Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Going to the Banquet

There are still a few hours, and the night is coming.I moved a lot of stones and camouflaged the entrance of the cave as best I could. I worked slowly and hard, sweating profusely, and moved the stones with all my strength.Finally finished, the opening of the hole looks like a part of a large mountain rock, blending with the surrounding stones, I am very satisfied with my work.I'm still crawling to Peeta's through a small opening, but I can't tell from the outside.Great, I still have to share a sleeping bag with Peeta tonight.Of course, if I don't come back tonight, Peeta can hide herself well without being trapped.I wonder how long he can last without drugs, and if I go to the party and die, there will be no winner in District 12.

The fish caught in this section of the creek were smaller and thinner than those upstream. I cooked the fish, filled various containers with water, sterilized them, and then began to wipe my bow and arrows, as well as nine arrows.I thought about leaving the knife to Peeta so he could protect himself; but it didn't really make much sense, he had a point when he said camouflage was his last resort, but I still needed the knife, God knows what will happen. A few things are certain, at least Cato, Graf, and Thrash will come prepared to the party.I don't know about Foxface, direct confrontation is not her style, she doesn't have that kind of strength, she is unarmed and even smaller than me, unless she got a weapon recently.She's wandering somewhere at the moment, maybe looking for a chance to find something, but the other three are... more than enough for me.Shooting from a distance is my greatest strength, but I know I have to be close to get the backpack, the one Claudius Templesmith mentioned with the District 12 number on it.

I looked up at the sky, hoping that there would be one less opponent tomorrow morning, but no one appeared in the video tonight.Tomorrow there will be many faces, and there will be bloody deaths at the banquet. I crawled into the hole, put on my night vision goggles, and curled up next to Peeta.I was lucky enough to get a good night's sleep today and now I have to stay awake, I don't think anyone will raid our cave at night, but I can't risk missing my early morning wake up time. It was so cold tonight, bone-chilling, the tournament organizers must have pumped cold air into the arena.I lie in the sleeping bag next to Peeta, trying to absorb every ounce of heat from his hot body.It was an odd feeling to be so physically close to someone who wasn't very close.Although Peeta is close at hand, he is so far away. Even if he is in the Capitol or District 12 or on the moon, he is closer to me than he is at this time. lonely.

"Tonight is really bad, let's face it," I said to myself.I try not to think about Mom and Prim, but my mind still flies back to them, can they sleep tonight?In the second half of the competition, there are important events such as banquets, presumably their schools are also on holiday.Mom and Prim can watch the buzzing broken TV at home, or squeeze into the crowd to watch the big clear screen in the plaza.You can enjoy private space at home, and you will get support from many people when you go to the square.People send them words of comfort and maybe some food.Does the baker keep his word, especially at this point in time when Peeta and I partner up and keep my sister fed?The people in the 12th district must be in high spirits. Few people in our district could persist until this stage of the competition before.Peeta and I definitely got them excited, especially now that we're allied.When I close my eyes, I can imagine them shouting in front of the screen, cheering us on.I could see faces - Gracie Se, March, even the vigilante who bought my meat - they were all rooting for us.

Besides, Gail, I know him, he will not shout for cheer, he will just watch quietly, always pay attention to my every move, longing for me to go home.I wonder to myself if he wants Peeta to come home, too.Gail is not my boyfriend, but would he be receptive if I opened up?He once said that we would run away together, did it just mean that we could find a way out of District 12, or did he mean something else? What did he think of my kiss with Peeta? Through the cracks in the rocks, I saw the moon hanging high in the sky, and I could tell that it was only about three hours before dawn. I made the final preparations, and I carefully left the water and the first aid kit with Peeta.If I don't come back, the other stuff won't be of much use, and even if it all comes in handy, Peeta will only last a short while.After much deliberation, I took off his jacket and put it on myself.He doesn't need a jacket, he has a fever and stays in a sleeping bag, so he won't be cold; if I don't help him take it off during the day, he will be extremely hot.My hands are now numb from the cold.I took out Lulu's socks, cut out the holes, and put them on my hands, which worked, anyway.I put some food, a water bottle, and bandages in her small backpack, put the knife in her waist, and took the bow and arrows.As I was about to leave, I suddenly remembered the co-star routine, so I leaned in and gave Peeta a long kiss.I imagined that the Capitol must have been moved to tears, and I pretended to wipe the tears from my eyes.After that, he squeezed out from the crack of the stone and came outside.

