Stay with me, always.

Chapter 18. Rain

They finally shot the cannons off two hours into the Games, we watched as Soarynn and her little posse stopped, silently counting as the rounds went off. "I counted eight," Soarynn said, looking at Arabella who nodded. "Better them than us," Leo said, running ahead of them looking for more acorns to collect. "He seems to be handling this well," Soarynn remarked, "I think he thinks this is a game," Arabella said, "he hasn't taken anything seriously since we got here." Soarynn hums in agreement, "I was the same for a while when I first got to the Capitol, it's a lot to process."

Before Arabella can respond Leo comes running back to them, "Are you gonna marry that boy with the white hair?" He says putting his hands on his hips. White hair? I'm a natural blonde! People pay for this color. Sejanus is trying to cover up his laugh with a cough as he looks at my pissed-off face. Soarynn smiles at him, "I was supposed to," she says poking him, "and his hair is blonde, not white, he'll have a heart attack if you call it white." Well, I'll be damned. The trio continues their trek through the woods, clearly looking for shelter before the sun sets. "You'd think we might see some smoke," Arabella said looking around, "or at least smell some." Soarynn brushed her fingers on the nearest tree she was walking by, "Hmm, the bark is damp," she said, rubbing her fingers. "What's that supposed to mean?" Leo asks, turning around and walking backward.

"It means it's been raining in this arena before we even got here," Soarynn says. "It also means stop walking like that before you fall over," Arabella said, rolling her eyes. Leo stuck his tongue out but humored her and turned back around. It's after that when we first get to see Jessup. He's not ugly like I wanted him to be, he's got a rugged look to him, short brown hair that hangs just above his brow, a decent build, and he's got a lot of baggage. He's carrying what looks to be a duffle bag on his back like a backpack, he's also gone shoeless and is carrying the biggest hunting knife I've ever seen. And he's making this look like a walk in the park. He's also got not one but two bows slung across his back with at least five quivers of arrows. He seems determined to get to wherever he's going, not even stopping when the cannons go off.

The screen turns to Lucky Flickerman who's giving out the weather forecast, "Hey there folks! Looks like the weather and the fighting is cooling down, so now might be a good time to head home, make some dinner and tune in tonight because it looks like rain!" Well great, I think, I get to go back home and deal with my parents while Soarynn is running around with the District Six crew. Standing up, I look down at Sejanus who's watching Lucky do some balancing act with sticks and plates. "Come over for dinner?" I ask him hopefully, he shakes his head as he rises from the couch, "I ought to head home," he says. "Ma will be worried about me, she always gets stressed around the Hunger Games."

I nod looking over at my own Mother who's having to hold onto Lavender for support as she downs her tenth drink of the day, "Yeah, mine too," I say looking at him, "well, thank you for coming," I say reaching my hand out. He takes it, giving it a firm shake. "Of course, Coryo, will I be seeing you at school tomorrow?" I shake my head, "Not until this is over, I don't want to miss a thing." Sejanus laughs as he walks towards the exit, "Then how are you gonna sleep?" He asks, raising his eyebrow. I point to my drawn-on eyebags, "I haven't been sleeping, remember?" Shaking his head, he bids me goodbye as he walks out to his family car waiting to take him home. "Well he seems nice," Eudora says, walking up behind me. I nod, "He's a good kid," she hums in agreement as we watch the crowd of sponsors and viewers walk to their cars to go home for the night. "I'm surprised no one's been sent a gift yet," I say, watching two children run by with plastic swords. "Oh, that rarely ever happens this early on dear," Eudora says, looking back into the booth to see the rest of our party making its way out. I wonder what Soarynn needs, I think. Some sponsors send things like antibiotics for injuries or weapons, some just send water. It's all about what the Tributes need to survive.