Contest: The 140th Annual Hunger Games

Host: THGF1234 

"Thanks, by the way." I mumble into the silence as we build a shelter within a cave tucked behind a wall of foliage. Mia pauses and glances up from making a bed out of leaves.

"For what brother?" She wonders, a small frown on her face.

"Not killing that kid, Alexander, I know you wanted to." Mia pinches her lips together and shrugs, returning her attention to the leaf bed.

"Whatever Nick. You know that decision will come back to bite me in the ass." She grumbles, tossing the bed on the floor and flopping down on top of it.

"Still." I say, quieter now. She nods and sighs heavily, curling her arms around her knees and pulling her legs flush against her chest.

"Can you toss me some bird?" She asks, gesturing to the pieces of cooked bird beside me. I wrinkle my nose and grab a piece, throwing it at her with distaste.

"You know brother, you are in the Hunger Games. Killing is kind of part of the program." The thought made me sick, I felt bad enough about that first kid. I didn't want to do it again.

"I know sister, doesn't mean I have to like it. Did you ever fill that canteen we found in the backpack?" I question, flopping down on my own bed of leaves. Mia nods and reaches behind her to toss a decently sized, metallic bottle at me.

"Here, drink up. The suns setting and we need to sleep. Where's that blanket from the backpack?" I shrug one shoulder and unscrew the cap, relishing in the taste of fresh, cold water sliding down my parched throat.

A light weight lands on my lap and I glance down, rescrewing the cap and setting it on the ground beside me. Mia drags her bed closer to me and crawls under the blanket, resting her head on my shoulder as I tuck my free arm beneath my head.

"Do you think we can manipulate the Capitol into letting us both go home?" Mia asks me after several minutes of silence. I blink in the darkness, hearing the dim fire crackling in the background, and sigh.

"Honestly? No, I don't think we could. But, maybe it's worth a shot. If we both survive that long."

"We will. Twin power, remember? We're a team." She snaps, a note of desperation in her voice. I sigh and put my arm around her, pulling her tighter against my side.

"Yeah, twin power." I whisper, feeling a piece of my heart break. I blink back the urge to break something and close my eyes, trying to relax. "Get some sleep."

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"Nick, wake up." A voice urges, shaking me slightly. I moan and roll over, feeling as if a hammer was pounding against my skull. "Nick, come on." Mia snaps, her sharp nails curling around my skin.

I jerk and catch her wrist tightly in my hand. "No pinching me." I growl, my voice scratchy. Mia smiles and sits up, crossing her legs beneath her.

"Aw, you're no fun. Here, I went and got more water from that stream." She says, handing me the canteen. I frown and push into a seated position, taking the bottle from her hand.

"You left without me?" Mia scowls and scoops a handful of berries into her mouth.

"I can take care of myself Nick." I sigh at her defense attitude and roll my eyes.

"I know, I wasn't worried about you. I was worried about me, you left me sleeping in a cave, alone. I almost think you want me dead." Mia wrinkles her nose and glares, sticking her tongue out in mockery. Both the inside of her mouth and her lips were tinted a dark blue from the berries.

"Loser." She grumbles teasingly, I smirk and steal the berries from her fingers.

"Hey-" A loud crackling noise reverberates throughout the arena, cutting Mia off. She stiffens and tilts her head, a blank veil falling over her features. I unscrew the canteen lid and tip the bottle to my lips, unconcerned by the unnatural noises.

A deep voice fills the arena, bumbling on about a feast and different colored packs. I grit my teeth at the thought and roll my eyes, we didn't need to go to any feast. Mia and I, we were set. There was nothing we desperately needed.

"I guess we got boring." Mia comments once the announcement ends. I half smile and lean back, tucking my hands behind my head.

"We don't have to go. There's nothing we need." Mia nods, throwing back another handful of berries.

"I'm good with that. Hey, so, we should go hunting later. I'm thinking rabbit." Mia suggests, wiggling her eyebrows. I chuckle and nod, running my fingers absent-mindedly over an arrow shaft.

"Do you think that girl survived?" I question, thinking back to the chick with red streaks. Mia frowns and shrugs, an uncaring look in her gaze.

"I don't know. I haven't heard any cannons. Maybe." I nod silently and breathe in heavily.

"So, should we go hunt now?" Mia smiles, a excited gleam electrifying her eyes. She nods and jumps to her feet, strapping her knives and darts to her chest.

"Ready!" I half laugh and climb to my feet, pulling my quiver over my head and grasping the bow lightly between my fingers.

"Come on then." Mia exposes bright white teeth as she falls into step beside me, a noticeable bounce in her step.

"And we need more berries."

