Stargazer • The Hunger Games

TWELVE

CHAPTER TWELVE
❝Too Much❞

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During the night, two more cannons shuddered the ground. Two more dead, two less people to deal with. Their names wouldn't be found out until after sunset. By that stage we could all be dead, the four of us. Everything was uncertain at this stage of the game. I was awake when the sun rose over the lake. The sunlight bathed the reflective surface of the water in pale orange light, it looked pretty and it made the arena look peaceful for that short amount of time. When the sun rose higher into the sky, turning the sky powder blue and the lake the same colour, the people around me started to stir. It surprised me when I felt Eric's arm slip around my waist, pulling my body closer to his even though it was already pretty close. Ya know, with being in a sleeping bag together and all.

"Happy birthday Alice." Eric whispered into my hair, kissing the back of my neck ever so slightly. I don't know what shocked me more, my birthday or the hardly noticeable kiss.

"It can't be my birthday." I whispered to him, careful to not be loud enough to wake Clover and Moss.

"It's the third day." Eric pointed out, "Last time I checked the third day was when your birthday was going to be."

I frowned, he was right. I was finally sixteen. I should be happy about the fact but I just couldn't find any joy in the situation. "I hope no tribute decides to kill me as a birthday present."

Eric chuckled, "I'll make sure no one kills you on your special day." He then wriggled himself into a sitting position.

"What makes today special?" Clover's enthusiastic voice asked Eric. Her question made me sit up as well.

"My birthday." I sent a tiny smile in Clover's direction, "Yay for me." The last part dripped with sarcasm.

I saw Eric roll his eyes but I chose to ignore it. "Your birthday!" Clover chirped, "Then we must celebrate!" She bounced up and down in her sleeping bag. "How do you guys in Four celebrate? Can't be that different to us in Seven."

Clover looked like she was about to go on a tangent. No doubt she was one of those people who loved a party. Unfortunately, Moss had to drag a grey cloud over the group, his brooding mood was in full swing today. "We aren't going to celebrate anything Clover. Why do it if Alice is going to end up dead? It will be better off if she didn't draw any more attention to herself." He turned around from where he was perched on a rock to stare at me, his dark green eyes were cold and emotionless. "A party is the last thing we need. Joy is irrelevant in this game."

"Don't be such a drag." Eric rolled his eyes, bundling me up in an unexpected hug he spoke into my hair. "We are going to make you have the best darn birthday the games have ever seen!"

Looking over Eric's shoulder I saw Moss turn away. He really was the rain on our parade. I then looked at Clover who looked over the moon at the idea of having some fun. "Ok Eric I get it." I wheezed for breath when Eric wouldn't let me out his grip. I didn't mind hugging but the last day or so in the arena had started making Eric more touchy feely. The whole thing could have been made up in my mind but I had a niggling feeling that it was all for the Capitol's eyes. They loved a good story after all.

Sending me multiple apologies, Eric let me go and wriggled out of the sleeping bag. I watched as he stretched, the sun catching in his blonde hair. I didn't notice that I was staring until Eric was staring back, matching my gaze with his blue eyes. Quickly, I turned away to look at something else. It wasn't like I had never stared at Eric before but this time had been slightly different. My suspicions that I had come up with earlier were playing with my mind again no doubt.