The Hunger Games: Never Safe From Danger

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Nath’s POV

I glance to Clio. “Umm, can I go somewhere for a second? I wanna try something…” This something is maybe just a little twisted.

“Okay…” Clio says, her voice slightly suspicious. “Why?”

I point to the tracker, hoping that counts as some kind of answer. She just nods, eyes narrowed, and I run out of the cave, grabbing the tracker.

Bang! Second cannon of the day. Another kid dead. Perfect. And right now, I’m serious. This’ll work nicely with my plan.

A little yellow dot a few valleys away turns green in an instant. I don’t want to grin…but hey, nobody’s around to judge me, and it’s not like I can even help it.

Oh, pesky reflex smiles.

I walk cautiously in her direction, praying I get there before the hovercraft.

Dear, dear…I am rather a twisted person.

I break into a sprint, somehow not tripping over when my eyes are glued to the little screen.

Only what, a minute’s walk? I think.

Wonder if this is why they put trackers in the games. This. This exact thing that I thought of, not the genii I am allies with. Me. Nath Eyer. Not that smart. Think again, world. Think again.

Okay, so maybe I’m overreacting. But I don’t care!

Of course, there are flaws to my plan. There are flaws to every plan. Although, if I get lucky…

Thirty seconds. I think.

I’m not even going to question whether or not this is right. I don’t want to end up backing down.

Here! I’ve found her!

And now I want to throw up.

I-I don’t know…this is horrible…

I got up this morning with an idea. I thought I had thought of a genius way of getting supplies- finding recently deceased tributes and stealing…except, not stealing, because they wouldn’t need their stuff anymore.

Thought it would be harmless.

Gosh, I was so wrong.

She must be what, thirteen? Fourteen? But the entire right side of her body has been blasted off. I don’t know how. It’s disgusting. I can see her ribs. Smashed up organs falling out of her. This is horrible. I hope for her sake it was instant.

Next thing I know, I actually am throwing up.

 Should I? I don’t want to touch it…her…

There’s a knife lying a few metres. Poor thing, it must have been thrust out of her hands by the blast. I snatch it and start running back to the cave.

The blade is covered in animal fur. What? Why? Did she kill a rabbit or something? There were no furry little carcasses…

Maybe it was destroyed in the blast.

I wipe the blade all over my trousers. I hope Clio doesn’t think I’m weird, or disgusting…well, time to find out. I run into our cave.

“I thought you were running off and not coming back,” Remy says simply.

“No,” is all I can manage.

“You smell of vomit,” Clio says, standing up and walking towards me.

“I think I know why that is.” I sit on a rock. I’m shaking. I don’t actually know what the hell just happened. I drop the blade. I drop the tracker. I don’t care. I’m shivering.

“Clio, it was…h-horrible…”

“What was horrible?” she asks calmly. Remy lunges for the tracker, picking it up to make sure it’s okay.

“She…she…” I can’t finish my sentence. “I brought back a knife,” I say weakly.

“Where did you get that?”

“I…inherited it…”

She ponders this for a moment, then her eyes widen. “You didn’t-”

I nod miserably.

“What have you seen, Nath?”

“She was…I don’t even…”

Clio’s arms are around me in an instant.

“I was only trying to help you…we need more things…”

“I’m not blaming you Nath…you’re sweet, you mean well. I’m not blaming you. What did you see?”

I liked the part where she called me sweet.

“…Nath?”

“Huh?”

“What did you see?”

“A dead girl.” Keep it simple. Reveal nothing. No need to traumatise your friends. They have the knife you brought them, idiot, annoying them could be a bad idea…

Would they kill me? I mean, indirectly, we will probably all end up killing each other. It doesn’t work any other way.

“What’s so scary about a dead girl? You’ve seen all that plenty of times,” she tells me.

“The way she was dead…so close to here…she…half blown-up…”

“What?!”

I shrug and hug into her. She distances herself from me. “Are you trying to tell me something exploded and killed this girl?”

“Yes- well, that’s what it looked like…”

“And you in this state…that bad, huh?” I look away. She turns my face back around and looks me in the eye. It’s unnerving. I want to blink…but no.

“Yes…” I whimper. I must look so weak to her right now, like a little injured bunny that she just has to look after so she won’t feel too guilty. That’s all I am- their pet. Know what? I’m okay with it. I’m fine myself, just fine, but is this going to do me any favours sponsor-wise? Probably not. The sympathy vote only ever works for the little kids. I’m eighteen.

I just feel pathetic because I am, and let’s leave it at that. Maybe Clio will share her gifts with me because I’m an injured bunny, and injured bunnies are cute. She has to get some. She’s brilliant.

“Aww. It’s okay…”

She just awwed me. My life is okay, what was I even just complaining about?

Okay, yeah, that was a huge overreaction. Oh, whatever.

Don’t judge. I deserve some slack. I’m going to die in an arena, for crying out loud!

Is it wrong that now I want to play up this act? I mean, yes, I am feeling destroyed, but maybe exaggerating it…fun…