The 1st Quarter Quell

Chapter 18 - Into The Nether

I wake up to the blinding midday sun that shines brightly overhead, the heat rays gently beating down on my skin. The room is open, but we're high up judging by the strong breeze, probably a balcony. I sit up slowly, my arms and neck muscles throbbing with my movements. I have to be careful with my movements, I'm scared I've pulled a muscle or worse.

"Hey, easy now." Saffron smiles, placing a hand on my arm, helping me as I sit up slowly, but it doesn't do much for the pain.

"Where are we?" I ask putting a hand to my head, slight dizziness kicking in. I look around and we definitely are on a balcony, but I've never been to this part of the metropolis.

"The edge of the city," Saffron says handing me some water, and I graciously drink it, my throat burning with thirst, "You've been out an entire three days, Mason brought us here as soon as you passed out after- after-" She trails off, obviously not wanting to get into the sensitive subject of Savera's death. Dread overwhelms me immediately at the unpleasant reminder of her death and I'm filled with guilt at not being able to save her.

I wanted time to think about it, but I need to survive, she wouldn't want me to sit back and sulk - Savera would want me to get up and fight.

"Where is Mason?" I ask, my voice deep from narrowly avoiding tears. Looking around the practically empty rooftop, I can tell we've found a good place for now; this metal table I'm sitting on being one of the only things out here besides a few chairs seems to be stable, the vantage point we have over the city is more or less perfect, and decay hasn't taken its full hold over the building.

"He should be back soon," Saffron starts, "He went hunting - said he's going to scout at the Cornucopia for extra supplies." She sits there, playing with the poison dart set she'd received from sponsors at the start of the Gamesm Savera said it was the most expensive gift in the Games so far. My thoughts somehow spin to the possibility of Saffron having to use that on me should only us two survive, and seeing her fight before, I'm not so sure she would hold back.

"Why's he scouting at the Cornucopia?" I ask, trying to avert my thoughts "If they're renewing, we made sure to get everything we need out of there befor-"

"The Careers haven't been in action lately, and there are still a few Tributes left - in fact, it's been a little too quiet so far, and no cannons have gone off since- We just think something big will come up and Mason's gone to check out if anything seems different. He needs fresh bandages for that wound in his arm anyways," She says, standing up, brushing the dirt off of her suit, but the worry is evident on her face and in her voice, "You stay like you are, I'm not done sorting your neck out." 

I gingerly touch my neck and jerk my hand away from the sharp sting of whatever it was. I pull a knife out of my sheathe and use the fairly shiny surface to try and examine the source of the stinging. There on both sides of my neck are 8 small blistered patches of skin, red and scared over but painful nonetheless. 

"I pass out for a while and you brand me? Thought that only happened in District 10."

"Three did that." Saffron says bluntly, nodding to the wounds on my neck, and I suddenly stop seeing the funny side to things as soon as she mentions the foul person who'd caused so much havoc in these Games, "She got what she deserved after that, the others made sure of it."

"What happened?" I ask, putting my knife back into the sheathe as I relax slightly, anything to get my muscles going back to normal. Despite the pain. Besides, I want to know that Green-Eyes suffered. It's a sickening twist in my ways, but she deserved it, right?

Saffron is about to answer, but we're interrupted by a crash from the room opposite, and too instinctively, I ready my knives to kill whatever threatens us, pushing through the muscle pain and aiming my knives. Saffron stands up and readies her two swords for combat and I can't say she's not more ready for it than I am, especially in my vulnerable state.