Hope

CHAPTER SEVEN

Abigail bit down hard on her shirt to conceal the cries of agony she felt.

It had been three days since she entered the arena for the 73rd Hunger Games. Abigail Gray was not shocked to find that Ronan had joined the Careers. She also wasn't shocked that they made it their top priority to kill her.

But, what did shock the girl was how well Ronan read her.

The arena was seventy percent water—Abigail assumed it was because Ronan was a favorite. Sure, she was from District 4, and while she was not favored to win by President Snow, he must not have realized that the water does not favor Ronan, but Abigail.

Abigail was the one who worked on the water. Rather odd, indeed, for the girl, but Ronan came from a much wealthier family. They owned the market; Ronan did not swim well at all.

Therefore, it was smartest for Abigail to stay near the water. Sure, it wasn't freshwater and therefore Abigail couldn't drink it, but it provided cover so she didn't have to watch her back.

Most knew that, but Ronan knew Abigail well enough to know that she would avoid contact wherever possible.

In other words, Abigail Gray stayed in one place.

Once the Careers killed off the easy ones, they went after her next, when they were most powerful.

And Abigail wasn't smart enough to avoid it.

It was why she found herself laying on the beach in so much pain she couldn't bear it—Ronan had trapped her and bested her in combat, and at it he managed to steal her makeshift spear and struck her abdomen.

Abigail didn't think she had much time left, but adrenaline got her far. Though there was no island in sight, Abigail had no other choice. She went into the water and swam away, knowing they wouldn't follow.

She would either drown or find refuge, and Abigail had found the latter.

It was how she managed to escape the Careers, as no one else knew this island existed. She was safe, for the time being.

In her small pack, there was access to some first aid, and Abigail did the best she could to bandage it. She hadn't swam about a mile and a half, so she was out of sight, but she didn't want the others to know she had found land.

Let them assume she was still somehow swimming.

The saltwater had burned the wound, for sure, but it may have helped to cauterize it, at least somewhat. Tears mixed on her cheeks with the water as her hands shook. She knew there was a chance she was already dead.

That was when the parachute came.

"Stay alive with me."

The parachute was from Finnick, she was sure of it. Judging by Ronan's getup, he had parachutes of his own as armor covered his torso.

It looks like Ronan had won after all.

But the note from Finnick said a lot. Sure, it was her first parachute, but she hadn't needed one up until this point. And Finnick hadn't said "stay alive for me", but rather with him.