Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm SO sorry for the delay! I suffered a big case of writer's block here! Anyways, I got over it, so here's a chapter. Just a warning; this story will probably be updated very slowly for the next few weeks as I am really busy with school. Also, I just want to point out that up until this point I've been trying to stick really closely to the books, however, from now on I may start blending things from the movie into it as well (such as Thresh getting a weapon). Anyways, hope you guys like it!

I am out in the open, facing the Cornucopia. There are tributes to my left and my right, forming a circle. I can see a big timer, counting down from sixty. Most of the tributes are looking at the items in the Cornucopia, preparing their feet to run and fight for the best items. I'm surveying my surroundings, trying to figure out where to go. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice something.

A wheat field.

Perfect.

I glance back to the Cornucopia for a second. I notice a few backpacks lying around, I'll grab one of those and then run. I look at Rue, who is a few tributes away from me. I guess I'm hoping she'll look at me, but she's focused on the timer.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

A gong sounds and I sprint off of my plate, not waiting to see what the other tributes are doing. My fingers wrap around the straps on a backpack and I hoist it up so it won't fall while I'm running around. I notice something shining not too far away, so I rush over and pick it up, barely pausing to notice what it is: a sickle-like sword, and next to it a large water bottle. Good, they should be helpful.

I look around, trying to pinpoint Rue's location. People are running, falling, fighting, dying. All around me, it's utter chaos.

A girl darts in front of me and suddenly collapses to the ground, coughing up blood all over my boots. A knife is lodged in her back, and I notice that the girl from District 2 is hurling the deadly projectiles at tributes. I duck as a knife whizzes over my head, and my eyes lock onto hers. She flinches, unsure of what to do; after all, she isn't dumb. I'm at least two times her size. She decides not to try for me again, and instead hurls a knife into another tribute's back.

I have to find Rue and get us out of here.

"Rue!" I call, desperately, looking around. I can't see her and start to panic. What if she's already dead? Practically at the top of my lungs, I roar, "Rue!"

I see Cato cut a boy down with a machete and then turn. He looks at me with a murderous glint in his eye. How long have I been standing here? Thirty seconds? Three minutes? I can't tell anymore; everything's a blur, but the one thing I am certain of is that I can't stay here any longer.

I turn and start running towards the field of grain. A boy gets in my way, he looks at me with frantic eyes. Time almost seems to slow down as I stare at him. My mind starts racing as I try to figure out what to do. I don't want to kill him. He hasn't done anything to deserve death, but I can't let him slow me down. I set my jaw and slash him across the face with my blade. He falls down. Dead.

My brain doesn't seem to register what I've just done, it's racing so fast.

As I run, I spare a glance over my shoulder. A sizeable number of the tributes are either dead or have escaped, but there are still ten or so battling it out.

I keep running, my legs burning and my breaths ragged. I dodge between some trees and come crashing into the wheat field. I collapse, panting heavily.

The field is the perfect place to stay; its stalks will provide me with cover, the grain can serve as food, and I'm familiar with the terrain… It also reminds me of home.

If I can occupy this area and keep other tributes out, then I'll be pretty safe.

I take the bag off of my back and open it up to see what's inside. I find a tarp, an empty water bottle (pretty much useless, since I already picked up a water bottle, which was actually full), a sleeping bag, some jerky, a bottle of iodine, a rope, and a box of matches. I'm glad I grabbed this big black one instead of the orange ones that were lying around; they would've been like a beacon in the night.

After the chaos of the bloodbath, it is suddenly eerily silent. My mind starts filling with thoughts. I just killed a boy. I killed him, without a second thought. Have I become a cold-blooded killer, no better than Cato?

No, that isn't it. Cato relishes killing people. I did it because I had to.

I try to shake off such thoughts and go about setting up a make-shift camp. I lay the sleeping bag out over the tarp, so that if it rains I can wrap the tarp about myself. I don't want to do anything that would give away my position, or dedicate me to just one spot, so I simply toss my backpack on the ground.

