Too Clever

Chapter 12

I take the next sixty seconds to scan the arena and get my bearings. I need to figure out where I'm going to run when the gong goes off.
In front of me, beyond the Cornucopia, there is a lake. Even though this could be a potential source of water, I decide I'm not going head in that direction; there's not much cover and it can't be the only source of water, or the Games would be over in a few days tops.
To my left, flat ground and then...nothing. Maybe there is a cliff, or the land simply slopes into a ditch or a valley. I'm certainly not going to run in that direction; there could be anything—or anyone—waiting for me there.
Behind me and to my right lies a dense forest area, stretching as far as I can see. This is where I will make my run to. The trees provide lots of cover and there must be food, like nuts and berries, in there. The forest must also contain water—how else would the animals that inhabit the area survive?
I look at the Cornucopia and see things scattered about near the tributes' platforms. Most of these items that are farther away from the horn of the Cornucopia seem like they would be useless. The weapons, medicines, and food lie in, or very near, the Cornucopia itself. The closer something is to the horn, the more valuable it will be to the tributes.
Since none of the things near me look particularly useful and I'm not about to go sprinting into the middle of the bloodbath, I will definitely be leaving empty handed. I will head directly to the wooded area, where I will first look for a water source.
"Five...four...three...two...one!" says Claudius Templesmith's voice. The gong sounds, and I immediately jump off my platform and run in the opposite direction of the Cornucopia. It's about fifty meters to make it to the forest, but I'm fast and I don't think anyone will pursue me; the Careers and a lot of other tributes will be fighting at the Cornucopia, and the tributes that left with nothing, like I did, will have no weapons to attack or defend themselves with.
I burst into the trees and back myself in a few feet behind a group of shrubs. From here, the thick foliage will cover me from another tribute's sight, and I peer through the bushes to get a glimpse of the fight scene taking place before me. I see Katniss deflect one of Clove's knives with an orange backpack and sprint towards the woods off to the right. Clove runs back toward the Cornucopia and sends a knife blade whizzing toward another tribute. But before I can make out who it is, someone familiar catches my eye. Alec! I never would have guessed he would be stupid enough to run into the Cornucopia, into the bloody battle that he surely isn't prepared for.
Since I would feel too guilty watching his death, which is sure to come soon, as the bloodthirsty Careers are teaming up and going after the weaker ones, I turn around and continue farther into the foliage. No matter how lowly I think of him, Alec is still my district partner, and if I were to accept alliance with him back in the Capitol, then most likely, he wouldn't have ran into the Cornucopia to his almost certain death.
But this is the Hunger Games, and only one tribute comes out alive. And if that tribute is to be me, then I can't feel guilty about anyone's death, not even Alec's. But still, I can't say I'm looking forward to tonight, when they project a picture of each dead tribute into the sky for the rest of us to see.
Alec could be dead right now, for all I know. On the first day first, they don't fire the cannons signaling a tributes death until the initial fighting is over. It's too hard to keep track of the deaths otherwise.
I keep my eyes out for any source of water I might come across. Very soon, I have little saliva buildup and my tongue is parched. I have a cramp in my abdomen from dehydration. I decide I have to take a rest. I sit down on a rock nearby and catch my breath. I grab a piece of moss hanging from a tree and wipe my forehead with it, soaking up the little beads of sweat dripping down my face.
Suddenly, a bell goes off in my head. Where there's moss, there's water! I quickly stand up and continue in the same direction, and sure enough, I find a small, spring fed pool in a little clearing. Since I have nothing to drink with, I cup my hands and begin to scoop water into my mouth. It tastes a little odd, and it has a slightly slimy texture to it, but I figure it's simply because it's not treated, as it is in the districts and at the Capitol. But I don't care; water is water, and it's something I will desperately need if I am to keep going.
The boom of the cannon brings me up short. I count the shots. Eleven tributes dead. Is one of them Alec?
Now that the bloodbath is over, the Careers are probably getting ready to go hunting for the rest of tributes. But I've had about a seven-hour lead on them, so I decide not to worry about that for the time being.
Since I've finally found water, and I need to rest anyway, I make a little den of sorts out of leaves and pine needles and settle in for the night.
Twilight arrives, and with it, animal sounds. I hear an owl hoot nearby, and the rustling of leaves in the distance.
It's just a rabbit or a squirrel, I think. Nothing to worry about. But I'm not used to the woods, and to add on to that, I know that other tributes could be trying to hunt me down at any moment, so at every sound I hear, every glimpse of movement in the trees, my heart starts to race and I look around for any sign of danger.
Suddenly, the anthem begins to play and a large projection of the Capitol seal appears in the sky. The face of the girl from District 3 takes the screen. This means that all of the Careers from Districts 1 and 2 are still alive, which is not surprising in the least. Then the boy from District 4 appears. This is odd; usually, all of the Careers make it through the battle at the Cornucopia. I wonder who took his life. Maybe Thresh did; he's certainly big enough to overpower even a Career tribute.
I brace myself; District 5 is next. My muscles tense up, and my heart starts to thump hard against my chest. And Alec's face is on the screen. I try not to think about how it's my fault he's dead, how if I had just agreed to ally with him back in the Capitol, he wouldn't have died. The nightmare I had back in the Tribute Center, about how Lila was blaming me for leaving Alec alone to die in the arena, comes to mind. Guilt floods my emotions and I take a deep breath to calm down. Nobody in District 5 knows that I turned down Alec as an ally, so I have nothing to worry about. But still...
     The screen reveals that both tributes from 6 and 7, the boy from 8, both from 9, and the girl from 10 are all dead as well. That means that both tributes from 11 and 12 made it through the first day. So Rue, the twelve-year-old, is still fighting.
Once the sun completely disappears beyond the horizon, I know that this will be a cold night. I feel goosebumps on my arms, and I start to shiver. I curl up in a tight ball and try to cover myself with more leaves and pine needles, but it's not enough to cease my shivering. I puff a breath of warm air into my hands and rub them together. This is going to be a long night.
     No matter how tempted I am to start a fire, I know that I must not consider it. It would practically glow in the dark, and even if another tribute couldn't see it through the trees, they would be able to smell the smoke emanating from the fire. I just have to stick it out until the sun comes up.
     Luckily, after lying there for another hour or so, my body relaxes and I drift off to sleep, exhausted from getting almost no sleep the night before. I just hope that Alec stays out of my dreams tonight.