The fire is intense, so intense, so bright, so vast that we all just stare at it in awe for minutes. The first one to break out of this daze is, of course, Cato. "It's all the way over there, so let's get a move on." We split into our appropriate groups, and we're searching the mazes of wheat-Kyra told me that's what it was- and I honestly am not really even searching. I'm worried about Katniss. I can protect her from the careers for awhile, and I she can kill anything she needs to, but nothing can protect her from fire. Not me, not a bow and arrow, though she doesn't have one. The wall of fire recedes, and I hear no cannons, which reassure me. Maybe she got to a water source and drenched herself. That's what you're supposed to do. If you can't go all the way under the water, you're supposed to drench yourself. At least, that's what my dad told me.
My fear is reignited when I see balls of fire being shot in every direction, not just the forest. I look into the sky the same time Kyra does, and we see flaming fireballs heading towards us. Immediately we look at each other, then I whisper, "Run!" I can't get much else out other than a whisper, I'm so terrified. I hate fire. I've always been super paranoid about fire or being burnt. The other careers have the same idea we do. We're all sprinting, towards the lake, and our camp. When we see them, I notice that they've been at least grazed. Clove's face looks red, and even if fire didn't hit it, it probably came close enough to give her some kind of burn similar to a sunburn. Glimmer's hair on one side has frayed off, and her ear is inflamed and bleeding. Marvel's holding his left arm. Cato looks fine. Luckily, Kyra and I haven't been hit.
By the time we get to the lake, the fireballs stop, but we don't get the chance to rest. The girl from district 3, the one that we were looking for, is stealing from our supply. "Hey!" Glimmer shouts. "Stop her!" Clove orders. They run towards her, and we follow. The six of us chase her through the forest, to a small creek. This girl is quick, I mean, she's quicker than anyone I've ever seen. She's not small, either. She's pretty tall, and average sized, but can breeze through the forest like a ten year old weakling. By the time we hit the creek, we've lost her. To our left, we see a silhouette sitting in the water, soaking. There's no way she could have escaped us, then went swimming, it doesn't make much sense. Still, it is another tribute, so we take off after them.
I did not expect this tribute to be Katniss. I am relieved she got away from the fire, but it charred up her leg pretty bad. She was soaking it in the cool water, the second best thing to do for a burn after medicine, which she didn't have. I thought Cato would stop when he noticed it was her- that was part of the deal. When he didn't stop, I realized he was going to kill her, then me, to get us out of the way. I had to somehow signal her to look behind her so she'd see them charging her, but Kyra sensed my panic and helped me. She pretended to fall, then let out a small shriek. It was small enough to be believable, but big enough for Katniss to hear. She got out of the water and ran to the forest. To no surprise, the careers chased her in.
By the time we got to the tree she climbed, she was already at least fifty feet in the air. I thought she'd be terrified, but she acts like she is not afraid, which I admire. She even jokes about the whole situation. "How's everything with you?" She calls down. Cato smirks. "Well enough. Yourself?" He is playing along. "It's been a bit warm for my taste." I want to laugh, but I stop myself. "The air's better up here, why don't you come on up?" Ah, so a joke, and a dare. That's her, alright. "Think I will," says Cato. No you won't. I'm behind Cato and I've got a knife in my hand. I could kill him right here, right now if I wanted to. But I know there is no way in hell he'll ever make it up that tree. Still, he tries, and fails, horribly. Glimmer tries next, but she's much heavier than Katniss is, and though Glimmer gets up a lot farther in the tree than Cato did, the branches are brittle, and Glimmer gets down before they snap under her weight. Before any more feeble attempts are made, I tell them, "Oh, let her stay up there. It's not like she's going anywhere. We'll deal with her in the morning." I say this extra loud as a signal to her. Katniss is a hunter; she could climb down that tree and walk out of here, stepping directly over us, and still not make any noise. I'm hoping she'll get the signal and sneak away before morning arrives. "Why the change of heart lover boy?" Clove asks. She must be suspicious of me not confronting Cato over his trying to kill her. "So you all broke the deal. So what? Frankly, I'm tired of these games. The sooner you kill her, the sooner you kill me." I tried to sound as indifferent as possible, and it must have worked, none of them kept their attention on me.
