60First, an apology for not updating this for weeks. I was just sorta, crying over Allegiant. Sorta. And I was also drowned in school work. And kinda grounded... or at least lost my computer privilege...
so yeah, worst combination.
This chapter is short, yeah, I know. But I wrote it in a rush so it was the best I could do for the time being :)
Anyway, please R&R!
The first thing I see is the golden Cornucopia in the center of the circle of tributes. Filled full of weapons and food. My first instinct is to grab as much as I can, but as soon as the count down is done, everyone has the same thought in mind. At first, I'm confused where I should, what I should do to keep from being brutally murdered by my fellow tributes. Then I spot it; a black backpack far from the bloody battle that has already broken out. I jump off my plate, running as fast as I can for it.
I have just grasped the handle of it when a strong arm wraps around my waist. I turn around, prepared to attack, but then I get a funny tingling feeling in the pit of my stomach, and my surroundings suddenly change from an open meadow to a lush, green forest. Teleportation. I turn, my nose just barely an inch from Joseph's. I get a wanting feeling, and find myself placing my forehead against his. "Thank you," Is all I whisper before pulling away.
He grins. "What was I going to do, leave you to die?" Joseph says. "Die? I can handle myself just fine," I say, kneeling down by the backpack. "Um, maybe not here, okay?" He says. I'm tempted to ask if he means the backpack, but I'm already certain. "We should probably keep moving before we settle," He says. "Sure, can't you just teleport us though?" I ask, standing and throwing the pack over my back. "I don't know, it really hurts to. I think that the trackers they injected us with also did something to our legacies, so we can use them, but not constantly." Joseph explains. "Damn," I say, annoyed by the Mogadorians for taking away our Legacies. Joseph laughs. "What?" I question him.
"I don't usually picture you swearing," He says, his grin returning. "Oh, then what do you picture me as?" I say. We start walking. "The quite type girl who's nice to everyone, but still keeps to herself," He says. When I look back up at him, he's staring at me. I stare back into his dreamy, green eyes. "Marina," He says, breaking the silence. "Would you be mad at me if I kissed you right now?" I'm taken a back; why he want to kiss me in the middle of the arena? But I don't care.
"Yes. I mean no. No, I wouldn't mind it. I mean no I wouldn't be mad. Happy, actually." I take a deep breath. I don't know why I'm so flustered. "What I mean to say is yes, you can kiss me." We've stopped walking, which I hadn't realized. In fact, I'm not realizing anything until his lips are brushing against mine, hesitantly. But then, any air that stood between us is gone, with his lips press to mine. There's a swirling feeling in my stomach. A wanting? I loose it; pressing my lips harder to his. I don't know what happens at that point; the next thing I remember is the rough bark of a small tree digging into my spine. Joseph's hands lay on my hips, my arms wrapped around his neck.
I pull my head back for a second, but there is still barely any space between our lips. Joseph moves to close the small gap, and I raise my finger up to meet his lips. "Marina," He says in protest. "A kiss," I whisper, "Not make out." With a small pause, I add, "Not yet, not right now." He sighs, removing his hands from where they are on my waist. He takes a step back, giving me room to step away from the tree. There is still just inches between us; inches I wish I could erase, so I could be pressed against Joseph again. "We have to keep moving, remember?" I say. He grins, "Right."
I pick up the backpack where I threw it on the ground by the tree. I don't remember doing that. I throw it at Joseph. "Here, Lover-boy, you carry it," I say with a grin. He grins back. "Sure thing, Marina." We spend the next five hours walking side-by-side. I'm contently dodging Joseph's finger as he tries to poke my stomach or tries to tickle me. He's already figured out that I'm super ticklish. I can't decide if his constant flirting will be a bad thing or not.
We climb a tree when the sun begins to set. We obviously can't fit on one branch, so I am on one side of the big oak while Joseph is on the other. The moon shines bright in the otherwise dark night. "Can we continue the kissing?" Joseph asks. I can hear the grin in his voice. I laugh. "No," I say, reluctantly. "Tomorrow, maybe," I say, but my word are drowned out by the booming Capitol anthem. The Mog symbol flashes in the sky, followed by the fallen tributes. I count eight in total. "Eight," I whisper, mostly to myself, but also just in case Joseph didn't count.
"Yeah?" He says back. "What?" I ask back, confused. "You called me," Joseph says, suddenly appearing at the edge of the branch I am on. I jump. "Stop doing that!" I whisper in a shout. "Sorry, " he says. I can see the pain in his face, the pain from using his Legacy. "You said 'Eight', so I was just assuming you were talking to me, not that there's anyone else here." He explains. "Oh," I say. "Oh!" He laughs. "It's okay, you can call me whatever." "Okay," I say, "Eight. You can call me whatever you want then too." "I like Marina," He says, "It reminds me of-"
We hear a low creek from a nearby tree. "Did you hear that?" I hiss. He nods.
Then two eyes come into view.