There's Nothing More Important than Family, chapter 20

I feel a sharp pang in my stomach. Hunger has woken me, like an alarm clock. By the look on my comrades’ faces, they’re starving too. I took our large supply of food for granted, only eating when I felt hungry, not on a regular basis. Look like that came back to bite me in the butt. I swear, the others can hear my stomach growling.

Breah is moving the fingers on her left hand carefully. She winces every time she moves her thumb. I crawl over beside her, and she smiles. “You’re a lot like Kendra.” She tells me quietly. “She’s sweet and self-entitled too. And stubborn. You two would either be best friends or you would hate each other.” I laugh softly. With her good hand, Breah reaches down her hoodie and pulls up her token; a locket. She opens it and shows me the picture inside. “That’s Kendra.”

Kendra and Breah look alike in some ways, but very different in others. Her black hair is a lot longer, and it’s twisted into a knot on the back of her neck. Her smile is wide and dazzling and her bright green eyes sparkle. She has olive-coloured skin unlike her sister, whose skin is brown. In the picture, she’s crouched on a tree branch, waving at the camera.

“She’s beautiful.” I tell Breah.

“She got my mom’s looks.” Breah explains. “I have more of my dad in me. Boy, is he ugly.” I giggle.

“Do you get along with your dad’s new kids?” I ask her.

“No.” Breah’s answer is blunt. “I hate them. My father has taught them to hate me too. Whenever I walk by, they hiss horrible names at me. The oldest one of them is eight and he knows worse words than I do.” She stared angrily at the ground. “I’m kind of glad I got Reaped. Not so that my dad is proud of me or anything like that, but so he can see what he missed out on. Maybe when I die he’ll grow a heart and send money to Kendra, to feed her. I hope he’s watching when I die. Maybe he’ll feel some kind of remorse.”

“Breah, you won’t die!” I argue stupidly. With her broken wrist, chances are that she will.

She half-smiles at me sympathetically. “If you say so.” I know she’s just humoring me.

“We’re all gonna die if we don’t get some food soon.” Grumbles Nathan.

“Let’s start hunting, then.” Jason suggests.

It’s pointless; only two of us are capable of hunting, and they’re too busy making sure the other two are safe. Whenever an animal scurried by, Jason and Nathan are both distracted. Breah and I find some berries, and we eat those, but they are in no way filling. The only thing we’ve accomplished is making ourselves more tired.

I collapse in the crevice and hold my starving belly. Is this how I’m going to die; slowly and painfully from lack of food? Maybe if I’m lucky the Careers will find me first.

I’m creating scenarios in my head (‘The Various Deaths of Zania Roberts’), when suddenly, trumpets echo throughout the arena. I sit up. “What the-“ I begin to say, but Nathan cries, “Shh!”

The voice of Claudius Templesmith, th Hunger Games announcer, rings in my ears. “Tributes, may I congratulate you on making it this far!” he declares. “Today at noon, at the Cornucopia, there will be a feast. For some of you, this is life and death, for others, you can simply replenish your supply. See you all there, in one hour! Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!”

Jason beams. “This is great! Now we won’t have to worry!”

“Unless the Careers get the food first.” Argues Breah.

“True, but what other choice do we have?”

In the end, we all agree the feast is our best option. We set out for the Cornucopia, strategizing as we go. Nathan pulls me back, behind the others. He whispers urgently, “This isn’t a good idea, but it’s our best way of getting food. When we get there, I want you to stay in the forest, hidden, no matter what happens. We’ll be fine, just stay away from the Careers.”

“I promise, I will.” I tell him. He nods determinedly.

We get to the Cornucopia a few minutes before noon. I find a tree with a thick trunk, with lots of leaves, and I hide behind it. It’s good; I can see the battle ground but the Careers can’t see me.

The other three prepare themselves a few yards away. To my surprise, Breah intends to join them. She holds five chakrams in her broken hand and the last one in her throwing hand. The look in her eyes is kind of scary; I wouldn’t be surprised if she was imagining the Careers with her father’s face.

The Careers are lounging around the mouth of the Cornucopia, their weapons somewhat ready. They are not expecting a challenge; they are idiots. Kelly isn’t with them, but I can’t figure out why. Maybe she doesn’t like getting her hands dirty. There are a lot of supplies left in the Cornucopia; the Careers haven’t even made a dent in the pile.

The sun is high in the sky; it’s noon. A table rises out of the ground in the middle of the clearing, and it’s covered with fancy Capitol food. After eating nothing for a couple of days, it will be wonderful to sink my teeth into this.

Jason, Nathan and Breah reveal themselves. The Careers all cackle as my friends walk towards the feast. Vella gets impatient. She gets her switchblade out of her pocket and charges at them. Breah throws a chakram, which gets lodged in her opposition’s arm. Vella gets angrier and starts cussing at Breah. Jason steps forward and stabs Vella in the heart, just to get it over with. ‘Boom’. The cannon blares. So far, so good. In my head, I think, ‘That one was for Georgie.’

The other Careers advance, now serious. They know we’re not playing games. Mahogany goes straight for my brother, while Dane and Jason engage in a sword fight. Satin comes after Breah, katars ready. Swiftly, Breah flings a chakram at Satin, but it just grazes her hip. A second chakram gets stuck in her shin. She swears in rage, and lunges at Breah, who deflects the katars with her chakrams. Sating stabs at Breah’s broken arm. Nothing major happens, but it cuts a couple of the Velcro straps. Breah looks even more determined than before.

“Oh no!” Satin taunts, but she’s gasping. Her wounds are bleeding hard. “Did I hurt your boo-boo?”

Breah raises her eyebrow. “Seriously? You are asking me that?”

Satin scowls and I hear a click. One of the katar’s blade splits into three. It looks like she has one knife and one wolverine claw. “You asked for it, cripple.” She trusts the triple-bladed katar at Breah, who stops it with a chakram. While Breah is distracted, Satin stabs the other katar into Breah’s stomach and clicks the button while still inside Breah, making the blade split into three to make the wound grow bigger. The cannon fires. “HA!” yells Satin, while I scream. Satin changes one of her katars to be single-bladed again. She alternates stabbing Breah with both, until Breah is no more than a hunk of bloody, ravaged meat on the ground. You can hardly tell that it used to be a human. I start to cry.

