Let the Games Begin.

Chapter 7-Let the Games Begin

I sat on the floor staring at the bedroom wall. The interviews were over about an hour ago. I couldn’t sleep, to say the least. I couldn’t get what Jethro had said out of my mind. On top of worrying about the Games, now Jethro wants to kill me? I mean, I know it’s the Hunger Games, you are supposed to kill people. But, would he really try to kill someone from his own district? I don’t know about the other districts, but that is just evil in District 12. And his look, he stared right at me when he said it. I am just hoping that I don’t come across him in the arena.

   As I sit, I finally drift off to sleep.

   I was in a forest, running. I wasn’t scared. I was wearing my dress from the interviews. The forest opened up to a small lake. I turned and saw Travis running after me.

   “Feel like going for a swim?” he asked playfully as he ran up to me and grabbed me by the waist.

   “No!” I yelled as he picked me up. He walked into the lack a little and placed me down again. The water was about knee high.

   As we stood looking at each other, the woods began to fill with a beautiful sound. Travis broke his gaze and looked up into the trees.

   “Mockingjays.” He smiled. He looked back at me and said, “They will sing your welcoming.”

   My smile faded and my eyes fell to the water around my dress. “Or my death.” I mumbled.

   He took my hands and said, “Don’t think like that. You can do this. You are the one who is going to come out of this arena.” I looked back at him.

   “I just don’t know if I can.” I said.

   “I believe in you.” He said. Then he kissed me. It was gentle and sweet. It seemed as if time had stopped and only we existed.

   Suddenly, the Mockingjays were quiet. I could tell something was wrong. Our moment of happiness was over. Travis pulled away and looked around. “Run.” He said. Alarm filled his voice.

   “What? What is it?” I asked.

   Travis looked at me; his eyes were filled with worry and fear. “They found us. Run!”

   I looked around Travis and saw figures coming after us. Travis turned me around and pushed me out of the lake. He grabbed my arm and we started running. We ran for a while through the woods, not once looking back at our pursuers. I hear a sickening THUNK, and Travis screamed. We both fell to the ground.

   “Travis!” I yelled as I got up on my knees. An arrow was imbedded in his back. Blood poured from the wound.  “Travis…” I said gently touching his face. Tears stung my eyes.

   “Go.” Was all he said. His eyes closed, and there was an explosive sound of a cannon- one I know all too well. 

   “NO!” I yelled.

   Quickly, I was pulled away from Travis. The person who had shot him was holding me. The tears cleared for a moment, just enough for me to see he killer’s face.

   “The Games have already begun, Princess.” Jethro sneered at me.  Tears filled my eyes as he raised the bow and arrow again. The Mockingjays begin to sing again. They sang to both of our deaths.

   My eyes snapped open. My room was dark and the floor was cold beneath me. I was lying on my side. It was just a dream. Travis is ok. The Games don’t start for…I looked at the clock. In about two hours we would be leaving to go to the arena. Two hours. That was all.

   I don’t remember what I did after I woke up. I was in a sort of trance; not really aware of what was happening. I found myself in the elevator.  Latius is with me, holding my hand. Gives me small words of encouragement, but knows I don’t want to talk. As we exit the training center a hovercraft picks us up. While in there, a Peacekeeper inserts a tracker into my upper right arm. From there we got to an underground room. The room is below the arena. As we enter, my eyes focus on the tube in the corner that will take me into the arena, and the full force of it hits me.

   “Here, come sit down.” Latius said. He guides me to a table and pulls a chair out for me.

   As I sit down, tears begin to fall. Latius lets me sit for a few minutes. Soon he comes and kneels beside me. “Annabeth,” he says and puts his hand on my shoulder. “I know that it is hard, but we need to get started.” He hands me a black shirt and pants.

   “Ok.” I say. I wipe my eyes and take the clothes. After I change and put a light jacket on he helps me get my boots on, then I sit back down as he fixes my hair. I don’t cry anymore. I sit, vacantly, as Latius pulls my hair back into a simple pony-tail.  He talks in a soft, calm voice about the material of the jacket or how good the boots are for running. He has me stand and run around the room to make sure I feel comfortable in the outfit.

   “One minute until launch.” A woman’s voice comes over an intercom. Now I have to go into the arena.  I stand and before I can make my way to the tube, Latius is hugging me.

   “You will be fine.” He says as he releases me. “Your token!” he says and goes to a bag he had brought.

   “What?” I ask.

   He comes back and holds out the ring I wore last night. The diamond ring. “I knew you didn’t have a token, so I got this approved. I would like you to have it.” He places the ring on my finger.

   “You… you know you might not get this back.” I say.

   “I want you to have it.” He smiles.

   “Thank you.” I hug him again.

  “Thirty seconds.” The voice says.

   “Alright.” He says and leads me to the plate. “Remember your training. You’ll be ok.”

   As the glass lowers he says one more thing to me.

   “Go out there and…shine!”

   Shine? I turn to look at him. Was that what he had said? To shine? I look at the ring on my finger again. What was it he had said about the diamond last night? He smiles at me again. Before I could figure out what he was trying to say to me, the plate beneath me begins to rise and I am pushed up into darkness.  I try to steady my breath as I arrive in the arena. The light is so bright I have to close my eyes before my shoulders are even above ground.

   When I open my eyes, I am looking down at the plate. Then I look at the ground around it. For a second, I am confused. The ground is green, but white starts almost in the center of my plate. Snow and grass. I look up and see that there are not only two different areas, but four. To my right is the green-a forest, after that a beach, then another forest-but this one looks like a dead forest- then back to the snow area. They all meet in the center of the arena, where the cornucopia is. I look around at the other tributes. Then I look at the cornucopia. I look for things that are close to me that I could use. There are backpacks and small things spread around, but the weapons are in the center.  Even if I didn’t want a big weapon, I would still need at least a small knife to help me.

   30 seconds. A timer counts down the remaining time.

   My eyes lock onto a bow and arrow. A bow! I don’t see any other one in the cornucopia. I needed to decide, quickly, if I wanted to go for it.  

   20 seconds.

    If I stood a chance in this arena, I would need that bow. “All the other tributes I have mentored have actually tried at it. They push away their feelings, or they use their feelings to help them so that they could have a chance at winning!” I hear Haymitch yell at me again.

   10 seconds.

   Haymitch was right.

   9, 8,

   I need to try.

   7, 6,

   I position myself in a running stance.

   5, 4,

   I need to fight to live.

   3, 2,

   I have to get that bow!

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