Behind Those Violet Eyes ▸ Hunger Games

Chapter Twenty-Two: Alia Fletson

Chapter Twenty-Two:

Alia’s POV

When I woke up the following morning, my throat ached for water. My lips were dry and cracked from, burning in agony.

I rolled over and reached for one of the water bottles. When I realized it was empty, I groaned and threw it across the cave.

“Great,” I huffed sarcastically, “Thank you, Cyra Merison.”

Slowly, I sat up from my sleeping bag and paced around the cave to familiarize myself with it.

“Alia? What are you doing?” Cato asked in a drowsy voice, making me aware that the clank of my boots had woken him up.

“Nothing really,” I replied.

Like I had done earlier, he reached for one of the water bottles, but then crushed it in his hands and threw it at the cave wall.

I raised my eyebrows and smirked. “Good job, Cato. Now we only have two water bottles left.”

“Guess I didn’t think of that…”

I nodded, grabbed the remaining water bottles, and prepared to head to the river when Cato jumped up from his sleeping bag and took the water bottles.

“I’ll get it this time,” he said.

“Is that your way of apologizing?” I joked.

He laughed and left the cave with the water bottles.

I sat down, running my fingers through my chocolate brown hair to tie it up into a ponytail.

A few minutes later, Cato came back into the cave. He tossed me one of the bottles and sat down next to me.

“So… what do we do now?” he asked.

I sighed heavily, as for the first time in my life, I was without a plan.

“Well, we need to find food at some point, so I guess we should try hunting,” I suggested.

Cato groaned, “Where are sponsors when you need ‘em?”

“With the lovely Alexis Letterman as our mentor, we’ll probably never receive any of our sponsors’ gifts. There’s probably a whole room of stuff she’s keeping from us.”

“But she likes you. So, I’d think she’d at least give you your gifts,” Cato said.

“Yeah, but I’m your alliance and–”

“Alexis hates me,” he finished.

I smiled when I caught sight of a silver parachute land in front of the cave.

“Guess she doesn’t hate you that much after all…” I trailed off, scrambling out the cave to pick up the sponsor’s gift.

I unwrapped the parachute from the gift to unveil a steel bow and pack of arrows… only this wasn’t your typical bow and arrows set. The bow was spiked, making it a weapon on its own, but had a spike-free place to place your hands to shoot. And the sharp tips of the arrows were coated in a lethal poison.

And, of course, there was an annoying note from Alexis attached to the bow, as well:

Alia, if you turn into a total Cato, I won’t be doing you two any more favors. -Alexis

I rolled my eyes and shredded the note as I shouted, “Cato! Get out here!”

He darted outside the cave, eyes wide at the sheer excitement in my voice.