After we both woke up at nearly the same time, we went to the lake to wash our faces and drink water to get ready for another day. My hair was messy, so I braided it again. I didn't even know how much of us are left. I was stupid and didn't pay attention to the midnight news about the dead tributes.
Serves me right. I thought and swallowed another gulp of water to sooth my sore throat.
"Morris, you can stay here and try to catch another fish if you want but I'm going to try to find some berries or roots or anything eatable." I said.
"Okay." He answered and went to retrieve the net that we hid last night behind rocks.
I walked down the stream looking for some roots but I had no luck.
I decided to try walk through the forest along the stream. As I was walking I heard an obnoxious voice coming from ahead me.
"Cato, when are we going to find another tribute?" Asked Glimmer.
I looked quickly for a place to hide but trees around me were too thin or too thick to climb on or didn't have enough branches.
Shit. I had nowhere to hide and the Careers were slowly getting closer to me.
"I don't know." Cato replied irritably. I jumped behind a thick tree to hide my body.
What a great cover from a huge blonde career.
I heard as their boots were crushing small twigs that were in their path. They were very close. My heart was beating loudly in my ears. I looked over the high bushes to my left and saw a blonde head peeking out.
Cato. I gulped dryly and halted my breath so he wouldn't discover that I was there. The fact that he was so close to me didn't help me to calm down my emotions.
"I don't like that Peeta guy." Glimmer said. Cato stopped and sighed.
"We still haven't found Fire bitch and someone has to guard the supplies." He explained.
"And what about the other girl you're so desperate to find?" She asked tauntingly.
"I can assure that she is none of your concern." He spit out in a warning and started walking again. My head slowly started to spin from the lack of oxygen so I took a deep breath. Much needed air filled my lungs and I closed my eyes in relief. And in that moment, I shifted my feet and snapped a dry branch on the leaf covered ground.
No. That didn't happen.
But what I really did was a lot more stupid than that.
I sneezed.
Right next to careers, especially not far away from the one who wanted to kill me.
"What was that?" Asked Glimmer suspiciously. I heard as she made her way to my hide-out.
I'm so dead.
Boots appeared in my vision. I looked up and saw Marvel looking at me amused.
"So…." He drawled out. "I suppose that it was a squirrel again. Am I right Clove?" He said her name tauntingly.
Unsure of what to do I waved at him stupidly. He grinned back and looked back to his fellow Careers. Cato was in the front and other were next to tree.
"Of course it was a squirrel." Clove said without a hesitation.
"I don't believe you." Said Glimmer unconvinced. "That's way too much squirrels in such short time."
"Will you move your asses and get going or should I make you do so?" Cato's voice sounded through the group. Marvel's face lost the carefree grin and set in stone.
"We should get going, Glimmer and not to care about what your little brain conjures up. I don't think we could handle Cato being even angrier." Said Clove angrily and along with Marvel went after Cato.
When Marvel was passing Glimmer he said : "If you have any brain at all."
I suppressed a chuckle and waited till she left.
I skipped to our lake happy with what I found. It was just a few tubers akin to potatoes but it made me very happy anyway.
"Hey ho Morris." I greeted him when I got next to him. I dropped the tubers on the stones and went to clean them of the mud.
"Hey. Guess what?"He asked with an excited grin on his face.
"What?" I asked. "I caught two fishes!" He exclaimed proudly, sticking two medium sized fishes stuck in net in my face. I yelped and fell on my butt. I scrambled away from it, tubers forgotten near the water.
When I was far away from them I said:"Are you stupid Morris? You nearly gave me a heart attack." He just laughed and put the net back in the water.
"You should have seen your face." He said between his laughing. I rolled my eyes at his antics and went to the tubers. "Put those things away from me." I pointed to the net secured by a large stone.
"As you wish." He replied and took the net higher up the stream.
When he made the fishes, I let the tubers in the hot coal. I knew they would be ready in about half an hour, so when they were done I put them on cold side of the stone so they will cool down.
"Do you feel better?" Asked Morris because I sneezed couple of times in few minutes.
"I'm fine." I said and sneezed again.
"I should have made you wear that jacket." He grumbled and wrinkled his forehead.
"Oh please Mo. I get cold all the time. It wasn't just because I didn't have the jacket on." I said trying to make him feel better. It was a good thing that we didn't know each other that well before the Games, otherwise he would know that it was a big fat lie that I have just told. I can get cold from anything. It a surprise that I managed to last so long here without getting ill.
"I'm going to fill the bottle. I'll be right back." I stood up and went to the lake from out small clearing next to it. It was surrounded by trees, so we were hidden from the sun and mostly from the tributes. Of course apart from Vale and me finding Cato anywhere I go.
