Chapter 13

I wake to the sound of a cannon. I jump up and draw my weapon. No one is there. I relax a little. The sun is just slightly rising, making quiet light shine through the trees. I check to see if Telly and Mercury are alright. Telly is mumbling in her half-asleep/half-awake trance. Mercury has dosed off on the tree he was leaning on last night. I walk up to him and kick his legs from underneath him. He almost falls to the ground, but he catches himself on a rock.

"Good job keeping watch," I comment.

"What? Oh, sorry," Mercury says.

"Good morning," Telly sighs.

"Hey, kid." Mercury stretches his arms, showing off his tan muscles. "So, what are we gonna do today?"

"I think we should keep moving, until we find a solid hiding spot," I answer.

"Okay," Mercury says, as he starts packing up his bag.

I take out some crackers, and start on my way, saying, "breakfast time!"

Telly and Mercury follow me without objection. I hear crunching behind me so I guess they got a few crackers for themselves. I look back and smile, seeing them following me. After a while of walking through trees, Mercury comes up to me.

"Esmerelda, I actually, remembered something," he whispers.

"What?" I ask, too excitedly.

"You're my partner," he says, smiling. I almost glare at him. "I remember the reaping. We were the last couple chosen."

"Yeah," I reply, "Anything else?"

"Not too much."

"Oh," I sigh, no kissing. Funny, how all I think about is boys and clothes when I'm about to die.

We walk for a while, making small talk with each other, trying to suppress boredom, hunger, and soreness.

It starts to get dark when I suggest, "I think we should settle for the night."

Mercury and Telly start unpacking their sleeping bags. We drink some water, and eat some beef strips and a few berries for dinner. Then, they settle down to sleep while I prepare for watch. After a few hours, I hear the new anthem of Panem play and see one face of who I think was Quertly Robinson, one of Mercury's friends. After a while more, I hear a noise. There's a rustle in the trees. I look around. Every now and then I see something rustle in the pine needles. I draw my sword. Silver moon light is shining off the blade, making it look fierce. Then, something grabs my hand. I try to cry out and warn Mercury, but the person covers my mouth. My sword falls out of my hand. The person pins my arm at my side with his elbow and holds a knife to my throat. I try to struggle without getting my throat slit, but he's too strong. I think he's about to kill me when he asks, in a familiar voice, "Are you with Mercury? Nod your head if so."

I hesitantly nod my head. He lets me go.

I grab my sword, and scream, "Mercury,"

In a split second, Mercury is out of his sleeping bag, and aiming an arrow at the boy's head. Telly is up too, prepping her blow dart. I pick up my sword and point it at the boy.

"Mercury, you wouldn't shoot an arrow through your best friend would you," the boy says, slyly, while staying away from the moon light.

"Depends," Mercury retorts, almost lowering his bow, "Who is my best friend?"

"You wouldn't forget me, would you?" The boy steps out of the shadows. He has an upturned nose and almost bald head. He's covered in small scratches. He's smiling like an he's insane.

"Rom?" Mercury asks.

Oh, boy, I think.

"I'd like to join your little alliance, for a while," he says alliance like someone would talk about ham on Christmas. "I figured that I can't make it to the end without some help." He smiles again. I get goose-bumps all down my arms. I don't like him.

"Let's talk about this first," I say. Before anyone else can say anything, I drag Mercury and Telly away from Rom.

With eyes glued on Rom, I ask, "What do you think, Mercury?"

"I don't know," he says, "I'm not sure he can be trusted."

"The fact that he attacked me proves that, but do you think he really needs help?" I ask "Or will he just drag us to the finish and then kill us off?"

"Look at him," Telly says.

I have been keeping an eye on him, making sure he doesn't sneak up on us and kill us or something. But I haven't been paying attention to what exactly he's been doing. He's eyeing our food hungrily, along with the rest of our supplies. Not like an evil hungry, but desperate. Does he really need our help?

I look at Mercury, "Do you think he needs us?"

Mercury nods, hesitantly.

"Okay, well, here's what we're going to do. Keep the supplies by your side, so he doesn't take any and run off, and let him keep only one spear, nothing else. I still don't trust him."

We approach Rom. "We decided to let you in, on a few conditions. You give us all your weapons but the spear, and we decide when you eat."

He sighs heavily, like he's not used to being told what to do. He nods. I unzip my backpack and give him a hand full of peanuts. He smiles and devours them like an animal. After he's done, he hands me his knife; I strap it to my belt. Mercury gives him his water bottle. Rom only takes a swig, somehow aware of the fact that we have only three half-full bottles of water. After, Telly and I get into our sleeping bags, while Mercury gets ready to take watch.

"I'll take watch," suggests Rom.

"No," I say. I lay my head down, making sure he knows that's the last word.

He lays his head right above mine. I almost don't sleep because I fear that spear he's holding will soon go through my heart.