𝓕𝓲𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓵𝔂 - (𝓕.𝓞𝓭𝓪𝓲𝓻)

08.

vol i
☼ chapter eight ☼

Theia doesn't know how long she's been asleep for when she wakes. She's dripping with sweat, the heat is unbearable, and she knows she has to find water before the effects of dehydration set in.

She repacks her things, inspects her surroundings, and then climbs down from the tree. It's too far to travel back to the marshland or even the lake; she has no choice but to continue on.

For what seems like hours, she walks aimlessly through the forest, trying to locate trails or particularly green patches of vegetation that would indicate a water source, but she seems to have no luck. As the day wears on, she can feel her head aching. It's far too humid; exhaustion is creeping its way into her system.

She feels herself slump against some rocks, her eyes closing. The faint sound of water causes them to snap open again. Pulling herself over the edge and peering down, she's elated to see a stream.

She's scrambling to reach it, pulling the metal flask and the iodine bottle out of her pack. She tilts the flask, carefully collecting from the surface. Holding her hands in the stream, she observes the water. The clarity is clear as opposed to cloudy, meaning it's much safer to drink and only needs five drops of iodine to purify it. She shakes the flask, mixing it, and has no choice but to wait the tortuous thirty minutes before it's drinkable.

Theia waits longer than she needs to, with no way to judge how much time has passed. It is better to be on the safe side, with numerous infections being possible with untreated water. Atala's words ring clear in her head.

Once she deems that it has been long enough, she lets herself drink. Taking one swallow, she made herself wait. Then another, gradually finishing the two-litre flask. She prepares the flask again, taking in as much water as she can, before refilling it for the third time. By then, it had started to get dark, and she knew she needed to haul herself up into a tree for the night—there wasn't enough coverage on the forest floor.

After securing the rope again, Theia allows herself to eat the small loaf of bread in her pack. She had saved it, not eating anything the past two days. Ironically, she was almost thankful she had such a small stomach, courtesy of the lacklustre provisions in her home district. Now that she had no more food, she would have to search or hunt instead.

Hearing music, she looks up to see the seal of the Capitol floating in the sky again. But this time only one face is shown: the girl from District 7. She was sure that the Careers had allied with each other, forming a group to hunt the others down. It was probably what caused the girl's demise. She had to make sure that it wouldn't cause hers.

~

Theia spends the next two days collecting edible fruits, leaves, twigs, bark, and the roots of plants. The knowledge she gained from Beetee's books has been invaluable. It's enough to give her the basic nutrients, but she knows she needs a source of protein. She could hunt and set some traps; she was capable, sure, but most game was not safe to eat raw, and she was not willing to light a fire and risk giving her position away. For now, she was reasonably safe, tucked away in the trees and out of sight in the evenings.

The third day of the games had occurred with no casualties, and she was sure the capitol spectators were rather disappointed. It was hard not to notice the camera following her; she supposed she was boring to watch, simply scavenging.