Ashes in the Snow

Seventeen

Bianca, Tate, and I are all together training. Tate has shown me how to use an axe better, which I really appreciate. I do think with the three of us together, we're going to make it far. I see the mentors all coming through the door, ready to talk about strategy with their tributes.

"Break his neck," Tate says to me, walking away. She knows I'm pissed.

Coriolanus and I lock eyes. His look so sweet piercing into mine and I already know mine look like pure rage. We walk up towards each other and he still seems so happy to see me.

"So we need to talk strategy-" I cut him off.

"Yes I think we do Coriolanus. Do you want to start off by telling me your strategy, which was to act like you cared about me?"

There is pure fire behind my words. He looks at me with shock in his eyes. I was never suppose to find this out.

"Ashe, please let me explain."

"I don't want anything to do with you," I say, getting closer to his face. "You are dead to me." I whisper.

I feel heartbroken. I feel more betrayed now than I did when Eric cheated on me. I feel like an idiot. I feel like an idiot for thinking some capitol school boy would actually care for me and I'm an idiot for thinking we could have a future together after this. That we could live together in our mansion and I never have to feel hungry again, or feel filthy from a weeks work, or even the possibility of children because I wouldn't have to fear them being reaped. I feel like everything I had hoped for was taken from me in only an instant.

I walk away from him and I hear him yell, "Ashe, wait!"

The loud blast had my body thrown forward a little bit. I am on the ground and I just hear ringing in my ears. I look around and all I see is dust from the rubble. I can faintly hear people screaming. There had been an explosion. Somebody must have bombed the training center. There's fire in some areas of the training center.

After the dust has settled a little, I scan the room looking for people. I see a lot of tributes running. The peacekeepers are chasing people and escorting some of the mentors out.

Where is Coriolanus?

I try to find him and see him across the room. It looks like there's a boulder on his arm. He is laying there on his stomach in pain. He can't get up with the boulder on him. I can faintly hear him yelling for help. I get up and run over it him. He sees me standing over him and I can see his eyes pleading for me to help. I grab the boulder and try to pull it off of him with all the strength I have. It's a heavy boulder, but I'm able to get it off of his arm. I fall on my knees, grabbing him, trying to get him up. He grabs my hand with his other arm and looks up at me, squeezing it tighter. I can feel the fear in him grip. I can see the thankfulness in his eyes.

I feel someone grab me from behind, pulling me from Coriolanus. Our hands let go and I hear him yell, "no!" I can see the fear in his eyes and I know he can see the fear in mine. Whoever has me is pulling me away from him, closer to the door. I can see his arm still reaching out towards me, and mine to his. I'm kicking and screaming and trying to do anything to listen their grip, but nothing works.

I'm thrown into a van and I see the other tributes, including Bianca and Tate.

"What's happening?" I ask.

"The peacekeepers rounded us up and are taking us to god knows where," Tate replied.

After driving for a little while, the van stops. We all look at each other, frightened and confused. The peacekeepers open the door and grab us out, escorting us to a new building. We're all thrown into a little room someone asks, "what's going on?" Sounding afraid.

One of the peacekeepers looked at us with sympathy in his eyes. "The hunger games are beginning."

We all look at each other, confused and afraid. Some people start crying. That's how I feel in the inside, like crying. I thought we had three days. The bombing must have changed everything. I wonder how Coriolanus is. Even though I'm very angry with him, I don't want him to die. I hope he feels the same way about me...