Raina

I've only ever heard it on television. It's like a repetitive door bell sound.
It's very recognizable.
A sponsor gift.
I violently shake both of Kolton's shoulders.

"Pity boy, wake up! I hear a sponsor gift!"

His eyes squint at me, and then rises to his feet.

"Raina, how are we going to get it? We are underground."

All of a sudden, I turn my head, and everyone else seems to be awake. They hear the parachute.

"Kolton and I will get it." I tell them.

"Are you sure? Do you need help?" asks Roman.

"Raina let us come with you." pleads Talisa.

"No. Roman, you stay here with our things. Watch our pregnant ally."
Kolton says, as he takes off sprinting the direction we came from while grabbing my wrist.

We come to a stop and discover once again the darkness.
Him and I take our glasses out of our belts.

We are back, looking up at the hole that we jumped into, dug by Roman.

"Do you think I could lift you to get it?" I ask him.

"You're much lighter than I am. I'll boost you up there."

But what am I going to do? Climb him?

He holds out his two hands in answer for me to step onto.

"What is this, a cheerleading routine?"

"Do you want the damn sponsor gift or not?"

"Alright, alright." I try to hide a laugh, but fail.
He chuckles, too.

We shift back to seriousness.
I take one foot and carefully step onto his hand, and I hoist my self quickly using my other foot.
Once I'm standing on his feet, he lifts me up higher, and I grab onto the dirt that surrounds the hole.

"Can you get up?" he asks me.

"I need to be higher."

"How can I-" he pauses and sighs.
"Just hold on tight. One second." he hesitates a moment before moving his hands from my feet, and wraps them around my waist. He pushes me up just enough.

"Go, hurry. I have a nice view of your ass from down here." he scolds.

"I'm up!" I holler, after digging my fingernails into the ground to pull myself all the way up.

"Do you see it?" he calls from down the hole.

I turn my head out from the dead end. It's dead quiet besides the parachute going off.
I don't see it. Turns out, I'm not the only one who wants it.

I'm violently pushed back near the dead end and into the rose thorn wall. I shriek in a discomforting, shooting pain.

"You want to do this the easy way, or the fun way?" The female career says to me.

She hovers over me, taking my arm and pressing it into more of the thorns. I let out a scream, mixed with pain and a cry for help. These can't be ordinary thorns, these are like razor blades. Possibly barbed wire? I wouldn't doubt it.

"Raina!" Kolton screams so loud his voice becomes raspy.
I look at the hole for a moment.
I can't let this fucking bitch know where my tributes are hiding. I'll die to make sure she doesn't know.
He calls my name again.
Kolton shut up.
I pray that she doesn't look toward the ground.
She has no glasses, but I do. I'm surprised she didn't rip them off my face yet. Maybe she can't see me at all.

"Maybe you won't feel as bad killing me if you can't see my face." I spit at her.
Her grasp tightens on my left arm.
Idiot. Why only grab my one arm if you're trying to kill me? Is she seriously a career?
I slowly pull my knife from my belt, widen my feet, and bend my knees. I extend my right arm in which she doesn't have hostage.
I stick my knife into some part of her. I have no clue where.

She lets out a high pitched scream.

Now out of her grasp, I yell for his name.

I am pulled from behind, and her left arm hits over my stomach, and the other covers my mouth.

"Aw, did your little toys go far in the maze without you? How unfortunate. They're letting me do the honor of going into the dark side of the arena, while they stick it out hunting you down on the bright ass mountain. I knew I'd find you here. Now prepare to endure a slow, painful, death. You wish you didn't dump us for your pregnant little ally? How is she still alive anyway? She'll puke herself to her own death."

The entire time she speaks, I am biting her hand, kicking, and screaming. It comes out muffled over her hand. This girl is three times my size.
This is how I'll die, Kolton. I'm sorry I couldn't get the fucking parachute.
Kolton. I have to make sure Kolton lives to see Katniss and Peeta. I can't let his head of hot air kill me.
I take both of my hands and pull her wrist that lays over my mouth all the way down as hard as I can to the ground.
I remember Kolton showing me how to fight in combat. I have more control if I go for her wrist.

Next thing I know I'm hitting the ground, but unfortunately for her I still have her wrist so she gets pulled down face first into the dirt.
What did Kolton say about fighting on the ground?
I feel myself remembering clearly. I place one leg over her body and then pull her hair.
I start to kick the bitch repeatedly.
She grabs my face and digs her sharp nails into my face. With our screams filling Kolton's ears, I use both my legs to subdue her neck.
Wondering why she hasn't pulled a weapon on me, does she have any?
All I know, is that I can't let Kolton hear me being slaughtered. I intend to bring that parachute to him.

They're doing the right thing, not climbing up to save me. They know I'll never forgive them, giving away our underground route.

I'm getting tired of bitch fighting.
I use my smaller body to core her in the face.

She then resorts to flailing her arms and legs in the air.

"Are you seriously trying to girl fight me? I'm done playing games! I'm finished with your tedious, pointless, messed up game!"
I shout so viscously into her face.

