The Odds | NCT DREAM

Chapter 15

It had became dark and cold. Mark and Jade were on the edges of the winter quadrant. There were still trees around but they were becoming sparse up ahead. Jade had zipped her jacket up all the way, hands in her pockets with the hood over her head. Mark was wearing one as well, the jackets keeping them both warm. Mark stopped in his tracks, shaking his head.

"The avalanche blocked the main path. We'll have to go through another way but it'll take a few more hours. Let's camp for the night." Mark told her. Jade looked around. The ground was covered in snow.

Mark must have read her mind as he took out a knife, cutting up some string. Jade watched as he tied it to two trees, securing their branches together. He took the sleeping bag, unzipping it completely before hanging it over the branches, creating a makeshift tent.

"Are you going to help?" Mark asked, turning to look at her. Jade nodded, clearing some land to help him start a fire.

"A fire is only going to attract..." Mark's voice trailed off when he realized what he was going to say.

"Only going to attract the Careers. Lucky for you, you have one right here." Jade said, giving him a wide grin. Mark slowly nodded continuing to work on their shelter for the night.

Eventually the fire was started, keeping the two of them warm. Jade moved her hands together, pitying the girl the Careers had killed for starting a fire. Even with her jacket, she felt cold. She looked at Mark, who was sharpening a long stick.

"Why were you there?" Jade asked. Mark looked up at her, tilting his head.

"What do you mean?" Mark asked her.

"Why were you there when Bora killed me. Why did you leave your camp?" Jade clarified.

"The avalanche. Our camp is fine but the avalanche buried our wood supply so I went to go get some. That's when I saw you." Mark told her. Jade slowly nodded, staring at the fire.

"Beside Jaemin, who else are you allied with?" Jade asked. Mark raised an eyebrow.

"How did you..."

"I saw you give him half your resources at the Cornucopia." Jade told him. His mouth formed an "o."

"My allies are my secret. I'm already bringing you to my camp, built this shelter for you, and split my resources." Mark said. He seemed displeased with the question. Jade shrugged it off, deciding not to push it. Mark had a point, Jade probably would have frozen to death from the cold if it weren't for him.

The national anthem began to play, making the two of them turn towards the sky. The first tribute to appear was Bora. That means that Jeno survived the night. Jade felt her body relax, knowing that he was still alive. It quickly ended with the District 11 girl, a pang of guilt in Jade's heart. There were four tributes dead that day. Which meant twelve tributes still remained.

Suddenly, Jade heard thunder and noticed the sky turn black. She looked at Mark, who seemed unfazed.

"Shouldn't we take shelter, it's about to rain." Jade told him. Mark shook his head.

"That happens every night. You probably haven't noticed because of the mountains. Do you see that tree over there?" Mark asked, pointing to a lone tree on the side of the mountain. A few second later, lightning struck the tree, surprising Jade.

"Lighting strikes the same spot every night, right after the anthem plays. It's hard to tell though, since you have to be on this side of the mountains. Most tributes stayed in the summer and autumn quadrants for cover though." Mark informed her. Jade slowly nodded taking in the information. The clouds had already left, the sky becoming clear once again. She was impressed by how much Mark knew.