beyond the sea | annie cresta

| ❛ 11. A COWARD & A HEROINE

"River!" Annie screamed. "River!"

Artemis jerked awake. "What the hell are you doing?!" she demanded, jumping to her feet and approaching Annie.

She was crying now, tears streaming down her cheeks. Completely ignoring Artemis, she dug her fingernails into River's shoulders, shaking him desperately. No response. Annie felt her throat closing up. Her breathing became quick and uneven. "He isn't breathing!" she shouted, the hysteria inside of her building.

"Well, stop yelling! You're going to bring everyone in the Arena to us," Artemis replied in a mildly annoyed tone.

Filled with sudden rage, Annie jumped to her feet, shoving Artemis so hard that the taller girl stumbled and fell. "Why didn't you help him?! You were on the watch!"

Artemis stood and brushed herself off. "Do I look like his mother?" she replied coolly.

"You don't have to be someone's mother in order to see that they need help!" Annie spit back, her hands shaking with anger. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Artemis glared at Annie, the look in her dark eyes dangerous. "If you ever lay your hands on me again, I'll cut them off," she warned.

Annie wasn't listening. She paced the entrance of the Cornucopia, her hands tangled in her hair. The others had woken up by this time. "Look," Ribbon said distantly, pointing at a small metal container attached the a parachute, which was floating towards the ground.

Luxe caught the cylinder, reading the note that was taped to the top. "It just says, 'District Four'."

"Give it to me," Annie commanded, taking the tiny container from Luxe. She unscrewed the lid. Inside were two round, soft pills, purplish in color. She crouched next to River, gingerly opening his mouth and setting the pills on his tongue. They fizzled and popped as they dissolved. It took a minute, but River's eyelids eventually fluttered open. He blinked several times, coughed, and looked around.

"Why are you all staring at me like I'm going to explode?" he asked tentatively.

Annie exclaimed in delight, throwing her arms around River. He stiffened. "Um, the hug is welcome, I guess, but ... any particular reason for it?"

"I'm pretty sure you just pulled a Jesus," Mason quipped.

At River's confused look, Artemis sighed and explained. "He means you died and came back."

"Oh," was all River could muster. "That's cool."

"Well, it seems that you're pretty popular with the sponsors. Two in one day," Mason said as he picked another parachute gift from the ground. "It says to apply to your leg." He handed the gift to River, who opened the top and peered in. It contained a generous amount of ointment that looked a lot like what Annie had put on his leg yesterday. He rolled up his pant leg and unwrapped the soiled bandages. The wound looked horrendous. Despite Annie's efforts yesterday, there was no mistaking the fact that it was infected. He dipped his finger into the ointment, gently rubbing it into his leg. And, miraculously, before their very eyes, the wound closed, leaving River's skin seamless.

"How..." Ribbon gasped incredulously. "How did it do that?"

"I have absolutely no idea," River replied, equally mystified. He flexed his calf. The pain was completely gone.

"I think I've had my share of miracles for the day," Artemis yawned, impatiently fingering the bow in her hands. "How about some Tribute-hunting?"

"Sounds good to me," Mason agreed.

"Me too," Luxe said, grabbing his spear. "River should stay here and guard the stuff. He needs to get his strength back. You're still as white as a sheet, man."