It's dawn when I wake. I drink the remaining water from my container, and hope that I find another stream today – or better yet, I get to the Cornucopia. I don't think that I can survive for too long without any supplies. The berries that I've managed to find are hardly enough to keep me going, and I can only hope that the Careers – or whoever else has the stockpile of food – will be lax enough so that I can take something.

I continue through the forest as the light begins to brighten. The forest stretches on and on, seemingly endless, but sometime mid-morning I come across a stream. I crouch in the bushes on its bank and carefully refill my container with water. I don't remember a crossing a stream on the way from the Cornucopia on the first day – but then, the first few hours had blurred together in my memory somewhat.

The stream is shallow, and I quickly dart across it, the splashing of my boots lost in the sounds of the forest around me. I keep walking slowly, staying alert.

I spot a glint of gold through the trees in front of me. I force myself to wait, to listen, to watch. I can't afford to rush, not now.

I ease myself from cover to cover, moving at an agonisingly slow pace. Finally, I reach a clump of bushes on the edge of the clearing. The Cornucopia sits in the middle – still shimmering brightly in the sun, but empty.

I spot the Tributes at once – seven of them, lounging around their camp on the other side of the field. I mark them off in my head: Gold-girl, and her District 1 partner, then Knife-girl and her District 2 partner. The District 4 girl as well, so all the remaining Careers are there. Another boy, who I think is from 3, and, most surprisingly, the District 12 boy. Fire-boy. Without his Fire-girl.

It's an extremely large pack, given the number of remaining Tributes. I count off the remaining five. Myself, obviously. Fire-girl. The two 11s. One from 10 – boy or girl, I'm not sure.

Seeing them all, so close, is strange. They all look so different from how they were in the Capitol; no longer clean and polished, but rough and dirty. They still have the same deadly look about them, though – the Careers at least. I huddle down lower into the bushes, hoping that I'll be invisible in the gloom.

I peer back at the Career camp. They've pulled all of the supplies out of the Cornucopia, and piled them up. It's closer to me than it is to them – I'd be able to cover the distance to it in a few seconds. Just from looking at it, I can tell that they haven't bothered to sort it – I can see packs, crates and bags of food, and a glint of metal that could be a weapon.

As I watch, 3 straightens up abruptly and gestures to the rest of the pack. He's sitting a short way from the rest of the, surrounded by some kind of metal disks. I squint, trying to see them more clearly. I can't work out what they were – and, now that I think about it, I didn't see why 3 was there at all. Same with Fire-boy. I would have thought that they would be prey for the Careers, not allies.

The rest of the pack gathers around 3 in a loose semi-circle. 3 seems to be explaining something, flicking his hands about, pointing to the metal disks, then to the pile of supplies. I can't hear his words; the wind is blowing in the wrong direction.

Knife-girl's partner says something, a most likely a question. 3 hesitates for a moment, then stands up, picking up a disk. He walks over to one of the metal circles that we had come into the Arena on. The rest of the pack follows, Knife-girl muttering to her partner.

I carefully slip to another group of bushes, trying to get a better view of the circle, but it's useless. The pack crowds around, and I can't see anything. I don't want to move more, either – every motion, every sound I make increases the chance that they'll find me.

From what little I can see, 3 appears to be digging. Burying something? I look around at the other circles, and see that the ground around them is dug up as well, the dirt still piled up next to the holes. Why? I wonder. The only useful thing there would be a passageway to the Launch Room, which would likely be sealed off, anyway, and... and the mines.

Mines. The metal disks. Of course! Solaire, you idiot! They had dug up the disabled mines, and 3 had re-enabled, primed them again. Or was trying to.

Mine-boy, I rename 3. Maybe he's making it more it more difficult for me to survive, but I still have some slight respect for him. I'm sure he knows that the Gamemakers won't be pleased with him.

My attention is caught by the Career pack as they move away from the circle. Mine-boy is still there, patting down the dirt, and then he too turns and leaves. I'm confused for a second. Are they just burying it and leaving it there, by the circle?

In response to a shout from Gold-girl, Mine-boy picks up some apples from the supply pile, and approaches the buried mine again. Aiming carefully, he tosses the apple, but it falls short. The Careers begin to jeer at him, before Fire-boy grabs another apple and throws it.

