"Ladies and gentleman, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!" The famous announcer, Claudius Temple smith booms over the microphone.

I try and smirk, but I'm so nervous all I do is contort my face, making me look like a total idiot. I have sixty seconds to run through my life, all the wrongs I have done in this short lived life of mine, which I was sure wouldn't get me anywhere unless I won these games. I feel my heart skip a few beats as I think about the bloodbath, the hellhole I'm about to go into for fame and fortune.

I have to be fast if I want to survive in the arena. I have to do the exact opposite of what my mentor, John Sensus told me to do. I couldn't believe what I was about to do in the first day, and I knew it would lose any chance I had of sponsors, but it tied up some loose ends before the games got interesting.

The gong rings, and I know this is my chance. I sprint towards a blue pack and grab it, and a tribute on my tail tackles me. This is your chance Lydia, or Foxface, as I was known in District Five. I punch the tribute in the face, a boy from district 8. Then, I scramble as fast as I can away from the bloodbath with another tribute who I know is Henry Denbrough, the boy from my district.

As we run through the mountains and rocks, the way I decided to head, We can hear the cries of war as the bloodbath rages on. I wonder if Lover Boy and Fire Girl are dead yet. The girl probably had enough sense to get out of there, but something tells me Lover Boy isn't as smart. We reach an outcropping of rock, with a cave inside. He goes inside to check for any kind of danger, and comes out saying it's safe.

Now, I'm not going to be judgmental, but Henry isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, if you know what I mean. We barely exchange words as we set up camp, because we are so different from each other. I'm closed off from everyone, and he talks up a storm every chance he gets. I hear the cannons go off, and I know that the fight has finally stopped.

I check the pack that I had grabbed from the Cornucopia, the golden horn about twenty feet high at the beginning of the arena. Inside is some food, three bottles of water, which I would consider lucky, and a box of matches. There's also a blanket, which will help during the cold nights.

Now it is time to do the dirtiest deed that I will ever do in my entire life (which won't last much longer). I walk over to Henry, and ask him to give me a hug for comfort. As he does, I keep my hands behind my back, with a sharp piece of rock that could easily puncture skin. Henry hugs me generously, and this makes the job even harder.

I whisper "I'm sorry." in a sincere voice, and as he mutters "What?" I jam the rock as hard as I can into the back of his neck, grab the blue pack and run away from the scene of Henry's body lying still on the ground with a face twisted in a look of confusion and betrayal.

That did it! I've lost all my sponsors, and I bet John even thinks I'm an evil maniacal little girl. Not even, more like a evil seventeen year old set out on coming out of The Hunger Games alive. I make it to another cave, and I hear the cannon fire. It wouldn't make much sense to other tributes why there was another cannon so early, but I'll let them ponder that mystery. I set up my fake camp in the cave, then climb the out cropping of rocks and find a nice smooth spot. The blanket is a stony grey color, meaning that I blended in perfectly with my surroundings.

Apparently, whatever the Capitol put in this blanket was groundbreaking, because I was warmer then I could've wished to be. The sounds of a mockingjay or a jabberjay or whatever kind of stupid bird it is pulls me out of sleep, and I slip out of the blanket ready and awake. I grab my pack, and get ready for the next part of my illustrious plan (which has nothing to do what are mentor told us, and even if I wanted to follow him, I had already killed another tribute from my district, which seemed very outlandish). I had to go through these games independent and without help, to prove myself to my District and to The Capitol.

I remembered what my life was back in District Five. My dad always saying that I was a disappointment, wishing I had never been born. My mother, always saying that my eighteen year old sister was better than me at everything, just because she was prettier. I knew if academics mattered, then I would be superior, because my sister Maureen was as smart as a bag of rocks.

Maybe if I win, they'll love me more, I think, hiding a grin so the viewers don't find me crazy for grinning at a time like this. It's time to do some recon on the careers camp, because I know that's where I'll get my main source of food. I never really paid attention to hunting, so I would have to steal food from The Careers to survive. I quietly slide down from the outcropping of rocks, and slowly head in the direction of The Cornucopia.

The only reason I know where the career pack is setting up camp is because I can talk my way into anything. I just pulled some quick thinking on the boy from District One, Marvel and learned they would be near The Cornucopia.

I make my way there, and feel dehydration course through my system. I haven't taken even a sip of water, so I decide to drink half a quart of water from one of the bottles. I keep moving and I see The Cornucopia in sight. I climb up a slanted hill, and survey the area. The Cornucopia is about 120 yards up, but I can see the lake perfectly from here. That also means they can see me, so I decide to look for another spot.

