Myrtle Bloom- District Seven female
No one would have thought I'd be in the final three. I was right in there with them. Someone like me had no place in the top eight, much less the final three. I came into the Games a spoiled brat. All I cared about was my own problems and things I wanted. To tell the truth I had no idea what other people went through. I always thought people in other Districts lived just like me. I thought a lot of lived a lot better than I do and that always made me so mad. Then I met Elara and found out what the word "sheltered" means. Sometimes you charge in so impassioned and sure of yourself and it turns out you're 100% wrong. It was probably the most embarrassing moment of my life since it unfolded on live TV. I thanked my lucky stars Elara was so unemotional about everything. If she'd wanted to she could have roasted me so hard. Instead she pretty much just took me as I came.
Most of me getting this far in the Games was because of Elara. I was lucky enough that no Careers came after me in the Bloodbath, mostly because they were fighting each other or the stronger Tributes. Elara and I were able to find each other and we ran into the forest without risking a supply run. The forest was so thick and sprawling that we didn't run into anyone for days. The biggest threat of the Arena was just staying hydrated and fed. The first time we found a river I bent down to scoop some water out and Elara pulled me back. I yelled at her for a minute and she quietly waited and then explained that if I drank water straight from a river I would "shit myself until I drowned in it", as she put it. So she showed me how you had to boil water for at least a minute and preferably longer and I once again ate humble pie.
In my defense, I did contribute to our partnership. I gathered firewood and fetched water and got to show off my own District pride when it came time to climb a banana tree and shake down the fruit. I even saved Elara once when I happened to notice the log drifting toward us in the river had eyeballs.
We made it a long time before we had to kill someone. Rapture was the first one who found us but we managed to get away from him in the thick undergrowth. Similarly Vera's arrow thudded into a tree inches beside Elara's face and we had to abandon camp and jump into the river to get away. But when Kestrel attacked it was point-blank and there was nothing to do but fight. He burst out of the vegetation and tackled Elara before I even knew what was going on. They grappled on the ground for a few seconds while I screamed hysterically. Then I finally got my head on right and knew I had to do something. The first thing that popped into my head was to grab a log from our woodpile and smack him with it. For once I actually did the sensible thing- he toppled off Elara and she was able to get up and stomp him to death.
Things seemed to happen quickly after that. Elara rigged together a rope snare and I volunteered myself as bait. It was a macabre job and it definitely unsettled me but there was nothing else to do. I only wish it hadn't been Timber we caught. But there's only one winner in the end. It doesn't matter if your victim is a Career or a little kid.
Elara and I didn't kill the last few Tributes. We didn't see anyone from the final ten down to the cannon that heralded we were in the final three. The sun was setting and I was already nervous. Every night we heard horrible shrieks from something I couldn't imagine was an animal. Every night there was at least one cannon. There was no good outcome that night. Even if we were lucky and the victim was the third Tribute that would just leave me and Elara to kill each other.
I knew the mutt was coming for us before I saw it. I'd never been as perceptive as Elara but I could sense the chill around us. The night animals went quiet and everything was just still. I never heard the mutt coming. We were huddled around our little fire and all at once I saw it through the flames. It wasn't worse than I'd imagined. Imagination was always worse that reality. But it was close. I caught a glimpse of a batlike creature and looked away immediately. I didn't want to know. Elara and I got up at the same moment and ran.
I wasn't trying to run with or away from Elara. I wasn't even thinking about where I was going. I glanced to the side and couldn't see her anymore. Somewhere we'd gotten separated and it was too late to do anything about it. I kept running and seconds later Elara screamed once. I'd never heard Elara scream before.
My lucky number had come up once again. For no reason but dumb fate, the mutt had followed her. I kept running. I could have run all night and not been far enough away from that monster. I kept running I didn't know how long and then there was another scream. Horror washed over me. I couldn't imagine the monster had taken that long to kill Elara. I couldn't imagine what she was going through. But then the anthem started playing. I kept running, not understanding why the anthem would be playing. It wasn't until I saw the hovercraft through the trees that I remembered there was another Tribute with us. That there had been another Tribute with us. That one more person's luck had run out before mine.