A/N: Hey everybody! I stayed up late tonight to get this out to you guys. (It's a little past 4 am) I hope you all enjoy this chapter, though it's kind of... well just read and find out.
Athea DiMae
I can barely process Lucian's words. If I heard this from anyone else I probably would have laughed it off. The Capitol has shown us plenty of footage of their bombed district. It's nothing but barren land and scattered rubble. But Lucian is right; they did manufacture nuclear weapons and so they should've had some in their arsenal.
"Do you have any proof that District 13 is still around?" I ask Lucian.
"No, but I have some intuitions. I need to put the pieces together, and Faunas should be able to help." Lucian explains as he attempts to shake a few droplets of water left at the bottom of his canteen.
As I watch Lucian struggle with the canteen, I realize that water is our top priority to stay alive right now. I make a decision that I will leave now to find us some water and maybe some plants to heal Faunas. If Faunas is as important as Lucian says, he'll need it.
"Well while you figure that out I'm going to venture out to get us some water." I say as I hook my pack strap on my shoulder and head to the electric danger trap, or as Lucian calls it, 'our protector'.
"You can't go Athea!" Lucian yells to me.
I turn because I'm surprised with Lucian's desperate tone.
"At least not alone. I'll come. Two brains are better than one, especially when one of those brains is mine."
I can't help but laugh.
"That's why you should stay. You're brain is more of an asset than mine," I chuckle and slide my pack under the wire.
"Well I can't argue with that statement."
"Help me through, will you?" I ask.
Lucian doesn't make a move to help me, and I sigh.
"Please don't do this." He pleads again.
"Lucian…"
"Let me come at least!"
I shake my head.
"I can't have you die out in the wilderness. What will I do then?"
"Are you admitting that you need me Lucian?" I can't hide the smug look on my face.
"Don't flatter yourself too much Athea. There's a reason we're allies. We need each other, remember?"
"Yes, you have your brainpower and I do things like run to the bloodbath and find us water."
"That bloodbath run was stupid! You're lucky you're here, alive. Don't you think it's better not to mess with chance again?"
"Maybe if I hadn't gotten lucky in the reaping bowl," I say sarcastically. "Besides we wouldn't have all these supplies."
"Fine. I know you're going to be hard-headed and run out into danger, but at least do me a favor." He holds out a long tube-like item. "Take this."
"What is this?" I ask.
"Dart gun. I made it out of the 'junk' you got from the cornucopia that you tossed to the side and didn't give a second look to. I, on the other hand, saw the value in these random parts."
"What?" I turn it in my hands, and glance down the long tube.
"Yeah one woman's trash is a smart man's treasure I guess."
He hands me some darts. I didn't know what I was going to do with the darts when I got them, never thought of making my own dart gun.
"The only problem is that the darts lack a poison element since you didn't think to pick any up. So you might want to do something about that or the gun will basically be useless."
"Thanks Lucian, this is very nice of you."
"I don't want anything to happen to my ally. Now I'll help you out." Lucian grasps my feet and slides me under the wire.
"Don't break that!" He yells as I make my way down the stairs and under the maze.
Audrey Carpenter
Sometimes when I wake up from my sleep I believe that I'm cozy in my bed at home. I will wake up and make breakfast for my father and older brother. Then I would spend some time on the harp.
Yes I said the harp. It was once my grandmother's. She taught me how to play when I was young and when she died the harp was passed to me. Everyday I sat in my room and play music. I can't even describe the feeling of making music on the delicate strings. It's like nothing else I've ever experienced except how I felt when I was free in the woods with Oliver.
My eyes find his sewn patch on my shirt. I don't want to admit it, but I miss Oliver more than anything. If I could go back and change things I think I would. It's funny how it took these games to make me realize that.
When I open my eyes, I reel in the disappointment of still being in the arena. I give myself a minute of self-pity before I rise from my uncomfortable tree-bed.
At least I am still alive.
Ashley is still sleeping in a nearby tree. She looks years younger curled into the branch, and I tell myself again that she shouldn't be here. Her brilliant mind will be wasted if she dies in the arena. I can only imagine her growing up to be an excellent healer, and with the conditions I've heard they have in District 12, the citizens could probably use it.
I notice that the weather is much cooler than it was yesterday. In fact, I have to unzip my bag so I can retrieve another layer of clothing. I call for Ashley, not wanting to wake her, but it's necessary. She opens her eyes and rubs them vigorously. Then she rubs her hands down her short hair to flatten it down. When Ashley first arrived her hair was long and flowing all the way down the length of her back. She must have had her stylist cut it. It was probably for the best coming into the games. She then wraps her arms around herself, and shivers, her teeth chattering softly.
"Why is it so chilly?" She asks.
"I was wondering the same thing," I say.
She leaps from her tree to mine with ease. I dig in my bag and pull out her jacket.
