━━･❪ 🌸 ❫ ･━━

The first thing Daphne did in those fleeting sixty seconds before the gong sounded was take in her surroundings. This was not a typical arena setting.

The tributes were in what seemed like an old, abandoned ghost town of towering adobe buildings. The cornucopia was stationed in the middle of a giant, circular cobblestone plaza. The tributes were standing on podiums at the edges of the plaza. There were various weapons and supplies scattered across the plaza and inside the cornucopia. Daphne eyed a belt of throwing knives resting yards away from her.

The next thing she did was survey possible exits. There were alleyways everywhere, snaking between the cracked buildings. She could already tell it was like a maze. She wondered how big the arena was. Was the whole thing dominated by tight alleyways and massive beige towers?

That was all she had time to contemplate, even if it was the longest sixty seconds of her life. The sound of the gong rang out across the sky, and all hell broke loose.

The plaza suddenly exploded with action. A good amount of tributes sprinted straight for the cornucopia, snatching whatever weapons available and tearing into each other. Within seconds, the arena was filled with screams and the clang of metal on metal, metal on flesh, the cobblestones flowing with spilled blood.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Theia had told Daphne to run from the cornucopia, but her mentor had also said that she should get her hands on knives as soon as possible. Aedon had managed to snatch some blades from the cornucopia five years ago. If Daphne didn't run for that belt right now, she may lose her chance at a weapon for good.

Without giving it another thought, Daphne sprinted for the belt, the soles of her boots gripping the cobblestones and assisting her balance. She tried to tune out the sounds of battle as she ran parallel to the cornucopia, where the belt lay astray from the chaos.

Adrenaline pumped through her blood as Daphne seized the belt, then made a break for the nearest alleyway. Right as she was about to reach the safety between two buildings, something barreled into her. The impact knocked her off her feet. Her shoulder banged painfully against the cobblestone ground. The belt flew from her grasp like the breath from her lungs.

Daphne barely had time to pop back onto her feet before her attacker slammed her against the wall with enough force to rattle her teeth. Small but strong hands were wrapped around her throat in an instant, crushing her windpipe.

Daphne let out a strangled sound as the stars cleared from her vision and she took in her attacker. It was the scrawny girl from District Eight, Mellie Alta, who'd received a two during her assessment. Fire raged in her dark blue eyes and she squeezed harder, a vein bulging in her neck.

Daphne grabbed Mellie's wrists in a crushing grip, attempting to pry her fingers from her throat. Mellie didn't budge. Daphne tried to kick and thrash, but her body was beginning to grow numb. Her throat felt as if it were being crushed to pieces, and her lungs screamed for air that she couldn't intake. Panic seized her brain.

No way she was going to die, right here, right now. At the hands of Mellie, the little girl whom she'd severely underestimated. Up close, Daphne realized those deceptively thin arms of Mellie's hid rock hard muscle.

Suddenly, Mellie's hands loosened around Daphne's neck. Daphne vaguely felt liquid splash her face as she took a sharp inhale, coughing and sputtering as her windpipe reopened. Mellie's face was locked in wide-eyed surprise. Daphne realized why a second later.

The tip of an arrow protruded from Mellie's chest, blood streaking from the wound. She slumped to the ground, unmoving, and didn't get back up.

Daphne looked up, still hacking from her near strangulation, and found Caelum. He had a haunted look in his green eyes, and his mouth was set in a tight purse as he lowered a polished wooden bow. There was one less arrow in his quiver.

His chin tipped in a nod so faint Daphne wondered if she'd imagined it, then he sprinted away into another alleyway. Daphne tried to call for him to wait, but all she managed to get out was another series of coughs.

More and more tributes were starting to escape the cornucopia now, dissolving into the shadows of the alleyways. Daphne hastily picked up the belt, casting one last glance at Mellie's limp body, the arrow that had taken her life. Her lips were already turning blue, her eyes staring blankly. Daphne swallowed a scream and dashed after Caelum, her legs still tingling from the momentary cutoff of oxygen.

Daphne's head spun as she darted down the cobblestone path. It opened up in three different directions as she stumbled across more buildings. She could barely hear anything over her own heartbeat and the violent noises from the cornucopia, and Caelum was nowhere to be seen.

Of course. She'd been silly to think she could catch up to him. He was one of the fastest runners of their year at school.

Giving up the fleeting hope of finding him, Daphne took off down a random path. She'd been right, this was like a maze. Alleys and pathways connected to each other in a gridlike manner around the rectangular buildings, all of whom looked the exact same save for the cracks spiderwebbing along their sides.

Daphne strapped on the belt as she was running, suddenly grateful for all the long distance pacing they'd had to do in gym class. The familiar weight of knives around her waist seemed to give her a boost of energy as she pushed her legs harder against the ground, picking up speed despite the fact that it hurt to breathe. There were six knives attached to the belt, each easily unsheathed at the slightest notice.

It was hard to get air in and out of her lungs, her windpipe no doubt bruised. She was wheezing and choking on her own phlegm within minutes, forced to slow down to a quick trot as she snaked between buildings.

After who knows how long, Daphne decided that she was sufficiently alone. She slowed down to a walk, her legs shaking as she struggled for breath. A pounding headache raged through her skull, and she suddenly felt the urge to vomit. It was oddly silent. No birds sang. In fact, she hadn't encountered a single living thing in the arena so far, not even plants. Everything was run-down and manmade.

Daphne moved in spontaneous paths to throw off anyone who might be stalking her, backtracking some alleyways twice, or even three times. She would go in a particular pattern around a series of buildings for a while before moving on. The only thing that stayed consistent was that she didn't stop moving.

