The Wunder Games-A Hunger Games Fan Fic

The Wunder Games 24

When I open my eyes, it's nearly dawn. Sitting up and looking around, I realize I'm the only person in the camp awake. Karine will be off in her den, and so will Daze and Ilslie. I rise from my make-shift bed of moss and take a couple laps around the clearing to wake up.

I enter the den, afterwards, to grab some food to prepare some breakfast. Either Ilslie got lucky at the horn or she's got very rich sponsors, because I even find silverware, plates, and bowls. In a woven basket, I discover some bird eggs. I start a flame and cook them, fanning the smoke the entire time. After breakfast is finished being made, I dish up the eggs and add some berries on the side. 

"Good morning." Ilslie's up. "Thanks for making breakfast."

"Yep," I reply, handing her a bowl.

"No thanks," she says, pushing the bowl away, "I don't eat until Daze and Karine are up. I wonder how much they get to eat in Twelve. They seem better fed in the arena, then when they first arrived at the Capitol."

"They seem really happy, too," I mention.

"Both are enjoying being back in the woods, I guess," Ilslie says, "They hated the Capitol." The dens behind us russle. "Speaking of Daze and Karine..." she mutters. The two tributes from District Twelve enter the clearing.

"Ooooooh breakfast!" Karine exclaims. Her wound is bandaged up. I hand out the bowls and enjoy the biggest breakfast I've had since I left the Capitol. After, Ilslie cleans out the bowls with some water from a skin and stacks them back in the food den. Daze and Karine collect rocks and set them in a little sack that hangs at your side for Karine's slingshot.

"What's your weapon?" I ask Daze.

"Combat knife," he says, shrugging.

"Hey Daze!" Karine calls, "Throw stuff up in the air so I can shoot it down!"

"Okay," Daze agrees, shrugging again. He picks up a pinecone and tosses it way above his head. It only takes Karine a split second to load her slingshot, take aim, and send the stone flying. The pinecone is knocked clean out of the air. I am left very impressed.

"Bravo," I say to Karine and she smiles.

"Thanks."

"I'll shoot a little, too," I decide.

"Oooh, that would be fun!" Karine chirps. I retrieve my bow and arrows from the hollow log where I put it before I went to bed last night. 

CRACK! 

Someone has stepped on a twig. Close by.

"Who stepped on a branch?" Ilslie emerges from the food den. Everyone denies it. I quietly string my bow and drawing the arrow back.

"Someone's around here who shouldn't be," I whisper.

CRACK! 

"There it is again!" Karine hisses, loading her slingshot and making sure her rock pack is secure at her belt. Ilslie reaches into her jacket and takes out two tiny throwing daggers. Daze bends over to the ground and picks up his combat knife.

All of a sudden, a figure comes flying out through the bushes. I shoot my arrow, but the boy who has just entered the clearing dodges it just before it can take his left ear clean off.

"Olivi, hold your fire," Ilslie rasps.

"Why?" I snarl.

"Because it's Brite."

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"What?" I hiss, tightened the pull on my bow,  "What is he doing here?"

"Hey guys," Brite casually stands up, leaves sticking out of his shaggy dark hair. But under the dirt on his face, I can clearly see those recognizable flashy grey-blue eyes.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't run you through with an arrow right this instant," I growl, pointing my shaft at his heart. Brite puts his hands over his hand, as if to surrender.

"Relax," he says, casually, "I'm not here to kill you guys, I'm here to join you guys!"

"Oh yeah?" Karine bites, with a hint of a snarl, "Why do you have that sword then?"

"Oh this?" Brite pulls an enormous sword from his belt loop and twirls it around in his fingers as it was nothing but air. Karine tenses and tightens her grip on her slingshot.

"We don't want to see you show off," I snap, "We want to know why it is with at this moment."

"What if I got attacked in the woods?" Brite says. Daze and Ilslie meet eyes and they both give each other the slightest hint of a shrug.

"You say you're here to join us?" Daze says, flipping his knife through his fingers in an imitation of Brite. Brite nods his head.

"Yes," he confirms.

"What about your pals the Careers?" Karine says, her lip curling.

"The Careers aren't what they once were," Brite mutters.

"Finally get why I left?" Ilslie smirks.

"Worse," Brite replies, then quickly adds, "With all due respect."

"I should like to hear your reason," Ilslie says.

"Same here," I chime in.

"And me!" Daze and Karine exclaim at the same time. We all gather around the muted fire and have a seat on the logs. Brite begins his story.

"When I joined the Careers," he explains, "They were the strongest and fastest. And they were fun. They were the type of people I wanted to hang with in the arena. But as progressed, I saw who they really were. They made Ilslie basically be their slave. And then, they turned horrible. Like monsters. They weren't themselves. They were consumed by the games and became obsessed with violence. All Amethyste and Antonius wanted to do was kill more people. Garren and I held a secret meeting one night. He told me I had to find you guys. Don't ask how he knew you were together, but he did. He told me to run and find you while he kept the other guys at bay. So I did." I feel like the people around are starting to trust Brite after his story. I decide to go with it, but stay cautious. How do we know Brite didn't make up the story and Antonius has really told him to kill us?

"Why did you want to find us?" I ask Brite.

"We thought you...you guys could help us," Brite responds.

"How so?" Ilslie wonders aloud.

"We-we think it may be time to...you know...get rid of Antonius and Amethyste," Brite stammers.

"No," I say quickly, "If we kill them, we're just as bad as they are."

"We could do it for moral reasons," Ilslie suggests, "And say it's for good of the standing tributes." Karine and Daze nod in agreement.

"I suppose so," I say finally, "But we're not doing for anything else, correct?" Everyone responds enthusiastically.

"So how are we going to beat the strongest team in the arena?" Daze asks us.

"Well, you can't lure them into a head-on full-out battle," Brite rules out immediately, "That would be a fight lost before begun. We'd get crushed." 

"We'll have to find a way to trap them," Ilslie says.

"Outsmart them," I add.

"We could lay a trail," Karine puts in.

"A trail," I say, nodding, "That gives me an idea. The Careers won't stand a chance."

"But we can't only concentrate on the Careers!" Daze blurts, "What about Six and Seven? They could be plotting an attack right the instant!"

"Well spoken," growls a voice from the bushes.

I know that voice.

I load my bow and Karine, her slingshot. Daze and Ilslie draw their knives. Brite wields his sword.

Anemae and her allies emerge from the undergrowth, the girl from District Seven twirling an ebony feathered silver arrow in her fingers.

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