Suddenly, a hand claps over my mouth. I drop my knife as another is pressed against my throat. The other three Careers are occupied, so there is only one possibility of who this could be: Kelly.

“Nice hiding spot.” She hisses. My shrieks are muffled by her hand. “I’ve been waiting for you.” She tells me. “Looking for you all over. It would’ve been a lot harder to find you if you hadn’t screamed. Thank you so much for all your help!” Kelly finishes tying a bandage around my mouth, and pushes me against the tree trunk. She traps me by pinning my hood sleeves and hood to the tree with knives.
“Comfortable?” she pretends to ask me. “Good. Now we can begin. Any last words to your family?” I can’t answer; my mouth is full of cotton gauze. “Too bad. I’m sure they’d love to hear from you.
“Zania. We’re all friends here. Mind if I call you Nia? Of course you don’t. Well, Nia, I am here to give you a makeover.” She holds a knife with a curved blade and a jagged edge. “I’ve been in contact with your stylist, and we agree, it’s time for a new look.”She grabs my ponytail and cuts most of it off. She tries to cut my token too, but Kerany’s life-lasting spray works; she can’t slice it.
She scowls and starts cutting designs in my arms and legs. I scream, but no one can hear me since I’m gagged. It hurts so much, my vision is going red. I squirm, and the knives are looser, but I’ll never work my way free in time. Kelly moves up, to start on my face. I feel the blood trickle into my eyes and I know I’m growing weaker. I hope that my family isn’t watching, especially not Alex. He’ll never be able to sleep again. Kelly does something to my cheeks, and then steps back.
“Oh Nia, darling, you look fabulous!” she cackles. “Now, I forgot the finishing touch in my backpack over there. I’m going to go grab it, okay honey? Don’t you dare move!” she turns around and walks back through the leave canopy, to a bulky leather backpack. I don’t know what’s inside, but I don’t want to know.  I pull away from the tree as hard as I can, and to my surprise, the knives pop out and I am free. I rip the gauze from my mouth and run as fast as I can manage to the clearing.

“Nathan!” I cry shrilly. “Nathan, please, help!”

“Zania!” he calls back, pushing Mahogany to the ground.

Kelly pushes me over from behind and then rolls me over so I’m facing her. “Naughty girl, did you think you’d really get away?” she’s holding the foot-long machete from my nightmares, but this is worse. This is real life.

“NATHAN!” I scream.

She smiles. “Lights out!”

Kelly plunges the machete into my body. I hear Nathan cry out in rage before everything goes black.

Life With Annie, chapter 15

I slowly, and painfully become aware that I am tied up. To a tree by the feel of it.
I wiggle my wrists, which are fastened securely to a thick branch.
I relax, and let myself hang for a minute. Then I slowly straighten up, and open my eyes.
At first I think I have blood in them, then I hear the awful voice in my head.
Escape so you can kill them.
No.
Yes!
I let out a roar, and feel my body strain against the ropes.
It's the most wretched feeling ever, I have no control over my body, but I am completely conscious of what I am doing.
"Bruce?"
Suddenly, I see Jewel in front of me. Concern showing on her beautiful face. She takes a step toward me.
"Are you okay?"
I lunge forward against the ropes, trying to reach her.
I see a young girl run and push Jewel away from me.
"Don't! He's not himself, and he is going to try to kill you any chance he gets!"
Jewel doesn't seem surprised by the girl, so I assume they know each other.
"What are we going to do then?"
Jewel asks hopelessly.
The girl, who looks around thirteen. Has light brown hair that flies around in curls, and grey eyes. She turns to me, and takes a step forward. I immediately try to attack her, and she steps back.
"He's infected worse than I thought. It's going to take a lot to bring him back."
Jewel glances at me nervously, then back at the girl.
"Can you do it though?"
The girl shrugs, and walks over to the fire.
"I can try. Talk to him for a minute, tell him what's been going on."
Jewel, faces me with a scared look in her green eyes. She is so different from the arrogant, haughty, priss I thought her to be. She is just a scared girl, with a pretty face, and a fake attitude.
"Bruce, if the real you can hear me, I would like to tell you some stuff. Don't worry about the baby, Titon and I have taken care of him, when we run low on formula, a sponsor sends some more. The girl who was just here, that is Cleo. She's from district twelve. She showed up right when you were about to attack me, and she was the one who knocked you out. She says that she has seen what you have before, and her mother is a healer, so she knows how to cure it."
Cleo walks up stirring a foul-smelling concoction.
"It's called Hyde syndrome. Which is basically like a fake personality. It's a form of poison that causes the infected person to have a second personality, an evil one that takes over their body movements and thoughts. It's sole purpose is to kill, and its blood lust can't be sated. I think some nasty little tribute got a hold of a blow gun and darts laced with the stuff. They used it on the others, and got you not that long ago. I can cure you, but It's not going to be easy, and will probably hurt a lot."
I manage to get control over my tongue long enough to say.
"Go for it."
I don't remember much after that. I was in and out of conciousness the whole time, and the times when I was conscious, I only remember brief images of blurry faces and curling smoke.
When I finally wake up fully, I am laying on my back by the fire. Jewel is sitting by me, and I see Titon asleep on the other side of the fire.
Jewel notices I am awake, and she looks at me expectantly.
"Well that sucked...majorly."
Jewel smiles, and I hear Cleo laugh. She walks up, and stands next to Jewel.
"You should be thankful you're alive. I wasn't sure if you were going to make it for a while there."
I grin, and try to sit up.
"Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Cleo says quickly. To late. As I struggle to sit up, a sharp pain shoots through my body, and all my muscles become rigid. I fall back with a moan.
"What did you do to me?!"
Cleo pushes Jewel to the side, and kneels in front of me.
"Saved your life, that's what. Now hold still."
She pulls off the thin jacket that was laying across my bare chest. I cry in pain as she pours water over several small incisions in my chest.
"Good gracious woman! Are you sure you're not trying to kill me?"
She throws the jacket back over me.
"Don't be such a baby. You'll be fine now."
With a groan, I force myself to sit up.
"Aw man! I think I would have rather died. How's Titon doing?"
Jewel glances across at him.
"Better. He doesn't say much, just sleeps."
I wince as I slide closer to the fire.
"What about the baby? Is he still doing okay?"
She smiles, and walks over to where the baby is sleeping. Picking him up, she hands him to me.
"Ask him yourself."
As I take him in my arms, he stirs, and opens his eyes.
"Hey tough guy. How are you doing?"
He growls, and reaches for my hand.
"That well huh? Don't you worry about me, I'll be right as rain in no time."
He grabs my finger, and growls again.
"Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
He squeals and kicks his legs.
I laugh, and Jewel takes him from me.
"Its supper time little guy."
Cleo watches them for a minute, then she hands me a blanket.
"Get some rest. I'll wake you when it's your turn to watch."
I take her advice, and settle down by the fire. Soon I am in a deep sleep.
My slumbers are haunted by nightmares, and I struggle to subdue them, to rid my mind of the despairing visions. My attempts are futile, and my sleep continues to be disturbed by dreams.
I see Felicia appear out of a green mist matching the color of her eyes.
"Bruce."
"Felicia. I'm taking care of him...don't worry."
"Bruce, my son is in danger. You have to save him!"
"I will, I'll make sure he makes it out of the arena alive."
"Bruce!"
The voice isn't Felicia's, and it stirs me from my slumbers. I sit up groggy, my eyes refusing to focus.
"Bruce run!"
There's a loud roar that awakes me completely. I stand up and draw my sword.
I am temporarily stunned by what meets me.
A large animal that can only be a muttation is standing at the edge of the clearing.
It looks like a cross between a bear and a tiger.
Its strong, thick body is a dark reddish brown with darker streaks through it. Long razor-sharp claws line all four feet. Its teeth are large and pointed, and it has two longer fangs near the front of its mouth. Its large yellow eyes are catlike, and its thick tail swished back and forth dangerously.
Jewel has her sword drawn, and is standing next to Titon. Both of them are facing the creature, bleeding from several wounds.
The thing lets out another roar, and attacks them again. I am about to come to the aid, when Cleo runs up with a backpack and the baby.
"Go! Get out of here!"
She pulls the pack over my shoulders, and drapes the sling around my neck. She puts the baby in the sling, and runs to join Titon and Jewel.
I stand for a moment, one arm holding my sword, the other supporting the crying infant in the sling.
Titon turns his head to look back at me.
"What are you still doing here? Run!"
My warning shout comes to late, and the creature slashes its claws across his back. He cries in pain, and falls to his knees. Cleo stands over him, and hacks back at the mutts paw. Jewel shouts at me above the roars.
"Protect the baby Bruce. Leave now!"
The mutt sinks its teeth into her shoulder, and I hear her scream as she sinks her sword deep into its back.
"GO!"
I turn and run as fast as I can into the forest. Leaving behind the screams and roars, leaving behind my allies who are giving their lives to protect the small child in my arms.
As the clearing grows farther in the distance, a cannon-shot echoes around the trees. A minute later there is another, the final one comes after a brief pause, and then everything is silent.
I run through the night, urged on by the adrenaline in my body. I still hold my sword tightly, and my free arm I use to hold the baby secure in the sling.
I run as the anthem plays, and the pictures of Jewel, Titon and Cleo light up the night sky. I run as the sky turns from grey to pink, and I don't stop until I find a small stream. There I lay the baby down, and plunge into the cold water. Letting the current wash away the aches and pains. The cool water rushes past me, and I let it take away any sense of emotion I have. I let it numb me, then I climb back onto the bank, and collapse beside the sleeping baby. My hand still clutching my sword tightly.
The last thought that runs through my mind before I fall asleep is:
There are only seven left. The game is ending fast.

