THE HUNGRY GAMES
I have officially sealed my fate. I just wanted to protect little Plum. I have not regretted my decision, but little thoughts are floating around in my egg right now. I can't worry about that now, but I suppose I have enough time for one flashback.
I remember Coffee Trinket announcing the name of the female tribute, "Plumrose Everdeen." I felt so scared for her. I couldn't pass the guards to save her, and next thing I knew, I was out there screaming, "I volunteer as tribute!"
And I, Cakeniss Everdeen, was practically sentenced to death. As far as I'm concerned, I basically committed suicide in front of that crowd. That just goes to show that the pen is mightier than the sword.
"Pita Mellark," Coffee read. At least nothing bad would happen to Kale, I thought to myself as Pita, the Flatbread Boy, walked up to the stage. Pita and I would represent Course 12 in the Hungry Games.
The weeks leading up to the event were wheat-wracking. On the plate ride to the Kitchen, I got situated with Coffee and Sandwich. Sandwich won the Hungry Games 24 years ago, and now he's obsessed with hot sauce. My makeup artist, Cinnamon, made me look pretty for the Games. At the tribute parade, he made me a special outfit and set it on fire.
Then it was time. We all boarded the four extensions of the Grand Fork. The hand lifted the giant silver thing and took us to the Arena. We were situated on the whitish plates, and we couldn't step off or we would be killed. The gong sounded, and we were off.
Some of us didn't survive the yellowish anvils set up at the top. They go up and down rapidly, and I barely escaped. Now I'm swimming through a pool. This was no ordinary pool, though. This was the Pool of Agony, set up by the Kitchen. My legs felt so numb they could just fall off. Pita and I managed to get across the pool, and we were on our way to find our base.
We felt ourselves go up in a jolt, and started to fly into a tunnel. A giant disc blocked off the entrance, and I feared for my young life. My life flashed before my sprinkles. I remembered coming out of the oven, meeting my mother for the first time. I remember meeting Kale Hawthorne, my best friend. I remember volunteering for Plum.
I may have just dozed off a little, because next thing I knew, I was freefalling into the Pit of Despair. I felt a pushing force behind me. I tried to turn around, but I was locked in a practical capsule. I was about to crash when, all of a sudden, a hole opened up. I ended up in another pool.
This was not like the Pool of Agony, though. This burned MUCH more. It was also VERY shaky. I felt so seasick I could lose my leavening. I saw the other tributes, including poor 12-year-old Rutabaga from Course 11. I felt sad for her; she reminded me of Plum.
I made peace with Rutabaga, and eventually we became the bestest of friends there ever was! Yay, friendship!
I waited for 6 hours. SIX. FREAKING. HOURS. I swear the shaking became more violent. I couldn't feel the least of my legs. Then an opening showed up. I thought there was nowhere to go but up after the Pool of Intense Pity, until…
BAM! Two spurts of liquid and I ended up in the Pipes of Asphyxiation. I worried for Rutabaga. I worried she was in danger. Then I remembered about the mockingburps.
Rutabaga and I used little gas bubbles called mockingburps to try to communicate with each other. We had a signal to call them. I used that signal, and I located Rutabaga. I was half running to rescue her, half writhing in pain from the acids.
I went to some hands on the surface, and they cleaned me right up. Now Rutabaga's health and well-being was my only concern. I ran up to her, and she was having the life sucked out of her from those hands.
She said that the acids struck her directly in the root. She looked deathly ill. I knew she could not go on. As her short life dwindled, I sang her a childhood lullaby about a heartbroken girl and a wrecking ball. When there were no signs of life left, I laid her on a bed of hands and kissed her goodbye.
I couldn't take it anymore. Rutabaga died. Plum was probably worried sick. And Kale… I sat in some hands and just bawled my eyes out.
I must have cried for hours. Everyone had abandoned the Pipes of Asphyxiation and went to the Pipes of Drought. I swam to safer land. It took next to hours. By the time I was back, everything was very dry. I felt fresh physically, but my state of mind was in ruins. And just as I thought it couldn't get any worse, I was face to face with an injured Pita.
It scared me to think that I was close to losing Pita, too. I've only known him for about a month. I would hate myself until the day I die if that were to happen. And that day would probably be today.
I tried my best to try to save him. I tried to get some water, but the opening to the Pipes was shut off. I couldn't pry it open. I worried about him. While I was wallowing in… whatever it is you wallow in… hmm… there isn't really much to wallow in.
Forget that, I'm being pinned to the ground by that girl from Course 10. She is threatening to kill me, so I do a mountaineer grapple on her. I swipe the knife in her hand and slit her neck. I leave her to die as I make my way to Pita.
When I get back, I get pinned AGAIN. This time, it's the girl from Course 5. I do the same on her. When I get back to Pita, he's covered by the Course 2 tributes.
"Either I kill you, or Pita gets it," Tomato said. If I killed Tomato, he would have already killed Pita. I didn't trust myself to die, because I knew Tomato would kill Pita anyways. I decided that I needed to use my smarts to kill them.
Before saving Pita, I was saved by a bunch of mutated foods in suits. They killed Tomato, but Pita escaped before they could injure him too badly. I poured some of the water from the Pool of Intense Pity in hopes that they would help him out. She knew he needed more help, so I kissed him.
It worked, but then I realized that me and Pita were the only remaining tributes. We had no choice. Either me or Pita had to die to finish the Hungry Games. Just then, I had an idea.
I picked up some brown, mushy stuff from the Pipes of Drought and gave some to Pita, keeping some for myself. We threatened to eat it in the Chamber of Pressure and possibly die on live TV with everyone in Platem watching. We were ready to eat it and destroy the sanctity of the Hungry Games, but they announced that we both won.
I knew that they were infuriated by our acts, so we exited the Arena in agony. Although I knew that the Kitchen would never forgive us, but I was just happy that I was safe. Plum was safe. Kale was safe. Course 12 was safe. Everyone was safe.
Pita and I spent the rest of our lives in the woods where we were dropped off with the other corpses. We fell in love, and I knew that everything was going to be OK. For now…
No. There is not going to be a sequel. THE END