Peeta's Story- The Hunger Games

Chapter 49

The Cornucopia looms over us, surrounded by a halo of golden light. It's so beautiful, sparkling under the pink sunset, but there's something sinister about the beauty. The top of the structure comes to a jagged tip that looks like a hag leering at me, and the long shadow on the ground seems to hide something evil. Shivering, I start toward the lake, only to be pulled back by Katniss.

“Hold on,” she hisses, keeping a death grip on my arm. “I'm going to scout this area out. Can you cover me?”

I nod tersely before scanning the area and heading after her. She moves quietly and gracefully, skirting the edges of the perimeter, her eyes darting back and forth, as if looking for something. As my eyes scan the area for any sign of movement, my adrenaline kicks in and my heart begins beating faster and faster. I'm so paranoid that every whisper of the wind, every shadow in the trees, seems like Cato, but they're all false alarms. My senses are heightened, and I feel like the adrenaline has caused me to somehow see and hear better. Just the rustling of the leaves from far away causes me to jump in fright.

We make it around the Cornucopia without a sign of Cato, and a foreboding feeling settles over me. Where could be be? I find myself actually wishing that he was here when we arrived just so this terrible ordeal could be done and over with. Now, he has the element of surprise, the ability to attack us without warning. Instead of being the hunters, we are the hunted.

I follow her to the lake, where Katniss wordlessly fills up our water containers and hands them to me to disinfect. I squeeze out the last few drops of iodine in and set the containers down. Katniss sits on the floor by the water, one hand absentmindedly playing with it and the other fidgeting with her hair.

I settle down next to her, but she doesn't even look my way. She looks bored, uncaring even, as she stares into the setting sun, but when I grasp her free hand, she squeezes it tightly, letting me know that despite her calm facade, she's fidgety and nervous inside. I give her hand a little squeeze back as a hole opens up in my stomach, but I try to not let her see my anxiety, for now is the time when she needs me most.

“We don't want to fight after dark,” she says quietly after awhile. “We only have one pair of glasses.”

“Maybe that's what he's waiting for.”

As the night gets darker and darker, I begin to feel more unsettled. We're sitting out in the open, just inviting Cato to come attack us. “Maybe we should take cover. Do you want to go back to the cave, or what?”

“Yeah, either that or we can find a tree,” Katniss replies wistfully. “Let's give him another half hour or so before we leave.”

She stares into the forest, almost completely at ease. My shoulders are sore from sitting in this tensed up position and I knead them, trying to dispel the stress. The wind whispers through the trees as the sun disappears behind the horizon. I quietly say goodbye to it. Today may be the last day I ever see it. The sky is a rich purple hue now, the color filtering in through the trees. In the forest, the birds are singing to each other without a care in the world.

It is the perfect setting, the picturesque sky, the singing birds, and most importantly, the girl sitting by my side. If I close my eyes, I can almost imagine that we are safe and sound, in an alternate universe where we are the only things that matter to each other.

Too bad we have a bloodthirsty maniac hunting us.

By my side, Katniss sings four notes, loud and clear. My eyelids flutter open from their reverie as I listen to her sing this simple melody. Surely it is the voice of an angel. I look at her, in her tattered clothes, with blood and dirt streaked across the face and stifle a laugh. She must be the dirtiest angel they've seen in ages.

The mockingjays in the forest echo her melody, creating a symphony of beautiful noises. Katniss leans back against me, eyes closed and a serene smile on her face.

“Just like your father,” I murmur. “Even the birds listen to your song.”

“It was Rue's,” she says. There is no sign of pain or loss in her eyes anymore. “I think they remember it. They're keeping her memory alive.”

She closes her eyes again, the same smile on her face, as even more birds join in. The whole forest is alive with music created out of four simple notes, music that sends chills running down my spine. It's almost unearthly, and I see what Katniss means. Somehow, the mockingjays have created a song so beautiful, so haunting, that Rue's spirit has come back to listen. The music sets my hairs on end, but it is still so beautiful I don't ever want it to end.

Before I hear the footsteps, I suddenly sense something is wrong. The harmony breaks, turning into a faster, uglier noise that makes my heart race. The mockingjays stop singing, one by one, until one lets out a shriek that makes me jump in fear.

Then there is silence.

“What's wrong?” I whisper to Katniss, who has gone completely pale.

“Shh,” she says in response. She nocks an arrow, her whole body tensed like a jaguar waiting to spring.

I keep my back to her and pull out my knife. This is it. This is the end. But where is Cato?

As if in response to my thoughts, footsteps echo through the forest. A figure bursts out of the tree, faster than lightening. He makes a beeline for us, his expression contorted, like that of a madman.

Katniss shoots her first arrow with perfect aim, the arrow flying in a perfect arc before landing on his chest. To her dismay, it just bounces off with a dull clunk. “He's got some kind of armor!” Katniss yells at me, but that's the least of my concerns.

Cato is barely an arm's width away from me, and I finally get a close look at his face. He is sweating, pale, his expression frozen with terror. I feel a sense of foreboding. What could he be running from? What could be so horrific as to scare Cato?

I stumble sideways as he pushes Katniss and me aside, coughing and sputtering like a worn down machine. I turn back to the forest, a feeling of dread in my chest, as I see a shape dart out of the trees and glare menacingly at me.

For a full second, I am frozen with fear. The creature has haunting eyes which seem to burrow into mine, killing me from the inside. When it breaks eye contact with me, it stands up on its rear legs and waves to the rest of pack to join it.

I take these few precious seconds to fall down backwards, and then I'm limping towards the Cornucopia, away from the genetically altered wolves that are right behind me.

Ahead of me, Katniss has already reached the structure, ready to climb to safety, and I let out a breath of relief. At least she'll be safe from these monsters. My relief is short lived, however, as a wolf gets so close I can feel its body heat. It snaps at my bad leg, ripping fabric off of my pants, just as Katniss turns around, a wild look in her eyes.

She shoots an arrow at the one closest to me and nocks another one, preparing to attack.

“No, Katniss!” I shriek, still stumbling towards the Cornucopia. “Go!”

She looks at me for a moment, those grey eyes boring into mine, until she turns around and begins climbing.

--

i really hope you guys have read the hunger games. if you haven't, then you probably hate me at the end of this chapter.

blegh.

on another note, what do you think of the cast? personally, i hate it. but comments?

ALSO, WHO'S GOING TO SEE HARRY POTTER THIS WEEKEND??? SOOO PUMPED :D