I wake up in Dan's room. Dan is next to me in the bed, and he is under the covers. However, I am on top of the sheets, and my legs hang partially off of the side of the mattress. Leaving the room silently, I make my way back to my own quarters. The early morning sun gives off a radiant glow; it's a beautiful lighting which should invoke happiness, but for me, it only brings sheer torturous feelings. My cold hands grip the end of my silken shirt, and I think back on yesterday. Dan and I didn't even want to watch the scores on television. We never even bothered to tell anyone what we did in training. We only told each other what we did.
I didn't want to throw knives again, so I tried my hand at archery again. But with my bandaged hand, I ended up missing the target all but three times. Dan, however, is a different story. He knew he could climb well - I would know, since I've seen him do it - but I didn't know he could throw a spear. Apparently, neither did he. He missed the first two tries, but then he had hit the target spot-on after that. However, the Gamemakers weren't even watching him. They were too busy going on and on about the other tributes, drinking too much, and stuffing themselves. So, now here we are, on a quiet morning, about to go fight to the death until only one of us is alive to be plagued by nightmares for the rest of their existance.
I wish I was a bird, or maybe a butterfly. They fly and flutter freely. But myself, I remain all too restricted. Tethered to fall prey to the Games, you might say. I let a single tear slip out of my eye, and I whisper, "I am an animal, just waiting to be slaughtered."
I am now in the Launch Room. I wear a full-body suit made of a semi-stretchy, sort-of rubbery type material. Looking back at Gabriel, who may be the last person I talk to, I outstretch my arms and hug him. He hugs back, giving me a faint smile.
"It was nice having you here, young Charlotte. I would love to see you again," he tells me softly, letting me go.
"Thanks. If I don't make it back, then this is goodbye. Thank you for making me beautiful," I say.
"You don't need a stylist to do that," he smiles, leading me to the glass tube that will lift me in to the Arena. The glass closes around me, and I wave goodbye one last time.
"Prepare for launch," a robotic voice says. Within ten seconds, I feel myself being lifted up, towards the Arena. I am as scared as I'll ever be, but I must keep a level head.
As my eyes adjust to the bright sunlight, I see my surroundings. The Cornucopia is surrounded by sand. Around the circle of tributes and the Cornucopia is a moat of sorts. Then, to the East, there is just sand and water. To the West, there is thick, dense jungle. I decide to go to the jungle. But first, should I try to run for the Cornucopia? Maybe. Wait, there are two throwing knives, and they're about ten yards away from me. I'll run for them, then I'll get to the jungle...
The countdown starts, and I have a minute to size everyone up. I spot Dan, and he's about three tributes to my right. I make eye contact with him, and we both nod, as if to say we're ready for this. However, I'm not sure if I'm completely confident in that. Anyway, there's ten seconds left in the countdown.
Ten...
Nine...
Eight...
Before I know it, the gong sounds, and I run as fast as I can to the knives. I grab them, along with a backpack. As I hurriedly flee from the Cornucopia, an arrow whizzes past my head. I run faster, and I make it to the safety of the foliage. Leaves get in my way and I can't see, so, naturally, I end up running into a tree. Guys, let the record show that Grace was never my middle name. After I recover from hitting the tree, I sprint deeper into the jungle.
Thinking that I am far away from other tributes, I come to rest at a seemingly calm pond. I catch my breath, and I look in my backpack. I find nothing but a small water bottle and a pack of crackers. Zipping up my bag, I walk over to the pond. I get down on my knees, and I put my hand in the water to see if it's fresh water. Briefly, I survey my surroundings. The jungle surrounds and consumes me, so I assume I'm well-hidden. Suddenly, I feel something sink into my flesh. I scream in pain, and I lift up my arm to reveal bloody bite marks. With no idea what just bit me, I quickly tear off part of my pant leg to bind my wound. After that's done, I get up to hastily leave, since someone most likely heard my scream.
It turns out that I was all too right. I whip around, only to see the boy from District Five, I think his name is Tyler, standing before me. He is not muscly, but he is bigger than me. The smile spread wide across his face worries me, but I grab one of my knives. We both hesitate for a second, not wanting to kill yet, but we will eventually have to, anyway. Making my move, I throw a knife at him. It hits him in the abdomen, but he quickly pulls it out and then he lunges for me. I try to dodge him, but he is too quick, and he pins me to the ground.
"Help me!" I scream at the top of my voice, hoping that someone will help. But I know I'm done for. These are the Hunger Games, and nobody gets their life saved in the Arena.
"There is no help," the boy snickers. I shut my eyes, and I wait for him to kill me. I wait for him to stab me to death. However, it never happens. Instead, I find the boy being lifted off of me, and he starts screaming. I get up, and I see him fighting Dan. The boy from Five manages to get Dan pinned up against a tree, right next to the pond. He's trying to choke Dan. I throw myself at the boy, and I grip his back tightly. Throwing him with my whole body, I watch as he falls in to the pond.
The boy starts screaming, and I see mutated piranhas biting his flesh until he sinks in the cloud of red water. I stand there, stunned, for a moment. But then, I turn and face Dan. I pull him into an embrace, and he hugs me back, tightly.
"You weren't lying when you said you cared about me," I say.
"You weren't lying, either," he replies.
"We need to get out of here. Are we allies now?" I ask Dan.
"Yes, we're allies. Here, you dropped your knife," he tells me, handing me my bloodied knife. I wipe it off with my sleeve, and then we leave. We walk for a long time in silence, and then we make it to the edge of the arena. You can tell, because as we were walking, I ran into the force field. Force fields are harmless unless you put them in contact with a conductor; if you do, you're dead.
"Where are we supposed to camp out, then?" I ask.
"The trees," Dan tells me.
"The trees? That's impossible!" I exclaim.
"It's actually kind of easy. Here, watch," he says, walking over to one of the trees. I watch as he puts his feet on notches in the tree to climb up, and then he is sitting on a high treebranch. He smirks from about thirty feet off the ground, and I roll my eyes, which makes him laugh. I'm just about to climb the tree myself, when my bite starts tingling. I look down at it, and I unwrap my makeshift bandage.
The veins surrounding the bite have become bright orange, and my vision is becoming blurry. A fiery burst of pain fills my arm, and I scream. Dropping to the ground, my body shudders with wild convulsions.
"Charlotte! Please, don't die!" Dan pleads as hysteria invades my mind.
