Korrina Black always had an ace up her sleeve.
Or, to be more precise, an ace in her boot. She always kept a knife hidden in her boot; her mother had always said to do so. The enemy thinks you're weaponless, just as they lean in for a seemingly sure kill; suddenly the silver of a blade strikes the air and a distant cannon fires. The satisfaction of the shock on their face…something Korrina had never experienced before.
Her mother always knew what was best, Korrina thought with a smile. It was her mother's advice that had led her to volunteer, and her mother's advice that had gotten her this far. All she had to do was take out Cato and the Star-Crossed lovers and she was the victor.
Cato would be easy. He was stupid enough to fall right into a trap. Well, not stupid, but ever since Clove died, he had been more rash. Korrina would never let that happen; emotions were merely a liability in the Hunger Games. Everything must be meticulously calculated.
Katniss and Peeta might be harder. Peeta wouldn't be a problem but Katniss could shoot her from afar. Of course, if she could sneak up on her and knife her in the back, it would be easy. Cunning little fox, she was. Peeta wasn't at the feast so he must have an injury or something preventing him from coming.
Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
That saying came into Korrina's mind, as if her mother had sent it to her all the way from District 5. Korrina hadn't been doing a good job of that. She mentally scolded herself and looked for tracks, seeing none.
The cogs started whirring in her head.
And then Korrina disappeared…and I took her place.
Kori had disobeyed her mother. She was in trouble. She hadn't come to training on time and Mother was displeased. Kori hated it when she was in trouble, her mother's piercing purple eyes would flash down at her and she would frown. She might yell. Kori's father did nothing to help. He wasn't very strong, and Kori's mother overpowered him.
Now, she faced Mother's anger. "Korrina, you should have come to training. You know exactly how much time you have to play with your friends. You didn't keep track of time. This infraction," Kori hated that word, infraction, "has happened many times before. It is unacceptable."
"But Mother, we were playing such a fun game and—"
"In the arena, there will be no time for games. You will have to do better!"
"But Ada said that they couldn't play without me." Kori replies, her face turning sad. "She said 'Kori, you're the brown puppy. We can't play without the brown puppy.' And I never get to be the—"
"You cannot let this 'Ada'," Her mouth twisted into a scowl as she spat out that name in a vicious tone, "boss you around. And your name is Korrina. Not Kori. If we wanted you to be called Kori, we would have named you Kori."
"But Mother, my friend Ali's full name is Alia, and my friend Sam's full name is Samantha, and—"
"You may not have this nickname. It is unnecessary. We will begin training now—"
"But Mommy—"
"NO! I don't want to have this discussion anymore. Remember, Mommy always knows best."
But does she?
No. Korrina scolded herself. She knew that Mother always knows best. Even when her strange purple eyes glare down at her, and she scolds Korrina and makes Korrina feel like there's nothing left, Mother always knows best. Without Mother, Kori—No, Korrina—wouldn't have gotten as far.
She finally spotted tracks and squatted down to study them. Heading east… Heavy… and another, lighter pair heading the same direction.
Korrina smiled. She knew where the Star-Crossed Lovers were. She followed the tracks for hours, until it was late in the afternoon. I'm so close…so close to winning…
Hours down the line, the hunger pangs have set in. I almost stumble across a pile of food on the ground, and logically have to touch it to check it's not my eyes playing tricks. Only Mother gets to play tricks on me. I grin as I feel the smooth cheese in my hands. Exactly what I need; proteins to sustain my rate of walking. I take slow, quiet steps towards the pile and crouch down, ignoring the screaming protest in my overworked muscles. Quick hands, slow breathing; and I grab a piece of cheese. That's all for now. I can't get too greedy or they might notice something was missing. Desire can never obstruct the plan.
But wait. A handful of purple berries lie near a roll and they look so good. And if they're purple, they have to be all right. Purple was always the best colour to be, Mother said, because since her eyes were purple. Green, like me, was second best. Always…second best…
I look again, and the pretty purple berries look alluring, but not for the same reason as before. I'm from District Five; how could I have not recognised such an intriguing specimen? One that has more power than me, more power than even Mother…the idea sends shivers down my spine.
Do I really want to go back home? Should I? Am I brave enough? Bravery was never one of the things my mother looked for. Cunning, slyness, speed, agility—those were all things she wanted in me. But never bravery.
Was that because…Mother was never brave to begin with? Not brave enough to ever enter the Hunger Games herself…thoughts are whirling around in my head, jumbled and confusing. I clutch my head for a second as my Mother's face changes in my head, to something I should have seen from the start; but she had me in her clutches, and I could only ever see her as what she wanted me to see.
If I go back, I'll never escape.
I make up my mind and dart towards the pile. At least this way it will be painless. I snatch a piece of cheese to make it look like it was an accident; the Gamemakers will punish my family if I choose this myself, and my father, at least, doesn't deserve that. I pick up the berries and I can practically feel my mother shouting at me. I smile and dash away, carrying my prize, as her voice slowly rises in pitch and in hysteria.
"Put down those berries, Korrina…I'm warning you…Mother knows best…you will always be second best…put down the berries…obey me, Korrina…"
A simple word that never came to mind before.
No.
I eat the berries, feeling them slip sweetly down my throat and burn in my stomach, and feel my throat quickly constricting. My muscles give way and I fall to the floor, a slow smile fixed on my face as breathing becomes impossible, and Mother's hysteric voice fades to a whimper and disappears.
You don't always know best, Mother. Cunning, agility, smarts…none of them mean anything if you don't have bravery. You never had it. I do.
My eyes shut, heart stops, and I hear the faint sound of a cannon. It's the last sound I ever hear, apart from the rustling of the leaves above me.
Finally, I'm free of her. I float upwards, knowing it's just the hovercraft but imagining I'm floating up into the sky. In my own small way, I've defied the Capitol, and I know that I can be brave.