The breath in my mouth quickly condensed into white mist, very cold, just like the November night in my hometown.On nights like these, I used to sneak out into the woods, meet Gale at the appointed place, and sit huddled together, sipping herbal tea from a cotton-covered metal mug, while I waited for the game to die before dawn. go through. "Oh, Gail," I thought, "it would be nice to have you by my side now..." I try to let go of my guts and speed up my pace.I can see clearly with the night vision goggles on, but it still hurts me to be deaf in my left ear.I can't say exactly how the blast damaged my hearing, but it must have been deep and hard to recover.It doesn't matter, as long as I can go home, I will be very rich, and I can hire someone to listen to the voice for me.

The jungle at night always looks different. Even if you wear night vision goggles, everything around you still looks strange. It seems that the trees, flowers, fish and rocks have fallen asleep during the day, and it is their ominous partners who sneaked into the night.Reluctant to try a new route, I returned to the creek and followed the same route to Lulu's hiding place by the lake.Along the way, I didn't find any traces of other players, not even the sound of breathing out or the sound of branches breaking.Either I was the first to arrive, or someone else had hidden here last night.I crawled forward and hid in the bushes. There was a bloody fight coming, and it was more than an hour, maybe two hours away.

I chewed a few mint leaves and I wasn't hungry.Thank God I was wearing Peeta's jacket and my own, otherwise, I'd have to walk back and forth to keep warm.It was already dawn, gloomy and foggy, and the others still disappeared, which was not surprising, because they all thought they were strong, lethal, and quick-witted.I wonder if they already know I'm with Peeta?I'm guessing Foxface and Saresh didn't even know he was injured.Best if Peeta covers me when they think I'm coming to get the pack. But where is the banquet?The arena is already brightly lit, I can take off my glasses, and the early morning birds are singing.Is it not time yet?Suddenly, I felt a panic in my heart, did I come to the wrong place.No, I must have heard Claudius say the horn of Zeus, and the horn of Zeus is in sight, and here I am.What about our banquet?

When the first ray of golden sunlight hit the horn of Zeus, there was some movement in the open space in front.The ground at the opening of the Horn of Zeus cracked, and a round table covered with a snow-white tablecloth rose up and appeared in the arena.There are four backpacks on the table, two large black bags with numbers two and eleven on them, one medium green bag with number five on them, and one small orange bag — so small I can wrap it around my wrist — must be marked with the number twelve. The table clicked and stopped moving, and then a figure rushed out from the horn of Zeus like an arrow, grabbed the green bag and ran away.Fox face!It's really her who came up with such an adventurous and clever way!The others were still staying on the outskirts of the open space, waiting for the right moment, but she had already grabbed the backpack first.The other backpacks are still on the table, and no one will move when everything is unpredictable.Foxface must have placed the other backpacks far away on purpose, and taking one away would definitely attract pursuers.I should have used this trick!For a while, surprise, envy, anger, jealousy, and frustration all rushed out of my heart.Just as I was hesitating, the brown-red hair of the fox face had quickly disappeared into the woods, beyond the range of my arrows.Ha, I've been worried about the others, but maybe my real opponent is her!

