Launch

I wake up as my alarm begins playing, a burst of adrenaline shooting through me. I put on a basic black shirt and dark jeans, knowing I'll be wearing whatever arena outfit they decide to put me in.

I rush through breakfast and Ember joins me, but we don't speak. She rubs her hands across her arms. How strange we must look side by side. Where she's filled with anxiety, I'm filled with freedom.

Cheryl comes to take us to the jet.

"Good luck. Both of you." She gives Ember a hug and nods at me.

"Make sure the sponsor gifts get delivered." I say.

"I'll do what I can. Go." She pushes us towards the plane.

We board with the tributes from 7 and 9. No one speaks as the jet takes off, nor does anyone complain when a worker comes around and injects us all with trackers. Although I don't like it, I know there's no way around it.

We arrive at our launch building after a few hours and land at the underground helicopter pad. From there we're taken down a windy hallway, with tributes being taken into different doorways. I'm the last to reach my room.

The room is very bare, with the tube that will lead me to the arena. A metal table sits against the far wall and a box sits on top. Right before I open the box, Rosetta comes in.

"Let's get you dressed." She walks over to the box and opens it up. Inside is a black athletic top, a long sleeved athletic top, and a large parka with a fur lined hood. Underneath are compression leggings and fleece jogger pants with a singular belt loop. For shoes, they gave us water resistant boots, also with fur lining.

"It's going to be cold." Rosetta says. She helps me put on the tank top and compression leggings, then the athletic top and joggers. She holds the jacket and lies it out on the table.

"This can be folded into a small bag that you can attach to your belt." She shows me how to fold it and attaches it to the loop. It's lightweight and I don't even feel it. I slip on my boots. Everything fits perfectly.

"Any other advice you can spare?" I don't know why I ask this. Stylists may be gifted in clothing, but I get the sense they are completely clueless when it comes to arena strategy. Unlike the pregame festivities, your appearance doesn't do you any favors.

"Don't let your ego win. Do what you need to do to survive, but don't try anything at your expense. You're well liked in the Capitol, but use your brain out there." She tells me. I'm taken aback, letting the words settle in. I definitely wasn't expecting that.

"Tributes, please board your plates." A robot announcement plays over the speakers. I look at Rosetta one last time.

"Good luck, Aleida." She shakes my hand. I nod at her and enter my tube. I can already feel the cold air seep through my clothes and onto my skin. I worry for what the future holds.

But right now I don't let the future bother me. Instead, I focus on the present. The tube raises me into the air, giving me the first glimpses into the arena.

Let the Games begin.

Twenty four of us stand in a circle, surrounding the golden cornucopia, white snow covering the top of it. We appear to be at the end of a cul-de-sac with a few run down, wooden houses encircling us. Thick snow is packed all along the grass and on top of the houses. A path to my right leads down a street, with more houses lined across the road. The path curves behind the houses at the top, so I can't see what's beyond it. Behind me, a hill that declines into a forest.

I look at the tributes. The girl from 7 stands on my left and the boy from 11 on my right. Ember is about four tributes to my left. Her eyes wander until they lock on someone across from her, Alvin. He's staring ahead of him. I assume Ellie must be across from me, but the cornucopia blocks me from seeing that far.

The 60 second counter begins. I get a gauge of what lies in front of me. I want a weapon, and the closest one is a shortsword about ten feet in front of me. A few feet to the left is a small blue knapsack and a fleece blanket. There's other stuff nearby as well, but these are the things I want.

The gong sounds and I take off towards the bag and blanket first. I throw the back over my shoulders and hold the blanket in my left hand, then quickly rush towards the sword. I get there a few seconds before the girl from 8, a scrawny thirteen year old. I make one slash across her stomach and she collapses to the ground.

My eyes search for a way out, adrenaline bursting through me. Across I see Ember struggling to fend off the boy from 6. I see Ellie die at the hands of Brighton, only a few yards to my left. And I see Alvin, still standing on his plate, holding his cane out in defense.

"Fuck me." I say under my breath. Brighton gets a glimpse at me and her face shifts to a maniac smile. She takes off towards me, slashing down the girl from 12. Or is she from 7? The time it takes her to slow down for the kill gives me enough time to reorient myself. I sprint towards Alvin and nearly pull his arm out of his socket as I pull him down the main path and away from the chaos. He screams, slips, and struggles to catch his balance, but we are able to make enough distance that Brighton doesn't pursue.

"Who are you?" He yells at me.

"Don't stop fucking moving." I keep an eye on all sides, making sure no one is following us. I saw a boy and a girl run together down the hill and disappear into the forest.

"Where's Ember? Ellie?" He tries to pull his arm out of my grasp but I'm stronger.

"Dead." At the least, Ellie is. Ember, I doubt she made it past her assailant. I don't even think she had a weapon.

"Stop, stop!" We've run for a long while before he finally pulls himself out of my grasp. I stop, my face numb from running and sweat building up across my skin.

