𝐅𝐎𝐗𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄 [EDITING]

fourteen

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That morning, I opened my eyes to the faint drizzle of water coming off of a leaf above my head. The water slowly went onto my nose, one drop at a time. I untied my legs from the tree branch, and slid off and down the trunk of the tree. I was absolutely soaked. I groaned in frustration; my clothing would take forever to dry off, unless somehow the weather got super warm, which I sure it wouldn't. The air was cold and crisp and smelled like... burning wood? Someone must be having a fire or something. Maybe they were drying their clothes off from the heavy rain last night.

I decided not to investigate any further, just in case the person who was at the fire was potentially dangerous. I didn't want another near encounter with death. I walked in the direction of where the sun was rising, which must have been east. The forest was starting to get more lush, and had more filled with freshwater plants such as cattails, flowering rush, and bull rushes. Which must mean I was getting closer to a river, and that was definitely a good sign.

As I walked, I took the bright orange backpack off my back and opened it up. I took out the small container of berries, and my water bottle. I looked at the berries, just in case. They were raspberries, I was fine. I popped the bright red berries in my mouth one at a time, and drank the rest of the water in my small water bottle. I put the container that used to be filled with berries into my backpack, and held the water bottle in my hands, waiting to come across the lake so I could fill the metal bottle up.

-🕸-

I came into a clearing, the ground squished beneath my feet with each step I took. The ground had gotten quite marshy, which I wasn't too happy about. But at least the river was actually there and it wasn't just a trick from the Capitol. I unscrewed the life from my water bottle and crouched near the river, the water was cold and fresh. After fully filling up my water bottle, I dipped my hands in the freezing cold water. I shuddered at the temperature, but splashed some on my face.

I took my hair out of the tightly done space buns and let my hair down. My scalp ached from being up so tightly like that for so long. I stuck my whole head in the water this time, getting my hands a bit muddy in the process. When I took my head out, I gasped. I had never felt this refreshed in my life. I rinsed the mud from my hands and arms, and wrung the water from my hair. I put my auburn hair back up in the space buns, but this time they weren't as tight as before.

I got up from crouching down by the river and sat down on the one of the big rocks by the river. This was the first time that I had alone in this arena that I had felt safe, the only moment when I didn't fear for my life.

I sat there on the rock for a while. Just breathing in my surroundings. I listened to the ebb and flow of the river, and the sound of the wind blowing through the tree tops. I felt the cold hard stone underneath my hands, and the damp but soft moss that was in every crack of the rock. I felt the spongy, marshy ground beneath my feet. I inhaled the smell of the cold, and the smell of the river. It smelled like.. just cold and wet. There was no other way to explain it. I looked around this time, the boggy ground was flourishing with life. There were small frogs, beetles, and other bugs that I didn't know the names of.

Ah shit. I remembered that anyone of these bugs could be extremely venomous. I really didn't care at this point though. If I was going to die in this arena, I wanted my last moment to be in nature and be peaceful rather then be in a bloody fight with one of the other tributes.

My mind dragged me back to something I had been wondering for a while now. Maybe even the whole time since it happened. Why did Glimmer save me that day? She was probably the most ruthless out of all the careers, and had without a doubt, the most kills out of all of them. So why did she let me go without doing anything to me? Was it because she felt bad for me? Or maybe she actually... cared about me? I laughed at myself for thinking about something so stupid.