Alyssa of Nine (Reimagining the Hunger Games)

Chapter Fourteen: Day Two

Sometime during the next morning, I wake up to find that Marina is busily roasting what appears to be a rabbit over a fire she lit in a nearby fire pit. Jayden is nowhere in the chamber. As soon as Marina sees that I'm awake, she says, "Good morning. As you can see I'm taking the liberty of cooking us something to eat. This rabbit and whatever else we have for food isn't much of a breakfast, but in this arena, I get the feeling we're lucky if we can get anything we need at all."

Yeah, that and managing to stay alive. I think. I say to Marina, "I don't mind rabbit. Anything sounds good right about now. Where's Jayden gone to?"

"Oh, he's gone out to look for a source of fresh water. He told me that he's also going to look for Matthew, you know, the boy from District Seven so we can hopefully gain his alliance. You know, you probably shouldn't be snapping at your only allies like you did last night. Because we're all in the same boat now, and you need us as much as we need you Alyssa."

I bit my lip, feeling a twinge of guilt. "I know, and I'm really sorry about that. I guess I was still angry about being in this mess. But it's not you or Jayden I'm really mad at. It's all really complicated."

Some time later the rabbit was fully cooked and just as Marina was portioning out our servings, Jayden had returned, carrying all our canteens, and Matthew was following close behind him. "So, Alyssa of Nine is one of our allies. You know Alyssa, when Jayden first told me that you were a part of this team I thought no way. I assumed---"

"You assumed what? That I would have anything to do with Jeremy or the Careers? Please. I'm well aware how badly the Careers want my blood, and as for Jeremy, he's a---"

"Very unlikable person. But you know, it was because of a well-played strategy on his part that enabled him to make an alliance with the Careers in the first place. You could actually learn something from him. But he's with the Careers now so you'll have to look out not only for the tributes from One and Two but Jeremy as well. We all do." Matthew then took another greasy bite of rabbit meat.

As soon as we finished eating, we packed up the rest of our food and supplies and continued on our way. We all agreed with Jayden that to stay in one area for too long could have dangerous consequences, unless you are exceedingly talented at hiding. And even then there's always some kind of danger.

As soon as we left the chamber, we decided to take the stairs we went down yesterday to leave the Pyramid, but there were no stairs. Instead, there were different ladders to climb up or down from. The Gamemakers have begun to alter the arena. This can't be good. And then I read another sign.

You may notice young tributes if you dare
That this Pyramid no longer contains any stairs
In order to exit this hideout and be on your way,
The task at hand is to climb and run away.
Beware, if you should falter or fail,
The consequences will leave one or more crushed or impaled.

And that is when we begin to hear a loud rumbling noise, and Jayden spots the danger first. "Run everyone, it's a goddamned boulder!" And we all hurry off, desperate to avoid getting crushed to death like the riddle I had just read implied. It is only the danger of getting crushed to death that keeps me running, pushing myself to keep moving. As well as thinking about Mace, Nathan, and Cassandra and my promise that I would do everything I could to win these Games. I also thought about Noah. He had absolute faith in me. I have to make it. I have to make it. I have to make it.

We soon make it out of harm's way of the boulder, Matthew, Jayden, Marina, and I. But from the gruesome screams and cracking sounds, another tribute who tried to outrun the boulder but was just one fraction of a second too late, is just another life sacrificed for the amusement of the Capitol, and the punishment of whoever his family members are. And the cannon goes off. Twelve of us are left now.

Then, we see a ladder and just as Matthew looks up to check if the area above is safe, we hear them. Laughing from behind us. And we turn to see that the Careers, and Jeremy, have found us. And it's four of us against five of them. It's beginning to look like the odds are not in our favour.

"Well well," Adonis sneers. "This is just the kind of massacre we've been looking forward to. Alyssa of Nine. Tsk Tsk. Your time is up, orphan trash. I guess it's game over for your pathetic little allies too.

Roland, Jeremy, you get to kill lumber boy and the noble loser Jayden from District Four. Taffeta and Emerald, you can have his weakling cousin Marina, and I guess that leaves me and you, orphan girl. I think I'm going to want to enjoy this. I'm going to kill you as slowly, bloodily, and painfully as possible. We'll give them the show they all want. And bring even more hard-earned pride to the better districts."

Adonis quickly backs me into a corner as he says this, and he seems to be thinking of something, and then says, while he begins to move one hand up into my shirt, "I think this will be for Noah Linwood's benefit." Adonis says as he squeezes one of my breasts hard, bruisingly, domineeringly.

I bite my lip hard to keep from screaming. All the time, I am frozen from terror, and outrage that even a ruthless Career such as Adonis would stoop to not only his original plan to murder me, but even to rape me before the murder. To degrade me so thorougly before I am to die. As if to say to the country that as an orphan, and an orphan from one of the most outlying districts, that this is all I am worth. This is all I deserve. But I won't give him the satisfaction of screaming or pleading for my life or dignity. I will hold out for as long as I possibly can.

But then, something unexpected happens. Instead of killing whoever he was given clear instructions to kill, Jeremy launches himself at Adonis to stop his attack against me. "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, ALYSSA!" Jeremy bellows, just before Adonis turns on Jeremy furiously and stabs him in the stomach with an Egyptian dagger. And, in that moment, Matthew turns on an off-guard Roland and gives him a violent, deadly blow with his ax. Adonis screams furiously and tries to go after Matthew but Jayden is fortunately quick enough on his feet to give Adonis a hard enough kick to send him sprawling a ways down the corridor. Just before Adonis, Taffeta, and Emerald turn away in retreat, Adonis says, "I will find you again orphan." And they leave.

"Ya whatever. See you later losers. Alyssa, Marina, Matthew, up the ladder, hurry!" Jayden yells. Just as Jeremy, dying on the stone floor in a dark pool of his own blood gasps his last words to me. "I guess...I owed you that after all orphan girl. Make sure...make sure you win..." And just as we hurry up the ladder, the cannon goes off twice more. One for the Career Roland, the other for Jeremy Forbes. He may have been obnoxious, arrogant, and even cruel in many ways, but somehow, there was still something good enough in Jeremy to bring him to sacrifice himself for me.