Ariel's POV
"Our mentors sent you a gift?" I protest. "Is that even legal?"
I then think about how stupid that was when remembering the 74th Games when District 11 sent Katniss Everdeen bread for being with their girl tribute while she died.
"Must be or it wouldn't be here," says Cinna. "What is it?"
I pull the basket into my lap and examine the contents. It's filled with food, and two medium sized bottles of water.
"A peace offering," says Mako. "Wow, didn't think we would have the sponsors for this."
"I didn't think Finnick would use our sponsor money for another District instead of letting us fight them off ourselves," I add.
"And it's more like a bribe," Rue mutters. "This gift in exchange for your lives. I bet you can't even fight. Not you at least." She nudges her head my way.
"Well this will make the record books," Mako continues. "So what will you do?"
Mako is surprisingly calm through this whole dilemma. My heart is about to pound out of my chest. I have a flimsy knife and Mako couldn't possibly pull his sword out before Rue pulled the trigger. Rue still looks determined to stick me with what used to be my harpoon gun. Cinna's face contorts with conflicting thoughts.
"It's not like they can take it back," says Rue. "Let's just kill them and keep the gift."
"As much as that might be the smart idea," Cinna says quietly. "It's not the right idea."
Rue stares at her brother in desperation.
"Cinna," she whines. "This is no time to develop a soft spot for the enemy! That's how dad almost lost!"
"But that's how mom won," Cinna shoots back. I manage to make it back to Mako's side and take a hold of his hand. I try to hide how scared I am, but I think Mako can tell nonetheless.
"We're letting you go this time," says Cinna.
"What?"
"Rue hush." He turns to us. "If we see you again, we will kill you."
I nod and say, "Thank you." Then Mako pulls me along and back into the water.
We are back in the tunnels and I am exhausted.
"We need to find another cave," I say. "I'm really tired."
Mako takes my hand and pulls me along, looking for a new campsite.
We find another cave, but it's really small. If we want to lie down, Mako and I will have to get really close.
I don't mind that at all.
Mako lays out the sleeping bag and as he leans forward I notice something hanging from his neck. It can't possibly be-
"The necklace!" I say. "How did you get it?"
Mako looks down at the shark tooth and smiles.
"Annie found it in your room," he says. "It has my name on the back of the tooth so she gave it to me as my District token."
"She went into my room?" I gape at him. "Why… never mind."
I know it is pointless to question Annie's logic, if you can even call it logic. We both crawl on top of the sleeping bag that Mako unzipped all the way since there is enough heat in the humid cave. For once I feel truly safe in his arms. He says it is midnight and he will have to get up early to get the feast.
"You're not going," he adds as he plays with my salt crusted hair. I sit up, not ready to go down without a fight.
"Why not?"
"Your oxygen level is really low," he continues. "It probably won't last more than half an hour and the feast could last hours."
"You just don't want me to go out and fight," I retort, flicking his forehead with my index finger which I know he hates.
"I don't want to lose you again."
"You don't want to lose me yet."
"I don't want to lose you at all!"
His voice has risen to a shout, but then he huffs out a sigh of frustrasion and lies back down.
"You're not going, Ariel," he says. "Now go to sleep."
I lie down quietly and hold his hand. He squeezes my own and then rolls over and pulls me in close, pressing our foreheads together.
"I love you," he whispers.
"I love you too."
Mako's POV
I carefully slip out of Ariel's arms. She is fast asleep, has always been a heavy sleeper.
6:00 am.
The Feast starts in half an hour. I have an hour of oxygen left. I need to get in and out fast.
Everything I need is packed and there is enough food left for Ariel to last about a day if I don't make it back. I hope I do.
One last glance at Ariel sleeping peacefully, occasionally mumbling inane babble in her sleep and I submerge myself under the dark waters and flip on my flashlight.
Swimming has always been a great time to think. A great time to plan. What would happen if Ariel and I both make it to the end? Never in a million years would I fight her. I can't even imagine it.
Maybe we could use District 12's plan. Just let the arena take one of us out. It might be slow, but it would be better than killing each other.
I reach the mouth of the cave, and look at my watch.
6:15.
