Chapter 1: The Bloodbath

"Good luck Aris!" my stylist says, "You can do this!" She smiles and hugs me before I step onto the plate.

"Thank you." I say quietly. I never liked my stylist too much. The glass slides around me and the only thing I can hear is my heartbeat. I am breathing heavily and sweating. I could die in the next minute or so. The plate begins to rise upwards towards the arena. I am on an elevator to my death. The only way I will survive is if I somehow form an alliance with the stronger tributes. Being only fifteen, I don't have great chance of surviving.

I can see light now. The arena comes into view. A dense rainforest surrounds the twenty-four tributes. Tall trees everywhere, and I can already hear the insects buzzing. The shining cornucopia sits in the middle of the ring, overflowing with supplies, food, and weapons. I scan the tributes looking for Karrie, my district partner, but I can't see her. To my right is the boy from District 9, and to my left is the girl from One named Opal. The horn must be blocking my view from seeing Karrie.

I spot a backpack about twenty yards away from me. I make my final decision, I will get that bag and then immediately turn and run into the rainforest. The countdown begins. I prepare to jump off my pedestal when the gong sounds. The rainforest is alive with odd and foreign sounds. I can only imagine what kind of mutts could be hiding in there. While thinking about this, I hear an explosion. I turn to see smoke rising from behind the cornucopia. Someone must have stepped off the pedestal. And then I remember that Karrie was one of the tributes who I could not see because of the cornucopia. Karrie could be dead already, and the games haven't even started. The thought of her being dead already pains me. Even though I didn't know her very well, she was the only person I had to talk to while in the Capitol.

Ten seconds after that explosion, the gong finally sounds. I have a delayed reaction. The tributes all jump off their pedestals and either head for the forest or the bloodbath. I run towards that bag and get my hands on it. I don't bother to look inside. Right when I am about to turn around, the boy from District 6, Owain, tackles me. He has a knife. He pins me down and tries to stab at my neck. I dodge the first few attempts, but on his fourth try he manages to slice my forehead. I scream and blood starts to drip down my face. Owain is raising his knife to stab one more time and I know I am done for. But I don't die yet. Owain collapses onto me. Blood drips out of his mouth. I quickly push him off wondering what happened. I look around quickly and see the boy from District 2, Apostolos, raising another knife to throw at me. He saved my life, but is now going to take it away.

I don't have a lot of time to think so I push up Owain's limp body kind of like a shield. Apostolos's knife implants itself into Owain's back just as the previous one did. I quickly rip a knife and run away from Apostolos into the rainforest, He doesn't try to pursue me.

I run like I have never run before. Blood covers my face but that doesn't stop me. The screams from the bloodbath finally fade as I run further away from that awful place. I find a game trail and follow that for about ten minutes. I need to stop and bandage my forehead. Luckily, I find a stream and I am able to wash all the blood off my face. I quickly rip open my backpack curious to find out what is inside. I find a water bottle, some dried beef strips, crackers, dried fruit, bandages,matches, and a list of all the tributes in the arena. I say a silent "Thank you." Under my breath. I bandage my forehead and fill the water bottle. The water looks very clear and clean. But if this is the only source of water in the arena, the games will end fast.

I put everything back into my backpack and pick up my knife. I break out into another jog and follow the game trail for another ten minutes. I am running when I hear the first cannon. The bloodbath must be over. I count the cannons, "one, two, three...eight, nine." nine of us are dead already which leaves fourteen of us left. I begin to walk, knowing there is still a long time until night. I focus on looking for a source of food. There are tons of odd fruits hanging from trees, but I'm not sure if they are safe to eat. I see many lizards and animals run across the rainforest floor. It is pretty dark. The trees block most of the sunlight from reaching the forest floor. I feel like it is dusk, even though it is only almost noon.

