Night 5
Cho’s head was spinning. Even as she lay down, everything twisted around her. Closing her eyes only increased the vertigo.
It must have been the berries, she thought. It must have…
All around her, the colours of her surroundings blended together. She couldn’t differentiate between reality and fantasy. She saw the farm where she worked and right next to it the forest of the Arena, the open meadows of District 10 and the Cornucopia surrounded by a pool of water.
Cho groaned and threw an arm over her face.
“Go to sleep,” she told herself. “Please fall asleep.”
————
With each passing hour, Daniel’s confidence in his own survival dwindled further and further down. The tears on his cheeks he didn’t even bother to wipe away, seeing as more kept coming. His breathing stuttered at times, and he had to force himself to breathe in deep.
“Come on,” he tried to tell himself, “it’s almost over. Just hang in there.”
A sob broke his own pep talk.
“Just a little longer.” His voice cracked and he buried his head in his knees.
————
Through all odds, Henley and Harry found each other again that night. Their hands once again intertwined, sleep found them easily.
Henley’s eyelids fluttered as she dreamed, her nose twitching occasionally. Harry’s mouth hung open a fraction, soft breaths leaving him. He moved closer to Henley in his sleep, his hand squeezing Henley’s lightly.
They both knew this peacefulness wouldn’t last, but they would hold onto it for as long as they could.