When I got back, I saw Morris standing with knife in hand. When he saw me he shouted: "Run, Cory!" I dropped the bottle out of shock and looked to where was Morris aiming.
Marvel stood there with spear ready in his right hand, raised in the air and a small backpack on his back.
"Jeez. Guys. You gave me a scare." I said, my voice laces with relief, and picked up the bottle. Marvel upon seeing me put the spear down but Morris didn't move at all.
"Morris. It's fine."I said moving closer to him. "He is a friend." He looked a bit unconvinced but gradually lowered the knife.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him.
"Clove was discussing something with Cato so she sent me." He explained and opened his backpack. He took out few apples and a bottle of water. He threw the bottle at me and I naturally missed it.
"Hey! It could have hit me!" I bent to pick the bottle and opened the lid. "Thanks for it but we have enough water."
"Clove put there some pill and told me to make you drink it whole." He said not knowing what is going on. But I knew it was something against the cold so I started drinking it.
"You two are friends?" Asked Morris. I nearly forgot he was here.
Marvel replied since I was busy chugging down the water: "At the training center. She was different than the others. Not everyone has the guts to make fun of Cato." He commented and sat down not far away from Mo.
"That sounds just like her." Morris chuckled and bit into an apple.
I swallowed the last gulp of water and already started to feel the effects. My throat wasn't hurting as much as before and I generally felt better.
"Hey." Said Marvel, remembering something. "And what about that Val…."
"Who?"I interrupted him loudly, making gestures pointed at Morris who didn't know about my encounter with Vale. And I intended to keep it that way.
"Oh…" Said Marvel as realization dawned on him, "I meant other tributes." He corrected himself and ruffled his hair.
"We saw no one. We are lucky." Answered Morris, who didn't take notice of Marvel's mishap.
Marvel stayed with us for about half an hour but then he had to leave because he too was here under the cover of looking for wood even though they had enough at the Cornucopia. He and Morris got along great, having fun on my expense. Especially when Morris told him about my fear of fishes and my climbing skills.
Marvel had a bit trouble remembering Morris's name, because he had him in mind labeled simply as nine. Then it was my turn to make fun of him by calling him Mo. But it turned out that it wasn't as funny as I thought, because the both looked at each other with strange faces and burst out laughing.
When he left, we finished our lunch and went to the lake to cool down.
"I want something sweet." I whined with my feet in water.
"Oh please. Seriously?" Morris said laying on small stones with his feet in water as well.
"Yes." I replied and stared at the surface of stream. The water was clean and refreshing.
"I think I was blueberries down the stream. I can go there and check it out if you want." He offered and wriggled his toes in water making rippling the surface.
"Don't be silly. You won't go there." I protested and splashed him with water.
The day went slowly, since there was not much to do. We still had food from earlier so we didn't have to do anything. We climbed on the tree earlier, decided to sleep longer. It wasn't such a bad day after all, with Marvel visiting us and with no sign of Vale.
But if I knew what was going to happen the next day I would have prolonged the day as much as I could.
"There are no fished in here anymore!" Complained Morris loudly, throwing the net next to me.
"You thought that Gamemakers would leave here enough fishes for you to survive another year?" I asked sarcastically, cleaning the tubers. I left some from yesterday so I didn't have to look for them today.
It was time for something akin to lunch and Morris was trying to catch a fish for at least two hours straight. I offered him some of these large roots but he said he was not going to eat something so poor in nutrition. I don't know how he found that out.
"No." He replied irritated.
"Hey. Don't get angry at me." I said.
"I'm not it's just I'm frustrated." He explained and sat down on the bank with a heavy sigh.
"Oh you poor little thing." I cooed at him and hugged him with my dirty hands.
"Stop it." He said and moved away from my reach with smile on his lips.
"I'll go down the stream. Maybe there could be some fishes." He thought out loud.
"You are so smart Morris."I said and took the root in my hand, my voice full of fake awe.
"When the situation calls for it, I can be." He said and I snickered at him. He just shook his head, grabbed the net and walked away.
"See you later!" He called over his shoulder.
"You too."I replied, left alone with my thoughts.
I could say that till now I was quite lucky in these Games. I didn't have to kill anyone and no one was trying to kill me. Well… at least not directly.
I wondered what my death will look like. I assume that Cato would save me as the last. Maybe I won't get the chance to explain things to him, but I hope that I'll have enough time to ask him for a quick death. And to hope that he will fulfill my wish.
Just thinking of him makes me feel all fuzzy. Sure, I had crush on boys before but this is something else. I talked to him and we had fun together. I didn't change into a master of seduction.
