Chapter 3

Azzi’s POV

I wake up to Paige drawing circles on my back. I slowly stir awake, turning over to face the Blonde girl. Looking up at her, I sleepily whisper, “When did you wake up?”

She looks down at me before answering.

“Never went to sleep, I decided to be look out.”

I scrunch my nose in confusion, sitting up from my spot on the flimsy branch.

“You could have gone to sleep,” I reply to the blonde.

“It was uncomfortable anyway, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep if I tried.”

She notes honestly.

I nod understanding, A few minutes go by, and I decide to look up at the sky to watch the sun rise but quickly realize we don’t have a good view on this branch.

I climb further up the tree, and Paige follows confused at me suddenly jumping up from my previous spot

“Where are you going? Someone could see you, ” Paige whispers shouts while grabbing a branch.

“I wanna see the sun rise.” I reply to the blue-eyed girl. “I’ll be careful,”

I say shortly after. I carefully climb my way to the top careful making sure not to break any branches or make too much noise.

I reach the surface, only revealing my head to the surface.

Paige’s head popped through the branches shortly later.

Paige looks at it as if she’s searching for something. “Why are you making that face?” I say, chuckling lightly.

She takes a moment, thinking how to phrase her response.

“What are we looking for?” She says dumbfounded.

“The sunrise!” I say slightly sarcastically, slightly laughing.

“What’s so special about it? It happens every day.” Paige says as if it’s not a big deal.

I cock my head while thinking of how to respond.

“It’s the start of the day. It’s announcing to all creatures its time to wake up. Like nature’s natural alarm clock. It also is just so stunning. The colors mixing, it just goes so well together.”

We stay silent for a moment, as I  continue to enjoy the sight. Paige still seems uninterested but I don’t mind.

She’ll get it eventually.

I wait a few seconds before deciding its time to head back down.

“We should find a new camping area one with more space.” I say lightly

She nods grabbing my hand and we climb back down together. We pack up our stuff and slowly leave the previous area.

“How long do you think we will last?” I ask her. She giggles.

“Hopefully until the end.” She says still holding my hand as we walk.

I nod awkwardly. We continue walking for a few minutes not speaking much, but eventually Paige speaks up.

“Maybe we should talk about…” She doesn’t finish. She doesn’t have to. I already know what she means.

I nod again, agreeing its time we talk about it. “Why did you kiss her back?” I say my voice quivering slightly.

She lowers her head watching her feet walking and moving before answering.

“Because”

she pauses.

“I don’t even know. I shouldn’t of I know that, and I regret it so much.”

“It would be different if you hadn’t done similar things two other times this week Paige. You flirted with a girl on campus while I was on vacation, you let that girl flirt with you and bad mouth me and now this.”

I say, hurt in my voice.

She looks up from her moving feet and shifts her eyes to mine. “The first two I genuinely thought were fans Az, I really did. Jasmine told me our mentors set up a meeting so we could form an alliance.” She replies.

I listen to the same thing Paige says every time. But this time something catches her attention.

“Mentors? Your mentor set up a meeting?”

“Yeah?” Paige says confused

I stop walking turning to look at Paige. She stops walking also and turns to look as me her face full of confusion.

“What is it?”

“They want us to break up.” I say blankly.

  “We know this already” the blonde says still slightly confused.

I shake my head.

“No, they are actively trying to break us up!” I say. “It started with sending that girl over during dinner, and then they set up that meeting.”

“Maybe they are just showing us how to live without the other one. Just… incase you know?”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding until it was impossible to hold longer.

“We should keep walking. ” I say, changing the subject, Paige nods, and we continue on.

____________________________________

Paige POV

Me and Azzi are walking low between some bushes when I hear people talking on the other side. I can tell Azzi doesn’t hear it.

“Stay here,”

I whisper to Azzi. She nods, slightly confused

I slowly move through the bushes, laying flat on my stomach using my arms to scoot forward. Slightly sticking my head through the bushes. I see a boy and a girl sitting under a tree.

They don’t notice me yet.

“We should just wait here, lure someone out, and when they get close, we attack first.”

The boy suggests.

The girl scoffs, “That’s the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard.”

The boy rolls his eyes and stands up, blocking the girls view of the bush accidentally.

“They don’t seem to be in sync, me and Azzi could take them while they are bickering,” I think to myself.

I retreat into the bushes and find Azzi.

“Baby, there’s a group over there, said they were luring people out. We could grab them before they grab us. They don’t seem -“

I stop, finding her eyes. She has tears in her eyes, I look at her confused, and then I see it. I look down and see a long open wound along her lower stomach.

“What happened?” I whisper, hurrying to pit pressure on the wound.

I take off my jacket, leaving me in my long sleeve shirt, wrapping the jacket in pieces to cover the wound.

Azzi opens her mouth to respond, but words don’t come out. She takes another breath in,  words coming out this time.

“Someone attacked me while you were over there. They must of been following us.” 

I slowly pick Azzi up bridal style lifting her and carefully but quickly run deeper into the juggle to find somewhere to rest.

I find a big tree with branches that are huge big enough for both of us to fit comfortably. I climb the tree slowly with Azzi clinging loosly to my back.

We reach the top and I lay her down on a branch.

“Shit. It’s bleeding fast.” I whisper to myself.

Azzi’s eyes start to drift close becoming tired.

“You can’t go to sleep baby.” She opens her eyes again struggling to keep them open.

