The 70th Hunger Games: A Little Love

Chapter Sixteen

Dear Diary,

I am running.

Running.

Running through the woods, back to the cornucopia, with as many apples as I can juggle. I realized that it took me longer than I thought it would to go get those apples, for Dez, Cicero, and I, and started running back. I just got busy watching the sunrise. I got lost in the beauty of it. How the orange, the pink, and the blue all blended together. Colors that you wouldn't expect to work well, blending, and creating something beautiful. I don't know. I thought of some metaphorical meaning, some beauty in the midst of all this ugly.

And then I thought back to a conversation that Marietta and I had, about how in district ten the sun rises over the wheat fields and casts different colors on the stalks. How the stalks turn orange with the early sun, and purple with the evening breeze. And then I thought of Marietta, and how she stayed alive, for me. And then I cried. And well, now I'm running back to the careers to give them breakfast. I have to stay on their good side, now that I don't have Sparkle with me.

I grin as I place the apples down on the suitcase—five of them—and take one of them for myself. "Sorry it took so long," I explain, biting into my apple. "The trees were practically picked clean," Dez and Cicero share a look, a wide smile spreading on their face.

"You know what that means..." Dez begins, looking over at me slyly. Oh no. No way to get out of it now. I couldn't trail back with Sparkle. We couldn't split up. I had to start agreeing with them, had to start seeing things from their perspective. Before Dez can finish her sentence, I finish it for her:

"There's somebody nearby to kill, right?" I question, swallowing my bite of apple. They nod, grinning back at me and picking up their apples, chomping away happily. I guess they couldn't tell how nervous I was, because they chattered happily as they ate their apples, as if these apples probably wouldn't cost a tribute their life.

"Let's eat," Cicero commands, going to lean up against the cornucopia. "We'll go out hunting after," I nod nervously, knowing that I didn't have the ability to pair up with Sparkle anymore, I was on my own. I look over at Cicero who is patting the ground beside him, asking me to come sit next to him. Alright, I guess this is how I'm going to survive now.

My apple tasted sweeter than usual, with the tart aftertaste that normally follows suit feeling dimmer. I can't tell if I like this sweeter apple, or if I prefer them with the sour twinge that makes my mouth burn after too many apples in a day. Either way, I ate it, glad to be eating and enjoying this food. This was day one without Sparkle. Day one feeling pent up with the careers, nervous that they were going to kill me at any chance they got. I try to suppress my nerves, and focus on the apple in front of me.

When we had finished our food, they got up, brushing themselves off. I looked down at my water canteen, and was surprised to see that it had refilled. I look up at Cicero quizzically, to which he smiled. "We refilled them with the remaining snow, while you were asleep," he explains, opening his up and taking a sip.

"Try some! It wakes you up right away, because the canteen keeps it nice and cold!" he shakes his head quickly, as if he was a dog shaking off water. Well, if they wanted to poison me they would've done so already. Cautiously, I take a sip. Woo! That was cold. Or at least, colder than I expected. Somewhat of a surprising cold, like the coldness in Cicero's eyes when I first met him at training. But, similar to his eyes, to him, the cold melted as time went on. I looked up at Cicero, meeting his dark eyes. Come on Annie, there were only a few people left. Surely if you make it to the final three your family will receive a lot of money. You can do this.

"When I was—uh," I pause. Did I want to reveal to them that I was previously in an alliance with my district partner? Probably not. "—by myself, I stumbled upon someone sleeping over in the section of tall grass, opposite to the dinosaur section. The girl from district eight, with the long blonde hair. She might still be there?" I offer, looking over at Dez for some sort of approval. She was the one who I was most worried about.