Chapter 15

Snow's P.O.V.

"Snow?" Orchid said softly. "Are you okay? What happened?"

I tried to clear my thoughts. "I-I was betrayed."

"Who betrayed you?" Orchid asked helping me sit up.

"J-Jason." I murmured.

"Jason?" 

I nodded.

"You're weak and hurt. Let's get some food and water into you and bandage you up and then we'll talk." Orchid said standing up.

"Wait." I said standing up shakily. "Aren't you going kill me?" 

I remembered Jason asking me the exact same question.

"I should ask the same question." Orchid said quietly. "Even in this state, you could kill me."

I shook my head slowly. "People overestimate me."

"I have no interest in killing you Snow. You helped me in the training center. I don't think you're like everyone says you're like."

"The last time someone said that to me, he ended up trying to kill me." I said softly.

"We have a lot to talk about." Orchid said turning away.

"Wait." I said again. "The first day of the Games, I blacked out, someone helped me but didn't kill me. I recognize your voice."

She nodded. "You blacked out from hunger and thirst. I found you unconcious in the forest. I gave you some food and water and hid you in some bushes before leaving." Orchid turned sheepish and shifted awkwardly. "I took one of your knives too. Sorry."

I laughed. "You helped me and didn't kill me, I think that justifies you taking a knife from me."

She laughed too.

"My alliances haven't been going well so far, but I trust you." I said softly. "Allies?"

"Why would you want to ally with me? I'm a weak twelve year old. I don't have any skills." Orchid said.

"You saved my life. Besides, I think you're a better survivor than you think."

She grinned. "Allies then. But let's get you fixed up first."

***

Orchid was applying the cut medicine Enobaria had given to me. 

"So what happened between you and Jason?" she asked as she worked.

"I honestly don't know." I admitted. "My head is still throbbing, I can't concentrate."

Orchid nodded sympathetically. "I get it. Maybe a good night's sleep will help."

"Speaking of sleep, where do you normally sleep?" I asked curiously.

She shrugged. "In the trees or in a cave if I can find one. I don't stay in one place for more than a day or two. Too easy to track. Plus, I like running around."

"I have a sleeping bag. We can probably both fit." I suggested.

Her eyes lit up. "Great!"

We found a good, sturdy tree and climbed it. 

As we listened to the Capitol Anthem (no deaths) we talked.

"Don't you ever get afraid that you'll be sleeping in a tree and it'll fall down?" I asked.

She shook her head. "The Gamemakers only cutt the ropes during the day or right before it get's dark."

"You're brilliant you know." I commented.

"Me? No." she said shaking her head. "You're the brilliant one."

"I'm not brilliant." I said shaking my head as well. "I just got lucky. I grew up privleged. Sure, I hated my life, but I had shelter, I had clothes, I had enough food to keep me from starving. Some people don't have that." I murmured thinking of Jason.

"Jason liked you before the Games started you know." Orchid said. "I could tell, whenever he saw you in the training center his eyes would light up. Plus, he was jealous when he saw you talking to that District 1 boy." 

"Jerome? Why would he be jealous of Jerome?"

"Cause he liked you." Orchid said giggling.

I laughed. "He sure has a funny way of showing it."

Orchid yawned. "It's getting late. We should go to sleep."

I nodded. She immediately curled up and fell asleep next to me.

Weirdly enough, I trusted her wholeheartedly despite the fact that I knew we couldn't both come out of this alive.

I fell asleep with my thoughts still circling in my head.

Jason's P.O.V.

Vena was sleeping as I sat in the cave and thought to myself.

Snow seemed confused when we talked about her wanting to kill me.

And another thing, why didn't she kill me and Vena? It would've been easy, we were both weak. She could've hit us with her knives and we would've been dead in seconds.

But she didn't.

Maybe she missed?

I sighed and stoop up. I couldn't just sit here, my heart was pounding, I needed to walk around a little bit.

My feet shuffled in the clearing near our cave.

Did I regret attacking Snow?

