**Hello all readers who have stuck through this story with me! Just a heads up, because we are now entering the world of the games. Warning, I am saying that the story is a high T rating, and I may have to up it to M later on. We'll see how detailed I get. There are some more detailed and graphic scenes coming up, because come on, lets face it, this is the Hunger Games**
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or the original characters (specifically Finnick Odair, Annie Cresta, President Snow, Caesar Flickerman, and Mags)
Enjoy! And pretty please review! It will help me update quicker ;)
The pounding of feet hitting the ground matches the speed of my heart. No one screams yet, because no one has reached the weapons yet. It sounds like drums.
Athena is the first one to reach the center of the Cornucopia, followed by Jem, Maverick and lastly Dominique. They all grab their weapons and begin. Athena's first knife hits the boy from 6 square in the chest. He doesn't even have time to scream as the blood pours out of his mouth. Jem's sword takes off the arm of the girl from 10 who falls screaming before he finishes her. Maverick is pulling his axe out of the head of the girl from 3; split open right down the middle. Her eyes glazed over and already paling.
I feel someone grab my arm and instantly I begin to smack them in order to get away.
"Annie! Come on! It's me!" Xavier. My eyes focus on his dark hair and light eyes. He's my ally, it's okay. "We have to move!" I look down. He's already got a back pack, rather large knife, and I'm still on my platform that brought me here. Crap.
My legs begin to move fast. All the things around me have already been picked up as the blood bath continues. I bolt towards the lake, maybe we can find some way around to get to the trees? Xavier seems to have the same idea, because he follows me without protest.
Blood is pounding in my head and running all up and down my being. I don't hear anything at all, the sound of my heart and feet are bringing back the drums. The drums that shake my core till it's painful. Breathing becomes difficult as the drums fill my head. My mouth tastes like metal, a telltale sign that I'm going to be sick. But I can't stop now. I've seen these games too many times to know that you don't stop running for at least an hour after the bloodbath. Careers are hunting now, if they haven't started already. Today is their most exciting day.
My heart beat is out of control, and my vision is blurry. My lungs burn and sting, much worse than holding my breath under water for too long. This is a dry burn. One that could only be quenched by putting my head between my legs, deep breaths and lots of water.
I feel like I could cry of happiness when we reach the lake. Four boats bob tied up to the only dock. One paddle per boat. I jump in one. Xavier in another. He cuts his loose, and tosses me a smaller knife than the one I saw him with just a few minutes ago. How many knives does he have?
I cut my boat loose and we begin across the lake. My forehead begins to sweat as we go, and I get hot everywhere. I dip my hand in the water, it's very warm.
I'll need to tell Xavier when we get back. There won't be much food in this water. It's too warm; like the spring in the beach woods just on the outside of the district back home. Only that was fresh water. This carries the unmistakable salty smell.
Xavier and I continue to paddle for almost an hour before we finally reach the other side. The lake itself is very large, and in almost a perfect circle. There are no streams flowing from it, and nothing bringing water in. Unmoving water can go bad very quickly. Hopefully there's some solution in Xavier's pack to make this water drinkable.
As soon as I step on land, I feel panicky again.
"The water has some kind of relaxing effect." Xavier says tying our boats up to the nearby tree.
"What do you mean relaxing?"
"Didn't you notice how your worries about the games went away momentarily? And as soon as we got to land they came back?"
"Well yes, but I mean we were in the middle of a lake. No one could touch us there."
Xavier shakes his head. "Always expect the unexpected Annie. That's what my mentor told me to hold for advice, if nothing else, expect the unexpected. That lake seems calming, and away from harm right? So odds are, something bad is in there."
I groan inwardly. "Capital mutants come to mind."
"Exactly."
"But the water is so nice." I whine. When did I become this childish?
He smiles. "It reminds you of home. I get it. The buildings that we saw from our platforms, those are modeled after the older homes in District 8. I wanted to go there, but these woods are probably our best option." Then he laughs. "Not to mention I couldn't seem to shake you out of whatever zone you were in until I touched you on the platform. Then you took off running and there was no stopping you."
