I never did fit in with the Careers.
And it was her fault.
I got a 7 in my private sessions.
A 7.
The tiny girl from 11 got higher than me, and all of the other Careers. They laughed at me.
I still don't get it, I did everything I could, I stabbed, speared, sliced and diced those dummies until nothing but sawdust remained. What had a tiny girl like that done to beat me?
I was the best, everyone told me!
And now to prove them right; and the gamemakers wrong.
I'm going to kill that girl.
I'm chasing her now, I didn't even grab a weapon from the Cornucopia, I'm going to kill her with my bare hands. The others, Drip, Cato and Clove, are probably still fighting at the Cornucopia. I'll be back later. After this easytask.
The field is full of wheat, blowing lazily from side to side, possibly concealing traps, but I don't care right now. Traps don't discriminate between friend and foe, and so if I follow the girl's tracks, I won't get caught.
She will.
And I'll be there to claim the kill.
She's ahead, bounding across the wheat like a gazelle, leaping obstacles I can't even see.
She's fast.
But I'm faster.
I'm gaining on her, seeing her bouncing hair near closer. Almost within my reach. If I could grab it, she couldn't escape. She'd fall into the wheat and never wake up. Thenwho'd have the higher score? Huh?
I reach out my arm, and my hand brushes her ponytail, I ready my fingers to grab, to make the final move, to cement myself into the Career's pack, when something jerks me back, like a hook has pulled me from around the waist.
Winded, I am pulled to the floor. In the distance I can see the dark hair bobbing away, out of my reach. My breath returns, and I swear loudly. I only know one person as strong as that, and that's Cato. She was mykill.
But it isn't Cato who's standing above me right now.
It's the behemoth from 11, the district partner of the girl that beat me. Named Thresh or something.
And there's no confusion as to why hegot a higher score than me.
Standing over me, he looks about 8 feet tall.
"Please don't kill me" I whimper.
It's fake, we all learn this at school, the weaklings from other Districts don't want to kill, especially if you make them feel guilty. It always works.
Except it doesn't. I see that now.
I leap aside, grabbing him around the legs, trying to pull him down.
He's strong.
But I'm stronger.
He picks me up with one hand and throws me, hard. I fly 5, 10, 15 feet and land in some squelching mud hidden in the wheat. I leap up.
I'm not defeated yet.
I grab a stick lying beside me and charge him.
He's good with a sword.
But I'm…
Dead.
