My name is Marvel. I was born and raised in District 1, which is best known for its luxury products. Of course, only the people in the Capitol take real interest in our products: They want to stand out, no matter how. In order to show our area of expertise to the outside world any maybe have a career, we have to look pretty and well-cared for as well. It's how you sell products: Wear them. Only to a certain degree, of course. We care about our looks and hair but cannot necessarily afford more expensive products.
Not that it matters.
Growing up in District 1 means, that you could be reaped and consequently die. Just as in any other District.
But we are not as poor as some of the other districts. Our products sell very well – as I said: The people form the Capitol are vain, so luxury products are most important for them. Nothing else is so much at the front of their minds than luxury products and how they could enhance their looks.
Our parents can afford to hire tutors, to train us in the art of killing and fighting. We hardly ever send a child under the age of fourteen to the arena. Our chances of winning are not as sparse as the chances of the kids from the poorer Districts, such as District 12. They hardly ever win. As far as we've been told, they only have one surviving victor and never had many more.
Not that I'd care.
Why would I? I want to win, to live a life in riches in the Victor's Village. Caring about the inevitable fate of my fellow Tributes won't get me out alive.
I trained since I can remember. As soon as I understood that I had to give it my all, that failing would mean my death, that slacking off would be my death, I trained, and trained, and trained some more. I do not want to die, so everyone else will have to bite the dust. Survival of the strongest, and all that.
Right now I am being transported up to the arena to await the start of the 74th annual Hunger Games.
I am excited, watching the clock count down is worse than I ever imagined it might be. Stepping off the platform to soon is not an option. The mines around us would blow me to pieces and all my ambitions to survive would have been for nothing. All the years I spend training to survive, to bring my accuracy with the spear up to where it is now... for nothing.
I count down the seconds until it starts.
45.
My parents are watching this right, as is mostly every person in Panem, except maybe those who have to work. Everyone sees what we do now, if we shake or cry.
20 seconds to go.
I try schooling my face into an indifferent mask. If I look like I don't care it will seem to most that I am confident in my abilities. Which I am.
5 seconds.
I get ready to run, tighten my muscles and crouching down slightly. I want a perfect start for the Cornucopia, where I will meet up with my allies for the time.
3.
2.
1.
I run, the air whips past my face. I don't care for the backpacks on the outer edges. I want the weapons further in... a spear or something like that.
I see a gleaming knife near one of a grate and grab it – a good start. Now... to even out the field...
The boy from District 8 runs vaguely in my direction, probably concentrating on some of the supplies nearby. Then he sees me and his face takes on a determined expression. He runs at me.
I remember him from the Training Centre. He had some good hand-to-hand technique, if I remember right and don't mix him up with someone else.
Which I don't. He tries to down me with an upper-cut, his stance speaks of confidence. The boy wants to take out one of us, the Careers, as we are called by the Tributes from other Districts. He should have concentrated better... instead of staring at the supplies it might have come in handy to keep his eyes on the competition.
I block his upper-cut, not as easy as I would have liked, but I block the blow. He looks mildly impressed – until his expression turn horrified when I slash his throat with my knife. He clearly had not seen my take it. Too bad for him.
I turn away from the dead boy and move further in, closer still to the Cornucopia. My knife finds a save place in my belt when I spot a spear and pick it up. I'm far better with a spear than with a knife, after all. As soon as I take up the spear I feel in my element. Now I can get going for real. I see a boy take an axe and topple him over. It's the runt form District 3. I take the axe from him and kick him in the stomach for good measure. The axe stays in my hand for now, along with the spear.
The girl from District 7 tries grabbing a backpack, not paying attention to her surroundings. I run at her and ram the spear in her chest when she finally, albeit far too late, looks up. Her eyes become wide and her mouth forms a little 'o'. I feel almost bad for killing her, almost. Still... I want to survive. I want to see my parents again.
