ᵗʳⁱᵇᵘᵗᵉ

‧₊˚🏹✩ ₊˚⊹

[ the careers ]

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. "Sir," he called, and Seneca walked across the platform with a confused expression. "She is almost at the edge. Two kilometers away from the nearest Tribute."

"Let's turn her around."

I softly panted as I spotted another tree where I could rest for the night. I gripped any uneven ridges, hoisting myself up the trunk, before sitting down on one of the high, thick branches. 

I wrapped the thin sleeping bag around my legs after I secured the rope, relishing the small amount of warmth it offered.

The next morning, I was pulled awake at the sound of deep rumbling and crackling. Dazed, I opened my eyes, leaning forward and glancing to the side. I gasped when I saw fire spreading through the forest behind me. I frantically reached down, untying the rope and stashing it in my backpack, along with the sleeping bag. 

I flipped my legs over one side of the branch, before jumping down, landing on the leafy ground with a grunt. Immediately, I took off, dashing down the small hills. I gasped when there was suddenly a ball of fire racing towards me. I leaped to the side, barely avoiding it as the fireball crashed to the ground. 

Heaving myself up, I ran again. Another fireball coursed towards me, but I ducked low and sprinted faster, evading it. I continued down the hill, sliding downwards and scraping to a stop. I was stupid to think I was safe when out of nowhere, a tree fell right in front of me, blocking my path. 

Standing, I whipped my head from side to side, trying to find a way out. My eyes locked onto a small alcove in some rocks, and I urged my legs to run there. But as I reached it, another ball of fire hit the rock beside me, and I let out a scream as the flames cascaded over me. 

I gripped my leg as I scrambled backwards. Looking down at it, I discovered my freshly burned skin, the fabric of my pants burnt. I let out pained whimpers as I raised my gaze. But the sight of ANOTHER fireball had me careening forward, moaning in agony as I rolled down the steep hill. 

I ran through the forestry, hacking anything and everything from my vision, ignoring the pain. But it soon washed away as I dove down, falling into a large river. I let out a relieved gasp, the water soaking into my seared leg. I took deep breaths, trying to settle my racing heart.

But I paused all my movements at the sound of laughter in the distance. There, over on the rocky terrain ahead, were the Careers. And Peeta.

"Woah, woah! There she is!" Marvel shouted, pointing over at me. 

I instantly began swimming towards the ground near me, cupping my hands to gain momentum as they raced towards me. "She's mine!" Glimmer declared. 

"Not if I get her first!" Cato retorted loudly, grinning maliciously. I finally got out of the water, starting to run off. "Where you gonna go?"

"Mine!"

"Fish out of the pond! And someone found her! There she is!"

I cursed my limp as it was slowing me down, and I could hear their demeaning shrieks from behind me. "Get her, Cato!"

I spun around, looking for a place to go as they came closer. I decided that my previous sleeping areas, the trees, was my best bet. I reached up, lifting myself onto the trunk, beginning to climb. 

"Where you going, baby?" Cato yelled, eyes zeroing in on my figure. "Three o'clock! Where you going, Girl on Fire?"

"We got her!"

"Oh, Miss Everdeen, I'm gonna get you!"

"That's not gonna help you up there, YN!"

"Go get her, man!" Marvel encouraged as Cato hitched his foot on the tree, slowly starting to scale it.

"Just get her, Cato!"

"He's gonna get you, Y/N!"

"Look at her scurry!"

"Kill her!"

"Just go, keep going!"

"Come on, Cato! Go, Cato! Come on!"

"Kill her, Cato! Just get her!"

"Go! Go!"

"Take her down!"

I glanced down at the blonde boy and he smirked evilly. "I'm coming for you!" As he reached up, he grabbed hold of a small branch, but it snapped from his weight. I watched as he plummeted down, landing with a grunt.

"I'll do it myself," Glimmer grumbled, grabbing an arrow and placing it against the bow. She sent it flying, but it went straight past me, not even close.

"Give me that," Cato demanded, grabbing the bow and restringing the arrow. 

"Get her," Glimmer spat. 

"Come on, come on, come on!"

The arrow zipped past again, and I let out a breathy chuckle. I craned my neck forward, staring directly at Cato. "Maybe you should throw the sword, baby."

Cato growled, clenching his jaw when Peeta suddenly spoke, "Let's just wait her out." The four turned around, each with perplexed faces. "She's gotta come down at some point. It's that or starve to death. We'll just kill her then."

Glimmer and Cato shared a look, before the boy nodded. "Okay. Somebody make a fire." She followed after him as he stormed off, and soon Clove and Marvel did the same. 

Peeta stared up at me, as I did the same. For a moment, I focused on the blue of his eyes, but I snapped out of it when he looked away, walking off.

I shimmied my body, turning it so that I could lean against the truck. Fishing the cannister from my backpack, I opened it, shakily pouring a small amount onto the burn. I bit into my jacket, pinching my eyes shut from the unbearable sting. 

Then, I pulled the sleeve of my shirt to the palm of my hand, before pressing it flat against the injury. I let out a shuddering gasp, throwing my head back as my vision slightly blurred. 

Haymitch watched as I silently dealt with the agony. He twitched, feeling immense sorrow for me. Standing, he ventured to a random group of people. They all soon fell into good conversation, laughing at his outlandish jokes and agreeing some of his unconventional points. 

But Haymitch made sure to sell me, and my image. I was a desperate girl, so harrowed by the fact that the love of my life was betraying me. They cooed and awed, wishing there was some way to help me. 

