𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬: 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 ✔️

Chapter 19 - Persephone

^Carlo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 19

POV: Persephone (District 5)

Time: Day 2

Tributes Remaining: 25

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carlo and I walk through the frosty ground. The temperature has risen throughout the day, although I'm not sure if it's because of the climate of the Arena or because of the sun.

It takes all day to find a good hiding spot. As we walk through the Arena, the temperature steadily rises, and it soon becomes obvious that the Arena is designed to get warmer as we get farther from the Cornucopia. After a while, the pine trees around us turn to tall palm trees and other tropical vegetation. I'm relieved - I much prefer the balmy climate to the chilly weather we faced yesterday.

It seems as if the jungle has been waiting for us, because we find the perfect hideout almost as soon as we cross the line into the new area of the Arena.

I gasp as I spot a small cave, peeking under and examining inside. It's a pretty small cave, making it pretty hard to spot at first glance, but it's definitely large enough to fit the two of us.

"Carlo, this is perfect!" I say, excited. "We can camouflage it and stay sheltered in here."

Carlo combs a hand through his hair and gives it a good look. "Sure, let's get some vines and leaves," he says.

I smile at him as we start to gather materials. I know he had lost hope when we were first Reaped, but I think we can make it. If one of us is going to die in the Arena, we'd better make the best of our last few days together.

I've liked Carlo for years, even before we became friends, but he obviously doesn't think the same way about me. We've been best friends for four years now, and that's not something I want to ruin. Especially not now. He's like a brother to me. I just have to help him make it to the end of the Games. Then I can sacrifice myself so he can live. He deserves it.

I tell none of this to Carlo as we wordlessly gather supplies for our hideout.

We work until sundown hiding the mouth of our cave. We do a pretty good job - I can barely see the opening with all the moss we've covered it with.

"I'm glad we found this place," he tells me as we wearily lie down, nestled in our cave hideout. "If we're lucky, everyone else will take each other out and we'll be able to just swoop in at the end."

I nod. Velia's death in the Bloodbath was a wake-up call that we aren't very good fighters. Most of the recent District 5 Victors survived by hiding until the end. That's what we'll have to do if we want to have any chance of winning the Games.

"We'll just have to protect ourselves from the jungle," I say. I'm starting to get nervous - the sun is setting over the horizon, and as the Arena gets darker, the jungle around us is getting louder with foreign sounds. "There are probably tons of dangerous creatures out there."

I just have to hope that our cave hideout is as hidden to dangerous animals as it is to the other tributes.

"We can take turns keeping watch," Carlo suggests. "That way we'll always be ready if anything happens."

"Sure," I sigh, exhausted. We've only been in the Arena for just over 24 hours, yet it feels like we've been here a week. Everything seems so much longer when it feels like you could be killed at any moment.

Carlo opens his mouth, about to say something, but the sound of the Panem anthem cuts him off, indicating that it's about to be revealed which tributes died today. We brush away the leaves and branches to look up at the sky, where the words "THE FALLEN" are displayed. The words slowly fade and one of the girls from District 8 appears in the sky. She's the one who allied with Angelica, but I never learned her name.

Something about the girl's face makes me unable to tear my eyes away. She looks so lost, forlorn almost. I feel bad for the girl - she seemed sweet in Training. If she hadn't allied with Angelica, I may have considered including her in my alliance with Carlo.

Oh well. I feel bad for the girl, but her death means there is one less competitor to worry about, and for me, that's a good thing.

~

Poor Saylee. What is it with District 8 girls building fires on the first night and dying? I feel like I've seen that somewhere else before...

Hope you enjoyed a small detour from our favorite almost-couple. We'll see more of them later.

~S