Chapter 86:
Lorcan and Ottilia decide they want to keep moving forward, towards the cherry blossom tree. Lorcan hopes they are travelling in the right direction, but is still a bit disorientated after his reaction and that slows them both down. Ottilia refuses to go ahead of him. She doesn't know what lies in wait and she knows Lorcan wouldn't leave her behind. There are no more insects to bother them, so they keep up a slow and steady pace hoping to reach the tree before nightfall. At about midday, they decide to take a break. The heat is still blistering and, even in the shade of the trees, they are sweltering. The two of them sit at the base of a tree and unpack some food to eat with their water. Lorcan's breathing is still a little bit laboured, so Ottilia insists that they rest as long as they need to so that he can recover. After eating, Lorcan rests his head against the trunk and Ottilia begins to hum a little tune she learnt as a child. Before long she realizes that Lorcan has fallen asleep , so Ottilia decides to leave him to rest while she scouts ahead, searching out the path they need to take.
Ebony has made her way steadily down the steps leading her down the mountain. It's time consuming as she has to be careful not to miss a step in case she falls. The steps are damp and a little slippery, so that doesn't help either. She wonders if there are cameras in the tunnel and if people are watching her progress as she descends. Ebony remembers watching previous Games when the children from the Districts were tributes, and how depictions of every blow, and various commentaries, were given over live TV. Were people watching her now? What do they think of the President's granddaughter and her battle to survive? Do they even care? She doesn't know if the population of Panem know who she is, but surely some of Capitol citizens do. Ebony wonders if she should be trying to win this for her grandfather…show up the previous Victors who have put her in this position. But, then again, it was her grandfather who had made victors out of them in the first place. Maybe he was hoping to do the same with her.
Katniss and Peeta are relieved at Lorcan's recovery after his near demise, but have to temper their viewing of the Games due to Prim's age and her curiosity. They don't want to expose her to the ugliness of the Arena, which they know only too well themselves. Prim is the beauty born out of that ugliness, but she is too young to understand …what her mother and father had been through, how their suffering had eventually brought them together, and that she was a symbol of the love that had been refined in the crucible of the Games. Prim is a bright child and already asking simple, childish questions which Katniss and Peeta are having trouble answering. How do you explain to a child why Peacekeepers must accompany them everywhere they go? Katniss tells her they are doing a special job for the Government and keeping them safe. She wishes that was true. At the same time, Katniss tries to keep Prim away from the Peacekeepers while she tends to Pik and her other chores around the house. Prim likes to help, so that keeps her close to Katniss' side. Katniss decides she will ask Peeta to go for a walk with her to the graveyard after he comes home from the bakery today. She needs to get out of the house. They can take the children, too. The days of summer are long and the fresh air and exercise would do them all good. Of course, a Peacekeeper will need to come with them, but Katniss mostly ignores them anyway, so she tries to put the thought of their lack of privacy out of her mind.
Ottilia has walked further than she thought when she notices something on the ground. It catches her eye because it is pink, and Ottilia loves pink. It is small and round in shape, a petal of some kind. She reaches down and picks it up. The petal is soft and silky and Ottlia rubs it between her fingers before putting it up to her nose to smell its perfume. It's a petal from a cherry blossom tree. She walks further in the direction where she thinks the petal has come from and sees more spread across the ground. They must be closer than they thought. Ottilia rushes back to tell Lorcan. She doesn't think he will be able to go much further today, so this is good news for both of them.
Lorcan is still resting under the tree when Ottilia arrives. His eyes are closed and the first thing she does is bend down to him to check that he is still breathing. A sigh of relief escapes her lips as she feels his soft breath on her cheek. There is no time to wait, though, so she gently shakes him awake and gives him a moment to orient himself.
"Lorcan. I think we are close to the tree" she says.
"What tree?" asks Lorcan, still groggy.
"The cherry blossom tree!"
Lorcan immediately sits up as Ottilia holds out her hand showing him the petals she has gathered from the wood. She tips some into Lorcan's hand and he lifts them up to his nose to smell them. Ottilia is right. It's cherry blossom. The exit to the second arena is finally within reach.
"Ottilia, that's great" he tells her. "I must have fallen asleep. I'm sorry. That reaction must have affected me more than I thought".
"It's fine" says Ottilia. "Are you rested enough to go now?" she asks him, still concerned about him.
"Yes. Let's go. The sooner we get there, the better".
Ottilia agrees. They need to get out of here before the Gamemakers come up with any more evil inventions designed to bring about their demise.
Ebony has finally made it to the base of the mountain. She knows this because the staircase has ended, but she needs to rest as her legs are cramping after being confined to the narrow tunnel. The end of the staircase has brought her into a square concreted area, slightly wider than the corridor she has been negotiating so far. There is a green door ahead of her which isn't marked in any way, but it has to be the exit to the second arena. There are no other doors. In fact, there is nothing else in the small, square room at all. It is empty. Ebony feels the emptiness in her belly as she looks around and decides this is an ideal time to eat and rest before she goes on. The reality is, only the possibility of death waits for her on the other side of this door. Ebony knows her chances of winning the Games and being the sole victor are becoming slimmer. She has managed to survive against the elements, and one unarmed tribute, but there will be weapons in the second Arena, and she is not big or strong. Ebony wonders if her luck may be about to finally run out.