There's Nothing More Important than Family, chapter 19

***I'm glas to see such a following on these stories! If you have any feedback, reviews, suggestions or questions, just leave them in the comments!***

Neither Jason nor I are tired, so we sit with Nathan as day transforms into night. I haven’t eaten since breakfast, but I’m not hungry. After being half-dead for a night, I ate at least a quarter of our food supply. I don’t think the others minded, since they didn’t seem to have appetites.

It’s getting cold. For the last few days, it has been mild at night, but now I can see my breath in front of me. I think it’s probably warmer in the valley. Jason starts throwing the medicine box around again. I’ve noticed him doing it often. I watch him play with it; his reflexes are great. I suppose anyone’s reflexes would be impressive after eight or nine years of training, but it’s still awesome. I stare out at the treetops in the dim light. Something is wrong. I see frost on the leaves and grass. It’s only April; frost is rare during the spring. The gamemakers are screwing with us. My knife is impossible to hold, the plastic is so frigid.

Breah joins us after her nap because it’s too cold for her to sleep any longer. Jason tells me not to make a fire. He says that’s what the Careers are waiting for. The anthem plays, but no one’s face is broadcasted in the sky. Breah dumps the food pack out on the ground and starts sorting the food within. Some of the fruit is starting to rot, so she throws it down the hill. We have quite a bit of dried fruit, meat and crackers, but our water supply is diminishing. We’ll have to restock in the morning.

To my surprise, the ground begins to rumble. I look up to the top of the mountain, and all is explained. “Avalanche!” yells Jason. We don’t have time to grab anything more than our weapons, for the wall of snow is approaching swiftly. I run as fast as I can.

“What the heck?” I yell to no one in particular. “Snow in April? That much snow? There wasn’t any snow twenty minutes ago!”

“The gamemakers set it up!” Breah cries. “Run!”

The snow is fast but we are faster. Sure, we have to dodge rocks and trees, but we widen the gap between us and the snow. Breah is an incredible runner. She’s ahead of the pack now, closely followed by Jason. Nathan and I are tied for third. See, if I pretend like it’s a race, I don’t freak out. My mind plays along with me, but somewhere in my head, the terror kicks in. I feel adrenaline race through me and I go faster yet.

Suddenly, Breah dives on her stomach and rolls down the slope. Her head nearly hits a tree, but she dodges it. I see her try to get up, but she can’t; her left hand in caught under a tree root. She pulls, but it’s hopelessly stuck.

“Breah, no!” I cry.

“Keep running!” she orders. The snow is gaining on her. Seeing that, she grits her teeth and pulls with all her might. I hear a horrible ‘crack’.

“Breah!” I yell.

“I’m fine!” she calls back, but her voice is an octave higher than it should be. She delicately cradles her injured arm in her other hand and continues sprinting. Just in time, too. The avalanche is right on her heels.

