The blood on these hands (Clove Kentwell)

Chapter 10

    Iris stood there in the arena with blood all over her hands as a boy laid in front of her dead. She stood up and looked around to see people around her with knifes in their hands but she couldn't make out their faces. Every time she moved they did the same motion. She looked down at the boy on the ground. She gasped and fell to her knees next to the boy. Realization hit her, she had just killed a little boy. She didn't get a good look at his face until now and all she saw was Max's face covered in blood. She jumped backwards and scooted far away from him until she bumped into someone she looked behind her and saw her mother laying in the tall grass dead she jumped up ready to run but saw all those people around her she could very clearly see their faces now. It was her all of them were her. She started tearing up as she looked around and saw dead bodies everywhere of little boys and girls. All of the people suddenly disappeared leaving her all alone. "This is your fault." An unknowing voice said in the darkness. "What no I didn't do this." Iris said as she panicked. "This is all your fault!" The voice repeated. She could put a face to the voice now as her father came out of the darkness. "No dad I promise I didn't do this." Iris said as her father came closer. "You let me die Iris. You could've helped me. Now your gonna pay." Her father said as he got face to face with her. Iris tried to run but she couldn't move, her feet were like concrete. Her dad put his hand on her neck and started closing it. Iris started screaming when the pain hit her. Then she passed out.

      She woke up screaming as Gabe came running into the room. "I'm okay it was just a nightmare." Iris said out of breath. "It's okay I get them too." Gabe said still half asleep. "I'm sorry I woke you up, you can go back to bed." "Don't worry about it, goodnight." Have said as he went back to his room. Iris felt a pit of emptiness as he left the room. She laid back down trying to push the feeling away but she couldn't all she felt was loneliness. She sat back up and put her face in her hands then she heard the sound of her door opening. She looked up to see a scared Gabe. "Sorry to bother you again but I can't sleep alone, not tonight. Do you mind." "No I don't mind, I mean I can't sleep either so it would be good to have some company." Gabe came and sat on the other side of the bed but made sure to keep space between them. "I don't understand......" Iris trailed off. "What don't you understand." "Why?" "Why what?" "Why Snow wants kids dead why does he kill kids for the fun of it....... I wish he were dead I wish we were all dead then these stupid games wouldn't exist." Gabe reached for Iris's hand and squeezed it. Iris didn't even react as she felt his hand cover hers. She just felt numb, the realization that she was going to die the next day had set in, the realization that she was never going to see her mother and little Max again. Iris felt Gabe's arm wrap around her shoulder as he pulled her into his chest. She didn't feel like yelling at him or pushing him away so she just gave into him. As she laid on his chest she felt a sense of security when she was in his arms. She didn't cry she didn't even say anything to him she just closed her eyes and fell asleep in his arms.

     The next morning she woke up and looked around the room and she saw an arm wrapped around her waist. She internally panicked as she remembered what happened last night. She felt so guilty for giving into Gabe, she should've just told him to go away because all she is doing is playing with his heart. Iris didn't really like Gabe in that way right? She didn't know what to think anymore and she slowly got up trying not to wake Gabe up. "Hey where you going?" Gabe asked in his cute morning voice wait stop it's not cute. "I was just going to get ready then go and eat breakfast with everyone else." "Okay I'm right behind you." Iris and Gabe got up and went to the door. "Wait we can't go out together that would look bad." Iris said panicked. "Why would that look bad." Gabe asked stupidly. "Man you really are stupid." "Hey, I'm not stupid." "Just shutup and listen, so I am going to walk out and your going to stay in here for a little bit then once I talk and get them distracted your going to walk out. Got it." "Yeah." "Ok good." Iris opened the door and Gabe was practically trying to push Iris out of the way. "What are you doing?" Iris whisper shouted at Gabe. "What I am trying to go eat breakfast." "Did you hear any of my plan." "What plan?" Gabe asked stupidly. "Are you being serious? Stay." Iris said as she pushed him back into the room and walked out closing the door. Surprisingly he stayed in there and Iris went and sat at the table. "Oh look who's up before Gabe." Porter said in a cheery voice. "Actually could you go get him up we need to be down there by nine." Iris got up and went back to her bedroom and opened the door to find Gabe still standing at the door. "Okay now you can come." Iris said pulling him with her to the table. "Alright eat up like I said we are going down at nine so be ready." Porter repeated himself.

     They ate breakfast and got ready to go down with Porter. As the elevator went down not a word was said by anyone, all you heard was the ding of the elevator as each floor went by. When they finally got to the ground level Iris saw a hovercraft waiting for all the tributes to board. Porter turned to both Gabe and Iris to say his goodbyes. "I believe in both of you just remember the basics and you should be fine." Porter hugged them both. "Don't die and stay alive." Porter said as he gave a little salute then headed back towards the elevator. As they both entered the hovercraft there were only two seats left, one next to Psycho and one in front of Clove. Iris and Gabe looked at each other then Gabe sighed taking the seat next to Cato letting Iris sit infront of Clove. Iris took her seat then looked over at Gabe and mouthed the words "thank you." Gabe just smiled at her with his cute- stop no not cute very not cute. Iris looked at Clove and without disappointment she was met with those soft brown eyes. Iris could easily get lost in them but remembered what Porter had said about Clove just using her so she broke the eye contact to look back at Gabe. She saw clove frown out of the corner of her eye but Iris still didn't look at her not wanting to give into this feeling she was having. Gabe was pretty occupied with something so Iris just closed her eyes ready for this all to be over.

Iris felt a woman grab her arm and jerk it towards her then she was injected with something. "What is that?" Iris asked not caring how stupid she must've sounded. "Your tracker." The woman said as she moved onto the next tribute. Iris looked down at her arm but to her surprise there was no mark or sign that she had ever been injected with anything. She looked up catching Cloves eyes staring at her she gave her a fake smile then looked away, Iris saw the Clove just looked down not returning the smile so Iris decided to drift off to sleep again to pass the time.

Iris woke up some time later as the hovercraft landed and she was ushered out by peacekeepers. They put her in this little room with a tube and just walked out. A few minutes later Tigress walked in, relief washed over Iris when she saw her. Iris jumped up and gave Tigress a hug as Tigress hugged her back. Tigress pulled back from the hug and got a black hooded jacket off of a hanger and put if on Iris. "I have faith in you." Tigress said as she put the jacket on Iris. "Thank you-" "20 seconds." A voice that came over the speaker scared Iris as she was cut off. Tigress pulled her into one last hug before letting her go in the tube. Iris stepped into the tube and it closed behind her, she turned around and looked at Tigress with fear as the tube started going up. Tigress saluted her telling her good luck as the tube went up.

It was so bright Iris's eyes took a second to adjust as she was met with many other scared tributes on pedestals next to her in one big circle. 5...
The time ticked down slower than anything Iris had ever seen.
4...
Just stay calm Iris
3...
Remember what Porter told you
2...
Don't go in the cornucopia, find water instead
1...
It's go time
The horn sounded as all the tributes ran in different directions.

(Thank you so much for 100 reads it really means a lot! And I hope you are enjoying the story please feel free to comment any suggestions. Alright thank you bye!)