Arlathina Connous's Story

Hello!

(God dam! She shot a random arrow and it almost killed three people? Imagine if she payed attention, we would be all screwed! Lol! Overkill Fail. I'll take care of your little problem Fiery.)

My stylists looked at me affectionately. "Try your best Arlathina..." Danica said delicately, and in return I gave her a weak smile as I stepped onto the metal plate.

"You keep doing your best with those highlights Danica." I joked with her nonchalantly. She gave me a big smile, and then vanished from my view. As the metal platform came to a shuddering stop I looked at my new surroundings. A smirk appeared on my face. So they lied to us. No matter, this just speeds up the process. I thought silently as I scrutinized each of my fellow tributes. Abandoning the sight of them I began to look for a suitable weapon. My first choice was a well-crafted bow, but I saw another girl eyeing it. Everyone wants to be the archer. I sighed. Then a shimmer caught my eye, and I zoned in on a pair of silver daggers. They glittered in the sunlight alluringly.

Bang!

I launched myself towards the daggers with the grace of an antelope, and the speed of a cheetah. As I reached down and clutched the daggers in my hands I calculated where I should hide for the duration of the games. The forest was probaly my best chance, because I could find my own food and fresh water as needed. As I turned back in the direction of the plate that had transported me into the arena a boy charged towards me clumsily swinging a mace this way and that. As he neared me I sprinted up the side of the corncucopia. As gravity began to take hold of my body once more, I propelled myself towards the boy, spinning through the air like a deadly top. When our body's made contact I perched my hands on his shoulders and let my feet swing into his chest with a dull thud.

He was not prepared for this and as he came crashing down the air was forced out of his lungs by my one hundred and sixteen pounds of weight. Before he had a chance to refill his lungs with air I flicked my wrist, sending one of the blades into his neck. A flow of crimson oozed from his pale skin, and in a matter of moments he was dead. I jumped off the boy's chest and into the thorny embrace of the forests, and while a cannon emanated through the arena in the distance I began to run. As I ran trees and shrubbery flew by at an alarming pace. It was another thirty minutes before I felt that I could stop safely.

I looked at my unfamiliar enviroment cautiously. I was surrounded by a large green deciduous forest. In the center of the trees a tall oak stood out for some reason. I grabbed one of the low hanging branches and pulled myself into the upper reaches of the tree, and waited until my next prey would foolishly stroll along.

Grace Clemons

Grace stopped a few metres away from the Cornucopia. She was hardly going to win the Games with only a bunch of throwing knives. Then again, she didn't really expect to win the Games anyway. She turned around, grabbed a box of matches and a coat. Why she would need a coat in this weather, she had no idea. But maybe this was proof that the worst weather was yet to come. She turned away from the Cornucopia yet again, and sprinted towards a clump of trees. It would be good shelter and camouflage, but she wouldn't be the only one to think of that. She had to keep moving. Besides, she hadn't got any food or water at the Blood Bath, and she would be dead by morning if she didn't get anything.

She trudged through the swampy, marshy ground, the sun earing down on her. So far, she didn't hear any sounds of approach, but she kept her her knives around her belt, on in her hand. She had the matches in a pocket in her coat, which was slung over her shoulder. She wiped some sweat off her brow. God, it was warm. Her feet ached from walking so much, and she longed to sit down and take a break. Just for five minutes. But she still hadn't found any food or water, and she was afraid that if she sat down, she wouldn't get up again.

((OOC: To anyone who is planning on killing Grace, please don't do a one hit kill - Arlathina, obviously that was different, because I needed to kill him off (thanks by the way)- but I just noticed it isn't a rule, which means you don't have to follow it, or whatever, but I like to have the chance to fight back, even if it is in a vain attempt...))

Dustin Hickory

A girl launched off the ground and kicked Dust in the chest.
He flew back, his head smacking off the metal edge of the Cornucopia, which burned in the sun. The girl ran towards him again, and before he had the chance to react, she was on top of him, her dagger approaching his neck. And with a small thud, Dustin Hickory, The District 9 Male Tribute, was no more.

