The Hunger Games discussion

He quickly finished his work and sat down by the fire, trying to warm back up. It had stopped snowing, and his thin coat was icy from half melted snow.

"Where do you want to put the traps?" Asora asked.

Clark shrugged. “Where I can.”

"Sounds like a plan," Asora said. "Do you want me to help you set them up?"

He shook his head. “No. You need to stay warm.”

Asora stared at him. "What about you?"

He shrugged. “I’m fine.” His shivering worsened as a chilling breeze blew past.

"Are you sure?" Asora asked. "You look cold."

He nodded, looking up at her. “I’ll be fine.” He looked back down. “A hug would be nice though. It’d be a little warmer.”

Asora reached over, hugging Clark, not hesitating. “Does that feel warmer?” she asked.

Clark nodded. “Yeah.” He put his arms around her.

"Do you think any more tributes have died?" Asora asked.

She felt as if she was asking the same questions over again. It was almost as if she and Clark were in a cycle where they told each other the same things. It felt repetitive, but she didn't know what else to talk about. Small talk had never been her strong suit, and she never had been a big fan of silence.

Clark shrugged. “Probably.”

"The days feel like they're getting longer and longer," Asora said. "The more the hours pass, the more I feel isolated and lonely. None of this is fair. Pretty much all of us are fighting for the right to be alive, and it terrifies me."

Clark looked over at her with fear in his eyes. He tried to hide it. “It’s alright. I’ll make sure you get through this.”

Asora pursed her lips. "Thanks," she said. "I appreciate that. Sorry I sound so pathetic right now. I'll be fine in a minute."

Clark shook his head. “Of course. It’s alright.”

"It's just hard," Asora said. She sighed. "And here I go complaining about my life, which is perfect in comparison to yours." She groaned. "I sound so privileged."

Clark shook his head. “No. You just sound normal.” He shrugged. “It probably is. I’ve never really had to talk to people a whole lot. Just bear the brunt of their bad feelings.”

"And that's exactly what I shouldn't be doing around you," Asora said. "I shouldn't be dumping my emotions on you. It's not fair."

Clark shrugged again. “Life isn’t fair.”

"No, I suppose it's not," Asora said. "Even then, I still shouldn't be dropping all of this on you."

Clark grunted. “It’s fine.”

Asora shrugged. "I guess. I still think it's kind of unfair, but......" she trailed off.

He gently started rubbing her back, tired and unsure what to do. “Yeah.”

"What now?" Asora said, taking a deep breath. "Sitting around and talking isn't going to help us get anywhere."

Clark stopped, pulling away slightly. “I don’t know. It’s almost dusk, we should move right before then.”

"Move where?" Asora asked. "Further into the forest or toward the cornucopia?"

Clark sighed. “Towards the cornucopia.”

"Do we have everything we need?" Asora said. She looked at the sky. "Here's hoping there aren't any tributes there."

“Yeah.” He laid back, withdrawing his arm from around her.

"Just let me know when," Asora said. "I'm ready whenever." She took a deep breath. In complete honesty, she wasn't ready, but she steeled herself. She was never going to be fully ready, but she assumed she was as ready as she possibly could be.

He nodded. “Yeah. I will.”

Asora nodded. She relaxed, not letting her mind wander too much. That was when her mind began thinking of the worst scenarios. That was when she overthought things, and she refused to let that happen. She needed to keep her mind clear, so she could focus on the task at hand.

Clark closed his eyes, resting. He was awake, but he needed a minute or two.

“If you want to take a small nap, you can,” Asora said, noticing Clark. “It’s not a problem.”

Clark shook his head. “I can’t. My body won’t let me. Not after that dream.”

"Sorry," Asora said. "Life is already stressful and painful enough as it is. Why do dreams have to worsen that?"

He shrugged. “Because that’s how life is. It breaks you until you can’t be broken, then it builds you back up twice as strong.”

Asora glanced at Clark. "I've never thought of it that way, but I guess you're right. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?"

Clark grunted. “I guess so. Yeah.”

Asora thought about what she could do with the pieces from her token, but she couldn't think of much. She knew that she might be able to rewire a drone, but she had to get her hands on one first. For now, their best bet was to go to the cornucopia to see if they had anything good there.

Clark continued to rest, drifting in and out of consciousness, but not really sleeping.

Asora stayed quiet, not making too much noise. She wanted Clark to rest his eyes as much as possible. They needed to be well rested.

Clark stirred, then sat up. He looked over at her, then back at the dwindling fire. “You can test if you want.”

“Are you sure?” Asora asked. She didn’t know if she wanted to leave Clark alone. He seemed as if he was on edge.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

Asora shrugged. She closed her eyes, taking a small nap.

Clark waited, then stood and started to make a trap.

Asora fell asleep quicker than she expected to. She was more tired than she'd thought she had been.