❝ never trust a survivor
until you find out
what they did
to stay alive ❞
―Kurt Vonnegut, Bluebeard
[ the maze runner × the hunger games ]
No one was ever happy in District 12. They were the poorest among the distric...
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ROSALIND SOMEHOWMANAGED to straggle through what must be the toughest night she had had to endure.
She had survived through countless winter-like nights back in District 12, with only a mere thin rag to protect her from the chills―and yet, even those couldn't compare to what she was enduring in the arena at the moment.
Because her wrists were chained to the wall of the Cornucopia, she couldn't lie down on the floor. She was forced to lean against the wall with her wrists dangling in the air held by the metal chains while she slept, which was agony. The sharp edges of the metal cut and chaffed her skin, and left raw red scratches. And it didn't help that she could hear faint screams and guttural growls in the far distance, waking her up from her slumber with a jolt every hour.
When she was woken up in the morning by the Careers' shuffling and mutterings, Rosalind instinctively winced, the crick in her neck and her heavy eyebags a painful reminder of how little sleep she received. When she opened her mouth, the skins of some parts of her lips peeled off suddenly and she had to stop herself from crying out in pain.
Through her lightheadedness, she could make out four figures rummaging around the Cornucopia, the voices of their arguing and chattering like knives stabbing into her head. Gally and Beth seemed to be locked in some kind of heated discussion. Minho was sitting on one side, sharpening his spear and swords with a heavy scowl, and Teresa was packing several bags with bottles of water and food.
When the black-haired girl noticed Rosalind staring in her direction, she threw a furtive glance at her Career allies. When she was sure no one was looking, she snatched up one of the bottles and darted to her.
"Here," Teresa said quietly, offering the now open bottle to the pale girl.
Rosalind grasped the container weakly. With much difficulty, she tipped the lid to her mouth and struggled to pour some of the water. Teresa kept glancing at Gally and Beth, her eyes sharp and tense, keeping watch. When Rosalind was done, the raven-haired girl took the bottle and quickly returned to where she was. None of the other Careers had noticed a thing.
Rosalind laid there for a while, her vision swimming in her eyes, her exhaustion appearing in the form of darkness creeping in the edges of her sight. It was incredibly difficult to even stay awake, and it was practically a blessing when a familiar beeping sound floated to her ears and jolted her out of her fragile state.
She glanced up and watched as the Careers gathered at the mouth of the Cornucopia, staring and pointing at something in the sky. A moment later, a silver parachute soared down towards them, a large container swinging wildly from below.
It landed before the Careers and they quickly huddled around it, muttering among themselves excitedly. When they opened the box, the tempting smell of food wafted to Rosalind and she could barely disguise the grumbling from her stomach. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten something.