No. I was still me. Sometimes awkward and boyish. And he didn't mind it. He just took me the way I am and accepted me. At least till the confrontation before the arena.
Time passed quite quickly while I was thinking and playing with small pebbles in the water, picking the pretty ones and putting them aside.
A splash of water snapped me back to reality. I looked up and saw a fish swimming in the shallow water near me.
Morris!
He still haven't come back. I looked on the sky and saw that sun was slowly setting. It must have been few hours since he left.
My heart beat quickened. I grabbed the backpack, slung it over my shoulder and grabbed the knife in my hand. I set off along the stream, silently praying that I would find him.
I walked fast, my boots splattered with water when I stepped into the stream. My eyes were looking for any indicator where he could be, but I saw nothing.
I was walking for about 40 minutes when I saw his net, caught by a stone, still in the running water.I ran to it, not bothered by the fact that I will get wet. I crouched near it and saw that there were three fishes. I smiled a little that he managed to catch some after all.
But the net was still secured in place, so he has to be somewhere around here to come later to take what he caught.
But there was no sign of him. I stepped on the forest floor, walking around a bit, looking for him. I checked the trees and bushes, but he wasn't there.
"Morris?" I called silently and listened hard. But I was met just with the soft sound o running water and occasional bird chirping.
"Morris !" I said louder and went a bit further.
Still nothing.
I went back to the stream, hoping that he miraculously would be there with a victorious grin on his face and the net in his hand. But he wasn't.
I sighed and lowered my hand. I traced the handle of the knife in my hand, my braided ponytail hanging from my head. I lifted my hand and smoothed the stray hair that fell on my forehead.
That's when I noticed the footprints in the mud. And they were not mine. Morris had a lot bigger feet than me, so they had to belong to him.
A spark of hope settled in my chest and I set out in the direction of his steps. It didn't take me long to lose track of his steps, but I kept going in the course I thought he went.
Small specks of gold entered my view and I noticed few wheat plants at the stumps of the trees around me. Curious, I went further and saw a wheat field.
I stopped in my tracks, knowing what it meant.
I remembered clearly that this field was on the other side of the platform where I stood during the launch.
So I had to be close to Careers again.
I gripped the knife tighter in my hand. "Morris!" I half shouted, half whispered into the field hoping he will emerge from the golden sea unharmed. Well, if he actually went here in the first place.
I set a foot on the field. Ears of grain tickled me in the face, because the wheat was so tall. I was stepping softly, trying to make as little noise as possible. My face was stiff and concentrated.
I knew I was moving slow, but I couldn't go faster. Running through the field was not as possibility.
"Morris!" I whispered again. And again with no response. This sneaking around was getting on my nerves making me nervous and uneasy.
I rustle sounded from my left. I instantly had my knife pointed in that direction. The same sound came from the right and right away sounded before me.
But I had the luck to see a tail disappearing in the whet and I let out a sigh of relief.
Just a rat, Coreen. Nothing to worry about.
I rolled back my shoulders relaxing myself a bit when a scream alerted me.
My mind forgot to think at that moment.
It just registered the sound and I immediately went after it. I don't know why I assumed that it was Morris. It easily could have been any other tribute.
I gave up trying to be silent as mice and run at full speed in the direction of the scream.
Another one cut through the air, but this time slightly different. This one was full of pain. It just made me ran faster. I was swinging knife in my hand wildly in front of me, cutting the wheat.
And suddenly I tripped over something hard.
I went flying through the air, landing hard on the ground. Breath got knocked out of my lungs, leaving me emptily gasping for breath. My side was hurting like hell as I landed on my left. My hands were scraped, full of dirt and bleeding.
I slowly sat up, wincing at the pain that went through my body. My arena pants were ripped on the right knee, that was bleeding profusely. A small grits were stuck both in my knee and hands.
I touched my forehead with my less hurting hand trying to make my mind stay in one place. The whole field was spinning a bit, making it hard for me to stand up.
When I finally stood up, I picked up the knife and started walking again, my whole body protesting loudly.
A groan of pain left me lips but I kept walking, even though slower than before.
When my brain was able to process the shapes around me I saw a big form of something on my right. I squinted my eyes, trying to see clearer.
My eyes widened and I hurried to the shape as quickly as I could, limping comically, with the hand that wasn't holding knife cradling my ribs.
I fell on my knees and slowly turned the person, so I could see them in the face.
"Mo, Mo." I moaned out of the sight in front of me. I caressed his cheek.
