(Earlier version) Flowerborn Part 1: The Arena

Chapter 14: Blooming flower

When everyone was asleep I also curled up. I saw Faith on the other side of the camp looking over River. Suddenly I realized that my hand were still bloody. The cuts on my arms were not deep, so they would heal on their own. But the blood on my hands was horrifying. The corpses were dragged away from the camp but it seemed like I could still feel their pain in my shaking hands. I stood up and walked over to the lake. Luckily it wasn't far from the camp, so that I could still keep an eye on the rest. Slowly I dragged my hands through the cold water. I could see the reddish color flow and fade away in the darkness. I wanted to break down in tears, but I heard the camera zooming in and thought of my mom. She could see me, so I should try to pretend to be okay.

We were not attacked the rest of the night. Instead, almost everyone woke up crying or screaming at least once.

-

The next morning when I woke up I felt a cold shiver going down my spine. I was shaking all over. When I sat up and looked around there was white everywhere; it had been snowing. I pulled my jacket even tighter around me. I saw Faith standing in the snow looking up; she was smiling. Holding my jacket closed I walked up to her. She looked at me: 'Do you see this flower?' She pointed at the ground; a flower sticked out of the snow in full glory. 'I want to be like that. - Even if the sky is falling down on me, I'll survive. - But I am not.' Faith sniffed and wiped her tears away. 'Hey lucy?'

She turned to me. 'You don't think we will all survive right? River.. Willow.. Emmeth.. Maybe we'll all die. The dogs will be released and they will rip us to shreds. Right?'
'No', I said, ' there have been years where two percent survived. That can be an entire team. Maybe this year will be like that, and we will make it.'

'Oh Luce, you know that is not possible. We are not fast enough with one wounded. Those dogs are fast, they also used them last time and more than eighty people were killed because of it.'

'Don't be so negative, think of all the things you have to live for!'

'Maybe you do, but I don't. My little brother died two years ago, and my dad only cares about alcohol and money. Maybe you are really close with YOUR mom, but I have never even met mine. So you don't get to TALK like you KNOW me! There is nothing to live for!'

'Yes there is.. Me.. I don't want to see you give up just like that. I will make sure we make it, and we will go visit the flowerfields in the high-lands together, okay?'

'Okay.. thank you Lucy, I think I can try.' She started crying. 'Thank you, thank you..'
I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her. 'Ssh, it's is going to be okay.'
..
'I promise.'