20. The Waiting Game

The area we were in was a little different than what we were used to. There were more shrubs and there were a few fallen trees as well.

I breathed in the woodsy scent. I wasn't aware of woods being in District 1 since I lived in a neighborhood all of my life. But that didn't mean we didn't have trees.

Jenna, Victor, Bane, and I seemed to be taking our time, but it was because our pace was so slow. The boys were making us go this pace. Jenna and I exchanged irritated looks from time-to-time, knowing that we both felt the same way.

Birds flew silently above in the cover of the tree limbs and leaves. Nobody seemed interested in them, and I felt that wasting a dart on a flying target wasn't worth it. I realized I only used the blowgun once since I acquired it; I still had all six darts on me. This thing seemed worthless since I only used it once.

At one point, Jenna suggested she and I break off from the boys, but Bane wouldn't have it. He wanted us to stay together. Jenna and I fought hard for our freedom, but Victor and Bane weren't giving in. Pouting, Jen and I were forced into following the boys.

When we estimated it was noon in the arena, we took a break, taking turns eating and drinking. Bane and Victor tried their hardest to save some of the food for Jenna and me, but it was hard for them. I knew we should have packed more food. These boys eat like they're starving. In truth, it was hard for us Careers to starve since we had a food pile.

"I feel torn," Jen mumbled as she downed another drink of water. She shook her hair, her ringlets bouncing around her.

We were still resting, Jen and I against the same tree. Her fingers kept walking along the hilts of the array of knives she could choose from on the belt I had yet to receive back from her. I wished that she took the ax so I could reclaim the belt.

"Torn?" I repeated, head tilted to the side.

"Between staying here with you three to keep hunting and going back to Ben." She scratched behind her ear. She sniffed her fingers, making a sour face. "Ugh, I reek."

I sniffed myself, almost gagging. I smelled, too, and I had no doubt the boys did as well. How come nobody ever thought to mention to each other that we all stunk? Maybe it's time to venture out and find a spring or a lake, I thought. The water we've got is for drinking purposes only. The Gamemakers didn't exactly grace us with shampoo, soap, and towels in the Cornucopia, just like they didn't bother to give us even so much as a pill of medicine or even a piece of body armor.

"I can say the same," I admitted. I looked to see Victor and Bane crouched, peeking behind shrubs. I rolled my eyes. "I don't know about you, but I rank cleanliness right up there with food and water in terms of survival in here."

"I'm with you in that." Jenna pulled out a sharp, very small knife and began stabbing the tree she was leaning against. I hoped no deadly insects shot out from the bark and started to attack, because if they attacked her, no doubt they'd go after me and the boys.

"Hey, Jen?"

"Hmm?" I had her attention, but she was still focused on stabbing the tree.

I decided to bring up what I thought would be a smart move for the pack in the near future—the very near future. "I was thinking—"

"There!" Bane roared suddenly. Jenna and I looked at each other; she sprang to her feet quicker than I did.

The boys crashed through their cover, Jen and I tagged along. We all got slightly separated, fanning out since being so close together didn't seem like the wisest idea for us. The boys were stuck in the middle, Jenna took the right, and I took the left. My leg felt back to normal, so I wasn't wincing or limping from the pain. It looked like my natural healing power paid off.

I pushed myself off of nearby trees to help me get a little boost. I didn't know what Victor and Bane saw, but I guess it was worth chasing after. Besides, it did beat sitting around too long after hiking through the woods being unsuccessful.

I breathed through my nostrils to keep myself going. I didn't bother to pull out the blowgun unless I really needed to. I should have asked for Jenna to toss me a knife from the belt. I hadn't thought about that.

My mind was so into the hunt that I was taken aback when a net flew into my path. I skidded to a halt, trying to figure out what to do. I tried ducking, but it was too late. My reflexes weren't as sharp as I had hoped they were. I screamed, thrashing against the net that pinned me to the ground. I wrestled with the strong ropes; I needed to get free as quickly as possible. There was no way a tribute would just set a trap only to never come back to it. They had to be nearby.

"Bane! Victor! Jenna! Somebody!" I tried to rip off the net, but it was lodged into the ground somehow. Someone knows how to set their traps. I should've learned how to do that. That was one of the many things my father didn't train me in. I wished he had now; it could have come in handy.

