Too Clever

Chapter 24

For a while, nothing happens. The world is still. The only movement is the trees swaying in the slight breeze, and the only sound is the mockingjays whistling from far off. It could almost be peaceful, if there wasn't so much tension in the air.
I bet the other tributes are crouched down in the tree line at this moment, all pondering the decision of whether to get their backpack from the the table now, or if they should wait a while. Waiting too long could mean that someone else takes your bag, but acting now means risking your life at the hand of another tribute.
Suddenly, a figure darts out of the trees, sprinting towards the table. From where I sit, I get a clear view of the whole thing through a gap in the dense shrubbery, and I identify the tribute as Katniss, a sheath of silver arrows slung across her back.
Just as she is about to reach the table, another tribute comes tearing out of the tree line, a deadly look on her face. Clove hurls quite a large knife in Katniss's direction. Katniss looks up just in time to see the knife driving straight towards her face and ducks backwards. The knife grazes her forehead, leaving a crimson streak of blood dripping down her face.
Katniss throws her hand up, takes an arrow out of her sheath, and shoots an arrow at Clove. It hits her in the arm, but it wasn't enough to knock her to the ground. But, luckily for her, it wasn't her dominant arm. Clove hastily pulls the arrow out of her damaged arm and runs toward Katniss. They collide, and Clove savagely pounds Katniss onto the ground, knocking the wind out of her.
There's a struggle, but Clove, the bigger of the two, manages to pin Katniss underneath her. For a while, Clove seems to be taunting Katniss, but I can't quite hear what she is saying. Katniss screams out a name: "Peeta!"
That must mean that Peeta is near. And Cato and Thresh are probably lurking around here as well. I need to clear out.
But before I get up and leave, I steal one more glance at the scene before me. Clove is tracing Katniss's face with a knife when suddenly Thresh appears from the sloped off region. He makes a run not at the table with the backpacks, but straight at the two girls. He yanks Clove off of Katniss, and I can hear her bloodcurdling screams. But I have to get out of this area, and I have to admit, I really don't want to watch someone die, even if it is for my benefit. So I take my pack and make my way back to the river.
Sure enough as I trek through the undergrowth of the forest floor, I hear the symbolic boom of the canon. My hair stands on end, and I can't shake the feeling that that same canon could signify my death in a matter of days.
It must have been Clove, for there is no way she could have escaped Thresh's strong hold. I will have to wait for tonight to see if I am correct.
Another thought suddenly occurs to me. Katniss called out for Peeta, but he didn't show up. There is no way that he didn't hear her scream his name if he was close in proximity.
This brings up an interesting point—was Peeta actually near the Cornucopia during the feast? If not then where is Peeta? And why did Katniss call out for him if she knew he wasn't there?
The answer to the latter is obvious. Katniss wanted Clove to think that Peeta was around, which would clearly be a threat to her. So, if I'm correct, Peeta is somewhere out here in the arena. He could be anywhere, so I'll have to keep an eye out for him.
     But why wouldn't he have gone with Katniss? There are two possible answers, each as likely as the other. Either they were not able to find each other in this vast arena after Claudius Templesmith's announcement, or Peeta is unable to go, meaning he could be injured or sick.
I continue the long walk through the trees back in the direction from which I came, listening for the flow of the river. When I finally hear it, I practically run towards the river, needing a drink of water desperately. Crouching down on the riverbank, I take my empty water skin and scoop up some water. Expecting the pleasant rush of cold water over my hand, I am a little taken aback when it appears to be a bit warmer then it has been. It must be because the temperature is continuing to rise during the day.
I drink down half of my water and splash the rest of it on my face and the back of my neck; even though it is a little warmer, it still cools me off in the boiling sun. I fill up my water skin again and take seat on a nearby boulder.
I'm running dangerously low on food, and it's clear that I will have to go look for some later. But in the mean time, I eat a small handful of berries. They are a little dried up, but it's better than having nothing at all.
Out of the corner of my vision, I sense slight movement. I slowly turn my head and can just make out the slender figure of another tribute about fifty yards away from me. The sheath of arrows strung across her identifies her as Katniss.
But she appears to be swaying a little as she walks, as if she is dizzy. She seems to be a little confused of her surroundings, and before I can duck behind the boulder I am sitting on, Katniss stumbles a little and falls to the ground. She must have lost consciousness.
A very pleasant thought surfaces; Katniss must have food. And if I can somehow follow her to wherever it is she is going, I may be able to sneak a little bit of food for myself.
So I gather up my things and wait a few minutes, just to be sure, and then make my way towards the figure on the ground, half expecting a canon to fire. But no canon has fired by the time I make it to her body. Sure enough, Katniss is passed out on the layer of dead leaves on her stomach, one hand underneath her chest.
She must be dehydrated, I think. But when I see the pool of blood forming on the ground, dripping down from her forehead, I realize that dehydration is not the only reason she has lost consciousness.
I close my eyes and go back to the feast in my memory. I replay the whole scene, and I conclude that the gash on her head was made by the knife Clove threw at her right before Katniss shot an arrow at her arm.
A small pack lies on the ground beside her, and I have no doubt that there must be food in it. Probably some kind of meet that she shot earlier. I decide to take the smallest amount of food from the pack, but not enough enough for her to notice. But before I can act, a soft moan escapes Katniss's lips, and her head turns ever so slightly. My heart skips a beat; she must be awake now.
Her eyes are still closed, but clearly she will be conscious again very soon, maybe even a matter of seconds. So I dart behind a large cluster of bushes and wait, cursing myself out because I wasn't quick enough to spot the pack of food.
     And I realize I was so caught up in getting the food that I didn't even think about the little pack she got at the feast! I swear under my breath.
She slowly comes back into consciousness and stands up, a little shaky at first. When she seems to figure out where she is, Katniss picks up her pack, repositions her sheath of arrows, and continues on her path. When she is roughly ten yards away, I quietly come out from behind the bushes and follow, keeping a good distance between us.
After about fifteen minutes it begins to rain. It's a slight drizzle at first, but it becomes heavier with each passing minute. I hear a soft roll of thunder in the distance, and the sky is a dark grey; a storm must be brewing.
Just when the rain shifts over to a complete downpour, and it's getting hard to see, Katniss turns and slips into a cave. I squint through the heavy drops of rain and can just make out a small row of caves. I run around the back of the one Katniss just went into and enter one one of the caves farther down for good measure.
I put my two backpacks down and wring out my hair. I am dripping wet, and it's causing me to shiver. I wrap the blanket around my body and curl up into a ball against the wall of the cave.
It's actually quite roomy in here; it's a bit bigger than the size of my bedroom at home.
The sound of the anthem playing snaps me out of my daydream of being back home again. I get up and walk to the entrance of the cave so I can see the projection of the deceased. Just as I had guessed, Clove's face appears in the sky.
Since there is nothing better to do, I take a swig of water and settle down to sleep.