A Part to Play // Hunger Games

12 // Outlasting by Outsmarting

"Because there's always going to be another page for things to turn to shit" - Nothing Girl (RascalRobin)

***

TW: murder, beheading 

Aria didn't know whether she should go and grab her tray already or just keep staring, waiting for the careers to leave. But at the moment, she was stuck, frozen in place. She'd just witnessed her District partner being brutally killed by those beasts, helpless, just too far away.

The young girl was walking by the forest, slowly and proficiently, making her way through the trees, avoiding each and every camera she had knowledge about. She had just made it to sight line - where she could see the cornucopia from the edge of the forest - when she heard an ear piercing scream coming from somewhere to her left.

Looking over, the youngest tribute wished she hadn't, as the first thing that caught the girl's attention was Gian being eaten alive by some unrecognizable mutts, they were too far away to see clearly. The tribute only recognized her partner by his voice, having become familiar with it during the time they trained and lived together.

She was too far away to be of any help, and between going on a desperate run to try and save the boy, getting there by the time he was already long past dead, or staying put and not risking her disguise, she had to go for the second option. So that was exactly what she did, even though it crushed her heart to do so.

Aria faintly smiled as the boy rose three fingers in the air in a goodbye motion, and did the same, not even caring that no one would see.

The girl's smile got bigger as Royce did so as well, shoving his salute right in the camera's direction, as a protest to the Capitol, who didn't even had the decency to tell their mutts to go for the fast kill.

Sighing, the tribute climbed the nearest tree, feeling way safer up there, deciding to wait the other tributes out, not wanting to risk being killed for being careless.

***

Royce was sad, but he shrugged it off right after saluting the younger boy, paying his respects. He knew they would all - but one - die in the end anyway.

Turning to the District One boy, he took a deep breath, examining the whole situation, tired of death for the day.

"We'll meet again in the final, Two." The boy stated, motioning at his partner and turning his back, leaving the other boy.

"May we meet again, One." Royce replied, leaving to the opposite side, back to his camp site at the mountains, planning to go after them soon enough, hoping he wouldn't have to witness Aria's death.

***

As the three tributes left, the youngest girl stayed put, knowing the last remaining tribute was yet to go in.

She was right, as the boy from District Ten made a run for it, coming out of his hiding place and right back in, as quickly as he could muster.

'My turn.' She thought, climbing down, finally appearing to the cameras after so long avoiding them, alerting the Capitol of the girl's successful plan, as they thought she was all the way across the Arena, far from the cornucopia, being chased by some other type of crazy invention.

Quickly opening both trays marked as Five, the youngest tribute rolled her eyes, decided to grab what was inside Gian's instead.

His tray contained a dagger, for him to use in case he lost his spear, she guessed. Meanwhile, her tray contained a piece of paper with the word 'LUCK' scribbled on it with permanent marker in a sloppy handwriting.