Most of the mentors gather in the main room to watch the Bloodbath. There's not much we can do to help our tributes until the fighting has ceased, and sometimes it's nice to have company while you watch the kids you got to know get brutally murder. We've all been there before, after all, and sometimes being around people who understand is enough to keep us from going back. It's enough for me, anyway – it keeps me focused on the present, stops me from being dragged back into my memories.
There's a ding, which signals to us that the tributes are in the tubes. Brandy is shaking next to me, and I squeeze her hand gently, letting her know I'm here and she's safe. She turns to me and smiles. The Bloodbath is always the worst part to watch, for her. And we both know that neither of our kids this year is likely to make it far. Will they die quickly at the Cornucopia, or will they survive the first day and meet a much more horrible death later on? Sometimes it's better when they die in the Bloodbath. At least then it's quick.
There are several gasps as the tributes emerge from the ground. "What the hell?" Haymitch mutters. Someone swears loudly. I think it's Johanna, because the voice is unfamiliar – I know everything about these people, and if I don't know someone's tics it's because they haven't been here long.
The kids are dressed in their interview outfits from last night, complete with elaborate hairdos and full faces of makeup. Some of them don't have it so bad, like the boys, who are mostly wearing flat shoes and suits. Easy enough to run in. But the girls – and this seems completely unfair – are almost all of them wearing high heels and long dresses. Not clothes that are easy to run or fight or really do anything in.
Some of the kids stand there, shocked, and obviously wondering what the hell they're meant to do. Some of them have more sense, and are ditching their impractical shoes – careful to not let them fall prematurely off the platform – and are tearing the dresses at the bottom so they can actually move. The girl from Ten seems to be arming herself with her stilettos, snapping the heels off the shoes, which is actually a good idea – they're long and thin enough that they could be used as knives in a pinch. And I would classify this as a pinch. I keep watching her – the girl's smart. She tears a long strip off her dress and twists it, quickly tying each end. I think it's a makeshift lasso – one look at Buck's approving smile confirms my theory.
Marley is part of the shocked group. Tomas doesn't seem to know what to do with himself, but at least he doesn't look like he's about to burst into tears. I find myself wishing the kids were in an alliance like the kids last year – the Fives seem useless, but the girl from Ten seems like she actually has a chance. But Marley and Tomas aren't Maizy and Scythe. They're more like the usual tributes we get – they know they're going to die. It's just a matter of when, and how.
The gong sounds, and they're off. The sound seems to have brought Marley to her senses, and she's taking off her shoes, but holds onto them. She grabs a loaf of bread in front of her, and then she turns and runs, far away from the bloodshed. Tomas, on the other hand, isn't so smart. He charges right into the battle, and the kid wasn't lying, he is fast – but he can't fight. He grabs a bag and is ready to flee but then the girl from Ten is there, and she's stabbed him in the neck with her broken heel and blood is spurting from the wound and he's dropped to the ground. Brandy makes a small sound in the back of her throat, but I can't comfort her right now. We still have one tribute alive, after all.
I rush into our booth and check our funds. There's not much in there, but the kids were likeable and we managed to scrounge up a bit of money, at least – enough to send Marley a small backpack, with a pack of jerky, a basic first aid kit, and a waterskin, as well as a pair of sensible shoes. She's still got the heels – I hope she'll think of doing what the girl from Ten did. Maybe it's wishful thinking. I press the button and she looks up and snatches the parachute right out of the sky. She doesn't even stop running, and maybe she's not Maizy or Scythe but maybe she has a chance anyway.