The Last Hunger Games

Chapter 23 - Annoyingly Similar

As I sit at the top of the Cornucopia, I realise that I'll have to tell Violet about Celestia's death soon, although goodness knows how. She's only twelve, how am I supposed to tell her that her best friend is dead?

I try to push the film of her death to the back of my mind and tune back into reality. But I can't. Her death continues to play in my head - her last words, the last blink of her eyes - and I let tears escape down my face. At that moment trumpets sound from above, making me squeal and jump, and Violet nearly fall off the Cornucopia.

"Attention remaining tributes," the voice booms out. I think his name is Claudius something or other, I never paid that much attention to him. I mean, have you seen his hair? "The Feast is about to start." Oh, thank goodness for that. And then, obviously, he adds,"Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour!" The anthem plays and the arena is silent again. 

"Everyone grab your weapons and follow my lead," I say in a quiet but threatening voice. If I'm going to lead this lot, I'm going to need to come across more vicious than I am. Jack picks up a spear, Violet hands Servius a sword, and gets the knives for herself. 

"Woah, woah, woah. This will not work," Jack says. "Servius, you take the knives, and Vi, you take the sword." It's annoying how similar we are, I was about to swap their weapons too. 

"What?! But I don't know how to throw-" Servius says, but I interrupt him. 

"Zip it," I tell him. Jack catches my eye and smirks. For once I smirk back, and then I concentrate on now. Any noise, whether it be from nature or the wind whistling around us, the whole place is deadly quiet. So quiet, in fact, that I wouldn't notice the long banquet table rise out of nowhere unless Violet tapped me on the shoulder.

"Look," she whispers. 

And I do.

My eyes are instantly glued to the mesmerising array of foods that are laid out on the table. I can actually see Servius drooling at the sight of it. I don't blame him; it's incredible even for Capitol standards. After five minutes of gawking at it, I look around and notice something: all the tributes are waiting on the skirts of the city; when I count them there's everybody there bar one. 

Everyone's waiting for some else to go.

Everyone's waiting for someone else to make the first move.

But no one does. 

The sun is still beating down on us, and I'm sweating buckets. I've got to get us into the shade soon, or we won't have enough energy left to fight at the Feast.

"Follow my lead," I say. 

"What else were we going to do? I'm not following either of these two lumps," replies Jack, and Servius and Violet don't respond. How have they put up with him during their time hiding in the Cornucopia? Who knows. I go to the side of the Cornucopia and after checking twice in both directions, I slide down. At least I land on my feet. The same cannot be said for Servius though, and I hold back laughter at his flushed face. I edge around the to the mouth of the Cornucopia and luckily I know for a fact that nobody's in there this time. 

The Feast beckons, and I am very tempted to just run, grab as much food as I can carry, and leg it as far away from here as I can get. I would if I didn't know that there are tributes hidden among the buildings. Or that Jack could outrun me by a mile. I look back to make sure the others are following, when I hear the familiar sound of footsteps. I turn quickly back to the Feast but can't see anything different. Only then I see two small feet sticking out the end of the tablecloth, and I stop myself from running and killing whoever they are now. 

But Jack doesn't. 

He starts to creep towards them, but luckily I grab his shoulders before he can bury his spear into the tribute's back. He freezes at my touch, and as I pull him backwards, I start to worry that I've somehow poisoned him without realising. I slap him round the head - hard - and that brings him back to his senses. 

"Ow! That hurt, you know!" he exclaims, rubbing his head. 

"Yeah, well, pay attention, you nimrod! You can't go round killing every child you see, you're as bad as District 2!" I shout at him.

"That is the point of these Games, Avita, if you didn't already realise," he says, trying to play the smart angle. Well I won't let that work on me. 

"Don't get cocky with me, Jack Egnatia. You do know that I was the one that killed Caspian, right?" He seems surprised at that. 

"Seriously?" Jack will never admit it, but it was obvious that Caspian held some kind of power over him back at the Academy. Jack followed him around everywhere.

"Yes, seriously. And I'll demonstrate how I did it on you if you're not careful," I say threateningly. I'm about to slap him again when smaller hands push us apart.

Violet. 

"Stop arguing, both of you! How is this alliance going to work if you keep threatening to kill each other?" she says. I roll my eyes and so does Jack, but we both know she's right.

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, homework overload at the moment. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I enjoyed writing all the arguments between Avita and Jack. Lots of excitement to come in this story, so please bear with me and sorry for slow updates! 

(And thanks for over 600 reads :)