Disclaimer: I still don't own the Hunger Games...
The absence drove me into near hysteria. I had to prevent myself from screaming her name. My hair was escaping from my ponytail. My heart rate was escalating. If I could see myself, I would probably look crazed. I looked to the ground. There wasn't anyone there. If she died you would have heard the cannon fire, I told myself, and I would have heard a scream. Her backpack was still there, right where she left it, so I assume she didn't ditch me. After ruling out many of the possible scenarios that ran in my head at first, I convince myself to wait in the tree for a while, to see if she just left to get something. She would probably come back soon.
I take a look at my surroundings, in an attempt to calm my nerves. We were in the cypress forest part of the arena. Cypress trees are nearly impossible to climb, because the branches don't start until fifty feet up. Our tree was easy enough to climb up, but we could easily jump to the cypress trees. We would be able to slide down those if we needed a quick escape. There were also more of those weird trees with the thick branches, like the one that we were in now. They were easy enough to climb and they could support the weight of most of the tributes. Even with that risk factor, we should probably stay in this area of the arena. Compared to here, I feel vulnerable in the mangrove forest section of the arena, because those trees don't make it up that high.
Ten minutes later, Glitch hops back to the tree, carrying something in each hand. I let out a sigh of relief. I had been incapable of calming myself. At least my heart rate returned to normal. She didn't ditch me. She lands on the branch and holds out her arms, offering the content. "Go ahead and take one, I'm not sure what type of bird there from, but I don't think it will kill us." She takes no notice of what was left of my hysterical state of being.
I reach out and take one of the eggs. It looks like the same type that I had earlier in the game. I poke a hole in it and suck out the center. Glitch watches me do so, and she doesn't try to stop me. Once she realizes that it doesn't kill me, she does the same. Once we clean out the insides, and throw the shells back down to the ground. It makes me think of all the food that we have at our disposal. "What about the bird and alligator? How long will that last?" Glitch takes a moment to think before responding.
"I don't know… a few days, maybe. A week, if we are lucky." A week of food, hopefully we will be out of here by then. I don't want to think of how, rather it be dead or alive.
I think of how she said it would only last a week if we were lucky. "We got selected to be in the Hunger Games, out of the hundreds of others that could have been chosen. I don't think that luck will ever be in our favor." I point out. Luck will never and has never been in my favor, I'm not so sure about Glitch. Maybe this was her first time being unlucky.
"Well then, if luck won't be with us, let's hope the odds will be ever in our favor." Wait, aren't odds and luck the same thing? I thought it was.
I scrunch my eyebrows together in confusion, and squint my eyes. "But that's the same thing." I say annoyance ever present in my voice.
Glitch laughed. "My point exactly. It just sounds more sophisticated." As she says this she makes her back more erect and points up her chin, to mimic the posture of some of those at the Capitol. As if they were sophisticated.
I take in her act of trying to act proper, "Oh, yes, my terrible mistake, apologies for that. Because when you talk of an event that involves killing twenty-three other children in such a barbaric way, you need to sound sophisticated about it." Glitch and I laugh in unison at that, whether it is from the sophistication or the truth of the statement, I will never know. You just have to laugh at life sometimes, and this was the easiest way to do so.
Glitch seems to recover from her laughing fit, and rolls her eyes. Probably something she intended on doing originally, but couldn't due to uncontrollable laughter. "Come on, let's go."Glitch attempted to usher me up, but I remained seated.
"Why can't we stay here? Make it our base camp. Most of the other tributes have one, and this tree is comfortable." It didn't seem like a bad idea to me, and we were traveling in semi-circles anyway. When I started, I was going away from the cornucopia. Glitch suggested that we should keep an equal distance away from the cornucopia. In case we became desperate for supplies.
Glitch let out a sigh. "I guess we could. We have enough food. No one is chasing us. Why not?" She looked up toward the canopy of the branches, probably to see the position of the sun in the sky. Her eyes bulged and her mouth dropped. "Oh, wait I just found a reason. Trackerjackers!" She pointed to the branch above my head. Sure enough, there was a nest swarming with the mutated creation of the capitol. One sting by them and you will suffer horrible hallucinations or, the more likely possibility, death.
