Chapter Five

A/N: I OWN NOTHING!

I woke up to the sound of the anthem and my sister's head on my shoulder. Thankfully, no one had died in the night.

"Claire," I hissed to her. "Let me borrow your spear."

"Why?" she hissed back, Andy leaning on her shoulder in the same fashion as Christina was leaning on mine.

"Someone has to go and get food," I shrugged, and took caution not to move Christina. Sleep was important…. especially now. Claire looked like she was going to argue, but one look from Warren who was waking up stopped it.

"It's by the front," Warren motioned and got up to take my spot so Christina wouldn't notice my absence. "Make it back as soon as you can."

I nodded and took the spear, and then moved further into the woods. I tried to stay in sight of the cave, but it was difficult. Prey didn't linger at the edge of the woods at home; I didn't see why they would here.

"Damn," I hissed when I missed yet another rabbit. It's the smell of smoke that catches my attention. I'm near a campfire…and I pray that it's not a career.

"So have you found him?" I hear a voice and a fist clenches my stomach. It's the careers. They're not five feet from me, and they're looking for someone. I only pray it's not me.

You've got the element of surprise, a nasty voice in my head thinks. Take them out now and take their weapons.

I shook my head. I didn't know how many of them there were or what weapons they have. Moving away slowly, I gave myself about five feet before I started running back to the cave.

"Hey, where's the food?" Christina asks, having woken up and been informed of the situation. I can't tell her. Can't tell her that I was driven away like the prey I was previously hunting.

"Couldn't find any," I responded gruffly. I hand the spear back to Claire, and went into the cave. I sat down and put my head in my hands. I didn't speak; I didn't trust my self to. This was just insane.

Later that day, Claire went out and gathered some berries, meat and other editable plants.

"So what happened?" Andy sat down next to me. I'd been off on my own for the most of the day. "The pressure of being a Victor's kid finally get to you?"

"What do you mean?" I snap. I usually don't like company when I'm brooding but my display of distemper doesn't phase Andy's good mood in the slightest. He's still grinning like an idiot.

"The food," is all he has to say and I sighed.

"I almost ran into a camp full of District One's and Two's," I muttered, trying to keep my voice low so Christina doesn't hear. "I didn't want to stay out there in case they found me."

"Smart," Andy nodded after a moment of shock. "We don't want one of the best put out of action."

"No I'm not," I shook my head. "If I was good, I'd have caught something. Man, if only I'd grabbed that bow!"

Andy chuckles and messes up my hair. "Beating yourself up isn't going to help you win the competition. Staying focused will."

Batting his hand away, I chuckled but then stopped. "Andy, what did you mean by the pressure of being a Victor's kid?"

He looks at me as if I'd professed an undying love for him, which despite his dark blonde hair and chiseled pectorals, he's not really my type. Besides, even if he was, I've seen the looks he's been shooting Claire and I'm not going to waste my time chasing after someone who's on the other team.

"You've never had people say to you that you'd better win? That your parents did so now it's all up to you?" he asks.

"No," I told him. "In fact, we're not taught much about the Games, only the usual stuff."

It might be time to learn something that I never knew before. Andy looks at me nervously, a sure sign that someone's about to give information.

"Meet me outside the cave. Tonight. Alone," he tells me. "I'll fill in the gaps of your education."

Oh this was going to be fun.

000

I HATE THE CAPITOL! Oh, was that too loud? Well, I don't really care right now. Right as I'm about to learn something about my parents' past, the stupid forest decides to catch on fire and we're all running for our lives.

"Davis!" my sister shouts, clutching her leg. Remember when I said she was tall for her age and I was short for mine? Well that didn't matter at that moment as I threw her over my shoulder and ran for dear life.

"You okay?" I ask as we arrive in a safe area. Andy's face was covered in ash and shoot while Claire's hair seemed singed. Warren was the only one who looked injured with a big nasty bruise on his arm that looks as if it came from a stick. I examine my sister's leg, thankfully avoiding any potential injured areas. Thankfully, it just seems as if she rolled her ankle but I'd rather my mother was here to know for sure.