Fire-boy is much more accurate. The apple hits the recently packed-down earth with a dull thud. I watch as the earth explodes outwards, incinerating the apple and leaving a gaping hole where the mine used to be. Both Mine-boy and Fire-boy stagger backwards from the force of the blast.

I'm grateful that I didn't decide to jump over the mines at the beginning.

The rest of the Careers gather around Mine-boy and Fire-boy. They talk for a few seconds – would it kill them to come closer so that I could hear? – and then they seem to reach an agreement. I flinch slightly and shrink down as they walk towards the supplies. I know that if they see me, I'm dead.

The pack spreads out around the supply pile, each other equipped with a weapon – swords mostly. Mine-boy walks around them, drawing a line in the dirt around the mound and marking several other points closer to it. Using their weapons as crude shovels, they begin to dig.

They dig a trench around the outside, encircling the pile, then a few smaller holes closer to the pyramid. Mine-boy again marks out more spots between the trench and the pile – a safe path, I assume.

I leave my hiding place when the sun is high in the sky. My legs are cramped, and I walk slowly. The sounds of the digging cover my footsteps, but I only breathe easily when the clearing is out of my sight.

I find the stream again and sit down near it, in the cover of some bushes. The branches snag my hair, and I wince as I untangle myself. My hair is still tied back in the same ponytail that it was in on the first day – making myself look pretty isn't high on my list of priorities.

I wait by the stream for some time; I'm in no hurry to return to the clearing, but at last the sun starts to get lower and I pick myself up. The forest seems more familiar and easy to navigate now, and I retrace the path back to the Cornucopia.

When I reach the edge of the forest, I see that the trench is fully dug. The pack is busy, gathering some food from the pile, but their grimy hands are testament to the fact that they had abandoned their attempt at using swords as shovels. Mine-boy pulls some small, bright bags from the mound and lays them along a twisting path – the safe path.

I smile, relieved that my task will now be much easier.

Mine-boy returns to the rest of the pack, now gathering some distance away. The wind had shifted and I can hear parts of their conversation.

Mine boy is first. "– can put them all in place now – delay is longest I can get –"

Knife-girl flicks her hair back. "– now, I want to hunt soon, Cato."

Cato. I don't know which one that is.

The pack seems to have reached an agreement. Mine-boy steps over to his pile of mines, takes a few and returns to the inside holes. The pack crowds around as Mine-boy fiddles with the one of the disks. He places it gently in the hole, and then the pack shovels dirt on top of it.

This continues for all the holes, and I wait impatiently. It's so close, and my stomach feels hollow, but I can't leave, not without supplies.

Over the next few hours my body starts to cramp, and I gently stretch as much as I can while still staying hidden. Late in the afternoon, the Career packs starts to prepare to hunt again. They send Mine-boy to get food for them, from the now protected pile. The pack stands well back, clearly doubtful of Mine-boy's ability to safely navigate the path. I watch him as he moves deliberately across the ground, and I am certain that I can re-create his steps.

The Careers and Fire-boy head out to hunt, laughing and yelling, not even bothering to be subtle. Mine-boy is left behind, but he doesn't seem too unhappy with that.

I stare across the clearing towards him. He's set himself up at the entrance to the Cornucopia, tinkering with a small grey box, one of several lying on the ground near him. Every few minutes he looks up, and glances around the clearing, but he stays seated.

I take several deep breaths, preparing myself. This was my best chance. I go over my mental list again. Food, definitely. A backpack or some sort of bag would help too. A water bottle – the water in my container would hardly last me for a day. And a knife, or another weapon. I didn't want to take too much – to risk tipping off the Careers.

I leave my clump of bushes, moving back further into the forest, before circling around so the pyramid is between Mine-boy and me. I pause and listen. The now-familiar sounds of the forest are all I hear. I hope that none of the other Tributes are crazy – or desperate – enough to come this close to the Career's camp now. I stay still, at the edge of the forest, doubt filling my mind again. I can't see Mine-boy – what if he's circling the clearing? The longer you wait, the more likely he is to find you, I tell myself. Just do it!

