I'm starting during the actual games and will have flashbacks to show you Cress's life before the Hunger Games.

The horn goes off and I dash to the cornucopia. All five foot two of me. I'm not crazy; in fact I'm an incredibly skilled fighter. I dash straight at the eight nice long knives, I'm the first one there. I've got a chance at surviving the cornucopia. These knives are the weapons that will probably keep me alive in the Games. I grab them and begin to run out only to find myself surrounded by the careers.

Flashback

I look up at the score and see a twelve flashing on the screen! I scream and I think actually broke someone's eardrums. No one had ever gotten a twelve before. After celebrating, I head up to my room still on a high from my amazing score. When I reach my room I see the five career tributes waiting at my door. Three boys and two girls. They come up to me, "You'll die, that twelve doesn't mean anything if little you don't even make it out of the cornucopia. You can't win, so don't bother even trying." With that they stomp out. They're furious, I'm terrified.

I quickly size up the situation. Only one has a weapon, a long sword. He rushes me immediately I drop low and then spring up, using the powerful muscles in my legs to kick him in the face. He drops like a brick out cold. I throw my knife and kill one of the girl career tributes with a perfect throw in the throat. I have no time to lament as before I can even take out my next knife the two remaining boys jump me and pin me to the ground. Damn, I'm in trouble. The girl calmly jogs over to a boy running away with a sword, flips him over and kills him with his own sword. Then she takes the sword and comes back to me. She's clearly the strongest of them all. She's the leader of the pack, she's the head wolf. She goes by Cerreo. I struggle, but the boys holding me down are both well over six feet and probably around 250 pounds of pure muscle. Cerreo is now only twenty yards away, in about ten seconds she'll be here and I'll be dead. Then, I feel the boy off to my left slump down, a spear sticking out of his back. The cannon goes off for him. The other boy starts to get up only to slump back down as a second spear impales him in the neck. He drops down to the ground and the second cannon goes off. I jump up and see my savior, a boy of about six feet, roughly one hundred yards away, a heck of a throw to kill both of them.

Flashback

I walk into the room to see one other boy there. He's tall and clearly skilled but not a career. He introduces himself, "Hi I'm Bawqe, want to help fight the career's with me?"

"You mean an alliance?"

"Not really, more like we look out for each other."

"Fine, but no more than that."

"Agreed… what did you say your name was again?"

"I didn't" With that I walk away.

I look around and see the boy I kicked in the face going after my savior. Bawqe runs, but is quickly outdistanced by the other boy. I get so caught up in watching the fight I make the stupidest mistake of any of the Hunger Games. I don't pay attention to my own well being. By the time I see her, it's far too late to dodge, but I move enough so the sword only slashes my arm. I'm furious at myself, if I was paying attention I could've prevented all of this from happening. I start to run away only to have Cerreo kick me in the spine. I drop to the ground unable to move. I'm in plenty of pain but also completely stunned. I'm an incredible knife thrower, I can hit a target from almost 200 yards away, and I'm an amazing fighter, but I was brought down by a single girl. I'm amazed that a girl could take me down, even one with an aim to kill me. That's when I realize that the careers were right, scores don't mean anything. When you're in the arena, if you lose, your score won't save you. She looks over me and grabs her sword, I look over to Bawqe, but he's wrestling the other boy. I realize that we're the last two people near the cornucopia. Soon to be only one. I try to think of something to save me but come up with nothing. I struggle as hard as I can but I'm firmly pinned by her strong arms and legs. I flail my arms around but to no avail. That's when I feel something to my right. I pick it up, bingo it's one of my knives. I attempt to stab her, but she sees it coming and moves so it only hits her shoulder. It's enough though; I push myself up, run to my knives, pick them up, and then head to the dense forest.

I see that Bawqe has escaped from the other boy, but without killing him. I run for about half an hour before I find a small cave to stay for the night. In front of the cave is a flask. I pick it up, happy to have something to hold my water in. I go in with knives drawn, in case there's already a tribute there. That would explain the water flask. There's no one there, and there's not enough room to hide. Right as I step in, I hear the national anthem. When the anthem ends I peek up in the sky and am amazed. Fourteen dead in all, only ten left. That in itself is amazing, but even more amazing is that three of the fourteen dead are careers, leaving only two careers left. I might just have a shot at this after all. I quickly assess my wounded arm and decide that the cut didn't hit any tendons or an important vein, also it's not very deep, so it should be ok.

I go to sleep and dream about the cornucopia. I relive the entire battle, the entire nightmare all over again. Only this time, Bawqe doesn't save me. I'm just about to get killed by the sword when I wake up. I realize I need to find food and water. I look for hours, but can't find anything. That's when I see a waterfall. I go in and drink. It's so good. I force myself to slow down and put some in my flask until it's full. Now I'm not thirsty anymore, but I'm still very hungry. I see a nice fat rabbit about eighty yards away, with one quick throw, the rabbit falls to the ground dead. I eat it quickly and then start to head back to the cave when I hear a voice. I walk very slowly and see two tributes talking. I recognize them as the district nine tributes. They're good friends. In order for me to live, they have to die. Best to have them die painlessly by my hands then in a painful death by Cerreo's hands. I throw my knife and kill the boy. Soon after my second knife follows, but is blocked by the girls sword. She takes something out of her pocket; I can't tell what it is until I see the glimmer of the knife. She throws it, and for all my skill at throwing knives; I've never been much good at dodging them.