My side wound is starting to heal. The bandages from the Capitol must have been modified with some sort of medicine, as the moment Callisto wrapped them on, the pain subsided. She told me to rest and take it easy, and I'm happy to oblige. After the bloodbath, I'm extremely exhausted. I find myself wishing that I'm back in the Capitol, or even back at home. At least there, the beds are nice and comfy.
Oh, gosh, this Game is changing me into a whiny, shallow person I swore I would never become.
I stare at the sky blankly; the rest of the Careers and I are waiting for the anthem to play, and for the dead tribute's faces to show in the deep, twinkling sky. India groans beside me, looking restless, "Ugh, I need to pee!" she whines. Callisto glares at her, "Then pee." Callisto snaps, disgusted.
"If I pee, then I might miss the dead tributes." India points out as she wriggles uncomfortably. I giggle, as they bicker. Just as India stands up to actually pee, the anthem plays, and she's forced to sit back down.
I smirk; so far, the Games seem like a camping trip, really. Hanging out, talking... killing. I'm not necessarily into the last part, but if we have to kill to survive, then so be it. The stoic faces of the dead appear in the night sky, contrasting against the dark night. The first to appear is Cal Kirin, the friendzoned guy from Five. I've seen Florina, and I can see why Cal likes her. She's really pretty, not traditionally pretty, but pretty none the less. Of course, I'm much prettier, but I guess you'll have to settle for less when you're in a lower district.
The next is Logan Mellark. I don't really know much about him, I don't even know what district he's from, so I guess I don't really care about his death. Or whoever killed him.
Then, there's Cotton Lewis. He's from Eight, I believe. He seemed really confident, so sure that he can win. Heck, he even wanted to be part of the Career pack! Well, while sometimes confidence is key, it just didn't work for him. And his confidence is what got him killed.
The next is Esperanza Sanchez. I don't know where she's from, all I know is that she looked like someone who can handle herself very well. A threat, I guess. Which is surprising as she's from an outlying district. But, obviously she wasn't really a threat; she wouldn't be a bloodbath tribute if she was.
The last one is Willow Anesha. Again, I forgot what district she's from, but I expected her to die soon; if not in the bloodbath, then a day or two later. She seemed really weak, and frail, and her interview was just horrendous. As I recall, she wouldn't even come out from backstage, and she ended up with a broken nose. Well, now she's dead and gone.
I feel a slight pang in my heart, beacuse, even if I'm a Career, I do feel somewhat bad about these people. Somewhere, back in their districts, are their parents mourning? Crying? I know that their bodies are going to be sent back to their families. That's like a slap in the face; Hey, we forced other kids to kill you child, and now here's the body, mangled and lifeless and cold, for you to bury.
I know that feeling. When Crimson's bady was sent back to us, I cried for days. I refused to look at him, not because his body is gross(the body is actually clean, he died because he ate poisonous berries, not of a bloody fight) but because I knew that he's gone. It's terrible to have someone you love be killed in the blink of an eye. Maybe that's how the families are feeling right now. Or, they are probably cursing the people who killed their children.
"I'm surprised the pair from Twelve is still alive." Callisto's sneer snaps me from my trance.
Titan laughs a loud booming laugh, "They'll be dead anyways. I'd kill both of them with one hand tied behind my back." he says smugly. He grabs a water bottle and takes a swig.
"Nuh-uh. That Elaine girl is mine." India says, emerging from the a thick set of bushes. I didn't realize she went away to pee, but she's back anyway. "I can't believe she got away from me." India adds, frowning.
"You'll get her next time," I squeal, grinning at her enthusiastically. I didn't know what to add to this conversation; I'm too preoccupied with the thought of the people of the deceased tributes. I really shouldn't care, but I do. Because I know how they are probably feeling right now.
