Alyssa of Nine (Reimagining the Hunger Games)

Chapter Thirteen: The First Night

Alyssa's P.O.V

While Jayden and I are climbing up steep stone steps as carefully as possible, I begin to hear several loud booms from the cannon, signaling to everyone, remaining tributes and audiences alike the deaths of the fallen in the arena.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

In total I counted ten deaths. Ten tributes gone on the first day, all just kids, like Jayden, Marina, and I. Ten down, thirteen more to go. And I know I'm very high up on the Careers' kill list, once they realize that Jayden and Marina are working with me, they'll also be targeted for sure.

I know I'm powerless in the end, particularly if I intend to be the one tribute who survives this, but I still feel like I owe it now to Marina and Jayden to protect them for as long as I possibly can since they put their trust in me, and no more.

We find Marina sitting in a magnificent chamber, and she runs immediately to Jayden. I can tell that she had to have worried. "Jayden! I heard the damn cannon going off ten times and I thought---"

"Well you thought wrong. I'm still here, I'm all right. And I've brought us Alyssa of Nine. She'll be our ally, just as planned." Jayden says, grinning. "That's what you wanted yourself, right?" Jayden asks me. All I say in response is, "I'm cool with this." And I unzip my backpack, and Marina and Jayden does the same with theirs.

In my backpack I find:

One flashlight
One box of matches
Several yards of rope
An empty water canteen
Iodine
Bandages meant for small wounds
A package of crackers
Beef jerky
A bag of dried apple slices
1 small jar of petroleum jelly

In Marina's and Jayden's bags we find:

3 sleeping bags
3 bars of soap
A few small cans of sardines
2 more water canteens
Some more iodine
A build-your-own rabbit trap
A package of sunflower seeds
And a small first aid kit

"All right, now that we know what we have, I suggest that we each divide as much of it as we can among ourselves. We also need to ration all of the food we have so far. Alyssa, one of these sleeping bags is yours. We'll need to set out tommorow, first thing in the morning, to find water. And possibly to hunt a rabbit or two. Now---" But before Jayden can continue, the National Anthem of Panem plays and Marina says, "look. The fallen."

The holographic screen shows the fallen in the order of each district they once called home. The District Three tributes are gone, so are the boy from Five, both from Six, the girl from Seven, both from Eight, and both from Twelve. Then the screen fades back into nothingness and it is back to being quiet.

"As I was about to say," Jayden continues, "We'll also need to take it in turns keeping guard over our camp. I'll be the first watch, you can go second Alyssa, Marina can go after you, and so on. I don't want the Careers anywhere near us any more than either of you, or any other dangers that the Gamemakers are responsible for, for that matter.

In case the latter happens, we run. And if something happens to me, or any one of us, do not stop but keep running. The same thing goes if we see the Careers coming for us. No arguing Marina. I would really like for you to go home."

"But Jayden, what about you? I don't want you to die in this godforsaken place. I would rather be dead myself than let that happen to you." Marina protests. "Yeah well, there's no way they'll allow all three of us to survive. That's the Games. That's life. It sucks. And we might as well turn in to get some rest Marina."

I didn't really want to be snapping at either one of them since they are for the time being, my only allies in this arena of death traps. But at the same time I also didn't really want to hear about which cousin doesn't want to lose the other. It isn't going to change anything so there's really no point in bickering all night over it. I settle into my sleeping bag, and Marina gets into hers.

And just before I finally close my eyes, I have to blink and rub away several tears. They are both going to have to die. I intend fully to live. And deep down, I feel like I really am a horrible person for even thinking only about this.

But it doesn't actually all come back to me. I know who it really all comes back to. Not the Careers, the tributes besides, all the hundreds of children murdered in the Games that went before, not the oppressed thousands in all the Districts or the Peacekeepers that oppress them, not the victors, the Gamemakers, or even the Capitolites with all their excessive wealth, freakish superficiality, and decadence, nor the fate of my family, friends, or of Thirteen. All of it is definitely wrong. But there is only one it really comes back to in the end.

Snow. It's always Snow. And if it came to another war, and I was told that I had to, I really don't think I would hesitate to kill him myself. And it's that part of me that I hate the most.