I notice a giant gray cloud drifting over head. I hear thunder and see lightning and know rain must be coming. I continue walking deeper into the dark forest. I have no clue where I am going. I just walk. I begin to think about whether Karrie is alive or not, but I quickly distract myself by studying the list of all the tributes. I hope that at least one of the careers died at the bloodbath. The career pack is strong and big this year. They all scored nines and tens in training, and I only got a 6. The only skill I was able to show the gamemakers was my strength and speed. I practiced using a knife and a sword in training, but I am not good at them. I remember watching the District 3 tributes build complex traps using wires and electricity. They both scored sevens.

I hated my time in the Capitol, the people are rude and arrogant, and their lifestyle is sick. My stylist was annoying and ungrateful and I felt like a puppet being controlled and poked at when I first arrived. I remember not even being looked at during the tribute parade. Karrie and I were not admired at all. We were just another pair of tributes that were overlooked. During my interview with the new host Caesar Flickerman, I was barely even given any applause while entering the stage and leaving it. These are the things that make me want to win these games. I want to show the Capitol that I have what it takes to be a victor, and I want to show them the mistake they made by overlooking me. I realize that if I try hard enough, I might have a chance.

I hear a rustle nearby in a bush filled with round, purple berries. The rain begins to come down after this in a light drizzle. It becomes even darker in the rainforest with the clouds and trees blocking out the light. I continue studying the bush. I hear the rustle again and the bush moves. I finally realize there is nothing on the bush, but the bush itself is moving. The branches coming off the stem of the bush can move freely. I crawl closer on my knees to the bush. The branches reach out for me like long, thin fingers. I flinch a little, but then move closer again. That's when it happens.

A cannon fires and the plant latches onto my left wrist. MY knife is in my right hand so I react quickly and cut the plant off me. I move backwards on my hands and knees from the plant. The plant isn't done yet though. It seems to grow in a matter of seconds and wrap its long branches around my legs. It pulls me towards it and I struggle to get away. I manage to cut off the branches from my left foot. I grab a root in the ground to stop myself from being pulled towards the plant. I find out this plant does a lot more than grab you. The purple berries begin bursting. The insides of the berries fly through the air and land on my skin. It burns so bad I scream. I have to get away quickly. I try to cut my right leg free, but the plant grabs my right hand along with my knife.

I'm going to die from a plant. What a lame way to lose the Hunger Games. The berry juice still burns. I feel like arm is on fire. Then I remember. "fire" I manage to open my backpack while fighting with this stupid plant. I grab the matches and light one using only on hand. It takes a couple of tries but I manage to do it. I put the flame on the branches of the bush grabbing my wrist. The fingers instantly retreat away from the flame. I move it near my feet next and the match works the same way. I am finally safe. The plant returns back to its original state. I pick myself up from out of the mud and run away from the plant. I am covered in scratches and mud. I run for about a minute having no clue where I'm going.

I fall back against a tree and rest in the rain. I drink some water falling from the sky and eat some dried fruit. The rain begins to come down harder. I need shelter or I will have to deal with more of these damn plants tonight. I get up and begin walking again. It must almost be night time by now. I follow the same game trail for about twenty minutes before I branch off and look for a cave or something. I don't find a cave, but I find a hole that is partially under a tree and its roots. I climb down into it and lie down. I look at my skin where the berry juice burned it. It left several burn marks around my arm.

The rain calms down and the thunder and lightning stop. I peek out from under the tree to watch the sky for the anthem. Five minutes later, it begins. The first face to come up is the girl from 3, Ray. This means that all the tributes from One and Two are alive. The next tribute in the sky saddens me. It is Karrie, she probably was the one who exploded before the games started. Next comes both the tributes from Six. Hunter from 7, and Ina from 8 are next. The girl from 9 is gone also. Both the tributes from Ten are dead. The last face in the sky is Chikere from Twelve. My only friend in the games is dead. I'm sad, but I do not cry. I do not show any emotion. At least she had a quick death

There are fourteen tributes left in the games, and I am one of them. I smile while I crawl back under the tree. I re-bandage my forehead and drink some water. I realize how hungry I am and I eat some dried beef. Sleep seems to come after an hour. I finally drift off thinking of the possibility of winning. 14 tributes remain.