Today is day five of the Hunger Games, and I still have barely gotten used to the fact that it is a contest of killing. Perhaps that is the reason why may parents have never let me watch, they don't want me to watch death and gore. But then again, last night Mother made me help her skin one of the rabbits I had brought home.
The anthem of Panem is playing when I arrive at the Peacekeepers' house. I know that there are words to it, but I can't understand what they are.
"They're in Latin," says Ash, somehow reading my thoughts. "The song goes like this:
Nos comis caput
Vivemus placide tibi
Seiugatus stabimus
Conpactus sub te
Dare tibi panem
Vivemus placide tibi."
I laugh. I still don't understand a word. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't exactly know," admits Ash, "I remember hearing it a lot when I was very young, though. Anyway, Latin's a dead language now, but I learned in ancient history class that there was once a civilization that spoke it. That was a long time ago, though."
With the last chords of the anthem, Claudius Templesmith begins to speak. "Good morning ladies and gentlemen! We welcome you back to the eleventh hour of the fourth day of the 54th Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor!"
"The eleventh hour already?" I ask Ash.
"Yeah, it's 11:00 now. The Hunger Games is a 24/7 show, and apparently some people stay awake the whole time to watch everything." That's so weird.
The camera shows a wide shot of the arena, and I see that the flood has caused a lot of damage. The water has receded back to its original boundaries, but it has also left a ring of destruction. Many of the small trees in the woods have been ripped from the ground. Also, the tall grasses are completely flattened! They are soggy, and are horizontal instead of vertical to the earth, which eliminates a hiding place. I'm not sure if that is bad or good.
I try to remember all of the tributes that are left so far: the Careers, of course, which are Emberlynn, Glint, Bryant, and Ayden—both from District One, the District Two boy, and the District Three boy. I don't remember seeing the District Three girl picture appear on the screen yet, so I assume that she's still alive, although I haven't seen her on camera either. Arboren, Securis, and Velour. And Genny and Tabitha—the girls from Six and Twelve. I think that's everyone. I count on my fingers: only ten tributes left.
A camera—hidden within the branches of a tree apparently, because of the leaves that are partially blocking the screen—focuses on the back of a tribute. She is crouching behind a stump at the edge of the woods. I recognize her by her frizzy mane of red hair—it's the girl from District Three. She's staring at something intently, and I see that she's looking at the Careers, who are sitting on their hill eating an early lunch.
The District Three girl starts sprinting towards them with a large tree branch. The Careers are very preoccupied with their food, and only notice the girl when she's 100 meters away from them. They have barely enough time to assemble their weapons before she is on top of them. The District Three girl attacks with her improvised weapon of a heavy tree branch and swings it around, trying to hit one of the Careers. She's very skilled with it, but the Careers have also had training.
Emberlynn's preferred weapon of a javelin won't work at such short distances, but she arms herself with two long hunting knives. Bryant has his sword, and Glint has an array of short knives. Ayden tries to stay away from the fight.
The girl from Three swings her club and smashes through the piles of supplies that Ayden had carefully organized. Whenever Glint holds up a knife to get ready to throw it at her or stab her, she kicks it out of his hand. Soon, he is weaponless. She holds up her club, getting ready for the kill, and Glint tries to scramble out of the way, but he's not fast enough. The District Three girl brings her club down on his head—hard.
Boom!
"What's that?" I ask Ash.
"That's the cannon. It goes off every time a tribute dies."
I guess I didn't hear it when the boy from District Eleven was killed because I was covering my ears to block out any sound.
The girl from Three now takes on Emberlynn, and Emberlynn is obviously not comfortable using knives. In a couple seconds, Emberlynn, too, is lying on the ground with a dent in her skull.
Boom!
I see the now dangerous girl from District Three turn to Bryant, but there is a scared look in her eyes. Then I see that Emberlynn did not go down without a fight—there is a large gash in the girl's arm. Realizing that she now has a severe disadvantage because she has only one arm to use, she sprints away from the hill.
If you don't know Latin, the translation of my words to the anthem goes like this:
Our obliging head [Capitol]
We live peacefully for you
Divided we will stay
Unified under you
To give bread to you
We live peacefully for you.