I let the spear where it is, telling myself that I do it because it looks cool. I even grin a little. My sponsors will surely like that. They want blood lust. They want ruthlessness and they want us dead above all else. So I will give them deaths, bloody ones. And I will seem unaffected.
I take a new spear and look around. The others run around like chicken, grabbing stuff and running, dropping the stuff, fight, grab, repeat. A few have already vanished into the forest.
I spot the girl from 10 as she tries to grab a backpack. Well... she will not go anywhere. I throw my axe at her and hit her in the leg. She screams loudly and falls to the ground. The girl starts robbing away, trying desperately to get away. She has not yet accepted that she will not even make it to the edge of the forest.
I run to her, hop a few paces next to her, howling with laughter at her misery. She's even crying now. Pathetic. Can she not even die a dignified death? I happen to think that I'd die without crying, screaming and grovelling in the dirt. I roughly kick her in her side and she rolls over onto her back, whimpering pathetically. I raise the spear and she closes her eyes, tears roll down her cheeks. I stab the spear in her chest.
Slowly the adrenalin leaves my system. I look around. Only my allies are left, everyone else fled or is dead.
Oh well.
"Whoo!" Cato howls and waves his sword around. I grin at him and we high-fife. This whole thing is so far easier than expected, even if I did not expect it to be so easy to kill someone.
Clove and Glimmer come to us and we grin at each other. From behind the Cornucopia comes Zoe, the female Tribute from District 4. All seem elated and somewhat relaxed. We survived the Cornucopia!
Behind Zoe comes the boy from District 12, though. Which I did not expect.
At once all of us, Cato, Clove, Glimmer and me, bring our weapons back up, seeing as the boy has a spear in his hand. He seems nervous and Zoe waves at us.
"It's fine!" she shouts. "He can help us find the girl from his District and he's strong!"
She wants him in our alliance? Unexpected. Very unexpected.
"You sure?" Cato asks. His face is stormy and he eyes the boy like a piece of meat.
"Yeah." Zoe answers with a grin.
"And here I thought you were in love with her..." Clove grins maliciously.
"I am." the boy answers. "But somehow I still don't want to die, not even for Katniss." he looks down. "Only one can win. So... I guess I'd rather join you than tramp around alone and get killed early on. Why not join forces? Without me you'll never find Katniss. I know her and I know how she operates."
Cato shrugs. I don't care either way. As soon as the boy isn't useful anymore, I kill him. Preferably in his sleep, while he cannot defend himself. I remember how he threw that weight at the Training Centre like it was nothing.
"I'm for it." I say. Slowly the others nod.
"I'm Peeta." the boy says.
"We know." drawls Clove. "You're the Lover-Boy, tragically in love with Katniss Everdeen since forever – and now you will never have a life together, because only one Tribute can survive." she laughs cruelly and turns around. "Let's gather some weapons and go hunt. The Gamemakers will want to collect the bodies."
So we leave the bloody grass of the Cornucopia behind and enter the forest. If we're lucky we'll find someone and loose some more competition. Peeta tags along. He seems totally unconcerned that we will turn against him.
It makes me angry, oh so angry! How dare this no-one from District 12 to be so at ease while walking around with us Careers? Is he mad? Or does he really think he can take us on alone?
Now that I think about it, I have no idea what he can do besides throw heavy objects around as if they were weightless. He and his partner have been very careful not to show their abilities while we were training together.
Before the score had been announced revealing both Tributes from District 12 had scores around the Career perimeter I never even thought they might be tough. But maybe they had some talent. Zoe would not have tried to get Peeta introduced to our alliance if he were a weak talentless victim of the reaping.
But, hey! Who am I kidding? There is no way we will let Peeta Mellarck, the male half of the "Star-crossed Lovers", win this. No.
#-##-##-
We have wandered around in the forest for hours now. It is already dark, the Fallen have been announced a while ago.
"I never could stand Louis." Zoe muttered when she saw the picture of the boy from her District. "He was such a stupid little cry-baby! Not much of a Career in him." she then snorted while rolling her eyes. Cato grins again. He had been the one to off the boy.