About 30 yards up, I find an underbrush where I can see pretty much everything from The Cornucopia to the lake. I take a look around, and I almost snicker my hiding spot away.

Theres a pack of seven, but surprisingly two of them aren't careers. Theres Lover Boy, which makes me think that maybe he was a fake, just to get as many sponsors as he could. Then theres both tributes from 1&2, and a tribute from 4. That's not right, I think. Most careers make it through the first day. The last thing I find was the joke that made me laugh, They had the boy from District Three at the camps! Wouldn't you imagine, the strong Careers teaming up with a scrawny boy from District Three.

John had told us to keep an eye on everybody, especially District Twelve, too see what their skills were. I had almost immediately abandoned watching every district except 1,2,4,11, and 12. They were the only groups that would be trouble.

Then I realized that the boy from District Three is by the food. I wonder what he's doing, then I see the metallic plates in his hand with a red bulb in the center. Landmines? Why would he need those? Then I realize in horror that he's from the electronics district, and that he could easily assemble explosives! What a joke! Maybe John was right, I shouldn't have underestimated anyone, they all could kill me with their skills.

While I'm pondering his amazing skills of setting up mines, I hear the boy from district two give a surprised shout. He can see smoke from the fire up ahead. Maybe the walk to The Cornucopia took longer than I expected, but I realized I had dozed off. Stupid! I have to be awake at all times or I'm an easy target.

As they run off to go catch the idiot who started the fire, I feel a shiver. Well, It's now or never to get the heck out of there and form a plan to rely on the career food. First, however I make note of the spots were the mine's have been planted, and draw little circles around a crate of supplies set up by the Careers in the dirt. This will be my hiding spot. This will keep me safe from being spotted. Then, I silently make my way back to camp.

I gasp when I get there. It's been ravaged. Not my outcropping, but the cave which I had set as a distraction. I realize I'm lucky that I was gone when this happened, or I probably would've been dead. There are eleven dead, then I hear a cannon go off. Scratch that, twelve. I wonder what destroyed the camp, but I have no time to think, because I hear a growl in the cave.

I see a medium sized dog with glistening fur and bloodthirsty eyes prance out of the cave. Great, I think. I dont know how I thought of the idea, but I inch backwards until I hit the back of a rock covered hill. My fingers, drenched in sweat lurk around the rocky cliff until I grasp something sharp and small, and throw it straight at the dog. I don't know what it is until I see the dog go down in a heap. It was a small spear, attached to a silver parachute.

A sponsor? I didn't think that was possible. I had defied my mentor and killed my partner, which in my eyes looked like a heartless thug who didn't deserve to live, nor get items from sponsors. Then I realize It wasn't from an idiot in the capitol. There was a bottle of a dark purple poison. I knew that it was from the grapper berries that grew in the District Five forests(thanks to the Capitol and there plant and animal muttations) that could kill someone with one berry. the liquid inside was also deadly, and I was thankful that I got a weapon and a useful poison.

Also, I was surprised that John had ok'd District Five to give me this. It was his job to direct sponsors, and I thought he hated me. Maybe he still did, but he wanted to make sure I went down in a fight, not in cowardice that would make District Five look weak.

I pulled the spear out of the dogs body, and knew that I shouldn't eat the meat, in case the spear had already been dipped in poison. Then, as if on cue, I said "Thank you District Five, This will make The Hunger Games a whole lot easier!" I say it in an almost joking voice, but I'm not sure if the district still hates me for the betrayal of Henry.

Betrayal. That wouldn't be the word I would use in this case. More like survival, or instinct. If I had kept him alive, I would've had to worry about another human being, and having emotions is one thing that's a must not in The Hunger Games. Sucks for Fire Girl, I think, knowing that she has to deal with the bomb that Lover boy dropped on her.

I know that I can't stay at this camp, but it's also getting late, so I have to figure out a place that would be safe to set up temporarily. I walk about a half a mile up, and know that the freezing cold will kill me if I don't find a place to set up camp.

I decide to give up after about half a mile of walking, and decide to take to the trees. I find a nice sturdy birch, and I can't believe how unbalanced I feel. I realize I've never slept in a tree, and its completely different. I decide to ignore the feeling, and doze off quietly. I would say two hours later, I fall out of the tree. It feels like the wind has been knocked out of me, and I try to stand up but the pain is to immense.

I can't stay there or I'll freeze to death, so I grab the base of a root and drag myself to the tree. I start to climb, and the pain in my chests rises horribly. It's a rib, I think. I've broken one, maybe even more. I climb to the spot of my campsite, about fifteen feet above the ground. Thank gosh it wasn't fatal, or I would be out of the games for good. I munch on a apple to try and distract me from the pain. I lie in the camp until day breaks, and Then I have to strain myself to hustle out of the tree.

