I wake up to a drop of water hitting my face. My arm feels better, but it's kind of sore. Opening my eyes, I am worried to find that Dan is gone. I push myself into a sitting position, and I look around me. I am under the protection of a giant leaf, and it's raining outside. Beside me, I see my backpack, and an empty syringe of some sort. Also, my arm is now bandaged with clean, white cloth. Yawning, I rub my eyes, and then I put on my backpack.
I still don't know where Dan is, and I'm considering leaving to find him. However, when I try to stand, I feel dizzy, so I sit back down. I'm parched, so I decide to fill up my water bottle with rain water. As I close the lid, I see the bushes moving in the distance, and I'm concerned that it's a tribute, other than Dan. Readying myself, I grab a knife between my fingers, ready to throw it.
As the foliage closest to me parts, I see Dan, looking down at the ground, sad. Then, he looks up from the ground, and he sees me. His face lights up, and he almost runs straight for me. He gets down on his knees and hugs me.
"Oh, thank God," he gasps under his breath.
"For what?" I ask, confused.
"That piranha bite; it was going to kill you, but luckily a sponsor gave us some sort of medicine to stop the venom. I expected it to work quickly, but you were unconsious for three days," Dan explains.
"Holy crap, three days?" I ask, stunned.
"Yeah, and I was worried that you were never going to wake up," Dan whispers.
"Well, I'm here now, and I plan on getting you out of this hellhole," I tell him calmly.
"Charlotte, please, don't talk about that. I don't even want to think of that," he says.
"Okay...but it'll happen eventually. I already told you; no crying to mourn the dying," I remind him.
"Okay," he replies.
"Do you think you can walk?" he asks cautiously.
"Yeah, I might be able to. Would you mind helping me stand?" I ask, offering him my hand as he stands. He nods, and grabs my hand. We both pull together, and I get into a standing position. I wobble a lot as I gingerly take my first step, and I nearly lose my balance. Dan wraps his arm around my waist, and he steadies me. I look up to his face and give him a small smile of gratitude, and then we begin walking.
"How many people have died?" I ask.
"Ten people died in the bloodbath, and since then, five more have been murdered," he informs me. My heart nearly stops at the word murder. It's such an ugly word, to describe such an ugly act. But these are the Hunger Games, and murder is encouraged here.
"Nine people left, then? If one more person dies, we'll be in the Final Eight," I say in disbelief.
"Yeah. They'll be interviewing all of our friends and family...god, they'll have to do something like nine interviews for me!" Dan laughs.
I smile as well, then I quietly add, "For me, there's only going to be one person to interview." Dan's smile then turns into a frown.
"I'm sure that you have more than just one," Dan tries to lighten the mood.
"If you say so..." I trail off.
It's still early in the afternoon, and the rain stopped a while ago. My stomach is growling so much I can't stand it. I stop walking, and I abruptly suggest, "Can we hunt for food?"
"No, not really. We haven't anything to hunt with!" Dan explains.
"Well, we can go to the Cornucopia and see what's left," I say.
