Thundy/Cin life is but a drink for the dead...

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The Clearing. Day 3. Dawn.

Many, many hours after her 'incident,' is that what you're calling it Arcadia? An incident? You acted like a complete fool in front of the cameras, hiding out in some tree for a precious hour, waiting for some invisible enemy to attack. You pathetic girl...

Shall we start again?

Many, many hours after her incident, (yes Arcadia was now counting in hours. In the Arena, nobody had much time on there hands. Minutes slipped away like hours, hours were days and days were lifetimes filled with horror, small victories and immense pleasure every now and then because you were alive) ...Arcadia woke up. It was obviously dawn. The sky was gray in color, and the trees surrounding the Clearing had started to slowly loose their leaves. Looks like I wont be able to hide out in any trees anymore. Hours were supposed to be like days in the Arena, but I suppose I was wrong. Hours are seasons. Some go by so fast you don't even have time to buy a new winter-coat, or skimpy bathing suit. Some go buy agonizingly slow, and one cant wait to just get it over with and start again.

It sent a chill down her spine. The trees were loosing their leaves, because the season was 'changing,' in the Arena. The season was autumn now, because the Gamemakers wanted it to be so. Now why oh why would they want that, deary? Father asked of Arcadia, and she found herself mentally answering him. Because I like trees. I like to hide out in them, and I sleep in them with the leaves there as protection from the wind...

Something was going to happen.

Instead of acting like a fool, and immediately pulling her kitchen-knife out, Arcadia acted as though she had noticed nothing. She stretched, she yawned softly behind the cover of one of her hands. The teen brushed her long hair back, trying not to grimace at the feel of so much oil and junk in it. If I hadn't met Griffin, I suppose the greatest reason I would want to get home, is to shower. Who wants to die with messy, dirty hair? Father wouldn't even bother to have somebody wash my body off, I would just be thrown into some deep, dark pit and obviously he would expect me to stay like that. He would never guess that she would be so determined to kill him, that even death would not stop her. Arcadia London would come back fro m the land of the dead just to murder her god-awful grandfather, and maybe kiss Griffin good-bye.

She snickered privately, before pushing herself off of the ground. The previous evening, after the teen had walked three or five miles away from her 'home-base,' she had encountered a large flock of birds. They hadn't even known what was coming. Arcadia imagined the shock and anger welling up inside the little things as thew flew far, far away from Dangerous Cady and her Flying Knife. She had managed to skewer one right through the heart. Arcadia hadn't given much thought to how thankful she should have been for that. For one, she had actually just found dinner, and for two...

What would she have done if the thing was still alive when she retrieved it?

Dinner had been good, and the Career had managed to push away thoughts of her humiliation, and even worse, of what would happen the next day. She was taking things one minute at a time, constantly keeping her dreams in check. It would be just like her to fall into an elaborate day-dream, and have some loud, clumsy little Tribute come and kill her before she could cry out. It would be just like Arcadia, to have a day-dream about her having a day-dream, and then get killed.

With that confusing thought, Cady-Bird crouched slow, her eyes still searching through the hazy, dawning Arena for any sign of somebody coming. There was a strange fog that was slowly creping toward her home, and Cady had enough sense to guess that when it came, trouble would be fast to follow. Was she being just 'extremely paranoid?' No, Cady knew, she just knew, knew, knew today was the die the Gamemakers would get bored and many people would die. The teen had stayed up late enough to watch as the sky projected two or three pictures of Tributes who had died, but she couldn't help but think that was not enough.

She snatched up her water canteen, and took a long swig of it, enjoying the taste of, pure, clean, fresh water. Her stream had supplied Arcadia with good enough quality drinking water, but it had been nothing like that of the Capitols. Arcadia London was betting the toilet-water at the Capitol tasted better than the stream-water had. It was with great hesitance that she swallowed almost half of the water within her little container. It had been a hard decision, but Cady-Bird was guessing that what was left of her small stream, was probably freezing over, or completely gone. It would be a waste of valuable energy to go walk through the woods on a cool, hazy morning only to discover that in place of the stream, there was quick-sand that would gobble her up and end the life and times of Arcadia London, superb Career of District Two. That would be a bummer way to go...

She scooped up all of her possessions, finding the time to flash a quick smile at how ridiculous it was that she had about as many personal possessions back at home, as she did in the Arena. One coyote-tail, one jacket, and a canteen. She folded the small, brown and green blanket she had managed to scoop up from the Cornucopia, and through the belongings into her improvised, handy-dandy pack. Cady carried it over to one of the last bushes that would serve as a good hiding spot. She dug a small hole, and placed the coyote tail and canteen into it, then packed the blanket on top.

The jacket, she put on, feeling slightly awkward as it was obviously too big for her. Thats what you get for stealing it off the dying body of a large, hulking Career from your very own District little Cady. (Fathers voice was smug that time) Her knife had already been slipped through a small holder intended for just that reason. Cady had managed to convince her stylist, that she needed one, and no it would not be a waste of valuable material, yes she would be able to get a knife from the Cornucopia, no she would not die at the Bloodbath. The argument had ended when Cady had told her stylist that if he really didn't believe she was good with a knife, and strong enough to survive the first day, if he politely gave her a plastic knife, she would gladly cut his face up and throw him through a window. (Nobody ever, ever, ever was allowed to call her weak. It was not acceptable. At. All.) Thankfully, he had believed her without Arcadia having to go through with her threats, and the design of her Arena suit had been slightly modified.

Cady stood up, glowering at the dirt that had gotten under her nails. She sighed, wishing that there was even a little, itty, bitty meat left on that poor bird she had devoured the previous night. Arcadia wandered the Clearing for a few minutes and managed to find five berries. Four were poisonous. She popped the other in her mouth and wretched at the taste. Her eyes wandered to the cloudy skies and Cady tensed as she realized the fog was nearer to her than she'd originally thought. It looked like it was creeping slowly toward her, but every time she turned around it seemed miles closer than it had before.

"No matter what, Ill survive..." she spoke loudly, or rather she did not whisper. In the Arena, anything sounded loud, the snap of a twig could sound like the--

It had not been her imagination this time. There had been a snapping twig. Was that breathing she heard? What was going on? Man up, Cady-Bird. Its time for the fight of your life...

She drew her knife, and then everything made sense.

"Do you remember when we met
you told me this gets harder
well it did
been holding on forever,
promise me that when I'm gone you'll kill my enemies,
the damage you've inflicted, temporary wounds
I'm coming back from the dead and I'll take you home with me
I'm taking back the life you stole

We never got that far,
this helps me to think all through the night
bright lights that won't kill me now, or tell me how
just you and I, your starless eyes remain.

Hip Hip Hooray for me, you talk to me, but would you kill me in my sleep
lay still like the dead
from the razor to the rosary
we could lose ourselves
and paint these walls in pitchfork red

I will avenge my ghost with every breath I take
I'm coming back from the dead and I'll take you home with me
I'm taking back the life you stole

This hole you put me in
wasn't deep enough
and I'm climbing out right now
you're running out of places to hide from me
when you go
just know that I will remember you
if living was the hardest part
we'll then one day be together
and in the end we'll fall apart
just like the leaves change in colors
and then I will be with you
I will be there one last time now

when you go
just know that I will remember you

I lost my fear of falling."--Its Not A Fashion Statemnt, Its A F***ing Deathwish by My Chemical Romance.

ooc- and let the fight begin BTW I didnt put any quotes, just the song by MCR because after I posted this thread I realized some of the content went along with it ^^ Its too long though to put tons of quotes and stuff in addition to the song...