In spite of all my training, my mouth is a little dry as I sit alone in the Launch Room, waiting for Vintius to bring me my outfit. This is the first few minutes I've had to myself since I volunteered, and I'm not enjoying the lack of activity right now. I try to concentrate on winning the Hunger Games, and moving with my family into the big house in the Victor's Village, on the edge of the District. Every time I form a clear picture in my mind though, I hear Kier asking what we think really happens to the winners. I want to kill that little fool myself, right after the starting gong, even before I run to the Cornucopia, but that would be stupid. I doubt that even Gaius would risk attracting entire field of opportunists just to strangle one person.

Finally, Vintius comes with a large sealed box in hand. I am a little surprised to see that he's traded his fluffy pink eyelashes for bright yellow metallic strips that are probably each as long as his nose. "Time to get suited up!" he says cheerily. "Let's see what we've got this year." He pops the security strip with one finger and discards the lid. I hope that the outfit will give me a clue what to expect in the arena. There is a close-fitting top of some very light, sleek black material. The pants look about the same, except they are much heavier, almost like some sort of plastic or rubber, with reinforced knees. The footwear is rugged boots with thick, deep treads and a tough cap covering the toe. Over everything goes a very thin jacket that feels like silk or something similar, but it borders on being uncomfortably warm in the Launch Room. Besides a few pinstripes on the arms and legs and a large district emblem on the back of the jacket, the outfit isn't very colorful, differing from what I've seen tributes wear before during the Games. I am not sure what to make of these details at all. Vintius brushes my hair, and rolls it back into a bun like the one I am used to wearing. Then he looks me over carefully, artfully pulling out a few strands. "That's good," he says at last, stepping back. "I wish I could pink up your cheeks a little more, but the Gamemakers don't allow makeup kits in the Launch Room. Now go out there and do well! We stylists aren't allowed to bet, but if you win, I've already got an endorsement deal lined up for us with Peccara!"

At that moment, the announcer lets us know that it's time to prepare for launch. "I don't know who that is," I admit, as the countdown begins.

"Oh surely you've heard of Peccara?" Vintius looks shocked. "Lazi Peccara? His design house uses a lot of products from your District. His clothes are amazing, positively to die for. Well, I'm sure you'll get to see them if you come back. Onto the plate, now. Don't worry, you look fabulous!"

I'm glad of that anyway, though that's the very last thing on my list of worries as the glass cylinder lowers around me. I feel the circular plate at my feet begin to rise, lifting me though the cylinder and into the arena. I roll my shoulders to ease my tension, as I rise, focusing on all I've been told and all I've learned about the other tributes during training. I am prepared for everything but the total darkness that I see at the top of the launch tube. As I am gradually raised past the level of the arena, I can see absolutely nothing. I perceive someone shrieking in panic, but it is fairly distant from my position. I feel a brief shudder as my plate stops moving and locks into place. Wherever I am is cool and smells dank, with very little moving air. Then the lights come up, though it is only about as bright as twilight.

I am in a vast cave. I can't tell how large it is because it is too dark to see all the way across, but the roof is fairly low and studded with rock points. The floor is uneven and muddy, with slippery spots that shine in the dim light. The tributes are distributed evenly in a circle around the Cornucopia, the golden horn that holds all the weapons and survival gear. Other little items are scattered around, some within easy reach. There is a flimsy plastic oval with tiny serrated teeth around its edge only a few paces away, but I know that I am going straight for the good stuff at the center. To my immediate left, Callida is perched tautly on her launch plate, ready to throw herself forward at the sound of the gong. On my right is the girl with the yellowish skin from District 3, who almost fainted on her chariot during the opening ceremonies. She has tears streaming down her face, though she looks ready to run and has her eyes on the oval tool. I wonder if it was her I heard screaming, but I don't think so. I think I see Chrome on the other side of the circle from me, but in the dim light, I can't be sure. Kier is on my right, three places down from me. To my surprise, the tough, angry boy is also crying, and taking false steps off his starting plate. What is he trying to do? I wonder. We all know that the ground is studded with concealed explosives that will blow someone into biscuit spread if he leaves the plate before the gong. But Kier keeps acting as if he is going to step off and repeatedly changing his mind. Finally he crumples to his knees and covers his head with his arms, shaking with terror. I don't know what to make of it, and exchange glances with Callida, who apparently can't figure it out either.

Then there is no more time to wonder. The gong crashes, and I start running. Several of the tributes take off into the darkness at the edge without taking time to grab anything. Screams and wails start to echo in the cavern as fights begin. I am about halfway to the Cornucopia when someone crosses my path and slips. Without even looking to see who it is, I kick him or her in the head, and vault over the prone body. I don't worry about finishing off the other tribute. There will be time for that when I get a weapon in my hand. The boy from District 7 is standing over the bleeding body of the girl from 7, laughing maniacally as he pounds her over and over, shouting vile names at her. They must have had some history from their home District, and he is taking his revenge now.

Callida reaches the Cornucopia before I do. She has picked up a spiked rod on the end of a long chain, and she is whirling it in a fast, deadly circle over her head. I didn't see any short blades while I was waiting for the gong, but I see a utility knife now that I grab and tuck into the ankle of my boot. Then I close my hand over the shaft of a fine spear, the first real weapon I see. A boy who has made it this far dashes past me and grabs for a tent pack. I slam the butt of my spear into his ankle, tripping him, and he goes down screaming. A sharp crack on the chin with the shaft keeps him down, while I turn the spear around and drive the point through his neck. I am sprayed with a lance of blood. The girl from District 3 is right beside me, staring in horror. She has just realized that she's made a terrible mistake and nothing she can get from the Cornucopia right now is worth the instant death she sees splashed across my face. She pivots quickly and starts to run at full speed away from the center. I pull my spear from the boy's body and hurl it. It catches the girl in the lower part of her back, and she falls full length, as if she had run into a wall. I jog over. She is lying in a spreading pool of her own blood, whimpering, rapidly losing consciousness, still clutching the little serrated oval. My spearpoint is entirely buried in her pelvis. I rip the spear free in case anyone gets any ideas to attack me while I am busy, but I can see that she is finished. When she stops squirming a few seconds later, I take the tool. If she hadn't stopped to pick it up, she might have gotten further in toward the center. She might even have gotten away with something more valuable.

Chrome calls to me. He's holding a stabbing sword that is covered with blood, and I see a bulge under his shirt that I am certain is something he's picked up and is hiding. "I think it's about over. Let's go see what we've got." He points at the oval I am holding. "What's that?"

"Nothing, just some junk," I answer, tossing it aside.

"Speaking of junk…" Chrome gestures to the edge of the starting circle. Kier is still hunched in his original place. Now his hands are over his ears, and he is rocking back and forth. "What in the world is he doing?"

Gaius appears at Chrome's side, startling all of us with the silence of his approach. "Doesn't matter," he grunts, grabbing a club. He makes his way across the muddy floor that has been churned by the initial stampede of tributes. Kier stops rocking, but does not look up. He makes no sound as Gaius bashes his skull with a single savage blow.