VENUS《 FINNICK ODAIR

Chapter 16. FRIEND OR FOE.

    "Hello, we, uh, come in peace?" the boy smiled, the girl rolled her eyes at his stammer.

    "We won't hurt you, just come down and we can talk," the girl added.

   "Why should I? I have the high ground and you two don't have a way to kill me or to get me down," Edith quipped, the younger girl below smiled softly.

   "Edith we would have killed you or ran if we didnt want to be allies, just come down, we want to join you."

    Edith shook her head, and the two below sighed.

    "Look, the last acid fog run is coming in an hour, we have a cave for safety, it's across the river. We have food and water. All we want is your protection until the numbers dwindle."

   Edith sighed, "If I come down, do you have food and water for me now?"

     They nodded. "Just allign with us please, we won't hurt you."

    Edith analysed the pair, she didn't recall their names. But the girl was from 3 and the boy was from 5, both around fifteen. They were scruffy with cave dirt, but they appeared well fed for Hunger Games Tributes. And there was no weapons in sight on them, except for a handcrafted hand-held spear on the boy's back.

    The brunette considered the situation. Both recieved low scores. She could beat them in a fight with her knife. And they weren't going to leave her alone. They had one visible weapon, but it wouldn't hurt her if they were to throw it at her. The feast should be coming up, they always held it ever since it's addition. Maybe I can hold it out with them until the feast is announced?

   "Okay I am coming down, but only on one condition, I will only stay with you until the feast is announced, then we seperate, and if either of you show any hint of an ulterior motive, don't cry when I stab you in the back. We have a deal?" Edith bargained. She would never have the heart to stab either of them for moving wrong but, let them believe that.

   "Deal."

   Edith climbed down, her knife ready; it's hilt tied to her jumper. Her gas mask still tied onto her head tightly. She landed with a thud.

   The girl shook her hand. "Good, I'm Elsie, and this is Ezra. I'm from 3 clearly and he's from 5. Welcome to our alliance," Elsie smiled gesturing to eachothers numbers on their jumpers.

   Edith sighed, "A pleasure." She didn't trust it, but she flashed a genuine face to hide her suspicion. Let them believe.

   "Okay, we need to move before the fog comes, not all of us have gas masks," Ezra nodded to Edith's mask still atop her head. She wasn't taking it off. It wasn't because of the fog, but because she didn't know what she looked like.

   Her leg wound wasn't visible, bandages covered her hands once more and enough strength was back to fool her state as hunger and dehydration; but she didn't know what state her face was in. For all Edith knew, she had black veins covering her entire face still. She could still be a corpse, I certainly feel like one.

   "Where did you get that anyway, was it a Sponsor?" Ezra piped up, as the three traversed down the green valley in a direction dangerously close to the zoo. Edith shivered just thinking about it.

    "From the zoo, it wasn't worth it."

   Elsie shivered too, "I saw shadows move in there, did you get chased?"

  Edith nodded. Ezra shook his head in disbelief, "Right then, you made it out, you dont think you can go back in a get ones for us?" He joked.

    The brunette turned to him shooting him an icy gaze through the gas mask; watching the footage after she won, she appeared alien. "Like I said, its not worth it."