Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, this is just a depiction from a different prospective
A string of cannons blast as Olivia, Erebus, and I are still running from the bloodbath. We have made it far since we lost track of how long ago was the bloodbath, but we continue running. I count 10 cannons as we approach a lake, clear blue water with the sun's rays making it glisten. We all start panting, exhausted from the amount of running so we decide to take a break. The arena's temperature is what I can guess is 70 degrees, not to hot really. The trees secure us from the remaining tributes so we don't need to be worried about visitors. Then I hear it, a scream.
"HELP!" The voice is high pitched, maybe a female tribute.
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" She screams again, and I am about to walk towards the sound when I hear a cannon.
Boom!
The girl obviously died because now I don't hear her screeches. No tribute would scream help about another tribute, unless they are huge. My eyes begin to open wide, and I grab Olivia and Erebus's hands and continue running. They seem perplexed about my sudden urge to escape, but they don't argue and just run along side me.
"What is the matter?" Erebus asks.
"A female tribute died necessarily close to us, and I might know who killed her." I reply.
"Careers?" Olivia pipes in.
"My best guess is Zara, large girl from 10. The Careers wouldn't leave the Cornucopia this early into the Games, that isn't their game." Erebus appear to be intrigued but sadly I can't add much more to back up my statement.
"What makes you think she wouldn't join the Careers?" Olivia questions.
"Alliances aren't her game. She's the kind of person who goes it alone, the Careers should be scared of her since she isn't scared of them." I add.
"Well we have been running for a while, can we take a rest next to that large tree?" Erebus then points to an abnormally large tree.
The tree is a pine wood tree, but is the size of a building. Roots that dig deep into the earth's ground, a good trunk for support if needed to climb, and leaves that take over the tree like a cyclone. I then let go of their hands and stop in front of the tree. Even if I made my arms stretch out as far as they can, I wouldn't even make it halfway on either side. The Gamemakers, by no doubt, implanted this tree into the arena for a purpose. Us tributes just need to find out. 3 decades ago in the 27th Games they had a tree just like this.
The tree was a secret killing machine, it spread wildfires, it conjured up floods, even at one point an earthquake. The victor was the only tribute, who didn't die in the bloodbath, that never got the chance to see it. He was called the "Disaster Victor" since he won by "natural" causes. Also he has experienced a number of disasters so even if he saw it, he would just think of District 10.
"You think it is deadly?" I ask Olivia, the genius here.
"Almost certain, my mom mentioned the 2-" Erebus then cuts her off.
"27th Hunger Games, we all know. It was the first time in a long time that in the final 3 the tributes from 5 were there, even though the female died in the avalanche and the male died from the volcano eruption." I forgot about those disasters, most tributes were killed by the tree than the bloodbath, which only claimed the lives of 7.
"Do you think they are trying to commemorate it?" I ask, twirling my sickle around in my hand.
"Possibly, and if they did they might add in new disasters. We should make a list of the disasters that the tree might bring upon us." We all then begin thinking after Olivia stops talking.
It takes us a while but we do make a list. Earthquake, wildfire, volcano eruption, avalanche, tsunami, flood, lightning storms, hurricane, tornado, and sinkhole. If I remember correctly the amount of tributes that died by the tree was a woping 14, after the bloodbath only 3 people died by a person, they all died by the mentally broken female tribute from 12. She placed 4th because of the sinkhole. The day becomes more and more dark, it is around the time for dusk when we all check inside our packs for a flashlight, matches, and a torch. Olivia picked up 2 from the Cornucopia so she was able to give one to Erebus.
My pack had dried beef, water canteen, crackers, socks, some kind of sunglasses, matches, coil of wire that I give to Olivia, sleeping bag, a small knife, and bandages. Erebus has apples, empty water canteen, sleeping bag, iodine, slingshot, extra jacket, and berries. Olivia lucked out with a first aid kit, two bags of apples, three small knives, big water canteen, iodine, sleeping bag, a pair of socks, a load of coals, and pastel for camouflage. The pastel has white, black, red, blue, green, orange, and even yellow.
"Robin, do you want to switch shirts?" Olivia asks, and I just look at her confused.
She sighs, "My shirt is black, yours is red. I can use the pastel to out a crescent moon on your shirt, how does that sounds?" I nod and exchange shirts, but we exchange behind trees so Erebus doesn't be a perv or something.
When I have my red shirt off Olivia paints the black shirt on a hard surface, which is the tree. She is excellent at painting, maybe if she wins that can be her hobby. After tributes win the Games and become Victors, they don't have to work in their District's Industry. They get to have a hobby or something like that. Morphlings from 6 have painting and drugs. And Haymitch Abernathy has drinking, and I don't know what Cody and Teena's hobbies are.
Olivia finally finishes and I quickly grab the shirt and put it on. The temperatures have changed from mild to cold in a matter of seconds so right now I need that shirt. When Olivia and I come back to Erebus, he has a fire set up. For fuel he doesn't use Olivia's coals but just uses some branches and twigs he must have found from the ground. We all sit down and heat up when a thought occurs to me. Wouldn't a tribute see the fire? Zara? The Careers?
"In a few minutes we need to put this fire out." I say then look around for unsuspecting tributes.
"Why? Aren't you cold?" Erebus asks puzzled.
"The fire might attract tributes. Zara or the Careers are the only ones that I fear." He nods and we just warm up while we have a chance.
Erebus extinguishes the fire with his foot and the National Anthem of Panem plays. We all look up in the sky to see a number of tributes hologram faces in the sky. The list of dead tributes on day 1 begins. Girl from 1, Watt, boy from 4, girl from 6, both from 7,both from 8, boy from 9, boy from 10, girl from 11, and the boy from 12. 2 Careers died today, it must have been from Zara. All of us retrieve our sleeping bags from our packs and begin to go to sleep. As I close my eyes, I hear Olivia silently crying over Watt's death. I just shut my eyes harder and try to sleep, I survived Day 1. Good enough for me.
Thanks for reading this chapter of Powerless :D ! Also I looked and saw I didn't get any reviews for the Bloodbath Chapter, and I was kinda bummed out because it took me forever to write it. I hope you guys liked the chapter and review on what you liked in the story. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS ALWAYS HELPFUL! Bye :P
May the odds be ever in your favor!
