Author Games Compilation [Cycle 1]

Task 4 - Wisteria's Wicked Wrath (BM)

A/N: So for this task, we were put into groups and had to write a team entry. The italics were what I wrote, and the sentences in parenthesis are Beckett's thoughts, which I added in separately. Some parts scattered throughout are also in italics, which were also added separately. Otherwise, either James, Wiley, Anastasia, or Bellona's writers (members of the Ember and Coal group) were the ones to come up with what you read.

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Beckett limped through the snow, Anastasia and Bellona helping him as they moved through the forest. They all could see their breath in the air, and as they shivered another cold breeze picked up, snow starting to fall once again. A sizzle rang throughout the forest, burning their bones and causing the hairs on the back of their necks to stand on end as goosebumps popped up on their skin. (What the hell was that?) Beckett thought. He quickly brushed it away. (Probably just a Gamemaker trick to keep us on our toes. Or maybe I'm just losing it. I should say something to make sure I'm not going crazy. I can't go crazy. Not here. Not in this place.)

"Whoa, this is weird," Beckett said. He was breathing heavily as they continued forward. Beckett had been injured when a maddened tribute had snuck up behind the two girls. He'd risked his life to save theirs. (I don't even want to know what would've happened if I didn't show up... I'm not ready for these people to die.) He paused. (Or am I? It would be so easy to just pull out the knife in my pocket...and plunge it into their frail necks...so easy to get back home to Corradhin...) He shook his head, shunning the idea. The attack had left them all shocked, their mindsets going from something peaceful to more and more ferocious and hateful by the minute. They passed tree after tree through the woods, each beginning to look the same, and the brisk air bit into their skin. Wafting through the air along with the cold was the smell of burnt meat and smoke, and just a bit to their left a fog was growing lighter against the sky.

"Do you smell that?" Bellona asked, breathing in deeply. Against all reasoning she ran forward and pushed away the bushes that separated them from what was cooking. An elk lay on the ground, body blackened and bits of blood on the snow around it. The air was electrifying, sizzling through her bones as she dragged the elk back to where the group was. Beckett gagged. (The smell...burnt flesh, singed fur, the faint, metallic scent of blood. How can Bellona get near it without puking? Ah, that's right. Livestock. Probably butchers animals for a living.) Shame trickled through him at his next thought. (I haven't even taken the time to ask about her life before this. It seems only the here-and-now has been my concern. Maybe later.)

"Bellona, don't you even think about eating it," Anastasia said coolly.

"And why not? I mean, it's perfectly fine. I'll go look for some berries! Stay here and hack at it, will you?"

She ran off again before they could say anything, her hands stained from the blood that'd risen when her nails had dug into the creature's fur. Bellona licked her lips as her body brought her forward, leading her to where she'd seen a bush filled with berries before. She couldn't feel the burns on her arms, as they'd gone numb from the cold and the electricity didn't burn through her jacket. With trembling fingers she grinned, her eyes caught on the bush.

Just as she was leaning in to pick some, a boy left the shadows and held out his hands to stop her. "Wait! I wouldn't touch those," Wiley said.

"Well, good thing you're not me, kid." She just wanted her berries, she wasn't looking for trouble. She whistled, voice close to that of a wolf's howl, and Wiley cowered. His hands rose and covered his head as he shook.

Anastasia ran through the clearing with her weapon raised, Beckett close behind. (I'll let her take the reigns here. My throat is killing me...god, I hate these Games. And boiling water.)  "Really? You're away for five minutes and you find trouble." Only Anastasia had time to scold someone when their life was on the line.