“I’m tired Paige it’ll be okay its not a death level cut.” She says, I shake my head.

“We can’t risk it, this is huge, cut, Azzi.” I look around for anything I could use to disinfect her wound.

I watch a box with a parachute slowly fall to the ground, confused.

It could be a trap, but it’s worth a shot.

“Stay here Az, I’ll be right back.” I tell the girl lightly patting her arm.

She nods and I quickly make my decent down the tree looking for any one that might pop out.

I reach the bottom grabbing the box and quickly hurry back up.

“What is it?” Azzi says weakly about the box.

I look down at it, “I’m not sure” I respond.

I slowly untie the knot of the brown box and look at the insides.

  It’s full of different pain killers and medicines, Gun power, a lighter, a bunch of notes, and bandages.

A smile quickly grows on my face realizing it’s a from sponsors.

“It’s a sponsor box!”

I say pulling out the pain killers  first and handing them to Azzi. I grab a jug of water from our storage and give it to her.

I pull out the gun powder slightly confused before it clicks in my mind. Azzi stares at my hands, confused.

“That’s for?”

She asks.

“Your wound… this is gonna hurt.” I reply.

Her face scrunches, probably imagining the pain.

She let’s me apply the gun powder and her face tenses already feeling a sting.

I reveal the lighter and she closes her eyes most likely bracing herself. I press for a spark a few times before it appears and bring it closer to her.

The powder catches on fire, and Azzi jolts up screaming. I grab her hand and cover her mouth helping her lean back down.

“If anyone hears you we are cooked Baby. Your gonna be okay”

I whisper to her, she nods letting the pain settle in.

I grab the bandages and wrap her wound up covering most of her stomach.

I look back into the box pulling out one of the many noted that remain in the box reading one.

“These are fan notes.” I say smiling reading it to myself. Most say rooting for you, or get better Azzi.

Others say tips like trust no one or give a guide on what not to eat.

“Our fans are so sweet.” Azzi says genuinely reading the notes.

We reach the bottom of the box and one is labeled “For Azzi’s eyes only” in all caps. 

I look at it confused  and hand it to the injured girl next to me.

____________________________________

Azzi’s Pov

Paige hands me a note, I unfold it gently reading it to myself. “She’s hiding something.” – Jacob
I scoff, this? Again? I throw the note to the ground watching it slowly drift down. Paige eyes shoot back up to me full of confusion.

“Nothing important.” I say, she nods.

“Okay.”

She swings her legs around the branch, letting them dangle as she looks through the food bag.

“We are nearly out of food, I’ll go find some.”

I frown. “Stayyy I don’t want to be alone.” I reply.

She cocks her head. “Is your wound still hurting?” She questions.

I shake my head. “Only a little, I just don’t want you to get attacked, or someone finds the area while your away.” She chuckles, I roll my eyes.

“I’m serious baby.”

She chuckles again lightly. “Sorry sorry. I have to go get food we can’t starve.”

She replies. I sigh nodding letting her go off. She plants a soft kiss on my lips before scurrying down the tree.

I decide to lay down completely letting my head rest on the branch forcing me to look completely up at the sky.

My thoughts drift off “pondering a thought.” I start to imagine every result of this game. One where She wins. Another where I do. One where we both win. And then the best result. This is all a nightmare.

I think back to the odd note from Jacob. “She’s hiding something.” Why would she hide something?

What is she hiding?  Many questions fill my head, consuming my mind. What if she’s planning to back stab me?

Or when she left just now it was to go be off with another girl? Couldn’t take my jealousy issues anymore.

My “overractions”.

No actually fuck that, I don’t overreact. She shouldn’t of been doing anything in the first place.

But what could it be?

____________________________________

Azzi’s POV

Paige returns an hour later with… meat? Where did she get that.

“Where did you find that baby?”

“Hunted it.” She replies. It appears to be a fish, a big one at that, practically the size of her sword.

She let’s the lighter linger around the fish trying to cook it. It actually works surprisingly, she rips a piece of handing it to me, I accept it taking small bites.

“What did you do while I was gone?”

She asks curious.

“Thought. I thought a lot.” I answer not revealing much.

She sarcastically rolls her eyes.

“What did you think about?”

“Us. Who might win. Our future. Everything.”

“As I said a million times and will say many more. I don’t want to win without you by my side. If it comes down to me and you. It’s always you.”

“And as I’ve said it’s always going to be you.” I reply.

We sit in silence for a while. Watching the sun slowly, but surely, set.

____________________________________

Paige’s POV

Its about 10pm most likely. Azzi has already fallen asleep in my arms but I can’t seem to sleep.

My mind keeps drifting back to the note she discarded of earlier.

What did it say? She keeps saying it said “nothing” but why did she toss it? Maybe I can climb down without waking her.

I slowly wiggle my way out of her grasp. Moving her slightly over on the branch.

As soon as I sit up I can already see her stirring awake.

“Where are you going?” She says sleepily.

“Hunting.”

She looks at me reading through my lies.

“You went hunting earlier.”

She replies.

“Fine fine, I was going to go be lookout.” I say knowing it’s nothing close to the truth.

“We don’t need Lookout we are well hidden. Just lay back down.” I chuckle lightly, laying back down.

“Good night baby.” I whisper

“Good night.” She mumbles sleepily.

____________________________________
Authors note

I realized this isn’t the type of thing that can really go on that long so I’ll probably write more after the games end.