30. Light up The Night
I was back and forth between being awake and asleep for the rest of that night. Shane was asleep through all those things I woke myself up from. No matter how comfortable I felt in his arms, it wasn't enough to make me fall into a sound sleep. I envied him that night, because he would be well rested, and I would be groggy as hell.
A cool breeze made me bury my head into Shane's chest. I yawned, popping my eyes open. I squinted my eyes; light was shining right on them.
"Morning," Shane sang.
"I'm glad you didn't include the 'good' before 'morning,'" I muttered. "It's not a good one for me."
"I can tell." He tried to shift.
"No other cannons went off?" I shook my head, hitting Shane with my dirty, red hair. "Sorry."
"Nobody else died." He ran a hand through my hair.
"How long do you think it's been since we've been here?" I looked around for the hell of it.
"I don't know, definitely over a week."
"Feels like we've been here a month," I snorted.
"We could be." He pressed his forehead into the side of my head. "I don't want to do this anymore," he sighed seriously. "Be in the arena, try to survive day after day. I wouldn't mind going back to Twelve; at least I know people won't try to kill me there."
"The world is a dangerous place, so you don't know that," I countered lightly. Shane messed with my necklace. "That's given me some damn good luck."
"Good luck charm?"
"Mhm. Birthday gift also," I mentioned. "I rarely take it off."
"It's lucky all right. You found me." He kissed my ear.
I giggled. "Yeah." I sighed, massaging Shane's scalp with my dirty fingers. He kissed under my jaw, peppering a few kisses on my neck. I smiled, bathing in the affection.
At times, when we were alone like this, I didn't feel like I was in the Hunger Games. I felt like I was in a whole different world with Shane, where it was just the two of us.
"I don't think we're going to hunt much if we sit up here all day," I said after a few minutes.
"We've got food, still, Crystal."
"I know, but hunting for more doesn't hurt, does it?"
"I guess not." He kissed my birth mark. He grabbed my chin, turning my head towards his. "Your eyes..." I looked down, embarrassed. "Beautiful."
"Let's go," I pressed. As much as I loved sitting here with him alone being flattered by him, we were still in the Games. And the Games weren't over yet.
"Okay, okay," he chuckled. "I'll climb down first. Toss me the packs once I'm down, okay?"
I swung my legs over the edge of the branch, waiting for Shane to be down on the ground so I could throw the packs down. He took his arrows and bow down with him. I tossed both packs down before clambering down the tree myself.
With a bow in one hand and my hand in his, Shane led me through the woods. Sunlight seemed abundant more than usual. If sunlight is abundant, how about some animals to shoot at? It wouldn't hurt the Gamemakers to do Shane and me a favor, unless they didn't want to give us anything because they thought us being together meant we were rebelling against the Capitol. To them, being in love equaled rebellion.
This wasn't for the cameras though, nor to encourage people in districts to start an uprising. This was the most real anybody could get on reality TV. I wasn't saying that what Katniss and Peeta had in their Games was fake. If it had been, Shane wouldn't exist right now.
"See anything?" Shane asked me.
"No. You?"
"Not a thing," he huffed.
"We can't give up."
"I'm not."
"And I'm not."
We continued to walk in silence, wandering aimlessly in the middle of nowhere. We were deep enough in the woods to where we couldn't see the remains of the Cornucopia. We took a rest or two, replenishing our energy with the food and water we had available. We had a few pieces of jerky and a piece of fruit left still, and the medicine as well.
I pulled out the blowgun and darts from my jacket, staring at them. Why did I still have these? I didn't really use them. Should I get rid of these? If I do, I've got to hide them somewhere good where nobody is going to find them. I doubted anybody would want a blowgun anyway, the darts weren't poisonous. Then again, I wouldn't know because I never got a hit with a dart from the gun.
When I broke off from Shane, trying to find a good spot to bury the weaponry, he looked at me, puzzled.
