Chapter 1

"I don't even know why we keep her."

I slowly came back to reality, from a very very long sleep.

"Because she throws knives like a witch, Glimmer.", somebody said. It was a male voice, and it wasn't Cato's, so I supposed it was Marvel's.

"So does Clove.", Glimmer again.

Marvels voice lowered a little bit. "We both know Clove's not as good as her. Clove barely misses, that girl never does."

I felt their eyes lingering on me and pretended to sleep. The others, Cato and Clove, had to be still sleeping, I heard their even breathes.

They wanted to keep me. They wanted to use me, my skills, and then kill me. There was no possible chance that they'd let me live, like they will let each other live in the end, when they take seperate ways in the arena. They'd kill me as soon as they didnt need me anymore.

I decided to get up.

I moaned loudly to demonstrate that I just woke up and stretched.

Then I sat up and looked around.

"Morning, sunshine.", Glimmer growled and looked at me as if it was my fault that I was there.

I didn't respond, I just glared back at her until she looked away. In that moment my belly growled.

"I'm hungry.", I said.

"We all are.", was the only respond I got.

I lay back again and looked up to the sky. It was a bright blue with sprinkles in a darker tone. Way too friendly for a place like that. It didn't fit an arena where people got forced to fight to death. But this was not the time to think about things like that.

I thought about my district instead.

About the soft fabric between my fingertips. About the first dress I did all by myself.

About how proud I was when I sold it and earned my first own money.

I missed district 8. And knowing that i'd never ever see it againt hurt, but I pushed away the thoughts and got up to my feet.

"I'll get us something to eat." I said.

Glimmer laughed way too loudly, Cato and Clove woke up.

"No, no way. You really think we're that dumb?", Marvel said, dismissively smiling at me.

"Well, I'm hungry.", I hissed at him, stretching my limbs.

"I'll go with her.", Cato said, half-way up to his feet.

"No, you're only going to banish the animals.", I remembered the sound of his stomping feets behind me and got goosebumbs.

"Well, what about you Clove?", Marvel asked. "You could catch some too."

"You can suck my dick, Marvel.", she answered angrily. "I'm not going to catch a single squirrel for you, I don't care if you starve.".

He acted like nothing happened. It seemed like they all were already used to that. She didn't like the fact that I was here and she didn't keep it a secret.

"Well, I'm going then.", he said himself, standing up.

"No, you won't!", Glimmer got on her feet too, looking at him angrily. I didn't quiet understand why she was acting like this, but it somehow looked like she was jealous. Like Marvel wanted anything other than killing me.

He sighed, resigning. There was no way Glimmer would come with me, so I looked at Cato.

"Nice.", I growled, doing some steps.

I didn't catch much. A squirrel and three little birds. That would never satisfy us all.

I sighed and pulled my knife out of the third bird. Cato picked it up and put it into his rucksack. His hands were already bloody. I sat down on a rock and hesitated to look at him. I didn't want to go back yet. I knew that I might get nothing to eat that day, because it wasn't enough for us all, and I'd be the last one getting some of the food.

"What are you waiting for?", he asked, contracting his eyebrows. "Death.", I said promptly, but standing up.

He didn't answer, just watched me as I cleaned my knives at my trousers, leaving dark, bloody stripes.

Suddenly he froze. I opened my mouth but no tone came out, so I just slowly turned, to face what he was nodding at.

I almost laughed, but then I got it and was thankfully I didn't.

It was a deer, a few metres away from my rock, standing behind the trees, not even noticing us.

I came up, really slow, and took one of my knives.

The next moment it stucked in the deers neck, just in the main artery.

I laughed relieved and ran over to it to get my knife. Cato then picked it up and carried it on his arms, like it didn't weigh more than a fly.

We then went back to the group.

The deer was good. We ate silently, and I enjoyed the feeling that, for this moment, I was safe. Nobody was dumb enough to attack the careers, and I was a part of them. I was a career, wasn't I? At least I was the careers' lapdog.

"So, who's next?", Cato said, leaning back into the grass. I liftet my head.

"Does that even matter? I'd say we'll roam around in the forest this night, seeing who we can get.", Glimmer said in a cold voice, throwing away one of the bird's bones. A cold shiver ran down my back facing the fact that i'd join one of the careers' killing sprees tonight.

"Can I stay here, guarding our camp?", I said quietly. Nobody seemed to notice me, because I got no respond. Marvel got chosen instead.

A few hours later we got ready to go. There still were 11 tributes, not counting our group, who had to be killed. Glimme and Clove got really excited, while Cato acted all cool. Marvel seemed a little bit sad that he couldn't join us, and I .. well, I was neutral. It was unlikely that we'd get into a fight. The most were dead before even realizing what was going on.

Unless the careers decided to play.