Okay, so here is the next chapter! Whoo! Colt POV (D9)
A tear snakes down my cheek and onto Celsie, motionless in my arms. I would die if I didn't feel the slight rasping of her breath. Iota was sprinting across a fallen log over the wide stream, careful not to slip, it was very narrow. I cross next, extra careful with Celsie in my arms, but not breaking my steady run. It seems like it took forever once I set my feet on the ground. We decide to go to the dense woodland forest. Looking back at the water I crossed, I see it is now a stream of blood. Celsie's blood is in there too. That thought keeps me going, Celsie is still rapidly losing blood from the bite on her knee, and her face is rapidly becoming more and more pale. And the scariest fact of all, her breath is rapidly getting quieter and raspier. We had to find a place to stop and camp soon or Celsie would…Celsie would… I gulp. I can't even think about it! It won't be an option! I won't let it!
"Colt, how's Celsie?" Kiki asks quietly. By the tears running down my face, they must know that this is a sensitive subject right now. I gulp again.
"She's fading fast. We need to find somewhere to stop immediately." My voice cracks a little bit. Sure, I've only known her for about a week, but she is clearly one of the best people here. One of the kindest, one of the most caring, one of the overall most incredible people I've ever met, and it would be wrong for her to die right now. She stirs a little bit in my arms and I adjust them. At least she is stirring at all. We continue our hike into the woods. The floor is littered with branches and leaves, making it hard for somebody to sneak up on us. We are surrounding by dark green trees full of leaves. Birds chirp over our heads. It is fairly warm too, so it seems like it wouldn't be a bad place to stay, at least as long until Celsie heals.
We trek on, deeper and deeper, for about thirty more minutes. "Let's stop here," Kiki says once we reach a fairly large clearing. She had brought up the rear. "We were moving fairly fast, and I couldn't see anyone following us. The Careers went into the jungle, I saw a couple lone tributes go into the tundra, and maybe one or two in the desert. I think we are safe." The ground is covered in soft green grass and the sun beats down through openings in the trees, warming the clearing. I clear off a spot on the ground and set Celsie down gently. She stays asleep. I step back and sit down a couple feet away. Kiki volunteers to build the shelter, since she has been living on the streets she knows the most about that stuff. Iota immediately sets to work on Celsie, unzipping the lower half of her pants, turning them into short shorts. Her legs are covered every inch with angry red burns, some starting to blister. Her knee is gouged open, torn by the trout muttation. Iota rips some moss off of a tree and presses it to Celsie's still bleeding knee. It is quickly soaked, and Iota turns her green eyes to me. Her tone is deathly calm.
"Colt, get some more moss." She gestures to the trees surrounding us. I make about three trips, getting as much moss as possible with each load, desperate to help. I move to go back to my seat, but Iota grabs my arm to stop me. "Stay. I'll need help, especially if she wakes up." I kneel near Celsie's head, next to Iota. I'd rather focus on her face than her injured legs. Her crimson hair was splayed around her face, matted with sweat. Her face looked half peaceful, half in agonizing pain. She stirs in her sleep again, letting out a small groan. Iota switches out the moss, applying more pressure to the knee. Celsie's groans get louder and louder, and I know that she is close to waking up. Her hands clench into fists and her eyes flutter half open.
"Mom… it hurts Mom… stop it," she groans. I realize that she is still half-asleep.
"Celsie, relax. It's Colt, remember? Iota's here too." I say soothingly. "It's okay." Celsie's eyes slowly open all the way; chocolate brown orbs glazed over with pain. Iota presses down on the knee again, apparently it hasn't stopped bleeding. She lets out a loud cry of pain, her hand unclenching and clenching again. Iota presses again, and Celsie blindly lashes out her fists, not realizing that Iota is trying to save her life.
"Colt, keep her hands down!" Iota commands. I gently grab her hands and hold them, letting a small blush creep up into my cheeks. Her eyes desperately try to focus through the pain. She finally looks at my face with some recognition.
"Thanks again." She lets out a little smile, but I can't match it. Her face is still so pale, and her hands just lie limply in mine now. I decide that now she knows what's going on, I can let her hands go. I release them, but my surprise Celsie reaches up and grabs my left hand in her weak right one. At that moment, I know I won't let go.
Kesha POV (D12)
I follow the large alliance into the dense woods, knowing that there will probably be enough food for all of us in there, and they seem much friendlier than the Careers. My stylist left the jewels around my belly button and the streaks in my hair, maybe so I could have a definite style, even in the arena. I don't mind. I think that the streaks are pretty cool, and I've always wanted a belly button ring, but I guess flame colored jewels around my belly button will have to suffice. This alliance looks pretty interesting. There is a pretty girl with brown hair, green eyes, and extremely long fingernails, who seems to almost be acting as leader. She crosses the log first, gesturing to the others with her practically clawed hands. Hand to hand combat would be a very bad idea with this girl around. She could claw your face off with those natural daggers. Following her, carefully but quickly, is a boy with black hair and shining green eyes, carrying something. Upon closer inspection, I realize that he is carrying a limp girl with red hair, and his eyes are shining because they are filled with tears. My gut wrenches. They don't deserve this.
Following the muscular boy and the redhead is a slight little girl with messy brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and wild eyes, like she was already being hunted. She kept looking over her shoulder, and I made sure that it seemed that I was heading towards the desert, to throw her off guard. I didn't want to kill anyone, but I don't want advertise the fact that I am following them and probably be killed. Once they reach the cover of the trees, I wait a few seconds and sprint across the thin log bridge and dash into the treeline about ten feet away from them. The floor is littered with leaves and twigs, perfect for giving away my cover, so I desperately try to be as quiet as possible. Though I am a thin girl, every step I take still sounds like I weigh as much as an elephant. My bright blue eyes home in on a big tree with low branches. Bingo.
