The quietness of the woods rings in my ears as I trod through the forest. The sun is beginning to peak over the foggy mountains behind my left shoulder. All night I've been walking, going through flurries of emotions. Angry. Sad. Angry again. Disappointed. Does she really love him? I think, tears beginning to stream down my face again. I know how stupid I must look. Pining after a girl probably kissing a traitorous blond boy right now. There's only one winner of the games, after all. One of them won't survive. She probably doesn't even like girls. There must be a reason she and Gale are inseparable.

I'm regretting running off now. I just... didn't know what else to do. Even if Katniss were here, I couldn't tell her. It all seems so selfish. She's fighting for her life against trained killers, and I ran away because I couldn't handle seeing her kissing Peeta.

Stupid Peeta.

Anger surges through me. It's just so stupid. I'm just so stupid. Why did all this have to happen? I kick a large rock, letting out an anguished scream. Birds flock out of the nearby trees, cawing. I stomp my feet, boots melting into the soggy leaves. My fingers move without my consent, playing a melody on a non-existent piano. I close my eyes, breathing in the fresh forest scent- pine and dew mixed with the faint scent of coal, the contamination from District 12 reaching into my depths of the woods. I sink onto the damp bed of leaves, my fingers still leaping to their own melody.

I finally open my eyes. My veins are free of anger and my eyes no longer leak salty tears. Swallowing, I realize my throat is parched with thirst. As my stomach groans, hunger creeps into my head as well. I don't know half as much about survival as Katniss, but this I know. It's never good to be this thirsty with no obvious nearby source of water. Hunger, I can stand for a few more days, maybe even weeks, but thirst is dangerous. Spinning around, I realize I have no idea how to get back home, too. Great, this is just great. "You've really screwed this up now, Madge," I mumble to myself. I try to remember everything I know about finding water. My mind comes up blank, heart pounding. I will not die out here, I tell myself. I pick a direction, and start that way, my intuition guiding me.

As my footsteps guide me through the forest, I hear sticks cracking behind me. I whirl around, suddenly awakened. Gently leaning down, I grasp a large stick between my surprisingly steady hands. Apprehension overcomes me, but I stand my ground.

A small deer, it's spindly long legs sturdy on the forest floor, edges its way towards me. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and gently a bit closer to it. I'm pretty sure seeing an animal is good, because that means water might be nearby. Relief fills me. I'm glad I'm not starving yet, because I'm not sure I could bring myself to slaughter the beautiful animal. That, and I'm not quite sure how to start a fire.

The deer and I stare at each other for a few minutes, before I shake myself from my trancelike state. As I sigh and step away from it, the deer bounds away. I continue on my path, the overhead sun streaming through the gaps of the tree branches. As I pass under a particularly shady spot, I shiver. I'm glad it's summer- if it was winter I wouldn't stand a chance out here.

Exhaustion starts to hit it's mark. In the back of my mind, I realize that I've been out in the forest for almost a full day, no food, no water, and barely any rest. My emotions feel drained, mind blank from thoughts. My knees shake, black tinging at the edges of my vision as I collapse onto the ground.

Sorry for the short (ish) chapter, but I think it pulls everything together nicely AND we get to hear more of Madge's inner monologue. I also finally got around to starting a playlist for this book. It's not complete yet (currently a lot of kinda emo/gay/Billie Eilish stuff), but I'll leave the link in the comments. Feel free to leave any suggestions for me.  

Have a good day.

-YourLocalSwimmer