I do the nastiest thing I could ever do.
I rip the nightglasses from my face and smash the pair onto hers. I want her to see my eyes when I kill her.

I grab my knife from above her head and without hesitation, I stab her in the chest.
I don't care if she tried to kill me. I don't want her death to be slow. Wouldn't wish that upon anyone.
I stab her 37 more times before I hear a cannon.
Well, it was better than having to watch her die slowly as she screams for who knows how long. I'm done with this bitch.

I look at my hands, covered with blood.
A mix of my blood and hers.

Here is something you might want to know about people when they die. When humans, (or animals) meet death, all of the energy and particles in their body stop at once, causing all the shit and piss (along with other acids,) to extract from them. I stand up and back away, waiting for the smell to hit me.
Which it does.
A loud, bloody sob escapes my mouth as my eyes water.
I'm going frantic, looking for my gift from Katniss and Peeta.

I can't find it!

"Katniss! Peeta! Please help me!"

Circles and circles I'm pacing, looking around for it. I'm loudly crying as I look harder, tears flooding my vision.
"I can't find it!" I scream my thought aloud this time.

"Raina! Raina please answer me!" I finally hear from the hole.
I end back up near the dead girl. I take my night vision glasses back from her and continue my search while I still cry, looking at my disgusting open wounds and bloody body.

This has to be worth it! Where is it?
"I don't care about the gift! Please!" Kolton's voice rings in my head again.
I'm up here for a reason. To get Kolton, Roman, and Talisa this gift. Whatever is inside it, we will need. Katniss sent this for a reason.

I get so frustrated with myself that I stomp back and forth through the perimeter of the maze, and I end up sobbing as I kick the dead tribute over and over again. From all angles. If I had more weapons, I'd probably throw more of them at her. Not caring in the slightest that she's already dead. I killed her.
You killed her Raina. You're a murderer.
I had no choice! What was I supposed to do?
I take a good look at her. I wipe the hot, thick blood from my nose and face and take another glance.
My hands keep dripping blood onto her face and into her hair as I hover over her. Looking closer, a exasperated gasp escapes my mouth.

Around her shoulder, is a satchel.

With my sponsor gift.

-

I let out another sob, but out of relief.
I hear faint cries from the hole.
After practically ripping the large metal box from her, I drop to my hands and knees. Every inch of my body stings while I crawl back to the opening of the safety zone for my allies.

"Kolton." I wince, while a deep, low crying sound projects through the maze.

"Help me get her down!" Kolton instructs to the others who are now beside him.

"It's okay," he looks up at me, "You can jump, I'll catch you."

"But my back-" I continue to cry.

"Raina, you need to come back down so we can help you." Talisa says calmly.

I look back over my shoulder. The girl lays there lifeless.

"I'm covered from head to toe in blood." I say sternly, and attempt to wipe my nose on my sleeve, but I bet more blood was just smothered.

"I don't care. You need to let me help you." Kolton sniffs.

If I hadn't known any better, I'd think he was crying.
None of them even asked me if I had the parachute. It seems they all care more about my well being. It makes me feel less terrible if I hadn't found the gift after all.
My entire body stings, as all the piercings from the blade thorns have worked their way all over me.
I shriek in agony.

"Help." I say in a small, quiet voice.

"LIFT ME UP THERE!" shouts Kolton.
I drop to the ground, and I plunge in dirt. My head lays over the edge, and my glasses fall off into the hole and hit Roman.

In under a minute, Kolton is up here on the ground with me. He gasps loudly at my condition.

I surprise myself with the strength I used to lift my head and look at him.

"Do I look that terrible?" I wince in pain.

"No." He lies right away.

I shove his lie to the side.

Talisa throws a rope up to Kolton, and he steps on it with his foot to keep it up while he slowly and gently picks me up in his arms.
I feel much better with my eyes closed.
I could take a nap.

"Don't go to sleep. Stay awake Raina. Stay awake please."

I begin to drift in and out of consciousness as he works his way back underground.
He carries me back to where we set up camp the previous hours.

I feel raindrops drop onto my forehead and my lips.
I look up, and under his nightglasses, I see tears.

Why would he be crying? Am I dying?
I close my eyes again. I'm not dying.

Talisa gently wipes some sweat off my face and runs her fingers though the top of my hair. It must be her motherly instincts. She'll be a great mother one day. If I even don't live to see her be one.

"Take her shirt off, there are so many open wounds showing though it." Talisa demands.

I feel someone ever so carefully try to inch my shirt from my body.
The draft from underground makes me sigh in relief.
They end up cutting through the rest of the fabric to get it off.

"Raina? What are you holding in your hand?"
I open my eyes and see Kolton staring back at me.
I smile the slightest, and hold up the metal box.

"What do you think it is? It's our sponsor gift. I wasn't going to let you or Katniss and Peeta down was I?"

Kolton takes the box and slides it aside.

"I'm sorry I made you go up there, it should have been me. You're more important than any sponsor gift, Raina."

I remember mumbling words, before I slipped out of consciousness.