The 25th Hunger Games

Days 9 and 10

Sleep seemed to be harder and harder to get in the arena, and by the time I finally dozed off, Emmit was nudging me, asking if I could take watch. With heavy eyes, I sat up and stared at the fake starry sky until the sun started to rise.

Emmit, now completely healed, seemed to be in his element climbing the pillar. I took note of how good he was with just about everything now. I was lucky we were allies or he would be a powerful enemy.

Technically, we're all still enemies. A true thought. Even if Emmit and I were together now, it would have to end. Should I just leave while I can? Or stay until we're the only ones left?

Leaving now ended up not working out as Emmit announce, "I'm going to do some fishing." The grumbling in my stomach forced me to agree. There was no way I was leaving before breakfast.

I sat around the pillar, polishing my only remaining knife and managing to get some of the blood off of it.

Just as Emmit said something about getting a fish, I trained my eyes on a hovering object coming from the sky. The silver parachute surprised me, considering how fortunate Emmit and I had been already. Three gifts in the last two days. Maybe these were the bonuses to being in an alliance.

Emmit didn't even notice the package from the Capitol. He was cutting into the fish he just caught.

Picking up the box, I realized it was very similar to the medicine Emmit had gotten yesterday. Almost identical, except the liquid inside felt a little heavier, and there was a note attached to it.

I was about to tell Emmit, figuring it was his, when the name on the note caught my eye. Sariel was scrawled across the bottom.

Confusion and some slight anger that Sariel had give Emmit a gift when he was supposed to be helping me hit hard. I was about to throw the gift into the ocean when I took the time to really read the note. It was addressed to me.

Noah, there aren't many tributes left in the arena. Maybe even less after I'm sending this to you.

I wondered for a moment if Sariel thought I really didn't know this. Of course not many people were left. The Hunger Games would have to end eventually. This thought, though, made my stomach turn. What was Sariel getting at? I read on.

I remember being in your position. Left in an alliance when it was nearing the end, unsure of what to do. Afraid that if I killed my ally, I would look like a monster.

Sariel was giving me a pep talk? Now? About how to kill Emmit? Although I hadn't even really thought about killing him, I knew it would have to be done. He was likely to come after me before I even had a chance to escape. So what did Sariel have up his sleeve?

In short, this is me giving you my approval to kill him. You don't have to, but I don't want to be the thing that stops you. My opinion of you won't change because of him or any other tribute you need to kill. The gift attached is yours to use if you so desire. It's a capsule of poison. Use it well. I'll be cheering for you.

Sariel

As I set the note and bottle down, I felt a mixture of sadness and shock. Sariel had sent me that? Because he thought I couldn't kill Emmit on my own?

And yet at the same time, he knew me better than I knew myself. If the time had come for me to bring a knife to Emmit's throat, there was a good chance I would hesitate. Hell, I had already hesitated to kill him.

This gift was Sariel telling me that I couldn't think about it anymore. I had to kill, no matter the consequences. And when I made it out of here alive, I wouldn't need to worry about Sariel's opinion of me. That was enough for me to pull it together as footsteps plummeted behind me.