Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men or The Hunger Games.
Note: Just a heads-up that when the last chapter posted, some people weren't able to click on it, so maybe double-check and make sure you've read that one first.
Results of the "favorite alliance" poll are up on the website. There's a new poll up on my profile, this time asking who you think will make it to the final ten. Please note that this is not necessarily the same as who you want to see make it that far. (That'll be the next poll.) As usual, read the chapter first, because anyone who dies here won't be included in the poll. Also, this math teacher would be tickled pink if everyone would vote for ten people in the final ten poll. ;)
Chances
Secretary Nicholas Wright, 64
March 21st, 08:41 MST
"What are the chances of that?"
Nicholas turned to Alvin, surprised he hadn't received an immediate answer about the exact odds of this happening. Alvin looked up, a bit distracted by whatever was on the piece of paper in front of him. "Pardon?"
"Sybil just stumbling across Henry like that. What are the odds of that happening?"
Alvin shrugged. "Small, but not impossible. Henry decided a mountain would provide some shelter for sleeping after they left their group. Sybil was using the same mountain to navigate by. They both picked one of the closer mountains." He shrugged. "I wouldn't count on it happening too often, though – especially now that they've spread out a bit."
They certainly had. Most of the contestants were nowhere near anyone except their own groups. "You don't think we made it too large, do you?" Nicholas asked. It was an idea they'd discussed before, but several of the others – Judah and Lilian in particular – had argued that a larger area would allow the contestants to get a feel for the landscape and find ways to use it to their advantage.
Alvin shrugged again, still scanning the paper absently. "If you wanted the Games to be over in a matter of days, yes. This won't be quick. But that might be better in the long run."
"Meaning?"
Alvin finally looked up from his paper. "People get upset when things happen too quickly, when they feel like they're spiraling out of control. They need time to adjust. This will give them time to cool off as things happen. It'll keep them from gaining any real momentum."
Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "We're not talking about the contestants anymore, are we."
"No." He set his paper down on the table and picked up another. "We don't exactly need them to cool off, do we? After all, by the time this is over, there will only be two of them left to worry about. But these…" He trailed off meaningfully, nodding to the stack of papers in front of him.
Nicholas sighed. "Okay, I'll bite. What's all … this." He waved a hand, indicating the stack.
Alvin couldn't help a smile. He'd probably just been waiting for Nicholas to ask. "Everything we know about the contestants' families."
Silence again. Nicholas held back another sigh. He was probably going to regret asking. "Why?"
"Something that caught my eye during training. One of the contestants was sneaking a peek at who the others were writing postcards to. Now that word is out about the Games, it might be a good idea to figure out which ones we might need to keep an eye on, in case they decide to do something … unexpected."
Nicholas took a seat. "Mack said there were some people organizing protests. Is that what you're worried about?"
Alvin waved a hand. "No. No, that's a perfectly normal response. That's grief, that's anger, that's a desire for justice. That's normal. That's human. I'm looking for wild cards."
"Why?"
Alvin leaned forward. "Because that's who Piper will be looking for. Well, Piper and whoever else she's working with. They're counting on most of them reacting predictably – grief, anger, frustration, all sorts of emotion. But they'll also be looking for anyone who might be willing to take their actions a bit farther."
"And you think she'll try to contact some of them?"
"It would make sense. If they have access to our cameras, they probably have enough information to find what they would need to get in touch with the contestants' relatives, friends, and anyone else we might have a file on."
"And you're worried they'll do … what?"
Alvin looked up. "I'm not sure you understand the concept of a wild card. They're inherently unpredictable. There's no way of knowing what they'll do, and that's what could be dangerous."
Nicholas nodded. "Have you run this by anyone else? Lilian? Hans?"
"Of course."
"And?"
"They think I'm overreacting. They usually do."
"You usually are."
"Just because things haven't played themselves out yet—"
Nicholas sighed. There was no point in arguing. Any attempt to point out that the Games were going along smoothly, that even the fact that Piper's allies had forced them to go public with the Games was turning out be to their advantage, any attempt to assuage his concerns that something was going to go horribly wrong would simply end with Alvin saying that it hadn't gone wrong yet. Nothing terrible had happened yet.
The trouble was, he could say that about anything. If you waited long enough, something would go wrong with anything. But they couldn't let that stop them from moving ahead. Nicholas held up a hand. "Look, what you do on your own time is your business. If you've got nothing better to do and want to spend your time looking for these wild cards, that's fine. I know you like puzzles; that's how we got you here in the first place."
Alvin rolled his good eye but made no attempt to deny it. Nicholas clapped him on the back. "Let me know if you find something."
"When," Alvin corrected.
"When you find something, then," Nicholas conceded. He wasn't in the mood to argue, and Alvin wasn't hurting anything. There was no harm in humoring him. Besides, there was always the chance he might actually find something. Probably not something that could pose a threat to them, but maybe something interesting. Maybe even something they could use to their advantage.
There was always a chance.
Sybil Herveaux, 21
She would just have to take her chances.
Sybil gripped her knife as she crept closer to the rock monster in front of her. It hadn't noticed her yet. Or at least, it hadn't given any sign that it had noticed her. That wasn't necessarily the same thing. But it was just a lump of rock, wasn't it? It wasn't as if it could be pretending to ignore her. Rocks didn't think like that. Did they?
Of course not. Sybil rubbed her eyes. She was too tired for this. Just deal with whoever made the rock monster, and then she could get some sleep. One step closer. Then another. Finally, she could see a shape, huddled up in a sleeping bag at the foot of the mountain. Perfect. All she had to do was get close enough.
Suddenly, the rock monster stopped swaying back and forth, then turned a little. Was it turning towards her? It was hard to tell when the thing didn't have eyes. Sybil froze in her tracks as it took a step closer to her. Then it took another step. More of a stomp, really, as if it was trying to shake the ground.
Oh.
The shape behind the rock creature stirred, slowly standing up. Think. There was no time to run. The creature could probably outrun her. Bluff. She tucked the knife inside her pocket. With any luck, the other contestant probably hadn't seen it yet. They were still getting to their feet, but took a step backwards immediately when they saw Sybil.
Almost immediately, the rock creature … changed. It became more formed, its movements more deliberate. It almost looked like it was standing to attention, waiting for orders. Maybe waiting to see what Sybil would do, wondering what she might be capable of.
Sybil smiled sweetly. "Morning."
"Morning." She got a better look at the figure now. One of the younger contestants. Maybe fourteen or fifteen. Sybil hadn't paid much attention to the talent show after setting her sights on Frederick, but it was fairly obvious what this one could do. The only question was how well they could control their power, and how willing they would be to use it. For the moment, they seemed to be hesitating, maybe trying to figure out how much of a threat Sybil posed.
Sybil twitched a finger a little, and a little starlight flickered into motion. Not enough for the other contestant to notice. Not yet, at least. Just a tiny bit of haze in front of their eyes. As long as she did it gradually enough, it would probably be a little while before they noticed – especially in the early morning light. All she had to do was keep them talking…
"Bit of a rough day yesterday," she offered, yawning exaggeratedly and stretching her arms. "Get much sleep?"
"Until you came along."
"You all alone out here? Except your guard dog?"
"Yeah. You?"
There was something in the tone of the words. Hope, almost. Maybe a twinge of expectation. Or maybe she was just imagining it. "I'm alone, too." She rubbed the back of her neck, flicking her fingers this way and that under her hair. "Maybe we could…"
The other contestant seemed to hesitate, but only for a moment. Then they shook their head. "I don't think so." They blinked, hard, as if trying to get something out of their eyes. Almost.
