Good Luck Charm // [Baby & Esther Day 3]

As quickly as the storm appeared, it dissipated. Well, not entirely. She could still hear the distant roll of thunder, still feel the dampness of her clothes, still feel the clammy cold sinking into her ribcage. But no long did the petals attack. It was almost as if they'd heard her praying: may the flowers always guide me home...

Baby shivered, wrapping her arms around her midsection. Something just below her heart itched. Through the gossamer of her outfit, she could feel a sort of ridged outline...

She balled her hands into fists, refusing to explore her broken body further. She mumbled some excuse to Izzy before ducking into the forest proper. Without the thunderhead over them there was a certain light to the trees and underbrush, a gentle path that she followed willingly. Every so often she caught a glimpse of something golden, perhaps a shaft of sunlight.

And just as often she heard the rustling and grunting over other tributes.

She made herself as small as she could every time, shrinking with each near-encounter. One tribute seemed to be following the same path, just ahead, and even though Baby slowed, so did the other.

It was late in the day before Baby realized she recognized the cut of the tribute's hair and their uniform. The tribute from District 3 who had nearly killed her the day before. She should run; she knew Storm would tell her to run. But that Baby wasn't dead made her think that maybe it was because the other tribute hadn't actually meant to kill her.

And, truth be told, after observing Three for awhile, Baby felt fairly certain she was the better off of the two.

Baby approached cautiously, swinging her pack in front of her as armor. When that didn't seem like enough, she reached for her good luck charm: the four leafed clover. She held it out before herself, as another flash of golden light streaked by them nearly nicking the clover from her grasp. "You're... uh... from Three? Do you... remember me? Baby?" Baby blinked her doe eyes. "I think I can help you this time."