Could We Burn, Darling?

Cut Throat.

There it was again. The hollow smirk, pasted onto his face as he stared right back at me. "5,4,3,2...." The sirens rang and it commenced. I forced myself off my pedestal and jolt towards the bag. I looked past it to find Barrone running faster than me. I forced as much power into my legs as I could until I got to the bag, I crouched down, just as I was about to grab the spear, I felt a hang on my arm, it was Barrone. I looked up as he pushed me hard onto the ground and grabbed the spear as fast as he could. He thrust it into the air and aimed it directly at me. He forced it down as I quickly grabbed the bag and held it up as protection. The spear ripped through the fabric and stopped just inches before my chest. He pulled the spear out, I got up and ran as fast as I could through the fire. I kept turning back, until a spear flew right past my ear and on to the ground in front of me. Without thinking, I grabbed the spear and continued running.

I got to a forest where the fire died down and all I could hear were screams in the background. I heard a rustle nearby and quickly turned towards it, spear aimed in front of me and ready to attack if needed. The rustling continued as I walked slowly towards it, shaking, so much I was afraid I'd drop the spear. A girl jumped out with a large knife. "Stay back!" She exclaimed. I was speechless, I pointed my spear towards her. "Stay back!" She repeated, beginning to cry. "I.. I'm not going to hurt you.." I explained. She dropped her shoulders, still looking a bit tense. "I don't want to be here either. I've never hurt another human being before in my life." she slowly lowered her knife as I lowered my spear. "Please, I don't want to do this alone" I took a small step forward. "Can you trust me?" I asked. We both quickly turned our heads in the same direction to find the careers running towards us. She nodded quickly, I grabbed her hand and we bolted away as fast as we could.

"What's your name?" I asked as we were walking. "Emma." She replied. She had a crisp british accent, her long blonde hair was tied up in a pony tail and she was wearing the same black suit as me. "What about you?" She asked looking at me as we started walking up down a hill. "Drew." We continued to walk in silence for a while.

"We need to find water." I explained. "I know where to go. My mother always showed me how to find water when we went on fishing trips." She said as she tugged on my hand. "You're from district 8 aren't you" She nodded and looked away. "Were they your friend?" I asked about the person who was blown up before the game had begun. She stared at the floor for a while. "My best friend and I were both chosen." She began. "We've been waiting for something like this to happen for four years. We've always been a bit dramatic. We just didn't expect it to happen to us." I gave her a pitiful look as she continued. "She told me how petrified she was of fire and I think our district representative told the people who controlled the arena. I knew from the minute I felt the fire, she wouldn't make it." I squeezed her hand. "I'm so sorry Emma.."

We continued until we got to a lake. It was still and quiet. The first thing we did was drink as much as we could, then we treated our mild burns. Emma dove into the freezing water and I stayed on the edge, dipping my feet in the shallow water. I watched her float for a while, contemplating what life would have been like if I had known her in life out of this arena. I saw her touring the districts with me and my guitar. All I wanted was someone to love me for me and my music. But since music has been forbidden, I could never see that happening. Until now.

"How old was she?" I asked as I gently poured water over Emma's bare shoulder. "16, like me." She replied. "How old are you?" I gently dabbed her shoulder with her arena suit. "I'm 16 too." I replied. "It's not fair. We're too young, we had lives ahead of us" her use of past tense got to me as I realized she was also thinking about death. I began to humm one of my songs. "What is that?" She asked over her shoulder. "Oh it.. it's nothing.." I said edging myself away from her ear. "No!" She said turning around to face me. "I liked it, sing to me!" I blinked as she stared directly into my eyes.. I laughed and gave in to her request. "Just one taste a night is never enough to appease me cause I'm losing a fight..." She closed her eyes and just listened, it felt so right. It was exactly what I wanted. I closed my eyes too. "Oh honey you know it aint easy to hide all my scars.." I opened my eyes again to the touch of her hand on mine and closed them again. "You know I don't want to scare you but I'm falling apart.." Her hand suddenly jolted off mine and I quickly opened my eyes to see Emma getting dragged back by her neck with a hand covering her mouth. It was one of the Careers. The girl who wouldn't leave Barrone's side. She had long brown, naturally curly hair, make up layered onto her face and she had cut the material of her arena suit to turn the long trousers into short shorts.

"Let her go!" I said standing up. My spear was just meters away but too far for me to grab. "Aw who's this?!" She said breathlessly as she hovered her knife on Emma's neck. "Let her go!" I repeated taking a step forward. My eyes quickly drifted to the spear then back at her. She looked over. "Ah..." She laughed "you think you're going to kill me." Her voice sounded lazy and hissed at me. I stopped breathing then ran for the spear. She didn't react, she just turned to face me, holding Emma in front of her. "What's your plan now, treble clef?" She said, her voice getting louder. Emma continue to squirm as her face got paler. "What did you just call me?" I didn't mean to sound so interrogative, I was still petrified. "Oh sorry treble clef, I didn't know you were ashamed of your music!" She laughed as her grip on Emma got tighter. Emma screamed through her teeth. I looked at her knife, stabbing gently at Emma's throat. "Lila" it said. How did she get that customized knife? We weren't allowed to bring weapons into the arena, let alone into the training centre. "Well?" She yelled this time. "What are you waiting for, throw the spear!" She laughed. "Throw it or she dies." I had to think, my aim was weak I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I hit Emma, but doing nothing would be just as bad. Emma's eyes started to get red and her face, pale white. I needed to do something. "Throw it!" Lila's voice nearly resonated through the air and pecked at my eardrums. I closed my eyes. I lifted the spear and thrust it with all the force I had and it landed directly through Emma's chest.

My heart started beating faster as I opened my eyes to find her still in Lila's tight grip, still crying and waiting. I couldn't do it. "You're making me impatient, treble clef." I wanted her to stop calling me that. I took a step forward. I had to do it for Emma. I raised the spear and focused on Lila. Emma's body was covering most of Lila's so I had to aim at her head. The spear - now in my hand next to my ear, I thrust it through the air and let go.

It landed with a thud on the ground behind Lila, she laughed loudly as she tore through Emma's throat and threw her on the ground. "EMMA!" I exclaimed, running over as Lila sprinted off. I fell to my knees next to Emma who was now drenched in blood. Most of it pouring from her mouth. I forced as much weight as I could on the cut as the blood seeped through my hands. "I'm sorry..." She said as blood now leaked out of her nose and tears out her eyes. "No Emma, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

There was nothing I could do, I knew it was ending. I knew I shouldn't have gotten attached. Flashes of my daydreams started flowing through my mind. I released her cut, knowing it was hopeless and hugged her as tight as I could. "Promise me you won't leave me." She whispered. My eyes started to blur as tears started to form. "I promise." I said trying to give a reassuring smile. The smell of her blood made me faint but I stayed with her.

I sat down and crossed my legs and waiting for her last breath. Her eyes shook as she waiting for them to still. "Wasted shadows of the light.." She looked at me then up at the sky past me for a while. Then she smiled, I knew this was it. I dragged my fingers through her - now loose - hair and watched as her body turned white and still. It took a minute for it to sink in. She was gone. I backed away from her and my mind felt ill. I started yelling, I didn't know what I was yelling or who I was yelling at. All I knew was that I wanted Lila dead.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: IF YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE BIT WHERE EMMA DIES TWICE, IT'S BECAUSE DREW IS JUST IMAGINING THE FIRST TIME AND THEN HE WAKES UP AND HAS TO THROW IT FOR REAL.