I walk along to the careers camp being cautious as ever, but I don't feel anything and realize that the pain has stopped. How? I didn't see why my ribs would magically heal, but then I pull out the half eaten apple and look at the insides.

Instead of pale yellow that's the innards of the apple, I find a golden gleam. It must be some kind of Capitol medicine in the shape of food, I think. Does that mean all the fruits I have are medicine like? I poke holes in the rest of the food, but only one other orange has a golden inside. I have to make these last, and I can't let someone figure out the secret of these Capitol wonders.

I hate The Capitol. Stupid sniveling idiots who like to watch blood bath, and don't give a dang about what happens to the children in the games. It makes me sick, who we're ruled by, I think to myself. Then again, I'm pretty sure killing my fellow District tribute was the same kind of act as The Capitol commits.

I make it to the underbrush were I watch the careers, and look at my map of the mines. It's still there, and I know that I left after he put the last one down. The careers are back, but I know there leaving soon, because they're getting the weapons from The Cornucopia and other items together. I must've been sleeping long from all the pain, because the sun is going down, and it was afternoon when I woke up.

Once they leave, the boy from District Three quickly glances around then walks past The Cornucopia into a separate part in the woods. Now is my chance to scavenge some food. I wonder what will happen if I take a wrong step or don't remember one of the mine spots. I have to do this. I need food to survive, and I'm not a great hunter. I think of what I can do to memorize the mines, then spot a small mud puddle.

It was lucky that during training I took some time to go to camouflage, and the trainer taught me how to paint small patterns on my hand expertly.

I quickly paint the food spots and mines on my hand and move in. At the base is a Pyramid with the main source of food. I take careful steps, small hops, jump over stacks of food, until I make it to the pyramid. I know that if I take too much, they'll know I've been here. I take a little of everything, including one first aid kit just in case the golden fruits fail, then repeat the pattern to get out of the mine field.

I hear whistling, and realize the boy from District Three is back. I scramble back to the underbrush, where I watch intriguingly as he plays with metal scrap, which I realize is a token from his district. I look at my ring finger, and see the ring that Carmen gave me.

Carmen was the only person in the whole world who understood me. She was the nicest person any one could find on this Earth, and she always was in a good mood. She would listen to all my problems, and I knew I was never fair to her, because I never asked her about her problems.

Carmen gave me the ring as a present on my seventeenth birthday, and told me that she had spent all of her earnings from betting at the Mockingjay Tunehouse, were the gamblers bet on which mockingjay could copy the tune the best.

I loved the ring, not only because it was made out of pure silver, which was very pricy in District Five. Also, the ring had a fox made out of Copper and what appeared to be black coal for eyes. She said it described my personality and my look, with red hair and a face that could be matched to the look of a sly fox.

I promised her the day of The Reaping I would make it back, but I wasn't sure I could keep the promise. I had to try though, for Carmen's sake. For the only person in the world who cared about me, who I looked to as more than a friend, but a sister.

Things don't change for the next couple of days. I camp in the tree, eat the food I steal from the Careers, then rush back to my base. Over the course of the days, the Careers start to go down in numbers. Both girls from 1&4 are gone, and so is Lover boy. I hear them talk about how Lover boy is still alive, and how the boy from District Two sliced his legs to bits. I didn't see how he could be alive then, but I'm sure asking them during the Hunger Games wouldn't be a A+ idea.

One day, I head back to my outskirts of trees and find medium sized animals with sharp claws. I go near an out cropping of rocks and grab the spear, and put the poison in my pack. I get a closer look, and realize what they are just as they see me.

Bearoweens. The name had always been cheesy to me, but I've never been faced with a real one. It was a muttation during the rebellion, of a bears size, stature and smell, plus a wolverines sharp claws. I hold my spear in front of me, because if I throw it, I only kill one and have four to deal with.

I stab at one, then kick at another. I feel pain as I'm sliced in the legs, then slice part of the snout of one of them with my spear. Another cuts me, and I know it's a deep cut. So much for running, as plans flash through my head, along with pain.

I try to remember weaknesses of Bearoweens, and remember that they eat anything. I prayed this would work. I grabbed the bottle of poison, and broke it on one of the animals head. I feigned death, and fell to the ground. I closed my eyes, and lessened breathing to a minimal.

I prayed for myself, for the small brain of the Bearoweens, for Carmen. Then, I opened my eyes. All the Bearoweens were licking at the one I had smashed the bottle on, which had died from the cut to the nostril. Soon, they all started to keel over as the deadly poison kicked in. I sit up, and washed the blood and berry juice off my hands. Then, I scrub my leg and take a bite of the golden apple.