He thought of his father as he died. Would he feel sad? Probably not. He would call him weak. Defeated by a girl, not even hurting her first. Not even killing anyone before his death. A bright light shone from above him, and he raised his arm, shielding himself from the light. "Dustin." Dust opened his eyes, to see a light brown haired woman, around the age of 35 standing there. "Mum," Dust whispered, the words forming on his lips. The woman smiled, and reached out her hand. Dust took her outstretched hand, tears falling down his face. This was the first he had cried since he was five. And it the last time he would ever cry, as well.

Dustin Hickory Is Officially Deceased.

Soon I began to grow tired of the monotonous task of staying in the tree, but I didn't have time to dwell on the boredom. My inactive conscience was soon brought back to life by the snap of a twig. My eyes flashed to the undergrowth that littered the forest floor. As I turned my gaze downwards I rested my eyes on a thin girl with a blonde wreath of hair. She treaded boisterously through the Forest, and bent down to pick up a smooth stone, as if it would be useful at all. "Faye, the girl from district nine..." I sympathized out loud.

I clapped my hands over my mouth quickly, but I knew it was too late. The words had already involuntarily escaped my mouth. I pulled two branches close to my sides in an attempt to conceal myself, and as I hid in my leafy den I peered out with one green eye to see if she had been alerterted to my presence. Two choices now layed at my feet, I could kill her, or I could make an alliance. I hadn't planned on any alliances this early in the game, but I did remember she was remotely talented with healing. With the challenges that layed ahead a healer could be very useful.

I had made up my mind. Slowly I released my grip on the tree and landed on the ground directly five feet in front of her. I looked at her with a blazing smile. "Now you know its dangerous for a girl like you to be wandering around alone." I said in a condescending voice. Behind my back I held my blades at the ready, incase she turned into an issue. Though, I was sure that she would agree to an alliance.

(Thank you the compliment Rick. Though If you read Daesung's post you would see that he blocked the arrow with his sword. Wouldn't that render the arrow useless? Bouncing off the sword into the ground. I mean its fine its too late to change now, and plus you have such an interesting thing going on with Caysey. Go on please. :) )

Faye froze, hearing a girl's voice. Crap. She looked up and peered into the trees just as a girl practically fell from the sky. It was the District two girl. Arlathina, was it?

"Now you know its dangerous for a girl like you to be wandering around alone."

Faye raised an eyebrow. A girl like her? What was that supposed to mean? "I guess I do now," she commented and then paused. Why was she even talking to her? Faye knew, that the blonde in front of her could probably kill her if she wanted, if she really wanted Faye would have been dead from the moment she'd stepped in the other girl's path. So why wasn't she?

Maybe, Faye mused to herself, this was her chance to stay in the game for a while longer.

"Arlathina, right?" she said, "I have a proposition for you." Her eyes glanced quickly from Arlathina's hands back to her face.

"What do you say you and I form an alliance?" Faye offered, "I mean, I may not be the strongest but I'm quick. I have some skills and most importantly I'm a healer. I'm familiar with the plants, what you can and can't eat, things like that." Faye waited, one two heartbeats.

"So how 'bout it?"

I looked at the girl as my lips pursed in a mischievous smile. I had a feeling she would inquire an alliance. "Yes my name is Arlathina... and your name is Faye Cibrian. District Nine, excelling in moderate hand to hand combat. Danger level? Low." I mentioned in a robotic display of knowledge. "I would love to. I will protect you, and you protect me? I am so happy I didn't have to kill you!" I rushed towards her and embraced her as I would a family member. As I slowly released her from the contact I breathed in her features. Her bright blue-green eyes, her thin lips, and her bright bonde hair.

Then I smiled and tramped off into the Forest with her in pursuit.

After getting over the initial shock of being hugged by someone who wasn't her family, Faye followed behind Arlathina, sticking close to her as they trekked through the forest. They were silent, so many things mulling about in Faye's head but she chose not to speak seeing as they weren't very important. But there was something that was bothering her just a bit and it was like having a pebble in her shoe--you don't expect something so small to irritate you so much.

"How do you know so much about me?" Faye blurted out before she could stop herself. But she was curious and wanted to know.

I stopped walking and smiled at Faye. "A magician should never reveal her secrets. Though I will let you know this, I know alot about each person in the games. I may not know everything about a specific person, but I know enough to keep myself alive." I could sense her irritation, but I was indifferent. "You know we should find somewhere to camp, and you mentioned that you know how to find edible plants? I am starving, and it would be nice if I could get some food in my stomach." As I finished my words I bent down and began to dig in the dirt. Maybe I could find some tubers or something in the soil... I wondered in my mind.

