Thank you to MsKMT86 for reviewing! :)
I just started school yesterday, meaning my updates won't be regular like they have been for the past few days. They'll be sporadic but I'm hoping to update at least once a week. I have a four-day school camp next week so I'm not really sure when I'll be able to update the next few chapters. Yes, the updates won't be as often, but I'll try to make them longer :)
Also, I'm going to put the entire A/N here since it would ruin the mood at the end of the chapter ;) I'm not particularly proud of this chapter because I seem to never right emotional stuff properly, but I hope it's go! Don't forget to read and review :)
Oh it seems to me
That sorry seems to be the hardest word
- Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, Elton John
VII. Too Late
I wake up to the scorching sun and I feel like my entire is on fire. Whether it's from the heat or the numbness, I don't know. I can sense a dull throb in my head and I see a girl's face hovering over mine. She has a genuine smile plastered on her face. Her dirty blonde hair frames her face perfectly, parting in the middle, making it seem like a curtain. Her vivid green eyes shine and I think I see a halo too.
Angel, I decide to call her.
I stare at Angel and she stares right back at me, intensely. She says something but I can't hear her. I attempt to read her lips but I fail miserably.
"Am I in heaven?" I manage to utter out, stupidly.
Angel bursts out into a fit of laughter and I rub my eyes, drowsily. Taking a second look at her, I realise it's Maya and I feel my blood rushing up to my cheeks. I blush even more when I realise that this is most likely showing on all TVs in Panem. Well, that was stupid.
"Maybe you should pass out more often," Maya says with an amused smirk.
I give her a flat look and reply, "Ha ha. What happened?"
"You don't remember?" She shoots me a concerned look, her eyebrows furrowing together in the middle of her forehead and her lips in a slight pout.
I close my eyes for a moment, racking my brain for any memories that I might have. The boy with brown eyes appears. His eyes are wide and it doesn't take a genius to know that he's pretty much paralysed with fear.
I swallow and open my eyes again. "I killed him."
"Yeah… You weren't looking at where you were going while you were running and dragging me along. We ran off the cliff face and pretty much fell about twenty yards. Thank God, your bag had the sleeping bags and blankets. Otherwise, you would've broken your back. I landed on top of you so I was fine. I dragged you into this cave. It's hidden pretty well. "
"How long have I been out?" I question.
"Uh… four days."
"Four days?" I repeat, incredulously.
How much have I missed in four days? That means it's day eight of the Games now. With only six tributes left in the games since I passed out, surely someone would have found us already; and at least, made an attempt to steal our goods.
"You haven't missed much," Maya assures me. "No one's died."
She hands me a bottle of water and I take a large swig, hydrating myself, then start eating the dried beef that lays on my backpack. "That means more mutts will come."
Maya nods in agreement. I use this chance to look around. We are surrounded by parachutes that are undoubtedly from the sponsors. There are at least eight around us. "Why do we have so many?"
She hesitates before saying, "One was for you - pills to keep you asleep and to relieve the pain. I think it's called morphine. Two had water and food. Three were for me and the other four… Well, I think you should look for yourself."
I manage to stand up with surprisingly not much difficulty, and I stagger awkwardly to the four leftover parachutes. I'm met with a sight that causes me to drop my jaw and widen my eyes. Sleek, long and thin, with three prongs sticking out one end of it. I take it out of the parachutes and run my hand across the weapon, in awe. "Wow," I murmur.
"I know right?" Maya says with a small grin. "Must have cost a fortune… Guess we know who the favourite of the Games is."
She's teasing, I hope. I really don't know what to say back to that, in case she really is serious and jealous. I finally avert my gaze from my most prized weapon and take a good look at her. Her dirty blonde hair is now matted down, courtesy to the Games. Those light green eyes which were once alive and full of energy, are now almost cold and defeated. Maya has definitely lost some weight due to the current circumstances, but I'm certain I have as well.
It is only now that I notice the gash that is present on her thigh. I suppose it's almost healed, considering the amount of parachutes she's received is more than enough for her to treat the wound. I can't help but frown. "What happened to your leg?"
"The girl from Six came across us while I was dragging you here," she shrugs. "She's not that strong. It must've been adrenaline or something but that was the only thing she did before she ran off."
"Does it still hurt?"
I want to smack myself over and over. Of course she's not okay.
She shakes her head. "Nah, I can run fine with this Capitol medicine, even with this injury. We should probably go look for some more food. I think the sponsor food is spoilt now."
After hearing this, I set down my food and straighten out my clothes, strapping the belt of knives across my waist. I decide to leave the jacket on too, despite the reasonably warm weather - just in case. I sling the backpack over my left shoulder, wincing slightly at how sore my back is from being unconscious for days. I grip the trident in my right hand, waiting for Maya to prepare her weapons.
I notice she only has one spear strapped to her back now, along with her backpack, excluding the sword. Wordlessly, I hand over three of my throwing knives. Just in case.
We spend around two hours walking around the rainforest, with no sense of direction. Other than us, there are still Carter and Indiana from District One, the girl from Six and the boy from Nine. Unless Districts Six and Nine have allied some time in the arena, the deadly pair from One is our main concern right now. They are undoubtedly the most threatening tributes left. Maya and I may have received a higher score in total, but they have trained their entire lives. They are brutal and probably lack humanity.
