ＷＩＴＳ | ＭＡＲＶＥＬ ＨＵＮＧＥＲ ＧＡＭＥＳ ✅

ｔｗｅｎｔｙｆｏｕｒ

 Two days have passed since the completion of the minefield, and Rye has been on edge ever since.

Whenever anyone wants some of the food from the pyramid of food they created, they take turns skipping through the field to get the item they desire. Even though Rye did it the first to show the path(almost peeing herself along the way) she still has to turn away whenever Chase does it. He's clumsy and a few times almost stepped right on top of one. And since Cato or Clove never wants to grab his own things, it ends up on Chase's plate. He can't die, not yet. Someone else needs to blow up the pyramid, and it can't be him.

"What's going on in your head?" Rye looks away from the tree line, spotting Marvel. "You've been out of it for a while," he says. He hands her a bottle.

"I'm just waiting," she admits, taking a few sips of the water. It moistens her parched throat.

"For what?"

"You'll know," she says. She downs some more of his water before handing it back to him. "Why do you ask?" her question makes him look away, his cheeks becoming a light pink.

"I was just wondering," he coughs out, looking at trees just like Rye was doing.

Neither of them has talked much since that night on watch. Whenever she did try to talk to him, he would never look her in the eyes, and he would always go somewhere else if Chase were near. And whenever that happened she swore she heard him mumble "dog" under his breath. And whenever she heard it she would grin the tiniest of grins.

"Sit down for a second," she says, patting the crate she's on.

"I'm kind of-"

"Don't say you're busy 'cause we know it's not true." she looks up at him, watching his face become even brighter pink. After a moment though he sits down, leaving some space between the two. "You all are just waiting for something to happen," she chuckles, twirling her sword into the dirt.

 "Well, what did you want to talk about?" he questions, giving her a pointed look. She simply shrugs, not having a clue. "So you made me sit with you for nothing?"

 "I'm bored too man. I just want these games to be over. I want to go home," she sighs. She stabs her sword into the dirt, allowing herself to lean back on her hands. "Tell me your happiest memory."

 "What? Why?" Again she shrugs, making Marvel scoff. "Come on."

 "I'm nosy," she admits. "I helps me get to know who you are."

 "Get to know what?" Cato walks over, Clove hot on his tail.

 "I was just wondering what Marvel's happiest memory was."

 "Is this another get-to-know-you type of thing?" Clove asks, sitting on the grass across from Rye.

 "I was trying to pass the time." She pauses before adding, "Plus I'm nosy."

 "Alright," Cato groans, moving to sit beside Clove, "I'll bite. My happiest memory was-"

 "Don't say volunteering for the games," Rye cuts him off. He gives her an annoyed look before sighing.

 "Okay," he draws out, an airy laugh coming from Clove. "My other happiest moment was..." he trails off. "It's when first defeated my father in a fight."

 "How come?" Marvel asks.

 "His dad was the main instructor in the training facility," Clove answers. "He said if you could defeat him you'd become a victor."

 "And that's what I did. And I'm one step closer," Cato says, a sinister grin on his lips.

  "What about you, Clover?"

 "When I killed my first animal. It was this big snake a couple feet long. I got in trouble because I had weapons outside the training facility, but it was the first time I really knew what I was doing." Her eyes gleamed at the thought. Rye swallowed dryly, a chuckle escaping her.

 "We don't really have snakes where we live. It's mostly big cockroaches." The three careers eyes her. 

 "A cockroach?" Marvel asks.

 "Yeah they're like this big," she says indicating their length with her hands. "They crawl around the factory floors all the time. Sometimes all over our workstations."

 "That sounds disgusting," Cato adds, his face scrunching up in disgust.

 "You should see what happens when you step on one. It just everywhere," she says, watching as the three just stare at her repulsed. 

 "Please tell me you stepping on one isn't your happiest memory?" Marvel asks looking a bit queasy. Rye laughs, shaking her head.

 "No. It's when I first when I go to the winter festival with my brother. The factories close for the day and we get to eat some free food and play in the snow. It's a dream come true." Marvel watches as stares off into the distance, a smile on her face while her eyes become cloudy at the memory. It takes a moment for her to come back down to Earth. She looks over at Marvel and says, "Now it's your turn, Marvel," she says, elbowing him gently, a soft grin on his face. His face becomes a soft pink as he stutters out the beginning of his sentence. 

 "Well it's-um-"

 "Um, guys?" Chase gains their attention, Marvel with a look of annoyance across his face. "There's a fire."