Sea Of Secrets [1]

Eleven

   The sun burned furiously at my eyes when I opened them for the first time. I wiped at my eyes, and hear a sigh from besides me. I looked over to find Katniss, tired, and hopeful.

   "About time you wake up! You were thrashing so hard that I thought you were going to die from the stings" her words made my thoughts wonder back when I got stung, I thought that she was commanding me to stay still so she could drown me, and feed me to the fish. I laughed as the thought of her doing that seemed so silly.

   "I thought you were killing me and feeding me to the fish" I giggled and sat up, wincing at the pain in my back. "How long was I out?"

   "Almost two days, there are ten of us left" she handed me some water, and some dried meat from my backpack.

   "It's almost over" I whisper.

   "Almost" she says. "It's been getting hotter so I've been having to rip at your clothes to get you some cool air, and I've been soaking you in water" I look up at her smiling eyes , and tears come to mine because I am so grateful to have a friend here in the arena who can take care of me. If only two of us could win.

   "Thank you, I wish we could both win" I lay back into the ground and my back hits something hard, something metal. I sit back up, rubbing my spine to find a bow and arrows. "You got these?" I trace my finger over the metal, finding it cool to the touch.

   "Glimmer , the girl from District One died from the bee stings, and she had them"

   "You can win now" I smile sadly at her, and she does the same. "If me and you are the last ones, I want you to kill me. It wouldn't feel right being killed by someone else. It would be an honor to be killed by you" my words sound weird, but then again, everything about the Capitol is weird, ruthless, disgusting.

   "I'll try" she takes the bow and arrows and fits them on her back, extending an arm toward me, she helps me up. "I have a plan" that's all she says as she walks away, leaving no choice but to follow. "I noticed that the careers have a big stock pile of food, supplies, and weapons. I want to blow it up"

   "What if we need some of the supplies?" She stands still, turning slowly to me. She looks confused.

   "We have everything we need here.." She looks all around , as if seeing something that I don't. Her eyes stop at trees, scanning the perimeter as if sensing someone or something is near. "We aren't alone"

   I look around, trying to see what she sees, but I snap my head around , to see a small girl standing in front of us. She looks no older then twelve, and stands still with a smile on her face.

   Rue.

   "I want to help" her soft voice echoes around me , and I wonder where she came from. "I know where they are keeping their supplies"

   Katniss looks at her with such pity in her eyes that it makes my insides turn. Rue must remind her of the sister that she has left behind at home. She takes out some meat that she caught with a snare , and offers it to the fragile girl in front of us. Hesitantly , she takes the food and nibbles it, I can see that she is very much so satisfied in the flavor.

   "I'm Coral" I reach out my hand , and she shakes it roughly. Her strength surprises me, and I no longer doubt how she has survived in the games. The way that she dropped out of nowhere , suggests that she has been hiding in the trees, and spying on other tributes along the way.

   As we walk, we talk about the careers , and how we can take their supply out. Katniss and Rue teach me how to pick roots, pluck berries that are healthy to eat, and how to make different meals with them.

   Katniss knows all about different plants, because her father left behind a book on different plant names, and what they do. She also told me that her and her sister were both named after plants.

   Rue tells me how to pick berries, and how to know if they are safe or not. She works with plants and crops everyday, and she knows when they are ripe, and when they still need some more time to grow. She tells me about how she sings to the mockingjays in her District, and how she sends messages to them to spread to the other workers in the field. Her outgoing personality reminds me of Liam, and I never want her to stop talking. She teaches us the song signal if we ever get split up and wonder where one of us are. It's a beautiful melody, and I won't stop replaying in my mind.

   I teach them how to make a net for catching fish, which sea plants are safe to eat, and the fastest way to catch a fish. I tell them about the sea, and how the ocean water interacts with the wind, almost like they are talking back and forth to each other. It is nice to talk about our Districts because I think we all know in the back of our minds that we will not survive. My bets are on Katniss to win.

   A cannon goes off, stopping us in our tracks.

   "Only nine now" Rue whispers. "We should probably get going to the careers supplies, who knows what else is out here" she is right, and we start on our way. "They won't survive much longer without the food, so we have to find a way to get rid of it, or burn it"

   The careers have been handed everything their whole lives. They have had food in their stomaches everyday , and they had families to say goodnight to every night. I didn't have the privilege of having food in my stomach every day, and neither have Katniss and Rue.

   We stop by the river, where we crouch low, looking at the four tributes that are surrounding the supplies. Most are career tributes, but one boy isn't. He looks so scared, so frightened to be standing there with the monsters who could end his life in a matter of seconds. I recognize him from District Three. Their camp is where the games first started, near the cornucopia. My mouth waters , and tears come to my eyes as I notice the large heaps of food that are piled high.

   "You two go set fires , the smoke will distract the careers , and make it easier for me to figure out how to finish off the pile" Katniss looks at us with determination in her eyes. Her hair is singed black by the fire, and her face is still dirty from the mud and ash. A bee sting is the size of a berry now, but still noticeable in the crease of her hairline.

   "Do you remember the mockingjay song?" Whispers rue, who is now standing getting ready to leave. We both nod, I follow Rue, her holding my hand, and with the other I wave to Katniss. She nods at me , and disappears into the woods. "The greener the wood, the richer the smoke"

   I drop her hand, and start to pick up some wood to start a fire. "How do you know all of this Rue?"

   "I have to fend for myself and my family a lot, knowing good tricks gets you by" I nod and recognize her admiration to what she has learned over the years. Rue takes some matches out of her pocket , and lights the fire. We blow on it a couple of times to get it going even more. The dark smoke travels up into the sky, and that's when we know we should get going.

   As we set up the next fire, placing the wood down evenly , a loud bang erupts from behind us. At first I think it's a cannon going off, but then I know.

   Katniss has destroyed the supplies.