Together Again

Chapter 12: First Night (Birch PoV)

I screamed and grabbed a knife. I slowly moved to a crouch and looked for it. I heard leaves move behind me and I turned I saw Marble. I breathed a sigh of relief. I looked and saw Marble still sleeping??
If that was Marble then that means that this is-I threw my knife and the creature howled in pain. I put a hand on the tree trunk and kicked it in the stomach. It stumbled and growled. I slipped and fell. I felt the air getting sucked out of my lungs.
I grabbed the branch with my fingers. The creature walked closer on all fours. It looked around. I kept my breathing steady and quiet. Quiet and low. I scanned my surroundings. I looked and saw a branch I could swing too. I went to move, but it was too late.
It saw my hand move. It smirked and let out an ear piercing shriek. I scream Marble's name. He stirs a little bit. I keep screaming, hoping someone hears. I hear footsteps. I keep my eyes on the creature. I hear people running on the ground.
The creature picks it's head up quickly and sniffs the air. It howls and leaps to another branch on another tree. I sigh in relief and then my hand starts slipping. I can't scream for help, no. Not yet. It's too close. I squeeze my eyes shut and quickly readjust my hand.
I make it grip the branch harder. I feel like crying, but I can't. My arms and muscles are screaming out in pain. I want to let go, but I can't. I hear myself whimper quietly. I hope someone comes by soon. I feel my hand slipping and I don't fight it.
I breathe slowly. "See you again sometime," I whisper. I let go. I can almost hear Cato screaming. Clove crying with Mom. Dad with tears streaming down his face because now his daughter can never come home and walk through that door.
I feel a hand on my wrist. I open my eyes and look up. "I'm not giving up that easily," Marble says as soon as I look at him. I smile a little and he pulls me up. I help him. I grab some knives and daggers. "I may or may not have let other people know where we are. Be prepared. And don't say anything. You get them. I can't. I just can't. No way," I whisper, moving to the top of a branch and looking down, staying hidden.
He nods. "Got it. What was all the screaming about anyway? It's not like anything was here. You just had a nightmare. No one was here. Nothing was here. You're letting your imagination run wild," he says, moving closer.
I push him away lightly and look at the ground. "If my imagination was running wild I could get out of here. Trust me. This is the stuff of nightmares. It would only be worse if it was Cato and Clove in here instead of us," I mutter. "My imagination is strong, yes. But the thing is, this was in imagination. Who knows what else is gonna happen?"
Marble stared at the ground. "Ok. I get that, but why are you so jumpy all of a sudden?" I shiver as he says that. "If you were awake and paying at least a little bit of attention you'd know," I say lowly. "But you weren't. You've already broken your promise. Multiple times."
He scoffs. "Please. How have I broken it? Give me a reason? Hmm? I'm listening? See you can't! But anyway, I'm not breaking it. Trust me," he says quietly.
"Well, for starters, I'm in the games. Second, you let me go in a chariot without a back and didn't even see if I was ok or not in it. Third, you let the other careers make fun of me. Fourth, you didn't stay with me during training. Fifth, you didn't find me right away during the bloodbath. Sixth, you didn't do anything to try and make me feel better about my training score."
"Seventh, you let me climb up into a giant tree behind you, not checking to see if I fell. Eighth, you didn't see if I was ok after," I gulp. "Killing those kids. Ninth, you made fun of me on the train. Tenth, you didn't support me until you saw I could throw knives and daggers. Probably so it could benefit you."
I pause and look at him. He's staring at the ground. "Need I go on?" I say fiercely. He shakes his head. "I get it. I failed. But from now on, I won't. I promise. Trust me. I swear on my life." I swallow. "Not on your life. I just need to know that you haven't always kept your promise."
He nods. "I will. You're right. I know you. How are you? It must have been really hard on anyone, but even harder on you. You aren't like everyone else in two. Your different."
I snort. "Really Sherlock? Took you that long to figure it out?" I joke and he smiles. "A good different. Your kind. Sweet. Nice. Caring. Smarter than a lot of people. You don't care what other people think, at least, you don't show it. It's cool. I admire that. That takes more guts and courage than hurting or killing someone in my opinion."
"You have to block out everyone. And their opinions and comments. Their looks. Their laughter. Everything. Only care caring about a few people's opinions. If you get back, you still may be a little bit of an outcast, but it'll be better. You'll have definitely hit some of the standards."
We laugh. "Yeah. Your right. And Marble?" I say. He looks at me. "Yeah?" I smile at him. "Thank you. For everything. It means a lot. Like a lot. Thank you," I say.
"I'm not doing the best. Honestly. I can't believe it. I did that. I did. Me! I can't. I don't know how to deal with it. I don't know how to live with myself. That's bad. People are gonna look and think of me differently. And that's not all good."
"What about Clove? What about her? How is she looking at me? What is she thinking? How different am I? What about," I can barely hold back tears. "Cato. Cato. What about him?"
"How is he looking at me? How does he feel? He knows me. He knows how I am. How is he thinking of me?" I can't hold them all back anymore. I feel some running down my face. "What does he think? How is he looking at me?" I say, voice cracking.
Marble chuckles. "Are you kidding me? He's looking at you in the same way he always does. Nothing is gonna change that. Trust me. Nothing. That boy is," he laughs. "Crazy. You hit him hard. Like really hard."
I look at him, confused. "What do you mean?" "Your kidding right? You haven't seen the way he looks at you? Never? Ever?" I shake my head slowly. "No. I haven't. What are you talking about Marble?"
He shifts closer to me. He speaks quietly. "He likes you. A lot. Like a lot a lot. Seriously. He looks at you like your a goddess and an angel. He looks at you like your the prettiest thing in the whole world. And in the history of the world. He loves you."
"And to him, you are. You are his world. And that is never gonna change. At least, not anytime soon. He looks at you with stars in his lovestruck eyes. He's in love. And in deep. He's head over heels for you. You should hear the way he talks about you," he says.
"Really?" I say, blushing. He nods. "Oh yeah. Really. You can't make those feelings up. What about you? How do you feel?"