Chapter 22
1567 Words
Lanolin Gossamer POV
I had one day before I fought for my life in a juvenile deathmatch. That would have sounded really epic in a comic book or something, but it wasn't as cool when it happened to me. I had twenty-four more hours to live, and I knew exactly how to spend it.
"What should I do at the Bloodbath?" I asked Tillo, who was straightening up her room.
"You? Run," she said.
"All right. What's the best way to find food?" I asked.
"It depends on the Arena. I wouldn't know," she said.
"Oh yeah, yours was inside. What do you think mine will be like?" I asked. She didn't look up from her work.
"They seem to only do indoor ones every few years, so probably outdoor," she said.
"So maybe like a desert or underwater?" I asked. She set down a book and sighed.
"I don't know," she said.
"Okay, but did you get a lot of sponsors?" I asked.
"No," she said.
"Why not?" I asked.
"No one liked me," she said.
"I suppose I shouldn't ask how to get people to like me," I said.
"Nope," she said.
"Do the other Tributes usually start killing pretty quick, or just the Careers?" I asked.
"Sometimes some of the outliers just needed an excuse, but you can usually tell which ones," she said.
"Do you think any of the others are this year?" I asked.
"I don't think so," she said.
"You won... what's the most important part of winning?" I asked.
"Doing whatever it takes," she said.
"Yeah. You had to kill a lot of people. Was that hard?" I asked. She finally seemed to react.
"Yes. It was hard," she said. She always seemed so emotionless. It was like watching a normal person cry.
"Did you fight any mutts?" I asked.
"No," she said.
"Do you think I will?" I asked.
"I don't know," she said.
"Is there going to be a feast?" I asked.
"I don't know," she said. She slammed a book down on her shelf.
"What's it like fighting Careers?" I asked.
"I don't- you know what, it's easy," she said. I laughed.
"Now you're messing with me," I said.
"Could you throw this down the chute?" she asked, and she handed me a rumpled shirt. "It's right down the hall."
"Sure," I said. I took it and stepped out of the room. As soon as I did, she slammed the door on me. Real funny.
River Summers POV
I have to do it.
Seeing the training scores had driven home exactly what sort of trouble I was in. Of all those names, only one was coming out. I had a twenty-three out of twenty-four chance of dying, and if I didn't do anything I could, I was going to lose. I had to get my head in the Game. I had to play it, no matter how terrible it was. To start, I was going to do something I never imagined I was capable of.
I stepped into the brightly lit room and walked up to a desk. The woman behind it was made up to look like a china doll, and her hair was down to the floor.
"What are you doing here, princess? You have your own stylist," she said sweetly.
"I wanted to surprise her," I said. Already my stomach was sinking. I could barely speak. "Could you cut my hair?"
"Oh, a surprise?! That's darling! How do you want it styled?" she asked.
"Cut it off," I said. She gasped.
"Cut it off? But why? It's so beautiful," she said. Her face mirrored my heart.
"It gets in my way," I whispered.
"Let's just get you in the chair and see what happens," she said. I sat in a soft chair and she spun it toward the mirror. I saw my long, beautiful tresses and almost lost heart. It was more than just hair. It was part of me. It was like cutting off a finger.
"So what'll it be?" the woman asked.
"Cut it all off," I said. "Please."
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"I'm sure."
She gathered a lock in her fingers and slid them up, up until they rested against my head. She took out the scissors and slid them open. I closed my eyes until I heard them click shut. My head felt horribly light and the awful finality of it hit me. I watched in the mirror as she cut pieces of me away. They fell to the ground and piled up. I looked down and cried as I watched the pile grow. I felt like I'd never be pretty again.
When I finally looked up, the lady was fussing with the tiny patch of hair that was left. She ran a comb through it and blow dried it. When she was done, I could tell it was a great haircut. It just wasn't mine. I didn't suddenly love it and I didn't feel stronger. I felt lesser.
"It's such a shame," the woman tutted. Then her face brightened. "But really, you look prettier like this anyway. I'm sure you'll do so well."
"Thanks," I said. I left the store with her still trying to comfort me. Only after I left did I feel anything positive. It still hurt like I'd torn out my heart, but I knew I'd grown because of it. I'd done something I didn't think I was capable of, and I knew I could do whatever it took. I was learning to play the Game, and it just might save my life.
Alice Grace Silvin POV
It was late, but I couldn't sleep. I would have gone to my mentor, but being with Tillo would be scarier than being alone. I could have gone to Remus, but it would be weird spending the night with a boy, even if he was old enough to be my grandfather. Instead, I knocked on Anise's door. She let me in right away and we piled into her bed.
"I don't want to go. I wish we could stay here forever," I said. I curled my knees against my chest and tried to squeeze into myself.
"I wish we could too," Anise said. "No one should have to go through this." She started to say something else, but she stopped herself.
"It's going to be all right. We'll get through it together," she said. I thought of the things I'd seen on the tapes. People died and there was so much blood.
"Am I going to die?" I asked. I shivered, even under the blankets.
"I won't let you die," Anise said. Maybe she was right. There was always hope. I knew that when people died, it was because God called them back to Heaven. I was too young for him to call me.
"Will you pray with me?" I asked.
"Of course," Anise said. We faced each other and I brought my hands together.
"Dear God, please take care of me and Anise, and please take care of everyone else as well. If any of us die, please take them to Heaven and take care of them," I said. Anise must have prayed silently after that, because she kept her eyes closed and her lips moved. I felt a lot better after that, but I was still scared. Sometimes the world is too scary. Maybe I could just pretend the Arena was something nicer. Something like Wonderland. Of course it was Wonderland, since I was Alice. Maybe there would be rabbits. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be so bad.
Krunk Wickersly POV
It was strange looking over pictures of twenty-four children and wondering which ones would die first. The obvious pick was Alice, but the Careers might not bother. I knew my alliance would have to watch out, since we were the biggest threat to them. We wouldn't attack, of course, but they might think we would.
As far as the people in my alliance, they were a mixed bag. I got the feeling Velvet would get herself killed mouthing off to someone stronger, and Elyssa might go the same way. Logan was tough. If anyone was going to betray me, it would be him. Olivier was too nice to do something like that. It would be hard to kill him, but if it came down to it I'd have to. It wasn't my fault they made us do this. I would just do what I needed to in order to survive.
I went over my advantages in my head. I was from Twelve, so a lot of people already counted me out. They didn't know I wasn't like most people from my District, and that would help me. They wouldn't know what they were dealing with until it was too late. I was also smart, capable, and coolheaded, which most people seemed to struggle with.
I didn't have an exact plan for the Bloodbath, but I wasn't worried. I'd make something up. I could get through just on instinct. After that, it would be easy. As long as I didn't mess with the Careers until the right moment, no one else was a threat. I didn't know who'd die first, but I knew who'd be there at the end.
Anise's form didn't mention religion, but I assumed that most people wouldn't say no to Alice's request.
- Writer
