rising from the ashes || a hunger games story

chapter nine

willow's pov

we started walking farther and farther from the cornucopia. we found a sturdy pine tree that had strong branches so that's where we're sleeping for the night. i don't know what time it is but i know it's not that late but i'm not sure when the sun is going down.

"i'm going to go hunt and get us some food. we need to start the fire before the sun goes down." i say climbing down the tree. "be safe." i hear ivy say. "i will."

i strap the quiver on my back and start walking away from the tree. i walk in a straight line so i don't get lost. i found a few squirrels and i was able to shoot enough for the three of us. i walk back to the tree and sit down under it.

i clear the snow in an area so i can see the soil. i remember how i started fires in the woods when i wanted to keep warm. i finish cooking all the squirrels right before the sun starts going down. i grab a pile of snow and dump it on the fire to put it out. i put the squirrels to the side and i grab everything i used for the fire.

i throw everything in different directions as far as i can so there's nothing that gives a clue that there was a fire. if someone passes by the tree and finds the remains of the fire, it could lead them straight to us. i put my bow inside of the quiver and i grab the squirrels.

i climb up to the branch that is next to finn's branch. "here" i say, passing him a squirrel. he looks at me, "thank you". ivy's laying on a branch right above him so i go up to the branch next to her and give her a squirrel.

i take out the sleeping bag from my backpack and put my legs in. i automatically feel warmth on my legs and i can soon feel them again. i look back into the backpack and find that i had three ropes instead of just one. i give a rope to a ivy and throw one down to finn.

"wrap the rope around your legs, you don't want to fall out of the tree," i say. that's when i hear the cannonball symbolizing someone's death. they probably figured out everyone who died in the bloodbath. when the cannonballs stop i hear finn. "i counted ten."

"that means a total of eleven are dead," ivy says. right after she says that, the capitol anthem starts to play and i see the dead tributes in the sky. it goes in order of the district.

district 3's male tribute, both tributes from 5 and 6, district 7's male tribute, both tributes from 8, district 9's female tribute, and both tributes from 10. that means besides us, all the careers, the female tribute from 3, district 9's male tribute, both tributes from 11, and will are still alive. i let out a sigh and lay my back on the trunk of the tree.

the thought of whether finn meant all that stuff in the interviews is stuck in my brain. i never got to talk to him after the interviews. more like i didn't want to because i was scared. because what if i find out i do feel that way about him and then everything he said was just an act.

i wonder how my family is doing. this is the one time i don't know what to predict. my family is usually very predictable but this time, i really don't know. that's when i drift off to sleep.

i awake to the boom of a cannon. i look around me to see finn and ivy looking around. i look through the leaves and i can see the careers. district 1's female tribute, shimmer, speaks, "i told you we should've just killed him from the beginning. we aren't going to find her through him. they didn't train together like her parents did. he even said that they barely talked in his interview."

"okay i get it! now shut up before i kill you too," district 1's male tribute, jet, says. i put two and two together and figure out that the girl they're looking for is me. they just killed will. i didn't know him that well but i can't help but feel guilty for his death. if i had allied with him, he wouldn't have ended up with the careers and he wouldn't have ended up dead.

i turn to ivy and finn who have also paid attention to the conversation. i put my pointer finger up to my mouth to symbolize for them to be quiet. once the careers pass, i let out a breath i didn't know i was holding in.

i turn to ivy and finn. "they're looking for me," i tell them. "how do you know?" finn asks. "they were talking about my parents. they killed will."

they give me a shocked look. i untie the rope and move out of the sleeping bag and as i am putting it in my backpack i say, "let's start moving."

they untie their ropes and pass them to me. i stuff them in my backpack while they put their sleeping bags away. i grab my quiver and strap it on my back. i undo my belt and put it through the backpack's straps so i don't have to hold it in my hand. i grab the bow and climb down the tree.

once ivy and finn climb down the tree, we start walking. we end up walking into a section of the arena where the branches of the trees are very close together. ivy walks in front of finn and i so she can move the branches out of the way.

ivy starts swinging at the branch in front of her when i see a glossy square in front of her. "ivy no!" i yell but it's too late. she's hit the forcefield.