The Tribute From the Ocean (A Hunger Games Fan Fiction)

•15•

The next day we were all out in our group trying to hunt down our main competition. I wasn't actually sure who we were searching for, instead I just hovered in the back with Candy. She was good company.

A soft, unnatural crunch, sounded beneath my foot. It was too late though, naturally. Before I could alert the rest the ground burst beneath us and sent us flying back.

I had to think quick. What was happening? District 3. They claimed their wires at the cornucopia. I had to get out. I stood, but my vision was blurred and screeches hit the air.

"Get back to the camp!" Brass yells over the chaos. Where was Brandon? Was he okay? I couldn't get myself killed right now. I go in the direction of the cornucopia as fast as I could. I had it in my vision when I fell, and hoped there was someone behind me to back me up.

•••

"She's going to have to go sooner or later." It was Juvel. Who was she talking about? "You know it too, Brass, if one of us is going to win this, we've got to get rid of her. She's a threat."

I kept my eyes closed. I didn't know what was happening, but I knew this wasn't a time to make my presence clear.

"Shut it Juvel! If either of them wake up now, we are done for, you hear me?" Brass snarls in a quiet voice. They both go quiet and all I could hear was the cracking of the sticks in the fire. Ten or so minutes later a cannon goes of and I flinch inwardly. I sit up a minute later, hoping it wasn't obvious I'd been awake.

"I heard a cannon." I say as I woke. My head pounded and my ears rung.

"Yeah." Juvel nods nonchalantly. "It was probably your little buddy, Brandon. We couldn't find him after the explosion." She shrugs as if it was nothing, but I felt as though I was going to break. I couldn't have acted like I cared, because that would break me more.

I looked around and realized it was only me, Juvel and Brass, and Candy. Slowly, Candy sits up also and I slowly turn to meet her gaze. By the look in her eyes, I could tell she had been awake for a while.

"Lets eat." Brass says distractedly. "I don't want this meat to rot." But the truth was, the meat already had rotten spots on it, but we didn't have much of a choice. We ate anyway.

•••

That night I asked to stay up to keep watch. Candy volunteered also. Juvel cast us suspicious glances but paces to the other end of the cornucopia and falls asleep. I look over to Candy and she reflects my same grim expression.

"You think they're asleep?" I ask quietly and grimly.

"I believe so." Candy murmurs. She looks down playing with the dust like dirt on the bottom of the cornucopia.

"So... who do you think she was talking about?" I ask her and brush my hair out with my fingertips.

"Kya, you don't need to play dumb. They were talking about you." She shakes her head and says boldly.

"What makes you think they were talking about me? Why couldn't it be you?" But I had the same gut wrenching feeling I guessed she had.

"You're strong, and you know that. They've known that since the beginning, but hoped you would go out sooner, but now that you haven't, they have to get rid of you." Candy tells me slowly. "Sleep now, and before they wake, you can run off and they won't see you."

"Will you come with me?" I ask her, turning my head as I talk to her.

"We will talk about that when you wake up." Candy says simply and pushes my question aside. I nod and lay my head down on the ground.

"Do you know if Brandon is okay?" I ask her after a moment of silence. The silence between sentences make me tense up and I can almost here the small shake of her head.

"I don't know." She answers simply, then I fall asleep to try and escape.

•••

I woke up to complete chaos.

"Go Kya!" I heard Candy's higher pitch tone screech at me. She had a knife against Juvel and Brass was coming at her. I stand and start to run toward her, to help her, but she yelled again, "Get out!"

If I didn't think she wanted it, I would've stayed to help, but I wasn't sure if we could defeat both of them, even together. I ran like a sort of coward. I ran out into the field and toward the trees with only a single knife.

I felt a hard piece of wood. Or maybe metal, dig into my shoulder. I look down Anne recognize an arrow, but it wasn't anywhere crucial, I didn't think.

I kept running with thoughts streaming through my head. I told myself I would be okay, and I would make it to the edge of the forest and neither Juvel or Brass would be able to find me. I also hoped Candy could kill them both and Brandon was alive. Candy would meet me in the woods after she fought them and Brandon would be alive and waiting. Of course, I was just teasing myself and dreaming false facts.

Somehow I fell, no matter how many times I told myself I wouldn't, or how many times I told myself I could stay standing. Grass rushed to meet my face and I was conscious for a few minutes laying on the ground.

I thought I would never move again and I would never stand again. I had one image rushing through my brain when I closed my eyes finally.