"Hey..." Glimmer whispers a few hours before dawn. "There's a light up ahead."
Clove and Zoe start snickering while Peeta does nothing more than raise an eyebrow. "Seriously?" He then asks. "Who'd be stupid enough to start a fire in the dark?"
"Maybe it's your girlfriend." Clove says crossly.
"No. Katniss would never be this stupid. She's most likely hidden herself by now, preferably up in some tree." he even stares Clove down like it is nothing special. Totally fearless. I cannot stand this guy. As soon as he exceeds his usefulness, he's done for.
We sneak closer to the fire.
It's a girl – and she nodded off. She must have not gotten any warming supplies; she does have a backpack, though whatever was in there cannot have been of much use.
She only wakes up when Cato is almost on top of her, sword raised in the air, ready to strike down. She screams, but only once.
Glimmer laughs hysterically and imitated the girls high-pitched scream. "Her face! Hilarious!" tears run down her cheeks. I laugh along with her, not wanting to seem affected. But it does. I, and everyone else, put up a strong façade. Laughing we walk on, sure that she will die very soon. The cannon had not sounded yet.
"It's been five minutes. Why has the cannon not sounded yet?" Cato finally asks. He seems angry again.
"Maybe she's still alive... it might take her some time to kick the bucket." Zoe says carelessly.
"We won't go before the cannon sounds and she's properly dead!" Cato screams. His face goes completely red when he gets so angry. On some level it's pretty funny. On the other hand I plan to kill him while he's asleep. I don't think I'd be able to win fair in square in a one-on-one fight.
"Hey, Lover-Boy!" Clove calls. "Why don't you go and finish her? So far you've been pretty useless." she smirks at him.
"Yeah, whatever." Peeta says and turns to go back to the girl by the fire. I'm not even sure which District she's from, even though my memory allows me to tell who's who and which District they came from. She must have been so... invisible, that I forgot she existed in the first place. Shortly after Peeta left to go back the cannon finally goes off.
"As soon as we find his little girlfriend, we kill him." Cato whispers.
"Why do you think I brought him along?" Zoe whispers back and glances at him. He snorts. Glimmer grins like a shark and Clove cleans her fingernails with one of her throwing knifes.
When he comes back, his face says 'I'm bored with this whole situation.'
"Lover-Boy!" Glimmer greets him enthusiastically. "Well done! Now... if we could find your girlfriend this day would be even better than it has been so far!" she grins wildly.
"Katniss is long since gone. I told you, she knows how to hide. Without me, you'll never find her." he presses past my partner from District 1, his expression still bored.
I roll my eyes and turn to follow him. "Sure, Lover-Boy. Just make sure we'll find her soon." I call.
"Yeah." he calls back. "As soon as I see one of her traps I'll let you know."
Glimmer, Clove and Zoe snicker.
"Let's head back to the Cornucopia." Cato says suddenly. "We still need to go through all our new stuff."
"And sort it all. Weapons, food, water and whatever else might be hidden in all those backpacks and grates." Clove agrees.
It takes us almost two days to go through all of it. It is a lot – and most of it is useful. Though I admit that I cannot shoot with bow and arrow. But Glimmer took it and is confident that it will be useful to her. She's decent with the thing, at least. We decided to carry the useful weapons around with us, as well as some food and water.
And now we are back to going through the forest, searching for the other Tributes so we can kill them. We know where the male Tribute from District 11 has gone to, but non of us feels confident that we could take him down in the corn field. It is virtually impossible to see anything in the field and he'd sooner gut us one by one than we could find him. So we leave him there for now. Maybe we'll just burn the field down with him in it. But for now we are fine with searching for the others.
So far, we just run around without finding the slightest hint of anyone being alive.
Every time we see something resembling a snare or a trap Peeta runs to it and takes a look. So far non of the four snares we saw have been the work of his girl. He says her traps have an easier system – she works with the barest minimum and they work just fine.
