I leaned against the tree, hugging my knees to my chest. How had I survived, how had I lasted longer than the other tributes around me, how could I? Four teenagers had died, but before that so many more had lost their lives. We had lost Sparrow, which left me alone with my allies from district twelve, although it didn't really help that they were all lovey dovey. I looked up at the twinkling stars, but then there were gone when the most unexpected thing happened, I dozed off.
***
The waves crashed against me, pulling me under, deep in the chilling water. I thrashed my arms in a desperate attempt to grab ahold of something, but it was no use. I kicked my legs and somehow found my head breaking the surface of the water. I gasped, sucking in air. Another wave surged forewords, crashing into my face and pushing me back under the water. I let out a panicked shriek, allowing bubbles of air to free themselves from my mouth.
Salt water flooded into my mouth, and I gagged. I felt a burning pain as my chest tightened. I tried to pull my arms up but it didn't help as I sunk further into the water. My lungs were burning and I closed my eyes. It would be all over soon.
When I opened my eyes, I was standing in a small room. The wooden floors creaked and I could tell they were soaked by looking at them. The walls had been build from brick but were layered by wood planks. A small staircase was built into the wall. It seemed like the only place to go, so I rushed up the steps, a lingering panic inside of me.
The building rocked forewords suddenly as I reached the top of the staircase as I was send sprawling forewords. The cold, rushing winds bit at my skin from all angles. My hair came out of its bun and began to wave madly in the wind. I looked over the edge of what I now realize was a boat to see endless waters.
A massive wave crashed forewords, picking up the boat. It tipped forewords as it washed down the side of wave, making me seasick. I didn't remember when I had last eaten, but it didn't matter when I threw it all up. Another wave formed, nearly three times the size of the first. I crashed over the boat, filling the rooms and washing me over the side. I screamed in terror and I grabbed a rope on the side of the boat, clinging on for dear life.
My hair was now soaked and sticking to my head. I shivered as icy water dripped from my soaked clothes. My teeth chattered as another wave crashed over the boat. It splashed over my fingers, causing me to lose my grip except for two fingers. I let out another horrified scream as I dangled by two fingers. I felt myself sliding as the cold water lapped at my heels, pulling me closer.
I reached forewords and grasped the edge of the boat with both hands as I tried to to pull myself up. Another wave poured over the water, hitting me in the face. With a screech of terror I toppled backwards into the cold, unwelcoming sea, never to be seen again.
**
I woke with a start, shaking badly. Sweat covered my body. It's not real, it isn't real, it isn't real, I repeated over and over in my head. I glanced around. Florina, Elaine, and Delvin were gone. India was snoring, sleeping where Florina was earlier. I stared at her for a moment before I dived at her, stabbing my knife at her head. She woke in surprise as my knife knocked her ear and let out a startled yelp.
India wiggled out from underneath me, her eyes wide. She grabbed a knife from her pocked and stepped away from me. India snarled angrily at me and charged forewords, knife in hand. And I made a silly mistake, I turned and ran. India knife was lodged in my side before I knew it and me dropped to the ground. India loomed above me, but before she could do anything I slipped out from underneath her.
I grabbed the knife out of my side and winced, backing up against a tree. India laughed cruelly, twirling a knife in her hand. Suddenly, a cannon sounded. She dropped, dead, and the silver tip of a knife was visible as it was shoved through her back. Suddenly, her body melded into Florina's. The capital had tricked me into killing an ally.
Callisto stood behind her and stabbed at me. Callisto would be Delvin or Elaine. I ducked the blow and turned, sprinting away from them. If I were to see Elaine, Delvin, or Florina then I would know they weren't my actual allies. Suddenly, a blade collided with my arm. I whirled around to see Delvin. I yelped and jumped back. Elaine darted from the bushed, knocking Delvin to the ground.
"I kill now." She giggled cruelly, grabbing some rope from her pocket. Delvin jumped to his feet in an attempt to get away, but he grabbed his ankle and pulled him back down. She quickly pulled his ankles together, and used the rope to tie his ankles tightly to the root of a tree. "You no gets away."
I stepped back, watching as my allies- no, not my allies, the people the capital wanted me to think were my allies. Elaine laughed quietly, while Delvin grabbed him knife to cut the rope. Elaine ripped the knife from his hand, cutting it across his palm in the process. Delvin yelped. Elaine grabbed his wrists, and quickly tied them to a tree root.
I would give him a quicker death, but I was frozen in place as I watched. Elaine giggled quietly as she handled her knife with care. She slowly pressed the tip against his stomach and dragged it up to his neck, opening a large cut. Delvin yelled a curse and thrashed around but Elaine just grinned. She grabbed stones from the ground, and to my disgust, smashed them into the wound.
Delvin let out a bloodcurdling scream, and was forced to vomit blood. Elaine smirked and roughly shoved rocks in the wound before shaking her head. "Me not done." She moved to his feet, and crashed her blade through his ankle. I almost threw up as he screamed and his ankle was severed from his body. Blood was flowing freely from the wound but Elaine didn't care as she repeated the process on his other foot.
When she was done she drove her knife through his wrist, pinning it to the tree root. Delvin was still screaming, but that only drove Elaine to do the same to do the same to his other wrist. I gripped my knife, and pointed it at her head. I threw it and watched as it hit the side of her neck. Her head whipped around to see me, before her cannon sounded and she slumped to the ground, her body molding into Noelle's.
I turned, leaving Delvin to bleed to death. I would come back later. After a few minutes someone jumped on top of me, and I wasn't surprised to see Florina. I knew it wasn't her since the real Florina was dead. Her body was ripped away from me as she was pulled away by Callisto, who drove the knife into her back. Florina's cannon sounded and her body became Callisto's.
Another cannon sounded, and I peeked through the trees to see Delvin's body shift into India's. I was alive... For now.