Grain & Blood | A Hunger Games collection

Lucky

I guess I would call myself lucky. I survived the fall, and not only that but I also somehow managed to land in a tree growing out of the cliff. But the unlucky thing is that the careers might be suspicious when they don't hear my cannon and might even come down to check. It's a risk I can't take, which is why I need to create a sound loud enough to symbolise a cannon.
About 4 metres above me, on the edge of the cliff, I can hear voices.
"She'll be dead soon. If the fall doesn't kill her, her injuries will," Kamalyn says.
"And if she doesn't?" questions Crystal
"She will,"
"But, hypothetically, what if she doesn't?"
"Then you would go down and kill her, because you failed first time."
The tree sags beneath me so I carefully scoot along to a ledge in the cliff. Then the tree gives me an idea. It's very thin, and barely supported my weight when I was on it, so how hard would it be to send it crashing down into the canyon? The sheer cliffs would probably cause the sound to echo, creating the same kind of noise as a cannon would. Plus, I have the cover of darkness on my side.
I reach into my bag and pull out my sharpest knife. If I start now, I can finish it in a few minutes, which would reassure the careers. They don't know what's coming.
Surprisingly, the tree snaps almost immediately under my weight. I guess I did fall into it a minute ago, which would have weakened it.
I give it one final push and it collapses, crashing into the canyon.
The boom as it lands echoes all the way up to where I'm sitting, and higher.
"Was that her cannon?" asks Crystal.
"Yeah," confirms Rift.
I can just about hear their footsteps, leaving the edge and walking back into the forest.
Relieved, I let out a long sigh.
I take out my bottle of water and drink a few sips. I don't know how long I will be down here, so if I drink all 3 bottles now then I'll have nothing left for later. Energised, I shove the bottle back in my bag and take out a snack bar and an apple. After about a minute, both of them are eaten and I'm left with just the wrapper and the core. What do I do with them? I guess I could just leave them here, It's not like anyone would come down here voluntarily.
The sun starts slowly rising above the cliff. It's beautiful. Truly beautiful. This is the calmest it's been since the games started.
Robin would have loved to sit here with me, watching the sunrise. But he's gone, a fatality so upsetting that I can't even think about it.
Without even thinking, I let the tears form in my eyes, before wiping them away. I need to stay strong.
"I love you Robin," I shout.

I don't want to write an author's note. 

-Katherine