Innocent Girl - A Hunger Games Fanfiction

Chapter 13: The Final Eight

It's halfway through the day when we hear two voices. Familiar ones, but I can't quite remember who they belong to.
"C'mon, you can't even hold it properly."
"Oh, yes I can!"
"Don't even, Slate." My eyes widen, as I turn to Blossom.
"Put out the fire!" I whisper urgently.
"Why?"
"Just do it!" I hiss. Blossom obeys, and as soon as it's out, I grab her and pull her further into the cave, only just managing to clamp my free hand over her mouth to muffle her startled scream.
"What the-"
"Shut it!"
"Almond-"
"It's the careers." This finally gets her to shut up, as we squat silently in the dark. I try to feel for my bow, and sigh in relief when I feel my hand grasp it, but curse silently as I realise I left my two throwing knives near the entrance of the cave. Blossom's grip tightens on her hatchet as the voices become louder and closer.
"Where's the smoke gone?"
"Do you really need to ask that?"
"It was put out. The tribute must still be here." This came from a more serious voice; one that hadn't spoken before.
"Ugh, it's because you were too loud, Slate."
"They'll still be here, y'know," pipes up a more timid voice. They're getting closer, and though I don't want to kill, I load my bow and point it at the mouth of the cave.
"I know that, Star," snaps back the voice before.
"Let's split up. It'll be faster; for all we know, the tribute has already run away because of your endless arguing."
"You're the boss," says the voice who had snapped back at her ally, far too cheerfully. My mind processes that it must be Valerie from 2, and the one she had called "the boss" must be Brilliant from 1. My heart starts to pound in my ears, almost deafening everything else as I hear footsteps coming closer to the cave. Growing louder. Subconsiously, I start to shake. I expect to see Blossom doing the same, but to my surprise, she whispers into my ear, "Stay here", and before I can react, feel her body move away from me silently. My eyes widen as her dark figure moves to the other end of the cave, her arm held up ready to throw the hatchet. The footsteps grow closer, getting slower and more careful with every step they take. With no voices to distinguish anyone apart, it could be any one of the careers.
"Hello?" The figure calls out tentatively. It's Star. I freeze, fear rendering me unable to do what I had earlier resolved to do in an emergency. But Blossom doesn't. With only a moment's hesitation, with a grunt, she flings the hatchet towards Star. But that grunt is all it takes for Star to quickly whip around and throw her spear right at Blossom. As if watching in slow motion, I watch as the hatchet and the spear cross eachother midair, and for a second, I think they will simply clash together. But they don't, and the two weapons each fly towards their respective targets, neither girl able to see where the weapon is going to go because of the dark. Suddenly, I hear two screams of pain: one from Blossom, and the other by Star. And right after that, a cannon goes off. But it's not followed by another one. I clamp my hand over my mouth and selfishly hope that the cannon was for Star, and not for Blossom. The next few moments feel like eternity, as I wait silently to try and figure out who died. Waiting to see which limp figure is still alive. And then I hear it.
A groan comes from the side closer to the entrance of the cave. Tears spring to my eyes, but I'm quick to blink them away as I think about the sudden death of my new found friend, who I'd grown close to over the past few days. I stand up and not thinking properly, I try to make my way over to Blossom's limp figure in the corner.
"Who's there?" Star calls out weakly. I freeze again.
"I can't kill you in this state," she calls out again, her voice cracking. I take a look at Blossom's definite dead body, whisper a silent sorry, and cautiously turn to go to Star, lying on the ground with a shining red pool of blood pooling around her. The hatchet is right in the middle of her stomach, and was thrown with so much force that three-quarters of its blade isn't visible. I hold up my bow again as I approach her.
"You can kill me now. Make my death quicker. I don't care. I'm not going to hurt you. I let you go once; why would I kill you now, no less while I'm dying?" I pause, mouth agape.
"I know it's you, Almond."
"You did it on purpose?" I ask dumbly. She sighs, and then visibly winces in pain. She gestures for me to come closer.
"Why?" I whisper crouching next to her.
"...Did you watch the reapings?" I nod, and she continues after another grimace of pain.
"I volunteered. For my sister. Crystal. I thought someone else would volunteer. There's always a volunteer..." she trails off, almost speaking to herself. She winces again, and continues.
"But after Finnick Odair, from 4 won, youngest victor, districts 1 and 2, they were annoyed. That another district, one barely a career one, were the ones who now had the youngest victor ever recorded. So they, we, resolved to not let people to volunteer if there was a tribute reaped under the age of 14. But people only really started doing this after the Second Rebellion. Lots of people... They say it's as if it's a slate wiped clean. A new start; a new era to the Hunger Games. Still, it didn't happen every single time. People not volunteering for the younger ones. My sister... She's your age, y'know? She was the unlucky one. And I was the only one who could volunteer... we have and older brother, and another brother, who'll go into the reaping bowl in two more years."
"So... You remind me of her," I conclude. She nods, but clearly the effort of it is painful.
"I never wanted to go in. My parents only got us to train at the academy in case we got reaped. And to kill a girl, a girl who's the same age as the sister I gave myself a death sentence for, it's not right. I couldn't bare to rat you in. And I hate you're in here. You didn't have anyone to volunteer for you. Except for your brother, of course. But he couldn't of, even if he wanted to. He'll have to live with the guilt, even though he wan't able to volunteer for you, if you die in here." Star wheezes, and clutches her stomach in pain. Suddenly, a voice comes out of the darkness.
"Star? Star!" They call out. Panicked, I spring up and slink into the walls of the cave, hoping the darkness will conceal me.
"Star?" The person comes closer, so close that I can make out their face. It's Slate. I inhale sharply, remembering his promise to kill me almost two weeks prior.