Patronized to see her, time was ticking, obviously I should be second to the table, anyone else would have taken my backpack and run away.Without hesitation, I stood up and rushed over.At this time, I could feel the danger approaching me. Fortunately, the first knife rushed from the right side of my body with a swishing sound. I heard the sound in my right ear, and I hurriedly dodged. The bow bar blocked the knife go out.I turned around, drew the bow fully, and aimed for Graf's heart.She sideways, dodging the fatal blow, the point of the arrow piercing her left upper arm.As luck would have it, she was still able to throw the knife with her right hand, but the arrow also slowed her attack, and she pulled it out to examine the wound.Still straight ahead I hit the second arrow as deftly as an old hunter.

I had run to the table, picked up the little orange bag, I put it on my arm, such a small bag can only be carried on the arm, I turned to shoot again, the second knife that flew hit me right On my forehead, the knife slipped and cut a big gash on my right brow bone. Blood flowed down my face, blocking my sight. There was a rusty taste of blood in my mouth.I staggered back a few steps, trying to shoot the arrow in that general direction, but I knew I couldn't hit it like this.That's when Graf slammed me onto my back and put his knee on my shoulders. "It's finally here." I thought, for Prim's sake, I want it to come sooner.But Graf seemed to want to enjoy this moment, feeling that he still had time.No doubt, Cato was nearby, protecting her, and also guarding Thresh, and maybe Peeta. "Where's your boyfriend, District 12? Still hanging out, huh?" she asked. OK, as long as we talk, I'll be alive. "He's over there, killing Cato," I yelled at her.Then I yelled as hard as I could, "Peeta!" Graf shoved his fist into my mouth, and it was so effective that my voice couldn't come out.She looked left and right, and I knew for a split second that she thought I was telling the truth.Peeta doesn't show up, and she turns to me again. "Lie," she grinned. "He's dying. Cato knows where he's been stabbed. Why don't you hide him in some tree and let him linger. What's in that pretty little bag? Here 'Lovely Boy' medicine, huh? Too bad he'll never get it." Graf opened the jacket, and there was a row of knives inside. She took out a few curved and delicate knives, and said, "I promised Cato, if I catch you, I will let the audience keep their eyes open." I struggled desperately to get rid of her, but to no avail, she was so heavy that she was firmly on top of me. "Forget it, District 12, we're going to kill you, just like the little ally who killed you, what's her name, that person jumping back and forth on the tree? Lulu? Well, first kill Lu Lou, kill you again, and as for the 'cute boy', let nature take care of him. How does that look to you?" Graf asked, "Now, where do we start?" She nonchalantly wiped the blood off my face with her sleeve, then looked at my face carefully, twisting it around like she was looking at a piece of wood to decide where to put the knife.I wanted to bite her hand, but she grabbed the hair on top of my head and pinned me to the ground. "I think..." a rough voice came out of her throat, "we'll start with your mouth." I clenched my teeth as she scratched my lips with the tip of the knife. I refused to close my eyes, she said Lulu's tone made me angry and decided to die with dignity.As long as I can see, though it may not be long, to look her in the eye as a final sign of defiance, I will keep staring at her, I will not cry, I will show my indomitability. "Yeah, I think your lips are useless too, want to blow your 'cute boy' one last kiss?" she asked. I spit a mouthful of blood and saliva all over her face.She flushed with anger. "Well then, let's get started." I pulled myself together, ready for her to vent her anger on me, and just as the point of her knife touched my lips, a huge force threw her body off of me, and then I heard her scream.I was startled at first, unable to react to what was happening in front of me.Peeta came to my rescue?The organizers of the contest released the beast to cheer up the competition?Was it the elusive helicopter that caught her in the air? I propped myself up on numb elbows, only to realize it was neither.Graf had one foot dangling in the air and Saresh's arms hugged her tightly.I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Salish standing in front of me like an iron tower, and Graf was like a broken doll in Salish's arms.In my memory, he was very tall, but now he looks taller and taller than I remember him.If my guess is correct, he must have put on weight in the arena.He picked up Graf and threw her on the ground. He growled loudly, and I took the opportunity to stand up quickly. I had never heard him speak loudly before. "What did you do to the little girl? Did you kill her?" Graf crawled backwards on all fours like a reptile, too frightened to call out Cato's name. "No! No! Not me!" "You said her name, I heard you, did you kill her?" He became more and more angry, "You cut her like you cut this girl?" "No! No!