Deceived: The 500th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 34 - The Arena: Day 2

TIFA CARAWAY'S P.O.V

I sat and watched Devon from a tree. He was ripping leaves from a bush and chewing them before spitting them out and mashing them up even more. What is he doing?

He shoved the saliva-covered herbs onto someone's neck.

I looked up at the sky. It's roughly 11am judging by the positioning of the small sun. It didn't help to heat the arena much.

The person receiving Devon's treatment let out a moan. It was a guy's voice.

"Is he waking?" A guy said.

"Let's see," Devon replied.

"He has to live. For his family," the guy said.

He's probably talking about Phoxus or Sectus, guessing by the words 'family' and 'he.' Devon working with district 2? Not on my watch.

I jumped out of a tree, rolling as I landed. I took the force of the fall on my left shoulder, wincing slightly as I landed.

Phoxus and Devon turned around, weapons at the ready. I launched myself at Devon, slicing his face with my claws. He shrieked at Phoxus and a semi-conscious Sectus, ordering them to run.

I punched Devon's face repeatedly and I followed by stabbing him in the gut. He screamed as I twisted the dagger inside his body. His screams echoed in my ears like music from a Mockingjay. The cannon sounded, ending my fun.

I stood up, ready to pounce on the poor kid that was lured by the screams of Devon.

No one was there. District 2 had escaped.

I looked up at the sun. I'm dreading whatever Capitol Catch the gamemakers have planned. I hope it will be something obvious and not something hidden away.

I trekked through the jungle, the heat becoming warmer. Almost too warm. At least I wasn't on the verge of freezing to death - unlike last night.

I leant against the nearest tree, wiping the sweat and blood from my forehead. Within a 10m radius, the temperature has greatly increased.

I saw a flash of blonde run past me. I lifted my claws up, defending my bruised face.

Wham! I felt something hit my neck. Ouch. That hurt.

"Attention tributes," Phillipe announced. "It's midday! Time for your Capitol Catch! Enjoy."

I lifted my hand to my neck. Blood was trickling down my back. I shivered, despite the fact that the heat was intensifying.

"Hello, Tifa."

Oh my god. Cherrie.

"What do you want?" I yelled. Was she the one who had hit me?

No. She's too innocent. She couldn't have hurt me. Look at her.

I then did look at her for the first time since we were on our plates. Her body was covered in blood and scars. She looked strong.

She dived on top of me, clawing at my face. I tried to stab her, but she decided to kneel on my wrists.

"Nice to see you too," I screamed. "What are you doing?"

"Settling the score." Her voice was cold and horrible. "You spent countless days beating my father up for a crime his friend committed. You're a pretty shit detective."

I felt something plunge into my gut. A knife?

She lifted a sharp rock, covered in blood. The amount of bacteria that could have on it...and it had just been stabbed into my body. I'm probably infected with all sorts of diseases.