The 89th Hunger Games "#TheWattys2016

The Games - Day One

I wake up and look at the clock.
5:00am
No. The games start today.
My heart starts to race. I stand up, shaking. I walk over to the shower, the last one I'll ever have.  I step in and use every single feature. I want to be as clean as possible for the games. I step out of the shower and dry my body, leaving my hair damp. I brush out my hair and make a tight French braid down my back. It keeps my hair out of my face. I hear a knock, wrapping the towel around my body I go to the door.
It's an Avox.
She hands me my arena clothes.
" Thank you." I say.
She nods and manages a slight smile but I can see the pain in her eyes.
I get dressed in the clothes that I'll wear for the next 2 weeks.
The clothes I'll die in.
My outfit consists of black leggings , combat boots, a grey t-shirt, a black jacket that provides minimal warmth and of course my district token, the wire necklace that my siblings died in.
I feel tears prick the back of my eyes but I have to be strong.
I walk down to the dining table. Nobody is talking , not even Nightphan.
I make myself a plate of healthy food. Eggs, bananas, apples, crackers, nuts, and basically anything to give me energy and keep me full for today. I drink two glasses of water. I use the bathroom and I say goodbye to Laney.
" Thank you so much for helping me. " I say.
" You're welcome, I believe in you, Melanie. Prove the Capitol wrong! Fight for your mom, dad, and your siblings. Fight for me." She says and embraces me in a hug.
" Goodbye." I say.
" See you later. " Laney says with a wink.
I smile and walk onto the hovercraft. I take a neat next the Nathan and Bridget. Rye comes in and sits next to me. Shortly thereafter a lady with a needle comes in. She injects everyone with their tracker.
I wince when she puts mine in.
All that is heard is the whir of the hovercrafts motor, we rise into the air and begin our ride to the arena.
We arrive, the windows are covered now.
We've reached our final destination, at least for 23 of us.

Were transported to our pods, a small cement room where our stylists await.
I embrace Venice in a hug as soon as I see her. I'll miss her. She offers me a drink and I gladly accept. I drink it all, go to the bathroom. And then an electronic voice is heard.
" 30 seconds "
My heart races, my hands shake, my knees feel like jello, their is a lump in my throat that won't go away.
" 20 seconds "
Venice has tears slipping out of her brown eyes.
" 10 Seconds "
I step into the pod and it closes shut.
" 5 seconds "
The medal plate starts to rise, I'm engulfed in pure darkness as the plate rides up. My face is greeted with a rush of cold air, then warm air. The sun blinds me for a moment. I look around and almost fall off of my plate.
Fire, Earth, Water, Air.
The game makers have really outdone themselves this time
To my left a fiery desert , to my back a lush forest, to my right a frozen wasteland with whipping winds, and across from me, an ocean that stretches for miles.
I see panic in everyone's eyes. We're all dressed differently according to our elements. To my right I see Bridget, in an identical outfit as mine.To my left I see Nathan again, in the same outfit. A stroke of luck for us. There are 6 tributes for each element. I recognize Cecilia Ames, I make a mental note about her, I want her as an Allie. I don't know anyone else.
I see Rye positioned next to Marvel in the ocean portion.
Oh fuck.
I look at the clock
45 seconds.
I look around me.
Backpacks are strewn around our element.
I see throwing knives about 5 feet in front of me.
Those are mine.
I see a whip in the desert portion. Surely one of the bags will contain matches or flint and steel.... Surely.
30 seconds.
I look at Bridget and Nathan, they're analyzing the goodies thrown around for us.
20 seconds.
I look at Rye and nod backwards, signaling for her to meet us in the forest.
She nods.
I do the same to Bridget and Nathan.
5 more seconds.
I take a deep breath.
4
3
2
1
A gong sounds and I sprint towards the knives. I run too fast and as I grab them I stumble forward and face plant onto the dirt ground.
I scream out.
My mind goes blank.
I scramble up whipping my head around and hook the knives onto my belt. I grab a back pack and spot Bridget and Nathan running towards the desert to grab the whip and Flint and steel. I spot Rye, swimming towards the cornucopia. I feel something grab my hair and pull me too the ground, I grab a knife and blindly stab whoever pulled me. When they go limp I stand up, I stabbed them in the face, leaving them unrecognizable.
I run into the forest. Not daring to turn back.
I run for a solid 15 minutes until I climb a tree.
I catch my breath and then climb up so high I can see the cornucopia.
And I wish I hadn't.
The ocean is stained blood red.
Bodies are littered around the land, coated in sand, maggots, dirt, blood.
The snow has turned pink.
I see injured tributes begging for mercy.
Then I see Rye, Bridget and Nathan. They're comparing supplies.
I scurry down the tree and sprint towards them.
When I reach them they embrace me in a hug.
" Melanie! We all thought you were dead! " Rye exclaims
I notice a gash on her cheek.
" What happened! " I ask
" That douche, Marvel. He cut me. But I stabbed him in the eye and he ran off." She says
I smile and nod.
" Have you checked your bag yet? " asks Bridget.
I Shake my head no.
We all empty our bags and put our weapons in a pile.
We end up with
A single winter coat, a set of earth element clothes, 3 packages of crackers, a water purification set, dried beef strips, some apples, a compass, some rope, a canteen and a sleeping bag.
For weapons we got a set of 13 knives, all different sizes, a long black leather whip with a barbed end, flint and steel, a sword, and a mace.
We divide all the supplies and weapons.
" Nathan, take this sword in case you can't light a fire quick enough. " says Bridget.
He gladly accepts the heavy, silver weapon.
Rye gladly takes the mace in her hands.
We make our way through the forest in search of water when we hear a scream.
We all jump.
Bridget takes off towards the scream, Nathan follows.
" Stop!" Screams Rye.
Weapons in hand, we sprint towards the scream.
Running
Running
Running
Suddenly I'm pushed down by the girl from 6.
Cecilia Ames.
She looks at me with wild eyes.
" R-R-RUN! T-THE CAREERS ARE COMING!" She screams .
We sprint through the forest, we are greeted with a rush of freezing air.
We can hear the cheers from the careers and their loud footsteps.
We run through the heavy snow. The cold air freezes my throat, my eyes water, my nose runs.
Then I spot it.
I spot a cluster of willow trees.
I immediately start to climb the tree. The rest of the group follows. When we reach the top we cling onto the slippery bark for dear life.

We see the careers run past us. 15 minutes later we decide it's safe to climb down. It's almost nightfall and we need to get somewhere warm. We trudge through the cold, numb fingers and toes. We finally reach the forest where we begin to warm up. The sun is just setting and we decide to go in the trees.
" Cecilia, you saved my life back there. Allies?" I say.
" Allies." Cecilia nods.
I learn that she's 16 and we go through her supplies. An axe and a backpack. In the backpack we find a pair of gloves and rope.
We each eat an apple.
Tomorrow we will hunt.
We find a cluster of trees and climb them. We use the rope to secure our bodies on the sturdy branches.
I'm about to fall asleep when the anthem plays. It shows the fallen tributes.
Both from 7
Female from 10
Male from 12
Male from 5
Female from 3
Male from 2
Both from 3
Male from 9
A career? On the first day?
10 down... 14 to go.
I slip into a dreamless sleep.

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