Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games

Chapter 7: The Games Begin

I woke up, feeling well rested, even though it was forced.

"Since we're an alliance," Warnende said, "we should make a plan. I think you should run strait behind you, to where ever we are, and I'll get a backpack."

"That's too risky!" I told him. "What if you die?" I cared for this boy, no matter how much I hated to admit it. And I knew we were fighting a losing battle here.

"Just trust me. I have a plan." he said. 'It's sprint as fast as I can and grab the first thing I see, then bolt the hell out of there.' he finished in his head.

"Yeah, very nice plan." I told him, sarcastically.

"Oh, man! No fair!" he complained. "But seriously, I'm very good at running. I've timed myself before. My lowest time running a mile was three minutes and sixteen seconds. You didn't really think just axe throwing would get me an eight, did you?"

"And I'm sure a throwing knife can go quicker than that." I told him.

"Do you have a better plan?" he asked.

"…no." I said.

"Okay then! My plan it is!" he said.

"Why are you so cheerful?" I asked.

"Well… it's just that I feel like one of us will actually have a chance of winning." he said.

"Oh… well… yeah." I said, not wanting to rain on his new found parade.

"Well, let's go, then." he said. He took my hand, surprising me, and led me to where the games will begin. Someone else was there.

"I have to leave you here. Just remember o run strait behind you and make sure no one is anywhere near you. I'll get a backpack and come find you later." he said. I knew he wasn't lying.

"Okay, I'll do it." I said.

"Okay, see you later." he said.

"See you later." I said.

"You'll need to put this tracker in your arm." the man said after Warnende left. I held out my arm and felt something sharp go through it. I winced.

"There, now I need you to step on this platform." he pulled me and placed me on a circle shaped thing.

"One minute." he said. I waited, very anxious. I hoped Warnende could find me. And hoped the arena wasn't forestry. I could just see myself running into a tree.

"Five… four… three… two… one!" he said. I felt the platform rising slowly.

When it stopped, an echoing voice said, "ready… set… go!"

I froze up.

"Cecilia, run!" Warnende shouted. I immediately turned in a 180 (degree) angle and ran as fast as I could. At least, until I felt I was in water.

"Ah!" I said. It was steaming hot. I jumped back out of it, taking off my shoes. I heard the sound of falling water hitting water. A waterfall. Or a spring maybe? I felt no one near me. My feet felt very burnt. Man, injured in less than 20 seconds. At least I was still alive, though.

It took Warnende two minutes until he found me.

"There you are." he sounded pained. "What happened to your feet? They're red."

"The water. It's very hot.." I said, wincing. "What happened to you?"

"It's just a cut." he said. "The boy from District 3 tried to kill me. He only sliced my arm. Not very good at aiming, he wasn't. I stabbed him in his stomach and ran of. I'm sure someone else finished him off, if he didn't die of blood loss. But I got the backpack." I heard him open it. "Yes! We have gauze, dried beef and fruit, water canteens- this water looks fine to drink as long as we let it cool before we drink it. It's crystal clear and boiling- so all the germs should be gone. I'm going to wrap your feet up, okay?"

"Yeah." I said to him. When he finished that, he wrapped up his own wound.

"Hmm… what was it? When you have burns… you… you…. Something about not making them cold right away. Do it slowly. I don't know." Warnende said. "It's not like a third degree burn or anything. Just a little red. Does it hurt?"

"Kind of, yeah. It could be a lot worse, though." I said.

"Um… we also have five daggers, a sleeping bag… and… wire. Ooh… maybe we can strangle someone with it. We don't have medicine… that sucks. My wound might get infected. That will be very painful." he said. "Here, I'll fill up the canteens."

After that, we sat there for a while. By that time, seven 'booms' echoed through the arena.

"Who do you suppose died?" Warnende asked, trying to start a conversation. I shrugged, not really wanting to know. "Well, anyway, we should try to find shelter. The arena seems to be a spring or something. We're actually our in the open right now, but we're really far from the cornucopia. Let's go."

He got up, helping me up with him. We started walking someplace, him still holding my hand. A slight blush crept towards my cheeks.

"Why are you doing this for me?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he said.

"Helping me. Why don't you just team up with the careers like Vince suggested? You would have a chance of winning."

"Well, like I said, I'd rather die with honor than die a coward." he said.

"Die… with honor?" I asked. I really didn't understand what he meant by that. BOOM! We ignored it.

"Yes, I'm going to try my hardest to make you the victor of these games. And I'll die trying." he said. I stopped walking.

"So you'll give up your life to save mine" I asked, surprised.

"Of course. I want a District 7 victor, and I know you have more than me to go home to. Your sister- she tried volunteering for you. You guys must really love each other. My brother just stood there emotionless when my name was picked. He didn't show a sign of sadness." he sounded like he was on the verge of tears. I hugged him, trying to comfort him. I felt sorry for him and it made me glad to have my mom and Anne and Marie. But I knew there was much of his story that he didn't tell. I wasn't goin got ask him about it, though. If he wants to tell me, he will.

I suddenly let go of him. "Someone is near us. There are four of them."

"Who?" he asked.

"I don't know, but they are getting closer. Fast." I said. "Less than half a mile away. Let's go this way." I pointed to my right.

"Wait, do you think they'll catch up to us?" He asked.

"….probably." I told him.

"Okay, then I think it'd be safer to climb a tree." he said.

"There are trees?" I asked.

"Yeah, we entered a forest about eight minutes ago." he said.

"Will it hide us?"

"Yeah." he said. "I'll climb it and then pull you up, okay?"

"Okay." he started climbing. "Give me your hands." I did, and he pulled me up the first branch. He pulled me up the first branch. We continued this until I told him to stop. The people were a few yards away.

"This will be good, anyway." he whispered. I heard them run past us, one saying, "damn careers!" when they were farther away, I asked, "What was that about?"

"The Careers must have caught them. That 'boom' back there- it might have been a death of either one of the careers, or this pack's teammate. Probably the latter. I wonder why the Careers didn't persue them, though." he said.

"Do you know who they were?" I asked.

"Yeah. There was the girl from District 3- Janine Anthony, both of District 5's tributes- Genome Payne (A/N: this name always makes me laugh! XD) and Maxen Orie. And then the boy from District 6- Sherman Milton."

"Okay." I said.

"It's getting dark. They should be showing the dead tributes soon." he said. At that moment, the anthem started to play. "See? The girl from District 4- she's a career. She's the one who scored a 6 in training. She must have been really bad or something. The boy from District 8... Both from 10, the boy from 11... And aw, the 12 year old from District 12."

"That's nine down." I said.

"Well, I'll take first watch. Let's get out of this tree." he said. We successfully did that without getting any broken bones. His wound seemed to be really hurting him. H handed the me sleeping bag and I set it out. Before I fell asleep, I muttered to him, "thank you. For everything."