Four Weeks to Live

It had been ten days since the Games began. Moss and I had been stuck in a small alcove together for the past few days, as outside a blizzard was raging. We were running out of food very quickly, though we had plenty of water from the snow. Fires were becoming harder and harder to light. We had to rely more on our own body heat more than any other time in that alcove. It was just big enough to fit both of us as well as a fire, but not big enough for a whole lot of comfort. Every time one of us moved, the other was elbowed somewhere. We sat there, huddled up against each other, covered by both of our sweaters lying on top of us. We were both still cold, but at least we had each other. We made small talk when we could, mostly about where we wished we were and our families back home. I told Moss about my brother, Peter. He told me about his sisters, Rosaline and Willow. They were both younger than him and still too young for the Games. Rosaline was ten, and Willow was just four. There was quite an age difference, considering the fact that Moss was my age, seventeen.

“I love them a lot. My parents just work so hard, though. We’re still barely able to get by. That’s why I take so much tesserae. I just have to feed my family.” He said with a sigh. I still felt kind of bad for him. To be entered forty eight times... it’s almost a death sentence.

“You’re a good person for doing it.” I told him, hugging him tighter towards me. He sighed again and I sank into his arms.

“At least one good thing came out of this whole mess.”

“What’s that?”

“I met you.”

We rationed the food we had left to last us another three days, just to be safe. We knew that we both had to survive, or else the other would surely go insane. I still gave him a little extra food every night, just to help him keep his strength up. If anyone ventured up the mountain to find us, at least one of us had to be ready. Moss was much better suited to take on a fully armed tribute than I was. My camouflage skills still hadn’t come in handy. Then again, neither had his strength so far. But still, we had to be ready.