ᴡɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ ɢᴀᴍᴇ •ꜰ.ᴏᴅᴀɪʀ•

ɪ'ᴍ ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪʟᴅ ᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴅ ʙʟᴏᴡꜱ

𝘋𝘈𝘠 𝘵𝘦𝘯

after walking for two more days we finally made it to the edge of the island by midday, the only way to get to the other island was to swim or make our way toward where the islands connected, but they didn't make it easy, the edge of the island was overgrown with thorn bushes and the island just drops off into the water, ensuring that no one could just walk around the jungle, we would have to go back through. I think to just tough it out and swim, hoping that Walden thinks the same as me I look back to where the small boy was standing next to me.

"you think we should just swim?"

he just shrugs his shoulders "I don't know how."

"What?" I look at him confused and he just looks around awkwardly.

"Sorry," he scratches the back of his head and I glance back at the water and just point back to where we just came from to try and find a path. "we need to find water, the bottle is empty"

"I haven't seen any sign of water since we left that spring" I shake my head as I try to push limbs out of our way. For the past few days I have been desperately looking under rocks and feeling the ground for some source of fresh water, I have yet to find anything and we are both growing dehydrated.

"maybe your sponsors will send us some water?" he brings up. I haven't gotten anything since the knives, "they like you"

"right," I say looking down, I sort of feel guilty, he hasn't gotten any gifts and I've got two. maybe Fitz is trying for me after all, hopefully, he sees this and sends us some water.

"there's only six left, they are going to push us together" Walden states. it's true once it gets closer to the end they start to draw the tributes to a fight, either providing supplies they need or leading everyone to the same area. I know we aren't going to be safe for long, no one else has died since Link and they need to keep the viewers entertained.

"not yet, I hope" I shake my head, "we need to split, and just hope it doesn't come down to us, I have no intention of hurting you"

I truly meant what I said, walden has grown on me and is my only friend left in the arena. I know if we don't split up then we would have to watch each other die or worse if we, by chance, were the last two and it comes down to us. I couldn't bring myself to hurt the boy that I had been with for the past ten days.

"that's comforting." he slightly chuckles as the air between us grows anxious, we know our time is coming to an end and we will have to go on our own.

"We wait until we find water and then get to a place where we both have somewhere to go then we go our separate ways from there," I say still trying to figure out the plan.

"and what? just wait for my inevitable death." Walden discourages himself, I look at him sympathetically, if the careers did come upon him then he would be dead. but maybe if I could take out most of them he could stand a chance against one. "we both know, I'm not getting out of here Verena"

"don't say that" I shake my head at him arguing his last statement. if that's his case then it is the same as mine.

"It's the truth, you have a chance. I don't even know why you got me at the cornucopia." he put his head down, I could see he was scared. "I should have just died with Birdie"

"Walden, without you, we would have had no idea where to go," I reassure him, he deserves to know how much he has helped all of us get through the arena without him we would still be stuck on square one after we fall silent briefly I try to provide him with some comfort "we can stick together until tomorrow I don't want to spend tonight alone"