Chapter Text
Lamina felt the wind under her feet, as she jumped down inside the rubble. Adrenaline had coursed through her body, and her flight reflex kicked in but in the worst way possible.
Listening to the announcer countdown, her heart beating was deafening, as she frantically looked around the arena. Several of the markers were empty, a further reminder of the stakes. And the rest were either filled with trembling children like her, or children who had hate and determination in their eyes. At the announcement of one, the arena exploded into chaos.
Lamina had tried to run, but was shoved over by one of Coral’s allies. The blond one who seemed to hate her, always glaring at her in the zoo. The fall had confused her momentarially, and before she knew it, she had risen up, her blood and mind racing as she spotted the nearest place to hide.
The tunnels were on the other side of her marker, but the pile of rubble in the middle offered the second best amount of coverage. The carnage around her quicked Laminas pace, as she hoped no one would notice her as she ascended the dusty terrain.
She knew it was probably stupid, as she disregarded any weapons, instead aiming for the hole at the top of the rubble. And miraculously, she had made it with drawing Coral’s vengeful eyes, or the boy from six who had picked up a crossbow, weapons.
The former was more preoccupied with Lucy Gray, the girl from twelve. She had a bigger target than Lamina on her back, which she silently thanked the woods for offering her a mild rest.
She couldn’t afford to rest, as she breathed in the dusty air which was disturbed from when she had fallen down. That and the varying and low levels of light meant her eyes were refocusing.
As she looked around, Lamina found a space big enough to crawl out of, and she nearly started to when she heard it.
“Get him before he shoots one of us!”
“I’m not charging after the kid with a crossbow! This is just as risky as the damn door!”
The pack was back on the surface. Lamina cursed, as her eyes widened, before slapping her hand back over her mouth. She had forgotten where she was. For a moment she could almost pretend her and Treech were playing hide and go seek. But the looming voice of Coral made her remember her place.
Lamians heart pounded as she heard the ongoing fight, and the inevitable scream of death. She nearly shrieked when the four other tributes came into view, the two older boys dragging a still bleeding corpse with them. The sight reminded her how real the situation was.