Too Clever

Chapter 26

"I'm sorry!" I gasp, sucking in quick breaths. "Alec, I'm so sorry..." Tears run down my cheeks. A sheen of sweat drips down from my hairline. The image of my fellow district partner getting blown to pieces replays in my mind. I know I will never be able to forget that image, even though it was just a dream.
Why am I so guilty about Alec's death? I think. It's not my fault he's dead. This is the Hunger Games; only one person can escape the arena alive. And that person has to be me. So I can't sit here and feel sorry for someone else, even if he was from my district.
     It's not my fault.
     Once I calm down, I sit up on the cave floor and am blinded by white sunlight coming in through the entrance. I must have been too out of sorts to notice before.
     With the weather all clear, I finally will be able to gather some food today. So I eat the rest of my beef strips and take a swig of water. After pulling my hair up into a higher ponytail to keep it off of my neck, I head to the entrance of the cave and peer outside to ensure that the coast is clear.
     But I spot two tributes about twenty yards away, one with a quiver of arrows strung around her shoulder. Evidently, this must be Katniss and Peeta, who have been spending the storm in the one of these caves. Clearly, they're hunting for food, which sparks an idea.
     I quietly step outside my cave, immediately feeling the heat sweltering around me.
     "Gosh, its hot," I mutter to myself. How do the Gamemakers make the weather change this drastically over night? The technology in the Capitol still amazes me, although I've gotten used to it.
     Being extra careful not to snap a twig, I carefully head towards the two figures, thinking that maybe I can steal some of the food they manage to get, if I'm careful enough. I just hope I get the chance to do so; hopefully I'll be able to sneak in while they're occupied with something else. I'll have to be extremely cautious though—Katniss has a weapon I've seen her use at the feast, and I know that she could kill me with one shot.
Stupid red hair, I think, because red hair is the easiest color to see, especially in the forest with all it's green and brown. I wish I had darker hair. It would be one less thing to worry about.
I silently continue the short hike towards the District 12 tributes, hiding behind tree trunks every few steps should one of them look this way.
Peeta seems to be walking a little funny, and I conclude that he must have been injured like I suspected at the feast when he didn't show up. He's walking very loudly, snapping every twig possible, and he must be scaring off any animals within shooting range. Katniss appears to realize this too, because Peeta goes off on his own, away from Katniss.
And right in my direction.
I dart behind a thick tree trunk, hoping against hope he didn't see me. My heart beats uncontrollably, and my breath becomes heavy with a anticipation. I manage to catch my breath enough so that it's not loud enough for anyone to hear.
Please, please, please don't see me, I think desperately. Peeta's footsteps become louder and louder, closer and closer. I think my heart is going to explode. He's right on the other side of my tree. I hold my breath.
He passes the tree. He didn't notice me. I can breathe again.
     Should I follow him, or stay here where Katniss is hunting? The safer choice would be to go after Peeta, for he doesn't appear to have a weapon. Although the thought of meat almost makes me change my mind. But what if Peeta is going back to their cave? Could I be wasting this opportunity to acquire food? But Katniss is a threat to me with that bow. I shouldn't take my chances.
     So I watch as Peeta continues to walk until the distance between us is large enough for me to follow him. Eventually, he turns to the left and begins to examine the bushes around him. He finds one with berries, and reaches out to pick one. But he hesitates, his brow furrowed in thought. He must deciding whether or not these berries are safe to eat.
That's when I see the sack on the ground beside him. It must contain food. A smile creeps across my lips.
     I stay behind the tree, hands clasped over my mouth in an effort to silence my breath. After another few seconds, Peeta leans forward and plucks a berry the color of night from the bush. It must be a blueberry; I remember eating them every so often back at home.
He continues stripping the bush of its berries until there is not a single blueberry left. He moves onto the next bush, then the next, leaving a pile of berries on the ground at each bush. The berries must be safe to eat. Surely Peeta wouldn't be picking them if they weren't.
Now's my chance. He's six bushes away, his back facing me. It's now or never. I have to hurry before he turns around again.
I sneak out from behind the tree and make it to the pile of berries at the first bush, sly as a fox. I undo the little brown sack to reveal something bright red and pale yellow. An apple and a block of cheese!
I take the cheese and nibble off a small chunk at a time, so that Peeta won't notice unless he looks hard enough. The cheese tastes wonderful, and it reminds me of home. What I wouldn't give for just ten minutes to be back in 5, with my family and Calla and Aster...
I move onto the berries, my mouth watering with the thought of the juice in them on this stifling day. I pick up a handful and plop them in my mouth, the sour juice exploding across my tongue. I gulp it down and reach for another handful, enjoying the sweetness of the aftertaste.
But that's when all the enjoyment stops. I start to sweat excessively, even more than I already have been in the heat. Suddenly I don't feel so good. Not good at all. My body begins to shake, and I am unable to control it. My tongue starts to swell, and it becomes difficult to breathe. I start to panic. Those weren't blueberries.
I fall backwards onto the ground with a sickening jolt. My head spins. My vision blurs. I can't hear.
This is it.
I want to scream out to my parents and Nora, tell them I love them one last time, but I can't. My tongue is too swollen.
I love you, I love you all.
Darkness takes over the world, then a blinding white light.
I take my last breathe.
And I let go.