Chapter 12 – Day 5 – 12 Tributes

When I wake up to the squawking, the first thing I do is throw my knife into a nearby tree. The birds that are always there fly away when the knife hits the tree. I'm still able to use the knife I got as a throwing knife pretty well, so I decide to go hunting. First, I wash my hair and tie it up in a ponytail that rests on my shoulder. I drink some water and then I go for a walk to find something to hunt and let my hair dry in the sun. This morning is a little colder, maybe down to the 50s.

It's funny, though. Day five and nobody had been killed since day two. From what I've saw in the other Hunger Games I could remember, the deaths were fast paced and the Games only lasted about a week or so. My mother told me that every so often there would be a year that just didn't go by quick enough. Then, worry struck me. On those years, my mother told me the Gamemakers would set off explosions, flood different areas, or even send in mutts to speed things along and get the tributes all into one area. People would die easily from the obstructions and others would die when they were forced to cross paths with other tributes. To get my mind off of the idea, I eat a few nuts that are left over from last night and keep walking.

I keep towards the right of the straight path of stones. I don't want to lose my water supply, so I look every so often to make sure I haven't lost my spot. The trees get fatter and fatter as I go. Some of them even have branches that you can climb. Maybe I was wrong about the fighting staying on the ground.

A little after noon, I had two squirrels. I knew I should wait until sunset to set a fire so that it blended in with everything as best as possible. The sad thing was that I didn't even know how to set a proper fire. I'd watched a few tributes at the fire-making station in the Training Center, so I had some idea on how to make one, but I knew I wouldn't be any good at it. I kept the squirrels in either pocket of my pants and I continued on.

Looking at the sun, I can tell it's almost three o'clock, so I have to go back now.

I decide to cross over the rock path to the other side, the left side of the path, to see what's over there. On my way back I see tons of berry bushes but they're all picked clean. Something's not right. Someone has been here recently. You can still see the juice leftover on the stems of the picked berries.

My stomach starts to churn and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "You're almost there, Atala, just keep walking." I tell myself. My pace becomes quicker. I look up at the fat trees and look at the branches that twirl around each other and block the light.

Then, I feel a tug on both my feet, and I fall to the ground.

Before I know it, I am swung up and am hanging upside down by the feet, which are each stuck in a noose made of thick rope. I look around frantically and see another rope going from the tree I was stuck in and a tree near it snap. Then, a few large branches fall to the floor, making a loud thud as they crash to the ground. I begin to hear shouting in the distance, first a girl shouting and then a guy shouting. It must be the Careers. They're so clever with their traps. I should have trusted my initial instinct and just walked to the other side of the path, but, no, I had to be stubborn and lazy and just keep on going after I already moved to the other side. I have to get out of here quickly. It is still bright out, so even if I have a head start they will still be able to see me. I'll have to get really far ahead.

As their voices remain far away but slowly grow closer, I take the knife from my pocket, which subsequently made one of my squirrels fall, and saw away at the rope on my left leg. Once my foot is released, the rope tightly shuts on my right foot. I begin to panic more and saw away at the rope more feverishly. When I'm almost finished, part of the branch the rope was attached to snaps slightly. Then, the branch swings down a good amount but doesn't break entirely. I hit my head on the trunk of the tree and drop my knife on accident. I'm still caught in the rope and I have no resources to get out of it. Still, the Careers' voices get closer and closer, more quickly this time. There are only two people. I can almost make out what they were saying, and I can tell it is a boy and a girl. If one of them is Portia, I will surely die a painful death.

I started to panic more and my heart races. At this point I just shake and shake and shake and finally the branch snaps the rest of the way. The branch and I fall until we hit the hard packed ground. My right foot is still underneath the branch, and I hit my ankle funny on the way down. Pushing the branch away and reaching for my knife that is now next to me on the ground, I cut my foot free and limp away from the scene. My ankle is numb from the pain, but I don't care. I just need to get away from the Careers. I find the stone path and just hobble down that. It seems to never end.

At some point I can hear the Careers' shouts of anger. I'm sure they can tell a tribute was caught at one point, especially since I left one of my dead squirrels there. Finally, after their voices fade away, I hide in a collection of bushes. They are also deprived of their berries, but I can still use their leaves for hiding behind. By midnight, the anthem plays and the Capitol seal reflects in the night sky, showing no faces once more. Imagine if I did get caught back at the trap and Billee had to see my face up there. I truly hope I never see his face and he never sees mine. I know that it's inevitable, but it's just too painful to think of the agony the other person would go through. He may hate me now, but he's still my only friend here.

Again, I think of the fact that the people in the Capitol will soon be getting bored and the Gamemakers will have to set off disasters that will bring the tributes together. Then, I wonder if I will get any sponsors during the Games. "Not likely." I think to myself, and I go to bed.