Sea Of Secrets [1]

Eight

   My first day in the arena started with me being lifted up in the place where I were to kill, to slaughter, to murder.

   "Ladies and gentlemen, let the seventy fourth annual Hunger Games begin!" The ugly and sick voice of Claudius Templesmith shot out throughout the arena. He will be in for a treat when he sees Snows dead body in his mansion.

   We stand on our metal circular plates , waiting for the gong to sound. I stand looking at my opponents, seeing who will be fast to kill, and who will be a challenge.

   A loud noise comes from my left and I snap my head to the sound, seeing a tribute who was so stupid as to step off of their assigned place. The land mines ripped his legs off like it was a snap of a pencil. A cannon goes off in the distance and we all know that he died.

   We stand before the cornucopia, looking for what we need most to survive in the games. I need a rope, a set of knives, and a belt. I also need to get a backpack that has some food, water and a sleeping bag. I was warned that there were going to be some cold nights, and I'm not sure if I will be effected by it, all the heat in my body went cold when I saw my brother lying dead in front of hundreds. As I look around at my surroundings, I see that we are surrounded by heavy woods, and streams and lakes that will be easy to get water and easy to hunt for fish. The trees are mostly pines and willows. They dance around in the wind, welcoming us in.

   As the gong sounds, tributes run to the cornucopia, not wasting any time to grab what they need, and then kill if someone is in their way. I am different from those who are running, I walk towards what I want, and many don't even notice because they are too busy trying to get what they need. A few heads turn my way, and some even come running.

   A small girl that I recognize from District Three runs towards me with a knife in hand. I stop dead in my tracks and wait for her to come. Her face reads confused and scared that I am not intimidated by her whatsoever. When just a foot away from me , I grab her collar , yank her towards me, putting her into a head lock. Her arms and legs are flailing all about , but all I see is red. Red blood is everywhere on the ground as tributes cannons go off. Red blood like my brothers.

   "I'm tired of idiots like you who think they can walk all over me" I whisper in her ear as the crack of her neck rings through my body like chills. She drops to the ground, and I pick up her knife and jog my way to my supplies. I take a belt , some knives, a rope , and a backpack. As soon as I try to reach for a water bottle , someone grabs me from behind , tackling me down to the ground.

   Sam.

   I struggle under his strong grip, but he has my body under his. I stretch my fingers , pleading for them to reach a knife that was in my belt. As they grasp it , a sigh of relief goes out my mouth as the knife is imbedded into his thigh. He screams in pain and I shove him off of me , picking up my supplies and then running for the thick wooded area. I look back only once, and see that there are bodies scattered across the field before the cornucopia. It's only been a few minutes, but many have died in the midst of the bloodbath.

   I walk for what seems like hours, trying not to make any footprints. I don't want anyone knowing I'm here. In the span of the hours that I've walked, the cannon has shot off twelve times. I have killed one, and hopefully injured the other severely. They will be taken into the Capitol, washed up, redressed, and shipped back to the family's in the District. I hope I won't become another dead body that they have to deal with.

   The Capitol and all of the Districts are watching us carefully, making their bets on who they think will win. I bet no one expected me to kill so easily, but when someone dies in the hands of the Capital, it changes you forever. Especially if it's your own family.

   The night falls fast as I find shelter in a cave by the river. It's a good thing I found a place by the river because I now have all the food I can have at my fingertips.

   As I open my backpack, I find a sleeping bag, a blanket made of the same material of my jacket, and a water bottle, some dried fruit, and meat. I am thankful for the food that I am given , and only eat a small amount because I need to save the rest for the upcoming days.

   I only realize that I have started crying when my tears hit the dried fruit that I am eating. All of this is taking a heavy toll on my body, and I just want to hide away until I am the last one , like I told Finnick. I push that thought out of my head as I see my brothers smiling face in my head. I will win for him, and I will avenge his death. He was so young. So beautiful. So full of life. He didn't deserve that, and I didn't deserve to have him ripped from my life with a bullet.