Sybil nodded. "Guess I'll be going, then."
"Guess so." The voice was tense, as if they knew what was coming. Or at least suspected what was coming. Sybil clearly couldn't just turn her back and walk away – not with that rock monster right behind her, waiting to strike. As soon as she turned to go, she would be an easy target. And actually joining up with this other … person … No. No, that wasn't really on the table. She just had to keep them talking a little longer.
"Good luck." She took a step backwards. Then another. The other contestant rubbed their eyes, but Sybil knew the starlight wouldn't budge. It wasn't tangible. But she could control how thick it was. Right now, it was just a thin layer, but as soon as she flicked her wrist…
She wasn't sure who moved first. She flicked her wrist, and the starlight thickened, blocking the other contestant's vision as she lunged forward. At the same time, her opponent waved a hand, and the rock creature lurched forward, moving slowly but surely towards her, intercepting her before she reached her target. The rock slammed into her chest, sending her falling backwards. Her head struck the ground, and she could feel her control over the starlight slipping. The ground shook as the rock creature took another step towards her.
She closed her eyes as it struck.
Henry Helstrom, 14
It was as if they could open their eyes again.
Henry blinked, staggering towards where the golem stood beside the girl's body. Whatever she had done to their eyes, the effect seemed to be fading. Was that what her power was? If so, it hadn't done her much good. Henry took a few steps closer, their vision still clearing a bit. Two blows from the golem – that was all it had taken. Henry's stomach churned as they knelt beside the body, then reached over to remove the girl's backpack.
As soon as their hand touched the backpack, however, the girl's arm moved, a knife clutched in her hand. A knife that plunged into Henry's right shoulder. Henry screamed and scrambled backwards as the golem lunged again, its giant fists swinging. The girl barely had time to scream before the golem struck her head with a terrible crack. The creature swung again, and again, and again. Henry turned away, their stomach lurching, trying to keep from looking at the girl, or at the knife that was still deep in their shoulder. They sank to the ground, their eyes squeezed shut, clenching their fists, willing the golem to stop.
Except they didn't want it to stop. Not really. They wanted it to finish the job. They wanted to be safe. They wanted to be sure this time…
It seemed like ages before the golem finally stopped, but it was probably only a few seconds. The vibrations in the ground died down as the golem slowed, then stood perfectly still, waiting for its next instruction. Finally, Henry opened their eyes. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving only the pain in their shoulder.
Stupid. They'd been so stupid, getting that close before being sure the girl was dead. They should have had the golem check first. Henry took a deep breath, closing a hand around the handle of the knife. Just pull it out, right? But that would make it bleed more, wouldn't it? But they couldn't just leave it there.
Maybe Kiara…
No. No, they'd left Kiara and the others. And even if they had a way to find her now, why would she want to help after Henry had abandoned her? Henry motioned the golem closer with their left hand, and managed to shrug off most of their jacket – except the part the knife was sticking through. Henry waved a hand, and the golem tore part of the jacket off – enough for a few bandages. Okay. Okay, that was better. Now they had something to stop the bleeding once the knife was out. Henry gripped the knife tightly and pulled.
Pain. Blood. Henry dropped the knife as the golem pressed the makeshift bandages against their shoulder, then tore a few more strips from the jacket and tied the bandage roughly in place. Henry gritted their teeth, trying not to scream. Screaming would give away their position. Which was silly, really, considering that both they and the girl had already been screaming, but screaming more might help other people figure out exactly where they were.
Henry finally worked up the nerve to look down at the bandage. It didn't seem to be bleeding too much. The knife was lying on the ground, covered in blood. After a few more deep breaths, Henry reached down, picked up the knife, wiped the blood off on their shirt, and tucked it in their pocket along with their own. Two knives. Not that the weapon had done the girl much good against the golem.
Their hands shaking, Henry finally turned around. The girl's body lay nearby, unquestionably dead this time. Her head had been beaten to a pulp, her body practically pounded into the ground. Henry bent over, clutching their stomach, as what little they'd eaten the night before spewed all over the ground. Everything the girl had been wearing was soaked in blood, but the backpack … maybe there was still something in there they could use.
Henry straightened up as much as they could, and waved the golem closer to the body. The creature's clumsy fingers slowly removed the girl's backpack – and part of her arm. Henry vomited again as the golem removed the arm from the backpack and held the blood-soaked pack out in their direction.
There was some food inside, along with a tarp, a blue shirt and pair of pants that were still wet from the previous day, a pair of boots, a compass, a headlamp, a hat, and, most promisingly, a bag full of bandages. Henry shook their head. Of course they found that now, after they'd already had the golem tear their jacket apart. But the bandages would come in handy once the ones around their shoulder needed to be changed.
Henry gave the golem a nod, and it grabbed Henry's pack from where they'd been sleeping. Henry quickly packed the girl's supplies in their own bag, then tossed the blood-soaked bag back in the direction of the body. It landed near the arm the golem had accidentally removed. "Thanks for the hand," Henry muttered, barely containing a laugh.
It wasn't funny. It really wasn't, they tried to tell themself. Somewhere in the back of their mind, they knew it was probably just a result of the adrenaline and the loss of blood and the vomiting and the nerves. But it did seem funny. Henry couldn't help a smile. "Get it?" they muttered to no one in particular, or maybe the golem, or maybe the unseen cameras. "Get it? Thanks for the hand?" They stumbled forward, their vision growing blurry.
The golem caught them before they had the chance to hit the ground.
Liv Holle, 18
"We should leave before they have a chance to find us."
Liv shook her head as she considered Elena's suggestion. Well, less of a suggestion and more of a plea. Elena was nervous, if the fact that her forearms had turned completely metal was anything to go by. They'd heard screaming a few moments ago, and she was pretty sure which direction it had come from. It would be easy enough to head away from the sound, but…
"Maybe we should wait a little longer," Liv suggested.
Lee shook his head. "Look, I'm pretty sure at this point Ansel's not coming back."
"That's not what I meant. I—"
"You think we should wait and see if they find us," Lee finished.
"I think that sounded like two people," Liv reasoned. "Two people screaming. Probably fighting. If we can find them…"
Lee crossed his arms. "Didn't we try this already? You and Ansel wanted to find someone to attack right away at the start of the Games. How well did that work out?"
Liv glared. "Maybe if all of us had pitched in—"
"Maybe," Lee conceded. "But maybe not. And things worked out pretty well anyway. I know you want to feel like you're doing something, but—"
"It's not about feeling like I'm doing something."
"Then what is it about?"
"It's about eliminating the competition. That's the point, isn't it?"
Lee nodded. "Maybe. But that doesn't mean we have to go looking for a fight. We're in a pretty good position as it is. We have plenty of food, plenty of water, and none of us are hurt. Even without Ansel, we're in a pretty good spot. Maybe we don't have to try to find the others. Maybe we just have to outlast them, and be willing to defend ourselves if it comes to that."
"When it comes to that," Liv corrected.
"Fair enough," Lee agreed. "When it comes to a fight, wouldn't you rather have the upper hand? We wait a few days, let the people who didn't grab anything at the start get hungry and tired and scared, and then if they find us – when they find us – we'll have an advantage, even if it's not because of our powers."
