Bullet Daniels (2)
I've been trying to make sense of the chaotic events that have occurred in the last twenty-four hours, but I have no idea what to make of it.
I can tell Aeron is itching to be done with these games, as she has distanced herself from me. I guess I can understand her reasoning because this is certainly a predicament. We have two alliances still around, and a young girl in here. As far as I'm concerned Dorien and Shoal are two tributes that I wouldn't mind getting rid of.
Dorien is already up and walking even after her frostbite attack. The girl is young, but she has a lot of determination that I can't help but to admire.
"So looks like you're already up and ready to go," I say and she wrinkles her nose at me.
"Yeah, if you call a bad limp and no feeling in my fingers 'up and ready to go', then yes. What's it to you anyways?"
"I don't care honestly. I just don't want to wake up with a knife in my back. So keep your distance and beware because I have my eyes on you."
"Whatever," she sways on her feet and places her hand on the metal to keep her balance.
I look over at Aeron who is out of her sleeping bag and digging at her food stock. I haven't spoken to her since yesterday. She's been in a mood; perhaps it is the pregnancy affecting her again.
"So what's up with you and the crazy pregnant girl?" Dorien asks and I'm wondering if she has the capability to hear thoughts.
"Nothing. There was nothing ever going, we were just there to help each other make it far and that's just what we did."
Dorien snickers, and Aeron's attention suddenly shifts to us.
"Making new friends Noah," she addresses me, but looks at Dorien.
"Jealous?" Dorien asks.
Great. Here we go again.
"I should just kill you now," Aeron remarks.
"Go ahead. I dare you!" She pulls out her knife, and that nuisance District 3 girl is on her feet and yelling.
"Stop it! This is just what the Capitol wants," she sounds like a broken record.
"Shut it!" Dorien hisses. "This is between Aeron and I, so stay out of the way, unless you want to fight too."
I watch as Lucian snags her shirt and yanks her to the ground as he whispers to her in a harsh tone.
"Noah?" Aeron looks at me as though I am meant to join her. Two against one was never fair, and besides I wasn't worthy enough for her when it came to sharing breakfast this morning.
I shake my head, and she scowls. Whatever devil came over her the first few days of the games is back again; mean, aggressive, and completely selfish.
"Fine then Noah. I see how it is."
I walk over and sit down next to Ashley, Athea, and Lucian. Athea is still as a stone, unblinking, and Lucian still grasps the fabric of her shirt as if she's going to bolt away.
Shoal diverts his attention away from sharpening his knife to Dorien and Aeron. The length of his eye contact makes me feel eerily suspicious of his future motives.
Dorien and Aeron stare each other down for a good minute or so. I contemplate whether I'm ready to see her die while I sit here and do nothing.
Dorien makes a move to slice into Aeron's flesh, but she's slow on her feet, and Aeron easily blocks her and knocks her over. Is this girl serious? She was just injured and now she's getting into a fight. Of course Aeron didn't need me to help her anyways.
"Well get up," Aeron sneers, "or are you done?"
Dorien slowly rises to her feet and sways back on her heels. Lucky for her she catches herself.
She goes for another weak swipe that catches Aeron's forearm, but she blocks it and Dorien falls down again.
"I'm giving you a chance to save your life," Aeron says, "give up."
"I never… give up," Dorien is barely able to form words through her teeth that are gritted in pain.
Dorien swipes her knife again, this time it's faster and Aeron doesn't expect it. It makes contact across her stomach, but Dorien is so off on aim that Aeron is practically unscathed, although I see a new fierceness in her eyes.
"You asked for it."
Aeron swings and slices across her face. Dorien grabs her wound and cringes in pain. Aeron uses this moment of weakness and I watch as her knife slides through Dorien's flesh like it's butter. Dorien falls to the ground, holding her side that is now pouring blood.
Judging by Aeron's face she is locked in an adrenaline coma, and she's about to deal the final blow. That's when I see Shoal, but before I actually understand what Shoal is doing I'm jumping towards him. In one split second I have his arm grasped in my grip and my knife is somehow out of its holder.
Shoal tries to fight me, but I am stronger and have the element of surprise. I pin him to the ground and suddenly my knife piercing through Shoal in a scene that is similar to the one I just witnessed with Aeron and Dorien. Except this injury is lethal, and Shoal is lying in a bloody mess.
Before he dies he repeats a word over and over.
