242So, I know that it's been a while since I updated. School started, and I've been scrambling with that. I got a couple of messages asking if I had stopped writing this story, and I promise that if I ever have to stop writing this I will tell you. I won't randomly stop updating or anything. Anyway, here's the next chapter!
Tyrell Ganfeis (M8)
I had covered quite a bit of ground the previous day, but due to my inability to tell which direction I was going I was probably going in circles. The day was warm and sunny and I had pulled off my green sweatshirt. It was kind of hard to believe that the day before had been cold and grey. I heard a crack behind me and whirled around. My district partner stepped out from the trees, closely followed by the girl from 12. 12 looked wary but Liviana's eyes lit up when she recognized me.
"What have you been doing?"
"Mostly wandering around. I got this from the Cornucopia," I said, turning to show her the grey backpack slung over my shoulder. "It had some water in it, but not a lot, and some food. What happened to your other friend, the one from 11?" At this, the two girls looked upset.
"She died protecting us from the girl from 3."
"Oh." There was an uncomfortable silence during which they wiped their eyes and tried to collect themselves. How could they be this attached to a girl that they only knew for a few days?
"Do you want to join us? It can't be safe for you to be on your own, and we could use a guy." I looked over at 12 in surprise. Liv looked just as startled. "I'm Basil, by the way," she said, holding out her hand. I shook it. I was glad to have some familiar faces and know that someone was watching my back. There was another awkward pause in the conversation. I was just hoping that we weren't on camera but odds were that we probably were.
"So… which way do we go?" Liv asked, looking at me. I shrugged.
"No idea, I have the worst sense of direction ever. And everything looks the same here." The trees were all tall and green, the ground was covered in thick growth so you couldn't even see your own tracks behind you. We picked a direction at random and set off, making small talk.
Apparently, in District 12 there are two parts: the upper-class half, called the town, and the lower-class half, called the Seam. Those from the Seam were usually the ones who worked in the mines while the higher end was mostly merchants. Either way, no one really has much money. When I ask how the Peacekeepers are, she tells me that they're kind of a joke. They're just as hungry as anyone else and will turn a blind eye to hunting if it means more meat.
The idea that Peacekeepers act the same as anyone else is foreign to me. At home, they are envied because they don't have to work in the factories, and they have a higher pay. The kind of respect they have is from fear.
The benefits from this conversation included learning about another district and ensuring that we're off camera, which was nice for a change. It felt good to know that I'm not being watched.
We wandered around for the rest of the day before stopping to make camp. They made it out of the Cornucopia much better than I did. They had a tarp, some rope, a small bit of flint, some dried fruit and nuts, and a small knife. We set up and ate a little bit of the food we had before Basil took the first watch. I quickly fell into a dreamless sleep next to Liv.
Brigg Roland (M2)
Usually, the advantages of being a Career were visible as soon as one of us got hurt, but not one of us had been sent something yet, and it had been almost a day. Luckily, the skills my father had ingrained into me were finally coming into play. I didn't recognize a lot of the plants in the arena and had neglected to visit the plant station in training, because I thought that I already knew a lot about them.
That said, I thought I knew a couple of the plants, and it was enough to ease the pain of some wounds and start making a kind of tea out of the pine-needles that were everywhere. The other Careers stared at me, as if they were surprised that I knew how to do something other than beat people up.
"There are supplies back at the Cornucopia," Ronit spoke up suddenly. When everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her, she continued. "Well, what are we sitting around here for? We should be doing something."
"It's at least a two hour walk. There's no way Shine can walk that far," Annabelle looked up from tending to the boy in question.
"Then leave him." If he couldn't handle it, he shouldn't be here. He hadn't even been hurt while fighting, he'd jumped in front of the axe. Idiot.
"We can't leave him! It seems like a pretty poor way to repay him for protecting me."
"Hey, she's right," Varsity interjected. "He's one of us, and we have to stick together."
So that's how I ended up with Shine on my back.
Shine is a stupid name.
Shancus Black (M7)
I hadn't made any kills since the bloodbath. Human kills, that is. I'd killed several animals, even when I had enough food. Capitol citizens treat us like animals, so it shouldn't make a difference to them.
I'd left the Cornucopia with a set of sharp knives, an ax, a full canteen of water, a tent, and a sizeable amount of food. It almost wasn't fair to the other targets. On top of that, I knew I had sponsors. Why wouldn't I? In the beginning, no one would expect the 12 year old to win, but I proved that I was I was strong, intimidating, not afraid to kill. It would only be a few days, tops, until I was announced victor. Until then, I would make sure to give the audience a good show.
I quietly slipped through the forest, so familiar to my own. If I was sneaking up on someone, they wouldn't have a chance to run. As luck would have it, I was sneaking up on someone. Three someones, actually.
In the dim moonlight, I could make out the frame of a tall girl sitting in front of a make-shift shelter. I smirked. It was too easy. One throw of the knife, a sharp cry of pain, a girl clutching her side. I wasn't going to kill her just yet. Unfortunately, the people sleeping in the shelter were woken by her scream. They were escaping into the woods in a flash. That was fine. I could pay more attention to this girl. I bent down over her and yanked the knife out. Another shriek.
"You're the girl from 12, aren't you? Mint, Thyme, Rosemary, something like that."
"Basil," she spat in my face through gasps of pain.
"Good. I like to know my victims' names when I murder them."
"You're sick."
"I've been told," I said calmly, stabbing a knife into her other side and twisting it. She writhed beneath me. The ground was stained with her blood. What a horrible way to die. But this must be fantastic entertainment for the Capitol. "Don't worry, I'm not completely cruel. Do you have any last words for home? I'm sure your family and friends are glued to their screens," I said, sweeping my one silver lock of hair out of my face.
She glared at me, her gaze scalding. Between gasps, she spoke. "Is… it… dye?" The knife was through her throat before she could take another breath.
A moment of silence for Basil Knight.
.
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So, 12 left! Do you guys want me to do interviews for final 8, or skip them and keep going. Also, there's a poll on my profile to see who the favorite tribute is, so go vote on that!