Sunshine - A Hunger Games Story

12| Surprise

We all wake up in the span of half an hour. Floyd's stomach grubbles and Faith point out that they haven't eaten since the first night. The traps are still empty. We all agreed to split up into two groups to search for food and to meet back up at the maple tree we slept at in a few hours. I reluctantly hand over one of our swords for the district 5 group to be able to protect themselves. Henri gets the trident and I keep my sword and carry our backpack.

As we search the forest, all of the bushes with berries that we had picked from before are without any berries. "This is where we found them before, isn't it?"

"I think so."

An hour of looking later, Faith comes up behind us to tell us that Floyd found something. We jog over to a tall oak tree and see Floyd starting to climb up it. Growing off the trunk of the tree are large clusters of mushrooms.

"Are you sure they are safe to eat?"

"Yes, they are oyster mushrooms, the ones you can buy at the market. I'm positive they're safe to eat," Faith explains.

Accepting this information as fact, I help Henri climb the tall tree before following to one of the higher branches with a good sturdy branch to sit on. I pull out the small knife from the bag and use it to cut some off the tree. I hand the first cluster I get to Floyd and the next to Faith seeing as they haven't eaten in longer than me and Henri. Floyd makes an 'mmm' sound in enjoyment.

As I am passing a few mushrooms to Faith, I see Floyd fall from the tree and topple to the ground. Henri screams and Faith yells as his body speeds to the ground, almost in slow motion. His form hits the ground upside down resulting in a sickening crack of his neck. A cannon booms. Floyd Glenn of district 5 is dead.

"No one eat the mushrooms," exclaim over top of Faith's sobs. "Henri, don't look."

We slowly get down from the tree, stepping around the dead boy's body. My heart clenches at the sight. I know him. This death is real, unlike the mutts of my loved ones. The highly intelligent, observant and talented boy from district 5 known by the name of Floyd Glenn is dead. He's not coming back. Never going to see his family again, never going to get back to his girlfriend Annabeth. His body is lifted up by a crane from a Capital plane.

The remaining members of our group walk off together. Partially in search of food, the other part to get the images of Floyd's crumpled body off our minds.

Faith's blue eyes shine in the light. They are bright blue with the light reflecting off of them just right. Her dark brown hair is frizzy as it starts to fall out of her ponytail. The mud still smeared on her face and clothing is starting to flake off with clean tear trails down her cheek. I admire her strength to keep going after a close friend just died.

Eventually we find a few small creatures eating some grasses and Faith soundlessly assembles a slingshot as she had done in the training room. I supply her with a few of the hair bands from my hair. Soon we have a dead fox and a dead rabbit cooking on a fire.

We only eat one and put out the fire before I hear voices further in the woods. I gesture to Faith and Henri to follow me. I pick up my weapons (sword and trident) and slowly walk over to where the voices have sat down facing opposite us.

"We really need to find some food, Sydney." District 4.

When I'm close enough, I grab Sydney and pull her into a headlock with my sword at her throat. "Don't move or else," I say as I see Rhett reach for his sword.

"Don't-"

"Be careful what you say."

"You wouldn't kill her. You don't have it in you."

"You should ask the district 3 girl about that-oh wait, she's dead." I pause before adding, "My offer still stands." The offer of working together.

Rhett gulps. "What are my options?"

"You work with us, we give you your specialty weapon and split the food we have. Or, we kill you now before you can kill us later." That was too harsh. I'm not like that, this isn't me. Would I actually kill him?

"And Sydney?"

"We let her decide if she wants to stick with us or fair it out on her own. She never declined my offer before."

"Rhett, take the offer dumbass," Sydney says. I lower my sword from her neck and hold out the trident to Rhett. He reaches for it, but I pull it back.

"You have to say you agree."

"Fine, I agree. I'll help you twirps until you all die from your terrible negotiating skills."

"I think it went smoothly, to be honest," Faith says.

"It was a good technique."

"Sydney! You're supposed to be on my side," Rhett pouts. "9, did you actually kill the girl from 3?"

"No, she died from some water monster that has only come out at night so far."

When settling down for bed that evening, the weather cools off significantly. We had refilled out water bottles and eaten the rest of the fox. letting Sydney, Faith, and Rhett take most of it. The anthem plays and Floyd's face is displayed in the sky. Henri holds up a 3 finger salute, a display of respect, admiration, and good-bye. We all follow him in the gesture. I stay up for the first watch, fearful of my nightmares playing images of me stabbing Tyson or decapitating Dominic over and over. At 3:30 -ish I wake Rhett up for his turn. Hopefully this will be over soon and I'll get to sleep peacefully in some sort of heaven. Or maybe hell.