"Do you think it'll get colder?" She asks.
"I didn't think of that," I say. I remember the past few days of increasing intense heat and it makes sense. "I hope not." I say trying to qualm her worries.
A long pause follows, and I can tell she's making herself scared with the prospect of cold temperatures.
"Hungry?" I try to change the subject.
She nods and I pull her a piece of fruit out and toss it to her. She eats it, but stays ominously quiet.
As I settle down for my breakfast I hear something further down the trees. I pull out my knife and scan the tree line.
"Probably just some animal," Ashley whispers.
I nod and sit back down to eat. I make it halfway through my apple when I hear more sounds. This time they're closer and I can target them below us on the ground floor. I can't shake the feeling that the sound is from a human, but then again my nerves are on edge.
I take a hold of a hand-made wooden spear. I could send it towards them and hopefully scare them, or it'll just lead them towards our hideout.
I suddenly see Ashley's eyes land on a spot to my right. I try to match my gaze with her and that's when I see the tribute sneaking around amongst the tree trunks. She glances around cautiously while walking, but the undergrowth doesn't provide her with the ability to sneak around; every time her foot hits the ground the crackle of twigs and leaves can be heard, and she knows this.
I pull my arm back. This could be my first kill. My aim is pretty good after all. Just as I release the spear from my hand the girl's eyes meet mine and she ducks into cover before the spear soars through her original spot.
This isn't going to turn out good. Ashley hands me another wooden spear and holds her own. I motion her to get closer to the trunk of the tree to conceal herself, and I join her. A few intense seconds pass so slowly, and then a dart goes whizzing by my face.
Really, is that all she has?
With new confidence I turn myself towards my attacker and send another spear. I hear a grunt that confirms some kind of hit. Another dart shoots by and barely misses me sticking itself into the bark instead of my flesh. Ashley pulls it out to examine it as I let another spear go. I need to get a hit before I run out of artillery.
Before the girl can let another dart go Ashley pulls me back against the bark.
"What are you doing?" I whisper.
She points at the dart and shakes her head.
"It's poison."
"Oh shit! Is it lethal?" I quickly look at myself to confirm I was not hit with any darts.
Ashley shrugs her shoulders and careful slides her fingers across the metal dart and lifts it to her nose. She inhales cautiously and shrugs again.
"It doesn't smell familiar. I have to way of identifying it."
I guess it's better not to take chances, and I signal her to move forward.
Unfortunately moving in the trees isn't any quieter, and another dart whizzes by me.
I turn to throw another spear towards her.
"Audrey!" I hear a squeak next to me, and look over to see Ashley pulling the dart from her leg. The look on her eyes is one of pure terror. I grab her hand and slowly pull her around the tree. Another dart barely misses us, and I place my hand over her mouth to keep her silent. Silent sobs rack through her body, and I hold her close not knowing whether or not I'll lose her in the next few minutes.
Escule Hirosho
The chain is almost severed. Between Alice and I, we've gotten most of the link broken. I imagine a few more hours of heating and pounding will sever the chain and allow her to escape. The only problem is the barbed wire piercing into her ankle. I've been checking and it looks as though it could be becoming infected.
"It doesn't matter," she says, wincing as she pours water on the jagged cut. "If I get out of here it won't matter."
So I continue, and the metal withers away with each meet of rock and metal.
"Thank you," Alice smiles at me before drifting into some kind of half-consciousness. I'm honestly worried about her sanity right now.
I awake her as the sun comes bearing over us. I'm expecting harsh heat, but something is different. The temperature is considerably cooler. I shrug on my jacket, and place Alice's over her exposed skin. By mid-afternoon she's awake and restless.
"I'm really ready to get out of this Escule!" Her voice sounds kind of snippy, but I try not to take it personally.
I nod to her and focus my strength. My arm is tired, and Alice stops my arm and takes the rock.
"Take a break," she says and takes over for me, but her hand is clumsy.
I walk over to the creek to wash my hands and get a fresh drink. Normally I would want to take a swim in here, but with this cool weather I hardly want to wash my hands and face off. What are the gamemakers up to?
A familiar rustling and movement of feet in the distance interrupt my thoughts. Alice hears it too and she drops her rock. She grabs her knife and rises to her feet. I see her eyes shift back and forth and I make my way up the tree closest to me. I want to help Alice, but I'm not going to do much if a flying axe hits me.
"Hello Alice. Did you miss us? I see you're still in one piece."
David. Just as I thought.
Alice remains silent and she looks towards me in panic. I pull my pack off and reach into my weapons pocket. I don't know what I'm going to do since my knife throwing abilities are not dependable. I would do better jumping them. I could take David on easily, but what about Jasten looming there? He looks small, but I can't underestimate either of them.
David snaps his fingers in front of Alice.
"Anyone there?"
Alice nods her head but doesn't speak.
