Safe and Sound || Hunger Games

Chapter Twenty Two - Blue Moon

The pain on the back of my head was starting to become overwhelming. I then moved forwards so I was lying in the foetal position, where I curled up and closed my eyes, not wanting to face reality. Not wanting to face the Games. I eventually started to breathe slower and the pain on the back of my head dulled my other senses. The tears that had started to spill dampened my face, but I didn't care. I just concentrated on picturing myself back home, in my forest. And that was how I fell into a dark and dreamless sleep.

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I woke up, my head throbbing and the sky dark. I sit up slowly, only to have a searing pain race through my head. I shouldn't have battered myself so much. I now probably had concussion or something. I took a couple of deep breaths, before sitting up gingerly and very carefully. That was when I noticed I was in the sleeping bag and something had been placed under my head as a makeshift pillow. At second glance, I saw that it was a jacket. It wasn't my jacket, though. It was Grayson's. I looked about frantically, only to yelp in pain and clutch my head. I shouldn't have battered myself. It was stupid of me to hurt myself over something I couldn't prevent. I then froze for a second, feeling something under my fingers. A bandage!

"Harper, shh. You're okay. Easy now, lay back down. You're okay." A soft voice whispered from beside me as a hand helped me rest my head back down onto the jacket.

"Grayson?" I whispered as I curled back up. "Grayson, you came back?" I reached out and patted the air, before I finally felt Grayson take my hand, squeezing it gently.

"Why wouldn't I? We're allies, remember? When you banged your head on the tree did you forget that or something?" Grayson squeezed my hand. "We're on the ground because I thought I would hurt you if I tried to get you up onto a branch. I've been keeping watch. You threw up a little in your sleep, so I had to move you. Don't worry, you're good now. How's the head?" I blinked up at him, squinting at him in the moonlight. The dark of the night and the dim glow of the moon caused his features to look shadowy and paler than usual.

"Since when have you been a doctor?" I asked. "No, don't answer. And yes, my head's feeling okay, thanks to you. It just hurts when I move too much. I'm just...just...I'm sorry. I really am, I was just shocked and I mean. I shouldn't have taken that sort of tone with you. I really am sorry, I can't believe you came back after me having a total fit at you. I'm-"

"I swear if you say sorry one more time I shall remove that bandage and leave you here without a sleeping bag." Grayson threatened, but he didn't sound scary. He just sounded like an owner scolding their dog for knocking over a glass or something. Not mad and angry, just firm. "I forgive you. I've had much worse, trust me." This time it was me squeezing Grayson's hand.

"But that doesn't make what I did right. I'm generally sorry." I then let go of Grayson and quickly grabbed the sleeping bag, pulling it up to my chin, before Grayson could do anything, causing him to chuckle slightly.

"I didn't actually mean it, you know." Grayson said, pulling the sleeping bag down from my chin and tucking me in at the sides. "You should get some rest. It will allow your head to heal quicker. It bled a little bit, but there was nothing major. It just needs a little bit of time and you'll be all ready to go fight a mutt or something." I rolled my eyes and snuggled into the sleeping bag.

* * *

As time passed, the night got darker, but my head seemed to vet better. After about an hour and a half, I was hardly feeling any pain at all. It was just sudden movements that did it for me. I no longer needed Grayson's jacket as a pillow. So now, Grayson and I sat, quite still, in the small clearing. The moonlight shone down on us and the trees cast odd shadows here and there. I was staring at nothing in particular, when Grayson tapped my shoulder gently. He obviously thought I was still quite fragile.