I don't know my exact reaction, but it was probably close to what Glitch's had been. How had we not noticed that earlier? And why haven't they attacked us? I slowly rose up, careful not to rustle any branches or make any noise. I was being cautious, even though we had stayed there all night, making loads of noise, and they didn't bother us.
Only once risen did I dare make a sound. "Yeah, I changed my mind. Let's get out of here!" We took of sprinting in the trees. Well, I would call it sprinting, but we were jumping as well, so I'm not sure if that is the proper term. We were going fast though, adrenaline rushing through our bodies, and we were also making tons of noise. It was surprising that no one bothered to find us and chase us. We didn't want to slow, incase that the Trackerjackers were on our tail.
After a while Glitch started to slow her pace. I, following her, had to do the same in return. Shortly after, Glitch stopped to a complete halt. So did I. She looked behind her, and saw that nothing was there. "Ok, I don't hear or see them. We should probably keep moving though, just to be sure. We can be quieter now." I nod, to breathless to do otherwise.
What seemed to be about one-hundred trees later, we came to a tree much like the one we were just at. Except it lacked the Trackerjackers nest; that suited us just fine. None of the mutants had followed us, and the whole thing went by so quick that it didn't even seem real. We were able to rest in peace though, since the potential danger of dying had been evaded. We were still breathing heavily from the event.
Between gasps of air I managed a question, "Ok, how did we not notice the giant Trackerjacker's nest last night? I mean, it was right above our heads."
Glitch held up her hand, fingers clamped into a fist. As she listed reasons, she rose her fingers in a dramatic show. "It was dark. We weren't expecting it. We were tired. We were being loud, blocking out other noises." She let her hand plop back down onto her lap. I have to admit, those are some pretty good reasons. "I wonder why they didn't kill us."
"Perhaps it's because we didn't kill them?" Trackerjackers attack those who attack them first. Sometimes they have been known to attack when people are close to the nest. We have stories like those back in District 9. People who chop down a tree, just to have a nest be in it. The stories are from the people who come to investigate what happened to the person. I'm not so sure if those stories are completely true, but they seem plausible enough.
Glitch sniffs out of her nose. "Oh, yeah, the power of Karma, I almost forgot." I don't know what Karma is, but I don't want to ask. I don't want Glitch to think I'm stupider than she already does. It probably isn't even that important. I reach into my pack and bring out some alligator bits. I hand one to Glitch, and she snatches it without even looking at me.
Silence enveloped us. We were leaning against the trunk, snacking on alligator bits. The only sound is that of the birds distant chirping, the background of bugs buzzing and the occasional thrash of water as an alligator turns quickly. Most would find it peaceful and serene. It is driving me insane. I feel like breaking the quiet. "Hey, you were right, this does taste like chicken." It was true, one time I did have chicken, and this taste distinctly like it. As far as I can remember.
Glitch snorted, and almost choked on alligator. That made me laugh. When she noticed that I was laughing at her, she punched me in the shoulder. Not hard, but in a joking manner. I wasn't expecting it though, so I was thrown off-balance and had to catch myself on the trunk. "It's not funny. Anyway, I was thinking about telling you the joke, but I don't think I will now." She turns away from me in a dramatic show, with her arms crossed, and head up.
"Awe, I really wanted to know what the big deal about it was."I say sarcastically. I think back to the interview when I was asked who was supporting me back home. "So, what do your parents think your chances of survival are?"
Glitch looked at me quizzically, "Well that was one of the most random questions I have ever heard. Anyway, they think I'm clever. They said before I left that they were going to put all their money on me. My parents aren't ones to gamble loosely. They, if I wasn't chosen, probably would put their money on Tannor."
"Will you please tell me the story of Tannor?" I say in the most babyish, innocent, whining voice I can muster. Glitch rolls her eyes.
She takes a deep breath, probably to buy her time while she thinks of a proposition. She then says, "Ok, I'll tell you. But first, you have to answer my questions about you." I sigh in a very sarcastic, annoyed manner, and Glitch grins with a look of success.