"Well, that's my cue to go. But mark my words, I will be the one to kill you. Hear that, 12?"

"Slate," Star calls out weakly, and I realise she is, after all, going to rat me out. She was keeping me here, waiting for someone else to come finish off the job.
"Star! We thought that the cannon was yours." Slate goes closer to Star, and I desperately try to search for an escape. There's none.
"So you district partner sent me and Valerie out to search for you, because-" Slate cuts himself off with a shriek, before I hear a sickening crack against the wall, and a cannon booms, signalling someone's death. Star's? Or Slate? I don't dare to assume, and stay still, waiting with baited breath.
"It's...it's safe now, Almond," Star whispers. Again, I approach her again, silently reprimanding myself for thinking such ill about her.
"Why did you do it?" I ask.
"Why what? Kill Slate? I'd rather someone who's not stuck up to win, not that pig." I snort, and Star laughs, before clutching her stomach again, her face turning ghostly pale. I'm laughing while someone's on their deathbed?
"Almond. You have to win," Star tells me, her voicce deadly serious. I look at her sadly.
"But how? I'm only twelve; no less from an outer district."
"Do it for me. For the girl from 7, Blossom, right? And your district partner. And most importantly, your brother."
"I'll try." My voice drops to a whisper.
"Is it selfish, of me? That I'm happy I won't have to live with the grief of losing a sibling?" She asks, her voice now quiet and solemn.
"No. No, it's not." I answer.
"Thank you, Almond." Then we hear rustling outside. Star looks at me, her expression unreadable.
"Go. Run, before they catch you."
"I-but-alright. Okay."
"Goodbye, Almond."
"Goodye, Star." As I turn to the cave entrance, I pause.
"Thank you," I whisper, before I head out. Checking that the coast is clear, I break out into a run, making sure my steps are light and quiet so as not to attract any attention. Hiding in the bushes, I see Brilliant and Valerie enter the cave, and I creep past them to make my way back down the mountain. Only moments later, I hear Star's cannon go off. Three cannons in one day: one of my ally, who died before she even realised there was a weapon coming towards her, another of a career who promised he would kill me, and the last, of a girl who I barely knew but saved me anyways.
Down to the final eight now.
Now by myself, I feel the loss of two of those cannons fill me with sadness, and the hollowness of being on my own now.
Nobody left to protect me now.
Nobody left to provide me with materials.
Nobody left to help me now.
And nobody left to provide the comfort of companionship.
Just myself, my bow and a pack with barely anything in it.
Just me, to hope that I'll be able to make it out of here.
Hope I'll make it out of here, while Alek, Blossom, Star and so many others have already lost their lives in here.
And then I'll be left to mourn over the losses of their lives, while I got to keep mine.

Fallen tributes Day 13:
Star Bonli, age 18 (District 1)
Slate Amos, age 18 (District 2)
Blossom Undergrove, age 16 (District 7)