A/N- Just finished this so that I could upload. Getting some sleep now though. Vote and comment please. That's what will keep me going, even when I'm busy.
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There are two faces that are shown in the sky today. Eleven alive at this point. There is an opening in the caves overhead where we can see the sky. It isn’t an underground cave, after all, so we aren’t buried underneath the earth.
Danny is tending to his wounds and is changing the bandages. I busy myself with sharpening the dull end of the spear. Without arguing, Danny falls to sleep when I say that I will keep watch.
He has received too many injuries for my liking, and I won’t have his strength diminished along with it.
This cave has so many passages. It is either a haven or a trap for those who have not explored it. I have memorized every nook and cranny just in case something wrong goes on.
It is only a matter of time when we encounter another tribute. I do not know what is happening outside the cave. Maybe the other Careers are doing what they are expected to do.
I can’t imagine them going into the cave though.
It is such an unexplored area where they have no assurance of safety. They will only probably risk it in the morning. The night brings nothing good to anyone. We are in the Hunger Games arena, with enemies at every corner, but even the arena gives us no reprieve.
I focus instead on the net that is growing even larger. Danny has had the foresight to bring vines in his pack. He knows me too well. Only distractions can give me some solace in this arena.
Knot. Tighten them up. My hands hurt. Keep going. Keep going. Loop this. Tie that. Nice and tight. This is starting to look very sturdy. Maybe I can catch food with this when the time comes. Nice and tight. Maybe I can do a Finnick and just trap everyone in here and stab them to death with the blunt spear.
My hands let go of the net when that thought enters my mind.
I cannot believe that the thought has even occurred to me.
I remember the girl at the stream, and how the humanity seemed to have left her eyes when she killed that boy. I shudder as I think of it.
When the time comes, will I be able to do the same?
How could Finnick have plotted to kill people without any remorse? He didn’t seem the kind. He was always that sweet boy who came back not quite the same after he won. He never was the same.
Nice and tight. My hands return to the net. I cannot judge Finnick. I’m doing exactly what he is right at this moment. He was only trying to survive. I am only trying to do the same. I only dread the moment when Danny is gone, or if I go ahead. It won’t be the same for either of us. We have been a solid team since entering the arena. I have no doubts that Danny is the only reason why I have been keeping my sanity for this long. He is the only reminder of home in this foreign area.
Nice and tight. Nice and tight.
I nearly jump out of my skin when I feel a hand on my shoulder. It’s Danny, and he looks a lot better than he did before he went to sleep.
“Your turn to get some sleep, Anne,” he says, sitting up slowly as he tries not to flinch from the pain. Still keeping up a façade for the people watching. “If you’re going to be the one fighting while I get better, you need your strength.”
He glances at the net and nods, understanding my preoccupation.
He does not even admonish me for not focusing on keeping watch. I just want to get out of here. I just want to go back home.
I feel my token. The shells and the texture remind me of home. I think of what Serena told me back at the Justice Building.
The sea comes into mind, and the beautiful landscape. Even the water cottages give me good memories. It’s such a beautiful place to call home.
I toss and turn in my sleep. I am half-asleep and half-awake at the same time. I remember waking up at intervals, unsure whether or not I have actually fallen asleep at all. During those times my lids open, I could see that Danny has taken up my distraction and has started a new net, since the other one was big enough to trap a person.
For some odd reason, I manage to dream. These dreams seem to taunt me more than comfort me.
My mind has taken my train of thought before sleeping. There are snippets of scenes from back home, but they dart in and out of my head too quick for me to catch. The waves lapping at the shore. The colorful fish hiding among the corals. The color of the sunset right before the sun completely disappeared. The swaying of the tree leaves at the warm, comforting air. Calloused hands from weaving nets. Afternoons working with Finnick but not speaking. Father at the corner of the cottage, fixing hooks, his brow serious and his demeanor silent.
I must have been restless the entire time I am asleep. These are images that I might never see again. What are the odds of me actually returning home to see those images once again?
There is so much to return to. I have not realized. There is nothing for me, and yet, still so much.
I am abruptly awoken by Danny because he feels uneasy.
“I heard something from one of the caves,” he whispers. “I don’t think we’re alone in this part. I don’t want to find out if it’s human or not.”
I get up groggily. Danny helps me to my feet and I wrap my pack around my arms, and I clutch my spear tightly. It takes a few minutes for me to completely regain my senses as I follow Danny through the caves.
He doesn’t state just what time it is. There is sunlight filtering through the cracks, but I cannot guess just how high it is.
Danny is unnaturally quiet, and he seems tenser.
When I try to speak, he holds up a hand and proceeds forward with even more caution. I don’t know what kind of sound he has heard to instill such caution in him. My bet is that he just doesn’t like the cave as much after the attack yesterday. I cannot blame him, although I find more safety in here than I do outside.
At least in this cave, we are given some warning by the sounds that echo against the walls. Outside, everything is too open.
After an hour of walking, we finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Danny’s pace is faster as he walks to the light in anticipation.
I could feel the same want for fresh air, as much as I feared the arena beyond the caves. To feel the earth beneath my feet! To have the sun directly on my face!
Danny breaks into a careless run, as we are a few feet away.
He gets to the end faster than I do, but then he suddenly disappears.
I hear him scream as I nearly fall off the edge.