Chapter 9

I wake up, today...I could die. I have accepted that I could die, but I don't plan on giving up on my myself and by extension my family so easily. I put on my strong mask before I even put on my clothes. I walk out of my room and sit down at the kitchen table with Haymitch, Peeta and Cinna. No one speaks, Haymitch has already given us the directions we will need to survive our time in the arena, however short it may be. We finish breakfast and then go out to the hovercrafts that will take us to the last place we may ever see. The arena. Haymitch stands with me before we load the hovercraft giving me last minute advice. Then he does something that surprises me. He gives me a hug. "You can do this. "he says to me. "I sure hope so." I reply before walking onto the hovercraft and taking my seat. A lady dressed in white comes around to each tribute and injects a tracker deep in our arms. The engines of the hovercraft start and I feel a pulling down on my body as it lifts into the air. The windows black out so that we can't see where the arena is, and we begin our journey to the arms of death. After about thirty minutes the hovercraft lands and we are escorted to the catacombs of the arena where we will dress. I step inside and go straight to Cinna's arms, he hugs me tight knowing how nervous I am. He dresses me in the black cargo pants, black combat boots, and black t-shirt. He hands me a dark green jacket made of some kind of slick material. "Its thermal, so be prepared for some cold nights." he says. I nod my head. "thirty seconds." a female voice comes over the intercom signaling that it is time for the tributes to step into the glass cylinders that lift them into the arena. I climb onto the metal plate just as the voice comes back on. "ten seconds." it says. "You can do this Ander, I know you will be the victor." Cinna says just as the glass comes down around me. Deep breaths. You are a hunter, you can do this. You will come home to your family. These things run through my head as the plate lifts me into the arena. I come up out of the ground and at first my eyes are blinded by the intense light. Then relief flows through my body. The arena looks like my woods at home, with the exception of the lake to the left of the cornucopia and field of tall grass behind it. I look around at the other tributes, I spot Peeta first and look at him, he shakes his head no. I know what he means, he is trying to tell me not to go to the cornucopia, but I will. I look away from him and next see Mia, I give her a small sad smile and she returns it. Lastly I spot Cato, he gives me a reassuring nod and I return it. I turn my attention to the countdown above the cornucopia 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1. My legs take off toward the items my eyes were locked in on for the last ten seconds. A silver bowl with two sheaths of arrows and a sword perfect for my size. I'm sprinting so hard I feel like I'm flying. I arrive at the cornucopia and snatch my weapons up just in time to realize that the district 3 tributes are running towards me. I won't have time to recollect my precious arrows so I unsheathe my sword. I make quick work of killing the two tributes. I grab the girls pack and begin to run off to the woods. Thankfully Marvel and Glimmer were distracted at the moment with torturing some of the weak tributes. I'm sprinting deeper into the woods, actually trying to follow Haymitch's advice and find water. I have been hiking around the arena for nearly an hour and still have found no water. I sit down on a fallen tree and begin to sort through the things I got from the bloodbath. In the backpack I find some rope, dried meat, a empty water canteen, iodine to purify water ( if I ever find it) and a sleeping bag. Along with this I also have a sword, I tie the sheath that it rests in to my belt. Last but not least I have the key to my survival, my bow and arrows. I sling the two quivers of arrows across my back followed by my bow. I finish going through my things when the first cannon sounds, followed by thirteen others. 14. 14 innocent lives taken in a matter of hours, and I took two of them personally. I feel disgusted with myself. I let them turn me into something I'm not. A murder. But I still have to get home to my family. I can't dwell on these things and become distracted. Looking around the area I'm resting in I find a large tree that is well concealed in a clump of other trees. I decide that this is where I will sleep for the night considering it is already getting dark. I climb up the tree and strap myself to a sturdy limb with the rope in my backpack. I realize now how thirsty I am, I haven't had water for hours and have been running consistently. Well this could be a problem. The first thing I will do in the morning is search for water and hunt. I am nearly asleep when the anthem plays and the faces of the dead tributes appear in the sky. I am thankful to see that none of my friends have died, today. There is a rustling noise to the left. I immediately pin myself to the back of the tree and sit as silently as I can. "I'm telling you," Marvel says to Glimmer, "when I find her I'm gonna kill her slowly and painfully, that way she knows who is in charge around here!" Glimmer snickers. I assume they are talking about me. They continue walking and I let out a sigh of relief. A few minutes later I hear a scream, I know now that the Careers have found what they were looking for. I slowly nod off to sleep, only thinking of my family, plans for tomorrow, and how dry my throat is.