DISCLAIMER:MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR.
Gale and I are ushered into a steel room with glass tubes on the sides. We are dressed by Capitol staff and Effie and Haymitch are escorted out before we can get a word in edgewise. We are dressed all in neon orange like we are in jail with very light rain resistant jacket. I suspect it will be a humid climate.
As we are left alone in the room I sit down and stare at the floor avoiding Gale's gaze. I can feel him staring at me, all of a sudden he says, "I won't do it you know." I look up from the floor into his eyes, "I won't forget about you."
I stand up in front of him and begin to protest when he puts his index finger on my lips,"Shhh".
Silence takes over as I stare into his silver eyes, as I look at them in such close proximity I knew they would be tattooed in my heart. As he leans in towards me I become frozen, his soft lips press against my cheek , I unconsciously lean in more to his touch.
He slowly moves away and our faces inches apart , I feel his minty breath on my lips. Then a robotic voice comes from the speaker telling us to get in the translucent tubes, "Good luck." I whisper as I move away from him and into the arms-length tube.
As the tubes move up from the ground I close my eyes, my hands begin to shake as I plan every move I need to do in my head. I get a burning nervous feeling in my gut as if I need to pee all of a sudden, like the way you feel before a race. As I feel the cylinder stop rising I feel a heat wave wash over me, the air feels wet but hot. I open my eyes to see the shiny black Cornucopia with supplies in it, and it is surrounded by thick green jungle. Plants with an array of neon colors as if they were designed from Capitol women's wigs.
I put my focus on the Cornucopia and ignore my competitors beside me. Right in the middle of the weapons lie four axes. Just for me, they put those there for me. I look along the sides to see giant packs and a collection different scattered supplies such as: water bottles, goggles, loaves of bread, GPS, and much more I couldn't even recognize.
As soon as the buzzer rings I sprint and decide to grab everything in my path until it leads to the axes. I can tell that everyone is about a second behind me, I slide and grab the first two items, goggles and a wetsuit, I am half way there when I grab a small waterproof bag, as I get closer I hear fights begin behind me which makes me pick up the pace, I manage to grab a giant red overstuffed backpack.
As soon as I get to the axes I stuff the first two between my belt and grab the other two. I turn around to see a bloody fight taking place, two girls charge toward me from opposite sides with swords. I trip one them sending her back a few feet then block the other's sword with one axe and slice through her shoulder with the other. As one falls the other scrambles to her feet and begins striking the blade at me with expert precision.
I defensively move avoiding every strike she tries to make, finally I block a downward strike by crossing my axes making an x shape. As she pushes down harder and harder I feel my strength slipping.
Finally I roar angrily while moving the blade to my side hitting the ground. She backs away from me as I stare at her with devil eyes, in one swift motion I slice her from shoulder to stomach. Blood splatters in my face, as I turn around to see the blood bath almost finish, the Careers fighting off one last opponent from across the field.
I stride to the entrance of the Cornucopia, "Come on!" I yell, Cato turns around from the sea of Careers and begins sprinting across the field towards me, "Bring it on big boy." I growl, I put bloody axes in front of my body and take my stance.
Suddenly I feel an arm pulling me away, I turn to see Gale by my side, "Come on Madge!" I shake him off, "Get out of here Hawthorne!" Cato is getting closer, "Not without you! If you die, I die too, they know you care about me. Think about what they will do to me if they capture me." I realize that he is right, but I'm not sure if he's talking about the Gamemakers or the Careers, either way I have to protect him.
I groan outwardly as Cato is meters behind us and follow Gale to the jungle. As we sprint away I hear Cato yell and throw an object towards. I jump on top of Gale blocking the swords blade with my body.
When a shriek of agony escapes my lips I knew he had wounded my arm. I lift myself off of Gale with one hand, then put pressure on my wound as we flee into the jungle.
When we become about a mile into the jungle, green trees that look like overgrown broccoli blocking our tracks, Gale says we can rest for a few minutes.
"Let me see your hand." he reaches for me but I pull away before he can, "You shouldn't have done that. Now they will be after you too." he scowls at me his patience wearing thin, "Let...me...see...your...hand."
I take off my jacket sleeve and hold out my arm, from my shoulder to my bicep is a thin clean cut that doesn't seem deep. "It's just a flesh wound you'll be fine," I shrug him off as he begins smiling a crooked smile at me, " you blocked the sword from making a shish kabob out of me." I smirk at him and walk in front of him, "Let's keep moving."
