The 100th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 5

Asea wakes me early in the morning. After sadly hugging my pillow and praying that I'll wake up in a soft bed again, I pretend to myself that everything is going to be okay and pull on a pair of jeans and a top. We'll be dressed for the arena soon so I don't pay attention to colours.

Heading into the common area, Drina glares at me and I smile back as widely as I can. She scoffs and turns to her plate of pancakes. I don't feel particularly hungry, but I eat some pancakes like a robot and speak to no one. Not that anyone is in the mood for talking anyways.

After about an hour we head to the training centre again and I’m airlifted to my chamber. The plane journey seems long but probably wasn't really. I had my tracker put in and then I enter my chamber alone.

The room is empty but I must enter a smaller chamber to receive my clothes. I strip and get in. The smaller chamber is cold and I grit my teeth. After feeling clothes put on me I step out. and survey myself in the mirror. Oh God.

I’m wearing a little black dress with stiletto heels and hardly any covering from the air. I feel freezing cold. My hair is tied up in a ponytail with a piece of string. Well, I can’t say I was expecting to be given much of a chance of survival in the Quarter Quell, but I've never seen outfits this meagre in the arena. What are they thinking?!

I step into the pod that will put me up on my pedestal and wait. I feel oddly calm and peaceful. Suddenly the pod door closes and I’m lifted up into fresh air and I breathe in a huge gulp. I look around. Each pedestal is placed about ten metres apart and we are all wearing similar outfits, except the boys are wearing tuxedos with sandals.

I focus on the Cornucopia. Its bigger this year, and there are thousands of supplies spilling everywhere. I fix my gazes on some easy pickings. I don’t want to go into the Cornucopia. I’ll stick to my father’s advice.

The countdown starts on the loud speakers as I survey they area around us. I can see thick, dark woodland to my right and open clearing to my right. I don’t look behind me but in front I see only the Cornucopia.

“Ten, nine, eight...” The speaker booms.

I ready myself. On the six second mark there is a massive explosion across from me. I look and see someone has stepped of the pedestal too early. Already there are only seventy-one left. At least I didn’t come last.

"..three, two, one." There is a second long pause before the cannon booms and I sprint forward. I’ve always been a fast runner but the adrenaline pushes me forward even more. I snatch up two supply bags and a pack of knives before sprinting towards the woods. No-one chases me and I’m gone into the wood before I hear the first sounds of screaming.

I pull the two bags on to my shoulders and hold the pack of knives while I run. I don’t even give a thought as to how long I run for, but keep making twists and turns around the trees and bushes, sprinting as hard and fast as I can.

I must have accidentally made a U-turn, because after a while I see two boys fighting at a tree. They don't notice me as they stab at each other angrily. I pause for a few seconds to watch them, but then I hear a rustling in the trees behind me and start running again. One of the boys has a chest injury so I can guess what the outcome will be.

After what feels like hours I find a clump of low trees and curl up underneath them. I open my bags and go through them. Some dried meat, a water can, some black material, a sewing needle, black thread and more. I can’t believe my luck. The material gives me an idea but I decide to wait a while.

I run until the sun sets and I find a dark area of trees. I hide in the shade where no one can see me. Three more cannons had gone off while I ran and I quickly get to work. I break the heels off my stilettos and use the material to make some makeshift boots wrapped around my feet with material. Its not great, but its better than the heels. The heels will come in useful though, so I throw them into the bag. I tear bits of material off my dress and sew and stitch until I am wearing a single body length black suit. I tie my hair up with some black material and put my knives in my bag. I sit bag in the clump of trees and close my eyes.

BOOM!

Another cannon sounds and I jerk up. I’ve been asleep and another tribute is dead. I wake up just in time for the faces in the sky. Out of the eighteen careers only two are dead, and I know I’m at risk. Lila Reta is dead, but that doesn’t surprise me. If you make an impression, you are a target. Of the two boys I noticed fighting, one is dead. What shocks me about this was I expected the boy with the chest injury to be the one who lost but it is not his face in the sky.

From my district Drina and Nyq have been killed. That shocks me, they were the ones expecting protection. I guess they expected too much. Then again, it being the Quarter Quell, the Capitol may have heard of Talia's plan and put an end to it.

Forty-seven of us are still here, and I relax a little. I curl up in the bushes and sleep.