Hey guys! So before anyone gets mad at me for not posting Writermas yet, I’m almost done. I just need to tweak a few things. I’d already written Night 1 for the Games, so I decided to post it now to entertain you guys until I can get Writermas and the AtD out. Oh! Yeah! I forgot to mention. Don’t bother sending Qs this time around. Since we weren’t getting any, I asked my friends for a few, so we’re all good on that. Anyway, enjoy!
“Oh hey, Gretchen.”
I groaned when I heard Harri say her name. But Gretchen Grimlock and the Booted Bandit seemed to get along fine, chatting about something or other, probably about killing someone. I didn’t want to know.
After about five minutes of us just standing there, the Booted Bandit turned around, and told us she was staying with Gretchen for the night. So basically, it was down to Harri, Zeus, and I to leave and find a suitable place to sleep. How great.
“Let’s go, guys,” I grumbled, shooting Gretchen a sharp look. She glared back just as hard, and I gave up, throwing my arms up into the air, and walking away. Zeus and Harri followed, and I heard Zeus whispering to Harri. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, except for one sentence.
“We’ll make him do it.”
What was that supposed to mean? Were they talking about me? Just like the self-conscious person I was, this made me angry. I curled my hands into fists and turned around to face the others, clearly frustrated.
“Make me do what?” I said, practically shouting. And then Harri heard someone coming, and without bothering to warn Zeus and I, she shoved the both of us into the nearest bush. Again.
“I’m tired, Buren. Can’t we just sleep on a tree branch or something?”
That time, peeking out of the bush, I couldn’t only hear Whitney whining, I could see her too. I could see Myron Van Buren as well, and I shivered when I saw the crazed look in his eyes.
“No. If you don’t want to keep walking, just leave. I’ll do better without you trailing me anyway. I don’t even know where we are! Just be quiet for one moment, will you?”
He looked around a few times, and I froze in fear. He was looking straight at our bush. Zeus was crouched behind us, so he couldn’t see what was going on, but Harri was shivering as much as me. But we sat there, pulling our ears down so nobody saw them, hoping Myron Van Buren would look away…
And then he did. For Whitney had just passed out- probably from exhaustion- and it caught him off guard.
“Whitney?” He said as he kicked her, and not gently either. But she was out cold. Buren sighed, then walked away, grumbling about how there weren’t any guns in the Hunger Games.
As soon as he’d left, Zeus shoved me out of the bush, and I yelped. Then I covered my mouth, shocked at what I’d just done. But no one had heard me. I sighed, then swiveled to face Zeus and asked him, “What was that for?”
But then he handed me a knife, and I knew what he wanted me to do. I glanced at Harri hopefully, but she was nervously looking at the ground and kicking around a pebble, and didn’t catch any of my gazes.
“Do it,” Zeus said, and I shook my head. “Now!” He stared at me, clearly being serious. I gulped, and tentatively walked towards Whitney who was sprawled out on the ground, snoring loudly.
I didn’t realize my hands were shaking until I raised the knife over her chest. I was gripping the blade tightly, my knuckles whiter than the clouds gathering above us in the sky. I… I couldn’t do it. I took the knife and ran, not caring where I was going or who I’d run into. I just needed to get away. The Games were too twisted for me.
And then I found Rhoda. When I crashed through the bushes, I found myself in a clearing, and she was sitting on a tree stump, brandishing her knife. She barely even looked up at me, almost immediately returning to her work. I stood there, leaning against a tree, panting like a dog. And then she finally spoke up.
“Someone looks tired.”
“So?”
“It’s too bad. I like my food when it can run.”
At this, I stepped back. I had forgotten about Rhoda’s unsavory diet. Cannibalism wasn’t something one thought about often. But still, I wasn’t going to die. Not right then. Not like that.
Out of nowhere, Zander stepped into the clearing, but he seemed more shocked to see me than Rhoda.
“Um, hey Rhoda, what’s he doing here?”
Rhoda responded calmly with, “I’m letting him rest for a bit. Then the fun begins.” She licked her lips and smiled. “I just love fast food.”
Zander sighed, as if that wasn’t the first time Rhoda had threatened to eat a live human.
“Rhoda…”
Immediately Rhoda was moping when she realized that Zander wasn’t going to let her eat me.
“Aw, but I’ve never tried a pink haired person before! I don’t know what they taste like!” She whined.
“No, Rhoda.”
“Fine…” She didn’t look happy to see me anymore, but I sure was.
Then Zander remembered something, because his face lit up, and he exclaimed, “Oh!” Then he disappeared behind the bushes only to return with an armful of logs.
“We can make a fire!” He said excitedly, then looked up. “The tree coverage should hide it. We’ll be fine.” And somehow, in about five seconds, that boy had a successful fire set up. When he saw the surprised look on my face, he simply responded with, “We’ve been training for the games our entire lives,” and shrugged.
Right. I’d forgotten about that. But the thought evaporated from my mind when the three of us were sitting around the fire, talking about what might happen to us in the morning. Zander said he was simply waiting until someone came along and killed him. He didn’t even seem fazed. How was this the same kid that was at the reaping? He didn’t stutter, didn’t fidget. He looked fine. How odd.
Then Rhoda mentioned how this was a great opportunity for her to taste the exotic wildlife, and we laughed.
“No, guys, I’m serious.” She protested, but we kept on laughing.
I smiled. Maybe this would turn out okay after all. But my positive spirit was shattered when it turned midnight, and they started flashing the faces of the dead tributes.
First came Omegon.
Rhoda scoffed. “Oh, yeah. I saw him. What a wimp. He fell into a lake. I bet he short-circuited or something.”
Next was Crawfish.
George.
Carlos.
Will.
Zander spoke up softly. “They got ambushed. The Red Baroness, Medusa, Black Widow; those three did it. We need to steer clear of them.” I agreed wholeheartedly.
Then came Betty Jetty. I heard one word escape from Rhoda’s lips.
“Suicide.”
Cassie’s face was projected in the night sky next. Like father, like daughter, it seemed.
The last face was Director D.
Then the sky went dark, and I was alone with my thoughts.
Ay! So what do you guys think? I seriously need to know, though. Are you enjoying it so far? I’ve enjoyed writing it, that’s for sure! Anyways, happy late Christmas! Peace out!
-Kat
Poptropica Lover's Blog 