Katniss and Clove: Chapter Four
The other thing consumers don't understand is that there is another sort of games that precede the Hunger Games - that is almost as deadly. The Reaping following my fifteenth year, is the first in which I am eligible to volunteer for the Hunger Games. There are a number of girls as keen as I am to volunteer, some older than me, having been out volunteered in previous years.
There have been efforts to secure the right to volunteer by threat, beguile and bribery. I have refused any and all attempts to participate in any such discussion, which they take to mean that I intend to volunteer. They aren't wrong, I mean I am at least fairly decided but not certain.
I am convinced that I am as prepared for success in the arena as I will ever be. The only other consideration is whether I am in any position to secure the opportunity to volunteer. Would my chances of volunteering be improved by waiting a year? Two? It's not a matter of skills, it's a matter of strategy and politics - not my strongest suit, I must admit. I am not completely bereft of intelligence but I do lack a certain accumen.
I would be more inclined to assassinate likely volunteers than I would be carrying on with the bluff and blunder they appear to, but that doesn't mean I won't be giving it any thought. Right now the only thing I can think of is that if I wait there is every chance I could incur an injury and that would be disastrous. Oh, they probably wouldn't exterminate me at this point, I would be useful as a skills trainer if nothing else.
All this talk about death, and I am not even in the arena yet! Delay, Injury, Arena - and just like that, my decision is made. The only thing I need to achieve now is securing the uninterrupted right to volunteer.