"Do you smell this?" Zoe suddenly says. She has stopped and looks to the right.
"Smoke." Glimmer exclaims. We turn and run toward the smell. Someone must have started it. And the only persons alive in here are other Tributes!
A few minutes later Glimmer whoops loudly.
"There she is!" she yells. "Lover-Girl!" I look, and yes, there she is indeed. Katniss Everdeen, submerged in a pond to her chest. She takes one look at our approaching group and scrambles for the shore. Then she runs – but I can see her hobble every so often. She's wounded. Perfect!
And then she starts climbing up a tree. "Faster!" Clove screams and speeds up.
Glimmer readies an arrow to shoot Katniss out of the tree, she tries as soon as she stops beneath the canopy of the tree – and misses horribly.
The same goes for Clove and the knife the threw. Katniss is too far up for her to reach... it is more likely that a falling knife kills one of us.
"Give it here!" Cato demands and takes the bow and an arrow from Glimmer, aims at the girl in the tree – and misses as well. Angered he throws the bow down and starts climbing up himself, probably intend on throwing Katniss out of the tree himself, but the branch he tries to stand on snaps under his weight and he falls back down.
Suddenly we hear laughter from up above... Katniss. "Maybe you'd have a better chance throwing up your sword!"
Cato howls and Katniss laughs some more.
"Let her be." Peeta speaks up. We all turn to him, angered. He lifts his hands when he sees our faces. "She can't stay up there forever. She's bound to run out of food and water sooner or later. We can still killer her when she climbs down." That pacifies me – and the others, too, I notice. Cato turns and looks up the tree again. And if looks could kill, the tree would start crumbling to dust where it stands. As it is, the tree is still alive, Katniss seems quite content sitting in it and we set up camp beneath it for the night.
Zoe has started to collect firewood and Glimmer sets down some food. Cato plunges his sword into the ground and sits down, still grumbling and glaring. It really gets to him that Katniss got away again.
"Who do you want to kill once Lover-Girl is gone?" Clove asks once the fire is burning merrily and we all sit comfortable.
"The guy from 11." he murmurs. "I don't think anyone else besides him stands any real chance to harm anyone of our group." I do see him glance at Peeta, though.
"We still smoking him out?" Zoe asks while chewing on an apple.
"Absolutely. I won't go into that field. It's sure to be a death trap!" Cato throws back at her. She as seen the glance at Peeta as well and answers with a raised eyebrow. The plan is made then. As soon as Lover-Girl crawls out of her tree, Lover-Boy's life is over as well.
With a smile I curl up in my sleeping back.
-##-##-
A scream wakes me. I'm on my feet in the blink of an eye – and then it takes me another blink to start running from the tracker-jackers. Katniss must have dropped them on us while we have been sleeping. Glimmer screams for help – and I ignore her. I always would have ignored her pleading, since, at some point, she would have had to die anyway. As I said: I want to survive, to win, to go home.
And right now I run for my life while these vile insects fly after me – and Cato and Clove. I don't see Zoe or Peeta. Maybe they are dead. I don't care at all.
"There's the lake!" Clove yelps and and runs faster. I have been stung at least five times and start to see triple.
We jump into the lake without even slowing. I dive the moment I get in far enough. While I hold my breath I cannot stop hoping that the tracker-jackers will be gone when I have to resurface to breathe.
A few tracker-jackers are still there when my breath runs out, so I dive again. I have to repeat this twice more before they are gone.
Cato and Clove look horrible, both have stings in their faces.
And Cato looks murderous again. "Lover-Boy knew she'd do it!" he screams. "He was running already when the tracker-jackers started attacking!" He screams some more, then howls like an enraged animal.
He runs back into the forest. I look at the dripping wet Clove and shrug. Then I run after Cato.
It takes us hours to find Peeta. When he sees us he turns and starts running. Cato swings his sword and hits Peeta in the leg. Peeta simply keeps running, he completely ignores his wounded leg.
