Thanks to Dani H. Danvers, AstralKnight98, Tales from the Cluttered Desk, Cori Anna, owlthewriter, Very New To This, livinginadream0, Singular Scissor, Skeekiest, & ladyqueerfoot for the reviews! As always they are appreciated and give me ideas for the story!
Let's go check out what's happening on the southern island. Enjoy!
Chapter XIX Something Bitter in the Air
Day 1 of the 59th Hunger Games
By the time Ophelia reached the black sandy shores of the souther island, the beastial screech had come and gone. She had briefly looked to the north, startled by the inhumane scream and briefly locked eyes with District 11 who were further behind on the sandbar crossing. She then immediately spun around and fled to the right of the island and into the dark forest.
When Tilly and Calen reached the southern island, Ophelia was long gone. They had heard a wail from the other side of the arena too but had no clue what it came from. Both agreed going back out on the sandbar wouldn't be their best choice though.
"Ten dead." Tilly muttered as she and Calen caught their breathes. "Not even thirty minutes in and the Careers already killed ten Tributes…"
"What do you expect from a bunch of psychopaths?" Calen asked, tone harsh. Tilly ignored it.
"I don't know." Tilly replied. "We always watch the Games but…"
She didn't need to continue. Experiencing it was always radically different from watching. Forgetting her manners, Tilly gave Calen a hug. "Thank you for saving me." She told him.
Calen was dumbfounded for a moment, unused to praise. Awkwardly, he patted her on the head. "Sure." He said simply, wanting the moment to end.
Tilly did an immediate about face and punched him in his bony chest. "How about a 'thank you' back? I saved you too!"
Calen shook his head. "Fine, thanks." He said, before wincing. Tilly, noticing that, went into parenting mode and quickly saw the issue.
"Calen, your hand!"
"It's nothing!"
"No, it isn't! Did you break it?"
It certainly looked like it. His right hand, which he had used to punch Nicola, was puffy and red. His pinky especially looked bad and there was swelling already in the joint.
"It's fine. Just stings a little." Calen lied.
"We need to do something!"
"Can we move first before you help?" Calen demanded, moving on. Tilly snorted and followed, undeterred. "12 went right. So I say we go left." Calen said.
"Fine." Tilly said.
They made their way into the gloomy island, passing under tall, dry trees with bare, skelton branches. A thin mist hung over everything too, though it hardly obscured their lines of sight. There was a weird taste in the air and sometimes, if the mist grew thicker, both Tributes made puckered faces like they had just sucked on something terribly sour.
"What is that?" Tilly asked before gasping with worry, remembering what the island was built on. "Do you think it's volcanic fumes?"
"I don't think volcanos taste like a cow's ass." Calen joked.
The allies kept moving. Besides the sour taste in the air, there didn't seem to be much of anything around them. Dead trees went as far as the eye could see and between them and the mist, the pair had a good amount of cover from the sun above.
Eventually, Tilly felt secure enough to demand they stop so she could treat Calen's injury. "Not here." He told her. "Let's head to the beach. Maybe we can see if the Careers are coming this way."
They had expected the walk to the ocean to take a while, having felt they moved pretty far inland. To their surprise they reached the water after just a fifteen minute walk, finding a small black pebbled beach forming a ring around the island. From their vantage point, the Tributes from 11 had a clear view of the Cornucopia, which stuck out like a sore thumb thanks to it's coloring. They could see a few figures moving around it, but the pair were too far to make out who they were.
"This island really isn't that big." Tilly commented. "Getting around will be easy at least."
"Not great when the Careers come hunting." Calen added, ever the pessimist.
Tilly ignored that and called him over. "Give me your bag, let's see if we got a first aid kit from the Bloodbath."
Both of them opened their backpacks, excited to see their bounty. In Tilly's bag were some essentials and then some random items. A rolled up blanket, a bottle of water, a thermos with tomato bisque, a box of toilet wipes, and bottle of sunscreen were the essentials, a paper fan and a big floppy pink hat were the non.
Calen's bag was mostly the same. Two bottles of water, a loaf of bread, a spool of wire and some metal nails, and binoculars were helpful. The best item though was a hatchet, which Calen eyed happily.
Tilly's attention was more drawn to the wire. "Hmm… I bet we could make some traps with that."
