Chapter 4
When I arrive at District 10, it isn't a warm welcome. As I slowly enter through the gap in the once electric fence, my bow is in position and ready to fire. As soon as I'm in the district, a battle-axe whizzes by my head, but I'm to quick for the dim-witted career, and I duck out of the way. I stand, and dislodge the axe from the fence. It's not too big, but it's heavy enough that only one of the more muscular tributes could wield it.
Marco. I smile as I toss the axe outside the district. I begin to walk forward, my bow still poised in attack position. District 10's specialty is livestock. There has bound to be some stray cattle roaming this district, probably being hunted by careers. I observe the area, and see that it is mostly wide-open grass with a twisted dirt path. It seems to have a clearer, brighter sky than 12, and there are several trees littered around the district.
As I approach the nearest tree, a tall oak, I hear rustling in the branches above. I know Marco's attack before he can inflict it upon me, and I am already several feet away when he plunges from the tree and lands dangerously on the ground. He slowly and shakily stands, and I see he has a cut lip.
"You don't have a weapon," I tell him straight out. Of course he's muscular enough to tackle me and inflict serious damage, but my silver arrows would get him before he could consider it.
"Yeah," he advances on me, limping on the leg he twisted when he fell, "But has that ever stopped me before?"
"I wasn't in the bloodbath," I step backward, still eyeing him warily.
"Oh yes, I forgot that you weren't there to see me strangle poor Drake from 3," Marco boasts proudly, an evil smile playing across his lips.
"And I'm glad I wasn't," I nod to him.
Marco finally seems to give up the attack approach, and asks me, "Why are you here? To kill us?"
I smile mockingly at him, "You really think I'd attack a whole band of highly trained fighters with only my arrows and my wits? No, I've come to ask to join up with you."
This takes Marco by surprise, "Team up with us?"
"You heard me, Marco," I nod.
He squints at me, then slowly says, "You won't pull any stunts, right? 'Cause if you do, it will be this," he makes the slitting throat motion.
"No," I tell him, "I won't."
Marco stares at me for a moment, and then seems to make up his mind, "Follow me, then."
He leads me down the path for a long ways until we finally reach an area where a few cows are grazing calmly. When we reach the careers' camp, all of their weapons are immediately trained on me.
There's Marco's fellow tribute from 1, Alice; Sheena; and Pluto with Saffron, all with their weapons ranging from short sword to a bow and arrows pointing straight at my heart.
"Relax," Marco raises his hands in the air, "He's with us."
"How can you be sure?" Alice observes me cautiously.
Saffron and Pluto nod in agreement. It's only Sheena that approaches me.
"I think he's smart, joining up with the strongest people to insure his survival," Sheena rests her hand on my arm.
Immediately, I decide to kill her first after the alliance breaks. She's clearly trying to win my approval so that she can eliminate me as soon as possible when I don't expect it. This kind of cleverness can't go on in the game.
Marco nods, "Sheena's right, he seriously couldn't even imagine taking down all of us at once, not with those puny muscles."
I keep my ground and grip my bow tightly, not saying a word. I am waiting for the careers to decide I'm safe. Joining up with the careers will help me get rid of Tara, and Chiron. Then once those two are gone, I'll leave the careers.
"I suppose he can join us," Alice finally lowers her throwing daggers.
Pluto nods, and sheathes his sword. Saffron doesn't have a weapon, but she has Violet's bags hung over her shoulders. Sheena had a golden bow and arrows, which she had quickly set down after my arrival.
"But what about her?" Saffron worriedly points to the grassy fields behind us.
Marco and I turn to see what she had been talking about. Violet stands before us, her silky brown hair blowing in the gentle breeze. She approaches Marco.
"If Leon joins, I join too," she says unfeelingly.
"So both the brats from 12 are in now?" Pluto scoffs.
"Shut up," Marco whips around to face him, "Just remember that you're only in this alliance because you have some skill with a sword. If you didn't have that talent, we would've killed you right off the bat!"
Pluto looks down at his feet, ashamed. Saffron makes no effort to comfort her fellow tribute from 7. Alice starts walking towards Violet.
"Little girl," Alice begins.
"Don't you dare call me that," Violet clenches her fists.
Alice steps back in mock alarm and then snorts rudely. Marco shoots her a mean glance, and then turns to Violet.
"What Alice means is that we're only keeping you alive for a reason as well," Marco tells her straightforwardly.
"I understand," Violet nods, then without warning walks straight towards the slightly smoking campfire and sits down in front of it.
Marco shrugs to Alice as if to say 'that's that.' For the first time, I notice the harsh burn marks on Sheena's arms and legs. Then I remember that the careers had been in District 11 when it burned. Sheena must've just barely escaped, judging by the burns.
When she leaves my side to sit next to Violet, I notice her pained walking and feel a bit of sympathy.
"Well now that we have two more members of our alliance, we'll just be that much harder to defeat," Marco states, quietly sitting down on the grass.
Saffron nods, then turns to me, "You, Leif-"
"Leon," I correct her harshly.
"Leon," she repeats, drawing out the syllables, "Whatever. Now, tell me a little bit about District 12. I've always wondered what it's like there."
"For a start, there's lots of coal," I say.
Saffron sighs, "Seriously!"
"I'm serious!" I tell her. I'm not telling her the secrets of my district, because it will just help her out if she ever makes it to District 12.
She stares at me coldly, then quietly says, "Fine," and walks away.
I'm not going to bond with the careers no matter what they do or say. After a while, I quietly start plucking the tall grass from the field and weaving it into rope necklaces, like in the song, The Hanging Tree. The song my father taught me when I was younger, too young to understand the disquieting words.
After a long while, it grows dark and the careers strike up a fire from the flint and steel that Saffron has. Not long after the fire starts up, does the capitol's anthem begin to play. The seal appears in the sky followed by the faces of first Linda, then Flora. Two more stars flicker to life in the sky, making fourteen. Fourteen dead tributes, ten left. Finally the anthem fades out and the seal appears once more, followed by darkness.
"They forgot one," says Pluto after a long pause.
None of us quite understand what he means until he hurls his sword into one of the trees above our heads. There is a yelp of pain, and then Chiron falls from the tree, Pluto's sword through his stomach.
He must've been spying on us the whole time from the tree. Suddenly, we realize how terrible our situation is right now. Pluto is still smiling proudly as we rush over to Chiron's still body to try to keep him from dying as long as possible.
Chiron's fellow 10 tribute was Sandra, who died the first day, so if he dies, we'll all be burned to death. Of course, Chiron knows this as well, and he just keeps screaming for us to kill him as we try to pull Pluto's sword from his body.
Eventually, Chiron's screams soften to a whimper, then to silence.
"What have you done?" Violet turns to Pluto as Chiron coughs up warm blood.
A cannon sounds as soon as Marco stands to snap Pluto's neck. Suddenly a red glow appears not too far away from us. I immediately stand to run from the inferno, but then I realize that Violet can't run with her head injury.
So I do what has to be done, I lift Violet into my arms and run. I run like I've never run before. I vaguely notice Saffron, Marco and Alice running at a steady pace behind us. Sheena is probably going to die from the blaze, because she can't run properly with all of the burns that she has.
Two cannons sound one after another, Pluto and Sheena. As the careers, Violet and I desperately run from the flames that could easily consume our lives, I think of how Amaranth is probably smiling to herself, listening to the cannons, one after another.