"Cato..." Clove sounds winded and drops to the ground. I can hardly stand myself – the tracker-jacker poison takes its toll on us. I would bet that all that keeps Cato running is his anger. He glances back – and his eyes simply roll back in his head. A moment later I, too, faint.
-##-##-
Two days later the tree of us are up and walking again. And we picked up another Tribute. He's useful, really. The boy is from District 3 – and he managed to re-arm the mines around the platforms we waited on before we could start for the Cornucopia. The area around our stash of supplies is now fortified and booby-trapped – only the four of us know how to get to the large pile of goodies.
The boy, Corbin, now has the sole purpose of sitting at our camp at the Cornucopia and make sure no-one steals from our stuff and to scare any idiot who dares approach our pile away again. His leg is injured from when he was wounded back at the Cornucopia.
"I think I saw something." Clove says suddenly. She points to her left. A boy suddenly breaks out of the undergrowth and starts running. Cato whoops and starts chasing him.
"Come on, boy! We just want to talk!" he laughs loudly when the boy stumbles and falls. He continues to crawl, unwilling to just give up. I see him clutching at his chest – he is hurt. And he does not have any supplies. It's a wonder he lived this long. "Hey! I remember you now, from the Cornucopia!" Cato crows loudly.
The boy whimpers softly and continues crawling. Clove throws a dagger at him and hits him in his calf. I laugh and merrily walk next to the crawling, crying boy. He's from District 10.
"Didn't I slash your chest open?" Cato prods at him and then viciously kicks him in the area he just mentioned. The boy screams and stops moving. He just lies there, turned over onto his back by the kick, and breathes shallowly. Cato laughs and lifts his sword. I put a nice little smirk on my face when the stabs the boy. The cannon sounds almost at once. Nice and clean. At least.
Clove is still laughing merrily and Cato cleans his sword on the boy's clothes.
Then we turn around and head back to the Cornucopia.
So far we could not find hide nor hair from Katniss Everdeen – and Peeta Mellarck is still alive as well. Both just seem to have vanished completely.
"I wonder where those two hide." I say to my allies.
"Probably hiding and making out. Star-crossed Lovers, my ass." grumbles Clove. Ever since the tracker-jackers stung her a few times her temper seems unbearable. I wonder how Glimmer would have taken it, had she not died. Or Zoe, for that matter. Both died back there.
"I hope something eats them, nice and slow." Cato snarls angrily. Maybe the people from District 2 are generally bad-tempered. Who knows? Both of them are horrible to hang around. But until the boy from 11 is history, they will be useful.
So far Cato has refused to light the field on fire. He wants Katniss and Peeta dead before the boy from 11. And of course Clove agrees with her partner. Corbin does not dare to breathe wrong while we are around, so whatever Cato says is fine with him. Spineless freak.
"Maybe they'll starve." I grumble. If it weren't for those two, my plans would be further along. I'd have killed Cato and Clover in their sleep by now and be the sole surviving Career. The winner, maybe. Damn District 12 and its terrible surprise.
"Hey! Corbin!" Clove calls and the boy flinches violently. He had been fumbling with something. He always does that. He likes building technological things, making them move or just explode. It's even more annoying than him agreeing with everything Cato says.
"Hello." he murmurs timidly. "No-one was here." he adds after a second.
"And otherwise you better scare them away!" Clove lays into him and Corbin hurries to nod.
."Of course!"
"Good boy!" I ruffle his hair like I would ruffle a dogs fur. Corbin blushes a brilliant red and we laugh at his expense.
"Cato, what is that?" Clove suddenly exclaims and I turn around. Smoke is rising out of the canopy. It's close...
We stare at the smoke for a few seconds, then run toward it. We don't have to glance at one another. We hunt down the Tribute stupid enough to light a fire with wet wood.
It only takes a few minutes to reach the fire – it rather looks like a pyre, actually. There is no-one there. Maybe the Tribute noticed how much it smoked and made a run for it? Anyway... he or she should still be close by, close enough to catch.
