Fire is catching
Chapter 18
Authors Note: Hey guys, it's been a while, I finally have the chance to upload another chapter, so that you can accompany Lucy Heartfilia while she faces the biggest challenge in her entire life: somehow surviving the Hunger Games. I hope you enjoy this chapter, have fun!
PS: Thank you for the super sweet reviews, reading them makes me so happy. Special thanks to blumenwiese, you totally made my day!
I settle on the strong branch and fish the ropes out of my back pack. Trying to recall the right technique I tie myself to the tree, using the knots I learned in training. I've never slept on a tree, but I'm pretty sure I would fall down without securing myself. And I really don't want to make that experience.
Although it's really cold outside right now the thick sleeping bag and Gerard's thermo clothes keep me nice and cozy.
Sleeping in the arena seemed impossible to me, but once realizing how awfully tired I am my eyes shut immediately and I feel a wave of nausea dragging me into a world full of nightmares. Worlds where Mirajane didn't just walk away but actually told her allies who was sitting in the tree. You can imagine what happened afterwards, right?
I wake up to roaring, crunching noises and I'm surprised to see that I can't see anything. Everything's dark. It's still night time.
Something under me is moving…MOVING and I feel my sleeping bag sliding sideways.
What is happening?
My eyes slowly start to adjust to the darkness and I begin to see things. This can't be….I must be dreaming.
I cling on to the branch I'm sitting on, trying frantically not to fall down as the tree starts to move like a steam engine again.
Everything is moving around me. I'm surrounded by moving trees.
I'm not kidding. The high trees around me pull their roots out of the ground, sending chunks of earth flying through the air. They move slowly, but steadily, crushing everything beneath them. They don't seem to have any particular destination, just randomly walking through the night.
My mouth drops open as I wrap my arms around the thick trunk of the oak tree I'm sitting on. I redo all the knots and tie them even tighter; I absolutely don't want to fall down. Other trees pass us, their branches swinging through the air like claws looking for something to grab.
I'm glad I decided to sleep on a tree, being on the ground must be a nightmare right now. Everything around me is moving, the trees occupy the whole ground, it would be really hard if not impossible for somebody to be on the ground and to not be stepped on by one of those gigantic tree monsters.
During the day the forest had looked so peaceful and calm, but now it turned into an army of wooden soldiers.
The sound of a canon cuts through the night, somewhere far away a tribute died. I wonder whether it was because of the walking forest or if the darkness bears other unpleasant surprises. Who was it? Who just lost his or her life? Whose family is going to have to suffer?
My gut turns thinking of little Wendy trying to duck and dive under the massive trees, hoping to survive this nocturnal nightmare.
I shake my head and dig my nails into the bark again being thankful for choosing a tree as shelter.
I try to close my eyes and fall back to sleep but the movement of the tree, the noises of crunching, splintering wood makes it hard to stay calm.
Other wooden monsters pass me, swinging their branches like arms, making the twigs cut through the air like whips.
This is horrible. My eyes widen in horror and shivers run over my body.
I'm frozen in shock, the only thing I'm able to do is hold on to my tree, pressing my body against it.
Over…I just want it to be over.
I'm glad I don't get motion sick.
A smile curls around my lips as I remember that Natsu declared that he got terribly motion sick on his interview. I picture him lying on a tree, drooling, his mouth dropped open as he just wishes it to be over. A laughing sound escapes my mouth before I even notice it. In comparison to the background noise it was nothing and the laughter vanishes as quickly as it came out, melting into the other sounds of the night. I almost forgot what laughing was like. It's such a strange thing to hear in an arena full of death and terror. I was pretty sure I would never hear myself laugh again when the gong went off, so it actually surprises me. It seems inappropriate to laugh in a surrounding like this, but I still try to memorize the sound of my laughter. I want to remember it as long as I can.
Geez, what is it about that boy that only thinking about him makes me laugh? It's not like we were friends or something, we've known each other for a couple of days in which we barely talked. And in here we're neither friends nor strangers, we're enemies.
And there is this bizarre feeling again, my subconscious screaming at me that this is wrong, that we're not supposed to fight one another, that we should be fighting together instead, but I know that this can't be done. I should just forget about him and hope he dies before he gets the chance to take me out.
After hours of staring at the wandering trees my eyes close at some point and I'm caught between sleep and reality for the rest of the night.
The rumbling of the trees never stops, wraps me in a wall of noise but somehow I get used to that, imagine that it's the familiar sound of the sewing machines that always comes from the factories in district 8. It reminds me of home and I manage to drift away.
This time I'm not haunted by nightmares, but I dream of the happy times when mom was still alive. When she used to tell me fairy tales, taught me how to be a celestial spirits mage or tickled me until I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.
Those memories are always filled with golden light and I'm so thankful for being able to live in that time for a few hours, even if it's just a dream. If I could only freeze time and live in that moment forever.
