The 65th Hunger Games - EDITING

Chapter twenty-four

We're all sitting on the improvised bed, eating as we listen to Anthos explaining the difference between an edible berry and its almost identical poisonous sister that Cedar almost ate earlier. The good kind only grows in dried-up swamps and the deadly kind grows in deserts so we never really took the time to study them. We thought that the environment in which they grow would be the only thing we needed to differentiate them; we were wrong. They were clearly modified so that both could survive in this environment.

"The only major difference between those two plants is the shape of their leaves. The edible ones have a clean edge while the others have a denticulate edge. The berries themselves are really hard to tell from one another, so honestly, you should avoid it completely if you are not completely sure. Now, let's talk about something else; are we making a fire tonight?"

"I suggest we don't. It may attract other tributes, maybe even the Careers. It'd be like a big beacon saying hey, we're here, come and kill us. We have enough things to make it through the night without one." answers Cedar.

"Maybe we're going to be able to deal with the cold just fine, but this is the Hunger Games, the other tributes are not the only threat; there are going to be all kinds of dangers lying in the dark. I'm way less concerned about the others than what I can't see."

"Both of you are right, but I think I'm on Cedar's side for this one. Sorry, Adenias."

"And I'm on Adenias' side. It's two against two. Finnick, it's your decision." replies Anthos, looking right into my eyes.

I'm making a list of pros and cons in my head, a little angry at having to make another important decision. I know that choosing the wrong option will probably result in the end for some of us, if not all five of us. Is there even a right answer? In an arena rigged with deadly traps and filled with people that want you dead, every small decision might be the last one.

"I don't know what to say. It's getting really cold, which means they probably want the people who couldn't grab a bag to light a fire and attract the Careers or something else. But since some of us had a really hard time doing it and they want a show, no fire could also result in our death. No matter what we decide to do, it seems like it's the wrong thing."

They all look at me, waiting for me to continue and give them an answer, but I don't have one so I continue to examine my boots as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. It's becoming darker and darker; a decision has to be taken by someone and fast before it's too late and the arena takes it for us. I'm not sure I'm the right person to make such a choice, but my allies are waiting.

"Let's prepare a fire pit and get ready to make a fire, but we won't light it until it's necessary. We can leave the fire-starting kit right beside it so it's going to be easier to make a fire if we need it. Two people need to be awake at all times." I finally say after a long silence, still unsure about the possible outcome of the night.

The others seem pleased by my suggestion, which reassures me a little. It's a pretty good compromise; I just hope that it was the right thing to do. I know that if something goes wrong tonight, I'll never forgive myself for making the wrong decision, but at least I know I'm not alone in this. Under Cedar's instruction, we prepare two different fire pits, in case we can't light the first one in time during an emergency.

"We have five combinations and five sleeping bags. Which one do we use?" asks Adenias holding the bag of his deceased district partner in his shaking hands.

"Well, I think that we should use the combinations in case we have to leave in a hurry. The sleeping bags would just slow us down."

"I agree with Finnick. How do we split the night watches?"

We all turn around to look at Anthos. I think we all agree on the answer before even talking about it.

"I don't think you should be part of this. You should sleep through the night to make sure that you'll be in better shape tomorrow. Sorry Anthos."

"Come on guys! I want to be useful. I can't just stay there sleeping while you stay awake all night long."

"Well, you won't be useful if you're dead. Take the night off. If you're better in the morning, you can be on night watch tomorrow night. I hit you pretty good earlier and we don't know the extent of the damage."

"I'm sorry, Anthos, but Adenias and Cedar are right. We can take care of this."

Anthos looks at me, waiting for my opinion. He seems so desperate to help, but I also think he could really benefit from a good night of sleep after what happened today. He got tired pretty fast on our way here and it might be worse tomorrow. I shake my head, making him understand that I agree with the others. Without another word, he grabs a bag and takes out the combination before lying down against the rock, his back turned on us. I understand why he feels that way, I wouldn't like to be left out and put my life in the hands of everyone else for an entire night, but we really need him in shape.

"Back at home, when we needed to do night watches, we had a system and I think it'd be great to do the same thing here. The first watch could be Adenias and me, then Finnick and Adenias, then Finnick and Viviana and then, Viviana and me. Each shift would be an hour or so long, which means we'd be awake for two hours and we'd be sleeping for two hours. Changing partners every hour would make it less boring. If we do that, we can have up to four or five hours of sleep, which is pretty good."

Cedar's idea is pretty interesting and it doesn't take long before we all agree to follow his plan. By the time we put the combinations on and finish getting ready, it's pitch black in the arena and it's hard to see more than five meters in front of you. I kind of regret not lighting a fire, but that idea disappears from my mind immediately when I see the distant light of someone's fire reflecting on the treetops. Cedar was right, it would have been like a beacon and if the Careers are hunting tonight, it would have killed us.