I do not own the Hunger Games.

Chapter 11

The Third Day

I'm sorry guys...the story has been getting a bit boring. I hope this next chapter will be better.

The sun is high in the sky, and I am vaguely aware of some kind of danger rapidly approaching. My vision is fuzzy, or is that the early morning haze? I can't tell, but I force myself to focus. Think, Prim. And then I see it: a green gas, most likely toxic. I doubt they would prank us with gaseous food coloring. This has the distinct smell of rotting meat. Poison. My mind is slow, as if drugged. Still I manage to scream, shaking my allies and yelling, "Run!" as loudly as I can. We scramble out of the field. I trip at least twice. Why is the ground so rocky.

I am getting dizzy, but the thought of death fuels me like a high-powered energy drink. My feet scramble forwards, and soon I'm ahead of all of them. I seem to be running for ages before I reach a dry clearing. Within 30 seconds, the rest of the pack has assembled. "What was that?" Yttria is the first of us to speak. We're all still dizzy; in fact the world is still tumbling down and I can barely breathe. Not with the scent of the mist on us.

"I don't know," I say, not only to Yttria and my allies but to Katniss. Maybe she understands what was going on. "Whatever it was, it succeeded in getting us here." The others seem to register the meaning of my words.

"You...think this is a trap?" Jeffrey asks stupidly.

"Well, what do you think, Broccoli Head?" Jeffrey patted his dark curls gingerly.

"Don't make fun of my hair," he pouted.

"Will you two SHUT UP?!" Yttria screams at the two. Everyone is silent for a few moments. Then we breaking into another argument.

"When do you think it's safe to go back?" We talk on and on for about an hour before we discover that we're not alone. A small pack surrounds us.

"Hey, losers," says Skylar from Four. Her hair is swept around her shoulder. She wears combat boots, which I have no idea where she got them, plus an army jacket and a bandana. Maybe she has sponsors. Too bad she'll be dead within a few minutes. We ready our weapons. Then another tribute comes out of the brush. An alliance? Usually the Careers are the only ones. Oh, look! It's Jessica, from District Nine. She doesn't have a chance either. Her ego might just crush her anyways. She's a huge jerk and everything.

I feel a strange urge to punch both of them, and I follow up on the thought. Skylar receives a blow to the face, and blood comes from her mouth. Jessica loses her breath because I punched her in the gut. My advantage was surprise, but that's gone now. They didn't expect me to use my fists, did they? Or did they underestimate the sweet little girl from 12?

Jessica grabs a fistful of my hair and rips it out, but Rikki is right behind her and lifts her off the ground. "What have you been eating lately? Bricks?" Then she throws her into the poison fog. Jessica inhales deeply (what an idiot!) and dies after a furious round of coughing.

"Jess!" Skylar screams. Yttria and I lock eyes, and lift her up on both sides. She's very lightweight, though that's probably Yttria holding most of her body. We shove her into her own campfire. She shrieks as her clothes light on fire, and her skin turns bright red, and then black. She is screaming like a maniac until her cannon fires. The hovercraft cannot collect anything but a pile of firewood covered in ashes.

I am dizzy with confusion...is it the toxic gas getting to my head? The confusion that I am killing these people? Or...is it a sick kind of thrill? I fear it is too soon to tell, and I do not want to have to think of myself as a psychopath. And I know that when I get home, I may not be accepted in the Seam, or the rest of District 12. Including the Victor's Village. Oh well, I guess I might not live to see that life.

Wow. That's pretty pathetic. I have to fight for my life when there might not be much to live for. Shut up, Prim. Focusing on the problem at hand is my best shot. "So, as I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted...when do you think it will be safe to go back to the camp?"

"Certainly not now. I think we should set up camp here and stay the night. It's getting dark, and this is our safest bet. Tomorrow we can collect some supplies and go hunting." Yttria speculates.

Our stomachs all growl. I give a hint to sponsors, "If only we weren't so hungry..." At the words, a parachute falls down containing a cauldron of scalding soup, a box of rolls, and an assortment of packaged salads. We all grin greedily and lick our lips. Rikki is the one to divide the food, and she does so fairly. She is surprisingly trustworthy. I don't know why, but there is something about her that says she is a good-natured person.

I have to take watch with Jeffrey tonight. I despise him. We try to make light conversation, but all we can think of is the weather. Then we are silent, and I can feel a huge wall of awkwardness building up.

I watch the sky for faces, and the only ones are Skylar and Jessica. Today was eventful enough, I guess. But the Capitol is still hungry for death.

So...what do you guys think? Please review! It took me a bit longer to post this one, but final exams are coming up...don't expect me to post as frequently. So yeah.

=)