hope in our eyes || 37th hunger games ✔️

Disposable?

Mackenzie

I stare at what's left of Olive's body as silent tears stream down my face. Aspen kneels beside her, clutching her almost unrecognizable hand as if it's his lifeline. The horror of the whole situation is too unbearable for words to describe. Are children's lives really that disposable that the Capitol can bear to watch an innocent child be mauled to death.

We stay with Olive for hours, almost unable to move. Hazel and I huddle together as Eisley throws snow and bits of other things around before tiring herself out and collapsing onto the snow that's now stained with Olive's blood. She left the world quite a while ago but it just seems wrong to leave her like this. Then Aspen stands up.

"We should get going." He says in a voice hoarse from crying as he wipes at his red eyes. Eisley gets up as well and wraps her arms around a shaking Aspen.

"I'm so sorry." She whispers.

Aspen simply nods, obviously trying to hold back another wave of tears, as he picks up our weapons that were strewn on the ground.

I silently move towards Olive and kneel down beside her. She was so beautiful, such a joy, and now she's gone. Gone forever. Do the Gamemakers ever realize what they've done? She had friends, family... a future, they've robbed her of that. My frozen fingers shakily find the clasp of my necklace from Devin as I remove it from my neck. I carefully move her hand to rest on her stomach before gently kissing the heart and laying it in her cold hand.

"Goodbye, Olive." I whisper and walk back to the others. Aspen stands stiff, holding the photo Olive had given him as she was dying, while Hazel makes her way over to Olive. We hear her mutter a few words before rejoining us.

We walk for a while, not questioning as Aspen leads us deeper into the arena. Once the sun is well below the horizon he stops us to make camp. No one speaks as we make a small fire and settle down for the night. I sit down next to Aspen on a log and Hazel holds her sword over the fire as she whispers to Eisley.

"I'm so sorry about Olive," I say to Aspen, trying to break the awkward silence that surround us. When he doesn't answer I try again. "We all really loved her..."

"I know," he finally says. "So why didn't you try harder to save her?!" He demands with his voice rising.

"Aspen, I-"

"Don't Mackenzie!" He yells. "I know what you're doing! You, Hazel, Eisley, you're trying to make me weak so you can kill me! And guess what; it's working. I never should have befriended-"
He stops as he anthem blared out and the seal lights up the sky once more. We see the face of the boy from 9 followed by Olive. The sky darkens again asAspen collapses back onto the log, sobbing.

"I'm sorry," he chokes out through his tears and I wrap my arms around him. "I just miss her so much..."

"I know," I say, rubbing circles on his back. "I know..."