"I'll take the sword and hatchet over some flimsy wire." Calen said, patting the sword around his waist. He was quite proud of taking it from the Career and between that and the hatchet he was feeling a lot safer.
Now it was Tilly's turn to rain on him. "Can you even grasp them?" She asked. Not willing to show weakness, Calen did. With a fair amount of pain. With a tsk, Tilly waved him closer and took a look at his hand. "I think I can help."
She took off her hoodie and tore at the bottom, creating some cloth. Carefully, she wrapped his hand, looking quite practiced at it. "My brother Philip once broke his finger. He put his hand in a door frame for some reason and, bam, broken finger. Couldn't afford a doctor, so I had a neighbor show me how to wrap it."
Calen said nothing, but silently marveled at Tilly's skills. "Thanks." He told her. "And thank you for having my back with that Career."
Tilly shrugged, equally unused to praise. "Of course." She replied.
They sat in silence as Tilly finished the bandage. Next to them, the rainbow waves lightly crashed into the black, rocky shoreline, creating a soothing sound that relaxed the pair. It was their first moment of calm since entering the arena and the pair savored it. When the bandage was done, they continued sitting in silence, letting the events of the day and the circumstances that had brought them there wash over them.
"Ten dead. All for them. They're such bastards." Calen finally said. He didn't need to elaborate on who he was referring to.
"Should we keep moving?" Tilly asked. There wasn't anything they could do about "them." With a nod, Calen rose and the two of retreated back into the mist and dead trees.
Ash dragged his broken body onto the southern island well after District 11 and his recalcitrant District partner had arrived. He instantly collapsed into the dark ground, heaving heavily from the exertion. His right leg was dragging and half his face was numb. Just getting to the island had been a miracle in itself.
'I'm alive.' He told himself over and over again. He kept expecting the world to fade to nothingness but for some reason, the world let him be.
But it had taken all his allies. The long walk had been full of pain, both physical and mental. Ash wasn't sure which anguish was worse. He hadn't known his allies for long, but Ash had put a lot into them and believe in them. The Careers had shown him and all of Panem their value – and his.
And… in those dark memories, he could remember Seph clearly…
Ash closed his eyes, keeping them closed so tightly his head began to throb with pain. He didn't want to think about that. He couldn't.
He had other anxieties too.
His body was breaking. Old fears rushed over him. Life in the Seam was tough and there really was only one profession for everyone: a life in the mines. A dangerous, dark life. The Capitol had little concern for the safety of the miners and accidents were common. Every year, someone would forget where they were standing, or fail to use proper precautions suddenly their bones were breaking or they were losing a limb or there was a cave in and they suffocated on bad air.
Those that came back with broken bodies had little to hope for. They lived in the Seam. There was no doctor. No health care. No pension for injuries suffered. They begged on the streets but nobody had any to give. When winter came they'd perish in the cold and the cycle would begin again in spring.
Ash began to weep. That was his fate now. A broken body that would wilt in the arena. He thought of his own bed ridden dad, cared for by a whole family. There was nobody here for Ash. He needed someone to help him. It clicked, a maddening thought coming over him that only his pain and the delusional it birthed could fathom.
He needed Ophelia.
She had fled from the Bloodbath immediately and run to this island. She would be unhurt, but also without any aid. Maybe someone would sponsor her something that would help him? She had gotten an abysmal score of one in Training, but the Capitol liked her in her interview. Well, Caesar hated her but the audience at least seemed amused by her. That was something, right? Maybe they'd send her aid for him if they saw them allied.
With a goal in mind, the one thing keeping him sane at this point, he went to the right. He put one foot forward and dragged the other along.
He wouldn't die, he told himself. He kept repeating that until his deteriorating mind believed it.
Under the increasingly harsh sun, Maddie worked to move all the bodies of the dead. She shuddered each time she grabbed them, their lifeless bodies fighting her even then. She dragged them to the southern part of the mesa, far away so the smell wouldn't hit them and so a hovercraft could pick them up safely. She nearly barfed when she had to clean up the boy from 5 but held it together.
Nicola watched her work, devoid of any sort of sympathy. To think he had spent so much of his childhood hating himself while this girl just waltzed through life without any real problems or cares. This seemed to be the first real challenge that Maddie ever faced and she was hardly ready for it. It ate at him that he felt a need to protect her, to secure his position back in 4. He wondered how long it would last.
