Too Clever

Chapter 19

I fall to the ground, rattled by the explosion, a loud ringing noise pounding inside my skull. As the ground detonates, all of the supplies shoot up in a great eruption. Katniss lies on the ground, with fluid the color of crimson streaming out of her ear. She slowly crawls back to the tree line, and I'm not sure if she'll make it before the Careers come back. They're probably making a beeline to the site at this very moment, for surly they heard and saw the pyramid blow up.
I stand up, brush off the pine needles and dirt, and hunker down between two bushes to be sure that the Careers won't find me in the event that they pass by here. I reach up and crinkle a leaf next to both of my ears to confirm that my hearing has not suffered from the explosion. I can hear it, but it seems to be a little muted.
Time is ticking. Katniss is almost at the edge of the foliage, and the others must be getting close. But she makes it just in time, and barely.
The Careers crash through the trees. Marvel and Clove start circling the wreckage, their faces displaying their anger, balling up their fists. But Cato has a complete meltdown, and not just like a five-year-old carrying on in a toy store. I mean a full out temper tantrum. He transforms into something inhuman, ripping his hair and kicking the burnt supplies with such brutal force I find myself even more afraid of him. Then he heads toward Chase.
He starts out by grabbing Chase by the front of his shirt, the muscles in his arms rippling with brute force. I can't hear what he's saying due to the ringing in my ears, but it can't be pretty. The boy turns to run, but it's too late. Cato grabs on to Chase's neck with both hands and forcefully jerks his head to the side. Chase falls to the ground. His cannon fires.
     Perhaps I was right about Cato when I saw him and Marvel arguing a few days prior. When I assumed there was something not quite right about him.
Cato joins the other two in picking through the burning supplies, probably seeing if anything can be salvaged, and the hovercraft picks up the body. There must be some things that are salvageable. The explosion couldn't have completely destroyed everything. I decide to make a trip to the wreckage tomorrow morning, right before the Careers come back from the hunt.
Night falls soon after, and the anthem plays. The boy from 3 and the boy from 10, who must have died this morning when the first cannon of the day went off, are shown.
I see the Careers arming themselves with weapons and torches and head into the woods for the night.
     Before I go to sleep, I count on my fingers the number of tributes left in the arena. Marvel, Clove, Cato, Thresh, Rue, Katniss, Peeta, and me. I made it to the final eight.
     When there are eight tributes left in the arena, the Capitol interviews the friends and family of those still living. That means that Nora and my parents could be getting ready for interviews right now.
     I let my mind drift off to an imaginary interview between Nora and Caesar Flickerman, picturing Nora in her favorite black and white dress, her curly red hair tied up in a ribbon. The thought brings happiness to me, and I let this image linger in my mind until I fall asleep, the icy wind biting at my toes.
                         **********
The next morning, I get up at dawn and ready myself for my trip to the supplies. I should be able to find at least some pieces of metal that could be useful. I eat one of the apples I got yesterday right before Katniss blew up the pyramid and position myself right on the edge of the trees, making sure I won't be seen by anyone.
     I grab my water skin and sprint towards the lake. After filling it up with water, I make my way to the supplies strewn across the dirt. Little wisps of smoke emanate from a few of the objects. I stand in the middle of the rubble and laugh, as there are a few things that are still useful. Mostly metal objects, just like I had predicted. The Careers picked through all of this and came out with nothing. They really aren't very bright. In fact, with the Careers supplies eliminated, my chances of winning have greatly increased.
     I find a knife blade and a metal pot. I also grab three tiny pieces of charred cloth, knowing that they will be highly flammable and will be good for making a fire if need be.
     As I continue to poke around the rubble, I hear a sound coming from the drop-off to my right. Turning my head a little in the direction the noise came from, I listen for it again. No luck. I have no idea what lies beyond that area, but it could be a threat. Maybe another tribute, like Thresh. So I quickly vacate the supplies and sprint back into the woods.
No one shows up at the wreckage, but I didn't want to take my chances. Sometimes it's best not to take risks, although I've been taking quite a lot of them since the Games began.
As I put all of things I found a moment ago in a pile next to my blanket, I realize how much of a chance I really do have of winning at this stage of the Games. Of course there are still three Careers left, but with their supplies gone, that's another thing they'll have to worry about besides their nightly hunts. I am a little intimidated by Katniss though. She has wicked aim with her bow and arrow, and not to mention guts. Thresh seemed tough to me before the arena, but I haven't seen him yet. He's probably hiding out where the ground inclines, the spot where I heard that sound from. Same deal with Peeta. I haven't seen him since the tracker jacket incident. He obvious isn't with the Careers anymore. Rue probably won't be much of a problem.
     I wonder if any of the other tributes think of me as a threat. Have any of them seen me at the Cornucopia or the supplies pyramid? Have the Careers figured out that it was me who took some of their supplies? Most likely not. They don't come across as being particularly smart.
     For the next fifteen minutes or so, I waste time attempting to French braid my hair back the way Nora always did. It proves to be rather difficult, especially without a mirror, and I find myself unable to pull it off. Instead I simply pull my hair up in a messy ponytail, imagining Nora at this very moment, chuckling at my inability to do my hair.
     Afterwards, I take a moment to clean myself up a bit. I start out with picking the layer of dirt from underneath my nails and washing my hands off with a damp piece of cloth I had gotten from the mess of supplies. I wash my face with it too, soaking up the sweat gleaming on my forehead. I still feel absolutely disgusting, but a little bit better than before.
     The sun is at its highest point in the sky, indicating noontime. A slight breeze whips through my hair, cooling me off a bit. I sit there for a moment bathing in the sunlight, just letting myself relax, when I hear the sound of a mockingjay from above. It sings a pretty, four-note tune. Many others join in, and a magnificent melody emanates from the tops of the trees, filling the air with their beautiful song.
     Then a cannon fires. The birds stop singing for a split second, as if startled by the sound, and continue on like nothing happened. A few minutes later, a second cannon fires. Who is dead? Is there a battle going on somewhere? I'll just have to wait to find out tonight.
     The mockingjays suddenly stop singing, and one of them let's out a high pitched whistle from far off, almost like a warning call. I see the shape of a hovercraft through the trees in the distance pick up two bodies and disappear.