie was still playing behind me, completely oblivious. I saw Jasper put down the paddle, the boat kept on charging towards us with the remaining momentum. He unslung the bow and fitted an arrow to it. He took aim.

I pushed Annie off the side of the boat; she would be safer in the water. Jasper let the arrow fly and I dodged it at the last second. He was still too far for me to throw to, but he would soon not be.

I heard Annie spluttering and coughing beside me, apparently she had not expected me to throw her into the water and she was now looking up at me with hurt eyes and I realised it was because I had inadvertently dropped her treasures into the water and they were now sinking to the bottom of the dam.

I leaned over the side for a moment, could I swim to get them? I felt so guilty seeing the hurt in her face. Then something bit through my suit to my left shoulder and I cried out in pain. That's right, I was in the middle of the Hunger Games. I shook my head to clear it and in one motion, I threw a dagger straight at Jasper as he let another arrow fly.

I didn't have time to recover, I didn't have time to duck, the arrow came and lodged itself straight into my side. I screamed and fell down. I hear Annie screaming herself from the edge of my consciousness as I reached down and managed to snap the flimsy arrow just above my rib. It had missed my ribs but only just. Pain like fire screamed through me as I scrambled to my feet.

I looked. Jasper had fallen down, too, there was a dagger sticking out from his arm. He pushed the paddle slowly with the other; he was slinking off to recover. Probably hoping that I would die from the arrow in my chest. Looking down, I could see that was probably not quite so bad an assumption.

Annie pulled herself back onto the raft, muttering garbled words under her breath. I could see she was crying and her eyes were wide.

"It's ok, Annie." I said. "Everything's going to be ok." But looking down, I knew that it wouldn't be. There was blood pouring from my ribs into the water. I momentarily wondered if they would release the shark again and pushed the thought aside. The action was all going to be tribute based now.

I watched the blood in fascination; it was the life pouring out of me. I looked back to Annie's terrified face. It looked like District One would have its male victor after all. I sighed in defeat.

Then I looked up. No, there was another way I could win. They shouldn't have their victor just because they asked for it.

I gestured to Annie to get off the raft.

"Stay here." I said firmly and she nodded, seeming to understand.

Then I started pushing the raft with my good arm. District One wanted their male victor. Well, there was one person from District One who did not. I paddled as far as I could go. I paddled to kill Jasper.