Chapter 43

NARRATOR | Corbin Woodward, District 10

TIME | Day 9

TRIBUTES REMAINING | 11

"Alright, this is it," Judah says, resting his hands on his hips as he surveys the sheer face of rock in front of us. "Do you think any of the others have gotten to the top yet?"

"We're about to find out," I shrug. I don't know how many of the other tributes have suction cups like ours from the Bloodbath, but I doubt many of them would go to these lengths to explore the clifftops.

Really, Judah has been a little too excited about this whole thing. He's still a Career tribute at the end of the day - why has he been so focused on scaling the cliffs when he should be out hunting for the other tributes, or at least the sapphire?

We've had to wait days for this, so it better be worth it. We had to sit around all day yesterday for the Arena to dry from the rainstorm; after finding out about Kylie's death, though, I needed the day to be alone. She was always closer to Minna than she was to me, but I still thought of her as a sister. Evelyn was killed by the muttations as well, bringing our total down to eleven.

As I watch Judah strap cups to his knees, part of me wants to turn and run. We've had a good run - eight days is a long time to stay together in here - but I don't know how much longer I can trust him. Still, he's given me no reason not to trust him in the last few days. If he wanted to kill me, he could have done it at any point before now.

That's not to mention how curious I am about what does lie above the cliff line. We've been given these suction cups for a reason - to get to the top - so there must be something hiding up there. The possibilities are endless; there could even be a second sapphire bracelet, waiting above the clouds to be unlocked.

Whatever is up there, I'm sure Judah wants to find it, and I have to make sure that I get to it first. Any sort of advantage in the wrong hands could mean the end of the Games for the rest of us, and Judah is powerful enough already.

"Come on," Judah says, looking at me expectantly, and I reluctantly strap my suction cups on to mirror his. This is such a stupid idea, but I know I have to do this...

"Alright," I sigh. "Let's go."

Just like last time, the cups on my hands and knees are pulled into the cliff as I approach it. With four cups on instead of two, it's much easier to climb, and we're off in no time.

Judah goes fast; I can sense urgency from him. He knows that something important awaits us, and I'm sure he doesn't want me to get close to it before he does. My ally seems to climb faster and faster as we rise above the Arena, but I don't let him get too far ahead of me.

Halfway up the cliff, I take a glance down, and my heart nearly stops. I was so focused on Judah that I didn't think about how high we were getting... the cliffs looked tall from the ground, but not like this. I can see over the entire Arena from here; the treetops beneath me blend into a sea of green in the distance, and I can see the circular lake at the center of the Arena. I squint a bit - is that a tribute squatting by the water's edge? - but it's too far to see, and Judah's getting too far ahead of me.

Finally, we begin to approach the top. I watch as Judah hoists himself over the ledge, and I force myself to go even faster. I only have a few seconds to stop him...

A burst of energy takes over my body, and my limbs slam against the rock as I scale the cliff like a lizard. I reach the top, grasping the lip of the cliff with my hands and pulling myself up.

Whatever I thought I'd see atop the cliffs, it's not what I find. The cliffs are almost completely empty - that much I expected - and a thin sheet of grass covers the peaks as far around the Arena as I can see. But only a short distance away, one object rises above the rest.

Am I dreaming?

All the way up here, watching silently over the Arena, is a picnic table lined with all the food I could ever want. A golden tablecloth lies beneath the food, spilling to the ground and over the grass. Judah's standing over it, stuffing his face with some sort of meat. After days of starving in this Arena, I can't believe that the Gamemakers would leave something like this, all the way at the top of the Arena.

"I knew it!" Judah cheers as I approach the table. Still cautious of what my ally could do up here, I pick up a single cracker and chew on it mindlessly.

As I scan the table, my attention is caught by a small card at the center of the display, tucked beneath a massive plate of beans. As discreetly as I can, I pull the card out and take a closer look.

THE ULTIMATE PRIZE

As an explorer of this Arena and the first tribute to reach to the skies, we the Gamemakers award you with the ASSASSIN'S BOW. Equipped with magnetic arrows, this weapon will seek the trackers injected into the other tributes and adjust their course to find a target. Use this wisely to your advantage, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

This table will be replenished daily. It will not be here forever.

My blood runs cold as I stand, frozen, at this golden table. The Assassin's Bow is nowhere to be found, and that means one thing. Judah's already retrieved his prize, and I already know what he's going to do with it. Any second now, the tracking arrows will find my heart and end this once and for all...

I expect to feel piercing metal in my back, but the only thing I feel is two strong arms wrapping around me, lifting me up, and throwing me to the ground. I grunt as I roll across the grassy rock, looking up to see Judah approaching with murder in his eyes. Suddenly, I realize that he doesn't have the bow. It's not over after all... but that doesn't change the fact that he's kicking my body and rolling it towards the edge of the cliff.

Instinct kicks in as I duck out of the way of Judah's oncoming blows. We're getting closer and closer to the edge of the cliff, and I can sense that I need to do something now or Judah will kill me.

"Come on," Judah snarls, picking me up and grabbing me by the throat. I'm so taken aback by his change in demeanor that I can hardly keep my bearings, but I manage to snake my arm around his back, bending my knees and pushing Judah's body forward as I roll my head out of his grasp. Judah lets out a scream as he teeters over the edge, but he manages to catch his balance enough to duck under my leg as I attempt to kick him down.

Before I know it, Judah is on top of me again, tackling me to the ground. We roll together towards the edge, away again, back even closer... for an instant, I have Judah pinned to the ground, his face just inches from the edge, and I can see down the face of the cliff. I forgot how far up we are... we're even higher than we were when we launched into the Arena on the first day, but we have no parachutes to catch our fall this time.

