Broken Promises

chapter 9

Athena wakes up wrapped in a blanket of warmth. She’s about to step out of bed when she realizes there’s no floor to step onto. She sees the forest floor beneath her then realization strikes her that she’s high above in a tree. She turns around in her blanket to see a boy with his strong, protective arms enveloped around her waist. The sun gleams in through the thick leaves and Athena covers her eyes until they have adjusted to the brightness surrounding her. Jason snores loudly behind her nearly causing her to fall off the tree branch. Jason adjusts himself which for him means squeezing Athena tighter against him. She actually wants to throw his arms off of her body but she remembers the agreement they made last night.

                “I’ll protect you no matter what if you just listen to Johanna and I and be a part of the ‘Star crossed lovers from District 7’. So are you in?” His eyes look both devious yet somewhat sincere in the night sky. Athena trusts this guy. She doesn’t know why, but she does. She nods her head and he pulls her in for a brief hug. He wraps his arms around her thin waist. She tangles her arms around his warm neck and rests her chin on his broad shoulder.  He buries his face into her hair and inhales the scent of her shampoo. This is comforting. She hasn’t had a real embrace since she was with Tyler.  He pulls away and lefts her off the ground easily and carries her off to a tree. Athena cradles into the warmth of his chest before drifting into a restless sleep.

*

                She looks so beautiful when she sleeps. Almost innocent, and she’s far from innocent. Jason hears her soft breaths as she nuzzles up into his chest. He wishes he could carry her up to their bed on their wedding night. But he knows she doesn’t love him, she loves Tyler. He loathes Tyler so much for having Athena’s affection. He wishes he could feel the way it feels to have Athena love him. In time, he thinks, in time he’ll get her to love him back. He sets her gently on his back and wraps her limp arms around his neck. He carries them up the tree and collects the backpack still in her hand. He lies against the tree and sets Athena against his chest. He begins sorting through what she has collected in her backpack. Her axe, a pack of throwing knives, a container filled with nuts and berries, a blanket, a container filled with no water, pair of sunglasses and a small bottle filled with iodine. He puts everything back neatly into her backpack. He suddenly hears her stir in her sleep. He thinks he may have awoken her but she turns on her side and lays a small hand on his chest. He grabs her icy hand and kisses the back of it softly. They’re in range for the cameras to see, but he wasn’t acting for them. He does it for himself.  He reaches back into the backpack for the blanket on accordance of Athena’s shivering from the cool night air. He wraps it around them and tucks it underneath her chin. He glances down at her lips and shivers unexpectedly. Her lips are a cherry red and oh so inviting. He wants to kiss her so badly it’s almost painful but stops himself. She isn’t even conscious and if she awakes while he’s kissing her, she’ll think he’s a pervert. He does allow himself to tuck a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear and kisses her forehead gently. He looks up into the arena’s night sky and knows that Johanna will need to help him desperately.

                “Johanna, make her fall in love with me somehow. I know you can.” He pleads up to the sky. He drifts into a peaceful sleep after a few short minutes.

 *

Athena comes back into reality when she hears Jason stretch, beginning to awaken.

“Good morning, beautiful.” He declares with a slight yawn. She’s about to ask him why on Earth he called her beautiful when she suddenly remembers the act she needs to perform for the viewers. Athena comes up with the idea of pretending it is Tyler who she’ll be saying these things to. Perhaps, not at the moment though.  Athena acknowledges Jason with a slight inclination of her head before getting ready to hop out of the tree when she hears the obvious sound of a parachute landing on their branch. She reaches for it gently before opening it with great haste. She finds a container of warm porridge and a folded white note. She hands over the porridge to a confused looking Jason and reads the note to herself silently. It doesn’t take long for what it says to register in her mind. It reads,

 ‘Tyler is with another girl from the town.’ Athena’s heart sinks through her chest and down to her stomach. She feels as if someone has harshly punched her in the throat momentarily knocking the wind out of her lungs. She visibly pales and soon enough, Jason is latched onto her side, concern etched across his entire face. She rips the note out of agony turning the once whole note, into a thousand tiny pieces and lets them fly into the cool breeze. She lets out a frustrated shriek and jumps down to the ground beneath her. Jason grabs the backpack she has previously left behind and his sword before gingerly following her footsteps. How could he do this to her? She had loved him so. She had given up four years of her life devoted just to him. He had promised her that she would survive. His promise is already broken because she’s alive but barely breathing.

“Athena, what did the note say?” She turns around abruptly to face him and sees Jason panting from trying to catch up to her swift and determined glides. His hair is slick with sweat slightly curling at his temples. His dark green eyes are alert searching her face for any signs of emotion. His large body stiff with unwashed tension. And suddenly she knows what she must do. She is going to make Tyler rue the day he ever hooked up with another girl. She grabs ahold of Jason’s neck and forces it down near hers. She crashes her lips onto his with bruising force. At first he seems startled and Athena is afraid he might pull away, but he registers what her intentions are and moves his lips against her in a timeless dance. The two stand there in a trance, not breaking stride to even breathe.  Though Athena is losing oxygen quickly and the back of Jason’s neck is burning with heat. The only thing that breaks them apart is the sound of a girl’s high-pitched shriek.