"Okay, but first we get the rabbit." Mia shrugs one shoulder uncaringly and flounces out into the forest, her eyes scanning the trees with trained ease.

Several minutes pass by, in which Mia and I find a nice tree to crouch behind while we wait for a rabbit to pop up somewhere. She's leaning against a trunk when her soft voice fills my head.

"Did you kill someone? At the bloodbath?" She asks, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. I stiffen, my grip on the bow tightening slightly.

"What?" Mia sighs and twiddles with her thumbs, shrugging slightly.

"I don't know, you just seemed... off when you found me doing my crazy dance on the water. Like something wasn't right. I know you hate death and killing makes you uncomfortable, so I wouldn't ask unless I thought it was important." She jabbers, looking up at me between her bangs. I clench my jaw, the urge to lie coming over me. But then, I meet her clear gaze and sigh, feeling guilty for even considering lying to my twin.

"Yeah, I did. I didn't want to, but..." I sigh, dropping my head in my hands. Mia digs the tip of her knife into the tree trunk and clucks her tongue once.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay-" A rustling comes from out left and we both jerk. I raise my bow, arrow notched and ready to aim. While Mia raises her knife and reaches for a dart.

Moments later, a little brown rabbit comes scurrying out from a bush, bushy tail held high and nose to the ground. Mia gasps and tightens her grip on the knife, I hold up two fingers and shake my head, motioning to my bow. Her nose twitches anxiously but she lowers the weapon and nods.

I intake sharply and return my gaze to the rabbit, a sick feeling twisting in my gut. I didn't want to kill it, but, I had to. I raise my bow and close one eye, expertly aiming for the animal's head. Without a moment to waste, I release the arrow and watch it soar through the air, hitting home in the rabbit's skull.

"Yes!" Mia squeals, patting my shoulder and dodging forward to grab our meal. I sigh and lean against the tree, feeling a heavy wave of guilt crash over me almost instantly.

"I'm sorry." I whisper as if the dead rabbit could hear me apologizing for taking it's life. Mia comes back with the rabbit in hand, swinging from her hand by its ears.

"Now berries." She says with a gleeful smile and skips off into the forest. I chuckle under my breath and get to my feet, pulling the bow across my body and following behind her.

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Back in our cave-like shelter, we make a fire and cook the rabbit over the flame until it's nice and brown. Mia makes one more trip for water before finally settling in for the evening, a look of contentment on her face.

"I wish we could just go home, you know?" She mutters, taking a bite of the rabbit. I nod and wiggle mine over the fire, anxious to put some food in my stomach.

"Yeah, I know. Me too."

"You think either one of us will make it home?" She asks, playing with her meat instead of eating it. I shrug and take a bite of the cooked rabbit, relishing its juicy taste.

"I don't know." Mia nods and pinches her lips together.

"You should, if it comes down to us. You should go home." I blink in shock, almost dropping my food on the ground.

"What?" I snap, anger bubbling under my skin. "No, never. Are you crazy Mia?" I growl, a streak of fear dancing through my stomach. Mia frowns and rolls her eyes.

"Nick, stop. I spent that last few years locked inside our house. I have no life anymore. You - you have Maria and Lacy. You have Jacob. You need to go back to them." I clench my jaw, the thought of my girlfriend, best friend, and daughter driving a stake through my heart.

"Mia, I can't - I can't let you die. It'd kill me." She smiles a sad smile and rolls her eyes.

"No, it wouldn't. You'd be fine." I clench my jaw, blinking rapidly and biting down hard into the rabbit meat. Mia yawns and leans back on her bed.

"Just promise that the next kid you have you name them Mia." She mumbles, cracking one eye open. A sharp pain erupts through my chest and I pull my knees up to my chest.

"Of course little sister." I whisper, fighting the urge to wrap her in my arms and never let go. Mia smiles and yawns again.

"I'm taking a nap, wake me later." She murmurs and turns her face away without waiting for my response.

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I wake sometime later, having switched with Mia and taken a nap while she kept watch. I open my eyes and sit up groggily, glancing around the empty cave slowly.

"Mia?" I question into the void, a streak of fear jarring me awake. "Mia?" I call again, louder this time. Wildly, I jump to my feet and run out into the late evening. "Mia!" I shout, feeling my hands start to shake.

Where the hell was she?

Ducking back into the cave, I notice her knives and darts gone, along with the canteen. I breathe out in relief and grab my bow and quiver before heading out after her.

It doesn't take me long to reach the stream, but when I get there I don't see Mia. Again, that streak of fear overtakes me and I clench my jaw tightly.

