The blood on these hands (Clove Kentwell)

Chapter 11

    Iris's first thought was to go find water as the cannon went off. She heard horrid screams from people behind her but she didn't turn around because she didn't want to see so many innocent children get murdered. As she ran for the tree line a spear landed right between her legs. A spear wasn't her first choice of weapon but she turned around to grab it anyway. As she turned around she was met with a boy taller than her but he was very slim he looked like he had little to no muscle. Iris tried to pick up the spear but the boy grabbed the other side and tried to jab her with it she let go of the spear and jumped for his legs making him hit the ground. He dropped his spear and she grabbed it and tried to run but he stuck his leg out and tripped her. He got on top of her and grabbed the spear ready to plung it into her chest. Iris knew this was it this was her last breath until the boy fell on top of her lifeless. She shoved him off and scrambled to her feet and noticed a knife in his back. Iris looked around and was met with worried brown eyes as she held a knife in her hand. Clove slightly smiled and gestured for her to run away as Cato approached her. Iris did as she was told and grabbed the spear while running away. Iris was determined to find water because if she died from dehydration that would be embarrassing.

     Iris felt like she was going around in circles, everywhere she turned there was a tree and they all looked the same. She thought back to what her dad told her to see if she could remember anything helpful. "Remember if you ever get lost look at the trees to find moss that will mean you are going north." Iris could practically hear her father say but when she opened her eyes she was still met with the same loneliness she is used too. She walked up to a tree and searched around it until she found the mossy side. She headed north in hope to find something, anything to help her.

   Night approached a lot more quickly than Iris thought it would, and going north had gotten her nowhere except out of breath. She decided to rest for the night but sleeping on the ground wasn't very comfortable but if you were to sleep in a tree you were trapped in one place. Iris decided on sleeping on the ground near a bush that way she was hidden and she could get up and run if needed. She covered her spear in leaves so that if someone did walk by the moon wouldn't hit it just right and shine. She laid down on her stomach that way she could just jump up and her spear was right next to her in the leaves.

   She finally was able to doze off for a little bit but woke up when she heard a woman screaming then there was laughter and it was coming closer. She gripped her spear as she stayed as still as humanly possible. The laughter got closer until it was right next to her. "I think it's time to settle for the night." Iris instantly recognized the voice it was psycho. "Somebody make a fire." He said in his deep voice. Iris heard footsteps as everyone scattered finding a place to sleep.

    Iris could see the light of the fire through the bush. Her heart was beating so loud she hoped it wouldn't give herself away. She saw all of them sitting around the fire and she could make out their faces and how many of them there were. There was Cato aka psycho from district 2, Glimmer aka homewrecker from district 1, Marvel aka cocky from district 1, then of course there was Clove aka love- stop that was too much. Iris internally punched herself as the thought came up but then she noticed one more face that she didn't see earlier. Peeta aka bread boy from district 12. What the heck was he doing here he was far from being a career. But there he was but he wasn't smiling or having fun like the rest of them, he sat there with no emotion and just stared into the fire. Iris noticed movement out of the corner of her eye as she saw a girl running through the forest. "Your turn Glimmer." Psycho said as he smirked. Glimmer got her bow and shot the running girl right in the back. As she fell a cannon went off that made Iris jump. A few leaves made a rustling sound when she jumped but thankfully no one noticed. Iris once again internally punched herself but stopped thinking when she heard her name in the careers conversation. "We should find them first, they are the only threat if we kill them it should be easy from there on out." Marvel said trying not to sound to demanding so Cato wouldn't get mad. "Yeah your right as soon as we get this "girl on fire" and the "electrifier" the easier it will be."Psycho said keeping that same smirk that he always has. Iris started to panic knowing that they were on the search for her now, little did they know that she was right behind them. She ran ideas through her head but then picked them apart and told herself why that wouldn't work. After a few minutes of running through ideas she decided she was just going to lay there and hope and pray they didn't see her and if they did she would get up and run but run in a zig zag so they couldn't shoot her. Iris smiled at herself for actually coming up with a plan. She always had someone to tell her what to do because she could never make up her mind but she did it, was it the smartest probably not but it works..

   All of them eventually laid down and tried to sleep except that Peeta kid. He just laid there with his eye open staring at the night sky, but Iris didn't blame him the sky was beautiful. It reminded her of when her and max out just go outside and lay and see if they could make animals out of stars. Iris smiled at the thought as she looked up at the stars. After some time of trying to find the Little Dipper and all the constellations she knew about Iris's eyelids got heavy, but Iris didn't dare even blink until she knew all of the careers were asleep. She heard no noise around them except for those stupid loud crickets. She looked at their camp trying to focus on their breathing, whether it was calm like they were sleeping or racing a hundred miles per minute like they were awake. All of them seemed pretty calm like they were asleep so Iris decided to try and fall asleep engraving her plan into her head so that when she woke up she wouldn't panic and just make loud noises trying to run off.

   Just then a loud song started making all the careers jump out of their sleep. It was the "Horn of Plenty" Iris knew that sound all to well, she heard it at least everyday while working on generators. Then a blue circle appeared in the sky  showing all of the fallen tributes. Iris noticed the boy that tried to kill her he was from district 4, fishing. That's why he was good with a spear, well actually not to good if he missed and got killed. As the people went on-man they really couldn't have made this song any quieter, Iris thought annoyed. As people went on the careers just decided to lay down again and try and sleep even though this was so freaking loud you couldn't even if you wanted to. When the torture finally ended all of the careers tried to go back to sleep so Iris didn't move one muscle so that the leaves under her wouldn't crunch. She looked at the careers and studied their breathing again all looked asleep but one. She tried to make out that ones face but a part of the bush was in the way. Iris ever so slightly picked up her hand and moved a few leaves so that she could see, then put her arm down as slowly and quietly as she could. After that stressful moment she looked back at the one person awake and it was clove she had a knife gripped in her hand as she looked Iris's way. Iris screamed internally for being curious and having to move the stupid leaves. Iris wanted to talk to Clove but also didn't want to make herself known to the rest of the careers so she just decided she would lay as still as possible. Just then Iris was met by those scared brown eyes but they weren't looking at her they were looking almost through her like Clove didn't see her. Iris didn't make any sudden movements. Finally Clove gave up on trying to find what was rustling the leaves and laid back down and tried to go to sleep.

    Iris watched Cloves breathing and it surprisingly calmed her but the thought of Porters words came into mind. Iris tried pushing them away but she just couldn't so she had to look down away from anyone. Iris finally fell asleep but then the nightmares came back.

     Iris jumped out of her nightmare just to be in another one. She woke up and it was still dark outside and all the careers were still asleep. She looked over at Clove who seemed to be sound asleep. This time Iris focused on her breathing and didn't let Porters words come into mind as a wave a calm rushed over her. She focused on Cloves breathing and ended up falling asleep but this time no nightmares no waking up randomly she was actually asleep. It was something she hadn't done in years after her dad died she was always woken up in the middle of the night by something.
 
   The next morning Iris woke up but all the careers were gone.