Liv nodded reluctantly. He was right. She hated it, but he was right. They were in a good position, and it would be a shame to jeopardize that because she was impatient. Antsy. Itching to do something. And he was right about their powers. They needed every advantage they could get, because Lee's were certainly more useful for camouflage than fighting. Elena's would probably help protect her from most of the others, but she could only do so much to protect the rest of them.
And as for Liv … well, she'd been trying to concentrate on keeping the storms away, on making sure that it was sunny. But she could never be entirely certain whether the weather was nice because she was trying to make it nice, or whether it would have been just as pleasant anyway. Well, as pleasant as it was going to get in the mountains in the middle of March. The air was chilly, but at least it was sunny, and there wasn't much of a breeze.
Now it just had to stay that way.
Right.
That was another good reason to stay away from a fight, of course. The more pressure she was under, the more stress there was, the more likely something would go wrong. Lee was right. She knew he was right.
So why did it feel so wrong?
Liv shook the thought from her head. She hated to pass up an opportunity for what might be an easy fight, especially if the person who had been screaming was already injured. But it was better to pick their battles. There was no way to be sure there hadn't been more people who simply hadn't been screaming, or that it wasn't a trap. There were just too many uncertainties.
It was Elena who broke the awkward silence. "Just because we're heading away from the screaming doesn't mean we're not doing anything," she pointed out. "We could use the time to do some hunting. Like, actual hunting, with animals. Just … in that direction." She gestured meaningfully in the opposite direction of the screams.
Finally, Liv nodded. "Okay. Let's go."
She just hoped this wasn't a mistake.
Kiara Moore, 15
She just hoped she hadn't made a mistake.
Kiara gasped for breath as she and Fae raced back to where they had left Iola. She'd heard screaming, and while she couldn't be certain where it had come from, it had sounded like it had come from the same direction as Iola. The direction they were running now. They were running towards the sound of screaming. Great.
But if that meant Iola was in trouble…
Kiara clenched her fists. If Iola was in trouble, there was a good chance she was already dead. And if she was dead, it would be because everyone who was supposed to help her had left. Henry had left. Fae had left. Even she had left. Yes, she'd left to chase after Fae. Yes, she was on her way back. But none of that would matter if Iola—
Kiara heaved a sigh of relief as the lake – and Iola – came into view. She was fine. Well, at least, she was in exactly the same condition as when Kiara and Fae had left. The boy's body was still lying nearby, and Iola was digging through one of the packs. She chose one of the packages of fruit snacks and put the others back just as Kiara collapsed beside her, breathless.
Iola sprang back, startled. Right. She hadn't heard them coming. Kiara started to apologize before realizing Iola wouldn't be able to hear that, either. She sighed, gestured towards Fae, and gave a thumbs-up sign that she hoped would signal that she had found her. Obviously. Obviously she had found her. Iola relaxed a little. "Breakfast?" she asked. Kiara nodded, and Iola slid one of the backpacks towards her. Kiara took some of the fruit snacks and passed the bag to Fae, who was still standing awkwardly beside the pair of them. Finally, she knelt beside Iola and scribbled something in the dirt beside the lake. Two words. I'm sorry.
Kiara smiled as Iola drew Fae into a hug. "It's all right," Iola insisted. "We're all right – all three of us. But let's stay together from now on, huh?"
Fae nodded emphatically, then turned to Kiara. "What about the screaming? If it wasn't Iola, then…"
"Then it means someone else is nearby – or at least close enough for us to hear them screaming," Kiara agreed. "Which means we should probably get moving after we have some breakfast." She turned to Iola, and after a moment's thought, pointed to herself and Fae, pointed to her ears, and gestured in the direction the screaming had come from.
"You heard something over there?" Iola guessed. Kiara nodded. "Other contestants?" Another nod. "So we should probably head the other way, then?"
Kiara hesitated, but Iola was already starting to pack up what was left of the supplies. Maybe she was just eager to get away from the body that was still lying nearby. Or maybe she wanted to feel like they were making some sort of progress. Kiara helped Iola to her feet and handed her the staff she'd made from the tree branch. They certainly weren't going to win any races, but at least they would be heading in the right direction. Besides, if someone had been screaming, what were the chances they would be looking for another fight?
Slim. Slim, but not none. Kiara tried to shake the thought from her head as the three of them set out. The scream only told them where one of the other contestants was. The others could be anywhere. Maybe even in the direction they were headed now. Even if there had been no one else headed this way at the start, they'd had a whole day to circle around if they wanted to. She had no way of knowing whether they were headed away from danger or directly towards it.
They would just have to take their chances.
Frederick Bouvy, 17
He should have asked Seb to make a compass while he'd had the chance.
Frederick shook his head as he made his way west. At least, he was pretty sure it was west. The sun rose in the east, didn't it? And it was still morning. But was it directly east? He was pretty sure he'd heard at some point that it actually rose in the southeast or the northeast or something. Did it have something to do with what season it was? Frederick blinked, then rubbed his eyes. At least heading west – or northwest or southwest or whatever it was – meant he wasn't facing the sun, which was well over the mountains behind him. But he was still tired. At some point, he would need to sleep.
But where? The house Seb had made, for all that it screamed 'here we are,' had at least provided some shelter. They would have had at least some warning – a door breaking down, a window smashing, or something of that sort – before someone attacked. Something that could have woken them, or at least alerted whoever they had left on watch. Well, if Alphonso and Seb had been in any condition to keep watch.
Out here, however, he was completely in the open. He was heading roughly in the direction of a mountain, but they all seemed so far away. He'd been walking on and off for hours, and didn't seem to be getting any closer. But he couldn't be going in circles. He'd been headed towards the same peak. It was just so hard to gauge distance out here. There were no street signs, no mile markers, nothing to let him know how far he had gone. There were just the mountains in the distance, an occasional small lake, and a whole lot of damn rocks everywhere.
Frederick sighed and sank to the ground beside one of the lakes. He hadn't even thought to ask Seb to make him a bottle of water, so he was stuck drinking whenever he came across a lake. There seemed to be no shortage of those, but that could just be because of the rain the day before. Frederick cupped his hands and drank some of the water. It tasted strange, but maybe that was just how water tasted out here. Was it safe to drink? Frederick shook his head. It was probably a bit late to wonder that. He'd been drinking it all night, after all.
But if the MAAB wanted them to kill each other, they wouldn't just dump them somewhere where the water would kill them, would they? If the idea was to make people frightened of mutants, watching a bunch of them die from unsafe drinking water wasn't exactly the way to go about it. No, they wouldn't have gone through the trouble of leaving them somewhere where there was plenty of water if it wasn't safe to drink. Besides, anything wrong with the water would probably take quite a while to kill anyone. Weeks, maybe. Last year's Games had been over within days. If these Games were going at the same rate, there was no telling how many of the other contestants might already be dead.
And it was only a matter of luck that he hadn't been one of them. Just a matter of luck that no one had found Seb and Alphonso while he'd still been with them. They certainly hadn't been making any attempt to be subtle. For that matter, it was just a matter of luck that he hadn't stumbled across anyone heading in their direction while it was still dark. He'd been in such a hurry to get away from them, he hadn't really thought about what he might be walking into.
Or what he might need.
Frederick sighed. He'd thought that he was heading back towards the circle where they'd started the Games. He'd thought that maybe there would still be backpacks there. But if he was going in the right direction for that, he should have been there by now. It hadn't taken him this long to find Seb and Alphonso, and that had been while it was raining. He must have gotten turned around in the dark. Yes, he was heading west, but that didn't help if he didn't know which way he was supposed to be going. There was no way to be sure of getting back to the supplies now.