I fumbled in my jacket for the blowgun and a dart. I was looking up to the sky. I wiggled in the net like a caught fresh fish from its home waters. It was times like this when I wished I had a knife on me—this was another reason why I should've asked Jenna to give me a knife.

"Crystal!" Bane called.

"Over here!" I yelled desperately.

I heard thundering feet charge closer. It had to be Bane who was coming to my rescue.

I couldn't be more relieved to see his face when he slashed the net in half, pulling me up. We didn't have time to say anything—I never got the chance to even thank him—because he pulled me along with him. He took longer strides than me, so I had to keep up while trying not to run so fast that I'd trip myself. I never had an issue with clumsiness, and I wasn't about to start having problems now in the Hunger Games of all places. The Games was a place to show grace, cunning, and skill. It was not a place to show the world how useless and vulnerable you were.

"Did you find someone?" I panted as I ducked.

Bane took a tree branch to the face. "I think so. Jenna and Victor were wrestling with them when I heard you scream," he said in a rush. He grunted. "They're just through here."

Bane pulled me into a sharp turn past a thick tree trunk to find Jenna and Victor on all fours, rubbing their heads. I looked around immediately, blowgun loaded and ready to use.

"What the hell happened?" Bane demanded.

"She escaped," Jen hissed. "We had her held down, but she smoked us and got away."

"Who was it?" I asked.

"Dunno," Victor coughed, standing, bent over, "but I bet you anything it was the girl from Thirteen." He waved a hand in front of his face. I could smell faint smoke. "They seem to be getting quite the weaponry."

"I'll say," Bane growled. "Look around for any footprints, she had to have left some."

Victor and Jen recovered and were helping Bane and I search for prints. We searched around every tree and under every bush. Not a trace of the girl from 13.

My brows knitted together in frustration. How come we couldn't kill as many tributes as we knew we could? Aside from the bloodbath at the Cornucopia, only one tribute died by our hands—and that was the boy from 13. Maybe she saw her chance at revenge and tried to gun for us but ran when she realized she was outnumbered.

Or there was a simpler explanation: Victor and Bane saw her, she fled, and we pursued her. Now it made me wonder if she was behind that net trap, or if she knew about it at all.

"How could we lose her?" Jenna spat. She stomped her foot angrily on the ground.

"Maybe she didn't run," Victor said. He looked up. "What if she's still here, watching us from the cover of the trees?"

Hmm. If I was the girl from 13 and had no good chance of fighting, why leave a trail for my enemies to follow? I mean, there were lots of trees around, so no doubt she was quick enough to climb one, concealing herself from us.

This just made our hunt the most exciting it had been all day.

"Look real close between the branches," Victor said.

Searching the closest trees, we peeked through the thick leaves and branches that could hide the girl from 13. Jenna lingered the longest on the trees she searched, examining every little detail above her. Bane tried to climb up just a few feet to get a better look, but it didn't help. I meandered by two trees already and saw the tiniest movement when almost looking away from a third tree.

"There," I whispered, pointing up at the tree. Jen, Victor, and Bane came to hover near me. Victor snickered. He saw her, too. "Now...what are we going to do?"

"What stupid question is that?" Jenna scoffed. "Honestly, Crystal, shoot her down!"

I tried to find the best shot, but this was my first time using such a weapon with obstacles in my way, so I had no idea how close I'd be to hitting her. Where she was hidden, there would be no way I could hit her; I'd hit a bunch of leaves before any part of her.

My lips pulled into a snarl. "I can't get a clear shot," I said flatly.

"Well, let's try my way. Give me a boost, guys, I'm going up there," Jen said fiercely.

Jenna shed the knife belt to lighten her load. Since Victor was the tallest, he gave her a decent boost. He slowly rose, with her standing on his shoulders. She jumped for a small branch, latching onto it. Victor slowly backed away as Jenna climbed.

Bane swished his sword around while I tucked my weapon away—there was no point in keeping it out if I couldn't get a good shot.

"Come on, Jenna!" Victor crowed. "Get her!"

"Pull her down so we can finish her off!" Bane cheered.

I saw Jenna have a knife in her mouth, already risky since I doubt she'd appreciate adding another scar on her face. She already had that one where it looked like she was giving you a creepy, crooked smile even when her lips were in a neutral position. She grunted as she grabbed another branch, but it wasn't strong enough. It snapped.

