Oh, it's you again! I truly admire your perseverance and I am sincerely grateful for your time to review and read. Thank you3
Oh and here's 'The Fallen' because I'm a forgetful minx and I forgot to add it in last chapter. Just when you were getting hopeful.
*In the Blink of an Eye
The Fallen:
Emilia Jatos, District Nine girl [Cause of death: eaten – mutt 3]
The beach would look like any other beach if it weren't for the blood. Almost nothing left, the red stained sand is the only reminder of the horror that occurred just minutes ago. Just mere minutes, a girl was lying on the beach, tired, hungry and beaten, but more or less alive.
Now all that remains is the stain of her dying body on the sand.
The boy turns away from the screen. No one will miss Emilia Jatos. The father abused the daughter in such a way that the whole neighbourhood knew about it, yet did nothing to prevent it. So she turned to old-fashioned religion, did Emilia. She came to school smelling of cigarettes while she did not smoke. Life at home was not good for Emilia.
Maybe she's in a better place.
The boy turns off the TV.
Charms Penlum, District One
It must be nearly over, surely? I've heard so many cannons yet I have no idea who still lurks around me. Every crack, rustle and echo, I flinch, almost expecting my head to blown in at any second. I am a nervous wreck, I tell myself.
Its not until I actually walk into the natural clearing, that I notice the group on a high cluster of boulders ahead of me. Their heads are turned towards me. I just hope they haven't got a gun. Just as I'm wondering whether it would be cleverer to turn and bolt, a parachute floats amiably down into my face. Choking around the white plasticy parachute, I fumble with the catch. A shield perhaps? Maybe a gun of my own?
I can feel eyes on me and I try to open the container as quickly as possible. A flag falls out. A flag. Not a gun, a shield, or even some decent food. A flag.
But not any flag: a white flag, popularly used as a sign on surrender and peace. Huh. Guess one of those Capitol jerks has a brain. Although some food would have been appreciated. Nuts are boring.
So as I walk towards the hilltop gathering, I wave my freshly laundered white flag and hope that a bullet doesn't find my brain. I have to restrain myself from sniffing the flag every step: it smells like home, a clean fragrance of spring mornings and iced drinks.
Coraline Rige, District Seven
My raw scratchy eyes make out a figure waving what looks like a white shirt. Who's that? Some other murderer who has come to kill the last of the people who mean something to me? Aside from Mum and Dad, I suppose.
This morning, I remembered Monty. I haven't seen him since the night before the Games. For some reason, this really hurts and the tears won't stop flowing. And Lash... and Aden. Whenever I manage to distract myself for a second, the thoughts and memories come back and I'm weeping again.
I'm disgusted. I must look like some kind of soggy towel. Pull yourself together, girl.
The others draw their various weapons, even though the apparent white flag suggests peace. I guess anything could happen. This is the Games after all. Natalie, Stag and Jaysper rise and start approaching the figure. I can now see that it's a girl. Natalie probably knew that five minutes ago with her hawk vision.
I think I'll just sit here. Last time I went into battle, I lost two people who meant something to me.
I ponder about life and death. Distractions again. Once, a girl back home in the year above me took her own life. I wonder how she did it. It was all hush-hush. The Capitol covering up the damage and such like. But I saw the Capitol tape on her front door; Capitol business: Authorised entry only. It wasn't long before the Games actually. Did she not want to compete? Did life get too overwhelming?
The people are talking, perfectly civilised now. I don't care. As long as the girl doesn't kill Stag. Or maybe Jaysper. Natalie scares me to be honest. Even though she is the same age as me, her eyes hold a certain something which sends shivers down my spine. I wouldn't wish death on her though. That would be mean. I'd rather she just walked away or stopped being so creepy.
Aden's compassionate eyes filled my mind, shortly followed by a memory of Lash's purple flower. Then Monty joins the misery party and soon I am choking back sobs. It's no good. My wrecked mind returns to thoughts of suicide and Capitol policies. It's the most cheerful thing I can summon.
Natalie Dismal, District Ten
So it's decided. We'll let the Charms girl go on her way and we'll promise not to hurt her. In exchange, she's given us information about the psychopath, otherwise known as Kyle. He has a gun. Ouch. With our medieval weapons, we'll be dead before we can even draw our knives. So much for fair play.
But I have to hand it to the Charms girl. That takes guts to walk up to an enemy alliance with only a white flag protecting her. I could say the opposite for Cora. She's been weeping and sniffling for over two days now. It's actually getting kind of annoying. I won't say anything. I don't really want to hurt her anymore, and I don't want Stag and Jaysper turning against me. If they were to attack me, which they will have to do sometime, I'd rather be prepared.
Which is why I'm leaving tomorrow. At the earliest point of the day, or maybe it's the latest point of night, I'll be out of there. There is not really any place to go, other than the other side of the arena. But at least I'll be self-dependant and I won't be fearing betrayal.
Oh, and I won't have to listen to a permanent loop of weeping. It must be branded into my memory by now.