The 70th Hunger Games: A Little Love

Chapter Twenty

Dear Diary,

Water, my home. My kryptonite. When it saved my life, did it take it too?

I woke up in the morning with a stiff back, the upright position much harsher on my body than it was the first couple of nights when I was stronger. I sigh as I pack my jacket back into my backpack, and I take a small sip of my water. I really hope that these games end today, because my half a canteen of water is dwindling fast. I securely put it back in my backpack before testing the strength of the branch next to me. It wasn't too bad. If I could climb across a couple of branches, I could make it to the other side of the imaginary line dividing the dinosaurs from the rest of the arena.

So, that's what I do.

Or at least, what I try to do.

I end up getting well across the tree I'm on, but I slightly—or well, majorly—underestimated how far that other tree is compared to my body. The gap spanned about the length of my entire leg, maybe more—I'm obviously not the best at estimating—and now seemed totally impossible to cross. As I neared the edge of the tree, I looked at the branches surrounding me. Slightly up and to my right there was a branch that had a much closer branch on the opposite tree.

Taking a deep breath, I heave myself up onto the branch, trying to make as little noise as possible so as to not draw the attention of any nearby dinosaurs. I climbed up to the branch, steadying myself and then crawling across the branch in an army style, flat on my stomach. Once I reached the edge of the branch, I glanced down nervously.

It was a far drop.

Onto hard, cold rocks.

If the drop didn't kill me, velociraptors would.

I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes for just a second to regain my calm demeanor. In my head, I heard Finnick's voice telling me to come back, so that we could explore where we were going.

If not for me, then for him.

I reach for the branch on the other tree, just barely wrapping a couple of my fingers around it. Like a kid on a playground set, I swung my body from this branch to that one, my feet just landing on the small branch below it. While still holding on to the top branch, I slowly shimmy my feet in closer to the center of the tree, until I can safely take my hands off the top and cling to the middle of the tree. I did it!

I sit down on the tree for a second, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself. Listen, that took a lot of force, a lot more strength than running for hours did. As I was sitting in the tree, taking a rest, I saw something red out of the corner of my eye. I let out a small gasp, curling in and expecting some bloody tribute to come down and attack me. To my surprise, nothing attacks me. Instead, the red object stays stationary: it was an apple!

Unable to contain my excitement, I stand back up and shimmy my way around the tree, collecting the two small red apples that were hidden up in the tree, far away from the line of vision of any other hungry tributes. Two apples, saved just for me.

I instantly stick one in my backpack, saving it for sometime later, since I was unsure about how much longer these games were going to last. I take a bite out of the other one, savoring the sweet juice of the apple. I take a second bite, leaning my back up against the center of the tree. I stay there for a decent amount of time, eating my apple and relaxing, knowing that I was safe from the dinosaurs. It wasn't until I heard the caw of a pterodactyl overhead that I quickly got to my feet and scurried down the tree, hurrying away from the pre-historic warzone.

By the time that I was down from the tree and out of the area, I was done with my apple. I nonchalantly throw the core over my shoulder, like an archetype of a "cool kid" in the books I read. I giggle, for just a second forgetting that I'm one of three remaining tributes in a fight to the death. Just for a second, though. I am quickly reminded when I feel my back ache, a harsh reminder that the way I slept last night was not efficient.