I sprint to the tree on tiptoes, trying to make as little sound as possible but again in vain. I hoist myself onto the bottom branch and then clamber into the higher branches, not high enough to make my stomach do flip-flops, but high enough that there I branches I can climb too and I can clearly see and hear the alliance next to me. Plus, I'll make a lot less noise. I zoom around to the other side of the tree and grab onto another tree, repeating this monkey-ish pattern for a while. When it starts to become something I don't have to think about, I eavesdrop on the other tributes. The black-haired boy looks really worried, I can see why. The redhead in his arms is bleeding profusely through her knee, and her face looks deathly pale. Not good. More tears spill from his emerald green eyes and land on the girl. Poor thing. Anger rises in my heart. The Capitol would really throw these two in here only to have to kill each other when the Games actually start? All for the Capitol's enjoyment! Sympathetic tears spill from my eyes as I think about this. No one has ever looked at me like that, even Mom and her sleazy slew of boyfriends never looked at each other like that, and the Capitol would just throw it away?
I have to help them.
Nevermind the following plan, I can help them. I swear that I can.
I will help them.
I follow in the trees again, until we reach a clearing and I am forced to stop. I wait to see if they will go around or stop here. It seems like a perfect place to set up camp, and I can see them wanting to lie down and sleep away the horrors of the bloodbath. I could keep watch, if they'd want. Of course, they probably wouldn't let me, but I could offer. I wait in my tree for a little while. The boy lays the injured redhead girl on the ground gently, making sure not to wake her. The girl with the brown hair and long fingernails unzips the legs of her pants and starts to treat her legs. Not only is her knee torn open, her legs are covered in flaming burns, I don't even know if she'll be able to walk after they finish up with her. I gasp. This could prove fatal, because thirty-two percent of her body is burned, when only fifteen will prove fatal. Iota may be good with the knee, but she should really be worrying about the burns. They look at least second-degree, since she is in agony, and I know just how to treat them. I leap out of my tree, landing lightly on the ground, I wasn't that high up. I know they need me, and I know that I need them too. As I watch, the two of them work on the girl's knee, and the wild-eyed girl left to build a shelter. The dark haired girl orders around the black-haired boy, and I gather that his name is Colt. The redhead stirs a little bit, and murmurs something. I can't hear it, but Colt talks to her in a soothing voice. From him I gather that the redhead is named Celsie. That's all I need to know, and I stroll into the clearing cautiously, not wanting to startle them. I was behind them, so they haven't seen me yet. I wasn't able to nab any weapons, so I raise my hands in surrender. That girl has some knives strapped to her belt, along with the knives on her fingers. The boy looks like he could snap my neck if he wanted. I clear my throat and address them.
"I can help with that, you know." The girl unsheathes a knife and flings it at my chest, but I see it coming and duck, making it lodge itself in the tree behind me. I reach up with my hand and yank it free, tossing it away from me. "Trust me, I don't have any weapons." Colt looks desperate for help, and he mumbles something to Iota. I watch with a solemn expression on my face, hoping that they will let me help.
"Fine. You can help." The girl says in defeat, but I don't hear any venom in her voice. Maybe she would let me stick around. I walk around to the other side and see that Colt and Celsie are holding hands, and he is crying some more. I smile in spite of myself. I inspect her legs close up.
"You were risky, taking off the pant legs like that." I told the girl. "You're lucky they didn't stick to her and rip off the skin." Colt looks up in alarm.
"Well, I thought you were going to help us with her knee, Twelve." The girl says.
"The legs are much more serious. Second-degree at least." Celsie seems awake. "Do the burns hurt?" I ask her.
"Extremely." She admits.
"Yup, second-degree. With third degree, her nerves would be fried and she wouldn't be able to feel her legs. We need water, and lots of it." I decide.
"But the water is what burned her in the first place," Colt says. I shake my head.
"That was the water around the Cornucopia."
"But the water split into different streams, the water all throughout the arena is poisoned!" the girl cries.
"You noticed that the water was bloody right?" I ask them. They nod. "Well, the streams had not a drop in them. They are safe, but they don't provide too much water for all of us. We'll have to take her to the stream. You keep watch." I told the girl. "You, carry her there. And she might want to give you a knife in case someone comes for us." I tell Colt. The girl picks up the knife that she threw at me and hands it to Colt. `
"Try any funny business-"
"He could probably strangle me with one hand, without the knife, why would I try and funny business?" The girl seems to understand, and she nods at us. Colt scoops up Celsie again, and we head to the stream.
"How do you know where the stream is?" he asks.
"There's one in either direction. Just as long as we keep a straight path, we will find it. I'm Kesha." I say to him in response.
"Colt, and this is Celsie." He looks at the barely conscious girl sadly.
"She's a fighter, you know." I smile. "Most would have died sooner or at least killed themselves if they had a burn that big and bad, and to top it all off a huge bite on their knee." Colt smiles back, and we walk the rest of the way in companionable silence.
Aww, I like Colt and Kesha's new little friendship. Poor Celsie, poor Colt. :'( Anyways, Kesha's POV was waay longer than I expected, I wanted it to be as long as Colts, but her's was like one and a half times as long hehe. So, I didn't put any more POV cuz it was already fairly long, and I didn't really want to switch subjects cuz then it would get confusing.
Anyways, now for the questions! Will Kesha be able to save Celsie? Does Celsie like Colt too or was she just looking for comfort? What do you think about Colt and Kesha's friendship? And last but not least, who's POV's should be next? (seriously help me, I am at a loss hehe).
Happy Hunger Games!