"Who did this to you? " My voice was teary, my fingers slowly tracing the small dent in his forehead. Blood was steadily dripping from the wound. Tears were slowly falling from my eyes, landing on his face. I closed my eyes in anguish.
"Why is it raining?" Asked a small voice under me, no louder than a whisper.
"Morris!"I said, a teary smile on my face. He opened his dark green eyes. He looked confused and vulnerable.
"Where I am?" He asked, his eyes searching my face for an answer.
I bit back a sob that threatened to escape my lips. He doesn't know where he is.
"We're home, Morris." I whispered and sent him something I hope was an assuring smile.
"That's good." He said slowly, a small smile of content settling on his lips.
"We were playing tag and I tripped. I'm such a klutz." I laughed dryly, fat tears rolling down my cheeks.
"Look."He said excited. He lifted his hand a bit in the air, but it fell right away. So he just raised his finger and pointed to the mass of wheat that was covering us.
"Mom is here." He told me.
"Hello, Mrs. Nichols." I said to the wheat and waved there. I looked back at him and noticed that he had his eyes closed, his chest slowly raising and falling, each breath taking longer and longer.
I was sure that he had an internal bleeding in his head. I was no doctor, but I knew what was happening. And I was firmly refusing to believe it.
"Romar's here too." He said happily and took in a ragged breath.
"It's nice of him that he came." I whispered.
He raised his hand, but it fell again.
"I… I can't reach him." He said in a small voice, frown on his face. He started taking down the string bracelet and put it in my hand.
"Could you give it to him?"He asked and looked me in the eyes. I saw a small boy. Who knew that was going to die, but was accepting it. I knew that he had hallucinations but I knew that he knew what was really happening. He was just willing to make it easier for him to go.
"I promise."I said and squeezed his hand and slipped the bracelet on my wrist.
My eyes were blurry with tears as I was listening to his shallow breaths
Someone presence ringed in my mind and I turned my head.
It was that huge guy from 11. His name was Trihs or something like that. My eyes immediately fell on the rock he had in his hand. It was bloody.
"You." I snarled at him, my voice laced heavy with hate and disgust I felt for this person.
He stood there, unmoving mass of muscles, watching me. "Go away." He said in a monotone voice.
"No." I said without a second of hesitation.
"Go away or you won't be the only one that I'll kill tonight." He warned and weighted the rock in his hand as a sign that he was not joking.
I looked him dead in the eye and said : "Fuck you."I spit out, hatred burning in my eyes and turned my back on him.
I crouched at Morris who was breathing even slower than before.
I knew he had just last minutes left.
"I think I'm going home now, Cory." He murmured under his breath, his voice tired.
"Don't go."I pleaded. "Not yet. We have still so much to do." I sobbed.
"I have to." He said.
"Who will make those fishes you caught?" I said, wiping my nose with the sleeve of my jacket.
"I caught some?" He asked in a happy voice.
"Yes you did." I sniffled and stroked his hair.
"You wouldn't eat them anyway."He said and another smile graced his lips.
"I would if you would be there with me."I said, trying to make him stay.
"I can't. I have to go home." He said and I knew that it was the end.
"Tell my parents I say hello."I asked him. He nodded his head in a sign of promise.
"Take care Coreen." He said and his heart stopped.
And a cannon boomed thought the arena.
Before, I never really paid attention to cannons, but I heard this one more than loud enough. It tore my heart in two pieces. I hunched over his body, my body shaking in sobs. I didn't mind time. I didn't mind anything. I just lay there on his unmoving chest.
Tears were still running from my eyes, when I drew away from him. His eyes were looking up, on the sky. They reflected stars.
I closed them with shaky fingers and stood up. I took the knife in hand and looked at him one last time.
"I will, Morris. I will." I promised in broken voice.
.
.
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Disclaimer: I own nothing from Hunger Games.
OH MY FINNICK! I killed him. His death wasn't a spur of the moment. I did it because I had my I know why authors find it hard to kill their characters. This chapter was supposed to be even longer but I shortened it. I will rather upload another one earlier. I promise that in the next chapter will be Cato.
Thanks to mormongirl13 for favoriting.
And thanks to BaileyMichelle, Zunzun1dTV, ImaBiteChu, KpopForever9, NatashaJayjay and Niklaus Elijah Damon Kol (I had to write these two without dots, otherwise they would just disappear randomly sorry)for following.
NatashaJayjay: Thanks. I wonder what will happen too. Just kidding.
germany:Na ja, es geht! I don't know if it is right even though I'm learning German. But thank you.
mormongirl13: I'm very happy that you like it.
EGilly:I know he is. Hopefully I'll be able to update this weekend another chapter.
Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated. Lia