The Daughter of the Sea

▬▬ 𝟏𝟎 ∙ 𝝩𝗵𝗲 𝝜𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽

˚✩ ⋆｡ ✩┊ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 ┊✦ ˚ · .

▬▬ 10 ∙ 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜

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The longer I stayed outside, the more exposed I was to the other tributes, especially since I was busy looking for my fellow ally. The chance that someone would sneak up from behind me and finish me off was too high; yet, I proceeded with my perilous search. Mila wasn't anywhere to be found, and I became worried that she hadn't even survived the bloodbath.

The cannons began to sound, one loud boom after another. I counted the number in my head: 13. 13 have fallen during the bloodbath, more than half, and three are at my hand of me.

Suddenly, I caught a slight rustle of the bushes in front of our designated house out of the corner of my eye. The relief washed over me like a wave that crashed over a surfer who bungled their attempt. It wasn't very noticeable, but it was enough to let me know where Mila was hiding. I tiptoed over and parted the leaves to reveal Mila shriveled up in a small ball, smiling when she saw me. "Hi, Lia. Is it ok if I call you Lia? Cordelia is just soooo long," she whined as I helped her get up and she shook the leaves off her clothes. Although we've only known each other for a few days, Mila is already seeming a lot like a younger sister I never had.

"Usually I prefer Cory but I guess that works too," I replied with a grin, even though we were in the Hunger Games and in danger every second. "Come on, I expect the Careers will begin searching for tributes soon." At the mention of the Careers, she looks serious and rushes to the entrance. "Wait for me!" I called.

We went into the house, slowly opening the creaking door. It was relatively small but had a working fridge and sink. "We could store our food here. Is it safe to stay here?"

"There's no lock on the door," Mila observed, leaning over. "Anyone could get in and kill us in our sleep. It's not necessarily ideal either."

"It's too dangerous to be staying here," I muttered. "Wasn't there a second floor?"

"Yes, but no way up. No staircase or anything."

"Wait here," I say, the lightbulb turning on.

I quietly tiptoed to the back and found an open window a floor up. I looked around for a source of inspiration and found it in the darkness behind me. Searching in the forest, I selected a sturdy tree branch and used one of my knives to truncate it.

"Mila," I whispered, not knowing if she had heard, and began to sneak back to the front, but she joined me at the back before I made a move. "Wow, you have amazingly good hearing."

"We have to keep our ears sharp in District 12," is all she said. "So what's the plan?"

"We use this stick," I said, holding up the branch and propping it against the wall. The sheer weight of it knocks me off balance. "To climb up. You can go first while I keep watch just in case."

Mila nodded and began to climb up the branch, occasionally planting her feet against the wall for better traction. I held the branch for her until she made it up and pulled herself in. Standing on the tips of my toes, I handed over first the basket of food, then the bottle of water to Mila, who reached down to retrieve both, nearly falling.

"Woah!" she shouted in surprise as her body tipped dangerously down. She managed to rock back with food in hand. "That was close."

"I'm coming up now!" I notified her. She grabbed the stick to keep it steady and I shimmied up. Soon, the two of us managed to reach the top. I grabbed the branch, the end grazing the leaves of the closest trees, and hurled it into the forest with all of my might. "I guess the training with the spear paid off," I laughed as the stick disappeared inside the layers of leaves, creating a thudding sound as the branch hit the soil. "That was satisfying. If you ever have anger issues, just throw branches around!"