Disclaimer: Why do we even need to add a disclaimer? It is obvious that none of us own the books. Oh well. I do not own the Hunger Games.
Three hours. That's how long they sum the Games up in. That's how long my misery last, how long I'm stuck in a state of unknown. Images started to flood onto the screen. They start with clips that come from the events before the Games, events that hold some happiness, events that start with the Opening ceremony. They didn't show the reapings, they never had. They aren't considered part of the Games. They show bits of the arrival to the Capitol.
I see them all there, smiling and waving. Looking happy, being alive. I notice things now that I wouldn't have before. Glitch keeping her distance from Tannor, while he looks at her with regret. Mason glancing over at Valirie, blushing and smiling when she returns his gaze. Blake was standing almost protectively over me, hovering unsmiling in the chariot as if he would kill anyone who would hurt me. And he did, says the voice in my head. They show all the chariots and costumes of the Ceremony, then they cut to the interviews.
During the interview portion, they show at least one question for each tribute. While they do so, they make it so that the training score shows in the left side of the screen. I hear once again why the tributes think that they will win. The word that sticks out the most is the word think. They are all smiling as they talk, forced smiles, but they aren't in danger during the interviews. Then they begin the Games, that is the worst and longest part.
The person who puts together the video gets to choose a story to set the recap towards. It can be a story of false identity, bravery, stealth, courage, or intelligence. This was the story of guardianship. Of people helping a little girl survive. I was the main character, but there were a lot of leading rolls. It can be debated that there wouldn't be a story without those roles.
They start the Games with showing us all lined at the Cornucopia. Showing us rise from the ground, and cut around to all of our faces in a dramatic effect. They then fade out and show the layout of the arena. It's huge. Larger than I would imagine. I start to wonder how we all managed to find each other in the end.
The gong rings and we run in. I bite my lip. So the death begins. It switches to different views, capturing everyone in their prime moments. But some are shown in their falling moment. I see as I saw that day, several take to the forest immediately. Those are mostly the ones who died within the first two days. I get to see what the true plan of the others was.
Glitch runs towards the knives, as I assumed. On her way there she grabs her pack in a fluent motion. Once she has her knives, she takes to the forest; avoiding a fight. Blake runs to the spears. But he also picks up an axe in the process. He holds up a fight for a while, injuring several Careers, picks up several more supplies, and gets out of there. Not killing anyone.
Mason and Tannor run in and each get there choice in weapons. They stand back to back and start to hold out a battle. They stay at the Cornucopia even longer than the Careers. I see who kills the nine that fell that day. Most were murdered by Careers. Others took to the savage side and killed the weaker tributes. All the while they made sure to capture all of the deaths.
Unfortunately, they show my mishap with the baby alligator. I looked even more shocked then I thought. They switch to others traveling. I see now that Glitch was following me in the forest, knives ready to protect whenever necessary. It switches to the Cornucopia. Mason and Tannor were stalking up on supplies, while the Careers were angrily treating their wounds in the distance, too weak to fight anymore, but too stubborn and stupid to move away from the Cornucopia. Lucky for them that Mason and Tannor were too tired to hold up a fight anyway.
I saw Glisten and Stella trekking threw the forest. Stella's hand was severely injured. Yet they were still laughing and having a good time. They had killed two at the Cornucopia. Even so, I really wish that I had met them. But then it would be even harder to see them now. It would be the same pain that raced through me when I saw Glitch, Mason, Tannor, and Blake. Once it reached night, they showed the tributes settling down. Mason and Tannor had found their hide out. Everyone else had found places to hide, in trees, or under.
The Careers were kicking through their supplies. Mason and Tannor had poured out all the water they couldn't carry, and destroyed all the excess food by dumping it into the water surrounding the Cornucopia. The Careers weren't able to fight back. They were not happy. They cut through to events of the next day.
The next they showed was the District 10 girl, Akaria I learn her name is, sleeping on the base of a mangrove root when she falls into the rising water. She sloshes around for what seems to be a minute. The alligator swims up and grabs her before she can get out of the water. She screams. Tyren, the boy from 8, came to investigate. Akaria holds her hand in one last effort of life, but he shakes his head and moves back to the trees, Akaria's hand goes limp and falls back into the water as she gives up any hope of survival.