Then I sit down in the field, unsure of what to do next. It finally settles in that I am completely alone. I have no idea how long the Games will last, but if I want to win, I'll be alone for a long time. I thought I'd have Rue with me. I didn't think we'd get separated. This incessant waiting would be far more tolerable with some company, but, as it is, I have to stay here by myself.

It'll be a wonder if I don't go crazy.

I have to do something, anything, to keep a grip on reality, to follow what's going on in the Games around me.

A thought strikes me suddenly. I find a spot of clear dirt in the field and run my finger through it, writing words. When I'm done, I sit back. I've written down the twelve Districts, and have put down a female and male tribute for each. When each one dies I'll scratch them off so I can keep track of who is still out there.

I sit staring at the list, and then add another word beside it. Days. If I want to keep my sanity, it will help to know how long I've been in the arena.

It's late afternoon now, I think, and I can hear the cannon firing, which means the fighting in the Cornucopia must be over. The cannon fires eleven times, and then falls silent.

I guess there's nothing to do now but wait until they show the fallen.

I'm chewing on some grain and drinking a bit of water when the anthem starts to play. I bend the stalks of wheat back to get a better view of the screen in the air. My heart starts beating faster, and I can feel my stomach grow tight. I'm terrified of what I'm going to see on that screen. What if Rue's face is up there?

The anthem fades out and everything goes black for a few seconds, and then the screen lights up again, showing the headshots of the fallen tributes.

I scratch the tributes off my list as I see their faces appear. The girl from District 3 is first. That means Cato, Clove and the tributes from 1 are still alive. Pity; I had hoped at least one of them would have died, but I guess I hadn't really expected it anyways.

Next is the boy from 4; guess he wasn't good enough to join the Careers' pack. Then they show the boy from District 5. I see both tributes from 6 and 7, the boy from District 8, both from District 9, and the girl from District 10. The Capitol seal appears in the sky, a final bit of music flourishes, and then the sky is black again.

That's it. The first day has passed. Eleven are dead, and thirteen are alive-including Rue. I'm practically shaking with relief; Rue is alive. She's still out there somewhere. She survived the bloodbath, tough kid, which means there's a good chance she'll be safe for a while at least.

Maybe I should go and find her, I muse, then push the thought away. No, the arena's huge; she could be anywhere, and if she doesn't want to be seen, chances are I will definitely not see her. It'd be better if I stay where I am. Maybe she'll be able to find me.

I crawl into my sleeping bag, thankful for its warmth since the air has gone chilly. As I close my eyes and drift to sleep I wonder what Rue is doing to keep warm. I hope she's alright...

Boom!

I wake with a start. A cannon just went off. Someone's been killed! I thrash around wildly as I struggle to get out of my sleeping bag and grab my weapon. I stay frozen in a crouching position as I listen intently to my surroundings, my heart racing.

Nothing.

I look up through the stalks of wheat and see a pillar of smoke in the distance, probably from a campfire. Chances are it's either from the person who just died, or from the Careers; they'd be the only ones with enough guts to give away their position. Either way, the Careers are probably by the smoke, which means they're a long way away from me.

I'm fortunate. If the Careers had decided to come after me, they could've killed me without much of a struggle. I've got to be far more careful from now on. If I had Rue with me we could take watch-shifts during the night, but I don't have her.

Stop it! I shake my head to clear it. I can't keep focusing on not having Rue with me. I have to start worrying about my survival. It's just me now.

So, now I have to figure out a way of being able to get some rest, while still being alert to my surroundings. I could try and make a trap, but I've never done anything like that before. Perhaps I could put something around the edge of the field, something that would alert me to the presence of intruders, like an alarm or something.

Maybe there's something in my bag that could help. I pull my bag out of its hole in the ground and rummage through it. I find a roll of string and start thinking hard; this will definitely help, but if I had something made of metal, that would be significant.

My fingers shake as I continue to search my backpack, and I realize how cold it is. Without the warmth of my sleeping bag, I'm practically freezing. It's probably best to call it a night and continue my search in the morning. I can barely see anything anyways, as it's pitch black out.

I shove my pack back into the hole and return to my sleeping bag. Chances are that no one will come after me. I should be safe for one night, at least.

Right?