"Have you made a decision then?" David barks.
I see Alice's shoulders rise in a shudder of air.
"Can I ask what my alternative would be?" She finally asks.
David laughs and it sounds so childish. But then he holds up his axe and twirls it in the air.
"Do you even have to ask?" He asks his voice growing cold.
Alice staggers backwards landing against a tree. For a second I'm positive she's going to collapse, but she regains her balance and leans back against the bark. I see her look towards me then back at David. I wish that she would pull her knife out. It could be a distraction and I could make my move. Instead her whole body slumps beneath her.
"Okay," she whispers.
"What?" David cups his ear and leans in.
"I'll join you," she says louder.
David's facial appearance takes on a ssatisfied look and he examines Alice as she tries to stay balanced. David picks up her chain slowly before jerking it hard, knocking Alice completely off her feet and onto the ground.
"What's wrong with you? I don't know if you're even fit to be released."
"I'm fine," she grits through her teeth and forces her weight back up.
"That's a nasty-looking cut."
Alice glances down at her ankle, which is now leaking fresh blood from under the caked dirt and coagulated blood from the past few days.
"Yes, it would feel better if you removed this chain."
"Oh Alice you're just going to have to get used to it."
He holds out his hand and Alice looks confused. David puckers his lips and motions to the knife. She hands it over without any kind of reproach.
"Good, now I will release you."
He pulls out a small key from his back pocket and uses it to unlatch the chain from around the tree.
"You're not going to take it off my ankle?" I note the plea in her words.
"I can't. The trap is not designed to be taken off."
Alice's face falls immediately, and the desire to help her almost pushes me out of the tree right then and there.
I must stay patient though. I watch as David instructs her to walk in front and she slinks along, the chain dragging behind her. Soon I will make my move and jump David. I will be able to throw him off guard. I will not run this time. I square myself to spring. Soon, I think as I watch Alice pass under me. David is slowly walking by, his attention is caught looking around him. Jasten follows lazily behind and I ready myself. It's time for me to be brave.
"I thought I'd find you here!"
My focus is broken along with David's and I trace my eyes towards the voice. A few feet ahead I see a brown-haired shirtless boy. He carries no supplies, but his knuckles are firmly gripped around a knife. There is a sense of duty blazing behind his calm figure.
David barely flinches.
"So losing one girl wasn't enough for you?"
Shoal Creek
Why am I not surprised that he has Alice trapped like a wild animal? I can't even assess the fury that is building inside of me. I remind myself of why I'm here and that it's important to stay calm, but even that can barely hold me back from snapping that little boy's neck.
"It was enough for me to come back so I could kill you."
David yanks the chain, pulling Alice near him, and I ready myself to throw.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he says as he lifts his axe in the air.
Alice looks at me with those eyes. She looks unreal and partially dead.
"Please Shoal… don't do this now," she pleads.
A lungful of air escapes me.
"Alice, this has nothing to do with you."
"So, Shoal what was it like? Watching Mika's blood spill on your hands?"
He's trying to get a rise out of me, and it's working.
"Too bad she didn't get any last words!" His arrogant attitude makes me want to ring him around the neck.
"Stop it, David!" Alice yells in a brief moment of confidence.
"Are you protecting loverboy now? After everything he did to you, I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised."
"You don't understand the situation," Alice continues, "so don't pretend that you know."
In one motion David yanks the chain and an unsteady Alice falls. He hovers his axe over her neck threatening her to speak another rebellious word. Her voice falls silent, and I want to save her more than anything. Watching Alice die Mika's death would probably tip me overboard, and so I step back cautiously, lifting my arms up.
"David, can't we make a deal here? Let me have Alice, and I'll drop my knife."
His foreboding eyes turn to me with a whole new darkness.
"What do you think I am? Stupid?" He glances back down at Alice who still sits on her knees not daring to move. David grabs a fistful of her dark hair and rips her back towards him. A small squeal emits from the bottom of her throat. "She was born to die anyways!"
I pose myself to throw my knife, and David turns, placing Alice in front of him in my line of fire, his axe looming near her.
"One move and she will be dead. Do you really trust your aim?"
No.
A few tense seconds pass by in which David, Alice, and I are the only ones on this planet, and saving her means saving myself as well. I recall the moment when Mika, struck silent, pointed to herself and then to me. What did she mean then?
Alice mouths me a word. Run. But Alice how can you expect me to do so after everything? I want to desperately ask her this question. My life means nothing if I cannot give back what I took so greedily. Mika couldn't run, Alice can't run, so how can I?
I shake my head so softly and look back to David who is still determined to ruin every part of me.
"What do you I want?" I finally break the silence and it shatters like glass across the forest.
"Your life for Alice's."
