Ox: Thresh Speaks

Day of Blood

I can't read but I do know numbers. And as soon as the countdown hit 0 I was running. There were bags on the floor, lots of them, and a sickle close by the Cornucopia. Also close to the Careers, but I knew what I needed to survive and it was a weapon I could use, and water and food. If I was going to die going for them, then I was going to die.

There is no game, just life and death. That made sense now.

I ran. I saw Rue running too, already far away. Fly, little bird. Going for the woods, like home. She was from the orchards, she'd told me. Not like grandmamma and Fennel and I.

Fire girl was fighting with Rye. I saw the knife flash through the air as I ran past. Clove, ignoring me, looking straight at fire girl. Behind her, the others. I'd thought they might be after me. They weren't even looking at me so I ran straight between them. Willow-from-Seven was in the way but I had nothing so I pushed her. That made me think of Finch and I looked around but she'd already gone. Clever girl.

When I think about it now, I think that maybe the Careers thought I'd still join them and that's why they didn't even try to attack me when I ran into the Cornucopia.

There were two people inside and weapons hanging from the walls. A lot of weapons: swords, spears, knives. Only one that I knew how to use. The sickle felt cold and comfortable in my hand.

Two boys, wrestling each other even though there were weapons everywhere. No sign of the Careers. Shouting outside. I had a backpack and didn't remember how I got it. And two boys who didn't even know I was there. There was a noise as one of them slammed the other's head into a crate.

I took a few steps towards them.

"H-hey, ugly!"

The boy from Seven had a spear and he looked scared, his knuckles white. But he looked like he was going to attack me, and he did. He was too slow. I put the bag up to stop the spear and chopped for his neck, like chopping corn. Glimmer was running into the Cornucopia with a knife in her hand and she laughed and I felt sorry for the boys in there.

And I ran. Not for the trees but for the edge, for where none of the others were running. I looked around: Willow was pushed by one of the boys, the Careers stood there with blood all over them. And I ran faster.

It happened fast, but every time I see it, I see it slow. Every drop.

I saw them looking down. Maybe they were looking for me, maybe they weren't, but they didn't see me. At least at first I didn't think so. I was too far away to see their faces. The grain tickled my face and felt like home, like any moment grandmamma's reedy voice would call out 'where my Ox? You seen him Fen? We got a load here!'

But she didn't and I wasn't home.

The cannons had gone not long ago. Eleven. And not one of them me. And not one of them the Careers, because it was them I was looking at from through the grain.

Except there was one face I didn't know. Boy. Blonde hair. Looked strong. He turned and said something to the others. Even from where I was, Clove was obviously not impressed. She turned around and walked off, and Glimmer and Marvel followed her. Glimmer had a bow over her shoulders and it glittered in the sun. She could have hit me, maybe. So that was another time the Careers let me go.

And then I recognised fire boy.

I remembered the third day of training. Another morning of standing in a corner not saying anything. And Finch had popped up out of nowhere again.

"Still not scared." It hadn't been a question. Again I got the feeling that she'd been watching everybody.

"No."

"Me neither."

The girl from Three had fallen off the obstacle race and landed with a cry that made the Careers, now trailing her district partner, turn and sniff the air. Cato had nudged the boy until he'd laughed and I'd felt my hands ball into fists and was glad I said no. If they'd ever make me laugh at Rue...

Rue was firing a slingshot and doing well, and it was her that Finch was watching.

"She's still not with Twelve."

"No."

"You get what's going on with them?" She tipped her head towards them, her hair not even moving from the knot someone had tied it in. They were at traps but not doing anything, just sat talking. The boy was smiling but apart from that I saw nothing.

Finch had carried on before I could even say no, her voice quick and quiet and her eyes darting around the room, "He's got a torch for her. Head over heels. She doesn't care about him." And she'd gone again.

And in the interviews, I'd turned to look at her as the Capitol gasped and found her smiling slightly to herself. She'd given me a nod. Right again.

And now in the arena, fire girl had vanished and fire boy was with the Careers.

I stayed very still. On inspection if you move the Peacekeepers hit, so I was good at staying still. But if I could see them, they could see me. I was holding onto the sickle very hard, just in case. And I hoped that grandmamma and Fen were out at work and not watching.

Cato and fire boy looked down. They were standing quite far away from each other and Finch could have told me something about that, I knew. Fire boy turned and left, limping. Hurt. Cato stayed where he was. He had something sharp in his hand. He would have trained with it like I had trained with the sickle. Only to kill.

Suddenly I thought that maybe I'd left tracks.

His mouth moved, and I heard on the wind the words 'all clear'. Then he left. But I stayed still for another hour, just in case.

Once it got dark and I couldn't see the ridge anymore, I looked through my bag. A water canteen, half full. I dampened my tongue. There was a lake for water but the bottle would be fine for now if I was careful like grandmamma taught me. Some socks. A sleeping bag, not big enough for me but enough to protect from the snakes. I could hear them hissing nearby. I've never been scared of animals. They were always more scared of me.

There was some cream that smelt foul and I spread it on my hands and clothes to keep the flies away.

And then there was nothing to do but wait for the pictures. Eleven cannons. Eleven pictures.

Rue was still alive. So was fire girl. Finch was still alive. I wasn't surprised. She'd said she could win and I'd seen no reason not to believe her.

I knew her plan.