Chapter 5
The careers and us tumble into the center field, just escaping the hungry flames that devoured Chiron and Sandra's district. I look up into the sky and count seventeen stars. Only seven of us left. I gently set Violet on the cool grass, and then fall to the ground, coughing from the smoke I had inhaled.
"Stupid Pluto!" Marco shouts in between coughs, "He should've known!"
Saffron is sobbing quietly, shuddering every once in a while. From fear, or from smoke, I don't know. Violet just lies on the ground next to me, doing nothing. For a second, I fear that she has died, but then I remember that a cannon would've sounded if she had.
Haymitch stops reading abruptly. There has been a knock at the door.
"Come in!" he yells.
The front door slowly creaks open, and Peeta slips in.
"I knew I'd find you here. Where else would you go?" Peeta turns to me.
He must realize how violently I am shaking, or how Haymitch's forehead is shining with sweat, because he suddenly frowns and slowly walks towards us.
"What's wrong?" he asks slowly.
"Why don't you pull up a chair," Haymitch suggests.
Peeta sits down in a chair to my right and looks at the page we're on of my father's diary.
"What's this?" Peeta examines the page.
Haymitch takes a breath, about to explain it all, but I put up my hand to silence him.
"Keep reading, we'll explain later," I say.
Haymitch's hand begins to shake nervously as he rests it upon the page again, and Peeta quickly moves the hand away.
"No," Peeta begins, "You look like you've read enough all ready. I think I'll read from here on."
Haymitch nods slowly, then relaxes a bit as Peeta begins to read...
I glance at the smoldering remains of what was the district we were just camping in, now black as soot and smoking. The sky above it has gone pitch black. I look all around myself to observe the dead districts. Districts 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are all reduced to rubble, which means the only ones left are 1, 3, 4, 7, and 12.
We spend the whole night lying out in the open, completely exposed and weak. No one comes during the night, and when the sky begins to turn blue in the morning, we are all still alive. None of us could really sleep except Violet and Saffron, who just cried herself to sleep.
When we begin to rise to our feet, I notice Alice's condition. She was sitting on the far end of the fire, and she must not have gotten up quick enough, because half of her once beautiful face is black and burnt. Marco also notices her for the first time, and falls to his knees in shock.
"Alice!" he shouts.
Alice's chin quivers like she's going to cry, and she collapses into Marco's arms. The once powerful careers now reduced to sobbing pathetic people covered in scars. I am not hurt at all, and I am on my feet in no time. Violet stands up next to me, and quickly leans over to kiss me on the cheek.
"Thank you," she whispers to me, "You saved my life."
I am afraid Violet will break down and become an emotional wreck like Saffron and Alice, but she holds herself together. We nod to each other, each knowing what the other is going to do, and split up. I head for District 12, while she returns to the careers to do what she's wanted to do since the morning of the second day.
I hear a high-pitched scream, and a cannon fires signaling Saffron's death. It was simple, because all I had to do was hand Violet Pluto's sword last night. We both agreed it would be better to end Saffron's life before she went crazy over the death of Pluto.
I don't know what will happen to Violet from here on, because we parted ways, but I hope she will live. I am so wrapped up in my thoughts as I enter District 12 that I run right into another tribute as soon as I get in.
We both fall to the ground, briefly stunned, not knowing who the other is, but as soon as my vision becomes less blurry, it is clear to me that I'm staring into the bright blue eyes of Amaranth. We have our weapons pointed at one another's throats in one second flat.
Amaranth squints at me through her glasses, "Leon Everdeen from 12. My name's Amaranth."
"I know," I nod, my arrow still pointing directly at her neck, "Why are you in District 12?"
"I could ask the same of why you and the careers were camping out in 10," Amaranth states, not relaxing her grip on the knife she holds.
I continue to stare at her, saying nothing. We keep the glare on one another until Amaranth finally breaks the silence.
"You know, if either of us tried to kill the other right now we'd both wind up dead," she says.
"True," I nod, "So do we agree to lower our weapons?"
Amaranth laughs, "All promises in the arena are meant to be broken," but she lowers her knife anyway.
She's right, but I too lower my bow. We both rise to our feet.
"How are the careers doing now? I heard a lot of cannons last night, and who died this morning?" Amaranth asks.
"Saffron just was killed, and Sheena, Pluto and Chiron died last night," I reply, "Alice's face is really badly burned, and Marco is spending all his energy keeping her sane."
Amaranth's eyes flicker with mischief, "Wow, they're unstable."
"How's that other girl, Tara?" I start walking into the district alongside Amaranth.
"Oh, she's a clever one. I tried to get her, but she must've known I was after her, because she slipped out of sight in District 4 and I couldn't find her," she explains.
Amaranth and I are approaching the woods that the coal mines lay to the left of. Suddenly, Amaranth stops and stares into my eyes.
"Are we forming an alliance or not? I don't want to be in constant fear that I'm going to be killed," she asks me seriously.
I hesitate for a moment. I'm not entirely sure I can trust the girl from 3, but then again, she's the only one I could possibly trust besides Violet. She also has something in her that reminds me of Sarah that I can't place.
So when I say, "Yes, we are," it's entirely truthful.
Amaranth studies me for a moment, then nods to confirm it. A smile appears on her lips, "Do you want to know the real reason why I'm in 12?"
"Why?" I ask. From what I've seen, all of the districts I've visited have had something to aid the tributes survival. The only one that doesn't appear to have anything useful is 12, except of course that it has the forest.
"Well, what is District 12's industry?" Amaranth begins.
"Coal mining," I reply immediately, "But what does that have to do with survival?"
"I have a feeling there's something other than coal deep in those mines," Amaranth smiles.