THE 68TH HUNGER GAMES - Book 1: Tribute

Chapter 8 - What The Future Holds

I’ve already been in the Hunger Games for two days now and I still haven’t found Ferdinand. After my time at Klieo’s party, I apparently had a fight with Cassara Shine and because of that, I was labelled as dangerous. The president ordered the gamemakers that I be locked in a cell and drugged to sleep until the day of the games. On the day of the games, I awoke in the launch room which is a room beneath the arena. There are twenty four launch rooms for each tribute and in each room, there’s a tube and a platform which rises into the arena. So on the day of the games, I awoke in the launch room with Valencia beside me. She gave me orders to run away from the Cornucopia, which is a large golden horn in the centre of the arena which contains supplies and weapons.

I’ve been wandering around the damp rainforest for at least three hours today and I haven’t seen any sign of a living person. I need to find Ferdinand since he promised to be in an alliance with me. I collapse near a tree and bask in its glorious shade. I just notice the locket hanging around my neck which my sister gave to me before I was whisked away to the Capitol. I open it and caress the photo of my mother.

“Send me some food,” I whisper to the sky hoping that my mentor; Mark Lillian, will send me something to eat. Hopefully my sponsors are willing to get me food.

I stand up and continue to trek through the thick rainforest. After a couple minutes, I reach a clearing and stand there. I look up into the sky and see a parachute with a package tied to it float down towards me.

Finally, Mark has sent me something.

I open the package and see a silver knife. I feel anger boiling inside of me since I already have a knife latched onto my belt, and right now, I’m in need of food. I then notice the note inside the package and I pick it up to read.

There are more people than you think

What is that supposed to mean? I already know that thirteen people have died. Unless he means that the Capitol have added more tributes into the arena, but I quickly remove that possibility. They won’t do that, because it’ll be unfair to the dead tributes. He could mean that there are more people near me than I think. At this sudden thought, I head back into the thick forest for a place to hide.

“Hyora!” screams a voice in the distance. I instantly recognise it as Ferdinand’s voice.

“Ferdinand! Where are you?” I yell back.

“Argh! Hyora help me!” Ferdinand says, this time more audible.

I cut through the thick forest and step into a clearing to see Ferdinand on the ground tangled in some sort of net made of vines.

“Did you still want to borrow my fishnet?” Cassara says as she steps out of the bushes.

“Let him go,” I say as I pull out my knife.

“Get her!” Cassara says, and within a second, I feel a pair of arms wrap around my body and drag me to the ground.

I look up and see Melliano Graphite; the career tribute from District 2, point a spear towards my forehead.

“Don’t move or else the boy dies,” she snarls at me.

I don’t move. I see Cassara take out a bow and arrow and aim it towards Ferdinand’s chest. Before I can yell, Cassara has shot an arrow through Ferdinand and he’s dead.

“Bitch!” I yell, “You’re all mutts! All of you! All of the tributes! Mutts!”

Cassara turns to me and smiles.

“Hold her still Melliano. I wonder how pretty she’ll look with an arrow through her head,” she says while reloading her arrow.

“No!” I shout, but before I can do anything, Cassara releases the arrow from the bow.

**

I suddenly jolt up from my horrific nightmare. I look around and realise that I'm back in my bedroom in the training centre. I get out of bed and head to the shower, but stop when I notice that it’s already 1pm. Training has ended today. I’ve slept in and missed training. I suddenly feel a huge pounding sensation in my head then decide that I need fresh air.

I head down the corridor and into the living room to find my escort, Falafel sitting on the couch.

“You’re finally awake. You’ve missed training,” she says casually.

“So what am I supposed to do?” I say.

“Well you’ll get a private training session with Mark. At 5pm, the gamemakers will give each tribute a private training session where they’ll judge you and give you a score on television. This score determines the amount of sponsors you’ll get. After that, at 8pm tomorrow, Caesar Flickerman will interview each tribute. That is your chance to impress the Capitol and get sponsors,” Falafel says while reading through her notes.

“So when does my private training session start?” I ask.

“Now”

I go have a shower and dress in something comfortable. As the minutes go by, I'm whisked away to the bottom floor of the training centre where Mark is waiting for me. We rotate through the different stations working through combat and survival skills and before I know it, it’s 4.50pm. It’s time to impress the gamemakers.

 “Listen, just try your best and the score that they give you doesn’t determine anything,” Mark Lillian says reassuringly.

I nod and wait in the hallway outside of the training room. Ferdinand arrives in a couple of minutes and sits next to me.

“So what are you going to do?” he asks.

“I don’t know. Maybe throw a couple knives. You?”

“I’m going to throw spears,” Ferdinand confidently.

“I need to tell you something,” I say in a hushed voice, “Promise me we’ll be in an alliance till the end?”

Ferdinand nods and gives me a look which suggests I am stating the obvious.

“Of course we’ll be in an alliance!” he says reassuringly.

We sit by the entrance for a good fifteen minutes before my name is called to enter the training centre. Ferdinand gives me a weak smile and I head inside hoping for the best.

“Hello Hyuna!” the head gamemaker; Seneca Crane says.

“It’s Hyora,” I say slightly annoyed.

“Of course,” he says, slightly embarrassed, “so you have half an hour to impress us. Do whatever you like with the time we give you, but try to keep us entertained.”

I nod and head to the table of knives. I observe all of them carefully before choosing a small knife with a serrated blade. I clear my throat loudly which gets the gamemakers’ attention and I prepare to throw the knife at a target. I swiftly throw the knife and it lodges extremely close to the bullseye of a target set about twenty metres away. The gamemakers softly clap, but they still don’t seem too interested. I then head back to the knife table and pick up a thin sword and walk over to the combat simulation area where dummies jump out from behind objects. I work through the simulation area with ease chopping and stabbing most of the dummies with my sword. By the time I finish, I notice that my time is nearly up, and I tell the gamemakers that I have finished and I wait to be excused.

“hmm... Hyora Coco. You have very good knife throwing skills. You may leave,” says Seneca Crane says without emotion.

I leave the room and tell Ferdinand that it’s his turn. He gulps and heads in with fear in his eyes.