He would just have to take his chances on his own.
Emery Mullins, 15
She hadn't expected to be hunting on her own.
Emery dove into the water again, splashing, her teeth finally sinking into something. It was a fish, but not a particularly big one. There didn't seem to be any large fish in this lake. Of course, it wasn't a very large lake, so they were probably lucky there were any fish at all. And besides, food was food. The beef sticks and applesauce from their backpack would only last them so long, so anything she could find was helpful.
Emery splashed back to shore, dropping the fish near Kenji before padding back into the water. It was cold, but the wolf in her didn't care about that. It had been a while since she'd stayed in wolf form for this long. Come to think of it, she hadn't been a wolf for this long at a time since it had been her and Hunter trying to survive in the wilderness together. But at least back in Virginia, there had been trees. There had been animals. It had been cold, yes, but it hadn't been this cold, this stark. And then, she had only been trying to provide for two.
It was second nature, really – taking care of them. She hadn't even thought twice about diving into the water once she had spotted some fish. It just wasn't … well, it wasn't what she'd been expecting. Florence was older, after all. More experienced. But even if she hadn't been injured, these fish were all they'd really seen as far as food, and how much use would a bat really be underwater? And Kenji…
Emery dumped another little fish at Kenji's feet, and the boy managed a half-smile. He was tired, but he kept saying he hadn't been able to sleep. She'd been so exhausted from running that she'd fallen asleep immediately as soon as it was someone else's watch, but maybe he didn't get as tired from running. Still, he looked exhausted. Maybe he was just having trouble sleeping because he was worried.
She was worried too, of course, but that had never stopped her from sleeping before. It hadn't stopped her from sleeping in the woods when her father had abandoned her and Hunter. It hadn't stopped her from sleeping with an empty stomach at the orphanage. And it hadn't stopped her from getting a good night's sleep during training.
Maybe it was a wolf thing. Maybe the instincts came with the shape. Or maybe he was worried about what would happen if he did go to sleep. He'd told them that was when he slipped backwards in time, so maybe he was worried about that happening. But that could only be a good thing, couldn't it? Things couldn't exactly turn out much worse for them at the start of the Games than they already had.
Emery shook the thought from her head. That was Kenji's decision, not hers. She couldn't do much to help him with that, but maybe there was something else she could do. She nuzzled him with her snout and gestured towards the water. "You want me to help?" Kenji guessed, and Emery gave what she hoped was an excited bark. She was doing a pretty good job of catching the fish on her own, but they were pretty quick. If Kenji could move fast enough, he could probably help her catch even more.
Sure enough, as the pair of them splashed into the water, Kenji's hands darted out almost too fast for her to see them, grabbing hold of a fish she'd startled. He tossed it back onto land, where Florence was watching. She added it to the pile. Soon, there was another. And another. Maybe they weren't very big fish, but small fish added up.
And more importantly, Kenji was grinning. All he'd really wanted was the chance to be useful, the chance to help, the chance to do something for the group that didn't involve the risk of changing the past. Emery splashed, and the fish scattered around her, this way and that, all of them too slow for Kenji.
The fish never stood a chance.
Rick Clifton, 19
They wouldn't stand a chance.
Rick tucked his hands into his pockets, feeling for the knife that he knew was in his right pants pocket. They had to be getting close – assuming, of course, that they were going the right direction. "What happens when we find them?" Rick asked quietly. "We don't even know how many of them there are." Were they just supposed to charge into a fight with their knives and their mallets and … what? Hope for the best? Hope that they caught whoever was shooting the lightning off-guard, or maybe that they were sleeping?
"It might just be one person," Vi offered hopefully.
"Or it might not."
Vi shifted uneasily. "Look, if you want to go back…"
"That's not what I'm saying."
"Then what are you saying?"
"That we need a plan. That we can't just rush in there and hope that things will work out. We'll only get one shot at this, and we need to make sure—" Rick froze. "Did you see that?"
"What? More lightning?"
Rick shook his head. "No. Movement – over there. Just out of the corner of my eye, but…" He trailed off, pointing to a small cluster of trees off to their right. "Over there." Something flickered above them. Rick looked up. Bubbles were floating down out of the sky. "What the hell?"
Vi drew his knife, and Rick quickly followed suit. The pair stood back to back as the bubbles floated down, but they seemed to be just that – bubbles. Rick poked one with his knife, and it burst immediately. Rick lowered his voice. "The girl at the talent show who made bubbles. Who was she working with?"
Vi's voice was almost a whisper. "Wasn't there a girl who could shrink to fit inside the bubbles? Not bubbles this small, but I think … Yeah, I think they were working together. And the girl with the shadows, but—"
"But that was her body when we came back at the start," Rick finished.
"I'm pretty sure it was, yeah. So just two of them?"
"Probably," Rick agreed.
"And they make bubbles and shrink."
"Right."
"I think we can take them."
Giggling. There was giggling. Rick and Vi whirled around, then looked down. A bubble floating near the ground maybe ten feet away burst, revealing a girl who quickly expanded to almost full height. She was bald and missing a jacket, but there was a smile on her face. "Maybe. Maybe you could. Maybe if you were actually as quiet as you seem to think you are. Hell, maybe you could even kill all three of us. But then you would never know if we could have helped you take out the group you're really following."
"How do you know we're following someone?" Vi asked.
The girl scoffed. "Oh, please. Either you're following them or you're idiots who decided to head towards lightning rather than away. You're tracking the girl who shoots lightning bolts. So are we. From the fact that all you see to have is a pair of knives to defend yourselves, I'd say it's a good thing we found you."
Vi shrugged. "And you have bubbles. How is that better?"
Rick shook his head. "Wait. You said maybe we could kill all three of you. Who's the third? You were working with the girl who could make shadows, but she's dead … isn't she?"
The girl nodded. "Makenzie. She's dead." She cocked her head a little farther than what would have been natural. "But how did you know that?"
"Saw the body," Vi answered.
"When?"
"When we came back to the tunnels."
"Why would you do that?"
Vi turned his knife over meaningfully. "To fight."
The girl nodded. "I see. And are you going to fight me?"
"What do you think?"
"I think if you were going to, you would have done it by now. I think those knives are all you have going for you, and you were just hoping to catch the other group off-guard. I think it's a good thing we found each other, because this way, the five of us might actually stand a chance."
Vi glanced at Rick, who nodded. "We're listening," Vi agreed.
The girl beamed, then called back to the trees. "Come on out, you two! They're not going to hurt us." She took a step back as two figures appeared from behind the trees. Rick gripped his knife tightly but said nothing as the other two approached. He had been hoping for something to happen, something that might actually give them a chance.
He just hadn't imagined that it would be this.
Kylena Albright, 16
She hadn't quite imagined things turning out like this.
Kylena glanced over at Jaime as the pair of them made their way towards where Evelyn was standing with the two boys. They were both dressed in grey rather than their team colors, and each was carrying a rather large backpack. That meant they probably had quite a few supplies. Each of them had a knife, but there was no telling what other weapons they might have in their packs. But they hadn't attacked.
They hadn't seemed startled by the bubbles, either. While the other group she'd sent some bubbles towards had turned and fled immediately, these two had stood their ground. Maybe Evelyn was right about joining up with them – at least long enough to handle the group that was shooting lightning. Two more people evened the odds a bit, even if she wasn't sure exactly what their powers were. Of course, aside from the one who could shoot lightning, they weren't sure what the contestants in the other group could do, either.