Her eyes were filled with so much hurt when she was looking at me after she pinned me to that tree. 

I didn't know if she was telling the truth. 

Where was she now? Was she okay?

I stared at the tree where Snow pinned us to, the knives were still there. It had taken us forever to pull them out. 

A flash of white caught my eye.

One of the knives was pinning a piece of paper to the bark.

I carefully pulled the knife loose, trying not to tear the paper. Finally, the knife slipped out and I managed to unfold the paper. Luckily the hole in the paper didn't destroy any of the words.

The Hunger Games is no place for love. Remember the last time?

-Enobaria

I read the words again and again, but stayed thoroughly confused. Enobaria had written this note, that meant it had been given to Snow in a parachute.

But what did this message have to do with Snow?

Remember the last time?

Snow had been in love? That didn't make any sense. She had specifically told me that she had never dated a guy back in District 2.

She could've been lying.

But if she had been lying and she really did date some guy in District 2, what would that have to do with the Games? 

Enobaria couldn't have meant the last time there was love in the Games could she?

Because that would mean the Katniss and Peeta story.

I thought for a moment. 

Katniss and Peeta.

They fell in love during the Games. The Gamemakers had announced a rule change mid-games saying that two people from the same District could both win. Katniss and Peeta both became allies and beat all the other tributes. But then the Gamemakers took back the rule change and told them to kill each other. Katniss and Peeta refused and tried to suicide using poisonous berries.

They were executed.

And the Capitol managed to revive Cato from District 2 and he became victor.

What would that have to do with Snow though?

I sat down and leaned on the tree, contemplating possible choices.

Somehow, out of the corner of my eye, I saw another flash of white.

I had to be imagining it though. 

Just to be sure, I stood and approached the area. Sure enough, there was a paper, half covered in dirt.

I dusted it off and opened it.

Playing hard to get? Good choice, he might just try to sacrifice himself for you.

-Enobaria

Another note?

When did Snow get this?

A thought occured to me.

There was that day, I had slept the whole night. Snow had recieved a parachute with a pot of broth in it. 

She flinched slightly when she read the note.

The "he" Enobaria was referring to could only be me.

But why she suggest that I would sacrifice myself for Snow?

And playing hard to get?

Something told me that there were more notes. 

I headed back to the cave. 

Vena was still sound asleep.

I sat down and just simply relaxed and thought for a while.

My leg was becoming numb, so I shifted slightly.

My head hit something sharp.

I turned my head and rubbed the back of it.

There was a piece of paper sticking out of one of the crevices of the cave.

What?

I carefully pulled it out without tearing it and opened it up.

I know you're falling in love with him. Be careful, you never know who you can trust.

-Enobaria

Once again, I read the words over and over.

I know you're falling in love with him.

Why would Enobaria write that? 

And the second part of her message...

It was like she knew that I was going to team up with Vena and try to kill Snow.

But the first part?

I know you're falling in love with him.

Enobaria knew that Snow was falling in love with me?

But why would Snow be in love with me?

And if she was (which was next to impossible), why would she pull away when I kissed her?

I stood up again, too restless to stay in one place.

Another thought hit me.

After Snow blew up the wolves, I saw her crying and reading something.

Another note?

Wait.

I started to fumble to open my jacket pockets. I knew I had it in here somewhere.

I finally opened the right one and pulled out a piece of paper. During our fight, my hand acidentally caught in Snow's belt. When I pulled it away, I had a piece of paper in my hand.

There was no way...

Yet I still opened the paper and read the words.

Good luck with the bomb my sweet Snow. The wolves were a special present from me. You fell in love with the boy, and love is a dangerous thing. What have I been telling you all along? Why don't you use one of the knives to kill yourself? Or will you be the hero you always aspired to be? 

The Hunger Games is no place for love.

-Enobaria

I stared blankly at the paper for a few moments.

You fell in love with the boy.

Snow fell in love with me.

That was impossible. Completely out of question. I refused to even consider it. I didn't dare let myself think that it was possible.

