Safe and Sound || Hunger Games

Chapter Nineteen - Grayson's First Kill

Chapter Nineteen - Grayson's First Kill

After Grayson had opened up, he seemed to become closer to me, like he now felt as if he could trust me fully. Now that I knew about his life, I felt quite sorry for him. Yes, I had to hunt to keep my family alive, but I wasn't abused, nor was I forced to hunt. It was my choice, not my parents'. Poor Grayson had to do it so he wouldn't get hit, but he ended up getting hit anyway.

That evening, Grayson lay his head down in my lap and curled up next to me. I didn't know what to do, seeing as the only other person who used to lay in this position with me would be my younger sister, so I ended up stroking his hair gently, feeling its softness in between my fingers as I brushed it away. I did this to Rose and it clamed her down, soothed her and ridded her of her worries for that small period of time. It was as if I was finally being the mother that he needed, giving him that love that he had so long been deprived of. It was only meant to be a kind gesture, but I could tell by the subconscious, small smile on Grayson's face that it seemed to mean a lot to him. He appeared to be falling asleep, as his breathing had slowed and his eyes were closed, but I knew he was still awake. He was just relaxing in my lap, resting himself.

"I feel like I've known you for years, Harper Anselin." He whispered to me as, yet again, I ran my fingers through his thick mess of brown waves.

"Likewise, Grayson Stengard. Which, might I add, is spelt with a 'g', even though it makes a 'j' sound." I said, smiling in a somewhat triumphant way. Grayson's eyes opened and he smiled up at me, still keeping his head in my lap.

"Can't you just hear the Capitol sighing?" He asked. I laughed slightly. I could, actually. Because they were all quite 'sensitive', some might already be crying. Just sitting here in this position was enough to cause a flood of tears from just one person in the Capitol. Some probably weren't so affected and were most likely waiting to see when we would kill each other.

"Loud and clear." I answered. Grayson obviously tried not to snort too loudly. His laughter was quite amusing, but I didn't mind. It seemed to change at random intervals. Sometimes it would be a snicker that wouldn't stop, or a snort or something very loud, like a cackle. He had proved this theory during training , when we both failed miserably at camouflage.

"You should get some sleep, now." Grayson then said, sitting up. His hair had messed up slightly from lying in my lap and having me run my fingers through it. I clasped a hand to my mouth so I didn't laugh so loudly. Grayson furrowed his eyebrows. "What?" I reached out and put his hair back into place, patting it down. He sighed before he moved to the limb of the tree, climbing into it. "Belt yourself in, I'll wake you up if I need you."

I nodded and climbed into my sleeping bag, before taking off my belt and securing myself onto the branch. I then snuggled as best I could into the thing, black material before shutting my eyes. I fell asleep to the sound of Grayson talking to himself quietly.

________

When my eyes flickered open, I looked down over the side of the branch to see that Grayson was perched on his heels on the floor below, fiddling with one of his knives. I had no clue how many he had collected at the Cornucopia. That reminded me of something. I still had his knife he threw at me in my pocket. He might need it. I packed up my sleeping bag, put my belt back on and threw my backpack and quiver onto my back. I picked up my bow and Grayson's backpack, before jumping off of the branch and landing right beside Grayson. He fell over with shock, dropping his knife on the way, and looked up at me from the floor, absolutely petrified. His eyes were wide and his breathing had sped up. It was actually quite amusing. I straightened myself up as Grayson tried to catch his breath.