It takes a lot of bites for the slashes from the Bearoweens to heal up, but they heal eventually. Now all I had was the orange, and bits of the apple. I decide to steal some more golden apples, which I guess are in the apple sack near the top of the Pyramid. I dust some of the blood off my clothes, climb the tree, and go to sleep with a stinging sensation in my leg.

I think about the rest of the tributes in my slumber. Who's died, because I usually comprehend with the real world in my sleep. The girl from 1 and 3, both from 4, Henry, both from 6, 7 and 8, all from 9, the girl from 10. Those were the dead ones. Then I started having dreams about dead people dancing, until I wake up in a cold sweat.

I walk to the career camp, thinking about the careers. How did the careers die off so fast? Usually they last until the final eight, then break into packs of lone wolves. I hope that they don't find me, or I'm good as dead. Once I get to the camp, I know that something is different. The careers are talking as usual, but I can see in the distance smoke rising up. I wonder how someone starting a fire in the middle of the day, which any one could easily see, could survive so long. Unless...

It was a diversion! Whoever started the fire is tricking the careers. They start to notice it, and run off towards the fire. I decide it's now or never to get the food, but I look for signs of a trap, because theres a reason for that fire. I look for anything unusual, and then I spot it. behind a large underbrush, almost like mine, there is a slight orange tinge. You would have to pay a lot of attention, but I knew someone was there.

No time to kill, I just have to hope whoever is there won't decide to kill me. I walk out from the bush, and get ready to get some food. Maybe I'll give whoever's there a show, do some crazy jumps to get to the food. I do what I did the first time I came here, and add a few hops and twirls. At one point, I fall and know that my life has ended short, so I scream. Thankfully, I don't land on a mine patch. I take four apples, a med kit, a pack of crackers, and a small packet of dried meat. I repeat the pattern, and run off to the tree.

Now that I had a significant amount of food and medicine, I wouldn't need to go to the careers for a while. I take some time checking the Bearoweens over, seeing if they have anything useful. I take the spear I have and start cutting off the claws of the Bearoweens. I can use those as throwing knives, even if my aim isn't that good.

A loud and rumbling explosion throw's me off, and I cut my finger on a claw. What was that? It came from the career camp. Had the person not gotten the queue about the land mines, and blew him/her self up?

I'd have to find out tomorrow, because I knew the careers would be running back to camp as fast as possible. I climb up the tree, take a bite of the orange, and watch the sky and the rest of the arena. Even if it is a slaughter house, the arena is very beautiful. I'd would have been a nice place to go camping or hiking, if it weren't for the blood thirsty animals, inhuman traps, and killers prowling around.

A cannon goes off, and I know it wasn't the person who sprung the traps. He/She would've been blown to smithereens, so I think it's got to be the person who lit the fires.

I'm not so surprised to see the boy from District Three in the sky. It was obvious that the idiot Careers thought that his mines had blown up from one being triggered, so he was slaughtered. I feel a pang of pity for him, seeing him playing with the scrap of metal that was his token. I wipe the thought from my head, because if I feel anything besides hate and ideas, I will die. I As I climb the tree, I think about all the animals right under me. Will anything be attracted to them? Well, if something does come, it can come up here and bite me.

Feeling the pain of the bite surprises me. It's a silvery squirrel with sharp teeth covered in my blood, and a rat tail. Oh Crap, I think, as the pain sets in. A rabid squirrel, another muttation the capitol came up with, Which rabies turned anything it bit into a delusional psychopath. Not the murderous kind, the kind in an insane asylum with colorful walls and poisoned sweets. I swing at it with my spear, and realize it's no good. The poison has made me lose all sense of aim and thinking.

If the gamemakers want me dead, they couldn't make it any more obvious. the squirrel retreats in fear of death, and I lazily slide down the tree. The world is spinning in circles, and I can't believe I haven't blacked out yet. I walk like a drunk to the Cornucopia, and realize that I'll die if the careers are there. Go Ahead! let them kill me, Its better then the swirly colors filling the air.

Once I reach there, I almost gasp in shock. The whole food storage has been blown up, and even under the poisonous effects of the rabies, I know who did this. Katniss got her 11 from something, and it had to be shooting. She was the only one capable of doing something like this. Humph, I called her Katniss for once. I start laughing uncontrollably, then my mind takes a spin on crazy lane as I think I see something from a huge field of wheat. I take a few handy things from the pile of wreckage, and bolt back to my camp but only make it to the tree before I collapse from exhaustion and the poison