The other group. She was already thinking of the five of them as one group. But that hadn't turned out well last time – with Elio and Lea. They'd split up at the first hint of a disagreement, and the three of them hadn't looked back. But maybe these two were different. They certainly seemed more ready for a fight.
"So what's your plan?" one of the boys asked.
Evelyn clicked her tongue. "As my parents would say, 'manners, manners, boys.' We haven't even introduced ourselves. I'm Evelyn, and this is Kylena and Jaime."
The boy nodded crisply. "Great. I'm Vi, and this is Rick. Now what's your plan, or are we just wasting our time?"
Evelyn giggled. Actually giggled. Kylena shifted uncomfortably as Evelyn explained the plan. "We should wait until dusk. Figure it'll probably take us that long to catch up to them anyway, if they've kept moving. If not, we should still wait until then. It'll be easier to catch them off guard in the dark. Well, mostly dark. We want it light enough that they'll still be able to see me."
Vi raised an eyebrow. "You?"
"Me. Kylena here's the one who controls the bubbles. She floats me into their camp, just like she did with you two, except they startle easier. We've already tried it once. She sets me down on the other side, and I scare them in your direction. Depending on whether they stay together or split up, we should be able to take out anyone who we can catch."
"How many of them are there?" Rick asked.
Evelyn cocked her head. "You mean you don't know? You were following them, and you weren't even sure how many of them there were? What were you planning to do?"
Vi crossed his arms. "Doesn't matter what we were planning. Your plan's better. So how many of them are there?"
Evelyn smirked. "Three. Two girls and a boy, from what I could tell the last time I got close. One of the girls is the one who shoots lightning. We don't know what the other two can do, but we do know that they're more likely to run than attack. That's what they did last time."
"Last time," Rick pointed out. "That doesn't mean that's what they'll do this time. Maybe they'll be more prepared."
"After spending most of the day running away from us? I doubt it." Evelyn shook her head. "Look, if you don't want to play along, the three of us can probably handle this alone."
Vi shook his head. "And I suppose the bubble you're going to be in can deflect lightning?"
Evelyn nodded confidently, but Kylena bit her lip. That was the part of the plan she wasn't sure about. She'd never tried to use one of her bubbles to do anything like that before. She knew they could fend off people, but lightning was a whole different matter.
"Even if it doesn't, the lightning probably won't even come close," Jaime pointed out. "From what we can tell, they can't aim very well. But that's another good reason to wait until it's almost dark. That way, it'll be harder for them to aim."
"And harder for us to see, too, unless one of you has some sort of night vision," Rick pointed out.
"Fair point," Evelyn agreed. "But if we can't see very well, the worst that happens is they run right past us, and we live to try this again another day. If they can't see well enough to hit us, it's all over. We have the advantage in numbers."
"If we help you," Vi finished.
"Exactly." Evelyn crossed her arms, wrapping them a little farther around her back than most people would have been able to. "But what do you have to lose? The way I see it, I'm the one taking the risk. I'll be the one getting close. All you have to do is wait and pick off anyone who comes your way. It looks like you've got some weapons," she added, nodding to the knives in the boys' hands.
"Now we'll get the chance to see if you know how to use them."
Elena Burleigh, 21
"Do you even know how to use that?"
Elena glanced over at Liv as the three of them made their way south. Well, more southeast according to the compass that Lee was fiddling with. Lee shrugged. "More or less. We're heading south-southeast, pretty much straight towards that mountain. I think we're still heading away from the direction of the screams we heard earlier, but…"
Liv sighed. "But…?"
"But soon we'll be due south of where we started, if we aren't there already."
"And that's a bad thing because…?"
"It isn't. Not necessarily. It's only a bad thing if someone decided to head directly south right at the start. We don't know if they did or not, but there's a rather large mountain in that direction." He gestured ahead. "Makes for a pretty good landmark. If they decided to head towards that."
"If they did."
"That's what I said."
Liv nodded. "I know. It's just … we have no way of knowing whether they did or not. We don't know where anyone is. Hell, we don't even know where Ansel went. He might have gone this way, for all we know."
"I think we would have found his body by now if he had," Lee offered helpfully.
Elena froze. "You really think so?"
Lee shrugged. "Unless they're collecting the bodies somehow, yeah, it'd probably still be there. There don't seem to be a lot of animals that would—"
"No, I mean … you really think he's dead?" She knew it was a possibility, of course, but she'd been holding onto the idea that maybe he had just left, maybe he'd been scared off by Liv's grumbling and just decided to take off. Maybe he'd left the supplies because he would have felt guilty taking them, when he hadn't helped the group get them in the first place. Maybe…
Maybe it would be easier if they'd stumbled across a body. Then at least they would know for sure. They would have an answer, one way or another. Right now, all they had were guesses. Lee stopped, glancing at Liv before answering. "I guess I just thought it would be easier to assume that he's dead. I mean, he'll have to be eventually, if we're going to get out of this."
So will one of us. That was what Lee hadn't said. There were three of them left, and only two of them could survive. Who knew how many of the other contestants were left? They had no way of knowing how long it would be before at least one of them would be dead, too. Elena clenched her fists, trying to stop her fingers from turning to metal. She didn't want to die. She didn't want Liv or Lee to die. And she didn't want Ansel to be dead. She just wanted…
What? To go home? But that wasn't an option – not even if she won. Even if she survived this, she could never go back to what her life had been. Her friends. Her job. All the fun she'd had playing at different bars, scraping together enough to get by, always scrambling to make ends meet but enjoying every minute of it … All of that was gone. Even if she won, there was no going back.
"It's not fair." It took her a moment to realize that she'd said it out loud, and another moment to realize that they probably thought she was talking about the fact that Ansel was dead. "It's just … all of this…"
Lee nodded. "I know. Look, everyone gets it. None of this is fair. But there's nothing we can do about it – not from in here."
In here. The way he said it, it sounded like they were in a cage. And maybe they were. Sure, the mountains looked wide and open and maybe even inviting, but they were still trapped. There was no way to escape.
Not from in here. That was what Lee had said. What was he trying to say? That once they made it out, they would be able to … what? Influence the Games? Change them?
Stop them?
Maybe. Maybe not. But there was no chance of being able to do any of that if she died in here. Maybe she couldn't go back to her old life, but she could have a life. She could do something, which was more than she could do if she got herself killed.
She just hoped she would get that chance.
Caihong Lee, 25
He just hoped she understood what he meant.
Lee watched as realization dawned on Elena's face. At least, he hoped that was what that look was. He didn't want to spell it out for her – not with the MAAB listening in. Even if they didn't have cameras everywhere, there was probably something in their collars that recorded what they were saying, or something like that. The MAAB wouldn't risk the contestants being able to plan anything without them hearing.
Not that he had a plan. Not really. But Elena needed something to hold onto. It was starting to get to her – Ansel's death, and the idea that any of them might be next. She was on edge, and it was only a matter of time before she snapped, unless he gave her something. Even the idea of being able to do something about their situation once the Games were over was something to work towards. Something to aim for.
Liv didn't need that. At every turn, she had been the one to suggest making a move, taking advantage of a situation. She was competitive enough without throwing anything else into the mix. She wanted to win because she wanted to live. But Elena…
Maybe she didn't have anything to go back to. Or maybe she was realizing that she wouldn't actually be able to go back to it. Even if they survived, they'd probably end up coaching, just like Penelope was doing this year. And the rest of the year … He hadn't even thought to ask what the coaches did the rest of the year, but if the government's plan to resettle mutants in separate colonies around the country went through, they might very well end up in one of those.
