I am not alone in my suffering from this sudden change of weather. The tropical vegetation around me, previously dense and lush, has already begun to waste away in the cold. The thick leaves, once a rich dark green, are turning black, and the delicate blossoms now litter the ground in pale shriveled clumps, like so many discarded paper tissues.
My body is going into a sort of hibernation as well. I am chilled to the bone, and when my brain is not occupied with the cold it is focusing on my hunger. Every so often I check the map and confirm I am still on course. I don't seem to have made much progress over the last hour. I wonder detachedly what will happen to me if I collapse from exhaustion before I reach my hiding place.
Soft beeping interrupts my thoughts. First I check the holo-bracelet, but the sound is coming from somewhere else. I check the map and see a new symbol has appeared, a floating question mark that is very close to my position. I look around, but don't see anything but the trees and the snow. The beeping sound is continuing, and I realize it is coming from somewhere above me. I look up and stare in bewilderment at the silver parachute as it floats down to me, its tiny red tracker light winking at me enticingly. All this time I've been in the arena I have not gotten a parachute, never just for myself anyway, and I sure as heck wasn't expecting one now.
The little canvas sways lazily in the wind, coming dangerously close to some branches. I quickly reach up with shaking fingers and pull it down to me before it becomes entangled. I roughly tear open the package attached to it and expose a tin box. Inside I find a single, perfect slice of cake, covered with pink frosting and topped with a dash of whipped cream, a fresh strawberry and, impossibly, an actual burning candle. A tiny music box is playing a very old, very familiar tune.
That's right. Today's my birthday. I had never dreamed I would make it this far, and with all that's happened these last few days I had completely forgotten about it.
After all I've been through, when what I really need are food, warm clothes and a decent weapon, they send me a frikking piece of cake. I hear shrill laughter and realize it is my own. The package comes with a small silver fork, but I can't be bothered with table manners, not today. I was never particularly fond of cake or sweets in general, but I pluck out the candle and wolf down the soft, sticky mass with my bare fingers in a matter of seconds, all the while knowing that the empty calories from the sugar and cream will not satisfy my body's needs for long. I'm sure the viewers in the Capitol are having a great time seeing a fifteen —no, sixteen— year-old behaving like a child, but I am beyond caring. They want to laugh at me, let them laugh. I sit down for a minute and carefully lick my hands and savoring the taste till even the last trace of sticky sweetness is gone.
The sugar rush that kicks in now, however short-lived it may be, lends me the strength I need to get back on the trail. It must be well past noon by now, and I still need to find better shelter from this harsh weather. The snow has let up a bit, and I feel like I am making much better progress now. I come across a long-stretched clearing when I notice something odd. I smell roasting meat, but there's not even a hint of smoke. I spot them half a second before the proximity alarm on my wrist goes off again with a vengeance.
They are huddled together, their shaved heads almost touching, some sort of fire-less cooking stove placed on the ground in front of them. I stop dead in my tracks and for a moment I think I can still avoid being seen, but then the two identical heads turns sharply in my direction.
The tributes of District 2 meet my gaze, and I can tell that they are as surprised to see me as I am. The next thing I know is they are on their feet and running toward me. I turn and run as fast as I can back in the direction of Syless's net. I fervently hope I can find my way back to it, because it is my only hope for survival.
The snow bedecks my face with cold, wet kisses. I can barely see where I am going, but I manage to retrace my steps back to the river. I don't hear the twins behind me, but I don't dare look back. The prickly sensation on the back of my neck tells me they are right behind me. I frantically search left and right. Where was that clearing again? I must be close, and I fervently hope I haven't already passed it. Then I see it, just to my right, a fine line of white dots spanning right across the path, like pearls on a string. The invisible strands are gradually becoming visible as more and more snowflakes stick to them. I swiftly duck under the net, hoping that my pursuers will charge straight into it without paying attention. I don't stop moving though, in case I'm wrong.
I throw a quick glance over my shoulder to see whether the trick has worked when suddenly something hard, root maybe, trips me mid-step and I am thrown forward. I scrape my hands and knees in the fall, but I barely notice anymore. Panting heavily, I roll over on my back, and see that the careers are all but upon me. I start to clamber away from them, but just then there is a loud twanging sound and a short, strangled cry as one of the twins falls victim to the trap. It is the boy, Orestes, and luckily for me his sister breaks off her pursuit of me to help him.
"No, I'm okay, go! Gethim!" he hisses angrily, but Electra stays with him and begins to yank at the strands threatening to strangle her brother. The loops have contracted so much now that his feet have left the ground, but I expect it won't take his sister long to free him, and if I am not far away by then I will have lost my head start.
It takes a huge effort to pull myself back to my feet. My entire body is shaking now, from cold, pain, and utter exhaustion. The cutting wind is blowing ever more snow into my face, and I know that if the twins don't kill me, the cold surely will. Forget about my supplies, I need to find shelter now. I have to keep moving, because if I stop now I know I will never be able to get going again. So I stumble on, as fast as I can. There is only one place left to go now. Not just for me, but for all of us remaining tributes. There's only one place that can provide shelter from this blizzard. The Temple.