We run as fast as we can all the way down. Sweat is pouring into my eyes and I’m panting hard. There is a stitch in my side; I don’t think I can run much longer. It was pointless to worry about that, though. Right when we get to the bottom of the mountain, the snow disappears like magic.

“Seriously?” I yell in frustration. “Are you serious?”

“Zania, shut up!” Nathan warns. “The Careers might hear you!” I scowl and obey. Meeting the Careers is the last thing I want to do.

“We need to find shelter, quick.” Says Jason, taking command. “A small cave would be best.”

“Agreed.” Replies Nathan. We continue along the base of the mountain, until we come to another one. In between the two mountains is a crevice-like cave, big enough to cover all of us. It won’t do much against the wind, but at least we’ll be safe from the rain.

“No food, no water, no tent, no first aid supplies!” I panic. “We’re doomed!”

“Calm down, Zan. We can hunt later and we’re not far from the stream.” Nathan explains quietly.

 Breah tries to sit down in the cave, but when she lets go of her injured arm, she cries out in pain and picks it up again. “Hold it out, let me see it.” Jason tells her. He examines it carefully and observantly. “You broke your wrist. We should probably get your arm in a splint.”

“I don’t know how to make a splint.” Interjects Nathan. “Do any of you?”

I shake my head and Jason says, “No, I don’t have the slightest idea.”

Breah winces and says, “If we had a brace, I could do it. We have lots of broken bones on the orchards.”

“We don’t have a brace.” I point out.

“Then I have no idea what to do.” Breah replies. Nathan and Jason help her sit down, and she positions her broken arm on her lap. “I guess the bright side is that I’m right-handed, not left-handed.” She says weakly. “Oh, how I wish we had a brace.”

I look up, and see a silver parachute float down from the sky. There’s a biggish box attached to it. Jason jumps up and grabs it from the air. He opens it, and starts laughing.

“What?” I ask. “What did we get?”

“A wrist brace,” he chuckles, “With instructions on how to use it!” I laugh too, and Jason spends the next half-hour reading the instructions and putting the brace on Breah. She winces and gasps but doesn’t complain. Finally, Jason is done, and Breah’s pained expression is gone.

She moves her arm around experimentally. “Thanks.” She whispers to Jason. “This is much better.”

The sun’s orange glow melts away the frost. We’re facing east, so it’s in my eyes, blinding me. I am now aware of how hungry I am and how dry my mouth has become. This is a problem. We’ve never been starving at home, so I’m not familiar with the feeling. It’s painful. I wasn’t worried about food or water during the early part of the Games because we had plenty. Now I wonder whether or not we’ll starve to death. I hope my parents aren’t letting Alex watch. He’d have nightmares if he saw me die a slow and painful death.

When Jason decides we are rested and recovered enough, he leads us to the creek. Every once in a while, Breah throws a chakram at something; to make sure her right wrist stays in practice. She’s incredibly accurate, injured or not.

We don’t have any bottles left, so we drink from our hands. It takes a while, but I am finally hydrated. The water even tricks my stomach into thinking it’s full. The illusion doesn’t last long, but it’s nice not to have to hear my belly grumble for a while. We find our way back to the crevice before nightfall. It’s cold again, so the four of us huddle close together for warmth.

“No food.” I say again. “What are we going to do?”

“We can eat edible plants.” Breah suggests feebly.

“We can hunt tomorrow.” Says Jason.

“You mean you can hunt tomorrow.” I correct sarcastically. “I’m too fragile.” Nathan looks at the cave wall guiltily.

Jason pulls the first sponsor gift from his hoodie pocket and tossed it to me. I catch it bunglingly and then chuck it back. We play ‘hot potato’ until we’re too tired to lift our arms. Nathan puts his arm around me. I lay my head on Jason’s shoulder, as he is on my other side. Breah takes first watch. Sitting like this is awkward, but sleep finally takes me.

