Celina 12

I woke up the next morning and looked around me. I shot up as I remembered last night's events. I stretched my hands in front of my eyes, wondering how I got my sight back.

I groaned as I remembered my screams and blasphemous curses against the Capitol. I was never going to win now. The game makers would find some way to kill me off. A swarm of the mutts that drained my energy would surely finish me.

I looked down at my arms, and was surprised that a rocket loaded with ointment and bandages shot out of the ground.

"Thank you, whoever sent me these. You are supporting me in times of mental instability, and because of you I will try my hardest not to let it break me." There, that seemed quite eloquent for a seemingly 'mad' girl.

I smeared the ointment according to the instructions all over the scabs on my arms and legs. I wound the bandages slowly around my scabs, which seemed to be feeling better already.

I walked back into the cave and immediately threw up what little food was in my stomach.

It was a gruesome sight, blood spattered the cave walls and what looked like sheets of skin littered the floor. I hopped around the cave, both avoiding the gore and trying not to let my feet burn. Somehow I had lost my boots, and I touched my face which seemed to be burned. I remembered the cave felt cool yesterday, but it must have been sizzling my skin.

I wandered into the back of the cave which felt endless yesterday, but now looked small and cramped.

I picked up my coat and dropped it like it was poison, it transformed into a nest of snakes at my touch. The cave started spinning, and I realised I liked it.

I stuck my hands out and spun even faster; giggling like a child until eventually the burning floor came up to meet my head.

"Oops! Hehe oh well, mummy will make it better." I clamped my hands over my mouth, I sounded just like a kid. And I didn't have a mum.

I glimpsed movement out of the corner of my eye, and ran after it gleefully, making sure to pick up my two backpacks and my weapon. I twirled them around my wrist; like I saw the schoolchildren do back in my district.

I ran like my feet had wings, and when I looked down, I saw that they did.

I laughed in joy, and rose up into the air, laughing like a child.

"Celina…" A melodious voice that seemed painfully familiar called to me, "Join us!"

I spun around, causing clouds to twirl around my vision. When they cleared I saw my mother and father, with their arms around each other, one hand stretched towards me.

"We have been keeping you safe little lobster." I giggled at the pet name my father always used for me. "But now is the time to join us, and have your heart's desire!"

My father looked like a God from the before even the Dark Days, my mother like a Goddess. Their golden hair flowed, ruffled by some invisible wind, and their faces seemed perfect and unblemished.

"Our heart's desire our daughter. Let go darling, join us…" My mother cried to me.

I walked towards them and tried to fall into their outstretched arms but they disappeared into coloured droplets.

I fell out of the clouds, and I saw pink rocks coming up to meet my face.

"Eeeek!" I squealed like a kid and I scraped my knees and nose.

I sobbed and clutched my knee while I shakily applied the ointment and bandages.

"I'm not putting those ugly things on my face!" I frowned and threw the bandages away, and they seemed to sail forever over the sand for miles and miles.

I saw my back pack which I must have dropped when I fell from the sky, and opened it up.

I saw the water bottles and picked the squeeziest one up. The sides were too squishy to resist squeezing them. As soon as the water left the bottle, a familiar smell hit my nose and I realised it was the salt water bottle.

"Yay!" I squealed as the water rained down on me. I spun around and carried on squeezing the bottle until it was empty.

"All gone." These words were from my childhood, when I had finished my fish.

I ran out into the open and heard my father's words echo around my head,

"Dig deep enough, and there will always be water my little lobster!" I had tried this before, but that was on the other side of the arena.

I watched as my hands morphed into shovels, and whispered,

"That's handy," I fell about in giggles at my pun, and pictured all the silly Capitol people wondering how my hands had become something else, and then laughing at my funny.

Sand flew past my ears and soon my hair was crusted over with blue. I dug and carved into the night until a burrow had formed. I disguised the entrance of it with sand and cactuses until it was virtually invisible.

I crawled out and pulled my backpacks, coat and water bottles into my home.

Suddenly, an idea hit me. I squished all of the water into the burrow, and giggled as it swished about my ankles. I threw the water bugs at the ceiling and walls to reinforce them and stop them collapsing.

My coat was not snakes any more, but I wasn't afraid of them because of Ferrero. He had them on his face!

I arranged the mass of feathers it had become into a floating bed, and decided to go in search of some more water.

I wriggled out of my burrow and remembered that I could ask for anything I wanted.

"WATER!" I screamed at the sky, "I'm okay! I'm not insane anymore! Coo-Eee! Look, I'm clever; no-one can even see my burrow!" I gestured towards the cactus, where the entrance was concealed.

Almost straight away, a rocket flew towards me.

"AAAAAA!" I screamed and swung my morning star at it. "Oops, hehe." I giggled as I shook the backpack free of my weapon.

I hurriedly flung myself back into my burrow and emptied the 20 bottles, each containing a litre of water, into my home, until I could stand up and have it up to my neck. I swam around for a bit, and fell asleep floating on my back.