The First Annual Hunger Games

by Callidora Medea

Following the Dark Days, the President of Panem announces the beginning of the Hunger Games. District 4 girl, Cass, District 1 girl, Silver, and District 7 girl, Oak, are all thrown into the turmoil that is the first Hunger Games, and must choose their alliances; decisions that can mean life or death in the arena. All intend to win. But there can be only one victor.

33. Chapter 33- In the Cave

Chapter 33- Oak Peacewood

How long have I been asleep? It's twilight, and it's cold. The light is so dim outside that I can barely see six feet ahead of me. I'm still in that little cave, and it seems fairly protected for now. Now I know what's woken me up; the Capitol anthem is sounding and soon the tributes who died will have their pictures projected into the sky.

I crawl to the edge of the cave, careful not to put a lot of weight on my injured hand. In the sky is the girl from 3, then it changes to the boy from 5, then the boy from 12. Three dead today. I guess the girl from 3 is the one who died this morning.

I crawl back into the rock face once the sky goes dark again. Three more gone from the arena; I'm three closer to going home. I start to think about the girl I saw earlier, the one from 8. I think it's 8. I remember her hair from the interviews; it was quite memorable. I think her district partner had orange hair too.

I start to count on my fingers who's left. Both Districts 1 and 2 are all alive; so is District 4. The little girl from 5 is still out there, Aldar and me from 7, the girl from 8, Both from 9, and I think both from 11? I can't picture either tributes from District 11. I think they were the tall one and the graceful one during the interviews. I don't know. It seems a thousand years ago that I was dressed in silky paper. And oh, where is Aldar? I thought he would have found me by now. Maybe I have to find him. Or maybe he doesn't want to find me at all. I would love to throw something right now.

Suddenly I freeze. Footsteps. Little pieces of rubble sliding down the mountainside. Please don't find me here. Please don't kill me. I don't even breathe. I bite my nails to keep myself from shaking and my teeth from chattering.

The person falls hard, from the sounds of it, and from the groan it's a boy. Which one? I don't think it's the District 11 boy. He gets up and moves on, scattering rock down the cliff. He's not very quiet, that's for certain. Now I'm scared he's going to lead people right to me. He's better off dead.

I listen to his footsteps going farther off. I think tomorrow I'm going to track him. It's too dark to do it tonight. Stupid people won't last long here. I can't afford to be stupid. A more pressing issue is my lack of water. Tomorrow I'm going to have to leave my cave. I'm already parched. But for now all I can do is wait for the dawn. And pray nobody comes for me.