I excavated the ground thoroughly, but had no luck. As I raised myself up to look at Faye I heard someone trampling through the Forest like a herd of animals. I raised my daggers in a defensive position and pulled Faye close to my body. When nothing appeared I scrutinized the Forest for the smallest amount of activity. Just as I began to let myself relax a girl appeared from the Forest. Her eye was swollen shut, and her back was covered with dirt. As she flew through the forest, her curly blonde hair riding wild and free in the wind, she failed to even notice us standing there watching her.

Undetected, I stalked her through the forest with light footsteps. After a while she must have become tired, because she scurried up a tree. As she sat there dabbing at her swollen eye I walked forward to the trunk of the tree. "That Axel, he gave you quite a shiner didn't he?" I said with a small chuckle. As she heard my voice she jumped a bit. I gave her a second to register me as a friend. "Doesn't he know that you shouldn't hit a lady? I don't like the bastard, he is arrogant. Why don't you come down here and let me help you with that." I looked up at her and smiled sincerely.

"That Axel, he gave you quite a shiner didn't he?" someone said. Grace gave small jump and turned towards the voice. "I suppose," she mumbled, sounding like the biggest...moron ever. She recognised the girl as Arlathina, and behind her, May? No, Faye. They didn't look like they were going to attack her, but... "Doesn't he know that you shouldn't hit a lady? I don't like the bastard, he is arrogant. Why don't you come down here and let me help you with that?" Arlathina continued. Grace slipped a dagger out of my belt - she only had three left now - and hopped down from the tree. There was no way she was going to be as careless as before, but she couldn't stay in the tree and wait for her to shoot her down like Axel had. "What are you...saying?" Grace asked warily. She probably sounded like an idiot or something, but that didn't really matter now. Better safe than sorry. "You want to be Allies?" It was kind of surprising. She didn't really expect Arlathina to become allies with anyone. She had seen her in training, and she really did look deadly.

She didn't remember Faye that well, though. She knew that Faye was pretty good at Hand-To-Hand Combat, and she looked pretty strong. Why she would want Grace on her team athough, she wasn't sure. Maybe she had seen her throwing, which really was her only talent. But of course, Arlathina didn't know that. She supposed that maybe climbing could be useful, being from District 11, she had done alot of that, and she was okay at knowing edible berries, but she was hardly going to win the Games by climbing trees. And she wouldn't call herself an expert at edible food, either.

She thought she heard some rustling behind her, and quickly turned around, but she couldn't see anyone. Though she was still wary, she figured thse two were probably her biggest threat at the moment.

The girl jumped from her perch in the trees. "Though I have a feeling people may begin to think that I am dumb if I continue recruiting so many blondes." I joked with a girlish giggle as I surveyed her tangled mess of blonde hair. "Don't get all mushy on me though, if you weren't going to be of use to me somehow you would have been dead a long time ago. Although for now, welcome to the group!" I gave her a big grin, as if I was insane. It was then that I recognized the girl, it was Grace Clemons! The female district 11 tribute. I looked at the trio of throwing knives she held tightly in her fist. She must know how to throw. I analyzed.

I walked up to Grace and looked at the engorged tissue surrounding her eye. "Tsk tsk tsk..." I said in a motherly tone. "This just won't do. I'm going to have to cut it." Before she could protest, I quickly raised my dagger to the wound and cut the skin open. Blood began to pour out of the wound, I sighed inwardly. Now it ran the risk of infection, but not being able to view things properly would get you killed quicker than blood poisoning. She winced in pain as I repeated the method on the lower portion of her eye. Slowly, the skin began to deflate. When the swelling was gone she blinked her bright blue eyes, testing the muscles in her eyelid I had been careful not to sever. I craned my neck to look at Faye who was standing directly next to me with a blank look on her face. "Faye...Faye!" I had to repeat her name a few more times before her eyes centered themselves on me. "Find some herbs that will help fight infection, we will make camp here. Don't wander too far, I would hate to have you dieing right now." I sounded like a commander as I looked at her with soft eyes, and a doll-like expression.

