Chapter 12- Safe and Sound… Or Not
Nicki POV
I hid in the bushes. Even though they were frozen over, they were the only place I could find that didn't take climbing to get to. I was never a climber.
I made sure the bush covered me completely before declaring it safe enough to take out my knapsack I'd picked up. I untied it at the top and inside there were matches, a canteen, a banana and a pomegranate, there was some string and finally some nuts.
I had almost nothing that could help.
Maybe the string would be useful, and it seemed long enough to be a noose. All I had to do was climb the nearest tree, tie the string to the tree and my neck, and there you have it: I'm out of the way.
Sounds good to me, besides, it wasn't like I was gonna win.
Juniper POV
By the time that night falls and I have found shelter in a cave by the pond that I finally got water from using ice to break ice I'm so tired. I'm sure my cuts on my knuckles are infected. I curled up in to a ball and begged for sleep.
A temporary escape from this was what I wanted.
As my eyes closed, I heard loud booms that shook me up. That must be the cannon, announcing the deaths. I ticked them off on my fingers. I ended up counting ten, which almost was half of us.
Almost half already gone? I'd bet the Careers finally scratched their itch to start the Games.
Through a crack in the cave's roof, I saw the seal of the Capitol. The anthem was playing in the sky, and I got up to see the pictures of the fallen. No Careers were dead yet, the girl and boy from 3 were gone. The girl from 5- Nicki- was alive, along with the boy. All from 7, the boy from 8, the girl from 9, both from 10 and 11.
The anthem played again after the images and then the sky was dark, just like each tribute's future. All I could do was lay down and beg the tears not to come.
Prim POV
I watched the screen focused on Nicki. I actually had to say I applauded her for bolting the second she heard that gong. I'd probably still be on the metal plate. The arena was dark with night now, and I watched Nicki rack through her supply pack. What time was it, I wondered.
I felt my cell phone vibrate as I was thinking. The text was from my sister; are you watching?
I thought of how to reply, and typed, the whole world is.
Nicki POV
I had no choice but to take shelter in that bush. It was either that or freeze to death, which might not be bad. The only thing that kept me alive through the night could well have been my thoughts of home. I had to try as hard as I could to get out, if not for my sake, for my dad.
My eyes were sore as I opened them.
A bristle of the bush was clawing at my face. I scooted as far away from it as I could. I wiped my cheek on my white glove, and it came back red. I was bleeding. Fuck!
I ripped off my glove on my left hand and clapped my hand to my cheek. I felt my hand get sticky. Just perfect. I took my hand that was not clapped to my cheek and started to prepare my gear for flight. A weapon would be good right about now.
I ended up army crawling out of my bush, secretly hoping this would not be my frequent resting place. I took a moment to put the glove back on my left hand, tie up my knapsack and throw it over my shoulder. Next thing to do was the only thing: run.
Moss POV
You know what, trees are really cool.
They make great sleeping places where you feel safe and sound. Trees were pretty useful, but in my district the only use they had was for the factories. We chopped trees down, despite the fact that chopping was District 7's thing with the lumber and all.
I hated to leave my niche, but I guess some things had to happen. I tied my hair back with a bit of elastic that had come off my boots, got my knife in hand and started the climb down.
Juniper POV
Waking up sore, I rubbed my eyes. How long had I slept? I mean, the last thing I remember was crying myself to sleep, maybe not the best thing to do. I flexed my arms and pushed myself up. Had anyone died last night?
I pushed that awful thought from my mind as I rolled over again.
Maybe five more minutes.
Katniss POV
I had been asleep with the TV on. I don't even know what time it'd been when I fell asleep watching the Games. As much as I hated them, I could now see why they were popular. They kept you guessing, on the edge of your seats. I focused my eyes on the screen, it was showing Nicki.
She was running.
"Holy shit," I almost screamed as I saw the six people chasing her. They were big, Careers by the look of it, and she was just barely outrunning them. "Run!" I screamed at her image.
I held my breath until I saw her trip. Now I was hyperventilating. She was trapped.