Jen fell, Victor caught her in time. Jenna made a noise of outrage. Above, sniggering could be heard.

"Don't think you'll get away, Thirteen!" Jenna shouted, leaping from Victor's arms. She threw the slightly moist knife back into the belt as she put it back on. "We'll wait for you to join us!"

"We're seriously going to wait?" I whined.

Jen shot me a dangerous look. "Do you want to take your turn to climb up after her? Be my guest," she said in a falsely sweet voice. I just glared back at her. "That's what I thought. Look, if we can't get to her, she'll have to come down at some point."

"Jenna's right," Bane murmured. "If she doesn't come down from there, she'll die of starvation."

"She could jump trees, though," I pointed out.

Bane laughed. "If she does try and jump, she won't make it. She'll fall right into our hands."

"If you say so." I still didn't like the idea of waiting for the girl to come down from the tree just so we could end her life. She could easily escape when we would all fall asleep, unless we somehow successfully all took shifts.

Since we all agreed to hang around the tree until the girl from 13 came down, I unpacked the blankets. I didn't want to sleep on the woods' ground, I wanted to have something under me besides dirt, twigs, leaves, and possibly bugs.

Bane seemed to get a kick out of this just as much as Jen did. Victor didn't seem to catch the hype bug yet. He was more on the mellow side like me, conserving his energy for a shift later tonight.

As dusk began to come around, Jenna was still circling the tree like a buzzard, waiting for the girl to come down. There was no way she would, not with us watching her every move. I bet she was too scared to move. But we've got to eventually move, we've got only water left now. The boys had polished off the last bites of food we had brought along on the trip.

I sat on the blanket, ripping my hair out of Demi's style she put it in. My hair felt grossly greasy, like someone dumped oil on it. I quickly did my hair into a tucked-in ponytail, a habit of mine.

Victor and Bane sat, legs crossed on the other blanket. They were looking into the tree; I was watching Jenna pace vigorously around the tree.

"You might as well rest," I sighed. Jenna stopped pacing, staring at me. "She doesn't seem like she'll fall out anytime soon."

"I can't stand this," she huffed, plopping down on the blanket. Her eyes narrowed when looking through the branches. Her voice lowered. "If she's not dead after tonight, we'll knock her out and kill her. I can't stand having prey this close and we can't get it."

"Who's up for taking a shift first?" I asked.

"I might as well," Victor said. "You all rest up; Bane will get the next shift."

"Sounds good to me," I said, suddenly tired.

Jenna slipped me a knife before I turned on my side, trying to take a nap.

***

Smoke—or was it fog?—clouded my vision. It didn't sting my eyes, so I could see clearly. I was armed with my dagger, stalking through the woods alone. I didn't know where the pack was, or where anybody was. How I became alone, I wasn't sure. There were so many theories: I broke away from the pack, they all died off and I was the last one. The least likely explanation was that I betrayed them or vice versa and now I was an enemy to them.

The hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end. Someone was nearby, watching. My grip tightened on the hilt of my dagger, ready to thrust into a tribute's heart. I didn't dare call out to see who was around me, since that was as stupid as lighting a fire in the middle of the night in the arena. It was a rookie mistake, and that kind of a mistake was the worst one a tribute could make out here.

A loud rumbling sound made me stiffen. I looked to the sky, there weren't any dark clouds, and it didn't really sound like thunder. I felt the ground tremble beneath my feet. My brows furrowed. A stampede of some sort perhaps, by the Gamemakers? If so, of what? Muttations?

The ground seemed to be getting worse under my feet and there was a sickening cracking noise, like someone was breaking another person's bones, but much louder and much, much deeper. My body began to quake...

***

Alarmed by where my dream was going, I shot awake. I laughed silently to myself. The dream didn't seem so real at all.

But wait...if it didn't feel real...then why is the ground vibrating?

I gulped, feeling the ground.

Bane was awake; he stood still, his own legs quaking. He and I locked eyes. We knew what was going on.

The Gamemakers were giving us an earthquake.

Soundlessly, Bane and I pushed Jenna and Victor awake.

