Broken (A Hunger Games Fanfic)

Chapter 9

Ya! I finished! I want to make these chapters as long as possible, but to make the book a little bit longer, I may make them only about 2-3 pages. So no offense to people who like them long :) ~Kaitlyn

This isn't really something I'd recommend, but depending on the arena you're in, you might have to make a campfire to keep warm or cook food. If your arena is warm, this isn't something you should do, but if the arena is snowy or has a chance of hiding the smoke, then it should be safer.

To make it, I'd recommend using stones to set off sparks. Any sort of leaves will help it burn faster if it catches fire, but remember to add wood to it. When you're done, kick earth onto it to hide the ashes if a Career happens to stumble upon it.

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 I glance around my surroundings. We must be by the ocean; I can smell the salty air. There is an small island standing a few hundred feet from the shore, and a ruined temple is crumbled along the island's green grass. There is a line of forestry surrounding the Cornucopia, which is in a clearing full of rocks. Supplies, weapons, water, and many other necessities are near the Cornucopia, and others are distanced away.

One minute to think about our plan before the cannon blasts. Gemma is four tributes away from me, and Nico is beside her. Summer, unfortunately, is nearly ten tributes down on my right. Scattered among the grass, twenty-four backpacks are labeled with our names.

Damn, I think. Mine's is nearly 4 meters from the Cornucopia. I'm not going to let Nico and Gemma do everything for me.

I have no choice but to go into the bloodbath.

Summer glances at me, and I can see in her violet eyes she understands. Hers is farther away, along with supplies she might grab when she does her part.

Suddenly, the cannon blasts.

The next five seconds are the most horrible and fast ones I'll remember. I dart from my disc, sailing through the clearing to my bag. I glance behind to see Summer, grabbing a tied bundle of arrows, an axe, and her bag before she disappears into the veil of trees.

As I snatch the bag, I pick up a bow sitting on the ground. Yes! Summer has the arrows, now I have the bow to finish.

I pick up a knife on the ground as I bolt to Summer. All of a sudden, she erupts from the trees, holding an axe. She races towards me - and heads into the bloodbath.

"Summer!" I scream.

Then I see where she is going. Gemma is wrestling with the boy from 12, and he seems to be winning. He kicks her in the shin and she falls to the ground. I see him raise his club, but suddenly blood spurts from his back as Nico stabs him with a silver sword. Summer raises her axe, swinging it down, finishing him off.

Nico picks Gemma up by the arm, half carrying her as they race toward me. I turn for the trees, hiding in their safe conceal.

We run for another hour or two, getting as far away from the bloodbath as possible. Finally, Nico stops at an evergreen, and we catch our breath.

"Why would you do that, Summer?" He yells with deep gasps, "You could've been killed!"

"Well, I wasn't going to let Gemma die!" She argues.

"She and I had it under control. You didn't have to interfere."

"Well next time you should stop -"

"All of you shut up!" I yell.

Nico and Summer look at me shocked. They stay shut up.

"Right now, whoever was in the stupid damn bloodbath doesn't matter! Gemma's leg is hurt; we have to treat it." I say.

Worry fills Nico's face as he and Summer nod.

I open my bag, spilling out it's contents.

"There's a blanket, some fruit, a strip dried meat, an empty canteen, a mallet, iodine, gauze, two knives, a flashlight, a box of matches, an axe, rope," I say, "And thank God, a little jar of medicine."

"Same here," Summer shows me her opened bag, "And that medicine's arnica gel. It helps to heal bruises."

Gemma, who lies on the ground, sits up a little.

"I don't need any stupid medication," She protests.

Despite her complaints, I roll her pants' leg to reveal her shin. A fist size purple bruise is marked on her leg, and she winces when I touch it gently.

"Yes, you do." Nico says.

"It will help if you put on the medicine." I say as I unscrew the jar's cap.

Gemma groans as I smear the gel onto her bruise, making it turn the color of grape preserves. Nico searches through the supplies he grabbed from the Cornucopia, and pulls out a large roll of white gauze. He unrolls it and wraps it around her wound.

"That should help," He tells her.

"We need to find a place to sleep tonight," Gemma explains as Nico pulls her from the ground.

"Right," Summer says, "Annabelle and I will find shelter, you guys try to find any food."

Summer and I head into the deep woods, leaving Gemma and Nico behind. A rabbit prances across the grass. Quickly, I gesture Summer to hand me an arrow from her bundle. I place it onto the string's bow, pull, and let it sail straight into the rabbit's chest as it tries to bound away.

Summer praises me with a grin as she snatches it from the ground.

"Well, there's our dinner," She says.

We continue our trek, searching for anything that would serve well as a shelter. We walk past more toppled temples. I remember in school, my teacher said that in a place called Greece the people built temples to worship the Olympians. 

Finally, we break through the trees to find a large pine. The needles lean downward and the earth covering the roots is sinking. We've found our shelter for the night.

I reach into my bag, pulling out the rope. I tie it around a branch.

"Now we'll know which pine it is," I tell Summer.

We turn back around, heading back to where Nico and Gemma are. Suddenly, a painful, blood-curling scream erupts through the trees, making the birds - who I think are mockingjays - burst into the air. Following it are whimpers of pain and the snickers of delight.

Beside me, Summer smirks as she glances mishievously at me.

"We have company," She announces