𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 ☘︎ 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞

𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒 ☘︎ 10

I wake up early, too early. Neither Austin nor the careers are awake. I know that Glimmer was supposed to be keeping watch, but she probably clocked out a few hours ago.

"Psst."

Whatever I expected to see, it wasn't Rue, in a neighbouring tree, putting a finger to her lips.

I almost make a gasp, but I know I can't afford to wake up the careers. Rue soon removes the finger from her lips, and for a moment we stare at each other. Then she raises her hand again, and points to something above my head.

I follow her finger up the tree and see a nest, hanging off the branch. I instantly recognise it to be a wasps nest. However, this is the Hunger Games.

These probably aren't normal wasps, but tracker jackers.

During the Dark Days, when the Districts rebelled against the Capitol, the latter set many genetically altered animals and insects upon the Districts. This one was called a tacker jacker, a genetically engineered wasp so that when you get stung, the pain is ten times worse and it also causes hallucinations. Sometimes, if you get stung enough, death.

I turn back to Rue, who's now miming something else. Cutting.

I look up and see that the branch the hive is on is right over the careers. And then everything clicks into place.

I nod at her and then she's gone. Disappeared into the trees. I marvel at this for a second before pulling the knife I got from Clove out my pack and untying myself for the tree branch, putting that back in my pack.

I slowly climb the tree, not feeling a thing from my burns now that Haymitch gave me that cream. Once I'm up the branch enough, but not that close that I'm going to get stung, I pull the knife out, outstretching it to the branch and starting to saw.

When I'm about a quarter of the way through it, I jump as I see Glimmer stir at the base of the tree. She does wake up though, so I'm fine.

At one point, one tracker jackers turns its attention to me, and I feel a searing pain in my arm. I cry out, not caring if I wake up the careers. To be honest, it's a win win, because if they see me cutting the nest, they'll scarper anyway.

Another two turn to me as I nearly finish cutting the branch down. One stings my neck and the other my arm also. Tears spring to my eyes and I struggle to keep going as my vision goes blurry. But just one more saw and it'll drop-

It's as if I'm watching in slow motion as the nest goes down, but as it drops on the ground and smashes, it's certainly not slow.

The careers scream and try to bat the wasps off as I get ready to drop down the tree. I see Austin, Cato, Clove and Marvel run off, but Glimmer isn't so lucky. She falls to the ground as hundreds and hundreds of the wasps attack her and she's screaming like anything.

I scramble down the tree, now becoming victim to my own hallucinations. I'm about to run away from Glimmer and this horrible place, but then I see the axes in her hand...

I have to get them, I know I must. I walk slowly back towards Glimmer, the trees becoming fish and other animals. Slowly, I prise the axes out of her hands and savour every single one.

I start to stand up, but my feet seem too heavy to move. My head's spinnt and my body seems like it's going to collapse any second now.

"Willow, go! Get out of here, go? What are you doing, go!"

Suddenly I see Austin running at me, yelling at me to go and run before the careers come back. I wonder whether I'm imagining this for a second, but for some reason, I know it's real.