Fend for Yourself {Liliana, Day 2}

Fend for Yourself {Liliana, Day 2} Feb 10, 2012 17:27:06 GMT -5

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Post by Ray on Feb 10, 2012 17:27:06 GMT -5

Liliana’s stomach gurgled as she trudged on to one of the towers. It had been at least a full day, probably more, since she had last eaten. Although they weren’t exactly rich, Lili’s family wasn’t poor, and she didn’t have to go without food often. One of the towers – she couldn’t even distinguish them anymore – loomed ahead of her like a fortress. As she hastily made her way through the arched doorway, she could only hope that there would be something to eat or drink here.

Lili stopped as she entered the new environment, still unused to being in a seemingly different arena with each passing hour. This new place was hilly, with lots of small plants and shrubs. Nothing to hide behind if she got caught by another tribute. She shuddered, praying she wouldn’t run into anyone, or anything, while inside. Oh relax. You have a weapon, you’re perfectly capable of defending yourself. Besides, it’s kinda foggy, they probably wouldn’t even see you. Lili nodded and, with Ana’s encouragement, made her way deeper into the tower.

Every man has a place,
In his heart there's a space,
And the world can't erase his fantasies.

She stumbled several times over the uneven terrain, but managed to keep her footing. She searched for a while, but was unable to spot a source of water. She ran her dry tongue over her teeth, trying to ignore the way her throat ached with thirst. She kept an eye out for any sign of food or water on this floor of the tower, but she wasn’t having much luck. Finally, she sank down and pulled her knees to her chest, hugging herself tightly. “Ana, what do I do? All this time, I was worried about a tribute killing me. I don’t want to be the pitiful tribute that dies of hunger and thirst.” She could feel the tears burning behind her eyes, but she willed them away. She would not cry now. Even if she did die, she refused to cry, knowing that the cameras were probably filming her right this instance. She had to stay strong if she wanted sponsors. Quit blubbering like a little baby, you’re going to be fine. I don’t think there’s going to be any water here, it’s probably in another tower, but they wouldn’t put a tower here for no reason. Some of these plants have to be edible, right? Try to remember something from training. Lili stood shakily, regaining her composure. “Yeah, you’re right. There’s got to be something here.”

Lili peered down at the plants covering the ground, trying to remember. It seemed like forever ago that she was in training. She desperately wished she had paid more attention when they were teaching her about edible plants. “Ana, any advice?” Sorry. I know what you know. Well, that was surprisingly unhelpful. Lili had just assumed that Ana would always tell her what to do, that she was the all-knowing being that would lead her victory over the other tributes. Hey, I’ve done pretty much everything up until this point. You have to learn to fend for yourself once in a while. Lili sighed and continued searching. “I know you’re only trying to help. I should be more grateful. Sorry.”

Every thought is a dream,
Rushing by in a stream,
Bringing life to the kingdom of doing.

Lili stopped suddenly, bent over and picked a plant from the ground. “I recognize these!” she exclaimed in delight. Dandelions. They grew in district ten, she hadn’t even learned about them from training. She remembered reading somewhere that they were edible, but couldn’t remember which part of the plant. “I think you’re only supposed to eat the leaves,” she mumbled, trying desperately to reach the information locked away somewhere in her head. Well go ahead and try it. The worst that could happen is you get poisoned and die. “Yeah, that really makes me want to eat it now,” Lili muttered, stripping the plant of its leaves. She slowly put them in her mouth and chewed, grimacing. After a week of the finest food in the Capitol, it was hard to choke down.

Then, Lili settled down to wait. She sat there for what she thought was half an hour, waiting to feel the effects of poison, but none came. Deciding that she was probably safe, she set about pulling the leaves off all the dandelion plants in sight. She had no real way to carry anything with her, so she ate as she gathered the leaves. With a little imagination, she could almost convince herself she was eating a salad. She ate until she couldn’t eat any more, trying to fill up as much as she could because she didn’t know when the next chance for food would come.

Well, that’s one thing taken care of. Let’s see if we can find some water. Liliana heaved herself to her feet and quickly moved in the direction of the exit. Yes, she needed water, but she wasn’t sure if she would get to it as easily as she had found food. Up until now, she felt like the only person in the arena. She knew that her luck would run out soon, though, and she would be face-to-face with another tribute eager to kill her.

Come to see victory,
In a land called fantasy.

{Liliana eats edible plants, then leaves the Moorland}