"Let's look around!" I exclaim and make my way around the clearing with the pyre. Clove and Cato do the same. The Tribute is still close, I am sure of it!
"Look!" Cato yells. A little farther away more smoke is rising into the sky. I stare at it for a second.
"Guys..." I say loudly. "Something seems off."
"You getting scared?" Cato sneers and starts in the direction of the smoke. Anger bubbles hotly in me at being dismissed so casually. He'll get what's coming to him. He'll never win this Games. I stomp after Cato and Clove's retreating backs, toward the second fire.
I know before we reach the clearing, that the fire burns in a neatly arranged pyre and that the clearing will be perfectly devoid of any life besides birds. No Tribute will be there.
I am right, I know it as soon as I hear Cato howl. That guy has some serious problems in self-restraint and anger-management.
"I told you." I whisper. I am sure this would not be the right time to rub it in. He's angry enough as it is. Casually I shoulder my spear and start walking around the edges of the clearing, trying to find some lead, something to tell me where the Tribute went. I find nothing.
But I hear a loud boom.
And explosion. The piled up supplies!
With wide eyes we run back to the camp. The ground where our amassed supplies used to sit is completely black, burned and charred. Corbin stands in front of the crater with a shocked expression on his face.
Cato starts growling as soon as he sees the boy. And he is on him in a flash, shacking him.
"The girl from District 5 tried to steal something, so I chased her off!" he squeals out. "The pile exploded while I chased her! I'm sor-"
He never got any farther because as soon as Cato hears him say that he was not there when it happened, he snaps Corbin's neck. The boy hits the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Cato is still growling and paces back and forth with angry strides. All our supplies except for what we have on us – gone!
"Cato..." Clove begins quietly. Her mouth is set in a grim line and her eyes are flashing. "I'm sure whoever did this blew up with the supplies."
"You think?" he grinds out.
"What else?" I throw in. "How would anyone survive this?" I stoically point toward the remains of the supplies. "We probably just didn't hear the cannon over the explosion."
The breathes deeply, then nods.
"Alright. Let's wait for them to announce the Fallen tonight." he is still as angry as he can be.
"Yeah." I say. "Let's wait down at the lake. They will want to collect the body of … him." I point at Corbin.
Clove and Cato nod. We pick up what supplies can be saved and go to the lake.
It takes forever for night to fall.
And even longer for the trumpets to start blowing to notify us that the announcement starts.
The pictures of the boy from 10 flashes up first. Then Corbin. Then nothing. The one who exploded the supply pile is still out there.
Cato does what Cato does when he is angry: He screams. And then some.
Clove and I wait patiently for him to stop. "Let's go to those pyres." I say. "There have to be two of them, at least. If we catch one, we can lure the other one to us and kill both."
"Yes, let's do that." Clove chimes in.
We track back into the forest. First pyre one, then past pyre two. Around for a while, quietly. It's completely dark, but we move on. Stopping now might make Cato explode.
"Maybe it was the 'Star-crossed Lovers'". Clove whispers. "Wouldn't that be great? Finally getting rid of them..."
"Yeah." I whisper back. To finally get rid of them. They've both been more trouble than they are worth. Deep down I'm still sore that the bitch took out Glimmer. I'm sure she died slowly and painfully. At least I kill them fast!
"Will you look at this!" Cato suddenly exclaims and abruptly stops walking. Another pyre! This one is untouched...
"Maybe they'll meet up here?" I whisper.
"Probably." Clove agrees.
"And maybe they won't!" Cato snaps. "Let's keep moving."
"I'll stay." I say. "I'll set a trap – and who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky and can kill Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellarck!" I laugh quietly.
Cato scowls at me. "You stay, don't come back."
"Fiiiiine." I drawl. "We would have had to split up sooner or later, anyway. It might be better to do it now." He nods and Clove shrugs.
"Good luck then, Marvel. May the odds be ever in your favour!" she grins at me before turning away and walking further into the forest. Cato just grunts and goes after her.
