The Hunger Games

12

Thank the Angel, he had been smart enough to secure himself to the tree beforehand. He had rolled sideways and was now facing the floor, tied to the strong branch, held in place by the belt, one hand and his feet straddling the pack inside, braced against the trunk.

There must have been some rustling as he had slipped sideways, but the Careers had been too caught up in their own argument to catch it.

"Go on, then, 12." Said the boy from District 2, "See for yourself."

He just got a glimpse of Maia, lit by a torch, heading to the girl by the fire. She didn't look too well. She had a bandage wrapped around her arm and a blackened bruise on her cheek. She seemed to be limping, even.

Alec remembered her shaking her head, telling him not to go into the fight for the supplies, when all along, she had been planning to throw herself into the thick of things. Exactly what Magnus had told them not to do.

It was understandable, wanting all those supplies. But, teaming up with the Careers, to hunt down the rest of them? No one from District 12 had ever done such a thing! Career Tributes were the Clave's lapdogs, universally hated by everyone but those from their own districts.

Alec could already imagine the things they were saying back in District 12 about both him and Maia, now. With his coming out and Maia's teaming up, they probably were the tributes with the lowest chances of survival and success in the entirety of the history of the Games.

Why was Maia even with them?

The Career Tributes were silent until Maia was out of ear shot. Then, hushed voices began speaking.

"Why don't we just kill her now and get it over with?"

"Let her tag along. What's the harm? And she's handy with that knife."

She was? That was news to Alec. She was learning an awful lot about her friend Maia, today.

"Besides, she's our best chance of finding of him."

It took Alec a moment to register that the "him" they were referring to was, in fact, him.

"Why? Because they're allies? You think we all bought that?"

"People might have. Seemed pretty simple to me. Every time I think about his interview I want to puke."

"Wish we knew how he got that eleven."

"Bet you 12 knows."

The sound of Maia coming back silenced them.

"Was she dead?"

"No. But she is now," said Maia, as the cannon fired. "Ready to move on?"

The Careers set off at a run right as dawn began to break. Alec remained in his awkward position for a while longer, muscles trembling with exertion, before he finally pulled himself back up on to the branch. He had to go down and get going, but first he needed to process what he had just heard.

Not only was Maia with the Careers, she was also helping them find him. The gay boy from District 12 who had to be taken seriously because he had gotten an eleven. Because he knew how to use a bow and arrows. Which Maia knew better than anyone.

Had she told them yet? Was she saving that information because she knew it was what was keeping her alive? Was she pretending for the audience? What was going on in her head?

Suddenly, the birds went silent. Then one gave a high-pitched warning call. A single note. Just like the one Alec and Jace had heard when the redheaded Downworlder girl was caught. High above the dying campfire, a hovercraft materialized. It retrieved the body of the dead girl and it vanished. The birds resumed their songs.