The Hunger Games | Rilaya

The Betrayal

The death recap begins and the first person to appear is the girl from District 3, meaning the Careers from 1 and 2 have survived. Then comes a boy from District 5. Both tributes from 6 and 7, a boy from 8, both from 9.

Having been keeping track of the number of people dead, I knew there was one more. Is it Riley? The girl from District 10 flashes in the artificial sky, making me sigh in relief. The Capitol seal appears for a quick second before disappearing, along with the music.

Eleven dead, thirteen left. Five Careers, Foxface, Thresh, Rue, then there's Riley and I. That would be ten of us. The other three I'll figure out later.

I eventually manage to settle my thoughts and fall into an uneasy sleep.

Snap!

I'm awoken by the sound of a breaking branch.

Snap! Snap!

What was going on? I hazily blink, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. How long had I been asleep?

Snap! Snap!

I turn to the right and find the source of the noise, a fire. In the dark, I can make out a pair of hands positioned over the flames. I have to force myself to keep my mouth shut to prevent me from screaming at the fire starter. Starting a fire was basically letting every tribute in the arena know your location, a death wish.

I lay awake for the next couple of hours, not daring to fall back asleep, not when I was too close for my liking to the idiot who started the fire. When the sun begins to rise, signaling the first signs of dawn, I'm starting to think that we might have gone unnoticed.

But I jinxed it. I hear several pairs of feet break into a run. They're onto the fire started before she can run. I close my eyes, wincing when I hear the agonized scream from the girl, which is followed by laughter.

"Twelve down and eleven to go!" Someone shouts, sending everyone else into hoots.

I have no doubt that this was the Career pack now.

"Better clear out so they can get the body before it starts stinking." Someone else says, I'm guessing the boy from 2.

Everyone agrees and to my horror, they start heading towards me. I lay still, not daring to take a breath. The footsteps stop for a moment, making me think that they have spotted me.

"Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?"

"I'd say yes. Nothing to prevent them from going in immediately."

"Unless she isn't dead."

"She's dead. I struck her myself."

"Then where's the cannon?"

"Someone should go back. Make sure the job's done."

"Yeah, we don't want to have to track her down twice."

"I said she's dead!"

They start arguing until one tribute silences them. "We're wasting time! I'll go finish her and let's move on!"

I clamp my mouth shut to prevent gasping in shock. The voice belongs to Riley.

"Go on, then, Lover Girl." The boy from 2 says. "See for yourself."

I catch a glimpse of Riley, lit by a torch. Rage starts to fill me, erasing any other feelings I had for her. How dare her. She shakes her head, telling me not to go into the fight for the bow and arrows, only to throw herself into the thick of things.

Okay that I can understand. The supplies are tempting after all, I speak from experience. But this, teaming up with the Careers? No one from District 12 would do such a thing!

What happened to the noble girl who said she wasn't going to be a piece in the Games?

The Careers are silent until Riley is out of sight, then speak in whispers.

"Why don't we just kill her now and get it over with?"

"Let her tag along. What's the harm? And she's handy with that knife."

"Besides, she's our best chance of finding her."

Unbelievable. It was Riley's second betrayal of the day. Not only was she with the Careers, but she was helping them find and kill me.

"Why? You think she bought into that sappy romance stuff?"

I might've for a split moment on the roof, but not anymore. Riley Matthews is dead to me.

"She might have. Seemed pretty simpleminded to me. Every time I think about her spinning around in that dress, I want to puke."

"Wish we knew how she got that eleven."

"Bet you Lover Girl knows."

Riley returns, silencing them.

"Was she dead?"

"No. But she is now." Riley says and as proof, the cannon fires.

"Ready to move on?"

I was, that's for sure. And I wasn't talking about moving to a different location in the arena.

The Careers plus Riley start to set off again. I could've sworn that Riley looked up into the trees, right at me before heading off with the rest of them. But I brushed it off quickly. Surely, if she saw me, she would've told the others and they could've killed me then and there, right?

I notice that she hadn't told the Careers that I can use a bow and arrow. Is she saving the information because she knows it'll keep her alive? Was announcing her love to me all fake, just a strategy to use in the Games?

The worst part is, is that I know that I'm ready to move on. But I wouldn't. I couldn't.