I then turn up my nose in a snobbish style, "Fine, what is the information that you thirst for my liege?" I always wanted to say that. I read it in an old book once, and it sounded so cool.
Glitch raises an eyebrow and tries to suppress a fit of oncoming giggles. "Liege?"
"Yeah, I read it in a fairy tale book. It was what the knight said to the king. I always wanted to call someone that." I think back to the worn and faded pages of that book. Hayven would read it to me sometimes before I would go to bed, well that was before I could read.
Glitch shook her head in disapproval. "You, my friend, are an odd child. Ok, first question, District 9 is logging, right?" I thought that was common sense. It might be leading to her next question though.
"Yup." I love to say yup. It is just so unintelligent sounding and it has a cool sound to it. My father always scorns me when I say it though. Bet he is radiating fury right now. Unless they have the cameras on other tributes.
"So, is that why you're like a squirrel monkey when you climb trees?" I don't know what a squirrel monkey is but I'm guessing it's good at climbing trees. I notice that I do not know about many things. I pay attention in school, but they just don't tell you this kind of information. All they tell you is useless things like how to add and subtract.
"Yeah, I guess. I climb a lot in my free time. There is nothing much to do in District 9." I'm often scolded when I'm fond in trees instead of playing with friends. Not just by my father, but other people too. They think I'm weird and anti-social. Now what on Earth would give them that idea?
"Don't you have any friends to play with?" It hurts me to answer this one. I haven't had any real friends since Hayven was alive. And I've been starting to question whether they would even be considered my real friends.
"No." I say with a grim look of self-pity on my face. I don't really care that I have no friends, but that was the only way I knew how to react when I told someone.
"Awe…that's so sad. What about your family? Don't you do things with them?" Never mind. This one hurts more. I guess I have to tell her though. If I want to find out about Tannor. I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it.
"My mom and brother are dead. My dad takes care of me; rather I take care of my dad. He is pretty cool; he doesn't care what I do most of the time. He just leaves me alone. Unless I am doing something that is extremely dangerous."
"Like fighting to the death in an arena infested with alligators?" Glitch says this with a ridiculous artificial grin plastered on her face. I try to maintain a straight face. It isn't that hard after having to talk about my mother and Hayven, unearthing my most unpleasant memories.
"Yup, exactly like that." I say in a bland voice, careful to not show any emotion.
Glitch grinned, there was a twinkle in her eye. "Yeah, my parents would start to care at that point too." I would sure hope so. They would be pretty bad parents if they didn't care.
"Will you tell me the story now, please?" I say in the same voice I used earlier. The last response she gave me didn't leave room for me to answer a question so I figured that I could ask now.
Glitch rolled her eyes, but began her story anyways, "Sure. Where should I begin…oh, I got it." She looks at sort of an angle, with a distant glint in her eye. I've noticed that she does this whenever telling a story. "Ok, well back in District 9, Tannor was my boyfriend, believe it or not. I myself still can't believe I went out with that idiot. We broke up the day before the reaping. I just left the orchard, and I saw him talking to Lime. She was crying and had a worried look on her face. He said 'You are such a baby. Twelve-year-olds never get picked for reaping.' Shows what a genius he is."
She looked at me unsure whether to smile or frown. She did neither and continued with her tale. "'You should worry about your sister; she has twenty-five entries because you are too scared to take the tessera.' Then he shoved her into the dirt. She wasn't hurt, but when she got up, she was crying even more than before. She ran home and hid under her bed. It took hours to coax her out.
Anyway, I walked up to Tannor. He was all 'Oh, there you are' like he was trying to be cool and act like nothing happened. He leaned forward to kiss me, and I punched him in the gut. While he was leaned over I kicked him in… well let's just say I kicked him I a sensitive spot for boys." I giggled. "The next day he tried to apologize, but I wouldn't hear it. You can mess with me, but not with my little sister. And later that morning we were both pick to be tributes. Some luck that was.
