❛ HOPE ISN'T SOMETHING GIFTED TO YOU
IT'S SOMETHING YOU ACHIEVE. ❜
in which a small girl from district ten must
protect those she loves, or die trying.
𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙋𝙇𝙀𝙏𝙀𝘿 (UNDER HEAVY EDITING)
― oc x...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I TREMBLED BACK INTO THE SOFTNESS of the sleeping bag hanging from the rough bark of the tree I'd been sleeping on for the last few days. No sight of James and running out of food. Only one small packet of tomato soup remained from the cornucopia- it was my supper –I had to savour it. I unscrewed the frosty capsule and poured it the cumbersome liquid into my bottle. It wasn't hot but, it would do.
The sky gleamed once again with the anthem and disappeared instantly. The Capitol had to be thirsty for blood as only one person died that day. I couldn't understand why they wanted to dispose of us all, but, I guessed, they were the Capitol; they could do what they pleased.
My soup slid slowly down my throat, landing in the deep emptiness of my stomach. The cold tint of liquid was sharp against my tounge and was difficult to swallow properly. I ate the last meal I had left in an instant. Now I would have to hunt for myself.
Swinging the sleeping bag off of my body, I sat upright on the uncomfortable branch high up in the humid jungle canopy. The night had travelled fast already so I stuffed my belongings into a light and impractical backpack and began to make my way down the tree, the first day of torture was nearly over. Bradley had insisted that I should have found water as soon as possible so I could replenish my strenght as the Games rolled on. I wondered what he was up to, back in the warmth and comfort of the Capitol. I expected him to be rushing around, finding sponsors for if James or I needed assistance, but I couldn't exactly be sure.
I tolled on through the jungle, snapping twigs and leaves that lay delicately on the ground as I stepped. The good thing was: it would break the deadly silence of the forest, where no one dreamed of hearing another sound except for the whistling wind blowing gently on your back and, of course, the twigs under your feet. It had all appeared the same to my inquisitive mind, there was nothing to be curious about and I quickly grew bored. It was all different back at home. The faint noises of hungry sheep and cattle that grazed in the valleys were there to drift me off to sleep and you could hear the quaint rattle of the market centre where people would endure to trade all through the night. I wanted to go home so desperately, that was all I could think of, not a mystery riddled jungle. But, I knew I wouldn't make it back.
Eventually, I reached something that looked unfamiliar against the mossy green leaves of the jungle trees that engulfed me in a maze of lostness. It flickered ash half a metre or so out of its centre. This was too obscure to pass.
I unwrapped myself out of the jungle and found myself in a circle of beautiful daisies that encouraged me into the middle. They grew slowly against my feet, the light from the sky reflecting onto the creamy petals, turning them from blue to a violet before returning back to white as the clouds passed. I couldn't feel like I was trapped in the Hunger Games anymore, as it seemed to be too precious to be real. That wasn't the time and place to be imagining things.
I knelt down to gently flow my hands through the angelic flowers to check if they were true enough. The stems were gentle on my fingers and the petals radiated warmth onto my palms. The sharp feeling of the edges brought me back into the world; they were real enough for me.
"They're beautiful, aren't they?" A feminine voice pronounced behind me. I turned my head to only find out that I wasn't alone. The girl, I guessed to be around the age of sixteen, twirled her long auburn hair in her fingers as she stepped towards me saying, "I don't know why they're here too, so truce until I get my bag and leave. Hm?"
"What's your name?" I ask curiously, trying to be at least a little bit nice when no one else will.
"Genera, but you can call me Gin if you want to. District Five." Gin walked backwards slowly and retrieved her bag whilst carefully keeping an eye on me. As she finished, she stepped carefully towards me to shake my hand, which I didn't return. "You're Silver right?"
"Mhm—"
Suddenly, Genera's pupils grew bigger and she fell to the floor within seconds of her reaction. A canon sounded, revealing her killer. An arrow was dug into the back of her head, blood mixing in with the colour of her hair. Then, a figure emerged from behind a nearby tree. I shut my eyes tight, afraid of the person I'd seen and hoping I could leave my world of imagination and return back to the truth. But, I couldn't seem to escape from reality. It was Otillie.
"I wouldn't close your eyes," she said, shoving me back as I jolted from her touch. "You're going to want to see this." Her blooded hands lifted me up by the shoulders as she pushed me in a direction. I didn't know where I was going, or what Ottilie intended to do with me, but I knew it was bad.
"Where did you find her?" Another familiar sound asked from behind me.
"That tree: I followed her here."
And at that moment — even though Ottilie's grip was tight — I made a break for it.
