Yet Another Hunger Games

Vincent

Finally the fire was in sight.

We'd been walking around for what felt like two weeks until we finally saw some light emerge from behind some bushes.

I glanced at Juliet, walking next to me with knives in her hands. I shifted my look back to my sword.

Seemed Juliet was thinking the same thing I did; what if this isn't our fire?

Maybe she was secretly hoping it wouldn't be.

Just like me.

We arrive at the last branch blocking the view of the fire. I stop and l look at Juliet again. She grinned and nodded.

I grin back as I move away the branch.

'Honey, I'm home!' I yell as I see two tributes scrambling away from me.

'Whoops' Juliet acted surprised. 'We are really sorry, we didn't mean to disturb you'.

The two tributes looked at us like deer in headlights, not moving a single muscle, reluctant to even blink as all colour vanished from their faces.

'Juliet' I said, annoyed. 'We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere'.

Juliet exaggeratedly sighed and plopped down near the fire. 'We are really grateful for your hospitality'.

'Truly' I added as I sat down next to the girl, who I recognised as Cheyanne from district 12, and threw my arm around her. She was shaking.

In the corner of my eye I noticed how the district 12 boy, Ollie, sneakily reached for a rock lying next to him. Juliet wasn't an idiot either.

'Oh no darling,' she quickly spoke as she thrust a knife in his reaching hand, 'you won't be needing that'.

The boy shrieked out in pain as he grasped for the gash in his hand. Cheyanne yelled for mercy.

Juliet looked at her, puzzled. 'But,' she stammered, 'he started it' she added as she threw Ollie's rock into the fire.

Cheyanne continued to cry and shiver, muttering 'please' in a helpless tone.

'Honestly, I am rather offended, we just came to your campfire to enjoy this beautiful night,' I spoke upset, 'and you try to kill us?'

'Not very gentleman-y, is it?' Juliet asked as she moved her hand over Ollie's mouth, to muffle his whimpering. He didn't fight her as blood continued to gush between his trembling fingers.

I looked into the fire and started laughing. 'So, tell me,' I began, 'what was in that backpack you decided to use as fuel?'

No answer from Cheyanne, only crying. Juliet moved her hand away from Ollie's mouth. 'Attacking me is one thing but ignoring Vincent is something even more insulting' she spoke softly.

A very good point.

'A glove' he hesitated. 'You know, a cooking glove'.

I raised my eyebrows at Juliet. 'A cooking glove! That's exactly what we've been searching for, isn't it?' I cheered.

Juliet searched the ground and quickly found a yellow glove, which she threw at me. I pulled it over my hand and looked at it in awe as I moved my fingers.

'All you found in your bag was a cooking glove? Are you sure you emptied it entirely before throwing it onto the fire?' Juliet chuckled.

'There was also a bottle' Ollie spoke as he exchanged a look with Cheyanne. 'Poison' he added as he shifted his eyes back to me.

I squinted my eyes at him and tilted my head. 'And where is said bottle now?'

Ollie looked at Cheyanne with a concerned and sorry expression on his face.

I shifted my attention back to the girl under my arm. 'Is this true?' I asked as I came closer to her face. She continued to sob and tremor as she reached into her pocket and handed me a green bottle the size of my thumb.

'Thank you darling' I thanked her warmly. 'I like her' I exclaimed at Juliet, energetically.

'Yeah, she knows how to be neighbourly.' She nodded in agreement.

Cheyanne continued to shiver, to my annoyance.

'Darling?' I gasped, 'are you cold?'

I looked at Juliet, she grinned and scooped over.

Ollie was too afraid to run.

'You know' Juliet brought her knife to Cheyanne's throat. 'I always thought you'd look better with short hair' she pondered.

With a swift movement Juliet's knife soared past my arm, followed by strands of hair descending to the ground.

'Yes!' I cheered, 'This does look better on her'.

Cheyanne's cheeks were burning from the crying as she continued to shiver intensely.

'Oh darling' I said compassionately, 'you're so cold.'

'Here,' I moved my hand towards the back of her head, 'let me help you'.

With those words I shoved her head into the flames.

Her sobbing turned into agonizing screams and her shaking turned into vigorous movements as she tried to loosen my grasp.

Now Ollie was the one begging for mercy.

I pulled Cheyanne back towards me and looked at her face. She continued screaming as her scalp charred with remaining black strains of hair scorching away. Her cheeks and eyelids melted as skin flared red. I looked into her eyes, but they didn't stare back as her pupils had decolourized, blinded by the fire

I listened to her wails and watched her struggle for life.

My mouth curled. Never had I felt so alive, what a rush.

Her cries dimmed as her movements choked into a full stop.

I kept holding her lifeless head as I admired it in awe.

A canon sounded through the arena.

Juliet was laughing. 'That was awesome' she applauded.

I shifted my eyes to Ollie as I let the girl fall back into the campfire she'd built.

Juliet read my stare and her eyes widened.

'My turn!'