"Mia?" I speak into the silence, walking along the water's edge. A silver gleam catches my eye and I run forward, feeling a shiver of anxiety run down my spine at the sight of the canteen lying uselessly on the ground.

Quickly, I pick the bottle up and fill it, hooking it to the strap of my quiver before continuing on. Now far ahead, there lay a discarded knife in a puddle of crimson liquid. My heart speeds up as I break out into a steady jog, following the drops of blood and the broken foliage all the way back to the Cornucopia; the feast.

"Oh Mia." I mutter, searching the bodies nervously. There was a scattering of tributes surrounding the icy pond. Some lay dead and some were carting off large amounts of supplies. None were Mia.

I sigh and duck down behind a snowy bush, searching frantically for my little sister. Abruptly, a quick moving figure barrels past me, knocking into my side and causing me to lose my balance.

A girl with natural red hair dashes by, her curls flying behind her. She glances back quickly, a wicked grin on her face as she pauses in her hurried chase.

"Hey! You're the one with the psycho sister, the bitch just disemboweled some guy." She shouts and turns on her heel, dashing toward the Cornucopia.

Panicked and confused, I jump to my feet and lunge after the girl. "Hey!" I call, pushing myself to the limit in a desperate attempt to catch up to her.

"Hey!" I snap, reaching the Cornucopia moments after her. She whirls on me, a blade grasped tightly between her fingers and a warning look on her face. I take a step back and shake my head.

"I don't want a fight, I just want to find my sister." I respond calmly, the girl narrow's her eyes and lowers her weapon with a shrug.

"She's in the woods over there. Like I said, she's cutting a guy's stomach to shreds." I mentally cringe at her words, a rainbow of mixed emotions tumbling through my head.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, now get out of my way." She snaps, lugging two packs with her. I deftly move out of her way but end up tripping over two wiggling bodies. The redhead squeals as she too tumbles over the bodies.

I slam my elbow into the ice, feeling pain shoot through my arm and turn my vision red. A series of squeals and grunts erupt from beneath me and I quickly climb to my feet, tugging my bow over my head.

Three girls stumble to their feet on the ice, one being the redhead whose packs were discarded carelessly on the icy surface.

"I'm not looking for a fight." I mutter, eyeing the two other girls. One scowls while the other shrugs and both pull weapons.

"Whoa, hey, I want no part in this." The redhead comments and goes for her pack but one of the other two grabs a fistful of her hair and shoves her down into the ice.

"Do I look like I care?" One rages, a venomous glare in her eyes. The redhead whimpers and rubs her head, staring up fearfully. I breathe in a tight breath and raise my bow, notching an arrow and aiming at the one girl's chest.

"Get out of here, stop making trouble." I growl, frustrated with the hold up. The girl's eyes narrow in on me and a streak of shock reverberates through her eyes.

"I know you, your maniac sister took my bow! That's mine!" She shouts lunging forward, I clench my jaw and release the arrow, hearing it sink into her eye socket but unable to lift my gaze as her limp body collides with the solid earth.

A loud gurgling erupts from somewhere to my left and I glance upward, seeing the redhead clutching a red stained dagger and a lifeless body at her feet. She gives me a lopsided grin and picks her two packs up off the ice.

"Thanks for helping me out. 'Preciate it." She says in that detached tone of hers. "I'm Rita by the way."

"Nick." She nods and backs away slowly.

"Well, see you 'round then Nick. Hopefully I don't have to kill you." And with that she turns on her heel and runs off, dodging into the woods around the lake.

I stumble away from the two dead tributes, feeling bile rise in my throat and bend forward with my hands on my knees. I hadn't meant to kill her, I didn't want to.

"Nick!" A cheery voice shouts, I breathe in sharply and look up to see Mia running toward me.

She was completely covered in blood. Literally. Not one inch of her wasn't stained red. Even her hair had blood in it. She looked like something that had crawled out of hell.

"Mia... What-?" I whisper, eyes wide. She stops before me, a hard look in her eyes as she appraises me.

"What? I lost myself for a while there. No big deal, just another dead tribute." She shrugs her shoulders and gestures me toward the Cornucopia.

"Come on, grab two packs and I'll get mine. This blood is starting to harden, I need to take a bath." She mutters, picking up the pink pack that said 13 on it and snatching up a random green one. She also rummages around the other items and pulls a bag of fruits from the mix.

I snap out of my shocked daze, feeling my stomach twist in fear of my sister. For the first time, I wasn't so sure if I could trust her not to hurt me too. Clenching my jaw, I ignore the thought and grab the red 13 pack and a green one.

"Great, let's go back to the cave then." Mia tosses me a cheeky smile and starts off toward the cave. I follow behind, a heaviness sitting uncomfortably in my gut.