Chapter 9: Used Against Us

With the strong showing my tributes showed, I do not fall asleep for the rest of the night, using intermittent sips of water to stay awake. Occasionally, I'll use any extra I have to wake up Haymitch, who by morning is still sleeping off a raging hangover.

As the sun dawns the second day in the arena, there is a sudden rumbling caused by an unknown origin. The tremors wake Peeta, who staggers to the holes in the walls that serve as windows. But before he can look outside, the hole itself suddenly expands, with signifiant sections of the stone caving in. Peeta's eyes widen in understanding, and he rushes to Quinn's side to rouse her.

"Quinn! Run!"

The two allies pelt outside. They barely make it out before their apartment building crumbles in a heap to the earth. All around them, all across the square, similar ruins that were still standing are now succumbing to nature, creating new rubble through which to climb.

At last, the earthquake stops. No doubt it was a Gamemaker trap, an arena-style "Good morning!" And quite a rude one, too, for just then, another cannon sounds. Checking the monitors, I learn quickly that the victim is the boy from District 9.

The rest of the day passes uneventfully. Around noon, I take the shift to jimmy up sponsors. Since Quinn and Peeta are making it pretty far, the job seems easy, and I quickly arrange for a gift to be sent to them that evening. Duke then relieves me of duty. We decide to just divide the task between ourselves for today, so that Haymitch can walk off that hangover of his. He'll be no use to us - or the sponsors - sloshed.

That evening, the faces of the girl from 11 and the boy from 9 appear in the sky. My sponsor gift arrives, in the form of a pile of breads. Peeta and Quinn set up camp in the square tonight, at the base of an old fountain. Even though Peeta is supposed to stand guard, he quickly falls asleep right beside his partner.

This turns out to be a critical error. For who should appear but the thieving boy from 5 again. It is almost too easy, how he spies the parachute and swipes it, eyes gleaming. I am screaming at the TVs for Peeta, Quinn, somebody, to wake up, but no one hears me.

And it only gets worse. For the District 5 boy isn't here just to steal.

This time, he's here to kill.

He pulls a knife and stabs whom he must perceive to be the greater threat of the two - Quinn. Right in the chest. What he doesn't count on is her scream waking up Peeta. The boy tries to flee, but trips on some ruins and falls into the dirt. This gives Peeta the chance to make up for his not-as-sure-footedness and he pins the boy to the earth. Seeing what he almost nabbed from them sends the baker's son into a fit of rage; he uses the canister from the parachute to bash District 5's head in again and again. Until a pool of blood is oozing and expanding, mixing sickeningly with the dusty ground. The cannon fires.

Peeta runs back to Quinn with the bread, holds her hand, begs her to stay with him. But it's too late for her; she can't be saved. Another cannon sounds. Peeta sadly rolls her body away from camp, to allow the hovercraft to pick her up unencumbered.

Haymitch passes me a drink, which I finally accept. This mentoring stuff is exhausting - especially since we are already at the Final 8 and only two days in: all six Careers (like in my year), Peeta... and the boy from District 10, who I learn is named Tien.

One of the them will be the Victor of the 73rd Hunger Games.