—" Graf saw that Salish was clutching a rock the size of a small bread, and screamed: "Cato! Cato!" "Graf." I heard Cato's voice, judging from the voice, he was far away and couldn't help Graf.what is he doingScratching Foxface and Peeta?Still lying in ambush somewhere waiting to attack Saresh, but seriously misjudged the location. The stone in Sareish's hand slammed into Graf's temple hard. There was no blood, but I saw the big hole in her head and I knew she was going to die. Salish rushed to me again, raised the stone in his hand, it was useless to run, I had no arrows in my bow, the last arrow shot in the direction of Graf, Salish used his strange gold Brown eyes stare at me. "What does she mean? Lulu is your ally?" "I—I—we teamed up and blew up their supplies, and I tried to save her, but he got there first, the guy from District One," I said. Maybe he knows that I saved Lulu, so he won't use the cruelest method to slowly kill me. "You killed him?" he asked. "Yes, I killed him and buried her among the flowers," I said, "and she fell asleep to my singing." Tears welled up in my eyes, and the memory of Lulu occupied my heart at this time, diluting the tension caused by the fight just now.But I had a headache, fear of Thresh, and the moaning of a dying girl a few feet away. "Sleeping?" Thrash said gruffly. "Dead, I sang till she died," I said, "Your district...they gave me bread." I raised my hand, not to get the arrow, I knew I was too late to get the arrow, I just wiped my nose. "Hurry up, will you, Tharish?" The conflict in Saresh's heart could be seen from his face. He put down the stone in his hand and said in a harsh tone that seemed to be reproachful: "Only this time, I let you go. For the sake of that girl, we are now even. You don't owe anyone, do you understand?" I nodded, knowing what it meant.What is to know kindness and repay, what is to distinguish between love and hate.If Sarrish wins, he'll have to go back and face the District 11 crowd who broke the rules to thank me, while he's also breaking the rules to thank me.I understand that means now Saresh won't smash my skulls out. "Graf!" Cato's voice was already very close, and he could tell from his painful tone that he had seen Graf on the ground. "You'd better run, Flame Girl," Tharish said. There is no need to say it a second time, I put my feet on the solid ground, and ran like flying, leaving Salish, Graf, and Cato in the distance behind.I ran all the way into the woods before I dared to turn around and take a look.Salish, with two large backpacks on his back, quickly disappeared into an unknown area I hadn't seen, and Cato knelt beside Graf, spear in hand, begging her not to leave him.After a while, he'll realize that it's no use doing this, that she's beyond help.I ran like hell through the woods, wiping the blood from my eyes like a wounded animal fleeing.A few minutes later I heard the cannon and knew that Graf was dead.Cato would track down one of us, or Tharish, or me.I was filled with fear, weak and shaking from the head injury.I hitched another arrow, but Cato threw the spear as far as I shot it. One thing that comforts me is that Saresh is holding Cato's backpack, which has something Cato desperately needs.If I had to bet, I'd bet he'd go after Saresh, not me.But I didn't slow down when I reached the edge of the creek, I jumped into the water with my boots on, and made my way downstream with difficulty.I took off Lulu's socks, which were used as gloves, and put them on my forehead, trying to stop the bleeding, but the socks were soaked in blood within a few minutes. I stumbled back to the cave and squeezed my way through a crack in the rock.In the dappled light of the hole, I removed the bag from my arm, slit the buckle, and dumped everything on the floor.A long, thin case holds hypodermic needles.Without hesitation, I stuck the needle into Peeta's arm and slowly pushed the medicine in. I raised my hand to touch my head, and then my hand fell limply on my knee, covered with sticky blood. The last thing I remember is a particularly beautiful silver-green moth landing on my wrist.