MPHFPC ➵ The Hunger Games AU (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 16

.☆ POV- Bronwyn

"AAAAHH!"

I wasn't entirely sure who was screaming, but all things considered, "everyone" wasn't too bad of a guess.

By first instinct, I shoved the tribute off of me and pressed her to the ground with one leg. One hand across her throat.

"Oh my God, Fiona!" Jacob cried, and bent down. I almost jumped, now remembering the days spent allying with her.

"I'm sorry!" I said, beginning to get up. Fiona hissed.

"No!" Emma yelled. She lowered her voice, breathing heavily, and added, "Hold your ground. She looks unstable."

Fiona glared daggers at Emma, then looked back to me pleadingly.

"Well, what do we do then?" Horace demanded.

"We could kill her right here and now, for attacking a teammate like that," Emma suggested. She paused, thinking. "Or... I mean, if we let her go, we better get something in return."

"A truce." Horace's eyes widened as if he couldn't believe his own idea.

"Huh?"

"Like, for the rest of the game, we don't do anything to each other. And if one of us breaks the truce," he explained, "it's over."

Emma considered this. "If we're letting her off the hook, this seems like the best way to go about it. Good thinking, Horace." He smiled at the approval.

"Okay, Fiona," I, looking back at the growling, struggling person in front of me. "I'm gonna let you free, but you can't hurt us."

She nodded. I moved my leg over and released my grip.

Fiona jumped up and ran away from us, easily the fastest I'd ever seen someone run.

"That was... a strange encounter," Jacob said once we started walking again.

"At least it'll be worth it," Horace put in. "Now she can't harm us."

Emma bit her lip. "She can. That's what I'm afraid of. I just don't know I quite trust her."

Horace furrowed his brows. "Well, I hope she doesn't harm us."

"Yeah."

There was more thick silence. I took the opportunity to ask, "So. Tree fort or ground fort?"

"How about on the ground?" Jacob offered. "It's only the first night. Plus, it's just approaching dusk and it's already getting cold. We'll need a fire."

"Okay." I nodded. "Let's settle somewhere near here. Not too close to the lake, not too far."

"Good idea," Emma agreed. "I'll get some wood for a fire, you guys lay out our materials." She wandered off into the woods.

Jacob sat Indian-style on the ground and dumped the contents of Emma's bag, which she had left us. Observing each item and spreading them out, he frowned and looked up at me. "I really should have learned how to build a shack."

"It's alright! We'll figure it out," I reassured him. "It can't be that hard, right?"

It was that hard.

.☆ POV- Hugh

I sat on a hefty branch at the top of a tree, drinking water from a bowl. The lake was clear in my eyeshot. I missed the heart of the battle at the Cornucopia, leaving me unharmed and in a surprisingly good mood (considering the situation.) The surface of the water reflected the sunset in a way that made me think maybe I could do this.

I laughed at my own thoughts. Wouldn't that be peachy?

But aside from that, I was a little hurt that no one came looking for me. I knew that this was the Hunger Games. You go in alone, you come out alone. But they promised we'd be in this together. It's stupid...

When you promise someone you're going to be there for them, you're going to be there for them. There's no other way about it.

I flinched, remembering my last moments with Olive and Claire. I promised them I wouldn't die. I promised them I would come back and take care of them. I... My eyes burned from holding back tears.

"I'm so sorry," I choked out, my throat feeling tight and ultimately betraying my vow to be strong.

I managed to wipe my face clear of any signs of weeping.

The tree shook and I looked down. A tall girl was holding the wood firm and thrusting. I did a double-take and recognized the knife in her hand.

Adrenaline shot through me and I panicked, gripping the branches above me. She had obviously spotted me, and now that she had got movement in response she started hacking away at the tree with her knife. She was doing it much faster than I expected a knife to do in comparison to an ax.

"Please!" I yelled out, becoming desperate.

She paused for a moment, looking up, and shook her head. A villain's classic no can do.

She took turns hacking the tree trunk and sawing at it. Hack. Saw. Back and forth. Hack. Saw.

"GRH!" Yeah. Maybe it was childish, and maybe it was a waste of time, but frustration overcame me and I just grunted and slammed my head into the tree.

Big mistake.

At first, I wondered if I had concussed myself, but that wasn't likely at all. The entire world around me was moving (dizzy?) and in the few seconds it took me to process what was going on, the tree hit the ground.

I didn't.

I was terrified out of my wits, shaking uncontrollably, when I realized where I was. In the girl's arms.

I only had enough time to think one thing before dropping unconscious.

She caught me.