Life With Annie, chapter 14

I've been traveling all night long through the forest.
I don't feel tired or fatigued, I am too numb to feel anything.
Felicia's death keeps playing over and over in my mind, and every time I see her small child, it worsens the ach in my chest.
I have to stay strong and keep my word to her. I have to get her baby through this, even if it means losing my life. Not that I want to survive anyway.
The baby has been quiet for the most part, sleeping most of the time. But even when he is awake he is silent.
I have no plan where I am going, I'm just walking. I decided to travel somewhere deep in the forest, hopefully where we can live out the rest of the stay in the arena in peace.
I pause for a minute in a small clearing. This place is as good as any to set up camp.
I untie the sling, and set the baby on a folded up sleeping bag. Then I gather wood, and start a small fire.
Once I have everything set up, I pick up the baby, and sit down by the fire.
He squirms slightly, and whimper.
"Hey little guy, it's okay. I know you're probably hungry, you haven't eaten all night."
His bottom lip sticks out, and his eyes look so sad. I swear he's the most expressive baby I've ever seen.
"I don't know what to do to feed you. I'm not your mother, and you can't eat big people food."
I reach for my sword quickly, as I hear something; like the steady tick of a clock. Then I see it, a small silver parachute floating down through the trees.
I stand up with the baby in my arms, and catch it.
"What do we have here?"
I ask the baby as I open it.
Inside is a small bottle, and a large package of baby formula. There's also a small spoon, and a slip of paper that says: Two scoops per bottle.
I sit down, and set the baby on his bed beside me.
"Well, it looks like you have some fans. Hang on for just a minute, and I'll get your dinner ready."
I get a canteen from the back-pack, and heat the water over the fire until it's warm. Then I pour it into the bottle, and add the formula.
I shake it until it's mixed, and pick the baby back up.
"Here you go little buddy."
He reaches for the bottle eagerly, and begins drinking with small sucking noises.
I laugh quietly. Felicia was right, he was strong. Maybe with a little help, I can get him out of here alive.
I hear a sound in the woods, and I set the baby down carefully on his bed, between me and the fire. Then I grab my sword, and stand up slowly.
I listen for a minute, then I hear it again. It's too big for an animal. A tribute?
I keep my sword at the ready, scanning the woods around me with narrowed eyes.
All of a sudden, someone explodes out of the trees with a roar.
I block their attack, as I get a closer look at my opponent.
"Jewel?"
She pauses, as she realises who I am.
"Bruce?"
I lower my sword slowly, still wary after what happened with Sheira and Flash.
"Are you...yourself?"
She nods, as she lowers her sword.
"Sheira and Flash, are they..."
I nod my head.
"Felicia too. What happened to them?"
She lets out a sigh, and sinks to the ground.
"We were on the trail of a third tribute, when Flash and Sheira got shot by these little darts. I don't know where they came from, or what they were tainted with. But after they got shot, their eyes turned red, and they turned on Titon and I, and tried to kill us. We fought them, and they ran off. That's all I know."
I sit down next to her, pick up the baby, and continue feeding him.
"They attacked us at the cornucopia. I had no choice but to...anyway, Felicia was protecting the baby and she got in the way."
Jewel scooches closer to me.
"Where did you get the formula?"
I nod at the empty parachute.
"Sponsor. Where's Titon?"
She stands up quickly.
"He's back at our camp. I'll go get him, be back soon."
She runs off into the trees, and I'm left alone with the baby.
He finishes the bottle, and I set him down on the folded sleeping bag. Soon he's fast asleep.
In about an hour, I hear Jewel returning.
She staggers into the clearing, supporting Titon.
He is covered in blood, and I can see several deep wounds on him.
I run over and support his other side.
"What happened?"
We take him over by the fire.
"I didn't see Flash coming, and he got in a couple of hits."
Jewel scoffs, and holds his head on her lap.
"A couple of hits? I would say this is more than a couple of hits."
I run over to my pack, and grab a first aid kit. I take it back over to Titon, and pull out some bandages.
"Jewel, can you take his shirt off please?"
She gives me a look, then asks him to raise his arms. It peels off slowly, sticking to him with all the blood.
He grits his teeth in pain, but doesn't cry out.
Now that I can see the wounds, I realise it's going to need more than just bandages.
"Titon, I'm going to have to give you some stitches."
He braces himself against the ground.
"Do it."
I pull out a needle and thread. Then I grab a bottle of medical alcohol.
"Ready?"
He takes a deep breath, and Jewel brushes her hand through his hair soothingly.
A brief nod from Titon, and I pour the alcohol over his chest and stomach.
Then I start stitching. I can tell it causes him great pain, so I do it as quickly as I can. But you can only go fast when you're give someone around fifty stitches.
When I finally finish, I pour more alcohol over the closed wounds to clean away the blood. When it's all cleaned, you can see the four long gashes, two across his chest, and two on his side.
They are all clean and stitched up now, and I wrap a thin layer of bandages around his torso to keep them clean and protected.
"There, all finished. You should just lie still, and let the stitches rest. Don't want to start bleeding again."
He unclenched his fists, and relaxes.
Jewel bundles up her jacket and tucks it under Titon's head.
"I'm going to go collect some more firewood. I'll be back soon."
"I'll come with you."
Jewel offers, but I turn her down.
"You need to stay here and look after the invalids."
Titon grumbles in protest. I grin, and walk into the forest.
I find a fallen tree, and chop off some of the dead branches with my sword. Then I gather them all up, and turn to go back to camp.
Suddenly, I hear a whistling sound, and a sharp pain in my shoulder.
"Ouch!"
I pull a small dart out of my right shoulder.
I turn around in a circle, but I don't see anyone.
I take a closer look at the dart. Could it be poisoned? I taste the tip of the dart, but it's not bitter, so it probably isn't poisoned. What's it purpose then?
Suddenly, I see a red mist in front of my eyes.
Kill the tributes.
No.
Yes, kill the tributes.
No!
They are going to kill you! So you need to kill them!
I shake my head hard, trying to rid myself of the voice echoing inside it.
Kill the tributes now.
It whispers quietly. Suddenly I grab my sword, and turn back toward the campsite.
I try to make myself stop, to put the sword down and stop walking. But I'm not in control.
Kill them!
"No"
I shout it out loud, fighting against my body.
"Bruce?"
I hear Jewel's questioning voice calling from the camp.
"I've been infected with what the others had, and I...I'm going to kill you! No! Stop it!"
I dig my feet into the ground, but I just step out and continue toward the camp.
"Stop. Moving!"
"Bruce what can I do?"
"Just, look out!"
I stagger into the clearing, and raise my sword.
"Bruce I'm not going to fight you."
I turn to her, and step forward.
"No, you're not going to fight me, you have to kill me."
She shakes her head, and takes a step back.
"I can't do that..."
I snarl as I take another step forward.
"You have no choice! Just do it!"
She hesitates, and raises her sword.
I feel myself charge forward, and swing my sword at her. She blocks it, and I swing again.
"I can't kill you Bruce!"
"You have to! Or I'm going to kill you, Titon and the baby!"
She shakes her head.
"I think I can get control for a few seconds...make it count!"
I gather all my will power, and stiffen my entire body.
"Do it now!"
All I feel is a sharp pain in the back of my head, and then everything goes black.

There's Nothing More Important than Family, chapter 18

Someone slaps my face. And a second time. I still can’t see anything, but I’m aware of sharp pains in my leg and my arm.

“C’mon, Zan, wake up!” Nathan mutters anxiously. He slaps my face again, and my vision returns.

“You really need to stop that.” I mumble, and I rub my sore cheek. Nathan sighs in relief. I’m in an unfamiliar place, by the base of a mountain. The trees are very thick. There are bandages over my chipmunk bites, but the skin on my hand where the spikes got me is red and raw. My upper arm hurts too, but I can’t figure out why. I remember falling on my back, not my arm. Everyone else is covered in bandages except Jason. I guess none of the chipmunks bit him.

I sit up, feeling dizzy, and I almost topple over. Nathan catches me hastily before my head hits the ground. “Whoa, careful there.” He says softly.”

“It’s a wonder you’re alive.” Says Breah seriously. “That venom may not have been fast acting, but it’s lethal. Toxic to humans. I recognize the acrid smell; it’s a type of really strong pesticide we sometimes have to use, but we try to avoid it. When we do use it, we have to stay clear of the orchard for days.”

“If it’s lethal, how am I still alive?” I whisper.

Jason grins and tosses around a box wrapped in a silver parachute. “Our first gift from a sponsor!” he says cockily. “Breah injected the antidote into your arm a couple minutes ago.”

“So I haven’t been out for long?”

“No, you’ve been out all night.” Corrects Breah. “We didn’t get the medicine until four or five minutes ago.”

“I didn’t even know we had sponsors!” Jason exclaims. He’s playing hacky-sack with the medicine box. “We didn’t get anything before now!”