The events unfold as she moves by my tree, dies, and I go to clean out the alligator. Glitch is watching me the whole time. Later I see Tyren surrounded by Careers and killed by a mace through the head. Who knew Electa had the weapon of choice as a mace? I see that they started to hunt him once Akaria's cannon fired. They must have figured that a tribute killed her.
I kept watching, interested to see what I missed, but disgusted by the events that unfolded. They kept playing what happed. I see the Careers grab their weapons and head to the forest, scouting the trees, and spotting us. I see Glitch and me team up in that split instant and start to run. I see how brilliant my plan of the pythons really was. The Careers had yet another argument once Glitch and I left. Mason was the one spying on them at that point.
They skipped ahead until we saw Stella and Glisten sitting in the mangrove forest. Stella was sick. Glisten wasn't much better, but she at least still was conscious. Mason and Tannor came upon them. "Please. End this." Whispered Glisten. Mason nodded. He drove his sword through Glisten. Tannor drove his spear through Stella. There twin cannons fired.
Then is switched to the families of the remaining tributes. Final eight, I forgot they interviewed families when they got there. I never paid attention at that point. No one from District 9 ever made it that far. They got a statement excerpted from each of the families or friends.
A girl my age, who looked like a mini version of Glitch, so I supposed she was Lime said, "Glitchy is going to make it. She is smart. She promised she would come back." A look of distress filled her eyes. "But then again, I think a lot of people made the same promise." Tears started to well in her eyes. I wanted to scrunch down in my seat, become smaller than I was.
A boy who looked exactly like Mason, so I guess it was his twin or his brother, the name I learned to be Marvin stated, "Mason is bloody brilliant. If anyone can make it, he can. He won't hesitate to make a decision when the time comes." He surely seemed to hesitate a lot to me.
A sixteen year old girl, name Mags, from District 4 had a comment that was filled with confidence, "My sister is the best fighter. Ever. She has been preparing for this her whole life. I'd like to see tree girl beat that." Yeah, she was the best all right. Tree girl… she was either talking about Glitch or Me. Were we the only ones considered a threat?
Alec's best friend, a gorgeous boy with bronze hair explained, "Alec is good in a pressurized situation. He won't let his emotions get in the way when it matters anything important." Yeah, shows what you know.
An old women from District 1, Demetri's grandmother, was a horribly distraught and confused. It almost made me sad when I heard her say, "Demetri is gone? When is he coming back? Tell him to be back soon, I need him to help me with something." I wonder how she is going to accept that Demetri is gone forever.
A middle-aged man with dark skin who I figured was Tannor's father, "Tannor is no idiot. He'll make it back. He knows how to fight his way through things." Tannor, no idiot? No disrespect to the dead, but yeah right!
Blake's mother was speaking on his behalf. I had met her on occasions, but I didn't know her well. She was kind, but she was rough. I always pictured her forming a rebellion. "I hope he comes back. I really do. But I think he has a different objective in mind." So she knew. I felt consumed in guilt.
My father was the one who had a comment for me. Who else was there to speak on my behalf? "Glynn has been lucky. She wouldn't be able to do so well otherwise." I was devastated. Did he say that about me? "But I hope her luck withstands." I smiled.
Back to the games. Mason calling to Tannor, thinking that he saw the Careers. Tannor headed back to the hide out, because he wasn't fast and would get in the way. Me and Glitch running, Glitch falling. I close my eyes before the moment comes, but I'm too late. Glitch dies. Pain fills me. My throat dries out, and feels like it has no end. I slide down the tree. My face is more desperate than usual. Mason fixes my arms. He disappears in the woods.
This time, I get to follow to see where he goes to. Back to the hideout. This moment is theirs. I know that this was a big deal. The audience is hushing each other. Tannor is there waiting, sharpening his spear. "So, kill any of the Volunteers?"
Mason shakes his head. A look of remorse on his face, and swallows. "They call them Careers."
Tannor looks confused. "Wait, I heard a cannon. And who calls them Careers? Who died?"
Mason shook his head again. "Glitch. And the little girl, Glynn. Glitch came up with the name, so I was told." He didn't say who died exactly. Tannor was too stupid to realize who did. Or maybe he was just too reluctant. I don't think Mason wants to break the news to Tannor that Glitch died.
