The Arena

Drew:

My eyes struggled to adjust to the light.

Where- Where was I?

I thought to years before.

Jungle. Desert. Tundra. Forest. Plains. Volcanos.

Then it all made sense.

I looked to Oaklea for confirmation.

This was… a beach.

Our plates were held up on an island of sand, and there was a twenty-yard swim to the sand, where the Cornucopia was filled with weapons.

I went through my list of supplies from the Cornucopia, and I could see every weapon from a far. I didn't see any backpacks or food, but I could probably find that later. For now, anyway, they had enough.

I looked around at my fellow tributes, but none of them were scared of the water. They were preparing to dive right in, as if they had seen this coming or didn't care if they died in the swim. Either way, I quickly got ready to dive into the water like them.

My older brother, Jonah, had taught me how to swim when I was only a baby, and I loved it. I wasn't sure if I could make it in a speedy time to the shore. But I would definitely make it before a few others. And that was all I really needed.

The voice seemed to echo of the water as it began the countdown.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

I looked to Robin, and he nodded in support.

Five.

I looked to Skye, and she smiled wide that she could do this.

Four.

Three.

I looked to Oaklea, and he didn't smile. He just nodded, telling me that he was still on my side.

Two.

One.

We all dove in as one. While we didn't have the same speed, we all tried our hardest. Skye and Oaklea made it to the beach before me and were scrambling to the Cornucopia when I arrived on shore.

I could see my sword in the Cornucopia. It was the same one that I had seen in the Training Area, the one I was so good with. I saw the other things we needed, everything but the backpack that Katniss had found last year. I was about to take off to the Cornucopia so that I could have something to defend myself it the Careers planned on killing us first.

But then I noticed it.

Robin panted as he made it onto the sand with me, but he soon lost his breath as he saw what I saw.

Everyone was… stopped.

They stood on the sand, backs to the plates and looking towards the cameras. They didn't make a move. They just stayed there, not even making signs of planning to move. They were frozen there, not moving one single inch.

Like Skye and Oaklea had, two District Seven kids kept running towards the Cornucopia but pulled up short.

Suddenly, it hit me.

The careers.

The talking in the lunchroom.

The way the tributes had looked at each other last night, as if silently asking if everything was still on.

They weren't putting a bounty on our heads like we had thought

This was a sign of rebellion.

They wouldn't participate.

This was the worst blow you could deliver to the Capitol.

I didn't notice when the District Seven Tributes came back to stand beside the others, as did Skye and Oaklea.

I couldn't stop staring at the scene in front of me.

A rebellion.

This was a rebellion.

Whether it was on its own to inspire one or if it was planned by Rebels somewhere else, this was a rebellion against Panem. They were putting a stop to the Hunger Games, right here in the Arena. They wouldn't play.

They had remembered what I had forgotten so long ago.

The Capitol wasn't the only one who could pull the plug on the Hunger Games.

You can't have a game without players!

"District Four."

A tribute bravely, yet timidly, yelled out to the sky.

Then he clasped hands with his partner.

"District Nine!"

They joined hands.

And everyone else joined in.

"District Eight!"

"District Six!"

"District Three!"

"District Seven!"

"District Ten!"

"District Two!"

"District Eleven!"

It was all so…so…

I didn't even know what to call it. It was breaking all of the rules I knew. It was proving theories wrong that I had long since accepted. It was everything that the Capitol had kept away. This was…

The truth.

We didn't want the Games. We didn't want Panem. We didn't President Snow.

And we were finally doing something about it!

I looked to Oaklea, as if asking if this was a dream, but then Skye took my attention.

"Taylor."

I didn't understand what she meant until she held her abdomen.

The name of the baby.

My mouth dropped open, and I began to cry for reasons I couldn't even explain.

Skye smiled goodbye at me, knowing that this was probably it for her ,and, with tears streaming down her face, she took her brother's hand and the hand of that from District Nine.

Oaklea didn't have an expression on his face, so I couldn't tell what he was going to do.

Until his blue eyes met mine.

And I knew instantly.

"District One," Oaklea's voice sounded like he was going to cry, but he held it together with that determination.

And he continued to stare into my eyes, imploring me to join him. To join the rebellion. To put my life on the line for what I believe in.

Memories swarmed around me. Things I'd said. Things I'd done. Things I'd thought and things I'd wished for… The rooftop.

Then I noticed that they were all looking at me, and I knew it was my turn to make the decision.

I was so shocked that I couldn't move, I couldn't process that this was happening to me.

I shifted my eyes away from Oaklea to look at the Tributes.

Twenty-Three faces stared back at me.

As I stood there, I realized why the Gamemakers hadn't killed us yet.

It was up to me.

If I didn't join this rebellion, if I went to the Cornucopia and got weapons, both sides would have a victory.

The revolution would give their lives, they just had right now. And I would get to return home, with my family and friends and Robin. I would get to see District Twelve again, to breathe fresh air. To be free of this all.

I would be victor.

The revolution would still get their win of the tributes making a showcase of themselves. And the Capitol would get it's win.

And I would keep my promise to Alicia.

I knew that this was the best option. I knew that it was the one I had to take.

But my legs wouldn't move.

I stayed where I was, staring at the other Tributes. I could feel the anticipation from them and from the people in the Capitol. I could hear the whispers from my District, yet it was so far away. I could feel cold glares from the Politicians, waiting for me to choose a side.

Waiting for me to either glorify myself to the Capitol or damn myself to the fate of this Revolution.

I looked to Skye, who was crying by now.

Then I looked to Oaklea, and I felt something stir inside me.

Hatred.

For the Capitol.

It was the cruel capitol that had made it so that I had to kill everyone, the boy I loved as well. It had made it so that Skye would probably never get to see the face of her child, and she was already probably going to hurt her child by all of the worry she's been put through. And they didn't even care.

They just took lives! It didn't make a difference if they were innocent or not! They just took them. They separated families, forced you into lives you didn't want, and punished you if you tried to put an end to it. But they didn't care as long as their coal arrived on time to heat their parties and the shrimp arrived for their guests.

Then I looked to Robin.

Since we were little, we could read each other's faces. I guess it was because we were raised together or something, but we could understand what the other was thinking just by looking into their eyes. Years had passed, and we had changed. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worst. But I could still know what he was thinking.

I took a deep breath and realized I was walking.

The tribute's eyes widened, and I looked directly to where I could see a camera.

"I'm sorry, Alicia."

I clasped hands with Robin and Oaklea and let myself feel the freedom, to let myself feel the impending doom.

"District Twelve!"

Then the world faded to black.