"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.
"Trying to find the best spot to hide these," I murmured, pulling back bushes and trying to find hollow holes in nearby trees.
"Why?"
"I don't need them." I shrugged.
"You're really going to give those up?"
"Shane, I haven't used them." I turned to him. "What's the point in keeping this stuff if I have no use for it?"
"You say that now. Wait until a time comes where you'll wish you had those still." He came to me. "Crystal, just keep them, for a precaution. They might come in handy, you never know."
"But—"
"Do you want someone to grab those?"
"No, but I'd bury them to where nobody would find them."
"Let's be real," he complained. "Say a tribute was weaponless and was hoping to find something to use to defend themselves in the arena, whether from whatever the Gamemakers had in store or from other tributes. And let's say that this tribute happens to find your blowgun and the darts. You've basically helped them out, given them an advantage in this."
"I guess when you put it that way..."
"I'm right," he said plainly, looking smug.
I rolled my eyes playfully. "All right, I'll keep them." I stuffed the gun into my pants front pocket. I fit the darts in a compartment inside my jacket.
A cannon sounded suddenly, making us both jump. Shane grabbed my wrist, making sure I was at his side. A knife was in my other hand, at the ready. Another tribute down. I thought of three people who I wanted the cannon to be for. It'd be one less threat I'd have to deal with.
"Who do you think it was this time?" I breathed.
"Don't know. We won't know until later."
"Should we just find a tree and sleep until night? We'd make out better if nobody can see us," I suggested.
"You can't seriously be tired, Crystal."
"I didn't sleep good last night. Please?" I pouted.
"I wish you didn't make that face," he groaned.
I smiled. I knew I had won.
We picked a tree with thick branches. Shane went up first, then pulled me up. The bark scratched my palms, but I was feeling pain more in my shoulder that was still trying to mend itself. I couldn't remember the last time I had changed the gauze.
We were higher up than we were in the last tree. The branch we sat on was much thicker. We were more spread out this time. Shane slithered an arm around my waist. I rested my head on his shoulder, looking out at the view. Even though it was nothing but woods, it felt serene for now. It had to be because of the lack of action around us at the moment.
"You know," I thought out loud, "if this wasn't an arena, and if we weren't fighting for our lives, this place might not be so bad."
"It's tolerable," Shane mused, messing with the charm on my necklace. "It's silly, really."
"What is?"
"I've met someone when really she's supposed to be my enemy." He shrugged. "We're not allied because we have to be like the Career pack has to, we're together because we want to be."
"I know this may sound totally stupid, but did you come in here thinking you'd fall in love?"
"Originally, no," he confessed. "But that all changed when I met you, Crys."
I looked at him. "What was that nickname you gave me? It sounds like a guy's name."
"You don't like that name?"
"I do—it just sounds...weird, calling me that."
"But you responded, so it can't be extremely weird."
"I guess not."
Shane pressed his forehead into mine. He gave me a soft kiss. I smiled, yawning.
I snuggled into him, feeling safe in his arms as I tried to sneak in a nap.
***
A cannon sounded. Shane and I stopped wandering through the woods, looking at each other. It had been down to us and Bella from 7. Now that she was gone, Shane and I were the only two left. We were positive, because we knew there weren't many tributes left to avoid and outlast.
My heart dropped into my feet. Shane and I were the only two left. There was no rule for two victors to win, only one. Either District 1 or 12 would get a victor this year, both couldn't. The Gamemakers would never allow it to happen again after what happened last time two victors were crowned.
"No..." I whispered. "No."
"It's down to just us two," Shane sighed. "Now, who's going to be the victor?"
"We both—"
"Crys, we can't pull it off. Either you die or I do. We can't do a double suicide out of love. You know what would happen if we did."