One thing at a time. First, they had to survive this. If they didn't, none of the rest would matter. They wouldn't be able to affect anything, wouldn't be able to change anything, if they were dead. And even if they were alive, the only way they would be able to affect anything was if the MAAB thought they were still playing by their rules. So he couldn't afford to say anything else.
From the look on Elena's face, though, he didn't need to. She already thought he had a plan. Some grand scheme to put in place once they made it out of the Games that would change the course of whatever was coming. He didn't. He had nothing. But there was no harm – for now, at least – in letting her believe that he did. If it gave her a reason to fight, that was enough.
Maybe that would give them a chance.
Lea Cervantes, 18
Maybe they had a chance of getting away after all.
Lea stretched her legs as she and Elio settled down for lunch. The sun was high overhead, and they seemed to be making good time. They were still heading south, according to the compass, but they'd turned a bit southeast in order to avoid climbing up into the mountains any more than they had to. They'd settled down for lunch beside another small lake, and had settled on some of the jerky sticks for lunch. There were fish in the river, but they looked pretty small, and they didn't really have any way to catch them.
"Do you think we could make a net?" Lea asked after a few moments of silence.
Elio glanced at the lake. "You think we could catch some of the fish?"
"It's worth a try. They're really the only animals we've seen besides the birds, and I really don't think we're going to catch any of those. If we're planning to just keep going south, it's only a matter of time before we run out of food, so unless you're planning to miracle us some breakfast…"
Elio chuckled. "No, but maybe…" He stared out at the lake. "I wonder if it might work."
"What?"
Elio hesitated. "Remember when I said I can sometimes make barriers – invisible ones. Sort of like Kylena's bubbles, but … but I can't control it like she can, and other people can't see them. But people can't move through them, either."
"And you think fish wouldn't be able to, either."
"Exactly. So if I make one the right size and just sort of … drag it towards shore—"
"You could rake in all the fish."
"Maybe."
Lea grinned. "It's worth a try. Where's the harm?"
"It just doesn't seem…"
"What?"
"Sporting."
Lea shook her head. "Look, if you'd rather wait until we run out of food before trying it, that's fine. Desperate measures and all that. I just thought it might be a good idea to try it before we got desperate, in case it doesn't work. That way, you could practice until you get it right, and you wouldn't have to worry about going hungry tonight if you don't nail it on the first try."
Practice. The word tasted funny in her mouth. That was all the coaches had been trying to get them to do before the start of the Games. Not necessarily to practice killing, but just to practice using their powers. If they had taken that advice, would things be any different?
Would they have been able to save Makenzie?
Lea's stomach churned. The thought had occurred to her before, but only as far as what she might have been able to do. If Elio had been willing to practice creating barriers, could he have done something, even though they had been too far away to get to Makenzie in time? Could he have created some sort of barrier between her and her attacker?
Lea shook the thought from her head as she finished off the rest of her jerky stick. There was no point in bringing it up now; all it would do was make Elio feel guilty, and that was the last thing either of them needed. If they made it out of this, there would be plenty of time for them to second-guess themselves. Until then, they couldn't afford to look back. They had to keep moving forward.
And that meant they would eventually have to figure out another way to get food. Elio stood up slowly, took off his shirt, boots, and socks, rolled up his pants, and waded into the water. Lea took a few steps back, in case whatever Elio was about to do made the water splash. The air wasn't as cold as it had been the day before, but she still wasn't in a mood to get wet again.
Elio, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind the cold, and was barely shivering as he stepped farther into the water. The lake wasn't very large, and certainly didn't look very deep, but she couldn't help wondering if he could swim. She could, of course – certainly well enough to rush in and help him if he needed it. She'd watched enough professional swimmers, after all.
As it turned out, she didn't need to. Elio stopped once the water reached his knees and extended a hand toward the rest of the lake. Something splashed, but nothing else seemed to be happening. Maybe it was just a fish jumping out of the water a little. But that wouldn't do them any good if they didn't have a way to catch the fish.
Maybe this wasn't going to work after all.
Elio Haines, 16
Maybe it wasn't going to work.
Elio took a deep breath, trying to concentrate. Focus. This part of his power had never really come naturally to him. Healing people was one thing, but creating a barrier to keep them out … well, that had always seemed the opposite of what he should be doing. His purpose was to bring people closer to God, after all, not to keep them away.
But he wasn't trying to keep anyone away right now; he was just trying to trap some fish. That should have made it easier, but it didn't. Instead of one person trying to break through the invisible barrier, there were dozens of tiny fish. Elio shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He could do this.
He had to do this.
Elio nodded. That was it. He had to focus on why he was doing this. He and Lea would need food. They couldn't rely on the supplies in their packs forever. Eventually, that would run out, and they would have no other choice but to hunt.
No, that wasn't exactly right. They would have two choices: hunt, or return to the circle where they had started the Games and hope that there were still supplies. But that would mean giving in, playing along with the MAAB's game. That wasn't something he was willing to do. Which meant they would have to fend for themselves.
Which meant this had to work.
Elio could feel the barrier growing in the water, like an invisible wall splitting the lake in half. But now what? How was he supposed to move it without moving the water? He just wanted to move the barrier – and the fish – but how was he supposed to keep the fish trapped but let the water flow through? He'd never tried anything like this before.
But he could have, if he'd thought of it during training. They had wanted him to practice. He could have practiced this; there wouldn't have been any harm. He wasn't going to use this to kill people, or even hurt them. He could have practiced trying to catch some fish if he hadn't been so stubborn.
No, not stubborn. Certain. He had been certain that refusing to cooperate was the right thing to do. And it had been. It was just that sometimes doing the right thing made everything harder later on. If that meant that he had to figure out a few things as he went along, then he would just have to deal with that. In the end, it would be worth it. Doing the right thing was always worth it.
The barrier started to slide towards the shore, water flowing through it. It was working! Elio beamed back at Lea. "It's working!" he called, waving a hand towards the fish that were bumping up against the barrier, trying to get through.
Splash. No sooner had the words left his mouth than the barrier collapsed. Stupid. He'd gotten distracted, lost his concentration. But now he knew that it could work, at least. All he had to do was keep it up a bit longer.
"What if you started with the barrier a little closer to shore?" Lea suggested. "There wouldn't be as many fish, maybe, but you wouldn't have to keep it up as long."
Elio nodded. It was worth a try. He took a few steps back, focusing on a closer section of the lake. Once again, the barrier went up, water flowing through it, but leaving the fish trapped. Slowly, stepping back little by little, he dragged the barrier towards the shore, but once again, it broke about halfway. Elio shook his head, frustrated, his legs growing cold in the water.
Suddenly, Lea was at his side, shivering a little in the water but smiling encouragingly. "Hey, it's okay. Just try again. You were getting there. Just start a little closer."
Elio sighed. She made it sound so easy. Cast your net on the other side of the boat and all that. She didn't realize—
Oh.
"The other side of the boat," Elio mumbled.
"Huh?" Lea asked.
But Elio was already wading out deeper into the water. He took a deep breath and focused, creating a barrier between himself and the shore. "You might want to get out of the way," Elio suggested, and Lea hurried back to dry land as Elio pushed the barrier towards the shore. Pushing was easier than pulling, and Elio grinned as the water flowed through the barrier, prodding the fish closer and closer to the shore. Finally, a line of tiny fish was flopping onshore, and Elio let the barrier drop.
