Dependence - Book Two (Wattys 2013 Finalist)

The Arena: Day Two - Part One

Lilly Cullen’s POV:

I glance around the room of the small house we are holed up in, Caspian and the twins are lying on the floor beside me – completely conked out. It is still quite dark outside; the sun has yet to appear on the horizon. I creep out of the room, down the hall and out the door. As I move, the warnings issued to us about the collar’s reaction when we leave a certain distance rings through my mind.

 I have no choice; I’m not bringing Ethan with me to pee. It’s different when there are four of us because the others can talk amongst themselves while we are doing our business. However, I am not waking the other three up to come with me and I certainly don’t want Ethan with me alone – that would be quite awkward. I just have to make sure to stay close to the house.

I creep outside, feeling along in the dark with my hands – my eyes slowly but surely getting used to the darkness. I pull back some long grass and climb into the centre of a clump, pulling my pants down around my ankles and squat, getting ready to pee. As soon as the trickling begins, I hear a voice.

‘’ Crap!’’ I mutter in a half whisper, half shout and force myself to hold my pee in – as impossibly difficult as it is.

The voices draw closer until they are upon me. A boy and a girl – Stitch and Min. I stay as silent as I can as they pass just a few meters beside me. They are talking quite casually, either unaware of my presence or trying to trick me into thinking that. I cover my mouth with my hand and force myself to breathe through my nose, despite how loud I sound to myself I hope it will be quiet enough to go unnoticed.

‘’ Where are we going to go?’’ Asks Stitch.

‘’ I didn’t like staying in that house, I’d prefer the woods.’’ Replies Min and it occurs to me that they were in one of the houses near us! They too chose to rest there overnight. It was down to luck that we didn’t choose the same house, and even more so lucky that the Capitol didn’t intervene to make us.

‘’ Agreed.’’ Replies Stitch and the two disappear from earshot.

Despite how much I want to move, how much I want to dash back into the house and alert the others so we can take the foes out to help us get one step closer to the end I cannot. If I get up, they will hear me and we will lose the element of surprise. I just have to stay as silent as-

‘’ Lilly!’’ Screams a voice from inside the house, interrupting my train of thought and I gasp aloud. Caspian, he sounds worried.

The two other tributes that have just passed by also gasp, there goes our advantage over them. They know we are here now.

‘’ Lilly!’’ Yells a second voice, Ethan – sounding just as worried, although I can tell that this is more so because I am tethered to him through the collars, if I die then so does he.

‘’ Shit!’’ Yells Min a few feet away. ‘’ C’mon, let’s get out of here!’’

No more than three seconds pass when Caspian and the twins burst from the house.

‘’ Lilly!’’ Screams Caspian again and I quickly pull up my trousers, jumping from the bushes as he exits the house.

I run to him and as he sees me his eyes light up. He grabs me around the waist and grabs me close to him.

‘’ It’s OK.’’ I assure. ‘’ I’m here.’’

‘’ Oh God. I thought I’d lost you! What are you doing out here? Why are you alone’’ He says, firing questions at me before I have a chance to answer any.

‘’ I had to pee.’’ I explain. ‘’ I saw Min and Stitch.’’

‘’ Where?’’ Asks Caspian as the twins grab their weapons.