Hope In Our Eyes #GoldStarAwards2017Winner

A Loss of Hope (Hazel)

I finally understand how my thick jacket will help me as we reach the snowy area Eisley and Aspen found. Eisley claimed that she'd seen a couple animals, but I doubt that any creature would like to survive here in this freezing tundra. In fact, Poppy's bracelet, which used to sit contentedly on my wrist, is now drying up a little.

As we run, Olive suddenly mumbles, "What is that ...?" and we look to the direction she pointing to. Lying on the cold, wintry floor ahead of us is a splatter of blood, following another bloody splotch, which has more blood lined up in front of it. Mackenzie and I decide to check it out, telling the rest of our pack to find somewhere to camp. 

We walk along the trail of blood, which finally leads to what seems to be the leftovers of a dead body. You can hardly tell if the person is male or female; the carcass is mauled all over the whole body, but then I notice the strange string necklace wound around the neck with a piece of wood dangling from it. Who have I seen wearing that necklace? As my mind wanders back all the way to the Reaping. When Lavender called out the male tribute, I saw something swinging from his neck as he walked up. Yes. That's it.

"Alex," I breathe out. "One of those cannons must've belonged to him."

"It doesn't seem to be another tribute." Mackenzie mutters. "If it were, there would probably been just some stab marks here and there, at most. But his face ..."

"Probably a mutt. Of course, we didn't hear any screams, so ..." Confusion, worry, and irritation build up like a tornado inside me, forcing a grimace up my face. "A plant, maybe?"

"I dunno, let's get back so we can tell the others." Mackenzie says. A selfish, smarter side of me disagrees, so that if our group gets attacked, it's population can just shrink so that we won't have to deal with killing each other at the end, if most of us survive. But another opinion that rises from my heart argues tells me that I've formed some type of bond with Olive, Aspen, Mackenzie, and Eisley, and that they're my friends. I decide to go with that for right now.

We just stay silent as we reach our camp, seeing that they've lit a fire, causing me to shriek, "What the hell are you doing? They'll see us!"

"Who, the Careers?" Eisley snorts. "They're probably miles away, and seeing to that little negotiation you played with Four, that fact will probably keep 'em busy for some time."

"Yeah, but now that I'm 'dead' to them, and judging those cannons, the Careers would probably think that some of the rest of us are now killed too." I point out. "And with that fire-"

"Relax, the fire might as well be a sign that we have a huge group, and we don't really care if they invade since we're 'dangerous', which'll hold 'em back for a while." Aspen argues, wagging his fingers at the word "dangerous".

"Fine." I answer, sitting down and leaning against a fallen log. 

For the rest of the day, nothing really happens. We just hunt, eat, and rest, which seems pretty boring. No wonder no sponsors come. Soon, we're dozing off with Mackenzie and Olive currently on guard duty. I start entering an actually peaceful dream about chilling in my home back in District Twelve and eating chocolate cake, when ...

"GUYS! GET UP! HURRY!" Mackenzie shrieks.

I rub sleep out of my eyes and stifle a yawn, just to see the most inhumane thing on earth standing in front of us.

The mutt is about ten feet tall, covered in clear white fur that's slightly stained with I-don't-want-to-know-what-it-is, but judging how red the liquid is, it's probably one who slaughtered Alex. As it opens it's large mouth, I see three rows of flashing silver teeth that are also bloodstained. Above that mouth sit glowing ice blue eyes without pupils. So basically, the creature is the Yeti, except instead of legs, it depends on writhing purple tentacles.

Before I can even snap out of my trance, one of the monster's hairy arms yank towards Mackenzie, but she darts away just in time right before sticking a dagger in it's giant paw, making it roar in pain, a sound that probably can be be heard within a five mile radius. A tentacle intertwines around my leg and brings me up, but I grab the dagger it's paw, ripping it out, and that's all it takes for it to let go of me. Luckily, I land on a large patch of snow, so I climb up, panting.

I snatch a knife and hurl it at the mutt's head with as much force as I can manage-which is not a lot, and the blade sticks in the middle between both eyes. Cue another dramatic roar. This buys us a few seconds, as Eisley and Olive quickly dash behind the beast, stabbing it's back using swords. Luckily, that makes it stumble a little so Olive and Eisley can run away and begin attacking it from the front again.

Then, Mackenzie, Aspen, and I lock eyes, having the same idea. We each snatch a knife and surround the beast, positioning to hurl the blades towards it from different directions.

"On the count of three." I whisper. "One, two, THREE!" With that, we all throw. My knife pierces the mutt's stomach, Mackenzie's nicks one tentacle, and Aspen's gets in ...

Olive's arm. 

As Aspen stands in shock and Olive struggles to get the weapon out, one tiny violet tentacle makes it's way around her, bringing her up in the air to it's head level. Olive's mouth is opening and closing with screams, but I can't hear any of them. Is it just because I got snow in my ears, or the fact that I'm shocked, or ... oh wait.

I remember how this mutt supposedly killed Alex, but his frightened yells weren't heard. It must be this mutt. There's something on it, so that when it touches a tribute, it mutes him or her unless they get free. Apparently the monster also has no shadow and leaves no footprints. Therefore, tributes can barely sense danger, putting their lives at stake even more.

Everyone starts hurling and stabbing weapons into the beast, trying to distract it, but it is no use. After mauling and clawing at Olive, it finally brings her down and retreats to where it came from.

The mutt has done a beautiful job of turning Olive into a tribute kabob. What Olive now looks like is a perfect replica of Alex, with a torn face, nearly broken limbs, blood swimming freely out of her mouth. But the most shocking thing is her neck. Scribbled as claw marks are the letters, C.S., Coriolanus Snow, as if to say, Don't mess with me or this is what you get.

A few seconds later, most of us come back to our senses. Aspen crouches down and buries his face in Olive's jacket, Mackenzie is rapidly wiping her face, while Eisley is shrieking as she throws rocks, sticks, bits of snow everywhere. Me? I'm still standing there as a couple silent tears stream down my cheeks. 

Mackenzie, Eisley, and I finally walk a few feet away and sit down, giving Olive and Aspen some space. For the first few minutes, Olive's hand is weakly gripping her brother's, trying to reassure him, but Aspen's still shaking with sobs.

Olive then whispers into Aspen's ear and reaches into her pocket, handing something to him. I don't know what it is, a necklace? A toy? Just as I wonder more, Eisley whispers, "A picture."

A picture. Oh. Probably a photo of their family, all together and smiling freely, as if nothing can get to them. If only that was true to everyone in Panem.

A sudden, loud cannon that seems to be longer than the others, as if it's mourning as well, signifies the end of Olive's life.

Seeing Olive's limp, lifeless body, our sorrowful faces, everything that's happened, I doubt even more that I will survive these Games. Well, actually, I don't want to survive.

I want to live.