One by one, the little fish stopped flopping. Lea grinned. "That was amazing!"
Elio smiled as he surveyed the line of fish. "Yeah, now we have a lot of little, raw fish."
Lea chuckled. "Okay, but there were some matches in the pack, weren't there?"
Elio nodded. "But what are we going to build a fire with? There aren't exactly any trees around.
Lea shrugged. "So we put the fish in one of the bags and keep heading that way." She gestured towards some shapes in the distance. They did appear to be trees, but there was no way of knowing how far away they were. Still, the other option was eating the fish raw, so Elio emptied the remaining bagels out of one of the larger bags and started gathering up the largest fish. Maybe 'large' was being a bit generous, but soon the bag was full, and they set out. Maybe it wasn't much, but at least it was some sort of progress.
And that was all they needed right now.
Manaka Shizue, 16
All they'd needed was a short break.
Manaka got to his feet quickly as Marcus finished packing up the supplies. They'd eaten some more of the fruit snacks and another bagel each, and were ready to set out again. They'd found another patch of small trees near a lake and refilled their water bottles, but there still didn't seem to be any sign of anything else to eat. None of the trees they'd found had any nuts or berries or anything. There were some types of tree bark that were edible, weren't there? The two of them certainly weren't that desperate yet; there was still plenty of food in their backpacks. But if the Games were going to last a while, they would eventually need to find something.
"Do you think we should collect some of the tree bark?" Manaka asked before realizing how strange the question probably sounded.
Sure enough, Marcus' expression was one of confusion. "Why?"
"In case we run out of food? Tree bark's edible, isn't it?"
Marcus hesitated. "Maybe? Is it? I mean, it's probably not poisonous or anything, but—"
"It was just an idea. If you don't think we should—"
"No, it's a good idea. It's just that if we start tearing the bark off some of the trees and someone else happens to come this way, then they'll know we've been here. We probably don't want to do anything that might leave a trail."
Oh. That made sense. It hadn't really occurred to him that anyone might be able to catch up to them. Well, maybe the other boy who could run pretty fast, but he was working with two other contestants who probably wouldn't be able to keep up that sort of pace.
Probably.
If they were still alive.
Manaka shook the thought from his head. If both of the other boy's teammates were dead, what were the chances that he would really come after the two of them? And anyone else wouldn't have had a chance to catch up to them yet, unless they'd been keeping their powers a secret and really could move that fast. Only about half the contestants had participated in the talent show, after all. There was no telling what the others would be able to do.
"Manaka? You all right?" There was a hint of concern in Marcus' voice. "We can grab some of the tree bark if you want to."
Manaka shook his head. "No. No, we should probably just keep going. There'll be more trees up ahead if we need them." That certainly seemed to be true. There hadn't been much of a change in the scenery so far. A mountain here, a few trees there, and a few small lakes scattered in between. The MAAB had certainly picked somewhere that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.
Because of course they had. They knew that he, Marcus, and at least one of the others would be able to get pretty far away from where they had started rather quickly. It would rather ruin the Games if they'd been able to make it to a road or a town or something. So there probably wasn't anything anywhere nearby. Nothing but more mountains and trees and rocks and—
Manaka stopped short as he heard a rustling. There was someone nearby. No, probably not someone. Something. Some sort of animal. The two of them glanced around, and Marcus pointed quietly to one of the trees. There was a small, furry shape scurrying around one of the roots. Some sort of mouse or chipmunk. Definitely some sort of rodent.
Before Manaka could make a move, Marcus darted forward, his arm moving faster than the rodent could scurry away. His hand closed around the creature, gripping it tightly, only its head visible. Marcus reached into his pocket and pulled out the mallet he'd been keeping there just in case. Manaka looked away as Marcus brought the mallet down on the rodent's head. "Ow! Damn it."
Manaka whirled around. "What? Did you hit yourself?"
Marcus shook his head as he dropped the rodent's body. "Damn thing bit me. You don't think it has rabies or anything, do you?"
"Doesn't that make them foam at the mouth or something?"
"Yeah, probably." Marcus waved a hand dismissively. "At least I got it. Don't suppose you know how to cook one of these?"
Manaka shrugged. "You probably just make a fire and … I don't know. Put it on a stick like a hot dog?" He hesitated. "Do you know how to make a fire?"
Marcus shook his head. "We can probably figure it out, though. How hard can it be? You just have to rub two sticks together, right? And I bet we can do that fast enough," he added with a wink.
"It's worth a try."
Coburn Hughes, 17
"You should at least try to get some more sleep."
Coburn sighed, rolling over as Savannah took over keeping watch. It wasn't that he wasn't tired. But the ground was hard, even with the pillows that had been in the packs, and the sun was just too bright overhead to really get any sleep. Lilith and Savannah had managed it somehow, but every time he came close to actually falling asleep, something happened. It was as if there was something nagging at him, urging him to stay awake, to keep moving.
But they couldn't keep moving forever. They'd kept going most of the night, and had only stopped around sunrise. Now they'd each gotten at least a few hours of sleep. Or at least, they would have if he'd been able to get to sleep. Coburn clenched his fists as he felt his fingers grow warm with fire. Getting upset wouldn't help.
Except it wasn't that he was upset. Not really. Just anxious. On edge. As if he was expecting something to happen at any moment. Maybe that was natural in a fight to the death, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were in danger, that someone was trying to warn him about something.
Maybe they were. Maybe she was. That was what he'd been hoping for, after all, when he'd taken a look at the postcards the day they'd been told why they were here. He'd been hoping that Cari would be able to hear him somehow, that she'd be listening and looking in telepathically, that she might be able to help him. If she was trying to warn him about something, it was probably a good idea to listen.
But even if that was the case, how was he supposed to warn the others without giving her away? If he told them that he wanted to get moving, he would just seem paranoid, even though it was clear that someone had been following them – or had at least found them – earlier. They'd been changing directions often enough, but if someone had figured out the most recent direction they'd been heading in, it wouldn't take them long to catch up now that they'd stopped.
Coburn closed his eyes. They would have to stop to rest sometimes. They couldn't just keep moving. They had to rest.
He had to rest.
But if it got them killed…
Coburn sighed, opened his eyes, and sat up. "It's no good," he admitted. "I'm just not going to be able to sleep right now."
Savannah nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, it'd be easier at night. If we get going soon, we should be able to put some distance between us and anyone else, and maybe we can actually settle down somewhere tonight."
"Sounds like a plan," Lilith muttered, sitting up.
Savannah chuckled. "I thought you were asleep."
Lilith shook her head. "Not for long. It just doesn't feel right – stopping during the day. Feels like anyone could just walk up and attack us, because they'd be able to see us from farther away. Which is silly, because we'd also be able to see them, but I just can't get to sleep for long."
Coburn nodded. Maybe it wasn't Cari, then, or paranoia. Maybe it was just normal to be worried about someone attacking them.
Normal. Right. As if any of this was normal. Coburn stood up, stretching. "So you think we should get going, then?"
Savannah nodded. "If none of us are going to be able to get any rest, yeah, we might as well make some progress."
Lilith slung one of the packs across her back. "You want to…" She trailed off meaningfully, glancing over at Savannah.
Savannah nodded and quickly shot a few lightning bolts up into the sky, barely visible in the sunlight. "We came from that way, right?" She gestured to one of the mountains in the distance.