Unfortunately, Katniss can't come down, because Glimmer has been put on watch duty. I can only hope she has enough sense to stay in the tree. In the morning, I'll figure something else out. I have no idea what. My eyes become tired, and before I know it, I'm drifting off. What a rude awakening. Something bops me in the head. I immediately think it's Thresh trying to bash in my skull, then I look to my right as I feel a sharp sting in my chest. A nest. "Tracker Jackers!" I scream. Everyone is awake, and I then put the pieces together. It fell, or was cut out of the very same tree Katniss was in. Her adaptability still surprises me. We're all stung at least three times. Cato shouts for us to head to the lake, but Glimmer passes out right there, convulsing. Kyra, to my disappointment, begins to fall down and convulse just before we get to the lake. I, on the other hand, know to pull the stingers out. It helps lessen the amount of venom, and provides an opening for some of the poison to leave the body. It looks like Cato, Clove, and Marvel have the same idea. In the end, it's just the four of us who survive long enough to submerge in the lake and wander back to the forest.
Cato is stumbling, and half-hallucinating, but he's trying to fight it. He wants her now. He wants to kill her. "I can't believe I let you talk me into letting her live", he shouts. I sprint, being stung fewer times, to get to the forest first. I see Katniss collecting the bow and arrows from Glimmer's now-deceased body. "What are you doing here?" I ask her. She doesn't respond, as she's already lucid. I take a spear that lies on the ground- it was Glimmer's- and poke her side. "Get out of here! Get out of here now!" It takes all my strength to stay awake long enough to make sure she gets away. She is weaker than Cato is right now, she's been stung three times as well. She had the sense to pull the stingers out as well, but she's a lot smaller than the rest of us, so the venom gets her more quickly. Thankfully, I spent a lot of time reading about the Tracker Jackers. If there are fewer than five to seven stings, and all stingers are pulled out, the fatality rate is only about 5%. She's a fighter, so I'm sure she'll be fine. Venom attacks smaller people quicker, but they also come to quicker. That gives her an advantage. If she can get away from Cato, then Cato, Clove, Marvel, and myself will pass out. She'll awaken before us, and then she can kill the four of us, easy. I only hope that is what she will do. But she's not a killer either.
Cato gets through the forest just as he sees Katniss take off somewhere. He would have chased her, but now, the poison is too strong, and he can barely stand. He tries to kill me then, knowing that I tipped her off, and saved her life. He's figured out that all along I'd never planned to actually let them kill her, or me. The poison weakens his arm, and instead of killing me, he just slashes my leg. Still, looking down, I've lost a lot of blood already. After I pass out from the tracker jacker poison, I'll probably bleed to death. Just as well, that's much more peaceful than being killed. I let my now-weak leg give out and I fall to the ground. I'm only awake for a few minutes, but the pain from the cut and the stings is unbearable. So I close my eyes, and think of my family back home, Katniss, Kyra, Rue, and most of all, my hatred for the Capitol, and then I let myself die.
By some sort of miracle, I wake up. I don't know how long it's been, but I'm severely dehydrated and hungry. I can live without food, but I need water. I try to stand, then remember my leg. I don't want to look at it, it will just make it worse. I feel fresh, warm blood running down my leg, but not as much as earlier. I am woozy, dizzy, and by now, probably only half-alive. I am useless to Katniss now. I can't stand up, I can't run, I can barely even think. All I can do now is wait to die. I have a strong sense of urgency. If I've been out for more than a day, my picture won't appear in the sky. Cato will come back for me. I'll probably bleed to death, so it would be a waste of time, but I don't know if Cato is as smart as he leads on. I sure as hell don't want to find out. I decide to get water, then figure something else out later.
