Everyone reacted differently, and it would have been fun to watch if it hadn't been so serious. Emma and I ran toward the pinata and picked up sticks. As we whacked at it, I looked at what everyone else was doing.
Harmony and Demetria took off in opposite directions and darted into the distance like rabbits. Eleanor found Aimee and ran out past the tables. As she passed one that was loaded with cake, she grabbed the tablecloth and scooped it up like a sack, carrying the food with them as they went. I would have thought Rapture would be next to us, looking to get a weapon, but he took advantage of the lack of cover around the Bloodbath. He ran straight for Jonathan, who was next to his platform, and the first cannon sounded before we even got to the pinata. He killed Mei as we started to whack.
I was aware I looked like a total idiot hitting a pinata with a stick, but what I really cared about was how hard it was. I whacked at the donkey's ribs with all my strength and relished the feeling of the weakening... whatever pinatas are made of. Emma made the first crack and I crowded in next to her. I shoved my hand into the hole and ripped the donkey's belly open like a panther, sending party favors and little sandwiches raining onto the ground. Emma joined me in pushing the donkey apart, and it split in half with a louder crack. Only then did the bigger things, like swords and a tent, spill out like guts.
"Better run faster!" the sudden yell made me jump. I followed the sound to its source and saw Rapture running down Angus. The boy was a hundred feet from the Cornucopia and must have been running since the confetti shot, but Rapture wasn't giving up. Two victims wasn't enough for him. Emma and I watched as he closed the distance between him and Angus and knocked the boy forward. I knew from Emma that it was harder than it seemed to kill someone without a weapon, but Rapture had his ways. He grabbed Angus' hair and slammed his head onto a decorative cobblestone pathway. I heard the crack all the way from the pinata, and a third cannon sounded. Rapture looked out at the others, who were growing smaller in the distance. He bent over and huffed with his hands on his knees.
"Don't stop! Don't ever stop!" he taunted, and he laughed with his head back. He turned back to us and made his way toward the Cornucopia. Emma waited until he was within range and aimed a throwing knife at him.
"Better watch yourself," she said. Rapture stopped and smirked at us.
"Come on, I just want some weapons. We're both Careers. Be a pal," he said.
"Snooze you lose. This is our Cornucopia now," Emma said.
"What if I did this?" Rapture said. He took a step forward and Emma cocked her arm. Rapture waggled his hands invitingly.
"Bring it," he said. Emma laughed at him.
"Nice try. I'm not giving you a weapon," she said. Rapture scowled and made a rude gesture at her.
"Sticks and stones. But you don't have of those, do you? Because we have them all," Emma said. I hadn't really thought about it, but Emma was right. Together, we were the strongest pair in the Arena. We were the Career pack. We controlled the Cornucopia. All the wealth and prizes piles around me... they were all ours. We wouldn't want for anything.
"You're dead, princess," Rapture said darkly.
"Get out of here before I decide it's worth wasting a knife," Emma said. Rapture slunk off like a kicked dog, glancing over his shoulder at us every now and then.
"We're rich," I said as I looked at all our things. Rose was a generous host. Instead of the MREs and cans I was used to eating, she'd packed us party food in present-shaped containers so they wouldn't get jostled. We had deviled eggs and cocktail weenies and sweets of all sorts. There were bottles of soda and a tub of ice cream, which we'd sadly have to eat right away so it wouldn't melt. That just broke my heart.
"We could sleep there," I said, pointing at the bouncy house. Emma wasn't so sure.
"We're rich all right, but we're also stuck," she said. "Rapture isn't far. He may have ducked out of sight, but he's waiting for the moment we make a move. We better not move from this spot," she said.
"Yeah, you're right," I said. I bent over and started to fiddle with the tent Rose sent us. When I got it out of the box, I saw it was decorated to look like a castle. Cornucopia Castle, I thought as I set it up. It was barely big enough for two people, but I had the feeling we'd never be sleeping at the same time.
"So the plan is just to chill here?" I asked.
"Rapture's even more pissed than usual. He'll kill everyone he can find. By the time Rose gets bored of us staying here, he'll probably be the only one left. Then I guess we'll fight it out," she said. It sounded eerily simple, but I didn't want to complain. Three people were already dead and we were rolling in supplies. The only thing I was worried about was how safe we were. If things went on like this, Emma and I would almost certainly be the last two.