"Well?" Christina asks.

"Rolled ankle, though I'm not Mom."

Christina grins at me and I can't help but grin back. My sister knows how to make me smile during times I'd never think to.

"What about you?" she asks and I raise an eyebrow. She rolls her eyes. "You know what I mean Davis. Any injuries?"

"Nope," I reply and toss my water bottle to Andy. "Dude, wash your face."

"Thanks," Andy catches the water bottle, splashes some water on to his face and then throws it back. "Anyone know how that fire started?"

"No, but I think the Capitol got what they wanted," Claire states in a bitter voice, pointing to the sky. An image of the District Seven tribute, who was with mother and father, graces the sky only to be quickly replaced with an image of the District eleven male tribute from our generation.

"No one was dying quick enough," Warren mutters grimly. "I'd hate to see how they react if the stalemate keeps going like this."

They all shudder, except for Christina and myself. We look at each other in fear. What if that fire hurt our parents? They could still die!

000

I learned the danger of the Hunger Games a few days after that fire broke out. I was alone, with just the spear to try to collect food, when suddenly I found myself dangling upside down.

"Caught in a trap?" a non-hostile voice asks and I try to spin myself to see who it is. Meanwhile I'm beating myself up for not noticing the rope.

"You're a hunter?" I ask, giving up on the spinning.

"How'd you know?" the voice seems impressed. Though he shouldn't be, had I known I wouldn't have gotten caught.

"Anyone else wouldn't trap their opponents so high off the ground," I told the voice. There was a lump in my pocket. What was it? Feeling for it, and thanking what ever made it possible for it to withstand gravity, I pulled it out and found it was the knife from my pack.

"Well, you know you're in a vulnerable position," the voice pointed out. It was getting closer. I knew I only had seconds to get the rope cut. Remember kids, don't try this at home. Sawing at the rope, I kept an ear out for footsteps.

"GAH!" I let a scream escape my lips as I fell and groaned as the ground broke my fall. Luckily nothing cracked; otherwise I'd be really in trouble. Getting up I found myself face to face to Caleb Hawthorne.

"You alright?" he asked, looking almost concerned. Why would he though? The more people who get injured, the more he can kill off and get that much closer to winning this thing.

"I'm fine," I sad coolly. He wasn't my friend, he wasn't my ally. Caleb Hawthorn was my enemy.

"Oh," Caleb looked surprised. "When Sparkle had me put that trap up, it was supposed to hang the person so high in the air that if they got out they'd break something."

"My mom taught me how to fall," I said, proud of my mother. "She also taught me about snare traps."

Caleb nods and then to my surprise he leaves, heading back into the forest. I'm still alive. I had a run in with a non-ally and he left me alive. What did that mean?

"Davis!" Christina greets me as I return to camp but her grin fades as she sees the dirt and twigs in my hair. "You're hurt."

"Not really," I told her. "Just got into a run in with a trap."

"And the ground," Claire looks concerned as well. "Christina, look him over. I'll go back into the forest to look for food."

"But Davis just did that," Andy frowns from his spot by the cave. His hair is partially in his eyes and I can tell he's just as worried about his mother as Christina and I are about our parents.

"Another shot won't hurt," Claire states and takes the spear from me. She walks into the forest but not three minutes later we hear a cannon go off.

"You don't think?" Warren asks but no one responds. We all take off to where Claire had been going and skid to a stop upon seeing her body. Her neck is broken and her ankle is caught in the same trap as I'd previously been in.

"Cut her down," Andy states and borrows my knife to do so. "If the capitol is going to claim her body, they'll do it with her on the ground. Not caught like some prey."

Andy looks pissed. I'm worried that he'll do something stupid, though unrequited love was probably almost as bad as love that was never announced. I look at Claire and I can see a glimmer of a smile on her face.

"She's with her brother now," Christina states quietly as I point it out to her. "Any sibling would be happy about that.