Quick note:
I put both Ariel and Mako's perspectives into one chapter this time because they were both short. Don't hate me! Just enjoy the story.Ariel's POV
"Hey, Fishy, get up. We're going hunting again."
The sound of Garnet's voice makes my skin crawl more and more. I let myself wake up for a minute then I pop my back as I sit up. Garnet is already suited up with his huge machetes lining his belt. Sapphire and Aid are swiftly getting ready, faster than me that's for sure. I pack my bag and get my harpoon gun ready. I also have the girl from 7's dagger in my belt, though there's not much good in that other than a utensil or close combat, which I plan to avoid. After a bite of breakfast, we set off to find more victims, well they do. I've been a great pack mule lately.
Through our whole hunt my mind is completely elsewhere. I think of Mako and wonder where he is. Has he made any allies or is he cooped up in a cave all by himself? Is he thinking of me or-
"Hey, Fishy, keep up," says Sapphire. "I thought you were the fast swimmer!"
"Sorry," I mumble, swimming a bit faster. Aid glares at me as I pass her, and then she rolls her eyes and switches her knife to her other hand. I think she's left handed.
We don't find any tributes or hear any cannons by the time we are back at camp, but Sapphire manages to catch a few fish.
"Now the matter of cooking them…" I didn't consider the lack of wood.
"We have more than enough spears we aren't using," says Sapphire. "Break off the heads and use the staff to burn Father, don't you have matches?"
Garnet nods, pulls them out, and hands them to me. I advise that we let the spears dry first while we sleep. I take the first shirt of keeping watch. Naturally, no faces appear in the sky. That means the Gamemakers will probably bring something out tomorrow to ensure entertainment for their dear Capitol.
I look over at Aid, fast asleep. It's understandable that she would blame me for Scalpel's death, but there was nothing I could do. He was doomed before any of us could react.
"My turn Fishy."
I look up to see Sapphire carefully zipping the tent flap closed. I sigh and hold my annoyance in as I crawl over to my sleeping bag next to the tent and lie on my back. The noise of Sapphire tapping her trident on the cave floor makes me flinch every time, the metallic clink, clank, clink, clank keeping me awake. As soon as everything quiets down and I think I can sleep, I turn to see who is keeping watch.
It's Aid, sharpening her knives, all twelve of them, and after she finishes each one, she blows dust off the blade and shoots me a short glare.
Target locked.
I don't sleep the rest of the night.
"Hey, Fishy, breakfast time."
I automatically get up and go over to the broken spears and start lighting a match.
"Did you sleep at all?" asks Garnet. "You got up so fast and… you look like hell."
Don't we all, Garnet, is what I wish I could say, but instead I shrug and try to get the flame bigger.
"She's just paranoid that I'll try to kill her," Aid smirks. She's right though. I can't stop thinking of her bright, green, cat-like eyes glaring at me with those knives scattered around her.
I finally get the fire going and skin the fish before propping them up over the fire.
"What do you think the Gamemakers will pull out to ensure bloodshed?" ask, trying to sound casual. "Since no one died yesterday, I mean."
"You really think they would do something just after one day?" asks Sapphire. I nod and continue rotating the fish.
They end up burned, but everyone fails to realize it is better burnt than undercooked. After everyone eats, we pack up again to hunt for more tributes. I hope we don't find Mako.
Mako's POV
"My sister died in the bloodbath," says Scurry. "I didn't see it. But everything is official once you see their faces in the sky."
"Well the sky isn't really visible in these caves," I add. "Now it's the gem lights."
"Gem lights?"
"Yea."
Scurry looks around at the lights that glow dimly in our modest cave. The lights appear to breathe as they brighten, and then dim, and then brighten again, making Scurry's eyes seem just a bit brighter. He looks down and fiddles with a bowl he had in his pack.
"My aunt was in the Games," he says. "Sixteen years ago."
I raise my eyebrow at his random subject change.
"What was her name?" I ask.