I let out a frustrated groan and throw my largest dagger down onto the ground. "I give up," I declare. We have been chasing after the same rabbit for at least the past fifteen minutes, and we simply cannot seem catch it. It's too fast for my knives.
"Me too," Maya pants out. "Let's take a break."
And we do.
It's silent for a minute or do and I relish this moment. The sounds of nature, without any human making a sound. It's perfect.
That is, until the girl from District Six leaps out from what was in front of us before. She was supposed to be a rock.
What the hell, I think, before I realise that she must be brilliant at camouflage.
The unnamed girl waves a dagger around wildly. Her eyes look out of it, like she's snapped or she's crazy and I suppose I don't blame her. I think I'm crazy, though I wouldn't be too shocked if I found out. I react a moment too late when an ear-piercing shriek erupts from Maya as the girl from Six drives her dagger back into the recently healed wound on her thigh.
With blinded rage, I charge at her. I should be able to win a battle against her, whether it's ranged or hand-to-hand. I received a ten in training and she received a mere five, I recall. I should win and I have to, but I find it incredibly uncomfortable battling against a girl who blends in with her surroundings. It's hard to even spot her.
I manage to strike at her with my trident a few times, only for my swipes to result as brief skims or smacks. She ends up sprinting away, most likely to treat the minimal wounds she has, and when I wait for her to disappear from sight, before I turn back to Maya.
She breathes rapidly and unevenly, clutching desperately at her wound to stop the blood from flowing out her wound. Her face is scrunched up with pain and she bites her bottom lip so hard, that it starts bleeding. "Maya!" I exclaim, kneeling down next to her. She gasps and moans out in pain.
A parachute lands beside us and I immediately rush to empty out its contents: bandages and disinfectant. I unscrew the disinfectant cap, hastily.
"No," Maya says, firmly.
"No?" I echo.
"No. Don't bother."
"Why not?!" I cry out.
"Because one of us will have to die," she replies, weakly.
I almost gag and wretch at the sight of her blood oozing out freely, and I insist on pouring disinfectant on, as well as bandaging her leg up but she bats my hands away.
"We promised to be there for each other until the end!" I shout. I don't know if it's frustration or anger that gets the better of me but I know in the back of my mind that I shouldn't be screaming so loud. It would give away our location and I have also never shouted at her.
"And what if it becomes just the two of us?" she shoots back at me. "I don't want to kill you and I'm sure you won't want to kill me either!"
She's right. One of us will have to die. It's inevitable. I have the urge to break down and sob my heart out but I resist it. "But…"
"But nothing," she states, flatly as she attempts to stare me down. With the way she pants and grits her teeth, I can't take her seriously.
"Let me help you," I say.
As soon as the words leave my mouth, an arrow flies past me, planting itself deep into Maya's shin. Before we can react, another shoots through the air, hitting the side of her stomach. Oh, no. She lets out another piercing scream as we see the girl from Six disappear yet again.
"You can't… You can't help me now," Maya gasps.
"Yes, I can," I insist.
I don't know if I'm lying to her or myself. Arrows when released by bowstrings, easily pierce almost anything. Since the front of the shin has next to no fat, I know it's probably punctured into her bone. She'll die either from intense pain or blood less. Either way, they're slow and torturing deaths. With my dagger, I slice the protruding arrow from her skin so only a portion of it is in her leg. I decide to leave the arrow in her abdomen alone. I'll most likely tear her apart if I do that.
Maya's entire body tremors and her usually tanned skin, is slowly becoming paler and paler. "It hurts," she whimpers. "It hurts so much."
"I know, sweetheart."
My hands shake as I pour a few drops of disinfectant over the wound on her thigh and she shudders. I wind the bandage around her thigh multiple times, making sure it's tight enough, but not so tight that it cuts off her blood circulation. I move down to her shin and I stare at the blood and arrow, without a clue on what to do.
"Just leave it."
Her voice is so weak, and it makes my heart ache. "The sponsors can help."
Maya shakes her head and says, "It won't work. To get it out, you need doctors and it's a metal arrowhead. I'm going to die."
I'm going to die.
She's going to die.
This time, I'm the one shaking my head frantically. "No! You can't leave me alone!"
"It hurts, Finn."
"So you're just going to give up? What about Annie?"
"I'm not giving up. I'm accepting my fate." I want to laugh because even now, she's just as sensible and wise as she usually is.
She takes holds of the dagger from the inside of her jacket and presses it into my hand. "Do it."
"NO!"
"Please. It hurts so much," she begs. Her cheeks are now stained with cheeks and I can feel my own waterworks threatening to spill out of my eyes.
"No, Maya." My voice cracks and I realise how hoarse my voice has gotten. "I can't do it."
"You can."
"I can't."
"Please."
She lays on the ground, limply like a rag doll. Her face is tinted slightly green and she looks like the child I grew up with. No, she still is a child. Her hands are clenched into weak fists and she grimaces as if any effort to talk is painful. Her breathing comes out more ragged by the second. As much as I hate to admit it, the only way to save her is to put her out of her misery.
I clutch at the dagger tightly; so tightly that my knuckles turn white. I stare down at Maya for a long moment.
"I love you," she says as her eyes flutter closed.
"I love you too."
Boom.