Here we introduce three new players to this dangerous game…
Chapter 16
Iris Medea Snow had been wandering for several days. She was surviving just fine with her extended knowledge of nature, but she was lonely. There was no one around to talk to, no one to confide in, no one to impress with her skill in pretty much everything plant-related. She, like everyone else in the arena, was living with fear and caution, trying to stay hidden and alive. So it was a surprise to her when, on the third day in the arena, the same day that Artemis had left the Elites helplessly tied up in their own ropes, she spotted a pair of tributes stumbling through the trees. Quickly she scrambled up a nearby oak tree and hid in the leaves. She had no weapons, because she knew from watching the Hunger Games her entire life that a girl her size would stand no chance in the bloodbath of the Cornucopia, so she hoped that she would not have to defend herself.
From her vantage point she could clearly see the two tributes, who were stumbling her way. There was a boy and a girl, and Iris recognized both of them. They represented District 2, ironically. Their appearances and actions made them complete opposites of the past years' District 2 tributes. The boy's name was Romulus and he was twelve, but he walked in front of his fifteen-year-old sister Lystria bravely. Romulus carried a backpack and had a knife at his belt, but Lystria was unarmed. She trailed behind her younger brother nervously, casting uneasy glances over her shoulder.
"What if we run into the Elites again?" Lystria asked her brother in almost a whisper, as if she was afraid someone might overhear her. And, in fact, someone did. Lystria was not very good at whispering.
"It was nighttime then," said Romulus, "and Artemis was on guard. She let us go. We just have to be more careful from now on."
"What if Artemis tells them that we were there?" inquired Lystria nervously.
"She won't. Don't worry. Artemis didn't seem to care."
They stopped right underneath Iris's tree and sat down to rest. Romulus pulled a cracker from his backpack, broke it in two, and gave the larger piece to his older sister. "No, you take the larger piece," Lystria insisted. "I had the larger piece last time."
"It doesn't matter," her brother admitted. "That's the last one. Our food supply has officially gone kaput."
Then, as she watched, Iris felt a sensation she had never felt before –– pity. She wanted to help these two helpless siblings, even if it meant not coming out alive. Quietly she swung down from her branch and landed on the ground right in front of Romulus and Lystria. "I know where to find more."
The two tributes seemed startled at Iris's sudden appearance, but once they saw that she was smaller than either of them and unarmed, they relaxed. "Iris?" inquired Lystria. "You're alive? I didn't think you'd make it."
"My mentor said that maybe only four of the twenty-four tributes this year had any chance at all, and that three of them were Julius's gang," replied Iris. "I didn't think that any of us would make it."
"So…you were saying something about food?" prompted Romulus.
"I'm pretty good at this nature-survival thing," said Iris. "I've been living off wild plants for three days. If you want I can help you gather some."
Romulus shrugged. His sister smiled enthusiastically. "So it's an alliance?" she asked.
Iris hesitated. She remembered the last thing her grandfather had told her, when the rebels had allowed her to visit him for those meager five minutes –– "Work alone. Show no mercy. Trust no one."
Though her grandfather's words haunted her, she nodded. "It's an alliance."
Sorry for the late update! I was a bit busy.
Also sorry for the super short, boring, and badly written chapter (this thing made it through all four drafts, and I was always too lazy to rewrite it)…I'll make it up to you. I promise.
Today is International Appreciate the Author of Fighting Fire Day! Write a review, favorite, and/or follow, otherwise the holiday people (led by ME) will chase after you while wielding pitchforks and torches… o_O