Chapter 9
Let the games begin!
"Do you think you can eat anything else?" Bexie asks me. We were waiting in the small room under the arena.
I really didn't think I could eat anything else, I had had a very large breakfast and lunch and I don't think I could eat anything else.
"I want more water and in the arena I probably won't have that much access to salts and fats in the arena so I want food like that." I say trying to think of things that would not be available in the arena.
I have cargo boots on, large cargo pants on with deep pockets, I was happy to see that I had a belt as well a belt is very useful in the games you can keep weapons and tools in it, you can use it to strap yourself into a tree overnight and in one hunger games a tribute once whipped three tributes to death with the belt. I have simple black tank top and a large warm coat with countless pockets.
Bexie nods and walks away to get the food, I notice my hands are shaking and I am close to tears. The games are starting in half a hour. I stroke my finger along the stone that Finch gave me; it calms me down a bit. I look at the little charm Faith gave me. The little bird meant so much to me. It was such a pretty charm it reminds me of home and how much I want to be with Faith and Fiona. I smile and think of Faiths happy squeals of laughter and the way she was so completive when we play little games she just loves to win. I think of Finley with his wild observations and opinions on things that some adults don't even understand, he is very smart. I think of Fiona and her weird quirky personality and the way that she always made everything bigger than it actually was and the way she gets very excited at little things. I think of Finn and Fion we have always been very close because we are triplets they use to love to prank their entire sibling except for me and Finch because we would always know what they were going to do before they did it and also I would help them with all of their pranks. They must feel awful right now I feel so bad for them. Fallon he was always the one all of our siblings went to for advice, once I and Finch tried to rob a house with him and he ended up breaking his arm because he was so clumsy. He was the one that told me not to show my fear. I think of Frank, poor Frank, first he lost his twin sister when they where only fifteen and then three years later he is going to lose his best friend and his sister. If I was him I would probably be depressed by now, I really hope that he doesn't get depressed. He must really hate the capital and the hunger games by now. Ferris is the oldest sibling and is twenty he is in college and is studying for a very important exam which is in a few weeks, I hope he passes it and me going to the games doesn't have that big of a effect on his grade. I think of my parents, It will probably not have a big effect on them ever since Finch had died it has seemed that every bit of personality had been sucked out of them, it is as if they don't want to get to know their children in case that they are taken away from them like Finch was. They use to be so fun and loving and know they won't even look at us I feel so bad that Faith and Finley never got to see that side of them.
"Faye, Faye." Bexie says snapping her fingers in front of my face. "You blanked put for a bit, I have your food."
"Sorry." I say beginning to try and force myself to eat the food in front of me; I can't help but smile thinking about all of my siblings.
"I have never seen anyone smiling before they went into the arena." Bexie says putting more salt on the food.
"I am just trying not to think about it too much but know that you talking about it I am a nervous wreck." I say.
"Well just tell me your strategy that helps to calm people down when they are nervous." Bexie says playing with her necklace.
"Me and Gab I mean Trix will grab the things a few feet away from us and then run into the forest and run as far as way as possible and then try find water and after a few days I will follow tributes and steal food." I say.
"Who's Gab?" Bexie asks leaning forward on the table, she looked like she was some teenage girl wanting to hear some gossip at school.
"She's my friend back at home." I say laughing at her childish acts, Bexie never fails to cheer me up. I wish me and Bexie could have go to know each other better instead of me going to the games.
"Does Beatrix remind you of her?" She asks.
"Yeah I guess." I say pushing the food away from me. "Anything else you want to know about this?"
"Faye stop trying to avoid eating the food." She says pushing it back towards me.
"But I'm not hungry." I complain leaning back in the chair hiding my head in my hands as if that can save me from eating the food.
"You will appreciate it when you are in the arena." Bexie says picking up the fork with the food on it and holding it in front of my face like you would with a baby.
I snatch the fork out of her hand and chew the food while glaring at Bexie.
"Don't glare Faye, you know your glares scares me to death." She says lifting up her hands and mocking surrender.
I narrow my eyes and they are a few seconds of my staring at her with my best glare and then I burst out laughing and she laughs so much that water comes out of her nose which makes us laugh even more. I am not sure how long we stay talking and laughing she helps me forget about the games until we stop and they are a loud voice over the inter come.
"Could all tributes please enter the podiums in one minute."
My breathing becomes uneven and I feel like I might vomit. I am shaking uncontrollably; I think I might have a panic attack. Bexie sees my discomfort and runs over and grabs my shoulders.
