The Hunger Games

Chapter 22

          Water trickles down on my face waking me up. My eyes flutter open, and everything is a blur. I see a figure above me and can’t make it out until my vision clears and I feel dizzy.

          “Hey sleepy head,” Danny says, looking directly down at me with a smile across his face.

          “Hey early bird,” I say sitting up. “I’m getting hungry, what about you?”

          “Me too, but it’s still pouring outside so we can’t hunt. But we have some crackers and berries,” he says handing me some.

          “Thanks,” I say and begin eat the juicy berries.

          “The rain’s pretty loud, isn’t it?” Danny says, eating his share. “Are you cold?”

          I nod and he scoots over and presses his body against mine, sitting next to me. I lean into him and his arm goes around me. “How is you injured shoulder and your leg feeling? Any better?” I ask, looking up at him.

          “Much better, your hands work magic. You’d make a great healer back home.” He says, making me blush. “I feel no more pain. But I am still concern about the cut on your arm. It was bleeding a lot last night. And it’s still an open cut. I can still see a little blood. Please cover it up before it gets much worse. You’ll only cause infection.”

          I sigh. “I’ll be just fine, okay. You worry too much about me. I won’t die because of this little cut. If I had something like yours, my chances of death may be high if I haven’t covered it up by now.”

          “I just want to protect you. It’s my job to get you out of the arena alive. You need to win these Games, how many more times do I need to mention it?” He says, brushing his hand on my cold cheek.

          “I don’t know, maybe until you’ve convinced me to the fact that I’ll end up living.” I say smiling and pull his hand away, and shove a cracker in his mouth and laugh.

          “Hey,” he says cracking up. He grabs a few berries and holds me down, trying to force them into my mouth. I refuse to open my mouth and he keeps telling me to. “Come on, open up. Come on,” he says, on top of me, one hand on my shoulder, the other containing the berries.

          “MmmmMmmmm,” I make the moaning sound, keeping my mouth tightly shut. I manage to struggle free of his grip and craw away laughing.

          “You are impossible,” he says sitting down. “I give up.”

          I grin and craw back to him. “Wow, you give in so easily. You always give in when—” I’m cut off by Danny placing his hand over my mouth and shoving in the berries. I cough a bit before I speak again. “Dude, what’s wrong with you?” I say giggling.

          “Ah, now, who can’t trick you?” He asks putting his arm around me.

          I just laugh and shake my head. “You still can’t. That was a life time accomplishment for you!” I say sarcastically.

          Danny laughs and shakes his head. “Now you are just mean.” He says sarcastically. “I’m kidding, but you can be.”

          I just roll my eyes and let that be.

          For the next few hours, we sit in the cave eating crackers and berries and sorting through the weapons. The rain doesn’t settle, and the water is leaking through the cave. The cut on my arm starts to bleed a bit more, and Danny insists I should cover it up. I tell him I’ll be fine, but he won’t take no for an answer. He covers it up in the bandages and finally stops bugging me about it when he’s finished.

          “You are so annoying at times,” I tell him standing up.

          “And so are you.” He says grabbing my hand and pulling me back down. “Don’t stand up; you might bang your head on the roof.”

          “This is exactly what I’m talking about. You’re always on top of me, trying to keep me safe. You’re over protective of me, just like how I’m with my sister. You know I’m capable on that on my own, unlike you.” I say beginning to poke his chest. He catches my hand and smiles. “I still think you should be less protective over me.” I say sitting down next to him.

          “Like how most people say that about you with your sister, how you’re always over protecting her?” He says.

          “I guess. I’m like that towards her because I love her. I want to make sure she knows that she’s never alone, and that no matter what, she’ll always have me to be there by her side. And I am always there for her. I was there for her on her first day of school, all her class shows. I was there when Jake died. My parents weren’t. I want to make sure she knows she’s never alone. She’ll always have me. And for crying out loud, the poor girl watched my brother’s death at the age of 7!” I say. “And I don’t think people have a right to call me insane for that.”

          “Well, I don’t think you’re insane.” Danny says. “You’re unpredictable and no one can really put up with you, but you have a few people who understand you.”

          “I know,” I say, “I’ll always have my sister and you for now. If I ever make it home, I’ll just have my sister. Things will get pretty busy then.”

          “As for me, my brothers take care of us. My dad’s always working in the mines all day, with yours, my mom working for the mayor as a house keeper. My sister cleans the house, and me and my brothers working on the chores. I am in charge of food. So we do that together all day. You know that stuff.”

          I nod. “I’ve got my hands full all day. I’ve got to be taking care of Kati, finding food, taking care of the house. And during all this, I still try to make sure she’s safe. It’d be a shame if Kati was chosen for the Games when she’s twelve. It really would. Even though I love her, she has no chance of winning.”

          “Yeah, it would. Then your whole family would have been a tribute, you, Jake, and if against all odds, Kati.” Danny says. “It’ll be such a shame, especially if you lose her.”

            I sigh. “That’s why I never want kids, to never raise a family. I might have to be forced watching them die in the Games. Plus, after this, if I ever make it back home, I’ll be too busy with the Capitol to focus on anything else in my life. You know, with the interviews and parties and stuff.”

          Danny looks down at me and sighs. “Come on, I think the rain has let up a bit. It doesn’t sound so loud anymore. Let’s pack up and get a move on.”

          I nod and sit up, picking up the sleeping bag from the floor. I put away the knives with Danny, and put away my arrows and grab my bow. I put on my backpack and walk the edge of the cave to check on the rain. It’s still pretty bad, but not as it was earlier. It has lightened up just as Danny predicted.

          “I guess the rains okay to travel in,” I call out to Danny.

          I head back towards Danny and unexpectedly, Danny shouts at the top of his lungs, “Katharine, look out!”

          Just then, everything goes black.