𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐎𝐑𝐄 ▸ HUNGER GAMES [ 1 ]

TWENTY FOUR

TWENTY FOUR -

For the next couple of days we plot up somewhere until sunset, then continue to hunt through the night. A spot of pure luck has us wandering into a flock of strange wild birds one afternoon, and I manage to skewer one with a knife before it can disappear into the trees. Cato and I light a fire and cook a meagre supper, mixing the strange meat with some roots I dug up from the forest floor. I don't trust any of the berries or fruits enough to chance eating them – plants in the Games are often deadly poisonous and designed to throw tributes off with their similarity to edible varieties, so it's better not to risk it. Our stomachs are rumbling well into the night as we trek through the woods, but we distract ourselves with memories of life back home.

Cato tells me about the time his sister nearly took his eye out with a practice sword when they were kids, fighting in their backyard. He doesn't mention Saren very often, so I'm pleasantly surprised to hear her name mentioned alongside a funny memory, rather than the image of her body plummeting from the tree with the District 4 boy's arrow sticking out of her chest. He tells me how strong and wonderful she was, if a little bit too big for her boots sometimes. I never knew her in life, but I feel like I've got to see more of who Saren Hadley was after our chat, even though she's been gone for almost seven years.

It's hard to even imagine what kind of childhoods the kids of that family must have had. Growing up with the weight of the Hadley reputation on their shoulders, nothing less than perfection was acceptable in Darius' eyes. Forced to act and live a certain way, in order to keep up appearances. After an upbringing like that, Cato's anger issues aren't just expected, they're completely justified.

In turn I recount tales of Loren and I. Painting our night and day bedroom with mom, losing grandma in the Market Square on a Saturday and hiding under the dress skirts at the tailor's shop, giggling hysterically until she tracked us down. She dragged us home by the scruff of our necks that day, scolding us for worrying her so. Told our father she refused to take us out ever again in case we gave her a real heart attack. But however much she claimed to hate us, it didn't stop her from leaving her favourite pendant to Loren on her deathbed. The one clasped around my neck. 

I'm rolling the diamond charm between my fingers, perched up in the lowest branches of a tree whilst Cato kicks at the embers of the day's fire with the toe of his boot, when the anthem begins. It's not even close to nightfall, so the sudden noise has me instantly alert. A grin slowly spreads across my face as Claudius Templesmith announces the feast.

He's inviting us back to the cornucopia at dawn, for something each of us desperately need. A pack marked with each District number will be waiting for us. I realise that this pretty much confirms that 12 must have tracked each other down, meaning they are likely to be slow and easy to catch. Peeta can't be very mobile on that damaged leg of his, so this could be the perfect chance for us to take him out. On top of that, Cato is convinced Thresh disappeared into the void on the other side of the lake during the first day, and considering we would be at a disadvantage attempting to hunt him down through unfamiliar territory, this will be our best shot at killing him too. Anybody else we manage to hit will be a bonus.

With an opportunity to deplete the playing field even further a mere twelve hours away, Cato and I are imbued with a new kind of determination. Until we take that crown for 2, the lovestruck teenagers can take a backseat to the ruthless Careers we were trained to be.

At some point on the trek back towards the cornucopia, I begin to whistle the tune of one of the quarry workers songs. Most of them are ancient, passed through generations of District 2 citizens until nobody knows their true origin anymore. The more recent ones spin tales of glory and victory in battle, stemmed from our strength and success in the arena, but the one that pops into my head is much older, and speaks only of the mountains.