Pretty soon, it's time to rest, and Callisto and I decide to take first watch, while Ian, Titan and India sleep. We sit in a still comfortable silence, occasionally sharing stories, but otherwise silent. When our turn ends, we wake up our three sleeping allies, so that we can take our well earned rest.
---
BOOM.
A canon is what arouses me from my slumber. BOOM. Make that two. I look around me and my allies are gone, the Cornucopia is warm, with sunlight filling the golden horn. I sit up carefully and stretch. The right side of my body feels a bit still from the congealed blood.
Callisto enters the cornucopia, looking grim, "Ian died." she says bluntly.
I didn't really know a lot about Ian, but he was pretty nice, and he was my ally so that's a shocker. I feel another pang; that's another one gone, another family's lost.
"Who was the other canon for?" I ask, hoping it isn't another one of our allies. Ian was from an outlying district and he definitely didn't get as much training as we did, so in hindsight, I guess his death really wasn't a shock.
"Bryan." Callisto says without any emotion. He was her district partner, and I'm not sure if they knew each other well. But Callisto doesn't seem affected by this, so I guess she doesn't really care. "He and his little allies came and attacked us during dawn, and managed to wound Ian. I woke up and helped India and Titan, and we managed to kill Bryan, but his allies ran off. Ian died moments after." she explains in one breath.
I blush; I was unable to help - I'd always been a heavy sleeper - and now one of our allies is dead. I feel really uncomfortable now, because of the old bandages, so I ask Callisto to help me with them again.
"Oh, it's getting better." she says, as we check the wound. Last night, it was a messy mixture between blood, a bit of pus and some other things, I don't really have a name for - not that I even want to name them. Today though, it's nothing but a scab - a very itchy, gross scab - but at least it's better.
"I hope I don't get scarred." I say, geniunely worried. I don't like scars; while some people would consider them as a mark of being strong, I view them as a weakness. You don't get scars if you didn't get a wound, and you don't get a wound if you aren't weak. You have to know how to fight.
Callisto replaces the bandage, and helps me get up. I start walking outside, as I see India standing there, looking bored, and I want to talk to her. Suddenly, Callisto screams from behind me. Startled, I whirl around.
What could be the problem? We're inside the cornucopia, and I didn't see any tributes near by. How could they come in---
"Arhgg!!" Callisto screams again. She's bent forward, her features contorted into a look of pain. I walk towards her, concerned, but white-hot pain shoots from my back, right between my shoulder blades.
"AHHHHH!" I shriek, gasping, filling my lungs with air, trying to make the pain subside. Something feels very... off. I stoop down, biting my lip as the pain on my back grows. I try to ignore it desperately, but it's impossible.
I hear yelling from the outside as well, from India and Titan. What is going on?
"What is going on?" Callisto asks through gritted teeth. I really want to tell her that doing that would damage her teeth, but the pain is too distracting.
"You think I know?" I manage to growl incredulously, "Ahhh!" tears slip from my eyes, as something grows from my back. My lower lip starts to bleed, from biting it so hard. Something is... sprouting from my back, and it's an extremely painful process.
My back throbs and I grip fistfuls of my blonde hair, preparing to tear it all off, when suddenly, something bursts from my back and I let out a scream that could easily be heard back in District Twelve. Finally, the pain subsides, and I fall on the floor in a crumpled heap, sobbing lightly.
I lift my head up, and I feel something on my back.
"Oh my gosh, I have wings!" I shriek, when I see the huge, sleek things on my back. "I have freaking wings!"
"I can see them clearly, Red. Stop shouting." Callisto grumbles, and I see that she too has wings.
The Gamemakers had gone mad. Why on earth would they give us freakish wings? To make the Games more interesting? Okay, this really random.
Mine are nice ones though, with really pretty brownish-red feathers forming a gorgeous pattern. It's not big but not too small either. Just the right size for me.The only downside is that it sparkles. Maybe they thought it would be funny, but it's not. It reminds me too much of Sequin Sparkles.
