Chapter 3
The mush of trees welcomes me as I plunge into its arms, but this does not guarantee safety, you can never be safe in this hell hole, but I need to keep moving. My heart is pumping rapidly and begging for rest, but I ignore its request. Jogging through the woods, I take in my surroundings, tall trees surround me, I can't identify them, but they would be helpful for the small tributes like Rue. I can't seem to get that girl out of my head, probably because she is so small and fragile, she doesn't belong in this place, like the majority of us. There are also lots of bushes, many with various leaves, many with berries. That's good. I know quite a few from altering them in the labs. Looking at the ground, I don't see anything interesting, dirt, twigs, leaves. It's hard to believe everything is made ( or at least placed ) by Capitol people, everything looks so natural and right, but hidden closely are the cameras and the traps and the weapons waiting to destroy us all. How did I end up here, Grandma? Ouch, thinking about her hurts so much, so I pull the plug and let the thought flood out of my mind.
After jogging and taking short rests for a while I decide to stop completely, I should be far enough for now and I don't want to be too far away from the action do I? Opening my backpack is like a birthday present as I vigorously pull open the zip and spill open its contents. Yes! Hallelujah! I pull out a compact, 1-man tent and hug it, this is precious! As I open in more, I am nicely surprised by how much I find in the bag. Two knives, one with a sharp smooth edge, one with a jagged edge, these should come in handy. I find a sleeping bag and blanket, some bright green plastic bowls, a large water bottle full of water, lots of rope, some nuts and some sandwiches (what odd choice of food.) YES! I can't help it, but a huge smile forms on my face. The close encounter with the Pick-Axe boy was a risk, but worth it, I am going to be 'Cuddly and Cosy' as my Grandma would say as she tucked me in at night as a youngster. I can't seem to get the sight of her out of my head as I start to open the sack with the tent enclosed. She will be sitting there all alone, watching me every second she can. She will be praying for me and I will be praying for her. For the second time, I force myself to forget, I'll leave the emotions to when I'm hidden in my tent. The knot-tying I learned in the training centre really comes in handy because the tent is put up with not many difficulties, but by now I am dying for some food and drink, so I have one of my sandwiches and have a gulp of my drink. It feels so good to have some water and food, I'd waited for this moment. After I've settled down I have one glance outside, no worries, and finally climb into my sleeping bag, ready for an emotional night.
