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We've got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.
Cassia and Griffin returned before the other two woke up, gearing up for the long journey ahead of them.
Backpack loaded, knives secure, she followed ahead of Griffin as they continued navigating the rocks that seemed to grow in size the further they walked. There were still a decent amount of foliage and trees in the area, making it tricky to see if another tribute lurked nearby. She kept her ears sharp at every snap of a branch and every rustle of leaves, scanning behind her past Ezra, who followed up the rear, to peer into the woods.
It was colder the further they moved. Her jacket and pants not thick enough to bear the chilly wind that whipped across their faces, streaking their cheeks red. Cassia's hair grew loose from the messy fishtail braid it was in, strands fluttering in her vision at every hit of the wind. She couldn't imagine how cold it would get at night on the mountain, surely tributes were forced to make fires in such temperatures, exposing themselves to the other tributes just to get an ounce of warmth. She would rather suffer the cold than manage a knife in her back.
From behind her, she heard Ezra sigh loudly, "When should—"
Clio cried out in pain. An arrow was lodged in her shoulder, puncturing her jacket.
Cassia looked around for the tribute, whipping her head back and forth, knife in hand. Griffin pulled out his sword and Ezra ran to Clio, pulling her to shelter near a cluster of rocks, pressing their backs against them, out of sight. Griffin didn't look at Cassia as they went back-to-back, scanning the inclination they were halted on.
Griffin shifted his weight. "Come on, show yourself!"
Cassia didn't want a fight, but it seemed she didn't have a choice as two male tributes came charging at them from either side.
The tribute racing up the inclination toward her was much taller than her, but appeared younger from his round face. An arrow was strung in the bow he was carrying, his fingers fumbling to keep it in place as he pulled back the string. Cassia ran toward him, preparing herself for the impact when she would crash her body in his. Her lungs burned, her feet averted rocks as she zig-zagged back and forth, the wind causing her eyes to water. The decline in the earth helped propel her forward, not giving the tribute enough time to properly aim. He shot the arrow and it sunk into the ground four-feet away from where Cassia launched herself, tackling the tribute just as she heard someone behind her shout.
She braced herself, digging her nails into the tribute's body as they fell backward. Her body hit the ground hard, muffling all other noise, grunting against the punishing grain. The tribute's body weight crushed her, suffocating her for a brief moment, until they continued to fall and roll, Cassia's knife lost in the action. Her free hand grasped at anything, the world spinning and warping in and out, then she felt hot pain shoot down her left arm and she knew she had broken something. Her eyes welled with tears, grunting as her side rammed into a rock, their momentum beginning to slow. It was the knowledge of her legs sliding against the grass that had her more alert, that she had to regain some kind of control.
The male tribute tried reaching out to grab onto support, but Cassia was there, pulling a knife from her belt and driving it into his leg. He cried out, warm blood spurting Cassia's face, spraying her teeth and tongue, as she retracted the knife. The tribute lashed out, grazing her ear with a hard kick, backing away from her.
The world tilted when she tried to stand. Sticking to crawling, she clutched at the grass, pulling herself toward the tribute as fast as she could manage, her backpack dragging her down. She wanted to scream from the pain in her left hand as she grabbed at the dirt, forcing her battered knees to lever her closer to the tribute, who was scrambling for a fallen arrow.
"Cassia!" She heard Griffin shout for her.
She wanted to reply, to tell him she was about to face death, but words dissipated in her lungs as the tribute sat up, arrow in hand, and leaped.
They struggled against each other, diverting each other's advances. Cassia raised her knife and sliced his chest, but it wasn't enough. He gripped her wrist and knocked the knife out of her hand, scattering it away in the grass. She kicked at him, digging her knees into his abdomen over and over again. He heaved, but didn't relent his hold. She reached up and clawed at his eyes, gritting her teeth as blood poured down his face. He cried out and slammed the arrowhead down, splitting open the skin on her right cheekbone.
Cassia's hands went to her belt, but the other knives were in her backpack. There wasn't enough time to grab another.
The male tribute swung his arm out and smacked Cassia upside the head. Her teeth clanked together. Black spots crossed her vision and her body felt heavy, her mouth full of blood. This was it, she thought, staring up at the cloudy mid-afternoon sky. She was going to die. She would become another statistic, another face in the sky. Evelin and her father would mourn her. They would see her bruises, her cuts, her hunger, her struggle to survive on her empty face in the coffin they would send back home. Finnick would see her body. Would he pay his respects to her family? Remember the daughter, sister, tribute, who died in the Games as he grew older? She hoped he forgot her.
Hands wrapped around her throat, pressing her airway closed. She tried to struggle, to gasp for air, but it was useless. Her mind was fuzzy, sleepy, and her vision darkened with every passing second. Tears slipped out the corners of her wide eyes, staring blankly. Where was Griffin? The voice in her head asked. Why hasn't he come by now? Her legs spasmed.
Then, the hands fell away from her neck.
Every breath felt like water was seeping into her lungs. Cassia blinked multiple times, grasping at the thin edge she was so close from jumping off of. As the world refocused, Cassia saw the male tribute slumped over, a knife in his back. She looked up to see the girl from the hovercraft, Azalea, standing a few meters away, sweat dripping down her face. Her expression was indecipherable as she stared at Cassia, a spear in her hand. And then—Azalea jerked her head. "You coming, Four?"
Cassia flashed her a saccharine smile.
A/N:another chapter down! i really apologize for taking so long to update, life got in the way these past months and i lost motivation to write. i also was so busy i haven't had the time to properly sit down and write something. i'm honestly surprised i was able to write this, but i'm glad i was, i missed cassia and finnick and writing, the community here is so welcoming, especially my readers.
i hope you enjoyed this chapter, a bit more action-packed than usual. i'm excited for cassia and azalea to team up, even though she's leaving griffin so soon :( let me know what you thought of this chapter! hopefully i'll be able to update soon. xx