The worst part was when we had to say goodbye. My little sister came in with my mom and dad. She blamed the whole thing on herself. She said she should have taken the tessera. I told her it wouldn't have made a difference. I hated to see her so upset. I told her never to let that idiot Tannor push her around. She said he wouldn't because I was the one who was going to come home. I told her that even if I didn't, she couldn't let it affect her. She had to carry on." I waited a few minutes. Then I realized she wouldn't continue, she had told the story of Tannor. The next part was between her and Lime.
I pause for a second, trying to think up a response to her story. "So, your sister is your only sibling?" I knew what the answer would be. I just didn't want to go straight into my next question.
"Um, yeah, as of now. I had an older brother, but, he got entered into the Hunger Games a few years back. Obviously, he didn't make it." Now that was something I could personally relate to.
"Which one?" Glitch paused, as if she wasn't sure she should answer.
"8th." This I was not expecting. Was her brother really in the same Game that my brother was in? I remember the final contestants in that game were District 1 girl, and…District 11boy. Her brother made it to the final stage. Another realization settles in.
I ran up to the ratty old worn couch and climbed up. I remember sitting in my mother's lap. I was watching the black and white TV that was placed in corner the living room. The gong had rung. Contestants ran, either away or towards the cornucopia. It focused on several others, but finally came to rest on my brother. Hayven went straight to the cornucopia. He picked up some axes along the way. He was cut off by a large boy with dark skin, brown eyes, and hair. He was holding a spear. My brother raised his axe to throw, but the boy was faster. The spear entered my brother's heart. A gush of blood flooded out my brother's mouth. I knew it was over. So did my mother.
My mother screamed, lifted me off her lap and ran from the house, tears flooding from her eyes. 'Mom' I had called and started to run after her. I barely made it a foot. My father held me back. I was kicking, crying, screaming and thrashing. My father had only a few tears run down his face. I looked back to the tattered black and white TV. The boy retrieved his spear; as he did, he seemed to mouth 'sorry'. Sorry wasn't enough though. It was never enough.
Her brother killed my brother. I look at her in sheer terror. She knew that I had figured her out. I knew why she teamed up with me. She felt guilty about what happened to my brother. "I'm sorry. He told me, before he left, that he was going to try not to hurt anyone. He told me he was going to come home. Once he killed your brother, I-I left the house. Retreated to the orchard. I couldn't watch. I was so mad at him." A tear fell down her face. She was struggling not to completely brake down. "Can you ever forgive me?"
"No." I answer blankly. Glitch nods and gets up to leave, the treat of tears trying to burst free was even closer. I grab her arm. "I can't forgive you because you didn't do anything wrong. All you have done is: been nice to me, and save me from dying about a gazillion times. I can't say the same for your brother, though." Glitch lets out a weak laugh and hugs me. I don't flinch; or even try to fight. I don't feel like she is going to hurt me know. I know she doesn't want me to die. For the first time in my life since my brother died, I feel safe. Which I find is kind of ironic since I'm fifty feet high in a tree, in an arena where there are six other teenagers trying to kill me.
---------
Later that night Glitch and I were settled in the tree. Tonight Glitch gets the sleeping bag. She gave me her jacket as a consolation, so I had two to wear. We see the symbol of the Capitol flash in the sky, and the anthem starts to play. There aren't any faces in the sky tonight. I hope the capitol isn't getting too bored. "No one died. That's good. I think. Night." Then Glitch drifts off to sleep. How awesome would it be to drift to sleep so easily? I look up at the stars. I wonder if you can see the stars when you're dead. I hope so, I love the stars. I fall asleep, nestled next to Glitch who is warm in her sleeping bag.
I dream of falling. Only this is the worst one yet. I'm not falling. I can recognize who is though. I watch Glitch fall as the branch snaps below her, unable to support her weight. I reach out to grab her but I'm too far away. My dream state can't reach her. I see her neck crack and hear the cannon fire. I bolt awake my brow drenched in cold sweat. I look to my side, still shaken from my dream. Glitch is just waking up beside me. I hear a splash in the distance.
Just so you know, this chapter is unusually long for me. School starts exactly one week from today, for me. So, I'm going to post two chapters today. Thanks for reading. Thanks to all that have reviewed. Tell me what you think of this chapter.