"elowen, if you say those three words again i swear i will put an axe through your skull."
"go to sleep, johanna."
╰┈➤ In which Elowen North of District Seven, dealing with fresh trauma from her Hunger Games, falls in love with Seven's other feisty...
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"Elowen," Koa whispers, "someone's coming."
"The Careers," I say, thinking out loud. "C'mon, Koa. We need to go."
Expecting Koa to follow me, I dart into the woods.
When I look back, Koa is frozen still, like a statue.
"Koa!" I exclaim.
It's too late. One of the stronger Careers, who I would learn to be Cash, the boy from One, snatches Koa from behind and slaps his hand over Koa's mouth before he can cry out. They disappear behind a shrub.
Now I'm the one who's frozen in place.
For what feels like hours but could only have been a few minutes, all I can hear is muffled, pained screaming and snickers from the merciless Careers. The screams ring in my ears.
A cannon sounds. Koa's cannon. Sounds of constant screaming and the boom of the cannon ring relentlessly in my ears.
My district partner is dead.
With my ears ringing and my head pounding and my vision becoming fuzzy, I run farther into the woods.
-
I wake up in a cold sweat, but I'm not in the arena. I'm in the Capitol.
But in a matter of hours, my sister will be in the arena, living similar events I experienced in my Games. I think that is worse.
Rowan is still asleep beside me. I want to leave her there, in the peaceful wrath of deep sleep, but I know I can't.
I tap her twice on the shoulder and turn the lights on, which is how I've woken her up every day since we were little. I realize that today might be the last day I will be able to wake Rowan up, but I push the thought towards the back of my mind.
I inspect my sister's sleepy face and stroke her soft hair as she presses sleep from her eyes.
"Morning, Row," I say gently.
As my sister emerges from the haze of sleep and realizes what day today is, her eyes widen.
"I know," I say softly, rubbing Rowan's back.
My sister sighs. "Will Aeneas be here soon?"
"Yes," I reply, heading towards the door. "And I would recommend getting ready before he gets here."
-
I can't breathe properly in the apartment, and it feels like the room is closing in on itself. As I head to the roof for fresh air, Johanna catches me by the arm.
"Where are you going, scaredy-cat? We're leaving soon."
"Air," I reply, almost breathless.
Johanna's eyes roam my face, studying. "Five minutes."