"We need to get somewhere safe. And warm." I look around. Based on the structures we've run past, we're in some sort of old village. Houses line the street, about a quarter of a mile apart each. I take Alvin's hand and take him to one of these houses.

The inside isn't much better than the outside. The entire thing is no larger than a 10x10 square. There's a small round wooden table and a single wooden chair. A large communal oven sits on one wall, filled with wood and attached to the chimney. There's two small wooden countertops covered in miscellaneous wooden utensils. Across from the kitchen is a single cot. On the opposite wall there's a raised stone surface, large enough for one person to sit. I lean in a little closer and see the hole in the stone.

I shut the door behind us and Alvin pulls away from me. He uses his cane to find his way around and takes a seat at the table.

"Why?" He asks me, almost accusatory. I'm taken aback.

"What do you mean, why?" I snap back.

"Why are you here? What motive do you have?" I find myself insulted at this accusation.

"My motive? It was to save your fucking life. How about a thank you?"

"Why would I thank you? I have no reason to trust you."

"Are you fucking serious?" I grip my sword handle tightly.

"I don't trust you. I'm sorry." I clench my jaw.

"I'm going to hunt. Maybe I'll come back." I walk out of the house and slam the door shut behind me. I unclasp my jacket from my belt and put it on before taking off into the woods, anger fueling my every move.

A few hours into my "hunting", the cannons begin firing. I stop moving and count them, ten in total. I'm almost certain Ellie, Ember, and the girl from 8 are among those dead. I don't let myself consider who else it might be.

After I stormed out of the house, I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the arena, with a side of hunting and gathering. I tell myself this has been efficient, successfully hunting a few field mice and gathering some fruit from trees, though I know it's just deflecting my anger. Fortunately, I haven't run into any others, but I know that won't last.

The arena seems to be the ruins of an old, medieval village surrounded by a dense landscape. I saw a large frozen lake on the other side of the road, but with its close distance to the cornucopia, I knew it would become the Careers base. Other than houses and the lake, I haven't come across any other distinguishable landscapes. That doesn't mean they're not out there though.

I've considered taking up shelter in one of these other houses and let Alvin take his chance with fate, but the longer I wander the crueler that sounds. Dehydration would get him fast if another tribute doesn't get to him first, and I couldn't have that on my conscience.

So after I've filled my knapsack with food, I make my way back towards our house. It's pretty easy to follow my tracks back, but that means it'll be easy for anyone else to follow them as well. I do my best to obscure my prints and hope the falling snow does the rest.

I return to our shelter within an hour or so. When I enter, I see Alvin laying on the cot. I set what I gathered on the table. He doesn't even turn to look towards me.

"You seem pretty lax." I say. He shrugs.

"Are you planning to kill me?" He asks a little too casually.

"Not yet. What if it wasn't me, though?"

"I knew it was you."

"How?" I say with disbelief. "Don't say my voice."

"No, I knew it was you as soon as you walked in."

"I doubt it."

"It's your stride. You walk heavy."

"What?"

"Footsteps. They're unique to you." He explains like I don't know what stride means. I stand there quietly, torn between believing him or thinking he's bullshitting me. Just before I speak again, he sniffs the air. "Your smell gives it away too."

I laugh, partially out of disgust, partially amazement. How did he learn how to do this? I ask him this.

"When you're missing a sense, you have to focus on your others. It comes naturally to me." He explains. I take a seat at the table, letting his words sit with me. He makes it sound so...effortless.

"Describe the arena to me." He requests. I oblige. I explain the layout that I've observed so far, along with prominent landmarks. I try to convey our distance from the cornucopia and all unique landmarks, such as the lake. He listens intently, only interrupting for clarification. Once I finish, he's quiet for some time.

"Thanks." I nod before remembering he can't see it.

"Yeah." I look through the cracks of the door and see the sun setting. I manage to get outside before the anthem starts playing. Once it starts, I find myself anxious for who I'll see projected tonight. I wasn't surprised when Ellie was the first face displayed in the sky. I was surprised when the next face was the face of the boy from 6.

Ember is alive. I'm so shocked I nearly stop paying attention to the sky. I manage to focus for the rest of the casualties. Both from 8. The girl from 9. Both from 10, the boy from 11, and finally, both from 12. The projection fades and I disappear back inside.

Alvin doesn't miss a beat, asking me to confirm who died. I hesitate, the feeling of guilt bubbling up inside me. I told him both his allies were dead. I was confident of it even. I should be feeling relief.

"Aleida. Who died?" He sits up off the cot. At least he can't see my face.

I go through the list, starting with Ellie, skipping around districts and omitting the mention of Ember. But he's smart, because as soon as I finish, he calls me out.

"Ember is still alive." He reacts in a way I don't anticipate: with excitement. "We need to find her. She's probably worried about me." That I find even more surprising.

"We can look tomorrow. It's dark now." I tell him, not convinced that the idea is sound. Find one girl in this large village? With over a dozen other tributes out there, including all eight of the Careers? They'll find her before we do.

"First light. We have to." He lays back down on his cot. "We have to."