"Shut up." I push his shoulder.
He grins, then becomes more serious when we hear a scream coming from the direction we just left. "Come on. We've still got a ways to go."
We turn towards the woods, which are much denser than the ones closer to the bloodbath. The trunks are thicker, and the leaves are bigger. The ground is hard and stiff the farther we get from the water's edge. Then it gets cold again. Frost lines the ground, and the trees have icicles on them. The sky has all but disappeared from the covering of the leaves higher up.
Xavier and I come to a small clearing and find a stream. It's flowing with freshwater. We both sigh in relief. He takes out his pack to examine what we have to work with:
Two small knives, one he gave to me.
A water bottle with iodine solution. We fill that up right away.
A sleeping bag that looks like two pieces of tarp sewn together. Xavier notes that it has heat reflectors inside.
A few bags of dried fruit, beef and some more nuts. The food in my leg pocket burns a hole in my pants. I haven't told him yet.
Two sets of matches.
And lots and lots of rope. I smile.
We put everything back in his bag, agreeing to eat later, and take slow sips of cool water.
He moves his stance slightly, light glittering off of the large knife on his belt. I shiver slightly at the sight, but try my best not to stare. He had to have gotten in from deeper in the Cornucopia. There's no other possibility. They don't let weapons that big just sit around to be picked up. No, those are the ones you have to fight, and possibly die for.
A canon sounds then. And another. The bloodbath must be over. We each count the cannons. Nine. I don't know who has died and who remains alive. Tyler! Guilt floods my chest and I sit down wheezing.
"Annie! Are you okay? Were you hit?" He kneels next to me.
I shake my head and bite my lip hard. What if he didn't make it out alive? What if he's dead? What if I failed in bringing him home? I knew it was a long shot, but he deserved to live. He deserved to have a full life; to fall in and out of love, be a heart breaker, graduate, find a girl, have kids and die a happy old man. My hands fly to my head as his voice fills my ears, calling to me. Calling for help. Crying that I wasn't there for him. Asking me why I didn't save him.
Suddenly a new voice fills my head. Finnick's voice. Calling to me softly, like a dream. I can feel his fingers in my hair. His breath on my face. The sun on my body. The sun… the sun!
My eyes fly open and I look up. The sun is shining brightly, and if feels hot. The stream we're next to, the grass is green, with no signs of ice or cold. "Hot spots." I say to the sky.
"What?"
I turn to Xavier. "Hot spots. They must be dotted all over the arena. The lake, this stream. What do they have in common?"
"Water."
A smile breaks onto my face. "It could be, that the only warm places in this arena, have to do with water." Now we know what to look for when night comes.
Xavier smiles too.
We sit by the stream for what feels like just a few minutes. The warmth of the area is unwavering. Hopefully Tyler figured that out as well. It should make for difficult nights for the Careers if they plan to stay by the Cornucopia and guard all their precious goodies. I sigh in contempt and close my eyes, only to open them to see the sky is dark. I sit up with a start. "How long was I out?"
"Few hours. Looked like you needed it." Xavier is sitting on a log that wasn't there when I closed my eyes. That means he left me sleeping in a field for a little while, unprotected. Better get used to that. He's not always gonna be there. I smack my inner thoughts down for now.
"Anything happen while I was out?" I tug my coat over my arms just a little more. Even though this is a warmer area, it's still colder without the sun.
"One more cannon went off. Other than that, nothing."
I nod my head as I sit up. "Has the anthem of the Fallen played yet?"
"Not yet. But I think it's about to." He hands me the water bottle and some dried fruit. The water goes down easily and coats my dry throat. My head feels clearer. The fruit seems to be mango, or maybe apple. The coloring is all mixed up so I can't be sure. Either way, it soothes my growling stomach.
"Do you think we're safe for the night?" I ask him still chewing.
"Here? Maybe. It's a clearing so it's risky, but we took the lake across. It would take anyone a good three hours to walk around the lake."
"I don't want to leave." I pout slightly.
He smiles. "Because of the water?"