The more distance she covered, the more she was convinced the entire arena was made of multi-story adobe buildings densely packed together. The scenery didn't change even as hours ticked by, the world swamped out in shades of beige. There was the occasional pile of crates, rope or even hay for some unknown reason, but all in all nothing that could be of use to her at the moment.

It was about midafternoon when she heard the cannon shots, counting the dead at the bloodbath.

Seventeen. Seventeen children would officially never return home to their families. One of which was Mellie Alta.

A sinking sense of guilt puddled in Daphne's stomach. If Mellie hadn't gone after Daphne, she would probably still be alive. If Daphne hadn't tried to patch things up with Caelum, he might not have shot Mellie to save her. A fifteen year old, now dead. And Daphne couldn't help but think it was her fault.

Did Theron and Azalea get out alive? What about Rye? Glory?

Daphne's thoughts began to spiral, then halted as her ears picked up a faint noise. It wasn't footsteps, the breathing of another tribute nearby. No, it was water.

That seemed to remind her body that she was in need of nutrients. Her throat was scratchier than ever, and her mouth felt like it was lined with sandpaper. Daphne quickly changed paths and started towards the direction of the noise. From what she could hear, it was rushing water. And rushing water typically meant clean water. But this was an abandoned city, for all she knew it could be sewage.

She began to pick up the pace regardless, tracking through alleys towards the sound of water. It grew louder and louder to the point it was roaring in her eardrums. She began to wonder if she was about to stumble across a waterfall in the middle of an adobe urban town. Now that would be a sight to see.

Daphne wiped at the sweat on her face, her hands coming away crimson. She realized she still had Mellie's blood splattered all over her. With a shudder, she broke into a light trot.

Daphne caught a glimpse of open area through the alleyways and hurried towards it, the sound of rushing water seeming to come from there. She burst out onto a dock over a canal, the water clear and tumbling past as if it were a river rapid. Daphne suddenly felt very exposed.

She'd left the shelter of the buildings, for they ended abruptly before the canal, leaving only wooden docks branching out from the cobblestone ground. She had a clear view of the sun now, deducing that it must be late afternoon. Sunset would approach in an hour or so.

The dock was low enough to the water that Daphne could reach out and scoop a handful. Upon examining that it was fresh, clean water and not sewage, she gulped down several mouthfuls, the coolness soothing her bruised throat.

After sufficiently drinking her fill and wishing she had a water bottle, Daphne glanced down the canal. More adobe buildings stretched on and on, but... there. Farther, farther down, the buildings seemed to fade out into what looked like a suburban area. And if her vision served her right, the canal seemed to open up into an even bigger body of water. A lake, perhaps. Maybe even an ocean.

But it was still miles away. It would take several more hours of traveling to reach the suburban area, but Daphne knew it was her best bet. Because it was so far away, very few tributes would reach it on the first night. She'd be safer there than wherever she was now.

Daphne took a few seconds to wash her face clean of Mellie's blood, then downed a couple more handfuls of water before leaving the dock and trekking through endless alleyways once again, though keeping the canal in sight to orient herself. All she could do was hope nobody had seen her out on the dock.

Night fell sooner than she'd expected. Her entire body ached, she was certain she had about three blisters on her feet, and her throat was throbbing relentlessly. But she had to be close to the suburban area. She had to be, and if she wasn't and turns out she'd just been going in circles the entire time, she swore she was going to throw herself into the canal.

Daphne almost gave a scream of relief as the adobe towers ended abruptly after another hour of walking, giving way to miles of smaller, scattered wooden houses. It was further down that the canal opened up to what she could now see was indeed an ocean. The ocean bordered the suburban land, and as she wandered through, she could tell that it was somewhat like a beach town.

She kept to the canal as she passed wooden houses weakened by the suddenly salty air, along with the occasional run-down boatshack or convenience store. Here, grass grew in spontaneous quads surrounded by houses. The wooden dock continued, bordering the canal and the ocean that it eventually faded into. Trees sprouted here and there. It was no longer the dull, lifelessness of the city.

As Daphne was walking, she glanced up to find the Capital's seal projected across the faux night sky. The memoriam was starting. She watched as the faces of fallen tributes flashed by in order of district. None of the Careers were dead. Her heart gave a painful throb as she saw Mellie's face. To her utter relief, nobody from District Ten appeared. Not without a twinge of pride, she realized that they were the only district other than the Careers who had all four tributes still alive. There was at least one lost from all the others.

It must've been well past midnight when Daphne finally picked out a small wooden house with blue chipped paint to camp out, right at the spot the canal met the ocean. The door gave way with a puff of dust as she pried it open, only to discover that the house was completely bare. No old furniture or anything she could use as a resource, only dusty empty rooms.

Daphne climbed up the creaky stairs, praying that the wooden panels wouldn't give way and send her crashing back down to the first floor. That would be a pathetic way to go.

She found a room with a window that overlooked the ocean and promptly collapsed on the ground. The hardwood floor wasn't kind to her knees, but she couldn't muster the energy to care and she curled up on her side.

Daphne felt filthy. Her leather vest was still red from Mellie's blood, and she was thoroughly drenched in sweat. Her feet had been worked to the point of numbness. Her lips were chapped, but she couldn't even imagine getting back up and taking one last drink of water before turning in for the night. Not to mention her damn throat.

She was too exhausted to even cry at that point. She pulled her plum blossom pendant from beneath her shirt and clutched it, having half the thought to look for stars in the sky before sleep swept her into oblivion at last.

━━･❪ 🌸 ❫ ･━━