Sharp Objects

chapter twenty four

For the next day or so, we do a huge load of nothing. We celebrate the fact that we are still alive by building a huge fire and cooking a deer ( that Marvel and I manage to take down when it strode into the camp). The least that follows I'd brilliant, and it feels like the first fun I've had in ages. Even maverick, who is still wary of us intimidating careers,joins in the celebration.

For just a moment,I feel as if I can forget about everything that is going on: I can forget my life, and I'm pretty much inescapable destiny of my untimely death, for a while and just focus on having as much fun as possible. I'm living this day as if it were my last.

I feels like years ago since first said that to cato,the night before we came into the arena . I hope he still remembers it, because I think it is quite important and it deserves to be remembered: if we're going to die tomorrow, then today we live life to the full.

But, when I wake up after another night of reckless and joyful celebrations, I wake to shouting. Cato's and Marvel's shouting. That single sound of two combined voice catapults my brain out of blissful happiness of the last 24 hours and back into reality: we are in the fight to the death , and it's unlikely I'm going to survive.

Yes, celebrating and partying was a good idea, but we're not the only hunters in this place. There are still about 6 oponents left to get a rid of before I start the horrible task of having to pick of my friends. I was hoping that it wouldn't come to that, and that somebody else would kill them,so I wouldn't have to souls my allies weighing down on my shoulder for the rest of my life. The souls of people that, if we weren't in the arena,I would have protection.

But I can't think about that right now.right now,I have to focus on getting out for bed and finding out exactly what my two fellow careers are screaming about.I open my eyes, and immediately have to shut them again: the sun is so bright that it almost blinds me.

I must have been asleep longer than I thought.

I could be around midday,but I won't know till I get up and go outside properly. I think cato and Marvel are somewhere on the other side of the supplie pile, but I can't be sure because I'm still under the canopy.

I quickly stand up, tucking my knife I keep under my pillow at night into one of the remaining spaces in my jacket. The other knife was taken by fire girl on the first day of the arena.

It quickly occurs to me that, without that knife, fire girl wouldn't have been able to drip that tracker jacker nest on us. After that thought hits my brain, I'm not happy anymore. I walk over to my supplies in annoyed silence.

But the time I reach them, the shouting argument has seemed to have died down a little. Cato is still grinding his teeth as he speaks, but Marvel's voice is calm now, and maverick sounds a lot less panicked.

" hey guy, what exactly was all the shouting about?" I say, approaching them with caution and standing strategically between cato and maverick to avoid and possible re-match. Cato glares over my head at our district 3 companion, then begins

" morning,clove. We were just discussing the minefield, and exactly how reliable it is" his gase sharpens when he says 'how' and even I find myself beginning to cower over the frozen icy stare,then I realise who it is that annoyed, and have to stop myself from laughing: cato can get mad pretty quickly, but he gets over it eventually.

He's probably just bored: we haven't encountered another tribute since fore girl dropped the nest, and that's sure to be  still annoying the hell out of him.

I can't Imagine why. The girl outscored him in training, wiped us off the map in terms of the favourites to win,and completely outsmarted us. What on earth is there to be annoyed about?