The other Careers were enjoying themselves though. They were gathering and tearing apart all the bags and items from around the Cornucopia, quite pleased with their bounty. There was plenty of bottles and containers of fresh water, a few of them even coming in coolers so the water was refrigerated, a welcome relief from the heat. They weren't lacking in food either. Small items like bread, cans of preserved food, jerky, and protein and carbs bars were a plenty, but there also more delectable items like slices of chicken and steak, bowls of stew, and other proper meal items. Then there was the outrageous. In one large insulated and heated container, the Careers found a whole roasted pig with sides of sauces and cooked vegetables.
"I'd say we have enough food for a month." Amaya commented, mouth watering at the sight.
"Let's hope we're not here for a month." Elegance told her, more disciplined.
The Gamemakers had truly given them an extravagant set up. There were sleeping bags, blankets, and ludicrously large tents for sleeping comfortable. The Careers also found two large steel frame canopies to provide them shade from the sun and some foldable chairs to relax in. There were even several battery powered fans to keep them cool, along with large kits for starting fires.
"Sure, let's add some more heat." Cas scoffed as he looked at the items. There was so much flint, matches, cloth, sparklers, and even kerosine it was ridiculous for the hot climate of the arena.
There were other items too. Screws, wires, hammers, empty water bottles, and so many other useful tools and items that it felt like the Careers were setting up a colony rather than surviving in the Hunger Games. After the scarcity of items in last years Hunger Games, it looked like the Gamemakers goal was excess, for which they had succeeded.
And of course, there were the weapons.
The Careers felt they were in heaven looking at all the instruments of death. "With this many we can switch them out, you know?" Nicola commented. "Each Tribute gets a unique weapon for their death."
Elegance, the only one openly willing to give the benefit of the doubt to their opponents, was more level headed. "We should take the weapons we need and toss the rest." She proposed. "That way no Outlier or other Tribute can sneak into camp and snatch one up."
"Who'd be dumb enough to do that?" Pietyr criticized.
"I would have said that girl from 6 but she's snake food so…" Cas joked.
"A Tribute who doesn't want to die." Elegance countered, ignoring Cas' comment. "Everyone should take what you need and then we dump the rest of the weapons into the ocean."
"And call the snake?" Amaya asked.
"Or just dump them in the rocks around the Cornucopia." Elegance corrected. She had no desire to see that snake again.
After a small debate, the others agreed it was a sensible plan. Maddie, hands bloody, returned from her grisly task in time to take part, though she forced to go last.
Cas, having already taken all the chakram's, grabbed some secondary weapons. He nabbed a sword and two daggers, twirling the daggers in his fingers for effect before slipping them into their sheaths. Elegance also had her primary weapons of the pole axe and hammer and opted for some knives along with a sword – just in case. Amaya slipped on a vest full of throwing knives and, when the others were distracted pillaging, snuck a few extra knives and hid them in her clothing.
When it was Pietyr's turn, he grunted that he wasn't "prissy" and only needed his saber, though he did tuck a nasty looking bowie knife into his belt. Nicola also felt he didn't need too many more weapons, but did grab a second sword and some knives. He also snagged a pair of brass knuckles. Districts 4's traditional weapons of spears and tridents had never worked for him, but some close hand to hand combat he was always ready for. Finally, Maddie grabbed a short sword, a few throwing knives, and took possession of the remainder of the arrows.
"Full quiver. Too bad you won't use it." Cas mocked, making Maddie go red while Nicola rolled his eye, annoyed his partner wouldn't defend herself. It was noteworthy though that Maddie's quiver was full. The Gamemakers were notoriously stingy about arrows, never wanting to give too many so an archer couldn't just pick off the competition comfortably at range and spoil a good fight. Twelve was a god sent, and more proof of the Gamemaker's liberal attitude towards supplies this year.
"Shall we dispose of the weapons?" Elegance asked.
"Happy to help." Cas said.
"As am I." Amaya added.
Cas gave her a smile. "It's menial work. We'll handle it. Why don't you help set up camp more?"
"The boys have it under control." Amaya said, sounding as though she was thankful for his concern. "And making sure these weapons are disposed of is more important anyways, right?"
