The 74th Hunger Games.

Arena: Bloodbath.

Eight seconds. That's all the rise is. Thirty seconds, a minute. Some say it felt like they're whole lives in there.

But I only count eight seconds. Later, I will remember that. When everything is silent and has stopped.

But now, I am frozen. I feel nothing. I am resigned to my fate.

Whatever it may be.

***

The arena is beautiful. I never would have imagined dying somewhere as beautiful as this. I was going to die in Twelve. With a family.

But now...

Now I will die in this arena.

This beautiful arena has become a tomb for children.

***

Looking in all directions, I see a rocky mountain range.

There are big pine trees, and rocks that a mountain goat could climb, and I hear streams.

The air is chilly, not enough to be cold, or enough to freeze any water, but the nights will be horrendous.

Some areas are covered with a light dusting of snow. The uniform is meant to simultaneously block the air and not let us overheat.

The air is cold, so the jackets are worn to prevent any frost related diseases. The material is tight and athletic, so when we are in vigorous motion, we will not have a heat flash.

The cornucopia and the twenty-four tributes plates are set on a vast, flat rocky strip. The left drops off in a cliff that must be climbed, and the right dips slowly down past a line of tall pines and onto more rocky plateau, but there will be coverage there.

"Good morning ladies and gentleman of Panem, and welcome to the seventy-fourth Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor."

The audio is cut with a slight crackle, and then the giant timer on the cornucopia begins to count down.

***

60.

59, 58, 57, 56, 55, 54, 53.

I take a breath, let it out.

52, 51, 50. 49.

I think one last time of my family.

48, 47, 46, 45, 44, 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 38.

Guinevere, Scott, Dominic, mom, dad.

37, 36, 35. 34, 33, 32, 31.

Isabelle.

30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20.

I look at the tributes set in a circle.

19, 18, 17, 16.

I find Chase, six plates away from me. I am facing the left side of the cornucopia, he is facing the tail end. On my right is Kris Blue, my left is Jace White.