Judah bares his teeth, pushing up against me, and I know from experience that this isn't going to work. If I try to push him now, he's going to drag me with him... the best thing I can do is get away.

I leap up, rolling to my feet and stepping away from the edge. Judah is quick, but not quick enough; as he rises to his feet, I kick with all my might, catching him in the chest and sending him over the edge with a bloodcurdling scream.

All I can do is sob as Judah's scream grows fainter and fainter. It echoes through the Arena, and then it stops, cut short by the boom of a cannon shot.

Sobs wrack my body as I lay against the grass... never have I felt so alone. Kylie's dead now, and I'm all alone up here, miles above the Arena. Judah just tried to kill me, and I was that close to falling to my death.

I try to pull myself back together, standing slowly and brushing myself off. Even after everything that just happened, at least I have one thing to look forward to: the golden feast that lies behind me.

I stand, turning to face my reward, and I nearly skid backward over the edge of the cliff. Sitting at the head of the table is a girl, mindlessly chewing on a stick of jerky. Her short hair blows in the wind as she watches me with an unreadable expression.

"So, you killed Judah," Verity says, chewing mindlessly with her eyes locked on mine. "Can't say I'm surprised. He was cocky from the start."

"W-what are you doing here?" I stutter. My mind can't comprehend that this girl is sitting in front of me - where the hell did she come from?

"Eating a snack," Verity says, lips twisting into a grin. "I'll let you have a treat if you want. That was an impressive fight."

Verity's words seem more like a command than a suggestion, and I don't fight my body as it carries me to the table. I don't trust Verity, but I do know that I'm starving.

"I was hiding under the table, if that's what you were asking," Verity says with a nod. "Didn't just teleport out of nowhere. I got up here the same way you did, with those magnetic cups from the Bloodbath. It took you two a little longer to figure them out than me."

This can't be right - wasn't Verity supposed to be leading a large group of tributes? I pull the tablecloth up, glancing around to see an empty patch of grass.

"If you're looking for my allies, they're long gone," Verity laughs. "Violet attacked us a while back. People will believe anything if they're desperate enough, and she was desperate, that's for sure. They're starting to pay for it now - Eddie, Declan, Evelyn... Wyatt and Lucas will be gone soon, I'm sure."

Verity still hasn't taken her gaze from mine, and it's become unsettling. She doesn't have the sapphire bracelet - that much I'm sure - but Verity's still undoubtedly the most powerful tribute in this Arena. Now that I've killed Judah, there's nobody left to stand in her way.

"I poisoned all of this," Verity says with a smile, gesturing to the food. Immediately, I choke on a piece of cheese and spit it out onto the grass.

"Just kidding," Verity laughs. "I would've, but I don't have the means. It's interesting, though... If I was able to, I would've poisoned you. You can never trust anyone in here, because people will do anything when their lives are on the line. You do trust me, though, or you never would've eaten the food to begin with. Why is that?"

"I'm starving," I shrug, picking up a new piece of cheese and stuffing it into my mouth. "I was supposed to die a few minutes ago if Judah got his way, so the thought of dying doesn't really terrify me anymore. If I'm going to die, at least my stomach will be full."

"That's a good sentiment," Verity smiles, raising a chunk of bread at me. "Eat away, then, because I will have to kill you."

I freeze, staring Verity in the eyes. She's looping so many mind games around me that it's impossible to tell when she's joking. Her eyes tell me that she's not kidding.

"Only ten of us left, you know," Verity shrugs. "It's getting down to the wire. It was nice to share this meal, though. You might be the only person in here who doesn't want me dead right now."

Verity stands, pulling out a curved object. I don't have to be a genius to know that it's the Assassin's Bow I read about from the card on the table.

Without a second thought, I turn and sprint from Verity's golden feast. Behind me, Verity strings an arrow and fires, not bothering to aim. The bow will do that part for her.

All I can do is leap over the edge; I don't even think about our altitude until I'm hurtling from the cliff towards the ground with nothing to catch me.

I watch as a single arrow flies over the edge of the cliff behind me. It turns in the air, points towards me, and flies down. It grows closer, closer, closer...

And then it stops. Pulled by the magnets hidden in the cliffside, the arrow is pulled away from me, and it hits the rock with a clang.

That's when I remember - the magnets! I never bothered to remove the cups from my hands and knees... I manage to extend my hand out, and it catches onto the rock. My arm is nearly pulled from its socket as my body slams against the rock face, but I barely feel the impact. I'd rather be bruised than dead, anyway.

For a few minutes, I lay dangling miles over the Arena. I expect Verity to reappear over the edge of the cliff - a cannon shot never fired, so she must know I'm alive - but she doesn't bother. I'll never understand that girl.

When I finally regain my bearings and descend to the ground, I rip the magnetic cups from my body. Touching the ground again, I could cry; I nearly died twice now, and I'm not taking anything for granted anymore. Nothing is guaranteed in the Hunger Games, and I've forgotten that. Every day could be my last, and I have to remember that.

It's a whole new game now. The other tributes may have advantages in their pockets, but this is still a battle at the end of the day. Not many of the others can beat me in a fight, and my fight with Judah today proved that. I won't stop fighting until I'm the last tribute standing.

A/N - Fun fact, Verity was literally not planned to be in this chapter AT ALL but this chapter just wrote itself as I went and I think it definitely adds an extra layer to the madness! With even more power in her hands, it'll be interesting to see how the rest of the Games goes especially with Judah out of the picture :)

Also a check-in on the last ten tributes for anyone who can't remember: Minna (D3), Verity (D5), Lucas (D6), Ansel (D7), Violet (D7), Vinny (D8), Easton (D9), Corbin (D10), Ashlyn (D11), and Wyatt (D12).

~S