"Mika… Mika… Mika… Mika. I'm coming for you," he whispers and the cannon fires.
Aeron stands stunned, like a scared rabbit, and I wipe my bloody knife on the ground.
"Nice going," Dorien's voice is hoarse, and she manages a laugh.
"Yeah why don't you go next?" I spit back.
"It's going to take a lot more to kill me, Noah."
So I've realized.
Lucian Sparx (3)
I guess I can thank my lack of action, and ability to disappear in the background as the sole reason why I am still breathing. After watching Shoal attempt to backstab Aeron, quite literally, and paying the ultimate price, well let's just say I'm finally thankful for my meek demeanor.
Dorien is now a mess on the ground. I don't give her terribly long, but she's actually very resourceful and not meant to be taken for granted.
"Thank you," Aeron's words sound forced, as though she is obligated to give them.
Noah nods in return.
"Wasn't Mika another tribute?" Athea asks me.
"Yes, I think she may have passed in the bloodbath."
"Wow, that's something,"
I wonder what my last words will be? Maybe I should consider making some up just in case people are watching when I die. I want them to be profound. A random thought is suddenly pulled from my long-term memory to my frontal lobe.
"Athea?"
"Hmm?"
"When Jasten died, I heard him say something. What was it?"
"Oh, umm..." I watch Athea try to reform the words she had heard, "It was something like, 'I remember. I'm sorry Bex. I remember'," Athea shrugs her shoulders.
It means nothing to me, but to whomever Bex is I'm sure it means a lot.
Athea stares straight at the walls of the Cornucopia. I'm questioning her sanity, well I have been questioning her sanity, but more and more questions are arising. She keeps jumping into fights as though people are going to stop. I know she's messed up because of Faunas, but she needs to pull herself back together. People are killing one another, and she can't control that, just like I couldn't control coming here.
By the time afternoon rolls around Dorien is still alive and being extremely obnoxious. Between her maniacal laughter, and her morbid jokes I'm ready to kill her myself.
"Dorien, shut up!" Aeron yells and she just laughs more.
"She's delirious from blood loss," Ashley says. "I should help her," she says it so softly that I'm sure I was the only one who heard.
Noah stands up, and clears his throat eliciting everyone's attention. "Alright I have a few things I want to say."
"Nobody cares," Dorien says and begins laughing again.
"Go on," Athea counters.
"We need to figure out what we're going to do. Are we going to battle this out like real people, or…"
"That's not fair," Ashley butts in.
"Yeah, you think you could kill the little girl?" Athea contests.
Noah glances to Ashley who meets his eye contact without hesitation.
"That has nothing to do with it," he retorts. "Realistically, what else is there to do?"
"I already said…" Athea starts, but Noah interrupts her.
"No, I said realistic. Your idea is not realistic at all."
"Why? Are you too blood thirsty to lay down your weapons?"
"Athea," I warn her, and reach to pull her down, but she slaps my hand away.
"I'd rather die," she snaps at me.
"We could have that arranged," Dorien yells.
"Quiet from over there," Noah says to her.
"You wouldn't be alive if it weren't for me and Ashley," Athea yells to Dorien.
"I didn't ask for your help. You brought it upon yourselves."
"You all are bastards! You deserve to win," and to prove her point she slams her fist into the metal so hard I hear a loud crack, and Athea yelps in pain.
Aeron shakes her head and rolls her eyes, and Dorien laughs.
"Sit down," I snap, and I yank her next to me.
She cradles her hurt hand, and that's when I see the tears pool in her eyes. It starts with a few sobs and whimpers until she is wailing loudly. Her cries echo off the walls of the Cornucopia intensifying the sound.
"Athea, please," I whisper to her, but she just sobs louder.
"You know what?" Dorien calls over the noise. "I have a great idea, let's play 'vote a tribute out of the Cornucopia. All in favor of Athea first raise your hand," Dorien lazily raises her hand above her head.
"Stop it," Ashley hisses to her. She walks over to Athea, and carefully takes her hurt hand into her own. "It's just a fracture I'm sure of it. We will splint it right up," she talks quietly to her, and Athea nods. Ashley then wraps her tiny arms around Athea and her crying slowly ceases to hiccups and loud sniffles.
"This is pointless," Aeron says standing up. "Meeting adjourned until we get some of our sanity back."
"That's not going to happen," Dorien says under her breath.
