The Hunger Games Part One

I've taken some liberties with the book at this point. It's still Cato's story, just different!

The day of the Hunger Games dawns bright and sunny. After dressing, I join Clove and the others at the breakfast table. I sit beside Clove, tearing into the breakfast of eggs.

"You two ready?" Brutus asks, sipping from a coffee mug. "Ready to win?"

"Of course," Clove snaps. "My first victim is going to be that insufferable bitch Katniss."

"Easy there, tiger," Enobaria says. "Now, at the cornucopia is your best chance to kill off the rest of the tributes. There's probably going to be food, weapons. I'm sure there'll be knives and a sword for you, Cato."

I nod. "Since you have the best chance of winning, I'd hang out by the supplies. Maybe have one of the tributes from the technology district wire you a trap for anyone trying to steal supplies."

"Sounds good," I say. We finish breakfast and I return to my room to take one last look at freedom before I have to fight to the death. Clove knocks and lets herself in. She rushes to me, holding me tight.

"Cato, say it again." She whispers.

"I won't let anything happen to you," I tell her. She backs away, holding a ruby ring in her palm.

"For you," she tells me, wrapping my hand around her birthstone ring. "I know I brought it for me, but I want you to have it. Just in case I die."

"You're not going to die, Clove."

She smiles regretfully. "Again, you don't know that."

There's a knock at the door. "Cato? It's time."

I pull Clove to me, kissing her. "Let's go kick some ass."

We walk through the tunnel that leads us to the craft that will take us to the arena. We come out on the roof and a hovercraft appears above me.

"Good luck," Brutus says, slapping me on the back.

I nod, then walk to the ladder that leads to the craft. When I step onto the ladder, I'm frozen in place as I'm lifted into the hovercraft. I'm still frozen in place as a woman in white walks up to me, telling me to stay still as she injects a tracker into my arm. I grit my teeth as the needle pierces my skin. This tracker lets the Gamemakers know where all the tributes are at any time. After the woman moves on, I'm released from the ladder. I follow the other tributes into the breakfast area, but I'm too wired to eat. Clove sits in a plush chair by a window, and I go over to her. I stand next to her in silence, watching the buildings of the Capital fly by beneath us. About half an hour later, the windows black out.

That can only mean that we're close to the arena. I follow Nikio down another ladder, which leads us to the catacombs under the arena. We follow instructions to my prep room. It bothers me just a tad that I will be the only person to use this room. After the Games, the arena will be turned into a tourist attraction. I head to the bathroom, making sure that my hair is in place. I pat my pocket, Clove's ring imparting strength to me.

When I come back out, there is a white-wrapped package on one of the tables. These are my clothes for the Games. I get dressed in the uniform that all tributes wear: brown pants, green shirt, brown belt, and a black jacket that falls to my thighs.

"Expect cold nights," Nikio tells me. There's nothing to do now but wait. I drink some water, waiting for the voice to tell me it's time for launch. I smile half-heartedly at Nikio, knowing that in just a few hours I will have ended a few lives. I walk over to the metal plate, watching as a glass cylinder comes down around me and the disc begins to rise. I stand tall and proud. This is the moment. This is the moment I've been waiting for my whole life. As the disc lifts me into blinding brightness, I hear the voice of Claudius Templesmith, the announcer of the Hunger Games.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!"