The nearest water source is the pond that Katniss was soaking her leg in, and the pond we got in to get rid of the tracker jackers. It takes all my remaining energy to drag myself the quarter mile to the stream. It takes me three hours, after which I'm completely drained of energy. I don't care that the water isn't purified. I'm thirsty, severly dehydrated, and I'm dying anyway. Might as well make the death as comfortable as possible, and being thirsty isn't comfortable. I take in as much water as I can, then, propping myself up on one elbow, I use my mouth to carry water over to the dirt next to me. I don't have much control over my hands, as hands and feet are the first to lose blood flow when someone has an injury like mine. All blood in an emergency situation goes directly to the heart, lungs, and brain, so using my mouth is the best I can do. The water I drop in the dirt turns to mud. I use the mud to cover myself. I start with my legs. I do the best I can not to glance at the injured one. I look away, but while I'm smearing it with mud, I feel just how bad it is. After I'm covered with mud, I use some pond scum to cover with as well. In case Cato does come back to kill me, he won't find me. This way I can die peacefully.
This is taking longer than I originally thought. I waited all evening to die, and though I keep feeling weaker, but it never comes. In the sky that night, two people did die. The boy from 3 who was guarding the career's supplies was one of them. He must have done something to piss off Cato. Then there's the boy from 10. I remember him now, he had a bad leg just going into the games, how he survived this long is beyond me. He must have been really smart. So, that leaves Katniss and I-though I probably won't make it through the night, the girl from 3, Rue and her district partner, Cato, Clove, and Marvel. Only 8. Well, I had hoped to get this far, but it actually happening brings a smile to my face. Then I remember all the other kids who died and the smile leaves quickly. I feel myself becoming weaker still, and allow myself to fall asleep.
I'm lying on a table, in the middle of a small shack in the Seam. I look down at my leg, and the sight makes me throw up. It's a wide cut, at least two inches wide, you can see clear to the bone. There's a woman standing over me, or rather, a girl. It's Katniss' little sister, Prim. "Don't worry. I'll have that fixed up as soon as I can." She says it with such a happy demeanor and a warm grin on her face, that it makes me feel more relaxed than I have in a long time. She leaves, then returns with some leaves in a bowl. I'm not a doctor. I don't know if I'm supposed to eat them or what. Then, just as she is about to explain, I see a dark shadow standing in a corner. Prim screams, as Cato's face comes into view, his sword held high. "I should have finished you when I had the chance!" He says, and throws his sword into my gut.
I wake up sweating, though I don't know how, I'm freezing. It's hot outside, and I'm covered in pond scum and mud, but I'm shivering uncontrollably. I feel my head, and my fever must be sky high. Now I find myself debating how I'll die. I decide to make a mental list in my head of all the possible ways, the first being the most likely. That's how anxious I am to get this over with. I want peace. 1. I'll die from fever
2. I'll die from blood loss
3. I'll die from blood poisoning
4. Cato will find and kill me
5. One of the other careers will find and kill me
6. Unpurified water will kill me
I must find other ways of occupying my time so I don't lose my mind. So I reflect on the dream I had earlier. Prim a doctor? I know their mother used to be a doctor, or at least something close to it, but Prim's only 12. Why was she healing me? Did I make it back to District 12 in the dream? Maybe I never left and I was injured some other way. No, because if it had been that, Cato wouldn't have been there. I start to wonder if maybe the dream was a sign that Cato will come to find me. I don't think he will. If he looks at all, I'm very well camouflaged.
I hear two cannons fire very close together, and I find myself hoping that it's Cato and the district 11 boy. Katniss could probably fight off the others. I won't know for sure until nightfall. Then there will be six, six of us left. I find myself again with nothing better to do than prioritize the order I think the other tributes will die in. As much as I hope it's Cato and the other guy, it isn't realistic. 1. Me, of course