I turned back to Grace and toyed with her radiant blonde hair. "This hair of yours is like a beacon! People are going to spot us from a mile away if you walk around with this. We're going to have to coat it with mud." I grasped a strand of my hair and put it next to hers, seeing that they were of similar color. "I am going to have to do it also, and so is Faye. True, putting wet dirt in your hair isn't exactly feminine, but whatever keeps us alive." I shuffled my feet towards a small swamp that was fifty feet away. The bank of the swamp would supply more than enough mud for our heads, but then I changed my mind and turned back towards Grace. "Though before I soil myself I want to start a fire and enjoy one more night of clean hair, wouldn't you agree?" It was dawn and the first day was coming to an end. I bent over and began to claw at the ground, making a pit for our soon-to-be campfire. I wish I had marshmallows... I complained.

Faye blinked. "Jessh we're like a blonde trio," she muttered. She glanced at Arlathina. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. Food, medicine. I'm going." She began walking away slinging her backpack over her shoulder to find the herbs. "If I'm not back in ten minutes I'm probably dead," she called over her shoulder.

She walked for a while until she spotted some dandelions and a few chicory plants to eat. She picked a few of them both, continuing on her way through the forest as quiet as possible. Faye took her time looking, making sure she would find the right herbs for... She racked her brain for a name. She could hardly think straight, her mind still straying to her mother's face when they'd announced her name for the reaping. Leaving the older woman behind was probably one of the hardest things she'd ever done. She had to make it out of this place--alive, thanks.

Faye stumbled upon just exactly what she was looking for--Baptisia Tinctoria--wild indigo. It was exactly what she needed to heal a cut (almost suspiciously exact, she noted). Bending down, Faye reached out, to touch the yellow petals, examining it and the leaves carefully. You had to examine plants carefully, or else what you thought was a mint leaf could be something way deadlier.

Faye pulled a bunch, dropping it into the pack. Grace would be grateful. The girl straightened, running a hand through her blonde and sighing before she turned around to go back the way she came.

"Good news, I'm not dead," Faye announced to the two other blondes as she came into their view. She sat down on the grass, dumping out the contents of the bag which only had; a bottle of water, the plants she collected, a container, bandage wraps, and a small first aid kit. Not much. But hopefully as the game went on they'd get sponsors.

She grabbed the container, the wild indigo, and a large stone. She stripped the roots off the plant and dropped them into the container then used the rock to crush it and grind it into dark yellow-gold mush. She looked up at Grace and gestured with her finger in a come hither way.

"Come here."

"Though I have a feeling people may begin to think that I am dumb if I continue recruiting so many blondes," Arlathina giggled. "Don't get all mushy on me though, if you weren't going to be of use to me somehow you would have been dead a long time ago. Although for now, welcome to the group!" She grinned wildly, and I gave her a small smile in response. "We're like a blonde trio," Faye commented.

Arlathina approached me, looking at my injured eye. "Tsk, tsk tsk," she said. "This just won't do.I'm going to have to cut it." I was about to protest, but she raised her arm and cut my eye with her dagger. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from crying out. She repeated this on the bottom of my eyelid, and I gave a slight wince. I could feel the swelling going down, and I opened my eye, blinking a couple of times. "Faye, Faye!" Arlathina said. [b]"Find some herbs that will help fight infection, we will make camp here. Don't wander too far, I would hate to have you dying right now," she ordered. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. Food, medicine, I'm going," Faye replied. "If I'm not back in ten minutes I'm probably dead." She headed out into the woods.

Arlathina looked back at me and messed with my hair. "This hair of yours is like a beacon! People are going to spot us from a mile away if you walk around with this. We're going to have to coat it with mud." She pulled at a piece of her own hair, and held it next to mine. "I am going to have to do it also, and so is Faye. True, putting wet dirt in your hair isn't exactly feminine, but whatever keeps us alive," she pointed out, walking towards a small swamp about 50 feet away. It was a good idea, and one I wouldn't have thought of on my own.

"Though before I soil myself I want to start a fire and enjoy one more night of clean hair, wouldn't you agree?" she added. I nodded and smiled in response. I realized she wasn't looking at me, instead she was making a pit for the fire. "Uh, yeah," I said. IJust then, Faye walked into the clearing with a bunch of plants in her hands. She beckoned me forward. "Come here," she said. I walked over to her, and waited for her to fix up my eye. "Thank you," I said quietly, wondering when I would be comfortable around the girls. It was kind of strange, considering I'm not usually shy.Then again, ths was The Hunger Games, it was completely differnt than District 11. And one of these girls very well may be my murderer.

