One Last Hunger Games

Chapter 31

I awake to the birds chirping and the sun shining. It's the absolute opposite of how I feel right now. I feel dull and emotionless. I feel nothing. I sit up and rub my eyes. I sit there for a while, pondering my thoughts. 8 people left including us. Maybe I can win. Or Noah. I would be pleased with the outcome either way.

Once I'm done thinking, I stand up and take a drink. I look for Noah. He's up and he's pacing around our little camp. He must not have noticed I'm awake because he looks over to me, surprised. "Oh, you're awake," Noah says. I nod.

"We better get moving. We don't want more people to find us," I demand. Noah nods at me and we walk along. It's just us now. We are practically starving. We have barely had anything to eat. Just the rabbit yesterday. It'd probably be best to hunt. "We need food," I tell Noah. He nods again and hands me the bow he's been carrying. He's been silent all morning.

We both go back where we found the rabbit. It's just us now so maybe we can eat more than we have been. I know we are practically starving but I don't really care. I haven't been thinking about that. There's too much that's happened in just the past few days. I've been too busy mourning.

When I draw my bow, ready to shoot the first creature that crosses me, I hear a noise. But it's not one of the sudden noises like somebody is about to jump at me. No, it's a soft plop on the morning grass. Noah jumps and I look down at my feet.

There sits a small, silver parachute, looking so small and delicate in this big frightening arena. I smile for the first real time since I've been here. "Open it," Noah tells me excitedly. I nod quickly and I drop to the ground. I slowly open it, not wanting to ruin anything. What I see makes me overjoyed.

There's a small basket full of baked goods. Bread, rolls, small little cakes, and even a couple pastries. My mouth fills with saliva just thinking about the rich tasteful food that lies before me. "There's a note," Noah says again. I peer down and see a small white card and written in delicate handwriting says short and simple:

I knew you could use some of these

                                             ~Dad

My eyes well up with tears and I stroke the card. I think of my dad who has been watching me starve and kill people. And mourn over my friends death. "Well let's eat!" Noah says eagerly. So we do.

I always appreciated my dad's food, but now I love it more than ever. I savor every bite and we leave a couple pieces of bread for later. We spend the rest of the day as joyful as possible. We walk around the arena, alert but content. And I enjoy it. For once, I am happy. But I know that can't last forever.