"Because it's warm." And the water, but I don't say anything else. Water has calmed me down for as long as I can remember. Listening to it, watching it, feeling it. But for the first six years of my life, I was scared to actually be in it. I almost drowned off my mother's boat because I was too stubborn to learn how to swim. That's where Finnick came in. He was out fishing with his dad in the shallows when I fell off. It was a little stormy out so my mother didn't hear me fall out. I was choking on too much water to call for help. One minute I was holding my head above water, drowning from waves and rain. The next everything was quiet, calm but slightly crushing. I knew I was under the surface. I could feel myself sinking, until a hand grabbed my arm. I don't remember much of what happened after that, only that I woke up on the beach, surrounded by concerned faces, and one in particular was hovering over me. Bronze hair, shorter than it is now. Sea green eyes like the calm before the storm. A few freckles covered his face at the time, but he grew out of them.
My mother was holding my other hand crying. My dark hair had lots of sand in it now. I could feel the light rain hitting my face. Then I vomited sea water, all over Finnick's lower half. Everyone laughed, even Finnick. I was so embarrassed I remember going over to his house and apologizing with a necklace made of rope and shells. But then was even more embarrassed giving it to him because boys don't wear jewelry! But he accepted it anyway. Then he wore it to school and got crap from everyone. That being said, Finnick Odair is not one to cower from teasing, he's one to flaunt it and make it work for him. Soon everyone was wearing rope necklaces. Finnick and I were friends ever since.
Some rustling in the bushes across the stream from us catches our attention. Especially Xavier, who is now standing, large knife drawn. Maybe it's not even a large knife, maybe it's more of a small sword.
The girl from District 5 comes bolting out of the trees, on her tail is the boy from District 11. He has a hammer of some kind, and throws it, hitting her in the back of the knee. She screams and falls to the ground. The closer he gets, the more of him I can see. He wasn't very memorable when his name was called, but he looks big now. Probably because I'm still on the ground, hiding behind the log Xavier was just sitting on.
The boy from 11 picks up the hammer and walks over to the girl, crawling to try and get away. Crying as she goes. Her leg twisted in a way legs should never be. The sight makes me gag. He walks over to her and wincing as he does, lifts the hammer over her head and silences her crying in one fell swoop. The canon sounds. Brain matter scattered on the ground.
His face is unreadable. A cut above his left eye is gushing with his adrenaline. There's a bandage on his shoulder as well.
Then he looks at me. Wait a minute, he sees me. I should move. I should run. But I don't. I look around panicked, and find that Xavier is gone. But his backpack remains.
That's when I see him. Xavier moved around the edges of the clearing to come up behind the boy, who was now limping towards me. I see the little sword before I see Xavier. A nauseous feeling creeps up my throat and my head feels light. His sword, is now sticking through the boy's stomach. He looks down at it, almost confused. Then he makes a choking sound as blood gurgles up his throat and pours out his mouth. His dark eyes glassy and his chocolate skin turns pale. The sword retracts with a sickening slithering sound. Canon.
Xavier walks back over to me, through the stream, cleaning off his sword in the grass. Mere minutes later, a large hovercraft appears and picks up their bodies. Blood dripping from the boy. They don't bother to pick up the excess brain matter left behind by the girl, whose blonde hair was turned red and pink.
My limbs shake. I've only seen someone die once in real life, and it was in their sleep because of old age. I've seen kids murdered on T.V. since I can remember, and it never sits well with me. But seeing it in real time, with all the gory scenes that they cancel out of the screen. My stomach wrenches before I can stop it. What little bit was left in my stomach is now gone.
Xavier holds my ponytail and fallen bits of hair out of my face. The action is small, but my level of trust automatically goes up.
Once I finish he gives me the rest of the water to swish and drink slowly. He fills it up with stream water once again with solution and puts it back in the pack. "We should find somewhere to sleep."
I can only nod. The smell of blood and brain isn't sitting well with me. We move towards the edge of the clearing, from where we first came out. And walk just inside the woods, so that it's still a bearable temperature, but so that we're not out in the open. Xavier gives me the sleeping bag.
