"How long will it be before Flitter dies?" I ask as Quaid sets up camp.
"Three days. Less if a wild animal gets to her." He replies while laying down his sleeping bag.
We just set down for camp. We traveled miles and knew we needed the rest. We have three days before our peace truce blows away with the wind. I sat down on my sleeping bag and felt the pin on my shirt. I haven't looked at the pin since the Games began. I didn't have any need to look at the bird anyway.
The sun descended and the moon took its place. The only face in the sky was Lucifer's. I wonder how many tributes are surprised at that. I was there for his death and I still am.
I pulled my knees to my chest and looked at the sky. Will I go home? With Lucifer gone, I have more of a chance to go home safely. I wonder how Philomena is doing without me. Is Loco doing fine? Does he miss our rides? Just the mere thought of him brings tears to my eyes. I'll come home, Loco. I promise. I say to him in my mind.
Quaid moves from his sleeping bag to me. He sits in front of me, looking into my eyes. The flicker of the fire allowed me to see his perfect green eyes. How can those eyes be perfect? "Are you alright?" he asks. His voice is smooth as butter.
"Just fine." I reply, not looking him in the eyes.
"If you were fine, you'd look at me." He leans over and puts his index finger on my chin. "Come on, Cowgirl." His finger coaxes my face to look at him. "There you are. Tell me what's up." I sigh and stare at him.
"How could I kill Faith?" I ask. His head turns slightly. "Girl from Seven? How could I kill her? She's only twelve! I didn't want to believe it, but what if I am a killer? What if I just kill people because it's survival? What if…" Quaid places a finger on my lips, silencing me.
"You are not a killer. These Games are designed to chip people away on the inside. Our most recent victor already seems to be losing her mind. And she's twenty one. Don't worry about it." He smiles and it takes all I have not to tackle him into a hug. I lose my internal battle and my head is buried in his chest.
His arms wrap around my body, encircling me from the danger called the arena. He lay on his side and took me with him. My head was still in his chest, not wanting to look up. I drifted into sleep, wanting to forget the danger of the arena.
"I'm sorry!" I yell to the air. "Listen to me. I have two siblings. My brother is your age. I don't mean to kill anyone. I just want to survive!" I see the little girl, sitting on the rock, with the knife still lodged in her back.
"Survival is only for the weak." She whispers and her voice echoes in my ears. "I am the oldest in my family. You know what it is like to be the oldest, don't you, Jada?" I can't see her face. I can only see her black silky hair against the pure white gown she is wearing. Blood from the wound isn't dripping. It looks like it didn't puncture the skin.
I move closer, hoping for her to look at me. She didn't deserve to die the death I put on her. She deserved to win and go home. As I move, I see her turn around. Her once hazel eyes were just black pupils staring at me. Her skin, a flawless shade of peach, is now white as paper. Her features were no longer hers. She was unrecognizable. She stood up and moved to me.
"Jada, you are just like them. The Careers. You kill anything that crosses your path." She teases me.
"No! I don't! I can barely kill a butterfly, let alone a person!" I retort.
"Then why did you kill Jae and Kade? Why did you kill me?" Faith asks, staring me down.
"I want to survive! Would you kill people in order to go home?"
"No. I'd rather die than kill another human being." As she came closer to me, she grew taller. She circled me, tormenting me. "Poor Jada. The only Caldwell that has ever been in the Hunger Games. My family has sent more tributes from Seven than any other family. I'm surprised I even have a family." Was this true? Or was my mind making this up?
"Faith! Stop!" I yell. She's in front of me, a foot taller than me. Her hand wraps around my throat. "S…St…Stop!" I stutter as her hand closes off my air.
"I'll kill you like you killed Lucifer." I didn't have any air to tell her Quaid killed Lucifer, not me. Her grip tightens around my windpipe. "Enjoy your journey to hell, Jada."
I am falling down an abyss. There is no escape. My screams bounce off the walls as I descend to my death.
"Jada! Jada!" Quaid's voice tried calming down my screams. I am still falling. The abyss is never ending. I'll hit the ground with so much force; my limbs will pop out of place. I'll never…
Quaid picks up my body and makes me sit in his lap. "Jada! You're dreaming! Wake up!" My eyes open and Faith is gone. Quaid's perfect eyes are looking into mine. He hugs me tighter than I hug Jetta back home. Tears fall from my eyes onto his shirt.
"It was her. It was her!" I say to him.
"Who?" He asks me, rocking back and forth.
"Faith." I answer. I look up at him and he wipes my tears.
"Shh." He hushes me. "Shh. It was only a dream. Faith is gone. Shh."
Quaid strokes my hair. He keeps telling me that it is okay. I know it's not. Why is he messing with me? I don't ask him that, of course. He continues to stroke my hair and hush me back to sleep. I looked at the sky. It looked like it was in the middle of the night. How many people did I wake up with my screams? His voice calms me down from my nightmare.
"Faith isn't here anymore. She's in a better place." He whispers to me. "Go back to sleep." He was still stroking my hair.
I bury my face deeper into his chest as I mutter, "Don't leave me here alone."
His response comes with a quick peck on my head. "I won't, Cowgirl. I won't."