“We didn’t need anything before now!” Nathan points out. He helps me stand up and I lean on him. I still don’t feel well, but considering I was just half-dead, I think I’m doing pretty good. Jason struggles to make a fire, since I’m not ‘well enough’, and eventually he gets one going.

“Hey, I never had any reason to build a fire back home!” Jason explains as I laugh at him. He used up five matches, since they kept burning out. “My mom used to make the fires and do the cooking and all that. When she died, we ate nothing but take-out and nearly froze to death every night.”

“What was your mom like?” I ask.

“She was friendly, and pretty. She had a hot temper. When mom and dad got into fights, she usually won. They both had Career training, but hers was better; she’d been training longer. My parents never got along. They hated each other.”

“Then why’d they get married?” I say.

“Their dads were friends. They kind of pressured the two of them to get married. I don’t even know why or how I was ever born. My mom called me a miracle, but my dad called me a mistake.”

“What about you?” Nathan asks Breah. “What’s your family like?”

“I lived with my grandmother. My dad left when I was five and my mom committed suicide a week later, leaving me to take care of my little sister. My grandma is insane, so I provide for both of them. I see my father at work, sometimes. He married another lady, a merchant, and they have four kids now. When he does talk to me, he pretends like I’m someone else’s kid and like he doesn’t really know me.”

“You have a job?” I wonder aloud.

“Yes. In District 11, as soon as you can walk, you start work in the orchards. It’s tedious, but it pays for food. My grandmother has a small jar full of savings, too, but it’s almost gone.”

“What’s your sister’s name?” asks Jason curiously.

Breah’s face muscles soften. “Kendra. She’s nine. It was her birthday yesterday. My gift to her is making it to the top ten, I suppose.” She sighs. No one knows what to say to that, so we sit by Jason’s feeble fire in awkward silence. I know I could’ve done a better job. Breah’s staring off into the distance, probably thinking about her sister. The way she was talking, I don’t think Breah believes she’s going to win. If she’s given up hope, what chance do I have?

To break the silence, Nathan talks about our family. I hear him tell a story about how I once got my leg stuck in a gopher hole, but that’s a lie; he’s the one who got stuck.

Three years ago, we were playing hide and go seek ‘home free’ in our backyard. All of us were playing, including our parents (not Katie, she wasn’t born yet). I was ‘it’, but I thought that was so unfair, since Alex cheated and everyone else was faster than me. The second I finished counting, Nathan sprang up from behind a tree and sprinted towards ‘home’. I started crying in frustration, but that quickly turned into laughter. Nathan was steps from the birdbath we used as ‘home’, when he tripped and got his foot stuck in a gopher hole. It was hilarious; his leg was buried knee-deep in dirt and his other knee was bent awkwardly towards his chin. I never knew he was that flexible. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t get out. David tried to pull him, but he wasn’t nearly strong enough. In the end, it took the combined strength of Mom, Dad and Louisia to lift him out. Nathan turned bright red and didn’t say a word all night, we was so embarrassed. Now, I hear him twist the story and make me seem like the clumsy one. I laugh at how Louisia, David and the others who know the truth are watching at home. I don’t tell Jason and Breah the truth, to protect my brother’s fragile ego. I didn’t mind the others laughing at me; it makes me feel accepted.

Suddenly and without warning, Jason cries “Shh!” interrupting the laughter. He listens intently for a second, then orders, “Pack up the tent. Someone’s coming, I can feel it.” We do as he says and he instructs us to hide in some thick bushes. We dive into them just in the nick of time. Just as we are concealed, the Careers march into our campsite. They look thin, but determined.

“Are you sure you saw smoke here?” asks Mahogany impatiently.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Grunts Dane. “The fire’s still burning! Whoever built it sucks at building fires, though.” I hold in the urge to laugh out loud, and Jason blushes.

“They were here.” Satin declares. “We just missed them.” I see what must be the katars in her hands. They have dried blood splattered all over them and I nearly vomit.

“Why are we looking for them, anyway?” complains Mahogany. “Let’s go back to camp; I haven’t eaten in eight hours!”

“We’re the only ones left!” adds Vella. “I doubt they’ll be able to hide for much longer. The gamemakers will somehow draw them out.”

Kelly scowls. “Are you questioning my authority?”

“No!” Vella replies quickly. I see Dane smile, impressed at Kelly’s power over the others.

“Good.” Says Kelly. “The quicker we get rid of them, the better. I don’t count on being in the arena much longer.” The Career pack begins to walk away.

“Who says you’re going to win?” demands Mahogany.

I barely hear Kelly snicker and say, “As if any of you could beat me!” The Careers start bickering, but they’re too far away; I can’t hear them. We wait a couple minutes longer, and then Jason signals that the coast is clear.

“Now what?” I ask nervously.

“We know they’re hunting us now.” Replies Breah. “We can’t stay at one site for too long. I don’t know where we should go next.”

“We need to get to high ground.” Nathan says simply.

“Why?” I question.

“He’s right.” Jason says. “Did you hear Mahogany complain that he was hungry? He wanted to go back to the Cornucopia, which means there are still supplies left for them. If we’re high enough, I don’t think they’ll come up to get us. They won’t go too far away from their food.”

“We should get going, then.” Says Breah. “They know we’re on this area; they might come back here.”

Everything’s already packed, so we start walking back to the biggest mountain. It takes ages, but we eventually find the highest flat spot right near the top. The sun is just beginning to set when we finish with the tent. Jason tells me not to light a fire tonight, since that’s how the Careers found us last time. Breah immediately goes to bed, but Jason and I keep Nathan company as he takes first watch. We are concealed by nothing and the tent is bright red, which to me, is worse than the smoke from a fire. Jason assures me that if the Careers do see us, we’ll see them coming before they reach us, but I’m not so sure. If the person on watch dozes off like Addalie did, then we’ll all be doomed.