((O.o I only noticed half way through that I had written it in first person, and I was too lazy to change it.))

The fire crackled as I gazed into the flickering flames. The light of the blaze danced on our faces like a large candle, as they reached towards the sky in a longing manner. My neck curved gracefully as I looked towards the night sky. Oh my. . . I thought. It was a beautiful night, the stars glowing brightly like diamond roses. In the center of the sky was the moon, the brightest and largest rose of all. It gave everything a pale shimmer. . . or was it a luster?

I turned my head back towards the two others girls that sat next to me. Grace and Faye, what an odd group we were. I had never initially planned to recruit allies, though I had the most brilliant idea. They were bearable, for the most part. Similar to the girls who lived in District Two. Faye had a sarcastic attitude most of the time, which I didn't mind, but Grace hadn't talked much since she had joined up with us. I found myself becoming more and more curious about her past. She sat there silently with wild indigo in her hands, dabbing the juices from the herb into her wound.

I rested with my knees hugged against my chest, and my arms wrapped around my knees. I looked over to Grace and said, "You know I am an only child. . . I always wanted a little brother, or a sister. Either would be nice, though for some reason my mother could no longer conceive after she gave birth to me. Do you have anyone that you miss in District Eleven? Family or friends?" I eyed her in a solemn manner, waiting for an answer.

(OOC: If you guys have ever been to California, in the city there is so much smog only the brighest stars can penetrate. Though in the mountains where I live, all the stars show. And the moon is soooooo bright and beautiful. It lights up everything, and you can actually see during night. So that is where I got my inspiration for the sky-gazing scene. Last night it was like that, and I was sitting out in my front driveway, but I went back inside cuz there is alot of mountain lions active at night! >_> Scary! >_<!)

"You know I am an only child. . . I always wanted a little brother, or a sister. Either would be nice, though for some reason my mother could no longer conceive after she gave birth to me. Do you have anyone that you miss in District Eleven? Family or friends?"
The question took me off guard. "My brother, Cory," I said. "He's eleven. And I have -had a boyfriend, but we weren't anything serious." Tears began falling down my face as soon as I thought of Cory. When I died, he would have to take tesserae. The thought of Cory entering the Games was unbearable.

I lay down on my back, the coat snuggled around me, as I noticed that the weather had gotten colder. Not freezing, but colder, still. I looked up at the sky so I could avoid eye contact with either of the girls. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. "What about you, Faye?" I asked, quickly wanting to steer the conversation away from me. "Do you have any one that you, y'know, miss?"

As the moon shone in the sky, I realized something. I had made it through the first day. "Who do you think will be in the sky tonight?" I asked quietly. I didn't remember hearing any canons after the Bloodbath, but I wasn't really listening for one. Anyway, we could expect a peaceful night from the Gamemakers. The Capitol should be entertained enough from The Bloodbath to let us have a night without any incidents. But there were still the other tributes to look out for.

Faye dabbed Grace's eyes with the herbal medicine, using a gentle hand. She sighed. She wasn't made fore this...this game (this sick, destructive game). Faye's hands were made for healing not for killing. And something told her Grace really wasn't cut out for it either.

She finished putting the self-made ointment on Grace's eyes and after putting everything back into the backpack she leaned back to gaze up at the stars. To say it was a beautiful night would have been an understatement. Faye couldn't find the right words to describe it but it was on the tip of her tongue, sitting at the edge of her consciousness. Like the seventh color of the rainbow she didn't have a name for.

She glanced at Arlathina who had been so intimidating earlier with her dangerous smirks and eyes sparkling with mischief (and she had scared Faye at first, but she would never admit that to Arlathina anyway) but now looked sort of...vulnerable as she talked about her family or lack thereof.

"I'm an only child too. But I didn't always used to be," she slowly found herself saying.

I looked at Faye, "How did they pass?" I asked delicately, even in all my arrogance, I would never tease someone about a deceased family member. Guilt welled up inside me, I had been putting off the thoughts of the boy I had killed this morning at the cornucopia. He was also from District 11. I had practiced killing someone many times, but actually doing it. . . It was completely different. "What did you know about Dustin Hickory? I killed him this morning at the cornucopia. We will see his face in the sky tonight." I said with a slight frown.

