The Unzine Vupper String
Prince Peeta is waiting for me.
This is the game set up where each individual fights to the death to win the hand of the person of opposite gender and rule the land. That is how I perceive it, anyway. This part is not shown to audiences…even though the television network in District 12 is pretty faulty, I'm sure they'd show this part of training to the general viewers.
The idea behind it, from what Cinna told me, is to test our ability to fight in a virtual environment, before seeing how we perform in the actual arena.
Anyhow, all twelve of the girls in the Hunger Games must fight to win Prince Peeta's heart, from my perspective. I ask Haymitch how this worked exactly, as the girls from the single digit districts, particularly Districts 1, 2, and 4, don't seem to care about us District 12 representatives. Heck, they don't even seem to care about the boys from their own Districts. Everyone seems divided, for some reason.
"The way I understand it, you will be competing against virtual versions of the girls from other Districts, not the actual versions of those girls. And say, the one from District 8 will be entering the virtual realm competing for the hand of the boy from her District, while there will be a virtual version of you in her arena."
"So what happens if I don't make it in the virtual game? Does the virtual competition keep on going?"
"I would reckon so, yes. I think the Gamemakers are logging the information of what goes on in the games…they want to see which tribute, virtual and actual, has the most victories across the board."
"That's scary," I say.
"Nevertheless, it is how it is."
There is the virtual Foxface on the square next to me. She looks so lifelike. As does the girl from District 1. Glimmer's her name. I heard her talking to the boy from her district.
The one who really intrigues me is the girl from District 6. She has the darkest eyes I have ever seen, and light brown hair. I must be noticing these things because she will be great competition for Peeta's heart, if she doesn't die firs.t
Sixty seconds pass while we stand on the squares near the cornucopia. I see the precious bow I covet so much, and plan to run for it. The bell goes off and I charge forward. But the District 3 girl, who had been on my other side, pushes me back against the square. I pull at her legs. Her face gets trampled on as other girls go past. Certain that she won't be a threat to me for awhile, I dart forward, but the bow I wanted is in the hands of the District 4 girl, who is waving it about, slamming it into people. She obviously doesn't know how to use it properly.
I struggle to take it from her but am hit in the back with something hard. I don't bother looking at, just grab something and run.
I end up slamming into the District 6 girl. We roll down the hill and land in a muddy riverbank.
"Good thing we weren't required to wear dresses," she says.
"Yet," I say.
And then I am taken aback. Isn't this supposed to be a virtual version of the District 6 girl? Not her real version. And yet she spoke to me.
She seems startled too. "Aren't you virtual?"
"No," I say.
"Maybe you're programmed to say that."
"Maybe you are."
"No, I'm definitely not programmed. I have veins and ventricles and arteries…"
"So do I."
"Your answers seem mechanical, though."
"Well, I have just been thrown into a virtual representation of the Hunger Games with a twist," I say. "It's not exactly something to make one voluble."
"I suppose…"
"I'd better go," I say, and start trudging off.
I hear a voice behind but I do not stop. Then I find myself being knocked into a tree. I twist the arm of the person who pushed me and hear a cry. Turning round I see the District 6 girl and slam my knee into her chin. Then I look at my hands to see what weapon is there. It's just a water bottle. I bring it crashing down on the head of the girl.
"Don't," she says, holding my hand at bay.
"I will not let you kill me."
"I don't want to," she said. "I want to partner with you."
"Partner?" I ask, as if I have never heard the word before.
"Yeah. I think we'd have better success as a team. Especially since all the others are virtual."
"You believe I'm not virtual?"
"I don't know why they'd have programmed a speaking mechanism. And you're not trying to kill me."
"If you recall, that's exactly what I was in the process of doing."
"Yes, but…look, I think we'd do best together. It would foil the Gamemakers' plans. And we could be partners in the actual Hunger Games as well."
"That'd be neat," I say.
"So how about it?"
"I guess…"
"Charge!"
Three girls ran at us. One was Glimmer, the girl with blond hair from District 1. She slashed at my side with a knife. Another was the girl from District 2, her hair in a dark plait. She had the District 6 girl slammed against a tree.
The third girl was from District 7. She had a cute chin.
"You don't want to harm me," I say to her.
"She's virtual, 12," the District 6 girl calls.
"No, I'm not."
"Huh?" I stare at her. She just spoke!
"I'm not virtual."
"Well, neither am I."
"What a relief! I was wondering how I get through here. I must win Prince Cerafi's heart, and that isn't going to happen if I'm just fighting virtual girls with all their skills thrown in.
"We are fighting for Prince Peeta's heart," I say.
"Prince Gordon's," the District 6 girl says.
"Impossible. It's Prince Cerafi. You two got caught in my game."
"The pair of you are in mine," says the District 6 girl.
"Um, why have the District 1 and District 2 girls stopped moving?" the District 7 girl asks.
"What do you know, they have," says Six.
"Well, we could kill them," says District 7. "What weapon do you guys have?"
"None," I say.
"Me either," says District 7.
We both turn to District 6. She raises her hands. "I was too busy trying to survive to grab a weapon."
"Great," I say. "One of us is going to have to go back to the Cornucopia."
The District 6 girl takes off, when three cannon volleys are heard. Images of dead tributes appear in a screen above…District 3, District 11, District 9…
"We killed District 4," the District 7 girl says.
"Four dead," I say. "So that leaves two more before we enter Priam's Shed."
We both look at the still bodies of Glimmer and the District 2 girl. Then another couple of shots are heard. Images in the sky appear, showing the District 8 girl, laying with blood all over her face, and the District 10 girl, with her legs splayed.
"Well, only six of us left now."
And at that moment the earth opened up and swallowed us.