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

•16•

"Morning sunshine." I hear a voice say in an almost sarcastic retort. I cursed under my breath, because my arm hurt and felt as though it wouldn't move. "Well don't try and sit up." The same voice grunts.

"What the hell." I mutter less of a question than a terrified statement.

"Nice to see you, too." I recognize Brandon's voice almost smile. Almost.

"You aren't dead." I say anticlimactically. It was a big deal, because in all honesty, I thought they were all dead.

"Well I sure hope not." He grunts and eats a berry from a small container hooked to a silver parachute.

"Is that from Finnick?" I ask and sit on my elbows, but soon realize my arm hurt far too bad. I prop myself up with my healthy arm and realize we were in a tree off the ground by ten or more meters. I didn't actually realize how he got me up here, but I didn't question it either.

"Yes. He sent loads of things as soon as I got you here. I think he's glad neither of us are alone." Brandon suggests and passes me the container. "First gift was a medicine kit. Second one was soup, which is still in the backpacks, third were these. Blueberries I think. Fourth was the canopies." He gestures around the tree and I look around a realize the trees were full of different canopies, one holding myself up. "He also sent notes. One for each. I read mine before you woke up but I didn't open yours."

He passes me a white envelope sealed with stamp in the shape of a four. I peel the envelope back and pull out the piece of paper.

Dear Kya,

I'm glad you're okay still. Most of the other tributes are dead, or dying and your only competition will be Brass. The other careers are dead. Don't take it personally, but Brandon is here to protect you and he has no drive to win. That leaves you. Stay strong, Kya. You have never given me a reason not to believe in your strengths, so don't give yourself one. I hope to be seeing you again soon.

~Finnick

"Finnick is good at what he does." I say quietly and tuck away the letter.

"Yeah." Brandon agrees. He reaches to the backpacks and pulls out another container and passes is to me. "The soup. You haven't eaten in days."

I was starving, too, but I still didn't want to be too rude.

"You need to eat too." I tell him and gesture toward the container.

"Just eat would you?" Brandon snaps. "I've ate well the last few days." He tells me, But I wasn't sure if he was honest or not. I ignore him and help myself to the food he had offered.

"You can sleep." I tell him. "I'll stay up and keep watch." He looks at me warily but nodded and turned in his canopy, and closing his eyes.

~•~

That night after we had both taken turns napping then hunting for a couple hours, we were both worn out. We sit in our opposite canopies, but neither of us wanted to sleep while the other was too; it just didn't seem safe.

"Go ahead and sleep Kya. I will wake you in a few hours." Brandon whispers through the air. I was about to object but my eyes were closed before I could complain.

Hours later I woke up, and Brandon was gone. I sit up in the canopy and his own had been taken down from the tree and his backpack was gone. He'd left. I was sure. I sighed and sat up. Why wouldn't he? I was weaker now and could barely hunt myself. It was pointless for him to drag me along when he could've done much better himself.

I look around the tree and all that was left was a small back of dried fruit, one knife, and the canopy I lay on. I pick up the knife and climb down from the tree. We were near a creek I had fished in yesterday but after a short period of time I realized there were no fish, but today the creek was full of small thin fish. The game makers must have decided to try and keep someone alive. I doubted it was me because I was well off now, well not really I guess. I wasn't hungry but I wouldn't have anything but the fruit when I became famished.

I sit beside the creek and gather reeds quickly and wove them loosely together. The fish were big enough that I wouldn't need a tightly woven net to catch one.

It didn't take long to form a weak net about as long as my forearm. I hold the net in the water and let the loose dirt cover it slightly. I hold the extra reeds I had connected so the fish didn't notice my skin. When the next small school of fish came along I pulled the net up swiftly containing four of the small fish.

As they flipped around begging for water, my net snapped. Quickly I gathered the slippery fish and slid my knife easily through their neck, causing them not to move.

Now would be the only suitable time for a fire, because while it is dark I could be found by one of the other tributes. I gather branches and pile them together under the tree with my canopy.

Before I could start my fire, I hear a twig snap in the forest and turn my eyes to the sound. I thought for sure I was soon to be dead.