The light shining through the cracks in the wood wakes me. I squint and wait for them to adjust before sitting up from the cot. Alvin leans against the wall next to me.

"Hey." He says. It unsettles me how he knows I'm awake without seeing me, without even turning his head towards me.

"Hey." I stretch out my neck and feel the pain from last night's rest catching up to me. I throw the fleece blanket off of me, glad I managed to grab that from the cornucopia yesterday. Even though we both took turns keeping watch, and I only managed a few hours of sleep, I feel well rested. Hopefully it doesn't fade.

"We need to go find her." He insists. I sigh. He says it like it's going to be easy, like we're going to just walk outside and see her coming down the road.

"I'm not doing anything without breakfast." I respond adamantly. He groans at this but keeps his mouth shut. Nor does he complain when I pass him some fruit I found yesterday. We eat in silence, and only when we finish does he insist we need to find her.

"Fucking...fine. Just, stay here. I'll go out and look for her." I tell him.

"You can't leave me here again." He stands up to try and join me. I gently push him back.

"You're not going to be much help out there." I remind him.

"She won't trust you. You need me." He tries to push forward again but I don't let him.

"I need you here, out of the way." I put my knapsack in his lap.

"And if someone comes in here to kill me?" He asks.

"No different than out there. At least you're protected by being inside." I get to the door. He doesn't follow.

"I won't be gone long. I'll come back with her." I tell him before leaving and securing the door behind me. Outside, the breeze chills me to my bone. I start walking, knowing I'll need to stay moving in order to stay warm.

If I were Ember, where would I be? Probably taking shelter in one of the houses. Unless you have a hefty shelter, the cold would probably kill you.

Knowing I can't possibly check every single house, I just decide to stay on the edge of the main path back up towards the cornucopia and tell myself I'll check any house that looks to be occupied. That way I can at least tell Alvin I searched thoroughly for her.

I walk for quite awhile without seeing or hearing anything, other than the occasional beaver or squirrel. I'm actually about to give up, even though I haven't been outside for long, when a movement catches my attention through the trees. At first I think it's an animal, another beaver, but at a second glance I notice it's a human.

I crouch as low as I can and get closer. I recognize him as the boy from 9, blissfully unaware of me approaching. He leans against the tree, skinning some kind of small rodent.

I'm nearly behind him when he notices I'm there. His reaction is only a few seconds slower than mine, and I skewer him in the stomach before he's able to adequately react. The cannon fires instantly.

That's when I notice another set of tributes running at me from over the hill. It's not hard to notice them, Brighton and Delilah. And they're coming for me.

I'm not one to back down from a fight, but I know when I'm outmatched. I pull my sword out of the dead kid and run deeper into the forest. Making certain I don't run towards where Alvin's hiding, I focus on one thing only: my survival.

It doesn't take them long to get caught up to me, almost too caught up. I reach a clearing with a long frozen river that stretches out on either side of me. It's only about a dozen feet across, but the ice looks pretty thin. I skid to a stop, then glance over my shoulder. The girls stop about ten feet behind me, cautious of the ice.

"Where are you going to go now, huh?" Brighton taunts. I ignore her. I don't know what's dumber, trying my luck on the water or fighting off two Careers.

I decide the latter is. I slowly place one foot onto the ice, then the second. I hear the Careers yelling, whether at me or each other, I'm not sure. I'm about halfway down the ice and convinced I might be able to make it all the way when I take a step that cracks the ice. My foot submerges about three inches in the water, causing me to stumble. The rapid movement breaks more of the ice, and suddenly I'm submerged up to my knees. The pins and needles in my legs are quickly replaced by nothing - my skin is too numb to feel.

Brighton taunts me but I ignore her. I use all the strength I have left to pull myself out of the water and onto the snowy ground. I try to stand up and walk, but my legs betray me. As the Careers search for a safer way across the river, I see another tribute running directly towards me. I clumsily raise my sword and almost swing it until I recognize the other person. Ember.

She pulls me up to my feet and helps me move as we run away from the river and the Careers. Every step sends a new pain throughout my body but I don't stop moving. Once we're safe, she leans me against a tree and stares at me.

"You're an idiot." She tells me. I roll my eyes.

"Nice to see you too." I try not to show my agony to her.

"I don't get a thank you? After I saved your ass?" She steps away from me, taking a defensive stance. Like I would kill her now.

"Yeah. Whatever, thank you." I can't stop my teeth from chattering. I start walking back towards the main road.

"Where are you going?" She yells at me.

"Back to my shelter." I tell her as I continue walking. I don't invite her to come along, but I know she will. And she does, but not before asking about Alvin. I tell her the truth, which works out well because she stops asking questions after that.

After some time, we come back to the house we've been staying at. I manage to get inside no problem, but collapse the second Ember shuts the door behind me. As I try to start a fire at the fireplace to warm up, Ember runs over to Alvin and pulls him into a hug. They spend a long time catching up, like old friends who haven't seen each other in years. They completely ignore me, which is fine by me.

But if that were true, why do I feel a pain of jealousy?