Not Just A Game

Chapter 38

I plummet, my legs kicking below me frantically searching for a hard surface that doesn't come. At some point I break the surface of a sort of saltwater body.

Underneath the surface, it's completely silent, peaceful. I can taste the tangy salt of the ocean rolling above me in waves as I struggle to reach the air.

When I do, it's complete chaos.

And that's an understatement.

The first thing I hear is my own lungs gasping for a breath before the screams start. Some are just shrill and panicky, but others are cut up screams, as if they're being strangled or drowned. I just need to reach the shore.

I bob up and down with the waves, trying to let them carry me to the beach.

I feel like I'm in a cave. The ground above me is an enormous dome of soil and earth. The white morning light cascades into the open space, casting an eerie shadow across everything in it's path. The sunlight bounces off of the thrashing water, sending a blinding flash of light into my eyes every few seconds.

Next thing I know, I hear a gargles scream from somewhere near me.

A jolt of terror courses through my body, adrenaline shoots through my veins. I'm panicking, looking for the source of the drowning.

It could be District Twelve.

And it could be an enemy drowning them.

After frantically whipping my head around, searching for other tributes, I see none within a close vicinity, so I keep paddling towards safety.

Getting over that last wave took a lot out of me. I began getting inpatient, I could barely touch the soggy cool surface of the ground beneath the water. It was too shallow to swim by now, but I couldn't walk either. For the last ten yards, I struggled and stumbled through the water and onto the white sandy beach.

I join the other tributes that are out of the water in a race to the cornucopia. Most of my competitors are from District Four, the fishing District.

I'm sure it didn't come as much of a burden to have to swim through the waves. They're out 24/7 in the water to catch seafood. They've known how to swim since before they could even walk.

I watch Beacher give me a wry smile before speeding ahead of me up the wall that will take us back to the surface level of the arena.

My shoes are slippery, making it difficult to find proper foot holds. The damp black stone of the cave-like wall is slick from the sea spray.

All I can think about is what position I'll be in if I can't make it to the cornucopia before the others.

That reigning thought causes me to pull faster and push off with my legs stronger. I'm almost to the top, I can see the grass being flicked by the slight wind. I can see the soil layered underneath, an earthy sight compared to what lies below in the cave.

But suddenly I feel a strong hand wrap around my ankle. I let out a shriek as I try to pull out of its grasp. I look down to see Flynn from District Five with a brutally determined expression on his face as he tightens his grip to pull me down.

The panic I felt moments ago seems to light a fire under me when it sinks in.

He's trying to throw me off a fifty foot ledge, onto cold, hard stone.

I know this can be how I die. It's too soon in the games. It isn't fair. I won't let it happen.

I forcefully kick my leg, trying to throw him off of me, but he just seems to hold on harder, barely moving from his sturdy position on the wall.