"What the he—?" Jen began to screech. Her tone caught in her throat when she felt the vibrations as well. She tried to jump to her feet only to fall onto her ass again. I pulled her up, trying to keep myself steady as well.

Loud rumbles pounded our ears, I covered mine, muffling the noise.

A loud crack made me yelp in fright. One second the ground was trembling under my feet, and the next I felt something heavy fall onto me, crushing me between it and the ground. I fell on my stomach, sandwiched between a shaking ground and something too heavy to lift. I screamed.

In the distance, a few more cracks echoed.

Then, as quickly as it came, the quivering ground stopped. My body was shaking still. I put my hands over my head when cannons sounded. I poked my head up when the Capitol seal brought light to us, the anthem too loud in my ears.

This earthquake had taken lives tonight. First was the boy from 3, the girl from 5, and the boys from Districts 6 and 9. The anthem played once more before the image winked out, giving us a near-full moon—our only source for light at the moment.

I tried twisting my body, but I shrieked in pain.

"Crystal?" Bane's panicked voice sounded extremely loud.

"Don't shout," I complained, covering my ears. "Speak softer!"

"Victor, help me get this off her. Jenna, you get a hold of her arms. We'll lift it up, and you pull her out. Got it?"

"Yup," Jen piped. I felt her hands grip my wrists hard, her nails already biting into my skin. I winced. I heard Victor and Bane beside me.

"Ready?" Bane said. "One...two...three!"

As the boys moaned and grunted, Jenna slid me across the ground. My back felt instantly relieved, and I knew I would be able to breathe normal again. I rolled onto my sore back, looking up at the night sky. I slithered an arm behind my back, trying to support it. I inhaled deeply.

The ground shook a little as Bane and Victor dropped something back on the ground.

Jenna's face hung over me. "You okay?" she asked.

"I don't know," I said dazedly. "What happened?"

"A tree fell on you," Victor breathed. "You're lucky you're not dead, Crystal."

"I feel like it."

"Wait a second...damn it!" Jenna hissed. "This was the tree Thirteen was stuck in! I bet she ran off the moment the tree fell."

"We know she's not dead," Bane growled. "Her face wasn't up on the list of the fallen."

"It will be soon enough."

"Can we just relax?" I pleaded. I felt like almost crying, my back was throbbing extremely hard. "She'll probably get picked off by whoever's left besides us. Regardless, she'll end up dead eventually. I say let's just try and make it through tonight, then head back for the Cornucopia in the morning. You can go hunting if you want, but I'm staying here."

"So you can have another tree fall on you again?" Jen sniggered.

"The earthquake did that. I doubt we'll get aftershocks."

I laid where I was after Jenna pulled me out. She went back to the blanket, lying on it. She didn't ask for the knife back, so I tucked it into my jacket, putting it with the blowgun and darts. I saw Bane's bronze hair shine in the moonlight as he knelt down beside me.

"You just can't stay away from trouble, can you?" he teased.

"I guess not," I muttered. "First an arrow to the leg, then a net gets me, and just now a tree falls on me. I would say I attract danger, but it's the Hunger Games—so really, everybody should attract danger."

"But we are the danger."

"In a way," I agreed. "You're still taking your shift?"

"Mhm. Are you comfortable?"

"Not at all."

"Here."

I clenched my jaw as Bane maneuvered my back across his lap. It felt like an awkward position, and I let him be aware of that, so he put me on his chest, back up. It felt a little better, but not by much. I'm lucky to not have anything out of place, I thought, grateful that I was in mostly good shape. I grasped my moon charm, thankful for my luck. My choker was definitely lucky if I could survive a tree falling on me.

I grimaced. Bane definitely liked this, me being close to him like this. Even though he claimed to be nothing more than a pack mate to me, I knew deep down he wouldn't end his feelings for me.

"Better?" he whispered.

"It's not perfect, but I can say it's better than the ground," I admitted, looking at the moon. "So we're down to...how many tributes now?"

I heard Bane whisper numbers under his breath. He counted twice, making sure he didn't skip anybody. "Half are dead. There's thirteen of us left, almost half are just the pack," he reported.

I yawned silently. That rude little wakeup call the Gamemakers gave me barely kept me up. I felt like I was going to pass out any second.

When silence fell between Bane and I, I went back to sleep, hoping I didn't wake up to anymore natural disasters.