I look over to Alice. She is still. I look to her for some support, but I only receive her distant stare. I can't bear to see her so low and so close to death. Her eyes seem to lack that life that once danced behind them every time she picked up a book. I can't let her die, but I can't leave her alone either. What if David is trying to lure me in a trap?
I have one option and one option only.
"Okay," I say lifting my hands up.
I watch David's rigid posture slacken a bit.
"Drop your knife."
I lower my arm down towards my waist as to drop my knife, but a second before I loosen my fingers on the handle I throw the knife in an underhand throw. It's a risky move, one that I'm willing to take. My throws were never the best, but this is the only way to get rid of David and save Alice. Even if the throw doesn't kill him at least I may be able to knock him off balance so I can overtake him.
David doesn't react to the knife until it is inches from his body. He lifts his arm up to cover his face and I watch the knife pierce into his arm.
Shoot.
I immediately rush in towards David to knock him down, but he flings his axe towards me and I jump back.
"You're stupid!" He grunts through his teeth. It sounds like it came from a wild animal and not from a 12-year-old boy.
"Alice! Get out of here!" I don't even look over to see if she's listening.
David swings his axe towards me, but something is not right. It passes by my face leaving only a rush of air. He swings his arm back, hooking Alice in the back of the head as she stands to escape.
Her body falls forward like a ragdoll, and she lands face first, the axe sticking from her head.
"Alice!"
I hear no response from her, and rage sets in. First Mika and now Alice. I lunge towards David, but he has my knife in his hand, and is bearing the point to my face. Blood streams from his arm, but David doesn't seem to notice.
Even though I have lost the two people who I swore to protect, I can't die now. My goal was to extract revenge, so I can't die at the sadistic hand of my enemy.
Jasten Redwood
I know there's something wrong. I'm swimming in heavy blankets. It's so dark and I can't find air. I call for my mom, and I call for Bex, and I call for Nique but nobody will come and lift this heavy weight.
I see a boy. He is about my age. He is hurting a girl. The girl never did anything to be hurt. There's another boy. He cares about the girl. Now he has to watch her get hurt. My eyes are getting watery. I can't cry. Crying is for babies.
Where am I? I thought I was in the factory.
The darkness tries to cloud over me, but I run. I must save the girl. I run towards the boy with the axe. A part of me says that I trusted him. Why would aItrust a murderer? A million invisible hands push me backwards, but I fight them. I fight them even when the blanket covers me until I lunge at the killer.
Shoal Creek
Jasten throws David off his feet, and I'm baffled. What is going on here? My gut tells me that I need to get out of here as fast as I can, but my feet won't move.
Alice's cannon goes off and I lose it. My body goes into emotional shock and I crumble.
"Jasten! I'm not the enemy." David squeals under Jasten's grip on his throat.
An unstable Jasten attempt to scream back, but it's squeaky and barely penetrates the silence. He easily overpowers David's little frame despite his size. I know there's something wrong with Jasten, ever since I saw him overtake Mika like she was nothing
David thrusts his knife at Jasten, but he grabs his wrist before the weapon can make contact. For the first time, like a dog, I sense the fear emitting from David. I look over at my lovely Alice, the axe protruding from her skull. I walk over and grab the handle, but fall apart before I can yank it free.
I turn to vomit. I'm not even aware of the fight happening near me. I don't even care. I just want to die. In between vomiting I close my eyes and pull the axe from Alice's head. The suction sound I hear after freeing the axe makes me vomit even more and when I resurface Jasten has the knife and David is covering his face and begging to live.
Jasten thrusts his arm towards David, and the knife takes its second life. David falls ragged just as Alice did. I feel no resolution after the echo of the cannon fires across the forest. A flock of squawking birds in a nearby tree flies off, and I wish I could join them.
Jasten stands up. The knife is in his hand and I see the blood drip from the tip. Is he going to kill me next?
Instead he drops the knife and bolts off into the forest. I don't even know how to comprehend the events that just happened and I lean down to Alice, slowly flipping her onto her back and crossing her arms over her chest. We had no goodbyes. I move her dark hair from her face, and pluck a nearby red flower to place in her hair. That's when the tears start flowing. I salvage her pack before I hear the familiar hovercraft motor as they pick up her body, and then she's gone forever.
Then the white powder begins to descend from the sky, and I know this can't be real.
A/N: Yep. The tributes are slowly dwindling down. There'll be at least another death next chapter. Who do you guys think it'll be?
Also are you all still reading this? I'm sad because I get way way less reviews that I used to :(. I don't even care if you write 'Good chapter'. I just want to know my original audience is still reading, and it's really easy since the review box is right down there. So just type something and hit submit. Tell me who you think the victor will be, or who you want it to be, or who you think will be next to die. ANYTHING! Please, please, please. :) :) :)
Okay I'm done begging. Please REVIEW, and have a wonderful WEDNESDAY and a Happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans. Bye now.
-Kayla :)