𝓕𝓲𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓵𝔂 - (𝓕.𝓞𝓭𝓪𝓲𝓻)

14.

vol i
☼ chapter fourteen ☼

Theia knew exactly how she was going to win these games. But that all relied on an assumption being correct. In order to prove it, she would need to embark on a long expedition, making her way back through the lowland forest once again and into the sprawling mountain terrain.

She desperately hoped that the careers were still predictable—that they had indeed set up camp and veiled themselves in the elevated crust, and if they hadn't, well, then Theia just needed to lead them there.

Risking the feast had been beneficial. She had more than enough provisions to last her the entirety of her journey.

Theia knew that she needed to move quickly, often forcing herself into a run to cover as much distance as possible.

She was the only one left to dispose of. With her out of the way, there would be an assured District 1 or 2 win.

With what had occurred at the Cornucopia yesterday, she was sure that the careers would have to regroup and find their bearings. It would give her enough time to try and locate them, giving her the element of surprise before they tried to pursue her themselves.

They would not expect her to be hunting them down.

Perhaps many would not. Though she had killed both the male tributes from 5 and 10, the careers were another story entirely. Theia acknowledged they would be much harder to lure and catch; a simple snare trap wouldn't be enough this time.

She can't help but remember her father's words. "You're smarter than them, Theia, smarter than all of them combined. Use it."

~

By the time daylight is beginning to fade, Theia is within close proximity of the mountain.

She is exhausted, having not travelled such a distance since the beginning of the games. She knows she needs to rest but finds it difficult to do so. Instead, she tries to replenish her energy through sustenance, eating as much as she can manage.

Tomorrow, she would need to carefully inspect the landscape, finding the location of where the earthquake had been induced by the Gamemakers previously. The resulting damage it caused should be a direct indication of this.

From there, her plan would begin.

She takes her pack and begins to lay out her materials. Preparations would need to start now; Theia would be on a tight time frame once the careers were awake.

The electrical parts she had found and her collection of wires would be more than enough to work with, especially with the gift her district had bestowed upon her.

Her plan was to construct an electromagnetic pulse generator. It would by no means be an incredible engineering feat; no, it would be rather rudimentary, but it was all she would be able to muster in these circumstances.

The generator would produce a pulse of energy, creating an electromagnetic field capable of short-circuiting electronic equipment.

Theia would use the Gamemakers' devices against them, manipulating them to suit her.

She would play them at their own game.

~

She wakes before the fabricated sun has risen. There is a sense of finality as she climbs her way out of a tree for what will be the last time.

There is no going back now. She has to succeed.

Her completed device is tucked away securely in her pack, with a climbing rope wrapped tightly around her. The closer she got to the source of the earthquake, the more treacherous the ground would become.