((OOC: Dustin was actually a District Nine tribute))

"Two of them are dead. They played the games and they lost," she said, "The other is...missing." She didn't continue on about it. The Capitol was, after all, watching them and their every move. "It's just me and my mom now." She paused for a moment. "It was just me and my mom," she corrected.

Faye sat up from her position as she looked at Arlathina, her eyebrows furrowing in curiosity. "Dustin Hickory? I don't know much. He was...kind of quiet. Didn't really talk to people. I know he had twin brother, saw his father around town a couple times. But that's it really," Faye answered.

(OOC: Oh crap, I didn't even see that! >_< My bad.)

I felt the frown on my face grow a bit more wider, the realization that he had family that could be mourning at this very moment sent a dull ache emanating through my body. Though I didn't let myself dwell on my sadness.
"You have had quite a bit of misfortune in your life. I am sorry." I adressed to Faye. "You know, the boy from District Two? Well. . . I will admit, I have always had little crush on him, it was idiotic from the beginning though. I was a career, he was a career. . . I should have known this game would end up pitting us against eachother." I laughed almost embarassed, as I felt my face redden. I let out a small sigh, "I haven't seen him since the cornucopia though, I have no idea where he could be right now. We will probaly seeing his face in the sky tonight." I fell silent as I continued to reflect upon my feelings for the boy.

The peaceful silence lasted only a moment, then I heard someone scream, "Im gonna make you into a delicious stew!" A girl appeared from the forest and ran in our direction. Her strange battle cry echoed through the trees as she bared her teeth and ran towards us with a manic look on her face. Before Faye or Grace could react I stood and jammed my arm in her path. I made sure it hit directly in the space between her chin and chest. When she impacted with the inside of my elbow her own speed and momentum forced her upper body to halt, while her lower body kept going, causing her to fall on her back.

Before she had even hit the floor I had crouched and pierced my dagger deep into her heart. Her dirty and torn shirt became infused with crimson as she bled from her chest. With her dieing breath she whispered, "B-b-but my stew. . . Whos gonna cook it?" Her face began to pale as the life was slowly leeched from her body. After a few more second her writhing stopped, and she stilled.

"Martha Stewart, the games must have caused her to lose her mind. I guess she thought we were ingredients or something. . ." I said bewildered as I brushed leaves over her body with my right leg and took my place among the fire once more. "We will leave in the morning, for the time being just try to ignore the body." I said in a cold monotone, in the distance I heard the sound of a cannon being fired.

Martha Stewart is dead

((OOC: I saw Hunger Games yesterday. Oh my God all of the emotions. I cried. I regret NOTHING. It was amazing))

Faye only watched blankly as Martha Stewart was killed. The girl really had gone insane, only proving how much the Games would change a person. Faye desperately hoped that it wouldn't happen to her.

She brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her forehead to the tops of her knees. She stayed in this fetal position for a while and in the distance a cannon was shot.

"They'll be showing the faces soon, I think," she said softly.

Something soft and icy touched her bare arm causing her to jerk her head up. Faye furrowed her brow as she looked up at the sky. "Snow? Seriously?" Faye said in disbelief. She glanced at Arlathina and Grace. "You think maybe, they're gonna try to freeze us out?" she asked.

I smiled slightly at Faye while raising my hands and observing as the flakes of snow dissipated into icy water in my palm. "We'll have to find shelter, sleeping out in the open won't be an option anymore." Just then I heard the anthem of the capital playing. I looked towards the sky and watched as five faces flashed across the sky: Jake Cranna, Dustin Hickory, Skay Triton, Cynical Lorence, and Martha Stewart. Two of the faces were placed in that sky because of me. I felt kind of guilty about Dustin. Martha though had given me no choice, really I saved her from hours of suffering.

I sighed softly, and pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind. That means there is nineteen of us left. I had alot of work to do before the games came to an end. I scooted towards Faye and Grace and wrapped my arms around them. Forcing them to come closer to me. "If you guys want to make it through the night we will have to sleep close to eachother. Don't worry I won't stab you in the back. Do either of you have a blanket?" I asked quietly.