Day 8: Mid-Morning to Late Afternoon
Rye Corn, D9
After all the supplies got crushed in the avalanche, Rye had to rely on his strength and wits to keep little Isa alive. They may be the same age, but Rye feels as if he is eighteen protecting a little twelve-year-old girl. He knew that Isadora won't make it. She's refusing to eat anything Rye catches and he has to keep her from sleeping or closing her eyes. He didn't want her beautiful gray eyes to never open again. Isadora took a sharp intake of breath as Rye wiped the sweat from her forehead. He had her head in his lap and kept his eyes locked on hers. He wanted Isadora to always look him in the eyes until she let go from the Games and never returned home to District 5.
Birds began to squawk and sing their songs and Rye combed Isadora's hair to make it silky smooth. When the avalanche happened, he tried countless times to pull the rocks from her legs, but his attempts could not free her from the heavy boulders. If the Gamemakers wanted her dead, they did their job rather well. With another dry day yesterday, Isadora may not make it to see another day in the arena. With that thought in Rye's mind, he knew he will lose her. The rocks crushed her legs and only the Capitol doctors can cure her broken bones. Rye adjusted his behind to get more comfortable, but he could not get comfortable knowing Isadora's pain. He once dropped harvesting equipment on his leg and he was in bed until the next Reaping. Against his wishes, Isadora had to suffer the same kind of pain he did back home.
He stroked her hair again, seeing her chest rise and fall slowly. Her eyes fluttered slightly, closing for a slight moment. Rye shook Isa's head back and forth, trying to open her eyes. "Isadora. Look into my eyes. Don't... there they are, Isa." Isadora looked into Rye's deep hazel eyes, which shined in the growing sunlight. Isa managed a smile, keeping her eye contact with her ally. Pain shot up through her body, reaching her abdomen making her cringe in pain. She tightened her grip on Rye's hand as the pain escalated. Using his free hand, he stroked her hair trying to calm her down. Her cringing went away as she looked into his eyes.
"Thank you for staying with me." Isadora manages to say in between the shots of pain. "Please don't leave me here, Rye." Her voice became increasingly softer, trying to hold on to her life. Rye's vision clouds. He realized that Isadora is loving the wrong person. He takes a deep breath and looks to the girl in his lap.
"I will never leave your side, Isa." He begins, looking into Isadora's pain filled eyes. "And, I hate to say this, but I have been lying to you." Isadora's smile disappears as she listens to Rye's story.
Kira Shock, D6
The avalanche hurt Kira's arm, but her spirits were crushed when she saw Ryan's face in the sky two nights ago. She's the only tribute from 6 left, not that there were many to begin with. Kira knew nothing of Ryan's home life, but she knew he had a twin sister. What was she feeling back home? Kira shook the thought of a grief-stricken young girl back home. People lose people in the Hunger Games, and no one should be feeling like they deserve special treatment. When Kira goes home, she'll give the Yitch family a small part of their winnings to make up for Ryan's death. Back to the situation at hand...
Kira continued to trudge through the muggy arena with a damaged arm. The smaller, lighter rocks fell on her right arm, but it crushed her bone in half and she could barely use it. Only to make the situation worse, she is right-handed! She can't do anything in the arena with a broken arm. As she walked around in the forest area, she hears a twig snap and pierce the air. She wiped her head around, trying to find out where the source of the snap came from. Someone pops out from behind the bushes and she sees the stripes of blue, signaling a tribute from District 4. No. Not a Career. Not now when I am... Her thoughts stop short when she notices dried blood on his shoulder.
Scabs and puss was covering his shoulder. Who hurt him? Both tributes looked at each other, not moving a muscle as the time passed. Kira's eyes looked him up and down as she noticed the effects of the arena setting in on him. Wait. He's a Career. Where is his alliance? She shifted from foot to foot uneasily. They could come at any time to take her down, not letting her return to District 6. The boy from 4 noticed her movements and shook his head. "I'm not going to hurt you, Six. If you can't already see, I'm a little wounded. So are you by the looks of that arm." Kira involuntarily looked at her arm. Oh, it really is that obvious she has a broken arm.
"So, what?" Kira snapped, something she wasn't planning on doing. "Because of your stab wound, you won't fight me? Wow, the arena really must have gotten to you. What's wrong, Career Boy? Did you realize that the arena sucks compared to your training back home?" The boy from 4 took a step back, as if he was physically hurt. Kira pushed loose hair behind her ear to get a better look at the Career.
"I don't know where you came up with that, sweetheart." He said calmly as if Kira said nothing at all to him. "The girl in my alliance stabbed me in the shoulder and my sponsored weapon was crushed by the avalanche. I don't want to give you a sob story, but that seriously happened. And I can tell the avalanche wasn't friendly to you either." He remained calm, allowing Kira to think about his words. Stabbed by your own alliance? He wasn't looking for a sob story, but he sure got it.
