Early in the morning I am woken up by an Avox. I get dressed in a white tank top and athletic leggings with a belt as it is provided for the arena. picking at my large breakfast, not hungry with the events later today but forcing myself to eat half of it. 'If I don't have enough extra energy from eating luxury capital food by now, I won't be able to change that by eating a big breakfast,' I try to convince myself.
Everything happens too fast for my liking. I'm boarded onto a plane, a tracker is injected into my arm, I make sure to nod to Henri to make sure he stays with the plan and is okay. All of the tributes are dropped off at different docking stations, spread out around the arena where their pedestal will be. I barely recognize walking to a room with Jasmine and a glass tube in the company with some Peacekeepers.
"Oh honey." Jasmine comes up to me and hugs me. I have to bend down to properly return the gesture. "Let me do your hair real quick." She pats on an examination table used in doctors offices for me to sit on. "I'm putting your hair up in two braids to keep it from getting in the way. I'll also tuck it up in a bun to stop people from grabbing your hair as you're running away and I'll use lots of elastics to keep it up. You can use them in the arena if they help. One of the things that puts you at an advantage and it's still allowed," she tells me as she works. "This jacket here is for you also. Made for warmth and protection against tree branches, getting poked by pine needles, and similar occurrences. Before I forget. Here is your bracelet." Jasmine ties the woven piece of grass onto my left ankle. Her hands are an unfamiliar warm presence, partially calming my nerves.
"15 seconds till launch," an automated voice says.
"You'll do great. Good luck." Jasmine ushers me into the glass tube and it seals around me. I start to rise into the arena.
My heart rate spikes as my eyes adjust to the light. A circle of pedestals circle the golden cornucopia. Weapons and packs are all piled up inside with several scattered around the middle. Outside the circle is a large river that cuts the arena in half, stopping on both sides of the circle. As you move away from the cornucopia, the prairie grasses get taller until they are 6 feet tall. In the distance I can see a forest and some mountains on opposing sides.
Henri is waving his hands 2 pedestals down from me. I give him a thumbs up. District 5 tributes are on opposite sides, perpendicular to me and the cornucopia. Rhett and Sydney are next to each other not far from where I stand.
"60, 59, 58, 57, 56, 55," a voice announces.
I spot a few backpacks scattered around the field close to me, more spread out than previous years.
"25, 24, 23, 22, 21." I get ready to run.
"20, 19, 18." I spot a few swords further away.
"14, 13, 12, 11." Both from 4 are preparing to run away.
"10, 9, 8, 7, 6." I spot a trident.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Let the 68th Annual hunger games begin. May the odds be ever in your favor," plays over as I jump off my pedestal and run towards the cornucopia. I reach down to pick up a backpack as I'm running. I pick up a sword, another sword, and start running away. About half the tributes had run away at the start. As I'm running, the trident is thrown at me. It misses and plants itself in the dirt in front of me. I throw one of my swords that is in a sheath, over my shoulder and yank the trident with me.
Henri is peeking out of the head high grass and sprint over to him. We interlock hands. Running through the tall grass comes easy to me. Working in fields of similar crops gets you used to plants hitting your face and pulling at your ankles. Henri has a harder time keeping up. I slow down my pace so that I am no longer pulling him so harshly.
Which way did 5 go? They might have circled around the edge of the arena to meet up with each other. No, I saw Floyd at the cornucopia. He ran past me towards Faith.
Where did 4 go? We should stay away from them because he threatened to kill me in training. Or not? We do have similar goals.
Henri and I continue to run through the grass. Henri trips and falls when his foot gets stuck in the grass. I look back at him for the first time since we started running. He's crying and shaking. The twelve year old's in a life or death situation, he could die, I don't blame him for being scared. Three cannons go off, startling him more.
Three deaths at the cornucopia.
"It's okay. You'll be okay. 3 are already gone. That's one eighth of the competition. We just need to keep moving and get as far away from them as we can."
Henri nods his head. We continue running. A few hundred feet from the forest's edge, he stops. "I can't run anymore," he pants.
"Just till the trees."
"No."
"Can you walk?"
"I'm too tired." His face is flushed and his brown eyes show his exhaustion.
"Let me carry you." I set down my weapons and put my backpack on backwards. He climbs on my back when I crouch down. "Take the weapons. Put this one over your head and hold the other two away from me so you don't stab me. I shakily stand up. As I balance the new weight, I start jogging towards the trees.
The trees start to surround us, so I let Henri down. The grass is shorter here and bends over more. Like normal grass. It will be harder to run for people with less experience than me at running through weeds and fields. We set up camp near a big weeping willow. The trident gets placed right next to the tree, buried under the grass, along with one of the swords. I keep the other sword on me.
In my bag, Henri and I find two empty water bottles, a pair of multi-purpose rope & wire cutters, and a large tarp that is vacuum sealed. We also find a small coil of thin wire, a pair of scissors, matches, and an apple.
"Stay here, hide under the grass, be quiet, I'll be right back."
"Where are you going," he asks.
"I'm going to get you some water." I grab both water bottles and head in the direction of the river. I had made sure we were sticking close to it as we ran away.
Quickly, I approach the river's edge. The water is freshwater but it is a sickly brown color. I fill the bottles anyway, fill my jacket —that I had tied around my waist because of the heat— 's pockets with sand, and head back.
"So, now we have to filter it." Henri pops up out of the grass at the sound of my voice. "Can you get those scissors?" Henri wordlessly passes the scissors. I carefully cut my left pant leg up to my thigh and cut it into 3 different sections. Then, with my shaky memory from training, I assemble a teepee water filter. Grass and rocks at the top and sand in the middle. I still need charcoal from a fire to put at the bottom. "I will be right back.
I run back to the beach with some sticks and the matches. There I start a small fire and hide in the tree line until it burns out. Now that my adrenaline is wearing off, I am exhausted. No one comes for the fire, so I quickly stamp it Out and quickly throw the pieces into my pocket by picking them up as one might a pile of dog poop. The heat stings my hand. Not enough to burn me, but enough to make it hurt.
When I get back, I quickly pour the water into the filter and wait for it to funnel into the bottles, one at a time.
That night, the Panem anthem plays out. The three dead are: Scary Mary, the girl from 6, and the boy from 12. This hell is going to last forever if we keep going at this rate.
I take first watch even though I am worn out. Nothing happens and I let Henri sleep all night. Let's hope everything is straightforward from here.
YOU ARE READING
Sunshine - A Hunger Games Story
FanfictionIt has always been a hard life in Panem. District 9 is no different. Just like everyone else in District 9, Ayesha has a heart for others, despite all the trials her family is put through. But what happens when she overhears something she shouldn't...