I'm making good time. I just have to wait, now. Off on the other side of the wall I see another tribute emerge from the cave. They're tiny so it can't be Garnet. Maybe it's Aid, or Rue. No, Cinna seems like the protective type. He wouldn't let his little sister come to the Feast. Just as I wouldn't let Ariel come.
From above, a small container sinks into the middle of the arena, in the same spot as the cornucopia once floated but somehow disappeared. It opens up and dozens of oxygen tanks appear in the artificial bubbles and suspend, waiting for a taker.
Might as well get it while it's hot. I switch on my propellers and take off towards the Feast. I'm there before anyone else and I am able to quickly grab an oxygen tank.
Thank you, Scurry.
"Not so fast," a sing-songy, cat-like voice rings out. I turn to see Aid, knives drawn, speeding my way with her flippers peddling behind her.
Get in, get out. That was the plan! But I can't lead her to Ariel. Unfortunately, during the time I am contemplating an escape plan, Aid is practically on top of me. She slashes, her green eyes bearing a wild look through her mask. There's something off about her. She seems… lost… unhinged, something.
"How about I let you die like Fishy let my brother die!" she screams between slashes. I can't help but think Ariel is "Fishy". I continue to swim backwards to avoid her razor sharp blades. In the distance, Cinna swims out of a cave and towards the treasure of tanks. He is just about to grab a large tank when Garnet sneaks up from behind and sticks what must have been Sapphire's trident into the back of Cinna's neck.
The cannon fires immediately.
My attention is diverted back to Aid, who is wearing me out, still slashing and stabbing madly, grunting and squealing as she advances. She catches my stomach and a searing pain cuts across my skin. It's not deep, but it still hurts, and it's bleeding. My sword can't do much at this point, with Aid moving around so nimbly. I try to see through the blood concentrated water.
Garnet is gone, and Cinna's body is still leaking blood, waiting to be collected by a submarine. Why haven't they come for his body yet?
It doesn't take long to figure out why. Out of the trench below, there is a rumble, and then a great white shark shoots from the abyss.
Oh, why now? Why put a shark in now? And here I am bleeding into its line of scent. It doesn't hesitate to immediately start circling Aid and me. I now remember the prod thing that I had in my bag from the Cornucopia was a rod that people in my District used to repel sharks. Convenient that I left it back at the cave.
Damn it.
Aid whips around and cuts a huge hole in my oxygen tank. Now I look like a bleeding distressed fish with the bubbles spewing everywhere. The shark hones in on me and starts charging. In a quick and desperate move, I switch on my propellers once more, and shoot upward at the last second. There is a sickening crunch, a blood curdling scream, and then thousands of tiny bubbles fill the water from beneath. I have successfully dodged the shark's powerful attack.
But Aid did not.
She squirms painfully in the shark's teeth. But her movement just tears her skin even more, dispersing blood into the water. She punches the shark in the nose and gills, which is supposed to work, but this is a shark from the labs of the Capitol. And the audience always wants a show.
Aid starts to sob loudly in pain as she struggles against the shark's powerful jaws. Her entire midsection is swallowed up in his mouth, only her chest up and thighs down protrude from the teeth. She starts desperately stabbing it anywhere and everywhere, the gills, mouth, nose, eyes. But it holds fast, even clenching down harder. Aid's high pitched screams are unbearable.
"Help me!" she cries, reaching out to me. "Just kill me!"
I suddenly feel for her. What would I do if this was Ariel? I wouldn't have moved out of the way in the first place, but that is beside the point. Out of pity, I swim down right above the shark, pull Aid's head back by her short choppy hair, and run my sword through her throat.
I cannot see if her final expression is pain or gratitude because the blood completely obscures my vision. The canon goes off, and I switch the propellers on again, speeding away as the shark releases Aid's body and retreats into the trench as it called back by its master.
A quick look at my oxygen tank meter and I rip the useless hunk of metal off my back, quickly replacing it with one of the spoils of the Feast. Once it is on I take a deep breath and then head back for the caves.
Ariel is probably awake by now.
A/N: I missed you guys! I've missed writing this story, and I've finally been able to add more. I am seriously thinking about making a sort of a sequel after this one. Should I?