DESTINED ✧ F. ODAIR

[ 23 ]

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CHAPTER 23
❝ SCORCH ❞

"WHAT THE hell was that?" Cabel said, frowning at the sound of the explosion that occurred right as the sun rose. Athena rolled over, her eyes empty as she replied, uninterested, "Probably just another tribute dying."

However, the response just made the two others more puzzled as they realised how loud it was compared to the past sounds of canons that signalled the death of another child. Standing up, Valentina climbed the base of the tree she was beside to get a better view. The bark of the wood pressed into the palms of her skin as she pushed herself up to the sturdiest branch and squinted.

In the distance of the slowly fading night, her eyes laid on a fireworks of flames erupting from the top of the mountain they were seeking refuge in just a few days ago. The beautiful light show spread fear through her body as she climbed down as quickly as she could.

"Volcano. Holy shit it's a volcano."

Athena frowned and picked up her spear and pouch that carried the little amount of berries they had left, "Do you think it's going to reach this far?"

Silently, Cabel observed their surroundings before he pointed towards the direction of the cornucopia.

"We should probably go towards the center of the arena," he paused for a moment as he grabbed the curved blade that Opal left behind, "We should hurry, we're pretty close to the mountains so it won't be long until it reaches us." In their moment of panic, Athena and Valentina missed the glint of understanding that flashed through his eyes. The two followed him through the maze of trees that aligned with the river before it eventually led them back to the meadow.

The stream of water slowly got smaller until it died off once the tall grass reached their necks. The feeling of it tickling their necks made their skin crawl with an anxious feeling as they plowed their way through the plains. The strange tranquility of the quiet journey only made them more alert, as they were fully aware that this cruel game they are in can turn on them at any moment. The number of tributes that were left is sitting in the back of their mind as they contemplated what to do next. The idea of the approaching end haunted them, the fear of having to kill their friends gripping at their throats.

For the first time since they sought off for the cornucopia since sunrise, Valentina took a look back towards where they came from as a form of nostalgia. In her desperate attempt to seek some form of familiarity, she only saw the sight of the trees being knocked down slowly in a distance that was not too far from them. "Shit."

Pushing the backs of the others, she rushed them to go forward, "Run, it's coming. Fast."

Learning from their mistakes, Cabel and Athena didn't hesitate to take off, not bothering to look at what caused the girl to become so frantic. The last time they quenched their curiosity, her friend died, and they weren't about to follow the same fate.

As the group, that was only a half of what they started out with, made their way through the tall grass, the camera panned out to check on another tribute. His tanned dark skin was glowing with sweat as he hid behind the walls of the cornucopia. The bandage that wrapped tightly around his thigh bled as it tried to cover the healing wound. He grit his teeth, pulling the mace out of the girl he knew to be from the farm down the street from his family's home. His eyes lacked remorse when her blood sprayed on his face. Looking down at her distorted body, he could barely recognise her disfigured face anymore due to how badly he attacked her.

Boom.

"Sorry," he stated sarcastically, bringing up his elbow at an attempt to wipe off the blood that ended up on his cheek, "We can't play allies anymore, there's only a few of us left."

Crouching down, he pulled open her jacket and reached into her inner pocket. Pulling out the ointment bottle, he grinned and pulled open the cap with his teeth. Unravelling the bandage, he revealed a nasty infected stab wound that sat underneath. Using this ointment, he spread it on top of the infested wound and hissed at the cold feeling that shot pain up his leg.

After a bit, he heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of the wound healing over. The capsules of pus easing down into his skin to leave a small scar as if the wound was never there. Bitter, he mumbled under his breath mockingly, "No, Cyrus, we have to save this for emergencies." He scoffed, "My ass, you just wanted me dead."

With a sneer, he dug the sole of his boot into the girl's hand which caused a loud crunch to echo against the steel walls of the cornucopia. He kicked her body one last time and watched as the dead weight rolled a few feet against the grass. He rolled his eyes at the pathetic sight before spitting into the ground, "Serves you right."

Cyrus sits down under the shade of the cornucopia, picking up a nearby backpack and searching through its contents. Pulling out a water bottle, he chugs it. After a few moments, a burning feeling crawls up his throat as he chokes and is strangled by heat. His skin crawls and his vision blur. His body falls back and his head bangs against the steel wall, slowly leaving behind a trail of blood.

Boom.

At the sound of silence, a tribute who was camouflage in the dirt smiles wickedly and stands up. She picks up the water bottle and poured out the rest of the contents. Where the water spills, the grass wilts, turning a sickly brown colour.

"That's District 11's tribute, if I'm correct," Caesar muses as they pan in on the sight of the barren patch of grass, "It looks like she's been hiding out and poisoning all the food at the cornucopia. What a clever girl."

Claudius hummed a response as he grimaced at the realistic looking paint that dried on her cheeks to resemble dirt. Her face was hollow and her dark skin was dry and ashy underneath. "What's her name again?"

His friend chuckled at his reaction of the unpleasant sight before looking at his notes and providing an answer, "Tianna Quagmire. If I recall, she's quite young, just twelve years old." A recap of her reaping played on the screen behind them. Her hand shaking as she walked up on the stage but she flashed a quirky and confident smile. The audience cheered for her bold look that juxtaposed her age. "She scored a fantastic 9 by the gamemakers which is an incredible feat for District 11."

Her skin glowed golden under the sunlight and her curly dark hair was pulled back beautifully into braids. The young girl's smile as she talked to Caesar in her interview played on the screen behind them, alluring the crowd with her charisma.

"If I say so myself, I'd say she's a carbon copy of Panem's Angel personality-wise. Look at her beautiful smile," Caesar admired, "Young and a fighter. What an interesting game we have in our hands." The video of Tianna fades back to showing a sky-view of the arena that marks the tributes as numbers on the map. The approaching trio towards the cornucopia excites the crowd as they begin to chatter loudly.

"On the other hand, we have the other Willow sibling on his way," Caesar cheered with a smile, laughter boisterously booming in his chest, "Such a fun bunch. It seems we're approaching the end of this year's game very soon."