Life With Annie, chapter 13

It's growing dark, and the others haven't returned yet.
Felicia is in the cornucopia taking care of the baby. While I've kept watch.
I've kept the fire glowing brightly, hoping that they would be able to see it if they got lost.
Suddenly I hear a cannon fire, then another one.
Two more tributes dead. Add that to the eleven that died yesterday, and there is only eleven of us left.
I wonder who just died, I'm not held in suspense. after a minute or so, I hear the anthem begin to play, and the pictures of the girl tribute from nine, and the boy from six, light up the night sky.
Well hopefully that will keep the audience entertained for today. We don't want them sending any surprises our way.
Felicia joins me by the fire.
"Hey."
"Hey. Where's the baby?"
She nods over her shoulder.
"Asleep. He went down pretty easy after I fed him. Any sign of the others?"
I shake my head, and we sit in silence for a little while.
"Bruce."
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
I add another log to the fire.
"For what?"
She shrugs.
"Just for everything you've done for me. Over the years, you've always been there for me, no matter how bad it was, you have always believed in me and been my friend."
I'm about to say something, when she leans forward, and kisses me.
I'm taken completely by surprise.
She pulls away quickly.
"I'm sorry...I just..."
I brush my finger tips down her cheek, and slide my hand to the base of her neck, underneath her hair.
"Don't say anything."
I whisper quietly, then I pull her closer to me.
When we kiss, I feel like a piece of me that was missing is returned. A piece of me that I never knew was missing, but now that the space is filled, I know I couldn't live without it.
Felicia wraps her hand around the back of my neck, and twists her fingers through my hair.
I don't know how long we kiss, but I pull away from her, and look her in the eyes.
"Felicia, I love you. I've always loved you."
She rests her hand on my cheek.
"I love you too."
I hold her face in my hands, and kiss her softly.
We break apart as we hear something behind us.
I look across the fire, at the edge of the mountain top.
"Sheira?"
She is standing about twenty feet from the fire, holding her sword ready. She is panting hard, and covered in blood and sweat.
"Why are you covered in blood?"
Felicia asks nervously. Sheira looks from Felicia to me, and snarls.
I watch her carefully.
"Sheira?"
She narrows her eyes, and snarls.
I grab Felicia's arm, and pull her up.
"Something's wrong..."
Sheira leaps forward swinging her sword. I push Felicia towards the cornucopia.
"Go! Get the baby, run!"
She dashes for the cornucopia, as I grab my sword, and turn to face Sheira.
I block her swing.
"Shiera! What's wrong with you?"
She bares her teeth, and as her head turns toward the fire, her eyes reflect red.
"Shiera! What happened? What did they do to you?"
She attacks furiously, and It takes all my skill to parry her blows.
"Shiera snap out of it! They've done something to you!"
She pauses for a moment, and I relax slightly. She blinks, then I jump to the side, taking the blow that was meant for my heart, in my shoulder.
I react instinctively by stabbing her in the heart.
She gasps, and her eyes lose the red reflection. She looks at me in surprise and confusion.
"Bruce?"
Then she falls to the ground, and I hear the cannon fire.
I gasp in shock, staring down at her body.
Did I just kill her? What did they do to her?
"Bruce!"
The cry comes from the cornucopia, and I run there as fast as I can.
"Felicia!"
I yell her name as I run.
As I enter the cornucopia, I see Felicia standing between Flash and the baby. She is bleeding from several wounds, and trying to block his knives with a sword.
I run in, and face him.
"Flash listen to me! The game makers did something to you! You aren't yourself. Snap out of it!"
He blinks several times, looking confused. Then he swings his long knife at me.
"Bruce?"
I block his blow.
"Flash! What's wrong with you?"
He shakes his head, as he slashes at me again.
"I don't know...I can't control myself."
He avoids my block, and his knife hilt slams into my head.
Temporarily stunned, I stagger back, and fall over. Flash raises his knife above the baby.
"No!"
Felicia throws herself in front of Flash, and takes the blade in her stomach.
"Felicia!"
I try to stand, but I am so dizzy from the blow, that I just fall over again.
Felicia sinks to the ground, the knife still sticking out of her torso. Flash stares in shock at her, then he turns to the baby, and raises his other knife.
"No!"
He yells, and I can see his whole body quiver as he fights whatever is controlling him.
"Bruce I'm sorry."
He closes his eyes tightly, and stabs himself in the chest. I hear the cannon before he hits the ground.
I drag myself over to Felicia, and hold her in my arms.
"Felicia...no."
She pulls the knife out of her body, and gasps as blood starts pouring faster out of her wound.
"Bruce...is the baby all right?"
I look behind her, and see the baby watching us with solemn eyes.
"Yeah he's fine. Listen, you need to lie still okay?"
She holds my hand, and closes her eyes.
"Let me hold him."
I swallow hard, and pick up the baby, and hand him to her.
She cradles him tightly in her arms, tears running silently down her cheeks.
"Mommy is so sorry baby. I wanted to protect you, but uncle Bruce is going to have to look after you now."
I feel tears begin to run down my face as I watch Felicia say goodbye to her newborn son.
"He needs to be fed once every two hours, and let him sleep when he wants."
I nod silently.
"Bruce, I love you. Please take care of him."
She hands me the baby. Then closes her eyes.
"Bruce, the baby's name is..."
She pulls me down close to her, and whispers in my ear. Too quiet for the audience to hear. I barely catch what she says.
She says it with her last breath, before I hear her cannon fire.
I don't know how long I sit by her side, before I finally take her body and lay it outside so that a hovercraft can come take it away.
I return to the cornucopia and pick up Felicia's small child.
"Well, it looks like I'm going to be taking care of you from now on."
I gather up as much supplies as I can carry in the largest back pack, and with the baby sleeping peacefully resting against my chest in the sling. I set off for the forest.

There's Nothing More Important than Family, chapter 17

Like he promised, Jason woke me up when I started to have a nightmare. I didn’t see much; just various angles of Addalie’s corpse. Even that is enough, that when Jason wakes me, I’m covered in cold sweat.

I decide going back to sleep is pointless at the moment. Even the first glimpse of my nightmare scared me to bits. Jason is on watch, so I go outside to sit with him. There’s still a lot of blood on the grass where Addalie died, and I’m sure I see a piece of a Payla’s intestines on the ground. It takes a lot of self control, but I manage to keep my breakfast down. “Ugh.” I sigh.

“I know.” Grunts Jason. “I’ve been staring at Payla’s guts for the last hour. Did I tell you that all of her innards fell out when Nathan was carrying her?”

“That’s disgusting!” I cry.

“That’s where we decided to leave the bodies.” Chuckles Jason.