I slip out of the trees, and quickly walk to the pyramid. My boots barely make a sound on the hard-packed dirt, but I don't dare run in case Mine-boy hears me. I scan the bottom of the pyramid, and find the starting point of the path – right on the edge, where I'll be able to be seen by Mine-boy.

Please don't be watching. I peek around the side of the pile. He's looking down. Go! I step on the slight depression that marks the safe spot and frantically search for the next one. There! I hurriedly step over to it and breathe a quiet sigh of relief. I'm out of sight now, and so I work a bit more slowly, gradually making my way toward the pyramid. I keep alert, my ears strained for any sounds of the Careers returned, or Mine-boy coming for food.

I reach the base of the pyramid without any mishaps, but I don't allow myself to relax. I look up at all the supplies, piled without any order, and a small part of me wants to berate the Careers for their sloppy work.

I stretch out my hand and grab a backpack from the edge of the pile, gently easing it out. It's large, and heavier than I want it to be, but I can't afford to be picky now. I pull open the zipper – the bag is half-full, and I see rope, but I don't have time to investigate any more.

I turn to the open crates on the ground and begin to grab food from them, taking a few handfuls or packets from each one. I hardly notice what I'm taking, still vigilant for the sound of anyone approaching. When the bag is full I yank the zipper shut and glance back around at the pile. A single backpack, a few bits of food here and there – will they miss it? I doubt it. They'll probably blame Mine-boy for it, anyway, if they do notice.

I look up at the pile again, and a glint of metal catches my eye. A weapon. Something I need desperately. I glance around, and then carefully place my bag on the ground. The metal object, which I hope is a knife, is positioned halfway up the pile, nestled between two bags.

I begin my climb, balancing on a steel crate, and then resting my foot on another bag. The bag shifts precariously under me for a moment, but settles into place. I continue to climb, wincing every time my boots squeak as I clamber upwards.

I reach out my hand to grab the knife, but I hit another small bag on the way. I snatch it out of the air before it can tumble down to the bottom of the pyramid, and wait for a second as adrenaline surges through me. If the bag had fallen – I didn't really want to think about it. I knew the mines had been set off by light weights before.

I slide the strap of the small bag around my wrist, and reach for the knife again, sliding it out as quickly as I could. I climb clumsily back down to the ground, still holding the knife in one hand. Hoisting the backpack onto my backing, I stick the knife through my belt, and give the pile one last glance. I retrace my steps away from the pyramid, now identifying the small patches of scuffed dirt that indicate safe spots.

I stop before I reach the last spot, again looking around the pile at Mine-boy. He still appears to be engrossed in whatever he was doing, so I dart out to the last spot and then slip back behind the cover of the pile, on the other side of the mines.

A slight noise from the other side of the pyramids sends me running to the edge of the forest. Did he see me? I slide into the forest and hide myself behind a tree, looking back to see if I'm being pursued.

There's nothing. He hasn't noticed my theft.

Adrenaline courses through me again. I've done it – I've stolen supplies from underneath the Careers' noses! Or their guard's, at least. I haven't felt this exhilarated since – No, I stop myself sharply. I can't afford to be distracted now. I slip the smaller bag off my wrist and into the side pocket of the pack as quietly as possible.

I make my way away from the clearing, crossing the steam and heading uphill, walking slower now that I have the burden of the backpack. All I care about now is distancing myself from the Careers. The light begins to fade and I stumble over a root, nearly falling over. Just stop, Solaire.

I shrug off my pack and pull out one of the food packets, before once more crawling between some bushes. I drag the pack in behind me, and manage to make a small depression in the ground. I can still see some parts of the sky through the branches, but I know that there won't be any images up there tonight.

The food packet has beef jerky in it, and I chew on it as I think. The air gets colder and I pull the bag on top of me. I listen to the night noises of the forest and touch the handle of the knife I stole, still tucked in my belt.

Twelve. Twelve of us still alive, still out there somewhere. The feel of the knife in my hand is comforting, and for the first time in these Games I feel that I might make it to the end.

I stuff the food wrapper back into the top of the pack and curl up underneath it, trying to stay warm. I feel a stab of annoyance at myself for not looking at the contents of the pack earlier – there could be a sleeping bag or extra clothes in there. But I can't look through it now. Just sleep, Solaire, I tell myself, and eventually I do.