Tannor looked at him funny. "You ran into Glitch? How is she? She is with the little girl?" Mason closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. No more avoiding the question.
"Yeah. She was in the trees with the girl. They teamed up. Glitch…fell. That was the cannon. The girl slid down the tree and cut up her arms. I fixed them for her, but, I couldn't do anything for Glitch. I'm sorry, man." Tannor's face filled with rage. But he didn't explode. He sunk to the ground, and started to weep. Mason walked next to him. And started to pat his back.
"This is all your fault." Whispered Tannor.
"Just like Valirie." Says Mason with the same amount of remorse. The scene jumped to the Cornucopia.
The argument was the same the second time around. The fire not as magnificent on the screen. Then I got to see Mason single-handedly take on the remainder of the Careers. He jumped out from behind the trees and took them totally by surprise. Demetri was wearing two packs, and started running around, looking behind other trees. It was total chaos. Once he realized there wasn't anyone else, he went to help. Mason left one cut on Demetri's arm and took off back to the woods. The whole time Allia was just standing in the background watching.
Demetri's death. Tannor and Mason talking of who it could be, they were betting on who they thought it was. Tannor had his money that it was me, Mason thought it was Alec. They both were wrong. I saw Allia and Alec talking of feast. It was pretty boring. But it was still painful to watch, knowing what was to happen once the feast was called.
The next events were familiar. Tannor sneaking up on me. I see that he was thinking about leaving, then coming behind me. Mason fixing my arm. Us making the plan. The only thing new is that I see Allia and Alec were doing the same, they had guessed what we were going to do.
Once I was asleep, I got to hear what Mason and Tannor talked about. "Why?" asked Mason suddenly.
"Why what?" Tannor replies innocently, avoiding an immediate answer.
"Why did you bring the girl back here?" Mason referred to me as girl. It made me feel as if he really didn't want me to tag along with them.
"You helped her before, figured you could help her again." Mason shook his head. He knew he wasn't getting the whole story, but he no longer asked any more.
I relived the moments of the Cornucopia. I saw Blake hiding in the other side of the forest watching the same thing. It was just as terrible to watch the second time as it was the first. Except I saw Mason's death in more vivid detail. It was terrible. Allia seemed to know exactly where to cut in order to inflict the most pain. I wanted to close my eyes. Escape.
After I fell into unconsciousness, which I learned to be two days, I saw Allia hunting. Well, tracking actually. She ran into Blake. Blake fended her off with his spear. She was good, but distracted. She made simple mistakes. He delivered a deathblow to her skull. He took one of her knives and hid it in his shirt. He headed to the Cornucopia, a day walk from where he was. Her cannon fired along the way. You see me bolt awake.
Blake waiting at the Cornucopia. Me looking from the edge of the trees. Our conversation. Everything that happened in the end of the Games. I let a sob release from me. I thought it would be alright at that moment, it only lasted a few minutes. It seemed to be the longest part. It ended with me at the edge of the water, the sun at an angle so that light caught on the dust and illuminated me like an angel. End video. The music fades out and the lights return.
With the lights returned the cheering. I heard none of it. I was still stuck in the silent world of the Games. Augustus dismissed me, "Give it up one more time for Glynn Sail, Victor of the 11th Hunger Games!" I stood up, bowed, more cheers, and Mayle came and directed me off stage. I was in a haze that I felt I would never wake from.
Silently we went back to floor 9. When the elevator door opened she released my arm. I walked ever so slowly to my room. Once there I plopped on the bed, still in my dress. My head still topped with the crown. I was feeling guilty for all of the doubt that I had exposed to the others. They all tried their hardest to help keep me alive, and what did I do? I distrusted them, and eventually got them all killed. The whole thing isn't even over yet. I still had to say what I thought of my victory. Why me?
Sorry if there are a lot of mistakes, this was a boring chapter to write. But necessary. And it was rushed. I did that on purpose. Maybe. Um... I've edited every chapter until the last one. So yeah, I might be able to finish this week. So, I hope you are enjoying. Thanks to all who have reviewed :D. Feel free to review this chapter, I really like reading reviews, they make my day :D.