I breathe heavily as I burst through the theatre doors, taking a swig of the antidote. Every inch of my body ached, matted with dried blood. And then, everything felt better all of a sudden.
I felt alive again, full of energy. Avery and Dylan should be coming after me soon, so I gather my supplies in the back of the dim-lighted theatre, going through everything I still have.
Dumping the contents of my backpack onto the ground, I count through the remaining weapons.
Six daggers and a hunting knife.
I reach into my pocket, where I had left a hunting knife.
Gone.
Then, I shove all the weapons into an outside pocket of my backpack, and a dagger in my pocket, just in case I get a surprise attack.
I push that aside and pick up the water bottles. There's a good gallon left, I stick a full bottle in the side of the bag and drop the other in my bag.
The cheese and crackers are still left, but they must've gotten stale. Shrugging, I throw them in the bag.
Pulling at the rope, I realize that I had lost my twine. And finally, I push the sleeping bag in my bag, just barely zipping it shut.
Suddenly, three cannons go off- it's over. I step into the theatre's lobby, slinging my backpack over my shoulder and almost falling at the weight of it. Looking out of the windows, I see the sad smiles of those who died: Dylan, Avery and Rollo.
I've been left alone... All alone. I fall to the ground clutching my locket tight. How can I go on alone?
"Help..." I murmur, knowing that no one will come to my resuce.
Seconds later, the lights go out. There is still a crack of light coming from the windows and doors, but it looks like all the lights and faux sky lights have turned off and everything is dim. I step outside in fear and hear the roaring of a hovercraft above.
Have I won?
Impossible. How could I have won?
Then, I see another, it's a second hovercraft, roaring through the air. Following those, I see a third and a fourth.
One for each of the remaining tributes.
But I had no idea what was going on.
A hovercraft above me lowered to just about the building line and a ladder falls out the bottom.
Two people start climbing out of the flying Capitol machine- two girls. They both appear fairly young; one about my age and the other, probably a couple years older. As the second one hops down from the ladder, I can just make out the figure of one of my old school friends, one that betrayed me long ago. I don't know what Liana's doing here, but I smile at the other lady behind her. It's my mom. She follows Liana quite closely, like she's her own daughter and I start backing up.
What is this?
This time, there isn't a small voice in the back of my head telling me that the Capitol wanted blood, or that I had to fight someone to death. But still, I reach into my pocket and pull out my dagger, unsheathing it.
A loud screech suddenly comes over the loudspeaker and I stop in my tracks, my weapon clattering to the ground. The obnoxious noise dies down and a voice overpowers the arena.
"Welcome tributes, friends and family! Enjoy your two hours together!" I can practically hear the cheesy smiling in her voice as a table of treats and refreshments appear.
My stomach growls but I push the hunger away, knowing the feeling of not eating too well for my own well-being. The years of starving myself spark a hint of déjà vu.
I let my bag slide off my shoulder and step forward, tentatively. Liana sashays away from my mother and comes closer to me.
"What are you doing here?" I ask her.
She smiles sorrowly, "Well, I thought since I had been your friend since we were little ones, I wanted to see you during these games."
"You left me a long time ago, and I won't ever forgive you." I spit bitterly, the acts I learned from my more vicious allies showing.
Suddenly, she starts weeping and my feelings for her soften. "I'm sorry. I thought seeing you go through the games and then showing up here would make you forgive me. I remembered how I treated you and I felt bad."
She made me recall the cold feelings she gave me- I'll return them.
"You gave me the cold shoulder for years, I just wanted to be your friend. But you- you just left." I started to tear up, the things that had happened, all these years.
Liana came up to me, clutching my hand. "I know. And I'm really sorry."
A burst of anger popped in my stomach as she took hold of my clammy hand. "No. You aren't."
I flick her hand of mine and she falls back in shock, her eyes wide, as I pick up the dagger I held in my hand.
"Liliana!" My mom yells at me, walking into our conversation.
She's never yelled at me so harshly.
"Drop it." She says angrily. The grim tone takes me by surprise and I feel my stomach doing somersaults. "You've changed too much. I thought you would be the same, good child. But no, you were a loving daughter of mine and now, you've gained a vicious side."
I start to cry again, but there's no one to comfort me anymore. Rowan... Aidan... Avery... Dylan... Iris... They're all gone. Everyone that's returned real love to me is dead. I close my eyes, falling to the ground with my weapon.
Tears start dripping onto the clean blade, and I open my eyes again, staring at the dull ground. "I've just had such a hard time in these games. People leave us every day. I'm not safe here..." My voice cracks as the salty liquid comes in buckets.
I repeatedly wipe my eyes as saliva gathers in my mouth. "Everyone who's really loved me- they're all gone. And I won't ever see them again- not in real life at least."
My mom bends down next to me and I feel her looking at me. "But I'm still here."
"Do you really love me though?" I squeeze my eyes shut tight as I push that sentence out.
She puts her hands on my shoulders and I look into her blurred eyes. "Of course. And everyone who has left you behind, they'll always be..." She traces a line in the air from my shoulder to my pounding heart, "... there. I promise."
I believe her as I hear Liana's sniffles.
I've lost my learning of love. And I'll have to gain it back.
As I stand up, a warm feeling runs through myveins. I don't know if I want to back home and suffer the pain of all of mycompanions who've left us all or not. But that's a decision for later, and I doknow that I want to make good use of this time with others that also know to love.
