Hope In Our Eyes #GoldStarAwards2017Winner

Escape (Hazel)

After the dreadful, bloody hell of the bloodbath, the forest we escaped to is peacefully, yet creepily, quiet. 

I fidget with one of the few knives I managed to snag, while Mackenzie perches on a nearby log, toying with her necklace. Olive is leaning across a tall, thick tree with strange white bark as she pants from running, hands tightly gripping her knees. Meanwhile, Eisley and Aspen chat silently about what to do next. Except Eisley looks almost completely calm, while Aspen's eyes dart around nervously, as if looking for a trap. Well actually maybe he is scanning for a trap.

Since all this stillness is starting to bug me a little, I stand up, brushing a muddy leaf from my leg and shaking off my dark green jacket, and say, "Well I guess I'll go get some food. I think a saw a rabbit or something."

"I'll go with you." I look at the people around me, and tilt my head in surprise when I find out that Olive said that. 

"Olive-" Aspen begins, but is cut off by his sister's determined words.

"If Hazel's gonna be tracking rabbits, then she could use at least another knife thrower." Olive shrugs, although her voice has a tinge of fear in it.

I nod. "Okay then. How 'bout we head that way?" I point to the left, towards a tiny stream. "That way, we can get some water as well."

"Yeah." 

Olive and I grab our bags and weapons, and start heading out when I hear Aspen call my name.

"What?" I ask.

"Just ... uh, take care of yourselves." He answers, stating the word "yourselves" carefully. Yeah Aspen, I get what you mean. You obviously need me to pull an overprotective babysitter on Olive so that she'll be safe even if I die.

"Got it, we'll make sure that we're safe." I call back, using the same tone as him.

Aspen rolls his eyes and turns back, as Olive and I continue further towards the stream. As we gather the small metal bottles our packs provided with fresh, sweet liquid, Olive suddenly whispers, "Hey there's a deer, over there!" Sure enough, the shadow of a young, spotted brown stag is lying a few meters away from us, almost completely hidden by a nearby bush.

"Kay. Are you good with plants?" When she nods, I ask, "Can you maybe get some shrubs or something to lure that stag closer?" 

"Sure. You keep guarding it." Olive turns, quietly scampering out to who-knows-where.

Unfortunately, that's when the deer suddenly takes off, faster than a capitol train can possibly run. 

"Shoot!" With that, I'm racing across the damp, muddy forest floor, towards the brown dot that's zigzagging further and further away. Then, a stupid idea-well at least it's an idea-races to my mind. Picking up a rock, I hurl it at the animal, and the object lands near it with a thud.

Head raised, the stag turns and runs in another direction, leaving me to follow it. The deer is super fast, but receives a disadvantage when it stumbles over a boulder. That's when I hurl a knife towards its direction, which plants itself in the deer's neck. Awesome, I might actually bring back some lunch. 

The creature is struggling to shake the weapon off its neck, but it's hopeless. I approach it and throw another knife into its stomach, and that is when the animal exhales its last breath. 

Looking down at my prey, a small pang of guilt passes through me, although I have no idea why, for I hunt deer all the time for food. Finally, it hits me that the deer might as well represent a tribute running for their life, while I'm a merciless Career who slaughtered them without blinking an eye.

I am about to snatch the deer and drag it back towards our camp, when a voice shouts, "Hey, there's a person over there!" followed by loud hoots of excitement and ...  footsteps coming my way.

Whipping around, I scan for a bush or rock or anything to hide in, but there's nothing. Blood bubbling beneath my skin, I take off towards our camp area, with the Career tributes almost right at my heels.

The District Two boy turns towards his partner. "Ash, lend me a hand, will ya?"

Ash. So that's her name. "Sure thing, Blade." With that, she gains speed and is about to reach me when I jerk out of the way, changing direction. I can't let them attack my allies.

Nearing a tall oak tree, I stick my foot on one of the lower branches, hauling myself up with a pant. Climbing has never been one of my strengths, but the least I can do now is pull myself up and out of danger. I don't keep ascending until I'm standing on a high branch, tightly gripping another branch with a hand.

As the tributes from One, Two, and Four settle beneath me, the District One girl grins, face smugger than ... well ... the last time I saw someone wearing a smug expression. "We got ya now, sweetheart."

"Aww poor thing, do ya want your mommy?" Ash asks, her voice sickly sweet. I scowl at the word "mommy". If I can choose someone to help me in this arena, Lavender will be the last person I think of.

Turning my face to a carefree, friendly expression, I answer back, "Nah, I'm fine. Don't you think it's hot out here?"

"Certainly is." She nods. "But the question is, what do we do with her now?"

Before I can say anything, Lily exclaims, "Hey I smell smoke to our right."

"Same here," Her district partner adds. "Come on, let's go. This one," at this he points to me. "is probably gonna die of starvation anyway, look at her."

"True," The District One boy nods. "Okay." He turns to Lily. "You stay here and guard her." Then, the rest of the pack scampers away towards the supposed smoke.

I can only frown and examine Lily, when she says, "You can go now; I won't kill you."

"But won't they kill you?"

"Uh ..." She bites her lips and looks back at me. "I'll deal with it."

"No, I got an idea, but promise you won't like, tell the Careers where I gone."

"Promise."

"Okay, stay here for a sec." I whip around and dash across the wet fields, back to where I killed the deer. There, I use a knife to cut off one of its ears. Running back to Lily, I hand her the ear. "This should convince them that I'm at least badly injured, so even though they won't show my picture on the sky tonight, that'll like, give us both some time. You can maybe flee or something."

"Thanks." Snatching the ear, Lily squeezes some blood onto her hands. "So uh, I guess I'll go?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go back too."

"Kay then." With that, both of us turn, racing to our locations. I take the stag and run back to our alliance, glad that Olive is back, because number one: It's just nice that she's safe, and number two: Aspen will not kill me.

"Hazel, you okay?" Eisley asks.

"Yeah," I nod. "Just barely got away."