The looks Cas and Amaya gave to one another were so sweet they could have made someone gag. Cas relented, feigning amicability. "Fine. An extra pair of hands could help." He said. Ah well. His hopes of keeping a few weapons for himself and Elegance were dashed. They'd just have to make sure to dump them over the side of the mesa in a spot that wasn't too hard to get to.
The three of them preceded to toss the weapons while Nicola and Pietyr finished setting up their tents and Maddie tried to find something to clean the blood off her hands. Amaya and Cas chatted happily with one another during their task, which Elegance could only scoff at. Cas could find ways to chat up a wall if he wanted to. Once they finished, Amaya drifted off to claim her own tent, leaving the pair from 1 by themselves.
The moment alone was instantly exploited by Cas.
"So, how long do you think the Pack is going to make it this year?" He asked Elegance.
She shrugged, having given it some thought herself. "Unless Pietyr snaps and kills us, I think we'll make it far. Maddie isn't worth a damn, but as long as she's not shooting us in the back or throat or something, I guess she's fine."
"I think we'll implode tomorrow."
That surprised Elegance. "You want to elaborate on that?" She asked.
Cas was always happy to hear himself talk. "I meant what I said to everyone. Look around, Elegance, this arena is so tiny. Yeah the sandbar and snake might be an issue, and I'm sure there's mutts and other oddities on the islands, but the islands are small! We can sweep them like that." Cas said, snapping his fingers for affect. "And once we do, it's over."
"You think it'll go that fast?" Elegance said. "You really think it's going to be that easy? When are the Games ever that easy, Cas."
"Elegance, we have these Games in the bag. I feel it in the air. And, like I may have mentioned before, the stars are pretty favorable for me." Cas said, fully serious and believing in his own built up mythology. "It's a Career year, the only question is if it'll be me or you walking out of here as Victor."
"Don't underestimate the Outliers." Elegance warned. "There's plenty of footage of cocky Careers saying and thinking what you are only to get a knife in the throat."
"Yes, I sat near you while they played those tapes on repeat at the Academy." Cas said, rolling his eyes at the memory and unsubtle Academy lesson. "But consider who is left among them. Who do you see as an actual threat? The only one for me the girl from 7, where-a-fest-a-ria or whatever the hell her name is! And despite that, I'm willing to bet she has no formal weapons training. She's just spooky and insane. She'd be nothing against us."
Elegance did think about it, looking off in the distance as she pondered the opponents. District 7 had seemed tough, but they were down one since the boy was dead. The large alliance could have been a headache, but it was dispatched. The girl from 5 would probably get sponsor love since Victor Echeberría' was helping her, but could she even fight? Same with the boy from 6 who the Capitol liked. Nobody was a serious fighter amongst the bunch. "So you want you and I to go all the way to the end?"Elegance asked.
"District 1 deserves it. We both deserve it." Cas told her. "That's why tonight, we do the encirclement plan. Use the others to knock off the four Tributes who remain on that island. Then, we turn on them before they know what's up and then move to the southern island and hunt 11 and 12."
"You really don't think anything can go wrong with that plan?"
"I told you. I'm fated to win. It's in the stars."
Elegance scoffed. She wondered what her sister might think of that attitude. She had barely been able to deal with Elegance's own confidence in her abilities. "And what if the others have a similar idea?"
"What, Mr. Charisma is going to ally his misogynistic ass with Amaya?" Cas questioned. "And Nicola is going to hold up Maddie? Actually, maybe he could. She'd be a good human shield, I suppose."
Elegance snorted a laugh. "I doubt it'll be that simple, but I'm with you on that. After last year, 1 needs to regain face. If I can win that'd be great."
"You mean you or I win, right?"
"I said what I said."
Cas smiled. "You're pretty great, you know that, Elegance?" He said. "Seriously, if I don't win I hope you do."
Elegance smiled, happy with the compliment. For the briefest of moments, Elegance had to consider the plan. There was something… distasteful about so openly planning to betray ones allies. Splendor would have hated it and considered it the worst, most base human aspects that the Hunger Games forced out. But Elegance was playing to win. So were the other members of the Pack. Why shouldn't she?
She turned to her ally and met his eye, her own determination matching his own. "So how do we do this?" She asked.
Cas already had a plan. "It's simple. We start with the weak link."
Both of them looked to that link, who was currently trying and failing to wash blood from her hands, oblivious to the terrible danger she was suddenly in.
Up Next: Island hopping continues as we go back north!
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