All of Panem knew what would happen if we tried to commit an act like Shane's parents had. It would lead the country into another civil war. Two was enough for the nation, I couldn't imagine it enduring a third. If there was a third rebellion—which I didn't want to happen—President Snow would have to deal with Shane and I, who were in two separate districts, me being in the more loyal district to the Capitol.
"I can't kill you," I murmured to Shane. "I won't. I never had when I had all those chances to, and I won't now. I won't lose you."
"And I won't lose you." He pulled me into an embrace.
There was no point in telling him to kill me if I couldn't live without him. He would never ask that of me...or would he? Would we tell our other half to kill us, as a selfless way to save the person we loved?
"We'll live in here as long as we can," Shane said into my hair. "I won't kill you."
"You hear that?" I yelled to the skies. I broke off from Shane.
"Umm, Crys—" he tried to get out.
"We aren't going down without a fight!"
Winds picked up immediately, knocking me into Shane. The sky became dark, not because the Gamemakers made it night, but because dark clouds were looming above us. Loud thunder made me cover my ears.
"I think you pissed them off," Shane yelled over the howling winds.
I realized that the moment the words escaped his lips. I had just pitted Shane and me against the Gamemakers, which would be a battle that would be lost by either Shane or I in the end. I had just challenged the Gamemakers to toss everything they had at us in an attempt to kill one of us themselves.
I had just condemned one of us to death, all because of my big mouth.
***
I yipped, jumping awake. I panicked when I saw night had fallen. Oh God, had I talked in my sleep? Had the Gamemakers heard me? Were they about ready to unleash more in the arena, targeting only Shane and I?
Hold on, I stopped myself. We've still got four other tributes with us. Shane and I aren't the only two left.
I hadn't woken up Shane. He was still out, head resting against the bark of the tree. I sighed with relief, glad to not have woken him up. I scratched my head. I nuzzled my head into his neck; it didn't seem to faze him either. The only thing that would wake him up would be his own nightmares.
I wondered where the rest of the tributes were. Did Bane and Jenna still stick together, or did they go their separate ways? Was both of 7's tributes sticking together or flying solo? Shane and I would be the only pair if everybody else was in it for themselves.
The Capitol seal lit up the night, the anthem followed. The boy from 7 was dead. So now it was down to five of us: Jenna, Bella, Bane, Shane, and me. Three Careers against two non-Careers. Well, depending on how you looked at it, it could also be two Careers against three non-Careers, being that I wasn't considered one anymore since I stuck with Shane.
There was a distant roar, it didn't sound animalistic. I sat up, tuning my ears to the noise. Everything else was silent except for the roar.
I snapped my head up when I saw something zoom over our heads, behind us. A loud boom made the tree quiver, and it woke Shane up.
"What was that?" he fretted.
"I don't know." I looked behind the tree.
"Look out!"
Shane pushed me out of the tree. He crushed me under him and on the ground. I cushioned his fall, lucky him. Bright light was overhead, making me look to the skies warily. Shane clambered off me, helping me up. I brushed myself off.
"What the hell was that for?" I screeched. My nose wrinkled. Something smelled like it was burning.
I saw little flames lick at where Shane and I once were. My eyes bulged. There was a huge hole in the tree. If Shane hadn't seen whatever that was come after us, we would have been dead instantly. He saved my life, again.
"The Gamemakers," he whispered in horror.
There was an awful creaking noise. Shane and I ran, because the top half of the tree we had rested in was toppling over. We jumped out of the way before it crashed near us. Shane held me protectively, looking up to watch for anymore incomings.
"Which way do we go?" I panicked.
"Well, we can't stay here for long," he said quickly. "Otherwise we'll get bowled over and fried."
"Come again?"
"They're throwing fireballs at us."
I paled. There was no way the Gamemakers would do that to us without a reason. There was only one reason that came to mind.
This was way too soon for me. I wanted at least a few more days with Shane alone before this happened.
The Gamemakers were trying to herd Shane and me to whoever was nearby so that another cannon could blast tonight.