Masked Enemies

Chapter 27

Katniss

"It's gonna be a big, big, big, big day!" Effie trills as we eat breakfast quickly. I can tell she is not in the mood for this, though, because no matter how Capitol-y she was, she still loved us. She knew that I was probably going to die.

"Katniss, listen, when you're in the arena, run to the tail of the Cornucopia. The others know what to do. I've discussed this matter with them." Haymitch instructs.

Then I leave with my stylist, whose name I cannot remember. I missed Cinna. The pain of watching him leave me comes back again, a throbbing one in my stomach and my forehead and everywhere. A throbbing, stabbing pain.

"Katniss." She says. "Put this on." She holds out a furry coat, a long sleeved shirt, cargo pants, and leather boots, like the ones I had at home.

I do so, and she wishes me good luck. I step into the glass tube, vaguely aware of the the feminine voice counting us down. Then the glass door closes, and I am rising. I catch one last glimpse of my stylist before she disappears, along with the rest of the normal world.

The sunlight blinds me. I shield my eyes from the light, careful not to whack myself. Once my eyes are adjusted, I look around me. I am standing in a snowy valley, with mountains behind me, and a ring of trees that encircled what looked like the Cornucopia in front of me. The tributes are arranged in a complete circle around the ring. Next to me is Arch, and on the other side Cascade. I can just make out Rory, who stands on the other side of the circle, next to Finnick.

Then the voice of the announcing legend, Claudius Templesmith, blares throughout the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the 76th Hunger Games begin!" He shouts.

60 seconds. That's how long we were supposed to stay on the pedestal. Get off before, that and it'll shoot you sky high. I lay my eyes on a quiver of arrows and a silver bow. Mine. I can see Diem eyeing it greedily out of the corner of my eye, too, so I prepare myself to lunge. At home, my mother and Gale are probably watching this, biting their nails raw. I had to win for them.

10 seconds. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. I brace myself. 1. The gong goes off, and so do I. I reach the bow and arrows, but not quick enough. Diem grabs them, tugs, and I slip in the snow, lose my grip, and let go. She runs with them, but she cannot evade my charge. I grab a knife and throw it. It hits her in the leg, and she falls. The snow is stained red with blood, the stuff that slowly oozes out of her calf. Diem LaCox sits there in pain, and I take the opportunity. I grab the bow and arrows, barely avoiding the knife that whizzes past my head.

I turn around and run. I can see many bodies on the ground now, the blood that gushes out of them staining the snow a sickly, dark red. But I hear no cannons. They're not dead yet.

I scour the fallen, and see Rory lying there too. I can see the light fade from his eyes. The cannon sounds.

"No." If Rory was dead, maybe Cascade or Finnick or Cassia was dead.

I look around frantically, and then relax when I see Cascade, Finnick, and Cassia standing in a group at the tail. Finnick sees me, and then spots a backpack next to him. He runs for it, grabs it, slinging it over one shoulder, and then begins to head back to our team.

I see the knife at the last second. I open my mouth to yell out to him.

"Finn-" Too late, I warn him. The knife lodges itself in his arm. He falls, dropping the backpack. I run towards him, kneeling over him.

"Finnick." I shake him ever so gently. "Finnick." No response. "FINNICK!" I yell. Now I am scared. Was he unconscious, or dead? I touch his wrist, feeling for a pulse. It is there, but so faint I could barely feel it, the heat of the battle twisting my senses and feelings.