𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬: 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 ✔️

Chapter 37 - Lacie

^Cressa

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Chapter 37

POV: Lacie (District 4)

Time: Night 9

Tributes Remaining: 14

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As the sun sets, we finally bid goodbye to Jomilee. I will admit, she was nicer company than I was expecting. She's also an incredible fighter, as shown by her high Training Score. I'm tempted to ask her to stay with us, but we have enough of us as it is, and the more allies we have, the harder it will be for everyone later. Even Lena is only here because of the promise we made to Rex to keep her alive, but who knows how long she'll actually stay with us. It doesn't seem right to bring it up to her so soon after her friend's death, so she's started to grow closer to the rest of us.

Robin and Jomilee have the longest goodbye since Jomilee allied with Robin's District partner, Della, at the start of the Games.

"Thank you for taking care of Della until the end," Robin says with the most emotion I've seen from him so far. "You're a true friend."

"Thank you all for taking care of me. Good luck," Jomilee says, wiping away a single tear.

"Goodbye, Jomilee," I say. "Thanks for everything."

Soren and Lena wave to Jomilee as she walks away from our group. I wonder if I'll ever see her again.

It's not long before the Fallen Tributes. There should be two tributes tonight; I heard one cannon shot last night, and another fired during the Arena event. It seems as if there's a pattern - every three days, a quarter of the Arena is affected by a different muttation. Because the sections are moving in a clockwise direction, I'm able to direct my allies to safe locations before the events every three days. Today, the event was some sort of gas that turned everything to gold, according to Jomilee, who was able to climb a tree to take a look over the Arena.

As expected, there are two tributes. The first is Carlo from District 5, and he is followed by Kala from District 7. I'm not surprised to see either of them, as neither were among the strongest tributes. With Kala's death, it seems like all the District 7 tributes have all been killed.

After the Fallen Tributes we set up camp, where Lena and Soren take the first watch of the night. I can't sleep, though - Soren pants heavily next to me. His face is pale and sweaty, and I can see him wincing in pain. Black veins from Soren's side are now weaving their way up his neck and are now present under his chin.

I look up at the stars, bored, as I fidget with my fingers a bit. I can tell Lena is about to fall asleep, so there's no harm in staying awake just in case. I'm exhausted after getting no sleep when we were looking for the lion lily last night, but I feel as if Soren's poison will reach its final stage soon, and I want to be ready.

My thoughts drift as I sit in silence. I reach into my pocket, pulling out a small fishhook. I completely forgot I had it, but I'm glad I remembered.

My dad has lived his whole life as a fisherman back in District 4. He's worked long hours my whole life just to support my mother and me. This fishhook is special to me because it's one of his. It's the only connection I have to home, other than Soren of course. The Gamemakers almost didn't let me bring it in, and I had to convince them that I wouldn't use it to hurt anyone.

I shiver a bit, even though it's not very cold, and suddenly I want to cry. I want to convince myself that everything will be alright, but how can it be? My parents worked their whole lives with the hopes that I would grow up to be a Capitol analyst, or an important scientist, or something that would allow them to finally rest. Now, their hopes have been destroyed. I have to win the Games for them.

Or do I? I think back to an interaction with Griff I had right before I entered the Arena.

"Do you really want to win the Games, Lacie?" He asks me seriously.

"Of course," I respond without hesitation. "Would I rather be alive or dead? It's obvious."

"Understandable," he says quietly. "But you're a very smart girl. You always have to remember what surviving entails. You don't just roam free."

He's right, I am a smart girl. Unlike Soren, I have noticed the little things. How Cressa winces at loud noises. How Griff looks distant at times, lost in his own head. How Georgina disappears for long periods of time, likely prostituting herself under President Snow's command. Is that what I want?

"I have to win for my family," I insist. "Whatever it takes."

I don't know if I feel the same way now. Do I really want to suffer for the rest of my life?

I wipe a tear from my face before putting the fishhook away. I have to stay strong. The Games are taking a toll on me, and I have to continue fighting until the end. Whatever happens, happens.

I hear an odd noise, and I prop myself up, my heart beating rapidly, to see what's happening. It's Soren, who's just thrown up. He's laying on the ground, gasping for breath. I jump to attention, shaking Dalia awake.

"Dalia, get the antidote now!" I tell her. We kept the lion lily in her bag to protect it. "We only have sixty seconds."

Lena helps me lie Soren flat. His eyes are rolled back into his head and he isn't breathing anymore. Dalia scrambles to her feet, ripping her bag open. She passes me the lion lily, and I pluck a petal from the flower.

Dalia helps hold Soren's mouth open as I delicately place the petal into his mouth. Closing his mouth, I pinch his nose closed as well.

As I'm doing this, Lena pulls up Soren's shirt to reveal that his entire torso is covered in black, ropy, veins. She recoils in disgust, and I reach down to drop his shirt so we don't have to look at it. I'm startled at how bad his condition is - he refused to let Dalia examine it. He's stubborn that way - he doesn't want people to worry about him even when he needs it.

The petal isn't working. "We need more," I tell the others. "Dalia, pass me another petal."

Robin, who's been standing away from Soren the whole time, speaks up. "Twenty, seconds, Lacie, come on!"

I place another petal into Soren's mouth, continuing the same process.

"It's working!" Dalia says excitedly. "Look at his neck!"

The black veins on Soren's neck are rapidly turning to a light blue color, followed by a shade of orange, and finally the shade of his skin as the coils recede down his body. It's very satisfying to watch, even more so because I know I've succeeded.

Soren suddenly gasps for air, coughing as the others sigh in relief.