The Zodiac Games

Heading Towards the Light (Ian)

As I ran I felt the cold air pouring into my lungs. We couldn't do this. Run forever. We were told that there is a dome shell thing around the arena, once we leave, we die.

"The Tree!" I yell to Aqua. I followed her up the tree and we rested in the canopy.

I remember seeing this tree from the cornucopia. This was the tallest tree in the arena. There was water below the tree. It grew on a riverbed.

There were berries on the tree.

"Here" I say handing Aqua some berries.

"We can attempt a double suicide if the listen we'll both win. If they don't we die" I say.

"Together." Aqua smiles placing the berries on her lips.

We both place them in our mouths and swallow.

I fall backwards and out of the tree.

Life seems so small. I think of Tori's grieving of seeing her explode. I think of Sage who sacrificed himself so that Aqua, Taria and I to live. Taria, what an energetic girl, she killed Adrian. The district 1 tribute. She was a warrior.

Then their were all the other tributes, Sam, Skylar, Penny, those who I'd barely spoken to, yet they risked their lives for me. Why me? I wasn't special?

Then there was Aqua. She tried to kill me in the first minutes of the game. If she succeeded, she'd had won.

If I chose to leave her to die, I would have won. But there was something more important than winning. Love.

Something I had only experienced unconditionally.

Aqua was a choice. I chose to love her, or at least my heart did. She was my soulmate.

Now I realised as we plummet to our deaths. She followed me off the tree. She loved me too, she followed me.

I take her hand in my own and we hit the water.

Splash.

The last thing I see before I pass out is a bright light. It was my time. I had died.