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My eyes flicker several times, the time it takes to adjust to the daylight and the brightness that used to gild the arena. I had no idea how long I had slept, probably a long time since the sun was just finishing its ascent. Slowly, I sat up again and with my fingertips I counted the number of knives as if to reassure myself. My body protested, visibly greedy for rest. But rest was a luxury I did not have in this arena. I mumbled to my body to show a little more courage, that its misery would not last much longer. With the death of the tributes from Nine and Five yesterday, and the death of ... Alec's, there were only five tributes left to be carefully avoided as much as possible. It must have been within my grasp, I had no choice either. It was either that or decide to face them head on and risk dying for sure.
Last night, Alec's death had turned me upside down to the point where I had lost all my bearings. I had been physically unable to orient myself properly to cross the river as he and I had planned. I had not been able to return to our shelter as we had been attacked by Swen and Ruby nearby. So it was too risky to go back if the Quarries were still there. I had turned back to the edge of the fir trees, followed a particularly steep slope and found the ideal place to spend the night. The piles of earth had consolidated with the night-time temperatures and provided the perfect rampart against any assailant who was hoping to sneak in and take the life of the tribe of the 4th. In other words, my night had gone smoothly and I was not against it.
I stretched my legs out in front of me, blowing slowly before grabbing my feet between my fingers, took a long breath in before relaxing and continuing my stretch at the arms. The scratches on the chickadees were not as red as the day before, but they still tickled when I made certain movements with my left arm. I would never see the birds the same way again. It was a miracle that I didn't think about it during the night. I would then grab the backpack that had served as my poor pillow so I could open it and find out what food I had left. Since the attack of the Career tribes, I had only been able to get half a protein bar under my teeth and it was starting to go back several hours or even a full day. I hadn't had the opportunity or the clear mind to set another trap since Alec was gone.
That's when I realized I was completely alone. Alec had been at my side from the beginning, supporting me in all the tasks and now that I was deprived of his presence, I was no longer sure I could do it with the same ease. Finally, these Games were far from easy, but it was more reassuring and quicker to set a trap when someone was standing guard.
- Pull yourself together. You are not alone. You have... Finnick.
Who was gonna buy that? My mentor had assured me that he would do everything he could to keep me alive as best he could, from a large heated room with a glistening buffet while I froze my butt off at night and bursting with heat during the day. Not to mention the most important information: I was in an arena, surrounded by other young people who wanted me dead. So yes, I had the cruel feeling of being alone. Luckily the canteen in the backpack was still half full, I could probably last another day drinking sparingly and in control. The only problem was food, but my brother Newt had always told me that you could survive for several weeks without food, so I was hoping this was true. I would soon find out, I guess.
