The 100th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 18

Benjamin handed Wesley a leaf, making sure it was held firmly over his mouth and nose. To his surprise, Fayora had left his spear, propped against a tree, though she didn't leave anything for Wesley. It was almost like this was set up to be a trap. If it was, it was obvious of Fayora's intentions. Ben figured that she thought that he would try to free Wesley, and upon doing so, get him infected with whatever gaseous poison, and then she would come back, offering him an antidote in exchange for an alliance. 

 It was smart, but Ben didn't want for that to happen. That's what he thought he wanted anyway.

 Benjamin picked up the spear and began to saw at the ropes holding Wesley to the tree. Minutes went by, the stress from the thought of being caught mid-act and a combination of the effort it took to get the spear's point through the rope without hurting himself or Wesley in the process.

The ropes snapped back, falling off of Wesley, releasing him as well as releasing a puff of purple smoke which clung to Wesley's skin.

Benjamin wiped it off quickly with some moss, but that still wasn't before it had reacted wherever it touched open skin, covering Wesely with blisters.

Wesley hissed, rubbing his arms as a sheen of sweat broke out on him, dripping from his forehead.

 "Shhhh." Ben scolded softly, glancing over his shoulders repeatedly scanning through the darkness to see if he could see the telltale glow of another tribute's suit. To his relief, there wasn't any visible people, though that didn't mean that there wouldn't be if he didn't get Wesley out of there soon enough. 

 "Psssst."

 Ben snapped his head behind him, away from the cornucopia, to the sound of someone trying to get his attention.

 There were two people, as though they materialized from the shadows, were crouched, partially concealed by what Ben assumed was a bush. 

 One was in a girl in a turquoise suit, who had long dark hair with large sea green eyes and pale skin. The other girl was in a yellow suit, though it was hard to tell her exact details, given her dark skin and hair. They were both young looking, hardly over the age of thirteen or fourteen.

 "What do you want?" Ben hissed, stepping in front of Wesley protectively holding his spear at the two girls.

 The one in the turquoise suit held out her hands, "I'm unarmed," She claimed, stepping forwards hesitantly. Once she was standing straight up, Ben could tell she was hardly taller then himself, though the girl in the yellow suit was a different story standing at least an inch taller than Ben. 

 "You?" Wesley whispered, staring strangely at the smaller girl. 

 The girl nodded, "Our first introduction was a bit hasty, and I apologize for not being as friendly as you were. My name is Pearl, I'm from District Four. This is Athena, she's from District Three. There is also another one in our group, his name is Sixster, he's from District Twelve, and he's waiting for us. We came to see if you needed help, though it looks like you have everything under control." Pearl rapidly explained, her eyes darting through the forest as though she were memorizing every leaf and shadow.

 "Though the offer still stands if you want a guaranteed trip out of here." Athena crossed her arms, her lip sticking out a little. She had two long cords looped around her belt, glowing the same yellow as her suit.

 "Guaranteed?" Wesley asked, glancing at Ben, who could tell that Wesley wanted to go with these two girls.

 Athena pressed something on the inside of her sleeve and her suit flickered out of sight. 

 Wesley and Ben gasped at the same time, as the girl reappeared behind them. It was a good thing Athena had good reflexes, because Ben's first thought when he saw her light come back on was that it was Fayora or one of her goons, so he had swung his spear at her waist, which she had pulled back from at the last second.

 "Sorry." Ben muttered, pulling his spear away from her. "Thought you were someone else." 

 Athena shrugged, "I figured that would be your reaction young one, from everything we saw with that girl." She sneered as she said girl, as though she had run into Fayora previously and not in a way that turned them into best friends.

 "You can't ju-" Ben began to come to Fayora's defense before he caught himself. What was he saying? He wasn't supposed to stand up for her, they weren't allies, and she had tortured Wesley almost to the point of death within the first twenty four hours of the games, not to mention anything else she did that he didn't know about.

 Athena raised her eyebrow from his cut off outburst, but didn't say anything.

 Luckily out of Ben and Wesley, one of them had manners. Wesley broke the silence,
  "By the way, I'm Wesley, District Seven, this is Ben, he's from-" He stopped there, assuming Ben would cut in, but he shook his head vehemently. Ben wasn't quite sure how these two felt towards career tributes, and he wasn't sure he wanted to find out, because he knew he was in no shape to protect himself, or Wesley for that matter, with one spear and an injured shoulder. Even though it was much better than last time Ben was conscious, his shoulder was still sore.

 It was lucky for the both of them that the girls had stepped back into the woods a little, not really paying attention to Ben's reaction, while they were busy picking up a small rope.

 Athena stepped closer to Wesley, who was a foot taller than she was, and grabbed his sleeve, jerking it inside out. 

 Ben peered over her shoulder, watching her thin hands expertly fly through the wires in the suit. Within seconds, she pieced the device that held the suit's battery back together. 
 "This will turn it off." Athena told him, pointing to the button her suit illuminated with it's light.

 Wesley nodded, and pressed the button, flickering out of sight for the most part, only visible because Ben and Athena's suits both revealed he was there.

 Pearl walked over as Athena pulled back the shoulder piece from Ben's shirt, rolling it back so that it showed his whole arm. Ben blushed as the girl's fingers brushed against his skin as she worked, and it suddenly became very difficult to hold still.

 "Hold on to this as we walk." Pearl whispered to them as Athena finished, and thankfully rolled his sleeve back down, holding out the rope. "So we will stay together." She said as she turned her own suit off.

 Ben grabbed the rope, hoping for his and Wesley's life, that this wasn't some sort of trick, as the suits left them stumbling through the darkness.

~Agent Emily