Day 3: Amber's POV
The fake sun the Gamemakers put in the arena is creeping its way up. I run my tongue over my dry lips. My water bottle ran out midday yesterday because it's so hot in the arena. I reach for another fruit. I've begun to get sick of them, but I just consider myself lucky to have found a food source. I'm sure most of the other tributes can't even say that. My eyes find a frog on the branch above me. I know these types have a highly poisonous sack on the roof of their mouth. Half of my darts still poison, and the ones I covered on the first day may be dried out by now. I aim the gun, and a dart buries itself in the frog's neck. I remove the poison sack, and dip my darts into it. Hopefully some smart person from the capital will see what I'm doing, and send me some water.
As if by magic, a soft beeping sound fills the air, and a parachute lowers itself to my branch. Inside, there is a large bottle of water with a short note attached. It reads "Don't do it alone. - Aluma" To any Capital citizen, it would make no sense at all. But I know what Aluma is telling me. She knows I have a feeling of adrenaline rushing through me. In other words, I'm itching to get some kills under my belt. No, certainly I won't touch innocent tributes, but I can't say the same for the Careers. I'll start with Coral. But Aluma and I both know that I can't do it alone.
I sit in a tree, honestly confused at what to do next. The boom of a cannon interrupts my thoughts. To my surprise, the boy from 1, Jett, is projected in the sky. I wonder how a Career could have died so short into the Games. I can strike now, when the rest of them are still getting over whatever or whoever attacked them. I slide down the tree and begin making my way silently through the jungle. The Careers must have a water source somewhere. They usually pick a really obvious one, like a creek or a lake. I guess it's smart, because the Gamemakers couldn't possibly poison something that big, but it makes it easier for us tributes to find them. The arrogance they have that leads them to believe that they can't be touched by outer district kids often leads to their downfall. I swerve my way in and out of trees until I am face to face with Dayta.
I raise my gun, and she scrambles back. She's weaponless, so she knows it's hopeless. I can't shoot her though. What did she ever do to me? I notice she has a bag of beef jerky in her hand, and curiosity overwhelms me. "Where did you get that?" I ask, eyeing the bag hungrily. She looks at me, genuinely confused. I'm probably pretty confusing to everyone. I mean, first I spend the whole Games avoiding alliances, then I give away my food to some random weak tribute, and deny his request for an alliance. Now I'm asking someone who could be considered competition where she got her beef jerky! "I stole it from the Career's camp," is her confident answer. So, this girl is not only willing to ambush the Careers, in a way, she already has. I've seen what she can do with snares and I decide that now would be as good a time as any to ask for an alliance. Seeing as how I'm the only one with a weapon, she has no choice but to accept.
"So Dayta, how do you feel about ambushing the Careers? All we need is to acquire a weapon for you, and then we'll be set." I say to her. She nods. I think we should wait a little though, at least until there's 1 or 2 les of them. That way we won't be too badly outnumbered." I realize that I can't base all my actions out of the hot anger I'm feeling, so I take a deep breath and nod. "How about I show you where I've been getting water?" Dayta asks. Okay, she wants to be of some use to this alliance. "Yeah, let's go." I agree. As we move through the jungle, I realize how light her steps are. We've been walking for quite some time when we reach a cliff face that must be the end of the arena. It's dotted with caves. Dayta moves her finger up. "I've been sleeping in one." She tells me. "So where's the water?" I ask. "Careful," she laughs, "you're about to step in it!" I jerk my foot back. Sure enough, right under me is a tiny bubbling spring.
As I refill my water bottle, she offers me some of her jerky. I accept and eat it greedily. A question comes into my mind. "So do you have any idea about what happened to Jett?" Dayta gives a sly smile. "Well, he walked right into my trap and ended up with a dagger in his shoulder. Of course, that wouldn't have killed her, but I saw Chardonnay using poisonous leaves to absorb the blood. The poison must have gotten into his system." "You've been spying on them?" I gasp. She shrugs. So, now I know I've made the right choice about this alliance. She's a lot braver than she looks. "How about I show you my fruit tree," I offer. Her face lights up. "Yeah, I've been eating nothing but jerky and crackers the past few days!"
The sun is moving lower in the sky. Dayta sinks her teeth into another fruit. She looks at me "so what's home like for you?" "Well, I have a pretty big family," I begin. "All the men in my family are grain farmers. My mother and my aunt work for the Peacekeepers, cleaning their houses and cooking for them. I have a cousin Sage who's just my age, and she has some younger siblings. If I win, we're all going to live in a big house together in the Victors Village." I smile, satisfied. Dayta rolls a fruit in her hands, and then looks at me. "I guess everyone has a reason that they want to win." She whispers. I nod, and feel my eyelids getting heavier. Dayta offers to take first watch, but I trust her and I'm too busy thinking about our plans for tomorrow to think much of it. I wake up with a dart gun positioned at my throat.
Still Alive:
1. Chardonnay (1)
2. Agate (2)
3. Mason (2)
4. Dayta (3)
5. Coral (4)
6. Elana (7)
7. Lyndon (7)
8. Amber (9)
9. Chase (9)
10. Laurel (11)
11. Bracken (12)
Injuries:
None
Deaths:
Jett (1)