Because the way I saw it...

It wasn't.

Why would Snow be crying though?

"I don't get it." I murmured to myself.

Snow was right.

I didn't understand her.

Snow's P.O.V.

I woke up and saw Orchid already cooking some type of bird over a small fire.

"Morning!" she called.

"Morning." I said climbing down sleepily.

She handed me a leg of the bird as I sat down next to her.

"How's your arm?"

"Better." I said taking a bite of the leg.

"You can call me Nurse Orchid." she joked.

I smiled but felt a pang of sadness go through me.

"What's wrong?" she asked, somehow immediately noticing.

"It's nothing." I said shaking my head dismissively. "It's just..." I trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"It's just what?" Orchid asked curiously. She bounced up and down with excitement.

I smiled slightly. "You're a lot like Jason that's all."

"Oh." Orchid said frowning slightly.

I didn't say anything for a while.

"What happened between you two?" she asked breaking the silence.

"Why do you want to know?" I didn't say it in a rude way, just a curious way.

"It's just...the way you talk about him...it's not angry or anything like that like it should be considering he tried to kill you. You talk about him in a sad and wistful kind of way."

I laughed sadly. "I guess I do, don't I? Where do you want me to begin?"

"How'd you meet him in the Games?"

I thought for a moment. "It wasn't long after I woke up from blacking out from hunger and thirst. I was in a tree I think. The Gamemakers cut the ropes and my tree started to fall. I was running away when I saw a tribute standing, paralyzed, as a tree was about to fall on top of him. I screamed for him to move but he didn't. So I tackled him right before the tree was about to hit him. It didn't take me long to realize it was Jason."

Orchid nodded. "Then what happened?"

I shrugged. "We became allies, we were close. I told him all about District 2 and my past and he told me a little about his. He nearly got killed by this wolf but I managed to kill it in time. I trained him. Then, the night Winnow died, there was this huge pack of muttations. The first one jumped out of the forest behind Jason. It was about to kill him when I pushed him aside and the wolf hit me instead. I tried to fight them but there were too many. So I ran and they chased me. I went to the Cornucopia where all the tribute's platforms were. I managed to reactivate one of the metal plate bombs and killed all the wolves. The next day...he kissed me."

"He kissed you?" Orchid said in surprise.

I nodded. "B-But I couldn't let him. It's hard to explain. H-He said he loved me. But I couldn't let him. If I did, he would be dead by now." 

"Why?" Orchid asked.

"If I told you, they would try to kill you like they did Jason." 

She nodded. "What happened next?"

"I ran away." I continued. "And camped out in a tree. The next day, when I came back to talk to him, a girl, Vena from District 1, jumped out from the forest and tried to kill me. At first I thought that Jason was hurt, but then he appeared and tried to kill me too. After I trapped them, I spoke to them briefly. They kept talking about how I wanted to kill him."

"Did you?"

"No!" I said immediately. "When I ran away, it was because I was confused and conflicted, not mad. I would've never tried to kill him!"

I paused and sighed. "My theory is that Jason and Vena were together from the beginning, and that they planned to kill me."

"Then why would he say he loved you?"

"I don't know." I said shaking my head. "To mess with my mind?"

"Why would they think you wanted to kill Jason after you saved his life three times?" Orchid asked.

I shrugged slightly. "Who knows?"

We sat in silence for a few moments.

"Did you...love him?" Orchid asked softly.

I looked down at my trembling hands. "I-"

My words were cut off by the snap of branches.

I immediately stood up and pulled out a knife. My eyes focused on my target and I threw it, hitting the tree. 

Nothing popped out.

"Why'd you do that?" Orchid asked.

I explained to her the same thing I explained to Jason when he asked the same question.

She nodded. "Well, we better hunt to keep our food supply up."

"Yeah sure." I said absentmindly. My eyes still focused on the tree. 

I could've sworn I saw bright blue eyes stare at me for a split second.

But then they were gone.