The First Annual Hunger Games (Book 1)

12. Strength in Numbers

Kestrel and I don't meet anyone else for the next two days. We've moved to a large tree further from the entrance to the lake. Since we can both climb we put all our stuff up there and sleep up there. We've heard three more cannons and the anthem at the end of the day tells us it was Charm form 3, Saffra from 5, and Skene from 10.

Kestrel and I don't talk a ton, but when we do it's either a deep conversation or the opposite. The game, it seems, is the only thing we can think about, so we're either thinking about it and talking about it, thinking about it and trying to distract ourselves by talking about something else, or thinking about it and not talking. Nothing is really successful.

"Do you remember before?" he asks on the third afternoon.

"Before the games?"

"The games, the war," he shrugs, "it doesn't really matter."

"It seems like lifetimes ago." I down at him from my position in the tree.

He leans back against the bark. "Before the war we used to play outside with the neighbors kids. We used to pretend we were soldiers fighting one another. Half their family grew up to fight as soldiers."

"What do you think it will be like after this?" I ask.

"What do you mean? They said this was the First Annual Hunger Games. First means there will be more and annual means every year."

"It has to stop sometime... right?"

He bites his lip. "Not as long as the capital has power. Twenty-three innocent kids will die every year that they rule."

I listen to the songs of the birds trying not to think about all the lives that will be wasted. A cannon goes off and we both flinch.

"That's thirteen," I say. We don't speak for the rest of the day.

Kestrel volunteers for first watch and I climb up in the tree to a good little nook for sleeping. I get comfortable and try to fall asleep. Every night it's hard to keep my thoughts from racing, it's hard to calm them down enough to drift off.

When I do fall asleep I dream I'm on an island in the lake. I can see the sunny shore across the water from where I stand. My family sits on it having a picnic and I'm there. I see another version of me smiling on the sand, laughing with them. I look to the right and see all the tributes playing a game together and yet another me is there. I again look to the right and I see Talon and me holding hands, walking among the waves. I look to the right and see an older version of myself a baby in my arms and another building a castle at my feet.

I turn around and look at the island I'm on. Tributes are all around me, half of them dead. The rest glare at me. The sky is filled with dark, dreadful clouds. To my left is my family all huddled together without me, they don't glance my way. On my right Talon is strapped to a chair a woman pacing slowly in front of him. I cringe and look past him, a bird catching my eye.

I peer at the beach around me then chase after the bird. It takes me into a crowd of sullen faces all staring at me, there's hundreds maybe even a thousand of them. I push past, keeping my eyes on the bird. It circles once and lands in front of a group of people who I don't recognize. It seems to stare at me urging me to come closer, to go on. I step forward and a girl the crowd comes to meet me. She doesn't say anything, but she thrusts an object into my hand. I can't tell what it is. I look back up at her but she's gone back to the group of people.

She nods at me with an understanding look and then points back in the direction I came. Then she opens her mouth to speak but a boy's voice comes out of it. "Aldera!"

And the crowd joins her, with the voice of the boy saying, "Aldera!"

I jerk awake and nearly fall out of the tree but a hand steadies me. I look over to see Kestrel, a knife in his hand. I flinch and try to find my own weapon.

"Calm down," he says, out of breath, looking at me intensely. "I'm not going to hurt you. There's someone approaching the beach." He glances over his shoulder, but I don't know how he can see anything in the dark.

"Do you know who it is?" I ask.

"No, I think we should both go check it out. You know, strength in numbers."

I nod and follow him down the tree. I grab a knife and shove it in my belt and I hold my axe in my hands. We walk slowly towards the entrance of the canyons and crouch behind some trees, watching.

"How do you know they're coming?" I whisper, not seeing anyone.

"I was having trouble staying awake so I went scouting in the canyon. I heard footsteps and ran back here as fast as I could." He continues to watch the canyon.

After a minute I hear footsteps and tense immediately. An image of Alto's dead body flashes into my mind. I cringe and shake it off. A dark figure emerges from the canyon, a slight limp in their step. They have a big build and a shaved head.

"Wait," I whisper to Kestrel.

"This is our chance," he says.

"Let me go first, I think it's Roxen."

"So?" he asks.

"I have a truce with him and I won't let you kill him either." I stand before he can say anything else and ease my way out of the trees. He's approaching the water, his back to me. I hold up my axe. "Roxen?" I say in a loud voice.

The figure freezes. He slowly holds up his hands and turns around. The moon reflects the terrified look in his eyes. "Aldera?"

"Yes, it's me," I say slowly.

"How do I know it's you, really you?"

I swallow. "You can see it's me."

"That's what they said too, but they weren't real! They hurt me!"

"Roxen what are you talking about?"

He takes a deep breath. "What was the first thing I said to you on the train?"

"Um you said, 'we were never properly introduced' and we shook hands."

He nods and lowers his hands. "Sorry," his voice is softer. "I had to make sure. We still have a truce?"

I nod and lower my axe. "You're alone?" I glance back towards the canyon.

"Yes, are you?"

"No," I say gently. "Kestrel from 7 is my ally." I look back at the trees and Kestrel steps forward, coming out of the shadows.

"Roxen." There's unmistakable tension in his voice.

"Kestrel," Roxen attempts at a smile. "Does the truce extend to you too?"

I give Kestrel a look. "You said yourself, strength in numbers."

 He purses his lips then nods. "Yes, I think the three of us would make a great team, don't you?"

Hey everyone! What do you think of this chapter? What could the dream have meant? Was it a good idea to let Roxen in their alliance? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and please vote if you liked this update!