The Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen Blogs

One Step Closer to Getting out of Here

I'm sure that by now, every screen across Panem is lit up with the events of today. Rue and I took a drastic step by attempting to pull off this plan, but it worked! It actually worked! Yes, there are still some unanswered questions and minor problems with unknown solutions, but all I'm concerned about right now is the fact that the Careers' food source is destroyed.

Every year in the Hunger Games, the Careers are the most powerful group of people, no doubt about it. They're always the group of people to claim the Cornucopia and the surrounding area as their territory. Additionally, the Careers' are always the strongest, heaviest, and most well-fed people participating in the Hunger Games. A Career tribute almost always wins every year. However, what just happened goes to show that the Careers can actually be outsmarted!

They had arranged all the supplies from the Cornucopia into a strange, pyramid shape. The reason for this is that the landmines that were around every tribute's platform at the beginning of the Games had been electrically rearranged. District 3 specialized in technology, and the boy tribute from there had been the one to conduct this action. There was a special way to avoid the landmines, which consisted of prancing around in a ridiculous fashion. I had seen Foxface, the girl from District 5, doing it before she ran away.

I sat there for a long time trying to think of a plan. Even though Rue was distracting the Careers with her fires, I knew that my time was limited. Unlike Foxface, I wasn't really one for cleverness. Sure, I was good with a bow and arrow, but pretty much anything involving technology was a no-go for me. I remembered my first day in the Capitol. I had pressed way too many wrong buttons in the shower, and that went great. Well, at least dodging blasts of hot water in a shower in the Capitol is better than dodging fireballs in the arena.

Foxface, on the other hand, might actually stand a chance of winning the Hunger Games. I wouldn't be surprised if she were the last tribute standing in the arena. She's as sly as a fox when it comes to anything involving tricks and traps.

I ended up shooting an arrow towards a sack of apples, which caused the bright red fruit to tumble towards the ground, triggering the landmines. The explosion was so hard that it knocked me right onto my back. I'd been several feet away from the pyramid of goods, but I still felt the full-force of the blast.

Cato and the other Careers came rushing back towards their camp. In his anger, Cato snapped the neck of the boy from District 3, instantly killing him. After a little while, the Careers disappeared back into the woods. I was hidden in a clump of ferns and bushes, and I knew that it would be okay to spend the night safely hidden right there.

There was one thing that I'd noticed before falling asleep: my left ear had completely lost its hearing. The explosion must have damaged some part of it. I didn't know if it was temporary or permanent, but one thing was for sure: I couldn't lose half of my hearing. Not when I was so far into the Hunger Games. When hunting, hearing is just as important as seeing. Back in the woods by District 12, I could close my eyes and would be able to hear the sound of any animal lurking within the underbrush. If I lost my hearing, my chances of winning the Hunger Games would decrease significantly. What if someone snuck up behind my left side, and I wasn't able to hear anything? Then I'd be dead in a heartbeat. I can't lose the Hunger Games. I have to win. I have to for Prim.

As dawn broke, I hurried away from the lake and towards the spot where I'd made camp with Rue a couple of nights prior. Rue and I had agreed to whistle the four-note tune that the mockingjays would repeat as a signal of communication. If either of us heard the tune, we would know that the other was safe.

However, I've been walking for over an hour, and I haven't heard any birdsong yet. I hope that Rue is okay. I know that she's smart, smart enough to avoid getting into any unnecessary trouble. However, I know that she is the youngest and smallest tribute in the Games. In terms of physical strength, she is a butterfly and almost all of the other tributes are hawks. However, I know Rue. She'll be able to outsmart the Careers. Won't she?