× day four ⤖ part one ×

                                    

                                          
[Minji's P.O.V]
                          
We only have to walk about 200 feet further through the woods from our sleeping spot before we see the clearing. It's a large clearing, full of green grass and small flowers. Hyunjin, Jisung and I are sitting at the edge, where the field meets the forest, munching on some berries that Chaeyoung identified as being safe. Chaeyoung is currently off finding us some more.
                          
Things are peaceful. I'm sitting in between them, and Jisung leans his head on my left shoulder. I decide to test the waters and lean to the right against Hyunjin's shoulder. He tenses up, giving both of us a strange look. Jisung and I both laugh.
                          
"Hyunjin, chill-"
                          
"I know, I am chill. I didn't say anything." Hyunjin quickly fires back at Jisung before looking back out at the meadow, letting me rest my head on his shoulder.
                          
I'm surprised by how much Hyunjin has warmed up to me in the past few days. I'm not saying he likes me or respects me nearly as much as he likes and respects Chaeyoung or Jisung, but he let me stay with the remaining careers after Jaeeun's betrayal, and he now does stuff like giving me chances to talk in conversations without rolling his eyes at me and pointing out that nobody asked me. I'd call that significant progress. Plus he's not pushing my head off of his shoulder right now like I thought he would.
                          
Hyunjin takes a deep breath before standing abruptly, causing Jisung and me to topple over onto the ground. We both look up at him, confused, and he clears his throat.
                          
"Jisung, can I talk to you for a minute?"
                          
"Um, yeah, sure," Jisung responds as he quickly gets himself off of me and stands up. He extends a hand to me but I shake my head.
                          
"I got it," I tell him as I stand up. Jisung looks at Hyunjin expectantly.
                          
"Well...?"
                          
"No- I meant in private," Hyunjin sighs and grabs Jisung's wrist, walking into the woods. Jisung follows after him without much argument.
                          
"Should I just stay here, or...?" I call after them. I don't get an answer, so I take it as a yes. I have half a mind to follow them and listen in, but I decide against it, knowing there will probably be consequences if I'm caught, and I'm already walking on thin ice after the Jaeeun incident last night.
                          
I sit back down at the edge of the field, leaning my back against a tree. I relax my eyes, looking out at the clearing. It's too beautiful to be in here. It's like an illusion. The game makers are playing with us. Throwing in all this magnificent scenery, and harmless wildlife, making the arena into a paradise, only to have us stain it with blood.
                          
Caught up in my thoughts, I almost don't notice the movement in the middle of the field. Almost. I jump slightly, quickly retreating back into the bushes behind me.
                          
I slowly pull my knife out of my belt, straining my eyes to detect motion through the tall grass.
                          
Just when I start to think that perhaps I imagined it, I spot it again. Right in the center of the field.
                          
What is that?
                          
I adjust my grip on my knife, squinting my eyes. Finally, as the creature raises its head, I can identify it.
                          
Deer. It's a deer.
                          
Chaeyoung is currently armed with our only long-range weapon, and she's somewhere off in the woods, searching for berries; rabbits are too small and fast for her to catch with her archery skills, and we lost Wendy, our best archer, to Jaeeun's selfish plan last night.
                          
I start to turn around, going to alert Hyunjin and Jisung so we can find Chaeyoung and ask her to shoot it, but I quickly think better of that plan. No. The deer will surely be gone by then. I have to get it myself.