stick it out

Semper Capone

Another night had fallen, and the only face to appear in the sky was Learna’s. He’d failed again. This time though, he wasn’t letting himself get as close to these tributes. Instead, he kept his distance, even taking first watch and falling asleep by himself. He was stuck with two girls now—though he didn’t doubt their skills—though he was wishing he had another boy with him. When the sun rose, he started thinking of home—or at least, the image in his mind—of rolling hills and beautiful stalks of corn. He just wished he could go there again some day.

The chocolate figurine was a surprise, but it tasted so good and made his aches feel better. The gash on the back of his head was nearly healed. “Ain’t too bad, I reckon,” He muttered, looking at the others. He looked at the disgusting patch of what seemed to be a swamp and cocked his head. It smelled sweet and tasty, but he wasn’t so sure of anything in the arena. There was mostly silence—no birds, no nothing—and he didn’t see any other groups of tributes around. “You think we’re all right here?”