By the end of it, Haymitch was shaking their hands, a small, triumphant smirk on his face.

Later that night, Glimmer watched as Cato burned the tip of his sword in the fire, proceeding to spit on it. "Boys," she giggled, shaking her head.

Peeta, who was lying on the ground, with his hands clasped at his stomach, kept his eyes on my form in the trees.

I suddenly heard an electronic chiming near me, and I opened my eyes, lulling my head to the side, where I found something floating towards the tree. It landed with a rustle, and I adjusted in my spot, glancing up at it. 

Curious, and somewhat desperate, I gently stood from my spot after untying the rope, softly grumbling when the movement caused the burn to sting again. I climbed up, soon reaching it, and nestling myself in the tiny nook of the tree. 

It was a small metal container, with a parachute attached to it. Unhooking it, I unclasped it, revealing a shiny, steel jar. I grabbed the small piece of paper that was sitting atop it, reading the short sentence.

Apply generously and stay alive. -H

I unscrewed the lid, finding a gooey substance inside. Patting my finger in it, I reached down and delicately applied it onto the burn. Immediately, I felt a relieving sensation, the pain already subsiding the more I rubbed the gel in. 

As I leaned my head back and stared at the fake night sky, I whispered, "Thank you."

It was early in the morning when I woke back up. I glanced down at my burn, shocked and pleased to find it already healing a bit, the red now faded slightly.

"Psst!" I stopped my movement, snapping my head upward. "Psst." It was Rue. She was perched atop an even higher branch then I was, looking down at me from afar.

"Rue?" I mumbled.

The girl pointed to something near me, and I followed her finger, finding a humongous hive, filled with wasps. She then pointed down at the Careers, making a cutting movement with her hand. I nodded, already reaching down to my small knife.

"Claudius, I think those are tracker jackers," Caesar stated, gesturing his pen to the screen in front of the pair. "Am I wrong?"

"Oooh," Claudius chuckled. "Those things are very lethal."

"Hmm, very," the blue haired man agreed. "For those of you who don't know, Tracker Jackers are genetically engineered wasps whose venom causes searing pain, powerful hallucinations, and in extreme cases, death."

I climbed up past the abandoned parachute, stopping just below the branch the hive was hanging onto. I fished out my knife, placing it against the twig, beginning to slice through the wood. I spared a glance below me, checking to see if the Careers were still asleep, finding them still dozing off.

I started to add more pressure and to quicken the cutting, but the rough sound caused some of the wasps to fly around. One jabbed at my neck and I let out a loud, startled yelp. 

I gasped, the pain already blossoming, but continued slashing. More of them attacked at my neck and hand, almost as if urging me to continue, just begging for a better victim. 

Finally, the branch snapped, falling to the ground. The second it hit the floor, hundreds of wasps flew out, eager to attack. The Career's sprang up, their screams already spewing from their mouths as they threw their arms around, desperately trying to get away from the wasps. 

Glimmer tripped, but Cato paid her no mind, Clove and Marvel following after him as they shouted in pain. 

The District 1 girl was left, her agonized shrieks filling the air as the wasps dubbed her their final prey. "Stop! Please!" she begged, crying out. 

I scaled down the tree, finally able to run away, but my foot slipped from how fast I was going. I fell to the ground with a grunt, looking around with shaky breaths. Cato, Clove and Marvel were long gone, and I thought I had maybe gone deaf since I couldn't hear Glimmer's screams.

But my vision was hazy, warping in and out as I took some steps. I let out a shrill gasp when my eyesight seemed to zoom in on Glimmer's bumpy flesh. The once gorgeous girl was now scarred with lumps covering her pale skin. 

I focused on the bow in her curled hand, prying her fingers off of the weapon. Taking the quiver from her back, I began to fondle with the arrows, enjoying the coldness of them. 

"Run!" I heard a voice shout, and I looked up, finding a distorted Peeta running towards me. "Run! Y/N, go! Get out of here! Go! What are you doing? Go!"

Even though my mind was fuzzy, I heeded his demand, running off in the opposite direction. But it soon became tiring, and I stopped, leaning against a tree. And then I saw...Caesar? He was wearing a pristine white suit, his blue hair shining against the greenery. 

"Not only is it lethal, but the venom of a Tracker Jacker sting can produce powerful hallucinations." He tilted his head forward, smiling with malice. 

I let out a quiet, pained moan, before falling to the ground.

Suddenly, I could see my house. I saw the old shelf above the fireplace, where the picture of my father sat. 

Shifting, I saw a dozen miners walking towards the mines. But then, their faces morphed into him. 

Down in the mines, my father, and the others that shared his face, stared ahead as the elevator shaft door closed, before descending. 

Then the explosion happened. The debris coursed through the dugout tunnel. 

My house exploded, the photo the flinging out from its spot. The wreckage was immaculate, the wooden panels forming the house shredded, the furniture torn and broken. Abruptly, the house began to build itself again, and after a moment, it was as if nothing had happened. 

I kneeled in front of my mother, shaking her legs as she stared down at my face. I was pleading with her, but I couldn't hear myself. Prim watched from the corner of the room, eyes welling with tears. Finally, I could. "Mum, don't just sit there and look at me! Please say something!" I screamed. 

She placed her hand to my cheek, but her voice wasn't her own. It was Peeta's. "Y/N, go!"

I blinked, and I was back in front of Peeta. "Get out of here! Go! What are you doing? Go!"

And then I blacked out.