That night I lay curled up in my sleeping bag, but sleep does not come to me. I glance over at the resting bodies scattered around me. How easy would it be to slaughter everybody and go home? Though I have a feeling it probably wouldn't be that easy. I could bet insomnia is plaguing many of the tributes.
Athea, however, is still, as well as Ashley who lies next to her. Sleeping in the arena has always been a way of escaping, even if for only a little while.
Kill Athea.
Where did that thought emerge?
Kill Athea, take the chip, they'll never know you have it.
How could I kill Athea? Would I be able to betray my longtime ally?
She's not your ally. She's crazy and a danger to everybody else.
I try to ignore my terrible thoughts, but as I glimpse over at a quiet Athea I realize how easy it would be. One quick stab to the heart, and then I cut out the chip. However, Ashley would be woken up. I'd never be able to pull it off without her alerting everybody else, and possibly killing me.
Wait; am I really planning out how I'm going to kill Athea? I can't do it. My moral compass is pointing towards integrity, and I must follow. Nevertheless, this direction might lead me straight to my death.
Bullet Daniels (2)
An ear-shattering scream pulls me from my sleep so quickly that by the time I open my eyes, I'm already on my feet.
"Elle?"
I swear the sound was from my sister, but then I remember that I am not at home. I am in the Hunger Games.
I bolt out from the Cornucopia and the sight makes me feel dizzy.
"What's going on?" The voice is Aeron's and when she catches sight of the girl in the snow she gasps.
I kneel down next to the small heap. Somehow she's still alive and breathing.
"Ash," I say her name quietly and she moans in pain.
"Please…. help me."
The snow surrounding her is a dull pink that reminds me of the setting sun. Ashley has blood trailing down her face, down her legs, and it soaks through her clothing. I want to take her back into the Cornucopia, but the though of moving her in this condition makes me think otherwise.
"What happened?"
"Something pulled me from my sleeping bag," she takes a gasping breath. "Then it attacked me."
"What was it?"
"I… don't know," she begins gasping to breathe again, and I place my palm on her forehead to calm her.
"Shh, it's going to be alright."
I'm about to ask Aeron what we should do, but when I turn she is not there. I gaze into the metal mouth of the Cornucopia and I see her hovering over Dorien and shoving her against the wall.
"I didn't do anything!" I hear Dorien yell in defense. "I'm injured, so tell me how I would drag her out in the snow."
"Aeron stop!" I yell.
I turn my attention back to Ashley. There's so much blood that I have no idea where the source is. So I ask her.
"My leg, my arm, my side."
I peel her pant leg up and am shocked at what I see. Her flesh looks like it had been chewed at, at some points I can see visible bone. This was not caused by a human, and whatever attacked Ashley is probably still looming around.
I make the decision to lift her ragged body so I can bring us both to a safer area.
"Mutt!" I call and I watch eyes widen as I bring her in.
We need to keep a watch out.
"I'm on it!" Aeron calls grabbing out her long knife.
"You too," I nod to Lucian.
"M-m-me?" He stutters.
"Go," I yell, and he does as I say.
Athea helps me place her on top of her sleeping bag, and I show her the leg wound.
"What can we do?" I whisper.
She looks at me and shakes her head.
Ashley groans loudly and her jaw clenches in such a way that it looks like she'll break teeth.
"Help me, please," she calls again.
I feel helpless, but Athea holds a calm face and grips Ashley's hand.
"I was suppose to become a healer," she swallows then coughs up some blood.
"I know," Athea voice is soothing. One that my mother once used when I was a young child.
Ashley whimpers, and Athea strokes her hair back from her face.
"It's alright," Athea whispers. "There are bigger plans for you."
"Mother and father…."
"They'll understand."
Athea hums softly, and it is not long afterwards that Ashley becomes quiet. I watch each rise and fall of her chest signaling that she is indeed still alive. Not long after there comes a point where nothing comes after her chest falls. It is then that I come to the conclusion that some games are not meant to be won for anybody, because if I make it out of this arena alive, I'll never be the same.
A/N: So there's only 5 tributes left. Honestly I think there's only 1-2 chapters of the games left before the victor. Can you believe that? I certainly can't, aha.
Anyways leave me a review and PM me if you want to talk!
Also, I'll start accepting tribute forms for the sequel, make sure you answered the extra questions I added. The form is at the bottom of my profile!
Have a good week!
-Kayla