PLATINUM • THE HUNGER GAMES ²

| 13. THE WISE MAN'S AGRUMENT

BOOK TWO
CHAPTER THIRTEEN

( THE WISE MAN'S ARGUMENT )

     I COULDN'T SLEEP. In fact, I didn't even try.

     I'd worn myself out struggling to comprehend the madness what was about to head my way that even lying down was too much of an ask. My head tossed around in agony, like it was in a restless itch to do something productive with my time, but it wouldn't let me reign it in so I could do as it had asked. Slowly, I dragged my feet away from my beside in hope of returning my concentration. I paced around like it was the last time I could possibly do so and my arms fell hopelessly to my side. Until I had decided what to do, my eyes ached, begging for rest. However, the only thing I did instead was wait patiently for the morning.

     Alas, once a line of light appeared underneath the rim of my bedroom curtains signalling the gift and sorrow of dawn, another pair of footsteps gained my attention. They were heavier than mine, seemingly stomping around, but the treading was paced delicately. In a matter of curiosity, I made my way out of the cage-like feeling of my room and into the spaciousness of the main District Ten living quarters. It was quiet, as it always was in the early morning, but their was something about the atmosphere that gave it that eerie sense. My body found itself placed into the polished wooden texture of a dining chair after a while as my eyes scanned the wilderness of the hall. For some reason, I enjoyed the peace and quiet, but my thoughts raced around to try and fill the space with as much things as it could.

     Immediately, my mind raced towards the familiar face that loomed inside my head. Will's mystically blue eyes pierced into the silence of my brain, lulling me into dreaming of his presence. The remanence of our kiss lingered somewhere too in my memory. I swiftly realise how delayed our relationship had been, for we had waited so long to truly understand each other's thoughts. Maybe Corey was correct in telling me that our new emotions were for the best? Even though a sharp ringing told me that it was too late to for it to realistically set in stone. Possibly, in the future, if I returned home to the familiarity of our District one day, and if my fate was to turn towards a freedom from the Hunger Games, we could spend the rest of our days together. I liked that image. Will, Bradley and I: a family thrown together from the least unlikely of circumstances. I supposed that somehow we would make it work, even though our odds of doing so were incredibly slim. However, my inexperience did not help the matter whatsoever, as all my friendships and family members had only spent a short time with me, and I was scared that my misfortune would turn over to them too.

     Minutes passed, and as I dreamt, the pacing still remained. The sounds did not cease until I heard a yawn or two as well. Someone was awake, be it Corey, Bradley or Atlanta, and their habits had eventually grown irritating.