"Delta, but hardly anyone remembers her because that year had two victors. She even made it to the last four."
Oh yea, that year. I was only two then, but I've seen multiple reruns. My brain suddenly clicks as the puzzle pieces come together. Scurry's fiery red hair and sharp features...
"Your aunt was Foxface?" I ask, mouth wide open.
"Delta!" snaps Scurry. "Her name was Delta! Ever since that Katniss girl started calling her that, everyone has referred to her as that, even people from our district. It is so annoying!" He looks down. "She could have won too. She was the smartest. Smarter than Everdeen. And definitely smarter than that Mellark kid."
It's quiet for a while, other than the drip, drop of the moist cave walls.
"I wish I could have met her," Scurry whispers.
"I'm sorry," I say. He nods. Things are mostly quiet for the first half of the day. Scurry and I gather lots of shellfish, and while doing so we hear a canon. Every time I hear that cursed noise a new fear that the love of my life is dead shivers its way up my spine and sticks into the back of my head.
"If someone died a while ago," says Scurry. "Do you think the Gamemakers will put anything in the arena or do anything to it?"
I shrug.
"It's just one death," I reply. "Who knows how long it will take for them to cook up something."
There is this lovely little thing called irony. Maybe you've heard of it.
Beads of sweat rapidly form on my forehead, quickly dripping down the side of my face. Around me, the previously teal gem-lights brighten and change into a blood red color. Progressively and swiftly, it starts to get hotter and hotter. Oh har har, the Gamemakers are hilarious!
"Shit," I cry, my feet starting to burn. "Scurry, get in the water!"
The little boy doesn't hesitate to get his gear on and then dive into the tunnel, which in retrospect is not a good idea, but I'll lecture him later. I plunge in after him, almost sighing in relief at the cold water enveloping me in a cuccoon of chills.
"Everything alright with you?" I ask. Scurry nods and gives me the OK sign. He suddenly stiffens and frantically snaps through his mask, "I didn't do it! It wasn't me!"
I'm about to ask why he is freaking out until the water around me starts to heat up too.
"Swim!" I yell instinctively, switching on my propellers. "Swim, Scurry!"
As soon as the propellers start up, I take off faster than I had expected. I am swimming as hard as I can, but most of my speed is coming from the propellers. Scurry speeds up as well, easily keeping up with me, but the water is boiling behind us and my feet are starting to burn again.
"What's going on?" I ask, motioning to the propellers.
"I rigged them to go faster!"
Oh, right. District 5 is construction and transportation. They probably deal with propellers all the time. I'll have to thank him later for all the great fishing boats we have back in 4.
I can see the end of the cave. Light pours into the mouth of the tunnel and my feet are starting to blister. With one final whoosh, Scurry and I burst from the boiling cave and into the open water.
The heat must only go as far as the mouths of the caves because the water is much cooler out here.
Further below us, another tribute furiously swims out of the cave, bleeding profusely. She is barely out, screaming for her life when a pack of barracuda swarm and surround her. The silvery fish completely block the girl from view as her blood curdling screams and fury of bubbles rush up between Scurry and me. Blood spurts through the gaps of barracuda and the screams die down, only to be replaced by the sound of her cannon.
I tell Scurry to look away just as the fish disperse revealing the horrifying corpse, which even when the submarine comes to collect it, is still bored into my mind forever. Shreds of skin flapping off the bone, and blood filling the scuba mask. I know it wasn't Ariel, but what if had been her. I try to push the thought away as Scurry brings me back to reality.
"Is she gone?" he asks.
"Yea."
"Well, someone else is here."
I follow Scurry's gaze towards the opening of another cave and he's right.
The career pack is coming right for us.
A/N: So, a while back, someone said that a chapter with more than one POV was too confusing, well I'm breaking my little rule, simply because of length issues. When I was writing the rough draft I didnt' estimate the size of each chapters beause the notebook I was writing them in was regrettibly small compared to a microsoft word page so...hope you enjoyed it anyway! Hope it wasn't confusing or anything.