Prim's Games

Chapter 7-PRIM

I don't see Archer in the morning. Cinna just gives me a simple shift to wear and guides me to the roof. A hovercraft comes, and I climb the ladder in. A woman in white injects a tracker in me, and I wince a little as the metal touches the inside of my forearm. Cinna comes in after that and we eat breakfast. Although I'm not hungry, I try to eat as much as I can.

Who knows when my next meal will be? We ride over the city, and I'm mesmerized by the view from the windows, until it blacks out. We must be close to the arena now. Cinna and I go underground into an area called the Launch Room. It's pristine and new, as I will be the first and last tribute to use it. I try to stay calm as I clean my teeth and shower. Cinna does my hair in a simple bun. Then the clothes arrive. Tributes and stylists don't know what's in the package, it depends on the Games environment.

Cinna helps me put on the tawny pants, light green blouse and thin hooded black jacket that goes past my knees. "The material is designed to reflect body heat, so expect some cool nights." he says. I put on the skintight socks and comfy boots. I make sure it fits before thanking Cinna for everything. I sip water while I wait for them to call me

Terror is coursing through me now. I could be dead in less than an hour. I don't have much of a chance of survival. Not when compared to the other tributes at least. They're all bigger, faster and stronger than me. I rub the tracking device in my skin, wanting to rip it out and throw it at President Snow, at every single resident of the Capitol lucky enough not to ever go through this.

Suddenly, a voice announces that it's time for the launch. I step onto a circular plate and thank Cinna one last time. He says "Prim, I hope the odds are ever in your favor. Don't worry. Just use the advice Haymitch gave you and you'll be fine." As glass cylinder comes down around me, Cinna gestures for me to hold my head high. I do, and the cylinder takes me up through about fifteen seconds of darkness that feels like fifteen hours. The metal plate lifts me to the ground, and I smell pine trees.

Claudius Templesmith, the announcer says "Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!" We then have sixty seconds to survey everyone and eye whatever we want to grab from the Cornucopia. The gong rings out, and I grab a small empty canteen lying only three feet from me and run for the woods. At least this way I can take water on the go if I find a water source. I hear the whistle of a knife, and thrust my canteen out. The knife falls, thankfully leaving the canteen undamaged. I grab it and sprint until I seem to have lost most of the other tributes and then alternate between jogging and walking. Late in the afternoon, the cannon shots to signify how many dead there are ring out. There are eleven shots. I hold up my three middle fingers and bow my head slightly, in respect for them. I wonder if Rue or Archer made it. I guess I'll find out tonight.

I feel thirsty, which is a bad sign. I can last a few days without water max. I can find water tomorrow though. I grab some edible herbs, and chew on them, trying to savor every bite. I also find a few healing herbs fortunately. I find a willow that looks like an okay place to spend the night, so I put the knife and healing herbs in the canteen, since I don't have any water yet and use my belt to strap myself to an upper branch so I don't fall off. I put the canteen inside my jacket and begin to sleep, with a couple of leaves as a pillow. If only I wasn't so thirsty.

I'm woken up by the sound of the anthem playing. They're about to announce the names of the dead. I watch the sky as the Capitol seal comes on. The girl from District 3. Then the boys from 4 and 5. I didn't expect that, usually all of the tributes from the first five Districts make it through the day. Both of the tributes from Districts 6 and 7. The boy from 8. Both from 9. I hold my breath, hoping the last one isn't Archer or Rue. It's the girl from 10. The seal comes on, the music plays again and then it's dark. I feel a tear slipping down my face. Eleven people died today. One of them could have been me. I don't want to win anymore. The death of twenty four people on my conscience would be too much for me to bear, especially since I'm so sad over eleven-none of which I killed. I drift into sleep again.

The sound of snapping wakes me up. Someone's snapping branches off a tree. But why? I see the light of a fire warming a pair of hands, but nothing else. I want to scream at whoever it is. How could they be so stupid? They'll clearly be the next death. And I'm strapped to a tree nearby. Leaving might attract the killers, so I stay put, trying to be as quiet as possible. That means not falling asleep for risk of snoring or gasping in my dreams. I hear the scream of a girl, begging and pleading for mercy and then silence. Then the hooting and high fiving of a pack. Probably the tributes from Districts 1, 2 and 4. They stop close to my tree. No. I pray that they haven't found me.

"Why hasn't the hovercraft picked her up yet?" one of them asks.

"What if she isn't dead?" another asks.

"She's dead, I killed her myself!" another voice says firmly. They continue arguing, too distracted to notice me.

"I'll just make sure she's dead so we can move on, we're wasting time!" a different voice says, and I almost fall out of the tree. It's Archer. Why would he join them? They're ruthless, vicious killers. And I was sure Archer wasn't one of them.

As soon as Archer is out of earshot, they start whispering about the possibility of killing him. They decide to keep him around for now because of his skill with a knife. A cannon fires out, and Archer comes back. "She's dead now." he says.