Whispers in the Lake // Chapter 20

Instructions

I hear something clashing with the wind, as if a knife is hurling at me. I think this is the afterlife for a second, but then my eyes open and my vision is blurry. I see the sky and then I look down, a dead mutt next to me. I look back up and I see a girl with a lot of pocket knives stuffed in her pocket. She looks about 16, and she looks at me and smiles as she jumps down the tree and walks away. She saved my life. I let out a sigh of relief. Then I think about how to pay her. Then the pain of my leg and arm hit me, and I let out a grunt of pain. Grace runs up to me with berries in her hand, but then she sees the state im in and helps me up. I put my arm around her shoulder and I walk with her, limping and grunting a few times. My vision slowly unblurs. “Here, here, set her down.” I hear Nabil say. They lay me down next to a lake, Nabil taking leaves and doing… something with them. First, it burns, then it feels refreshing. Grace cups water into her hands and spills it on the leaves. Then Nabil puts the leaves on the injuries. The gentleness of his hand comforts me, and I squint at his blonde hair dancing in the wind. “Does it hurt?” he asks, interrupting my thoughts. “No, no,” I say quietly. “It feels good.” “Good,” he smiles gently and warmly. I feel stronger now, and I stand up on my own and slowly walk to get my trident. Then I remember that we have to hate each other. “For once you did something good in your life.” I scoff, walking to the others. I bump his shoulder as I walk away from him, and he stares at me as I walk away. Not a glare or a side-eye, a warm, gentle stare. We walk for about 15 minutes. I assume we’re still man hunting the District 10 tribute. I hear footsteps behind me and I feel threatened, turning around quickly and pointing a trident at the person behind me. Grace lifts her hands in the air and I put the trident behind my back as Grace puts her hands down. “Just you.” I sigh. Then she smiles. “What?” We start walking again, Grace beside me. “Do you like him?” she derides. “Like… who?” I say, my words stretched and confused. “Him,” she says, nodding her head toward Nabil. I look at him, my smile fading, then I turn back to Grace. “Hell no,” I stare at her, disgusted that she would even ask that. Then I smile. “My turn.” She looks at me, slightly squinting her eyes. “Do you like… Verben?” I ask, trying not to laugh. “Are you serious?” she says playfully. “What chemistry do you sense between us?” “What chemistry do you see between Nabil and I?” I snap back. She chuckles. “Well, we know one thing for sure,” “What?” I respond, waiting for her response. She looks around, then leans in toward my shoulder. She’s about a foot lower than my shoulder, given the fact that she’s 12 and I’m 14. “Monur loves-“ “Jazel,” I finish her sentence. She nods and we both giggle. “Girls!” Verben yells. Grace’s head immediately turns toward him, and I try not to laugh. “We found something!” Grace and I exchange a look before running to them, looking at where Verben is pointing. “A body,” Jazel says, bending down and examining it. “Wow!” I say sarcastically. “That’s astonishing! Especially since we’re in an where we’re supposed to each other!” Just then, the cannon blows. I look up, and that’s when I realize the sun is setting and it’s almost night. I look back at Verben as he opens his mouth to say something. “We’re just saying, it could be Ten.” “I doubt that,” Grace speaks up. “I saw Ten at the Cornucopia. She had a spear. She most likely still has it, because no one was using a , other than Monur, during training. If this was Ten, she would’ve had a spear in her hand. But this girl is less.” Two images pop up in the air. Male from Six and Seven. "15 tributes left..." I whisper. "Fifteen?" Nabil squints his eyes and tilts his head to the side, looking at me like I'm a weird caveman. "Yeah," I respond. "district 1 female and male, district 2 female and male, district 3 male, district 4 female and male, district 6 female, district 7 female, district 8 female, district 9 male, district 10 female, district 11 male and female, district 12 male and female. They're all still alive." "Our job is to make sure they're not." Jazel snaps. "And right now we're doing a terrible job!" "We could always split up," I suggest. Jazel scoffs and lifts her lips, as if to imitate that she's disgusted at my stupidity. "Excuse me?" "That literally makes no sense." Nabil speaks up. "If we go alone then we'll most likely die from a tribute. We need each other." His voice fades on the last one as he looks around, as if waiting for nods of approval. "Precisely," I say. "Which is why we go in groups. Grace and I, Monur and Jazel, Nabil and Verben." "And why do you get to decide the groups?" Monur scoffs. "Because I can," I snap back. "Unless, you know, you trust anyone else with your lovely district partner." "No, no," he quickly objects. "We'll all go with who you say." (pt. 2 in notes + creds)