"I'm used to cold temperatures." He says grimly. Do they not have heating in District 8? Right before I close my eyes the Capitol Anthem comes on, and the sky lights up in one area. The Capitol symbol shining brightly. The words "The Fallen" under it. My stomach turns again.
They show up in order, ladies first.
The girl from District 3
The boy from District 3
The girl from District 5
The girl from District 6
The boy from District 6
The girl from District 7
The boy from District 7
The girl from District 8
The boy from District 9
The girl from District 10
The girl from District 11
The boy from District 11
Twelve fallen in the first day. Then the light is gone. Xavier's mouth is in a tight line. His district counterpart Kendra was killed. I was pleasantly surprised that both Will and Rae made it. District 12 almost always loses one if not both tributes in the first day. The last time they both survived the first day was at least six or seven years ago. And Tyler made it! He's still alive. Probably with Will. Maybe Will and Rae. But I don't think Rae made any alliances other than me, and ours is vague at best.
I have alliances with three different groups of people or persons. Has that even ever happened before? The Capitol citizens won't know who has alliances with who unless revealed in the games or after when they do recaps.
There is shuffling next to me. Xavier's feet fidgeting on the ground. "I'm sorry about Kendra." I say to him, his head now bowed his head in his hands. "Did you know her?"
"Not very well. She was from the richer part of town. The families who don't have to work seven days a week to survive. Her father was the town apothecary. Her mother made blankets out of spare fabric and old unwanted baby clothes and gave them to our poor section of the district. It's always cold there. Yet it hardly ever snows. And when it does, the factory smoke interferes so much that the snow looks like ash." He sighs. "Kendra was a year under me in school. But I knew her older brother. He and my sister had a thing for a while. It ended badly."
"I'm sorry."
He shakes his head. "Don't be. Apologizing is a sign of weakness."
I snort. "Who says that?"
He smiles. "My father, when he was alive, was very hard on our family. Drove my mother into the arms of another man. He was drunk all the time, when he could get his hands on the stuff, and liked to take out his anger on all of us. One day he went too far and took his anger out on a Peacekeeper. He was killed on site."
"So do should I say I'm not sorry?" I joke lightly.
"I'm not sad he's dead. But I'm not happy either. He was my dad you know?" My mouth forms a tight line. His eyes widen slightly. "Oh Annie, I didn't mean it that way. Ah shit, I'm such a moron."
"Xavier. It's fine. I only first met him the night we got here. I found our Districts Memory Wall and saw a picture of him for the first time. Even got to hear his voice." I speak just a little louder then. "It was very gracious of the Capitol to keep that there so that I was able to meet my dad."
Xavier smirks. "Appeasing to your captors?"
"If they can help keep me alive." Sponsors are everything in the games. "You get some sleep. I'll take the first watch." I offer.
He shakes his head. "Nah, I'm wide awake after what just happened. I'll watch, you sleep."
"But you haven't slept at all yet." Anxiety begins to take over. Why is he so keen on getting me to go to sleep? I've already slept, it only makes sense for him to now.
"I only need a few hours a night. Factory jobs work you from dawn till dark." He stands and hands me the backpack. "Eat a few more pieces of fruit. You haven't eaten since… well."
The thought makes my stomach turn. Right. "Okay." I say after taking a deep breath. "Wake me when you get tired though."
He smiles. "I will." Then he walks through some of the trees until he finds a sturdy one and climbs it to keep watch.
I take the opportunity to munch on some of the dried fruit and crawl deeper into the tiny sleeping bag. It keeps me at a good temperature so that I'm not overheating, and not freezing to death; neither of which are very desirable.
There are definitely creatures hiding somewhere in the woods. I can hear their calls and sounds. Must be nocturnal because theses sounds weren't here during the day time. I'm not sure if I should be concerned about this, but honestly I'm too tired to go investigate. Today's events are finally catching up to me and my adrenaline is dying down. As hard as I try to keep my eyes open, they remain closed. Gently, the sounds die out, and I float into the abyss.