"Sounds about right," Lilith agreed. "So we probably shouldn't head off in exactly the opposite direction. How about that way?" She nodded in a direction a bit to the left of where someone would probably expect them to go, assuming other people thought they would keep heading in the same direction.
Assuming anyone was even following them. Or looking for them. Coburn picked up the other backpack, trying to ignore the thought. If he was looking to pick a fight and saw someone shooting lightning bolts into the sky, he would certainly try to find someone else. If the person who had sent some bubbles their way earlier had any sense, they weren't following. He would certainly have turned and headed the other way.
But that was him. Coburn clenched his fists as he followed Lilith and Savannah towards the mountains in the distance. He didn't want a fight. Sure, if someone attacked, he'd fight back, but he wasn't going to go around looking for one. The three of them had done their best to avoid anyone else. It would just be nice if the other contestants would do the same.
Of course, then the Games wouldn't work. If they all just avoided each other, what would the MAAB do? Just leave them to fend for themselves in the wilderness forever? Eventually, if they kept going far enough, they would have to run into some sort of town or something, wouldn't they? They couldn't just keep them here forever.
Coburn shifted the pack on his shoulder. Even the contestants who had attacked them earlier had only sent some bubbles in their direction. They hadn't actually tried to hurt them. Maybe the Games weren't going the way the MAAB wanted. Maybe the contestants who had decided not to fight had been right all along. Maybe they could just refuse to play along.
Maybe there was a chance.
Piper Galligan, 18
Maybe he really could hear her.
Piper leaned back in her chair as Cari finished describing what was happening onscreen. "The others were getting closer, but Coburn's group took off again. They're heading in a slightly different direction, so unless the others figure that out, they'll probably just miss them. Maybe he really did hear me."
Piper shrugged. "Or maybe they're just being careful." She didn't want to give Cari false hope that she might actually be able to communicate with her brother. She'd been reluctant to let Cari get too involved; she had enough to worry about with Coburn actually being in the Games. Piper knew better than anyone else how stressful that had to be, and how painful it would be if it turned out she couldn't save her brother.
But Cari had been eager to do something to help, and the rest of the team had been pretty busy, so Cari had settled into the role of watching the feed from the cameras, describing what was going on to Piper, and pointing out things that she thought could be useful. It was certainly easier than glancing into the future a minute or two at a time to see what was going on, and Piper was grateful for the company. Cari, meanwhile, was hoping that being able to see Coburn onscreen might make it easier for her to establish some sort of connection.
And it did seem to be working, as reluctant as Piper was to admit it. The moment Cari had tried to send Coburn a telepathic message that someone was following them and that they should start moving, he'd woken up from his almost-asleep state and hadn't been able to fall asleep after that. Keeping him awake seemed cruel, but tired was better than dead.
She knew that better than most. Her first kill in the Games last year had been a boy who was asleep when she and Akil had found him. When Diana had led them to him. She hadn't understood why at the time, but Diana had been helping her in order to keep up the appearance of keeping the Games moving. She had hoped that if she seemed to be cooperating, if it looked like she was trying to move the Games forward, the MAAB would let her keep communicating with the coaches.
It had worked. Piper was only here, alive, with Magneto and the others, because Diana had struck a deal. She had been the one to demand that two survivors be allowed instead of one, in return for stopping her efforts to lead Magneto to the island where the previous year's Games had been held. Piper knew she was only alive because two survivors were allowed. If it had only been one…
If it had only been one, the MAAB wouldn't have turned on their collars at the end of the Games. With her powers intact, it wouldn't have taken Penelope long to finish Piper off. She knew that. She was only alive because Diana had interfered. So if Cari wanted to try to do the same thing to help Coburn, who was she to try to stand in the way?
Cari, however, seemed to be taking a different direction than Diana had. Where Diana had steered Piper and Akil towards an easy kill, Cari was simply trying to direct Coburn away from everyone. Maybe she was simply trying to give him time – time to adjust to the idea that he would have to fight, that he would have to kill if he wanted to survive. And she certainly wasn't about to suggest steering him towards a rapidly growing group of five mutants who seemed perfectly willing to fight – and two of whom had already killed.
But there were other options. Seb and Alphonso were still sitting around contentedly in the house they had made. While Seb's power would certainly be something to contend with, the two of them hadn't seemed particularly worried about leaving someone to keep watch. It wouldn't be too hard to sneak up on them while they were sleeping and finish them off with a few well-placed lightning bolts or bursts of flame before Seb had a chance to write anything useful.
Or there was Frederick, who was farther away but on his own, and whose power was really only useful if he got close enough to touch something. Both Coburn and Savannah could kill from a distance if they needed to. Elio and Lea were heading south, but they'd stopped near a small group of trees to try to cook some of the fish they'd caught. And Henry was still asleep, their golem drooping lazily after they'd passed out earlier. Now it was just a lump of rock, vaguely person-shaped but not really moving. No one else was headed in their direction, but it wouldn't have been hard for Cari to steer her brother's group back that way.
But she hadn't. Piper couldn't really blame her for that, of course; running away was the easy option. It was easy to steer her brother towards what seemed to be safety, rather than back in the direction of any of the other contestants, no matter how vulnerable they might seem at the moment. It was easier to keep them running, and hope that they wouldn't find anyone on their own.
But the MAAB wouldn't really let them keep running forever, would they? They had to have some sort of plan to keep them contained. If they did, though, no one had breathed a word about it to her. The cameras they had hacked into were only spread across a certain area – all within about twenty miles of where the contestants had started. But how the MAAB planned to keep them inside that area was anybody's guess. Anita had been providing them with as much information as she could, but maybe that was something the other board members hadn't shared with her.
"Hmm?" Piper asked, aware that Cari had said something, something she hadn't quite caught.
"I said, there's nothing wrong with being careful," Cari repeated. "The others showed me some of the footage from last year. Your Games were over in a matter of days. This one won't be. If someone gets hurt now, they'll have to deal with it for days – maybe even weeks. It won't hurt to play things close to the vest for a little while, until they're really ready to make a move."
Piper nodded. It was as if Cari had read her mind. Maybe she had. Over the course of the last few days, she'd certainly had the opportunity, but Piper had never thought to ask whether Cari was reading her mind. If it was an invasion of privacy, it certainly wasn't any more intrusive than peeking a few moments into the future to see what someone was about to say. As far as Piper was concerned, it was definitely a time-saver. In fact…
"Do you think…?" Piper trailed off, unsure. She could peek into the future to see what Cari would say if she suggested it, but if Cari was reading her mind, then she already knew what Piper was about to suggest anyway.
"You're wondering if I could show you what's going on rather than telling you?"
Piper hesitated. That was what she'd been wondering. Finally, she nodded. "If you don't think it's a good idea—"
"I think it's a great idea," Cari interrupted. "I'd been wondering that myself, but I didn't want to suggest it if it might make you … uncomfortable."
Piper shrugged. "Let's give it a try, and if it makes either of us uncomfortable, we can stop. Deal?"
"Deal." For a moment, there was nothing, and then sight came rushing in. Well, not exactly sight, but images in her mind. It was almost as good as seeing. Piper gasped, startled by the sudden surge. "Are you all right?" Cari asked. "I can stop if—"
Piper shook her head. "No. No, don't stop." She grinned.
"I think I could get used to this."
"We must search for allies, kindred spirits, and sometimes, we must take chances, like we did tonight."