56th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 9: It All Comes Crashing Down

"Nice Shot Tessa!" Daniella yelled out, the bird falling to the ground with a thud. Tes and Daniella had woken up early that morning to hunt for food, Daniella having a better sense of where food might be than Tes ever did, leaving Ruby to guard their space in the cave. Tes ran ahead and grabbed the quail, tying the string Daniella had given her around its feet before throwing it over her shoulder.

"Shouldn't be much further to the berry fields," Dani said, Tes trailing behind her as they walked alongside the cliff face. The two didn't talk much, only warnings here and there and the occasional checkmark response. Unlike Ruby, Tes found it hard to talk to Dani, her tough exterior too close to her own. She thrived on silence and precision, calculating every move they made leading them towards the open fields.

"Pick the red berries, but not the black ones," Dani spoke carefully, Tes nodding in response as she slipped her cloth out of her pocket, bending down to the bushes.

"How did you learn all this?" Tes asked, trying her best to break the ice between them.

"My father taught me. My family wasn't the most liked in our District, rations being nearly impossible to obtain. So my father taught us how to hunt out by the woods."

Tes felt like she had just opened a healing wound, hearing the sniffles escape her mouth as Dani focussed furiously on the berries in front of her. She wiped her eyes subtly, collecting the last of them before folding them in her cloth.

"I'm sorry," Tes muttered as she mimicked her actions, placing the berry-filled cloth in her bag.

"What about you? What about your dad?" Daniella asked, a sense of hesitation in here voice as she swung the bag on her back. Tes held her breath at the words, standing up with her. It was silent for a moment, Tes feeling Dani's eyes as she clenched her fists.

"I haven't had a father in a long time," Tes snapped unintentionally. If Dani was shaken, she didn't show it, shrugging before she led them both home, the conversation dying at those words.

As the sun reached the middle of the sky, the two began their trek back to the cave, the two ducks hanging by a string around Tes' neck. A rustling sound rang in her ear, Tes turning behind her to see nothing but woods.

"Paranoid I see," Dani nudged her side, a small chuckle escaping Tes.

"Just a bit," she smirked, the two rounding the corner to see the cave.

"DANI!" Ruby squealed, racing into her arms with such force that it caused them to fall. Daniella laughed, and Ruby tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Sorry, I was just so worried and you not being there when I woke up I thought..."

Daniella cut her off with a kiss, Tes making her way towards the cave, dumping the birds and bag to the side. It was hard to look at them, the giggles and whispers in hushed voices, Ruby looking into Daniella's with such vigorous passion and love it was hard to breathe.

"I'll start lunch," she said to nobody in particular, grabbing the dead bird and beginning to strip off its feathers.

***

Late in the afternoon Tes and Ruby sat at the woods' edge, carving thick wooden sticks into spikes, Daniella leaving a while back to collect more water. Tes couldn't quite believe she ended up here, in a team, not working alone like she thought she would for the whole games. They carved and carved for hours, laughter surrounding them as they worked. Ruby was a sweet girl. Her innocence and optimism so infectious it was hard not to smile. The talked about everything and anything. Somehow they got onto the topic of their lives before the games, each telling embarrassing stories and light-hearted memories.