Carbon POV (D1)
Us Careers, armed more than the Peacekeepers, trek into the jungle. I want to suggest that we go into the dense woods, 'cause I saw the big alliance go there, but of course I don't suggest it, or the District Two boy would try to kill me probably. They all want to, they just won't admit. It's an unspoken idea, evident in all of their eyes and expressions that they give me. At least the new guy doesn't hate me so much. He seems pretty nice, same with Ebony, the girl from District Two. They seem like they understood how alone I feel, how friendless I feel. Really, that's how I've always felt.
We reach a small clearing and Erik commands us all to stop. We have another addition, the girl from Ten, who was a last minute invitation. She is apparently super-good with snares, and she is easy to look at, so I can see why the guys wanted her in. She and Glamor act like best friends, and both of them practically sit in Erik's lap, which makes him super happy. Glamor whispers something in Erik's ear, and he looks at her, pats her thigh, and gives her a sleazy smile. He looks at all of us, sitting down in the clearing, and addresses us like he is our leader. I guess he is, since he is the second strongest here, second only to Ashur, and he is the most Career-like out of all of us. "So, I think that we should make camp here." He glances sideways at Glamor and she smiles.
"Why, Erik?" Ebony asks, tired of him already. She asks him that question like she would ask a bratty little kid, which, underneath all the bulging muscle, he is. Glamor whispers something again.
"Because, Ebony, this is big enough for all of us, and it is close to the front of the treeline, which means that we will know when new tributes come into the jungle." Erik says, smirking. But Glamor's smirk is bigger. I've figured out what she is doing, and it's very smart. She tosses a lock of platinum hair behind her. "How many dead?"
"I heard five," Evi purrs. Erik's eyes flash, but he squeezes her leg anyways.
"Only?"
We all nod. He sighs in aggravation. "Well I guess the Careers are weaker than usual. Maybe it has something to do with their leader." Ashur says, standing up. Challenging Erik. Unfortunately, he accepts the challenge, drawing the short sword at his waist and charging Ashur. Ashur, of course, expects this and parries his blow with his own sword. They pull apart and get ready to attack again but in a flurry of chocolate brown hair Ebony has disarmed them both, by twisting her hilt against each of their hilts causing their swords to clatter to the ground. Before they can retrieve them she raises her two swords to their chests, breaking up the fight as soon as it started. Both of them are glaring daggers at each other, breathing heavily. They are also unhappy at being beaten by a girl. Ebony on the other hand, hasn't broken a sweat. It seems like the girls are the strongest Careers here: Glamor, the unexpected genius, and Ebony, the beautiful master with swords.
This creates enough insanity but only for a few minutes, so I have only a second to make my decision. I grab a pack filled with a couple loaves of bread, a bedroll, some iodine, bandages, and a canteen full of water. I scurry silently to the edge of the clearing, taking one last look around. Erik and Ashur are screaming at each other, Ebony is screaming at them, and Glamor, Marcus, and Emma are taking in all the chaos, their backs turned to me. The only one showing no interest in the fight whatsoever is Evi, her body angled both towards the other Careers and to me, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes empty. She emanates more loneliness than I have ever seen. She slowly turns her head to me, her empty eyes comprehending what I am doing. She lifts her hand and waves at me, winking. That's when I make my escape.
I zoom through the strange jungle trees, trying to make as little noise as possible. Alien sounds echo around me, getting louder with each passing minute. I run for hours, the sky getting darker. It must be around seven in the evening.
My breaths come short and fast, and my lungs are screaming in protest. After about three hours of running away from the Careers, I come across a clearing far enough away to feel safe. I slump against the large moist trunk of a tree, sinking to the ground and resting my head on the tree.
"Uhhhhh." The moan causes me to leap to my feet and fumble around in the pack for a knife.
"Wh-who's there? I have a weapon!" I cry, holding the serrated knife in front of me. Perfect for cutting through bone. The thought makes me shiver inwardly. "Show yourself!" My heart rate accelerates with each agonizingly slow second. My eyes scan the twilight-lit clearing. The moan sounds again, and I slowly make my way towards the sound. My eyes focus on a dark lump that I dismissed as a pile of vines and leaves. I stare at it for a while and nearly jump out of my skin when it moves slightly. "Who are you?"
The lump moves a little bit more and I see a pair of forest green eyes staring back at me. "Well clearly you're not my brother," she jokes. "I'm Avella. You know, the one whose brother went in these Games with her." I had heard about her and seen her around during training. I remember thinking she was cute and the thought makes me blush. Back then, her curly dark brown hair was perfectly combed and looked nice. Now, it is tangled and matted with sweat. She tried adjusting herself again but lets out a small cry of pain, her eyes squeezing shut.
"What's wrong?" I insist, my voice laced with concern. Avella sits up a little bit more.
"My leg. Girl from Four got me in the Bloodbath. First she shot me, then she kicked me down a hill. Nice, huh?" Avella laughs wryly. When she looks back up, her eyes are shining with tears. "You know, I would give anything, anything in the world to be somewhere else right now. Don't take it the wrong way, I'm glad for the company, but-" Her voice breaks and she looks at the ground.
"Can you get up?" I ask her, eyeing her torn legs and the dark red hole still oozing blood. Avella slowly sits completely upright, tucking her unharmed leg underneath her body. She reaches out her arms, and taking her hint, I grab them hoist her up. I sling one of her arms over my shoulders, and wrap my other arm around her waist, blushing a little bit. She leaned into me, grateful for my support, and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. "You okay?" I inquire, furrowing my brows.
"Yeah, I'm fine," She says, giving me a dazzling white smile. I know that there is more to what she said than what I heard: 1) she trusts me. 2) we are now in an alliance.
Sorry I haven't updated in a while! School kept me busy, and we just closed our performance of RENT so that kept me swamped too :(
Also, looking at my other stories, I made a mistake in the bloodbath chapter. I said that Ax from Twelve was dead, but I really meant Drew from Ten. Sorry for that! Also, sorry this chapters short, I ma suffering from a terrible condition known as severe writer's block :( so if you have any ideas at all about the story send me a PM or review! Reviews make me happy ;)