"The only thing I have from the avalanche is some gauze and some wound cleaner." She pulled said items from her pockets and threw them to his feet. "Don't thank me." She quickly ran to her left, away from the Career and what she just did. All of District 6 may be yelling at her for helping him out. What does it matter now, anyway? The top seven only gets tougher as the days continue on.
Assistant Gamemaker, Aphrodite McKennon
What the hell was that? Aphrodite looked to the main screen, where she just saw Kira help out her enemy. A little bit of help can cause a spark in the districts, and Aphrodite didn't want to die because of a tribute's actions. Every Gamemaker had their fingers and eyes moving on the interactive map, putting everything in place for the next move Aphrodite gives them. She pushed her golden hair behind her shoulders and tried to think of a plan. Obviously, if this tribute will cause her to lose her life, why not just get rid of her? Aphrodite stepped down from her platform and walked to the Mutt Specialist with clear intentions.
Portia was making last adjustments on a cat-like mutt. Its ears are pointed like triangles, and it had some pointed up fur on the top. Its body had faded stripes on it, mixing in with its gray fur coat. Its paws had razor sharp nails, and the paws itself were three times the size of Aphrodite's hand. Its teeth were sharp like its nails, and it looked like a vicious killer at the first sight. "My, my. That is quite lovely, Portia. Where did you get the inspiration?"
"Oh. I saw a picture of a lynx cat somewhere and it just clicked with me." Portia explained to the Assistant Gamemaker, who was still in awe of the mutt. "Any plans for this mutt, Aphrodite?"
"I have great plans for this lynx." She smiled a wide smiled and looked to the large screen, showing a screenshot of Isadora from 5 and Rye from 9. The Tribute Manager had Isadora's stats on the side of the screen, meaning the whole country could see Isadora's condition. Her heartbeat was slowing down, and he health levels were dangerously low. The tracker in her arm could track Isadora's position, and her health conditions.
Isadora's heartbeats became irregular. Flat line, beat of heart. Flat line for three seconds, her heart beat twice. There was longer pauses between her heartbeats. Rye held onto her hand, asking her to stay with him. His requests weren't met, as Isadora closed her eyes and she was a permanent flat line. She looks to the Tribute Manager, Ceaser. "Signal the cannon and destroy Isadora's files." Ceaser nods his abnormally colored head and clicks the button that sounds Isadora's cannon.
On the screen, Rye hears the cannon and the response is delayed. He sits there, with a dead Isadora on his lap not believing the cannon. He shakes Isadora's body, but she doesn't respond. When he is sure she is dead, his eyes fill with tears and he looks around for anything. He wipes his eyes and kisses her forehead, telling her his final goodbyes and 'I'll miss you, Isa'. Aphrodite was not fazed by this reaction. All but one tribute shall die, so the odds of a heartbreaking seperation are very likely. Some one had to die.
Caden Miller, D2
Boom! The cannon sounds, shaking Caden and Kleo from tranquility. Ever Predator left the alliance, everything has been better for the siblings. Despite their losses in the avalanche, they have done everything they could to hunt down food and make a fire with only the things native to the arena. When the cannon fired, Kleo and Caden just looked at each other. Who could have made that cannon fire? They'll know by the end of the day. Caden knew what Kleo was thinking. He looked to her with an intense stare, hoping she would crack at any minute.
"I hope that cannon belonged to Predator." Kleo finally says. She placed a berry in her mouth, slightly ignoring her brother's gaze. "What? I know you're thinking about it too. With him out of the picture, we have a higher chance of winning."
"But only one can win." Caden reminded her.
"Yes, but if one of us comes home, we won't leave our mom a childless mother. Do you see, Caden?" Kleo's argument was very argumentative. Caden looked to the mid-afternoon sun, hoping the next few days would breeze by. One of the siblings has to return home, wether it be him or his sister. His mind constantly told him that Kleo needed to go home. But, what if, when faced with her in the final two, his survival instincts kick in and he kills Kleo to go home? He pushed that thought out of his mind as he plucked at another berry. At least training back in 2 prepared him for this.
Maybe Kleo was right. Despite the relationship the siblings have, he knew only one can return to his parents. And who that one was is determined what happens in the arena, where his parents have no control over the siblings anymore. As Kleo stroked her grease-soaked hair, Caden made a promise to himself that he was determined to keep: He needs to get Kleo home, despite anything that happens.
The Fallen:
Isadora Jolf, District 5: Killed by the avalanche, heart stopped working.
A/N: I quickly wrote up this chapter at my father's house, and you can expect another update this weeked. :) Isadora has passed, leaving only six tributes left. I have a poll on my profile, asking which tribute you think will win. I had to take out Isa's name, but please take the poll. What did you think of her death? Kira's exchange with Predator? Caden's promise? Aphrodite's plan? Answer me in the reviews. :)