Callisto's wings are golden blonde, like her hair, and are huge, so big that they sweep at her ankles, where they end. We walk outside, getting a better feel of them, and see Titan and India with their own wings. Titan's are dark brown, huge but not feathery, and they actually look decent.
However, India's wings are like a butterfly's, thin and sparkly, like they are made of tissue paper, with pretty, glittery sparkles of different shades of green and blue.
"Can we fly?" I ask, feeling excited. I've always wanted to fly, honestly. I think it'd be a great experience, and I actually have a chance now!
"Let's try it out!" India says, her green eyes gleaming happily. "I don't think your wings would be able to carry you." Callisto sneers, laughing at India's frail-looking wings.
India glares at her, "We'll see about that." and she takes a bow and a quiver of arrows. Her wings start flapping, and with very little effort, she floats, a few feet at first, but she increases height every second. India smirks at Callisto.
"I wanna come! I wanna come!" I yell, grabbing a katana and slipping it on my belt. Titan laughs, "Be back soon! I wanna try it as well!"
"Will do!" India yells back, and together, we fly over the Cornucopia island and above different little islands, laughing and marveling at the feeling of the wind against our skin.
I hope this would last forever, or at least while we're in the arena, because the rope bridges aren't really the best form of transportation between islands. They're really flimsy and wavy when you're walking, and now we can't come to a few other islands because the tributes chopped off the rope bridge.
India decides we should go to an island a few miles away from the cornucopia. All the rope bridges had been cut from this island, leaving it completely isolated.
We land, inspecting the island for any tributes, "This island feels creepy." I say, showing some shallowness. India walks away into a forest, when suddenly, something or someone, tackles me.
I shriek as we stumble off the island, but luckily, I have wings so I'm able to stay afloat. I manage to get a good look at my attacker; Chrystal Davis. She also has wings; bright green ones, excatly like her emerald green eyes. She smirks as she grabs a fistful of my hair, yanking it hard so that my head is facing up, and my neck is exposed.
I try to get a hold of my katana but I'm having a hard time pulling it from my belt.
Chrystal holds her switchblade close to my neck, and I, in the moment of panic, manage to finally pull my katana out, and I stick it to whatever part of her I can feel.
Chrystal screams, the sound so loud that it makes my eardrum pound. She lets go of my neck, so I swing my katana up, and, not caring whatever part of her I hit, I swing it forward, slicing something.
Something green falls off.
I cut her wing off.
Chrystal scrambles in mid air, panic evident in her eyes. She falls, but grabs my foot, so that I'm supporting all of her weight. Chrystal's other wing flaps uselessly, and a canon booms. I look around and see India in the island, with two sparkly silver wings on her feet, blood coating her arms.
I have an idea, but I'll need to act fast, otherwise both Chrystal and I would fall into abyss.
Summoning as much power as I can, I fly over to another island. There, Chrystal and I land in a heap, and she immediately begins punching me. I grab on her hair and pull, and she grabs onto my hair and pulls, and it becomes a wild mess of tangled blonde hair.
I spot my katana a few feet away, and I stretch my arm to try and reach it. Chrystal flicks the switchblade again, but I'm ready for the attack. She tries to wound me with it, but I stop her with my left arm.
With my right; I finally got my katana and without a moment's hesitation I plunge it straight through her side, with the tip coming out.
A Boom is heard, but I don't think it's her canon. I throw Chrystal off of me, glaring at her while the life drains from her. Finally, when she's dead, her canon booms, along with another one.
I walk away, trying to stop the pang in my chest. I know I killed her, but it's for self defense. India flies over to me, bloodier than ever. "I killed the brat from seven, Aubrey. I wanted to come help you, but that Zeke guy who loves horses attacked me, so I killed him too." she states proudly.
That night, the faces of the dead show up. Bryan, Ian, Chrystal, Zeke, Aubrey and Isaac. Another six tributes down. Another six families mourning.
But the Games are only beginning.