Suddenly everything around me starts to dissolve, turns into darkness and I know that I'm waking up. I don't want to though; I try to reach out for my dream world. I don't want to return to reality. I want to stay here.
But I can't control it. Not willing to, my eyes flutter open and I'm blinded by the strong sunlight.
I'm in the arena. The noise has stopped. The trees don't move. Everything is back to normal. The paradise is back. Beautiful in the daylight, horrible in the night time.
I rub my eyes and adjust to the brightness around me. The sweet familiar scent of the arena floods my nose again, trying to control my mind. I try to push it away.
It's the 2nd day of the 71st Hunger Games and I'm still alive. I prefer it to stay that way though. Ten tributes lost their lives in the blood bath yesterday, and I was responsible for one of them.
Lisanna's stiff body flashes through my mind and I can feel the tears welling up. I won't cry, not now, not again.
I have to move on but I don't know where to go to. I have water, but I really have to get some food. I can't live from fruit the whole time.
I didn't see any kind of animal in the arena until now, but I guess I'll give it a try.
Climbing down the tree is even harder than getting up.
As I finally feel the solid ground under my feet I relax a little and start moving into a random direction. From my backpack I only get a small knife, how am I supposed to hunt like this? I don't even know how to hunt, maybe I should forget about it.
Remembering what Levy taught me at the snares and explosives station I try setting up a few traps although I'm pretty sure they don't look like they're supposed to. I memorize the place I set the traps and make a note to come back later to see if I could catch something, I really hope so because my stomach is grumbling.
I eat one of the fruit I collected yesterday, not a really satisfying meal, but that's all I have.
Everything around me seems so calm, the sun is shining, a soft breeze refreshes my face and I hear the babbling of the river I'm not able to locate.
I hope there is some action going on in another part of the arena, otherwise the game makers will start driving the tributes together or adding a nice little surprise for us. I wouldn't want that.
I continue walking through the dense forest with an uneasy feeling, something seems wrong. Even wronger than usual, if that's even possible.
I gasp in surprise as I feel something curling around my ankle and pulling me in the air, upside down. The floor is vanishing beneath my feet and everything around me is flying, spinning, my world is out of joint. I'm too startled to realize what's happening, so I just hang there for a few seconds with widened eyes. My feet aren't touching the ground, it's like my connection from earth is gone, almost like floating through the air. Almost.
The trees, the sky, everything is upside down.
They aren't of course. I am.
I lift my head a little and see what I've expected. A thick rope, just like the one in my backpack, is tied around my ankle and I'm hanging on a tree, my hair touching the ground.
I try to pull myself up, struggle to free myself, but it's impossible.
I've probably stepped into another tributes trap. I have to get out of here. Only somebody as stupid and clumsy as me could've fallen for an easy trap like that.
Why was I so careless?
Stupid me,stupid,stupid,stupid!
A shadow in the corner of my eye catches my attention. In a graceful, catlike movement a person jumps down from a tree and lands on the ground easily. As she comes closer, walking directly in my direction, I recognize her. It's Millianna, I think she's from district 11, but I'm not quite sure. I do remember that she got a score of 5. Her movements remind me of a cat and that impression is only supported by the little cat ears that are glued to her head, imbedded in her brown hair.
Seriously? Cat ears in the hunger games? What kind of idiotic stylist came up with that idea?
Never mind, I shouldn't bother about that right now. What I should care about is that I'm hanging on a tree, completely defenseless, with a probably armed tribute walking towards me.
How will I possibly get out of that situation?
Authors Note: Indeed Lucy, how will you get out of this? What will happen, now that you're trapped? If you want to find out, then stay tuned for the next chapter! Please tell me your thoughts on this chapter, I'd love to know.
Natsu: Haha Lucy, only somebody as stupid as you would have walked into a trap like that, it's really pathetic.
Lucy: Hey! Who are you calling stupid? You're the stupid one of us two!
Gray: Although it's true that you're smarter than Natsu I wouldn't really brag about it, it's not that this is a big achievement, anybody can manage being smarter than that flame brain.
Natsu: Haha yeah, wait what? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY YOU STUPID UNDERWEAR PRINCE?!
Lucy: Guys shut up, both of you! Instead of fighting, you should get me out of that damn trap!
Natsu: And what would be my reward *smirk*
Lucy: What about a slap in the face for what calling me stupid!
Natsu: I'll pass then.
Lucy: Yeah, maybe better. Gray can save me faster anyway. *innocent smile*
Natsu: WHAT? No way, I'm a faster savior than him!
Gray: No, you fried idiot!
Lucy: Prove it!
Natsu: Okay, I'll save you faster than Gray, Lucy, just wait and see! *starts running*
Gray: As if I'd let you *runs too*
Lucy: That same old trick works every time…