2. Rue. Though I hope she at least makes it a few more nights.
3. The girl from 3.
4. Marvel- he is tall and skinny, and a little clumsy. Clove could probably take him easily.
5. Clove
6. The guy from 11
7. Cato
I curse myself for mentally making that list. Fantasizing about death, even my own, is what the Capitol wants, and I shouldn't give them the satisfaction, even if they can' t hear my thoughts. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they installed chips into our brains to monitor our every thought. I thought the oppression we had before was bad, if they did something like that, we'd be prisoners in body and mind. I don't want to think about it anymore. I have to entertain myself somehow. I don't have to wait for long. A mockingjay sits perched on a rock in clear view. It sings a four tuned song, and it must have heard it somewhere. The careers wouldn't bother with such a thing. Katniss hates singing, even though she's good at it. A little part of me hopes that it's Rue who taught the mockingjay that beautiful melody. This mockingjay looks different than the rest. It is exceptionally beautiful. Most mockingjays are pure grey. This one is grey, with a black stripe on it's head running down between its eyes. It's also got the most interesting dark grey pattern on its light grey coat. It looks like a leaf on each side of the bird. I want to sing something to the bird, but if I do it may lose the melody it was singing before. I want to hear it again, so I do my best to copy the tune in a whistle. The mockingjay sung what I whistled, and it was pretty close to the original. I want to hear it again, but the mockingjay sings something else this time. I knew this mockingjay was special. Most of these birds can only remember one song at a time, this one begins to sing another. Not only that, but it copies the original singer so well, that you hear their voice in the song. When the mockingjay opens it's mouth to sing, I hear Katniss.
The mockingjay sings, using Katniss' voice, a popular folk song in district 12.
Deep in the meadow, under the willow,
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow,
Lay down your head and close your sleepy eyes
And when they open again the sun will rise.
Here it's safe, here it's warm,
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
The song doesn't end here, but the tune does. The tune goes from a general tone, to a more pain-filled tone. I hear Katniss' voice still in the next stanza, but it sounds like she is trying to choke back tears. The song starts up again, and it's still so beautiful, it brings a tear to my eye as well.
Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.
Here it's safe, here it's warm,
Here the daisies guard you from every harm,
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true,
Here is the place where I love you.
Tears flow freely now. I curse myself for being such a sissy, but the song reminds me of home, and I'll never see it again. It makes me wonder why Katniss, who hates singing, would sing this song, one she probably hasn't sung since that music class when we were nine. Maybe she is singing it to comfort herself. Maybe she misses home too, and wants to bring that memory back. Still, she doesn't actually have to sing it to remember home. I know she isn't singing it for my benefit. My name hasn't been in the sky yet, but she probably figures it will be tonight. Plus, she probably doesn't remember me saving her life after the tracker jackers. The last memory she has of me is probably seeing me with the careers. I can't imagine what she must think of me. Talking all that big talk on the roof about not wanting to turn into a monster, then going to kill off the girl from 8. Desperately trying to make friends with her, then joining the careers and chasing her up a tree. I wouldn't blame her if she hates me. Then my mind conjures up the most logical reason. She was singing it to comfort someone else.
I can't imagine who in the world it would be. Everyone in here is an enemy. Then an image of Prim in the dream crosses my mind, and I immediately think of Rue. I wince. I sincerely hope she was not comforting Rue as she died. I then try to think happy thoughts. Maybe they joined up and killed the careers. No, probably not. Maybe Rue is dying from something less violent, like illness, but probably not. Maybe Rue and Katniss are sitting around a fire, eating game Katniss caught, and speaking of home. Probably not, but I'll stick with that idea.
It's dark now. I listen to the crickets chirping and the creek flowing. This is a wonderful sound, too wonderful for a place like this. I'm thankful for it, though. It's a much better sound than fireballs and cannons and hovercrafts. The sky lights up as the Panem anthem plays. I wonder for a moment why the mockingjays never pick up the Capitol anthem and imitate that. I think maybe they know the Capitol is evil. Then I realize the dozen things draining my life slowly are probably making me crazy. They are just birds. They don't know the difference. Still…I've never heard one imitate a Capitol anthem. I want to cross my fingers and hope Rue and Katniss are alive when the anthem stops, but I can't move my hands. The pictures in the sky belong to Rue and Marvel. At least one of the careers is out of the way. Still, it pains me to see Rue's picture in the sky. I try to make myself sleep now, but then the head gamemaker's voice is blaring. That never happens. I am now paying full attention. "Congratulations, tributes! You've already come so far, only six of you left! It's been a very exciting Hunger Games so far. Now, there's been a rule change. Yes, that's right. A rule change. Two tributes, yes, two, may come out of the arena alive…if they are from the same district. May the odds be ever in your favor!" I can't stand that guy. I keep thinking of different ways I loathe him, and these games, and the Capitol, but then what he said sinks in. Katniss and I can both win.