Chapter 8: Career
I had agreed to join the Careers. It was the logical decision at the time. I had to win. I had to get back home to Annie, who had been abandoned by the rest of our family because of her so-called insanity. Finnick and I were the only family she had left, though Mags was always around when we needed her.
I was supposed to be asleep, but I was wide awake. We were at the Cornucopia, and I didn't trust the other Careers enough to let myself sleep. They had already killed my district partner, pretending it had been accidental in the chaos at the bloodbath. I knew the truth. I saw the girl from one calculating in her mind before she deliberately threw her spear at my partner. But I had already decided not to get attached to anyone during the Games. His death was just one in 23 that would occur this year. I was only glad I didn't have to be the one to kill him.
"Let's do it tomorrow night. A lot already died in the bloodbath. We can use her to hunt down most of the remaining tributes tomorrow. We'll split up." It was the boy from Two.
"Yeah. She thinks we're allies, so she'll be sure to come back." This time it was the girl from One.
"Alright, so we've agreed? After the next hunt?" The girl from Two.
"Mhmm. We'll kill her tomorrow in her sleep." The leader, the boy from 1, had officially approved the plan. I had never fit in with the Careers, and had only joined them for my own benefit. I had to implement my plan sooner than expected, but it was doable.
The next morning, the other four staged a discussion with me, pretending to decide to split up just as we were leaving for the hunt. I nodded and headed off in the direction I was assigned. Might as well use my predicament to my advantage.
After killing my target, I ran to the closest Career. The girl from Two was playing with her prey. Two knives left my hands before I could blink and her body dropped to the ground, her eyes wide with shock. I stepped forward to pull the knife out of her skull and looked ahead. The boy from Ten was dying, but it was a slow death because I wasn't as accurate as I would've liked.
I walked up to his body and kneeled next to him. His terrified eyes met mine. I grasped his hand, trying to convey my apologies with my eyes.
I raised the knife.
The corners of his mouth tilted upward ever-so-slightly as I brought it back down with more force.
And his breath left him.
After the boy from Ten, I went after the other Careers. They had each either already killed their targets or were just finishing them off as I reached them.
And at the end of it all, there was just me and one other tribute: a boy from for me, the boy had proved himself to be quite vicious when the occasion called for it. Unfortunately for him, so could I.