The Arena

Chapter 9

I go in search of Darius, knowing that I do not have much time. The life is draining from my body and for all of Liam’s effort I am still bleeding. I am stomping through the forest when I come upon the tribute from the southern region.

“You!?” He screams at me.

“Why are you here? You should be hiding with Liam! You are going to die if you keep on running around like that. You are lucky that you found me first and not Darius.”

I stare at him with my bow and arrow drawn, pointed at his chest. I start to wobble on my feet and before I know it I am on the ground.

Visions of my home village swarm in my head. The brilliant light breaking through the trees, birds and crickets making noises as you fell asleep, the warmth felt as you lay in the sun you r body being kissed even if just for a moment. I remember fresh fruit and fish. I can hear the water of the river flowing by me.

Then out of the sky falls a pin. It is a Mocking Jay, not very different than the one that my great great grandmother had when she was a tribute. It falls to my hand and rests ever so peacefully. I turn the trinket in my hand, as I look at the backside of the pin I see a woman’s picture on the back, she has cold eyes and a snowy white beard. Those eyes, I have seen them before. I am just not sure where I have seen them.

“You needed to keep her safe.”

“I tried, I am,” defends Liam. “Did Darius kill Mags or was it you?”

“No, it was him. She was sleeping and he slit her throat, he didn’t even blink when he did it.”

“Where am I?” My voice echoes in my head.

“Nicole, you are one crazy, insane, death seeking woman. I ask you to stay put and you, you grab your bow and go running through the woods. Are you always this stubborn,” Liam asks as he squats down next to me.

“Since the day I was born,” I smile back at him.

Liam helps me sit up and props me back against the cold stone of the waterfall cave. The southerner tribute is sitting across from me stoking the fire, he is older than us, by at least 20 years.

Liam hands me a bit of food, then realizes that I cannot feed myself and then ever so gently he starts putting food into my mouth. I chew slowly on the dry food, and wonder if this is to be my last meal.

“So,” I say as I take another bite from Liam’s fingers, “anyone want to tell me what is going on and why we are sitting here so peaceful, waiting for… I don’t know what, maybe the Runners to return.”

“I can answer that, it might make it easier. My name is Jackson Boggs. Your great great grandmother and my great grandfather fought on the same side during the Mocking Jay uprising. In fact they would go on missions together, and he died during one of them, leaving my mother to raise me alone. Gale Hawthorne worked with them as well; they all worked together as a team. Got themselves into some pretty tight spots if I remember some of the stories right. Anyways, Darius is not a Hawthorne. He is an imposter. Gale never married, he never has children, he came around and hung out with my great grandmother and Katniss, they kept in touch. Darius is a descendant of Alba Coin. When the Republic first came into power, Katniss and Coin were at a ceremony and Coin was allowing Katniss the opportunity to shoot Snow with her signature bow and arrow, but instead she fired and killed Coin instead. And as far as I can tell, well little Darius has gone a little insane with revenge and as far as I can tell he wants to kill you very slowly and very painfully.”

He says this all so matter of fact, like it is nothing and it is something that is so clear I should have known from the beginning.

“So, what is the plan? You three all at it until two of you die and then, I live with one of you three all because of something I cannot control, because of my family?! I am not going to let anyone of you die to save me. I am sorry Liam, but especially not you. That is not something that I can ask of you,” I say looking him square in the eyes.

I have found that though I it has not been that long, I am falling for Liam. I need him to live, he cannot die and I live, that would be worse than death because then I would always wonder if he would still choose me, if he really loved me, does he regret it in his death. Liam dying was not an option.

“Nicole, you can’t fight,’ Liam starts to protest.

“Neither of you will have to fight. I plan on killing Darius myself and then killing myself as I had originally planned to do.”

“We can’t let you do that,” Liam says leaning towards him.

“I won’t hear of any other plan, this is my life’s plan, I was supposed to die months ago, so this is all just a-“

His words are cut short a blade sticks out of his chest and he falls partially on the fire.

“One down, two to go,” Darius says as he wipes his blade clean on the front of his shirt.