"Faye." She says calmly and then raises her voice. "Breath in and breath out." She says repetitively and I calm down. "I have to go now Faye." She says and I nod tears brimming my eyes. She wipes them away with her finger. "You are not the Faye Crossley who loves her siblings more than anything, who is extremely shy and who misses her older sister terribly. You are the Faye Crossley that is mysterious and is all the capital can talk about."
I nod and recomposed myself. I put a sly grin on my face and then cross my arms. Bexie nods and blinks away her own tears and walks away. I walk into the tube and I fidget with my hair, Ginger had done them into two plats she put them in this morning they start at the top of my head that would be near impossible to undo.
I walk into the podium and the little glass door closes in front of me locking me a way from the world that I do not have to be in constant feat of death. The podium raises up.
I am not Faye Crossley who misses her older sister I am the girl that is sly and cunning, I like to be mysterious towards the cameras. I am not the girl who is so angry at the capital because they killed her sister I am the one that thinks she can win.
When I get to the surface the countdown begins.
"Take in your surroundings Faye." I instruct myself.
I look around and see twenty three terrified tributes; I seem to be the only one holding myself together during this time.
Sixty, fifty nine, fifty eight, fifty seven
I look into the cornucopia and it is exploding with weapons, packs, food, tents and ropes. But the one thing that catches my eye is the clear box on top of cornucopia has a tall figure of a woman with long silver hair hair across her face, her dress was torn and burnt and they where cuts across her pale arms that where oozing blood and puss. Will they let that creature out when the countdown ended? Probably not they like the bloodbath murders to be tributes only; maybe they will let her out for the final showdown.
fifty five, fifty four, fifty three
I look around the arena. About three quarters of the arena seems to be forest, no surprise there. One eight of the arena is fields and the other eight is all black land. Bog? Why the hell are they bog lands in the arena? Are they trying to convince us to light fires? I notice how flat the land is, I mean I have never seen a arena so flat usually they have a bit of a hill. I look and see in the very far distance mountains? This is very big for the games and it is completely different than any other arenas. It's like the middle is flat and the outside is moutians.
The game makers promised it will be very different and what lies in the forest sends a chill up my spine. Will it be like that thing in the box?
Thirty six, thirty five, thirty four
I look over at Beatrix who is three podiums away. She looks like she is close to vomiting with the nerves. I am doing a good job on keeping calm. I look over to her and she looks at me.
"Scrap the plan." I mouth to her; I don't want to take any risk with this different kind of arena.
She nods her head; she is shaking so much I am worried she will fall of the podium.
I look back into the cornucopian in the middle pointing towards me is a large set of throwing knives. The game makers obviously meant them for me but I am not stupid enough to run in. One of the careers will probably get them and I steal some later.
Thirty, twenty nine, twenty eight, twenty seven
I look at the items that are three things only a few feet away from me. A loaf of bread, a small bottle of water purifier and a small flashlight. Well I think that is very good I guess the game makers must have liked me.
Twenty, nineteen, eighteen
I was really on the edge of crying right now. I couldn't show my fear so for the capital I lick my lips; I can practically hear the capitals excited squeals.
Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen
I lift up my hand and run my hand along the stone to clam me down. Finch is right it is better to run then to fight.
Ten, nine eghit, seven, six,
I need to run very fast, faster than I had ever ran in my life I definitely would because of the adrenaline.
Five, four
I could die in the next twenty minutes if I tripped up of something.
Three, two, one
I am the first one of my platform I launch myself of it before the landmines are actually turned off, if I had landed a second earlier I would be dead. I run towards the supplies. I first grab the bread and stuff it under my arm, I put the purifier in pocket and run over to the flashlight and stuff it in my other pocket. As soon as I have all of my supplies I run to the forest. I can see Beatrix grabbing the supplies near her as soon as she has them she runs towards me. When she is in the forest we begin running but not before I turn back to see what is happening. I wish I hadn't. I see that the careers have reached the weapons and I see Evan impaling the boy from three with a massive sword. It is weird seeing someone that I have known since I was like two killing a skinny fifteen year old.
I don't have much time to think and stare. I run of with Beatrix into the forest without looking back again all I can think about is Evan sticking the sword in the kid.
When me and Beatrix have been running for half an hour straight with no break we slow down. We can't talk because we are so out of breath. We are rasping for breath when I look through the trees and see the most terrifying thing I have ever seen.
It was a man on without a head and in its hand he is holding a skull and sitting on a horse. It held an axe with blood dripping of it staining the grass with the deep red liquid. It looks like something out of a nightmare or a myth or legend. What was it doing here? It slowly turns towards us and the horse walks to us.
