Are The Odds In Our Favour?

Chapter 5

Cato's POV:

The aircraft that transported us tributes lifted off the ground silently, moving with a carefulness of a wild cat stalking its prey, the kind my mother showed me in picture books as a young boy.

Panem would have you believe no such thing exists- or existed, for that matter- but my mother came from a family of artists who would go out into foreign terrains to paint these magnificent creatures for the community to see. This was of course long before the war but several old paintings remained, hidden, in our basement.

The thing is, District 1, 2, 4 (and 3 on a good day) were known as the Capitol's favourites. However, I digress that we simply act smarter than the other Districts. Of course the entire concept of the Hunger Games is ludicrous. Children as young as twelve are essentially being sentenced to their death as punishment for a war that wagered years ago. This just made us in the closer Districts to use games and Capitol to our own advantage.

For example, District 2 is the home of the stone masons- my grandfather is one, my father is one, I'll hopefully be one- and the site of peacekeeper training. No one in my District would admit to liking the Capitol though we say it to not be punished, to not have our homes burnt to the ground, to not have to worry about our children having meals to eat. Is that really so cruel and selfish?

Furthermore, we use the games to keep ourselves secure. A victor will provide the District with food packages and enough publicity to provide higher incomes for families. We are encouraged to train from early ages to volunteer in the games to provide this service.

There are always consequences though. With a constant stream of victors we lose sight of what it means to are struggle and treat skills such as swordsmanship and combat as a hobby, which it always has been for many of us for years. This disillusion can be seen in all the tributes in career packs.

I look over to the small girl with olive skin and grey eyes and wonder how different of a person she would've been if she was born in District 1, 2, or 4 rather than 12. She scored an eleven in her skills demonstration, higher than everyone else (I only scored a ten) which makes her a target naturally if I were to see this from a career perspective.

However, it has made me wonder what she could've done. From first glance she appears as your average girl who would not be strong enough to lift up a sack of flour but it's as if she as some sort of ESP, predicting what the world will say then does something to shock them, proving us all wrong.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, you are aware of the cruel reality as we all once were but have no lost sight of the truth, that makes you dangerous.

And I can't decide whether I want you to die desperately or to win heroically.

•••

As I was lifted up my pod I could immediately feel the sun beating down on my neck and head, making me feel slightly light-headed and nauseous.

My light eyes frantically searched my surroundings, noticing that the arena seemed mostly made of forests, an environment I am not familiar with. We had a few trees in District 2 though never enough to make up woods and the size of the greenery around me evoked uneasy feelings that swirled carelessly in my stomach.

In the centre of us all was the Cornucopia, a metallic horn-like structure which homed the only available weapons. That was naturally my target.

Marvel was my closest teammate. "Go Cornucopia, kill quick," I mouthed, hoping he understood.

The countdown started.

At 1 I flew off my stand and quickly gained a sword.

Let the games begin.

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Okay hate me lmao I've been busy tho like, MEGA busy, exams--- you know how it goes

-Heidihoney