I look around and decide to set my trap on the other end of the clearing, away from the other pyres. I'd enter the clearing from there.
I pull out a net and lay it carefully on the ground before attaching a rope. A little trap never hurt anyone before... I throw a generous amount of fallen leaves over the net and go hide in the undergrowth. The first person to step onto my contraption will get pulled up, hopelessly entangled in the net. An easy kill.
I hope it will be Katniss.
It takes hours for the day to start. And even then I keep lying beneath the bush I took cover under and wait. I am nothing if not patient. The morning is almost over when I hear a twig crack under someone's boot. Right in front of my trap. Perfect.
What I do not expect, is the little dark-skinned girl from District 11 to step out from the bushes. She looks around fearfully and whistles softly. Surprisingly, the birds pick up on her song and carry it farther away. Nothing happens for a moment – and then she cautiously takes a step forward. Onto my trap. In seconds she dangles above the ground. As soon as she realises what happened, she screams in fear.
"Look at that!" I hear behind me. I whip around. Cato and Clove stroll into sight, both smirking.
"See." I say. "I told you I would catch myself something!" I sound triumphant, even though I am still disappointed that I did not catch Katniss.
"I'm surprised." Cato says. "I would have thought common sense would prevail and non of them would return to the evidence." it's the longest sentence he said in the whole time I know him. And the one with the biggest words in them. Maybe Cato is not as stupid and brutish as he lets on...
"Well..." I drawl. "Common sense is not something everyone has to spare. Some only have a little and have to make use of it their whole lives. Maybe she was saving it up?"
Both laugh.
"Well," Clove says after a moment. "Have fun then! We were just passing through – and generously decided to not attack this once. We had a lot of fun together, after all."
"How considerate of you!" I say jovially. "Let's hope we won't meet for a while!"
"Yeah! Until then!"
As casually as they came, they leave again. I turn my attention back to the little girl.
"I really, really expected someone else." I tell her, smiling from ear to ear. I use my spear to turn her in her net, tangling her up as much as possible. Then I cut the rope that keeps her suspended in the air. As much as I would like some target practice to vent some anger, I do pride myself to be merciful. And she is still a little girl. A shame she has to die so young.
She falls heavily and whimpers softly as a consequence. Tears stream down her face and her dark eyes are impossibly wide.
They make me hate the Capitol, not that I would let them know. I have a reputation to uphold: I am Marvel, Career Tribute from District 1, and I am loyal to the Capitol.
A soft tune whispers past us, not the one she had whistled earlier, another tune.
Her eyes go even wider. Her mouth opens.
"KATNISS!" he screams at the top of her lungs. So she had teamed up with Katniss Everdeen after all. I will get to kill Katniss!
"KATNISS!" the girl yells again.
"RUE!" comes the answering shout from the direction of the second pyre.
I lift the spear high above her and close my eyes. I don't want to see her eyes when I spear her. I hear Katniss burst through the undergrowth.
"RUE!" she screams, just as I thrust the spear into the girls stomach.
"NO!" I hear Katniss's agonised scream, and Rue's pitiful gasp.
Then, when I open my eyes, I see my death. Katniss has Glimmer's bow and arrow.
I realise that the weapon was not meant for Glimmer, but for Katniss Everdeen. For her. Her arrow hits my throat and I feel light headed at once. She must have hit the jugular. Desperate to get some air into my frozen lungs I clutch at the arrow and pull it out slowly and painfully. The arrowhead does more damage when I pull it out then when it went in. I notice that too late as well. My legs give out as shock sets in and I crumple to the ground.
I hear Katniss murmur Rue's name while I look at the sky. The leaves seem greener than they have been a moment before.
I won't win this Games.
I won't win anything anymore. I see my parent's faces when they send me off to the Capitol: They have been full of hope. I could have won.
But I did not.
I close my eyes and the world goes dark.
I was Marvel, Tribute from District 1 for the 74th annual Hunger Games. I won't be remembered, I know. No looser ever is.