Black Ice (The Hunger Games--Fanfic)

e i g h t

I stare eagerly at the screen. All I did was throw a couple of knives at a target, and that seemed to impress the Gamemakers, but what if it wasn't enough? Or the boy from district 7 got better. Maybe the careers will kill me and replace me with him. If he got a better score than me, it would be the wise thing to do, and no doubt their plan. They wont hang around with second best.

But what's done is done and I can't change that. Whatever my score is, that's left for fate to decide because I can't do anymore.

The TV starts to show the scores. First a picture of the tribute, then their score.

From district one, Josh scores a ten, Nellie scores a nine.

I'm surprised by this, though I know I shouldn't be. They're careers. Nothing else could be expected.

From district two, Shadow scores an eight and Krystal scores a six.

This surprises me too, after the first set of results I thought they would've gotten a higher score, but obviously not.

District three pops up on the screen and I feel their scores may be even lower than the ones from any of the previous ones. Arlo gets a ten, and Mimi gets and eleven! The highest so far. I'm not surprised, she was really secretive throughout the training, and was probably saving her 'special skill' for the Gamemakers eyes, and not the other tributes.

District four next, and I have a feeling that the other careers are watching eagerly, trying to see what I got, especially now that I am in their alliance. Sam's face pops up on the screen, followed by the number seven, and his prep team, and Finnick, all hurry around him patting his back and shaking his shoulders, crying their words of 'congratulations'. My face pops up next followed by a number eight.

Autumn gives me a sort-of-wink from across the room, and Mags grips my hand and squeezes it tight, and when I turn to face her she nods at me.

No one makes a big fuss, but I'm glad. I never really used my time to get to know them. I spent most of it alone, and that's how I want to spend my last few moments before the reality of death sinks in completely.

I watch out for the boy from district 7. I know I'm not supposed to care about his score, but I do. I wait, holding in my breath, and feeling more nervous than when my number was announced. He gets a five. This makes me feel kind of happy, and I know that he isn't really that much of a threat to me anymore.

That night, I lie in bed, tossing and turning. It's too hot and I lie awake. I am scared to close my eyes, so I walk out of my room and over to the chairs where we usually all eat dinner together, where I sit and enjoy that I am alone and I am okay and how my family are never going to see me again.

I know I am not asleep, and in my head I can hear my mother's screams from the day of the reaping. It haunts me. Like a nightmare, it controls my mind for a moment and I become jumpy and paranoid that someone is watching me, so I look up. I wasn't wrong. Someone is watching me.

Annie Cresta.

"How are you," her voice is soft and I know she is being sincere, she wants to talk to me.

"Tired?"

"Can't sleep, huh?" she smiles and takes a seat next to me.

"Yeah..."

"Neither could I. What's keeping you up then?"

"I guess I'm just nervous..."

"The games don't start tomorrow, sleep while you can."