The countdown pounded in my head. I shouldn't go into the Cornucopia, yet, I wanted that pack and those throwing knives next to it. Maybe if I ran straight forward I could avoid any contact and head straight out? My foot tapped on the edge of the metal plate. My eyes stared at the little black knives, the ones with the circles on the end. And the green-and-brown leather backpack next to it. I could imagine myself unstrapping it. My eyes flickered to the countdown as a loud sound started playing.
10.
Should I go for it?
9.
I got in a runner's position. If I had to, I could backflip away.
8.
I could see the 1 boy eyeing me. I knew the Careers weren't happy with my rejection of their pack this year.
7.
I knew the advantages of the Careers, at least. The two pair liked axes and spears. My district partner liked tridents. The boy from two used a katana and the girl used a bow.
6.
I felt my fingers tapping on my thigh. I was not good at being patient during times like this.
5.
I gulped. It was almost time to decide. 5 seconds wasn't enough.
4.
I decided I'd trick them. Make them think I wasn't going for the weapons.
3.
I hadn't shown the Careers my special skill. I always trained alone.
2.
I crossed my fingers. I didn't want to disappoint my district.
1.
It's time.
Gong.
I did an aerial to the eight boy next to me. He squealed and zigzagged away. I saw the Careers running for all of the goods. No one was on the outer perimeter of the Cornucopia. I ran towards the bag and the knives. I scooped up the bag with my arm, slinging it around my shoulder, and grabbed the knives with my other hand. As I sprinted to the opening of the forest, I slid two of them in my belt. Just as I was about to reach the forest an arrow hit the tree next to me. I spun around to see the girl from two.
"Hello, Brittany."
"I told you to call me Bunny." Immediately she nocked another arrow and shot it at me. I dived to the side and slid the other strap of the backpack around my shoulder, taking one of the other knives from my belt. Time stopped. It was just me and her.
I fingered the blade of the black knife. The other, her name was Squerade, fingered one of her arrows. Any movement and fighting would begin. Slowly, I reached my hand up and pulled the mask and hood they supplied us with this year over my face. My eyes narrowed in anger. She lifted her bow and shot.
I hit the ground and scooted to the side as yet another arrow hit just where I previously was. I jumped up, throwing the knife in my hand with a deadly speed and accuracy. The knife cleanly sliced her bow in half and hit the Cornucopia. Great, now I had to go all the way over there to retrieve it.
On the other hand, the girl was looking down at the broken bow. She took a step back. "We-we're friends, right..?" I smiled.
"Never in a million years, Squerade." She ducked, but I knew what her intention was. My knife flew down and hit her squarely in the forehead. I smiled to myself and ran over to her dead body, taking the knife. The one boy was inspecting the other knife stuck in the Cornucopia. His eyes traced to me and Squerade. He yelled and lifted up his two-handed axe, charging me. I stood still, as if in shock, and as he swung down, I darted to the side. His axe hit the ground and he lifted it back up, his face a mad red. I sprinted to the Cornucopia and lunged for the knife, pulling it out with ease and backing up as the boy hit the Cornucopia with his axe. That was the issue with heavy weapons. You can't redirect your aim quickly. You just have to hope you'll hit your target.
I ran back to the clearing, this time making it into the forest. I saw the eight boy from earlier looking around anxiously, trying to decide if he would climb a tree or go for a cave. In my head, I thought, Should've gone farther, kid. My knife hit him in the back of the head and he fell forward, a sickening cracking sound as his head hit the trunk of the tree. I took the knife back and, seeing he had nothing, I started to go deeper into the forest.
After about an hour of jogging, I finally stopped. It was already getting chilly and a mosquito had bitten me under the eye. At least I had a mask on, because I wouldn't have noticed it without it trying to get through the breathable material.
I sat on a rock and unstrapped the leather straps from the bag, peering into it to see what I got. I found about three feet of rope, a couple empty paper bags, an apple, an empty steel waterbottle, a lighter, a warm hat with a pom-pom on top and a box of matches. I put my hood down, sliding on the hat, and pushing my braid over my shoulder. The rest of the things I put back in, then I got up, wanting to find a water source. I needed to fill my water bottle, even though I wasn't thirsty. As I lazily walked along, the cannons began erupting. I looked up, watching the faces pass by.
The first one was Squerade. I felt good about my kill. Next was the five pair, the six pair, nobody from seven, the boy I killed from eight, the girl from nine, no one from ten, and the two from twelve.
That meant there were still 15 tributes out there wanting to kill me.
A cannon went off and the eleven boy's face went up in the air. Make that 14.
The ground seemed to be getting drier than wetter. I kicked at the dried leaves on the ground, kicking up some dirt with it. I angrily threw my knife at each passing tree. I heard a trickling, and birds singing, and frogs chirping. Everything in this damn forest seemed so happy.
I kicked another rock and paused.
A trickling?
I listened in the direction of the sound. I turned left, and I ran into a frog that was slightly wet. I started running until I found a little pond with some water trickling from a river.
I followed the river to a waterfall. Happily, I rested my bag on a moss-covered rock and took out the water bottle. I dunked it in, took a sip. It was nice and fresh. I filled it up and stood up. I put the bottle back in my bag and laid on the ground, looking up at the imaginary sky from under the trees. A leaf fell on my face. I blew it off and sat up, sighing a little, and started gathering some sticks. On the way I killed two squirrels. I was going to cook them later.
When I got back the girl from ten was rummaging through my bag, smiling as she picked up the apple. I put my things down quickly and took the knife from my belt, aiming for the girl. The knife flew into her chest. She screamed and fell over.
A cannon erupted.
The birds squawked and flew away.
She screamed. She screamed! I ran over, stuffing what I had into my bag and taking my knife from her chest. I picked up the apple. I found she had a little sack behind a tree. I wrapped her head in it after disposing it of another apple, a chocolate bar, and a piece of rope. I dropped her body into the water, and after watching it tint red, I ran off.
Because in the Hunger Games, the aim is to never let your opponent know where you are.
And they knew where I was.