Day One

The Arena is a forest. A forest of scraggly bark claws and ghost gum bodies. Snow covered mountains peak between the horizon.

I breathe, focus my attention on the nearest backpack and prepare my footing. I'm going to have to sprint if I want to grab the pack and escape without injury. You can do this Ember. I tell myself. You can do this!

The timer counts down and the muffled voice of Claudius Templesmith echoes throughout the Arena. I can taste the sourness in his voice. "Let the 59th Annual Hunger Games Commence!"

My footing is ready. I pounce.

The next few seconds seem disorientated. I blaze onto the backpack and shove it onwards, twisting the straps around my waist. Around me the Tributes are already beginning to fight. Next to me two girls clash with frightening metallic swords. I roll between them, just as the one, a girl with frightening amber eyes, falls dead and dumb to the ground. Ochre red blood pours from her temple.

But wait. The girl is after me. Shit, it's a Career. I recognize this girl. Her ruthless expression and shaggy red hair gives it away. It's Avelyn Alke of District One. She grins at me and raises her sword. The metal glints in the sunlight.

I roll again and kick her stomach. She falls backwards and clutches her abdomen.

This is my chance. I get to my feet and spin around. Run. Run. Run! I sprint for the thickest of the forest, between hedges of scraggly bark trees. I don't stop. I just keep running. September Thai will live.

I follow the mossy earth for what seems like ages, but I know I have merely been gone for a few minutes. I'm trying to stay as close as I can to the mountains so that if I need to I can escape up there for a while. But I need a water source, so that it my main priority.

I come to a small pond at the base of some Papyrus and crouch down in between them. I remove my pack and empty its contents. Theres a knife, wire, some crackers, dried meet and a water bottle. No purifier. No Iodine.

I search the water for any dead things and collect a small amount where it is running. It looks safe enough so I take a sip. It's clean. Few.

I get back up again and move silently through the forest. The scraggly barks are starting to become more concentrated with ghost gums. Hopefully these trees are climbable. If not I will have to find somewhere else to camp. I find an enormous tree at the base of a hill and begin climbing. Scraggly barks cover the below so no one will be able to see me. I must be kilometres away from the Cornucopia.

I'm safe. September Thai has survived. For now, at least.

I base myself on a thick branch where a small hollow is carved. I fit perfectly in the hollow, which means I won't fall out during the night. I think climbing this tree was a wise decision. With the time at hand I removed my District token from my pocket. It's a little reflected mirror decorated with sunshine yellow. District 5 specialises in Solar Power and this mirror definitely reflects that.

I wait patiently in the tree and stare below at the ground. A few Tributes do pass but they don't see me. The two from 7, Dryad and Calhoun sprint past but they don't notice me. Avelyn Alke who seems to have an injured arm hobbles along in silence. She isn't hanging out with the other Careers. Strange.

From what I can remember the Careers are led by that vicious dog-looking girl, Pangaea, and her District partner Argon. Hopefully I will be able to evade them. Of course. Ember is not going down without a fight.

Day begins to turn into night and I wait and watch as the sky begins to alight with the Fallen. Eleven are dead in all. The two from 3, the boy from 4, the two from 6, the two from 8, the boy from 9, the girl from 10 and both from District 12. That means that there are thirteen left. Dryad, Calhoun, Pangaea, Argon, Avelyn and the rest.

Eleven dead. That's not many considering most years lose at least thirteen. This year, it seems, is going to be difficult.

The anthem of the Capitol plays and the night goes black. I lie and contemplate everything. I only take small sips from my bottle and I only eat a few crackers. I want to keep as much food as possible. I don't know what the Capitol will have in store for us. I just want to be ready.

I close my eyes and breathe. A little sleep would be nice. Just a little, maybe a small doze. My chest rises up and down, up and down. Be careful September. I fall asleep, holding my knife.