Just a Game

Chapter Seven

The next day was entirely uneventful. Not a single person had been killed. The sun above us was making me sweat through my shirt. It seemed a lot quieter since Glimmer and Ariel were dead. Clove was busy sharpening her knives, practicing on some apples that we found at the Cornucopia. Marvel and I decided to go hunt for some tributes before the sun set.

"So you really like her, huh?" he says suddenly, stopping me in my tracks.

I look away. "No. I don't. I can't."

"What do you mean?"

"If it comes down to me and Clove at the end..." I didn't continue because I wasn't sure what I would do. Do I like her enough to let her win? Would I really sacrifice myself?

Marvel looks at me expectantly. I just shrug and trudge ahead with my sharpened sword in front of me. We stop talking for rest of the way back to camp. Clove is napping under a big tree her head resting on her arms.

"Nothing?" The District 3 boy, Andrew is on guard again holding an extra spear that Marvel tossed at him this morning.

I ignore him and Marvel answers with a curt 'no' and we roast a couple animals that we caught this morning for an early dinner. I gulp down some water, wiping sweat off of my brow. It was still really hot, even though it was probably only around five o'clock in the evening.

**********

I'm due for guard duty at dawn the next day. Andrew is the first one to wake up. I tell him to get something for our breakfast. He scurries off into the woods with a spear. When he comes back, he's holding a rabbit. Our breakfast is trail mix with dried fruit, a handful of fresh berries, and a bit of rabbit for each of us. It is a satisfactory breakfast, even better than the ones that we had the week before.

"What's for breakfast?" Clove's voice comes from behind me.

I point to the food and she grabs a bit of each food and sits beside me. I had just finished eating when she woke up.

"How was the rabbit?" she asks, popping a berry into her mouth.

I shrugged. "It was alright. A little bit dry, though, but I can't complain."

Marvel wakes up and eats his breakfast next to us. He finishes his meal before Clove finished her piece of rabbit. He lets out a loud burp and I roll my eyes. He was going to attract predators with that smell.

"Ew, Marvel," Clove says, waving a hand in front of her face. "Do you mind turning the other way when you decide to burp?"

After eating, the three of us go out hunting for tributes again. This time, we found a prey. The boy from District 10 was huddled in a thin blanket next to a pile of burned wood. He must've lit up a fire last night and fallen asleep. In training, I remember that he had a bad leg, deeming him unable to run very fast.

We run to him and he jolts awake. But he knows that he's cornered and doesn't bother getting up. He looks as if he hadn't had anything to eat for a while. The boy's eyes widen when he sees our extra-sharp weapons and Clove sticks a knife into his chest. She twists it and I hear a sickening squelching noise. The boy's face contorts with pain and Clove takes out her knife.

"One more down," she says, wiping the blood off of her blade on a nearby tree.

The cannon booms and we hurry away before the hovercraft comes. The sun is just rising, and I trip over a couple tree roots because of the lack of bright light. Every time I do, Clove snickers until I stick my foot out in front of her and she falls flat on her face.

"Ha," I say, immaturely sticking my tongue out.

She gets up brushing herself off. Once we start walking again, she punches me in the stomach. I double over and try to breathe properly. For such a compact girl, she has a strong arm.