“Now I have disturbing pictures in my head, thanks a lot!” I complain. He laughs some more, and I stick my tongue out. The fresh night air is crisp and cold. It’s stuffy and smelly in the tent, so I drag the third sleeping bag out to beside the campfire and climb into it.

“You’re unbelievable.” Jason teases. “What if the Careers come?”

“You’re right there!” I point out.

“Yes, I am. Although, I’m glad you’re trying to get some sleep.” I give him a half smile. I have horrible nightmares when I sleep, but my dreams aren’t as scary as the arena. I decided I kind of like my nightmares. When I’m dreaming, I can see Georgie, Addalie and my family again. It’s my way of escaping the cruelty of reality, even if not for long. The warm fire and Jason’s company soothes me and I drift off to sleep. My friendly environment helps numb the pain of losing Addalie. I dream that Georgie, Addalie and I are sitting on the hill by my house. We’re all alive and healthy, which is a bonus. I see Father, Nathan, David and Louisia in the fields. Nathan is carefree again, not the brooding boy he is today. I see another boy with them, which turns out to be Alex. He’s having such fun, I can’t help but smile. I’m actually having a good time. It doesn’t last. The sky turns red. The Careers appear behind me and push Georgie and Addalie down the hill, which has turned into a sharp cliff. I see their broken bodies fall to the ground. Kelly jumps down and kills Nathan on the spot. I see my father go into shock as David is struck down and Alex is slain. Louisia is the last to fall. The Careers somehow fly back up to where I am. Vella throws the dead bodies of Katie and my mother over the side of the cliff. The fields erupt into flames. My district has become hell on earth. The Careers circle around me. Before I can see what they’re going to do to me, I wake up gasping. Jason is standing over me, looking worried.

“I would’ve woken you up sooner,” he tells me, “But it looked like you were having a good dream at first.”

“I was, at first.”

“But you were screaming. It seemed pretty bad to me.”

“At first. It was a trick. My brain was teasing me.”

“We need to move from this campsite.” Jason says unexpectedly.

“What?”

“One tribute found us, what’s to say others won’t? And we’ve got too many bad memories here.”

“True.”

“The others are awake.” Jason changes the subject again. He looks nervous, but I can’t figure out why. “Breah’s sitting in the tent. I think Nathan said he needed to use the bathroom. He walked over that way. He’ll be-“

“Jason.” I interrupt. “You’re rambling.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, you are. What’s up? You look shaky.”

He smiles weakly. “Sorry. I just feel bad that I broke my promise, I suppose.”

“Promise?”

“That I’d wake you if you had a nightmare.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I say. “You didn’t know. It was a good dream at first, remember?” Nathan comes stumbling into the site. He looks dazed, like he just woke up. I laugh; he looks stupid. There are dark, purple circles under his eyes. Nathan smiles when he sees me awake, but isn’t watching carefully. He trips over a tree root and I crack up. I’m giggling so hard that there are tears running down my cheeks. He lies on his back, chuckling at his clumsiness.

“Well that hurt!” groans Nathan theatrically. He sits back up and makes a big shoe of crawling over to where we are. He stares at us innocently. “What, no sympathy for the guy who nearly broke his back?” I shrug, and throw an apple at his head.

The mood around the campsite is lighthearted as we pack up the camp. Nathan picks me up and we’re on our way. I have no idea where we’re going, but I’m border than I’ve ever been before. I’ sleeping before I know it. I have another nightmare, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Sue, I’m shaken, but no longer scared.

Jason leads us to a small cave in the side of one of the mountains. We don’t even bother setting up the tent. Nathan sets the sleeping bags out and I crawl in one immediately. I fall asleep in an instant. My mind is mysteriously empty during my slumber. No dreams invade my brain as I sleep. It’s almost peaceful, but I’m still on edge. That uneasiness multiplies when I am awaken by a cannon.

I gasp and look around anxiously. “Is everyone okay?”

“We’re fine.” Groans Breah sleepily. She’s been awake for ages, as she is on watch.

Nathan smirks, and says to Jason. “I’ll bet you the rest of the beef jerky that Carter just kicked the bucket!”

“Why would I bet you when I know you’re right?” snickers Jason. I roll my eyes and fall back onto the ground. Only a boy could laugh at another human being’s demise.

The day floats on lazily. There’s not good place to set a fire, so I have nothing to do but sit. I hope the boy from 8’s death was entertaining, so the Capitol audience will be pleased. It’s only a matter of time before the gamemakers release some kind of mutt on us.

“Ugh.” I hear Breah sigh. “I’m so tired; I don’t think I can watch much longer.”

“Don’t look at me!” exclaims Jason. “I was up all night yesterday!”

“Why can’t I take watch?” I argue. “I’m the only one who’s fully rested!”

“I’ll take watch.” Nathan says, ignoring me. “You two go to bed.”

“Nathan!” I cry in exasperation.

“What?”

“You know what!” I say impatiently.

“Zania, you can help me watch.” He says slowly, like he’s speaking to a two-year-old.

“Oh, spare me.” I grumble, but I sit by the cave entrance with Breah’s old knife. It’s quiet, so I can hear all the wildlife in the woods. Birds chirp and the wind whistles through the trees. I hear leaves rustle around, but it’s nothing suspicious. I watch my surroundings carefully. I want to prove to Nathan that I can take watch without any help.

Suddenly, I hear weird chattering. It sounds like when you turn on a radio and all you hear is static. “Nathan?” I call nervously.

“Shh! I hear it too!” he mutters. “Hey! You two!” he says to Breah and Jason. “Pack up. I have a bad feeling about this!”

“I wonder what’s making that noise!” My grip tightens on the knife’s plastic handle.

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t sound good.” Mutters Jason. We make a beeline for the mountain next to us, but something stands in our way; a pack of rabid chipmunks.

I can tell they’re not normal chipmunks. There are spikes on their backs and their claws are longer than Palana’s nails. White foam drips down their jowls and their eyes are blood red. I know they must be the mutts the Capitol has sent after us.

“Don’t make any sudden movements!” whispers Breah tensely. The mutts pounce.

I scream as three of the chipmunks come after me. Foolishly, I wave my knife at them. One of them falls, but the other two sink their yellow teeth into my flesh. I gasp in pain, and grab the tail of one of them, when I realize the spikes are venomous. My vision becomes fuzzy and I fall to the ground. Nathan rips the furry demons off me, but it’s too late. I black out on the cold, hard forest ground.