DAY THREE

The sun rises over the arena once again and now is the time for me to go and look for water.

I start my hunt for water and for the first time I arm my self just incase. I hold a spear in one hand so If I come under attack, I am ready to throw. It also means if I see a deer or any animal for that matter, I can catch it.

So far, no canons have one off today, and the only one to fall was yesterday was Lucius.

I feel nervous that there has been no cannon yet today. It gives the game makers a chance to inflict something awful to bring the tributes together. I'm not going to fall for it, whatever it is. I don't like fighting, I don't like the idea of killing anyone. I would just rather win using survival kills and hiding. But the hunger games aren't that easy.

I have now been walking for several hours at no prevail, and this has further dehydrated me.

I stumble upon a puddle where I opportunistically I fill my water bottle up and place the iodine in. After waiting, I chug the water down, all 2 litres of it before I decide I need to get more for later, I won't stay hydrated forever, but I used all water in the puddle. That's when I continue my quest for water.

I reach the edge of the woods and its a massive open clearing. I feel like there could be a tribute around here but right now I'm willing to take that risk. Right in front of me is a lake. It involves walking down a slope, and by the looks of it, the lake is down a cliff, but thats what my rope is for.

I optimistically walk over to it and start to walk down the slope. I slip and realise that this is a trap. I slide down to the cliff where I simply slide off the edge. I brace myself to hit the water but it doesn't come. Instead, I hit hard land, and it hurts. I lay there initially gasping for air, as I have winded myself and don't know what to do. The water was just a sick optical illusion, and now I face a 20 foot climb. Once the pain has dissipated somewhat, I decide that I need to escape. This hole is a sun trap and I am just further dehydrating. I successfully climb up the cliff face. But as I go to climb up the slope, I slip again and fall back into the hole. This time I land on my coccyx and I initially think I have paralysed myself. However, I am soon able to move and I choose to ignore the pain, its not like I'm not used to it.

I just sit there, wondering how to over come to the slope. I know I have the ability to climb up the cliff, I've demonstrated that already but getting up the slope seems like an impossible challenge. If I don't die down here due to dehydration then sooner or later another tribute is going to spot me because i'm so obviously placed.

Around another hour passes and the pain in my tail bone has dropped a bit. I decide to give it another go. I climb up the cliff, and make it to the top. It then strikes me that I can jab my spears into the ground and pull my self up that way. I pull out one spear and the knife in my bag. I jab the knife into the ground followed by the spear. I decide on going on all fours as its more stable than being on two feet. It starts off well, however, before long, my arms are tiring. I know I cant stop but it's all I want to do. If I were to let go then I would just slide down the slope again and were probably give up and just let myself die. Despite the burning in my arms, I manage to carry on. After about half an hour or pure pain, I finally reach the top.

I pull my self onto the flat land and remain on my hands and knees to gain my breath back. I can't relax for long though.

As I lift my head up I see tributes running through the woods towards the open. It's almost as if they know I am here, as if the capitol had told them. I suddenly realise that they are going to kill me so get up and run. I refuse to run in an upright position though as I refuse to be seen.

'Where's he gone?'The hologram showed he was down there' I hear what sounds like Drusus shout.

'Perhaps he got out' one of the girls suggests.

The hologram? They were shown a hologram of me struggling out of pit, in an attempt to come and find me and murder me. What have the Game makers got against me? Thats two times now they have done this to me, especially after I got a good score. Electrocution and now active encouragement of my murder? It's not like I have ever openly criticised the Capitol, or the Game Makers for that matter. It's beyond a joke, a sick, sick joke and I can see them all in a room, getting excited as one screen shows me struggling out of the pit and one screen shows the careers running with glee to find me. Last laugh is with me though as I escaped.

I'm absolutely exhausted but I realise its too risky remaining on the ground. I find a tree similar to the ones I have already inhabited and climb up it. But then there's another obstacle. There is a snake in the tree. It's sliding upwards and I don't think it realises I'm there. I pull out my knife and kill it.

I closely observe the colours. Its red, black and yellow. The red is next to a black stripe. It's not venomous. Good. I have a meal as well. I skin it and take off the meat, then get out my stove, pour a bit a methanol into the stove and light it. As I'm cooking the cake I find in the side pocket of my back a small bottle of water. I really got lucky with this bag, it has everything. I have a few sips and then eat my dinner.

Not long after I finish my dinner, I hear foot steps and talking. The careers are back again, for goodness sake. I don't think they've noticed me but I'm still terrified. I move to get myself closer into the tree trunk but in doing so knock the stove. It falls, and it lands right in the careers camp. Shit. I've just blown it. I press myself into the tree and try to remain hidden but they know I'm here. I can here them laughing and joking

'I see their foot, let's wait them out' I hear one of them say.

I feel so full of adrenaline right now that I think I'm going to pass out. I need to come up with a plan. Things seems to get worse as I climb higher and right above me is a web. It's a huge spider's web, almost as big as me, but this has a difference. Instead of the usual one spider inhabiting it, this one has thousands, if not millions of little spiders in it, about the size of a small coin. However, as with everything in this arena, these are muttations and chew through flesh like candy. I'm so panicked initially that I nearly slip out of the tree, although death by falling from great height would be much more preferable than dying at the hands of those careers.

It's not long until suddenly, I have a plan, its risky and I may end up killing myself, but death is almost certain anyway right now. I reach along the branch and snap two long branches. After I've done this, I pull them through the web, one at the top, one at the bottom, watching vigilantly to make sure none crawl onto me. Then, in a moment of sheer madness, I drop the web directly onto the careers below.

To say I've frightened them is an understatement. Each career has at least one spider on them, and they run away screaming, hysterical, as they desperately try to get these flesh eating insects off them. I look down the trunk and see the main web. I can still hear a piercing scream and it's only then that I realise that the web has fallen and wrapped itself around a girl. I have no idea who she is, and despite the thought that she wanted to kill me, I can't help but be overridden by guilt. No doubt my family have just seen that, and the thought makes me so sick I slip and fall off the branch, only to be caught in a fork. From there I am able to slide down the tree and exit quickly.

Once I am on the ground again, I retrieve my stove and run. They even left a sling shot behind. I have no idea how to use one of these but I'm a quick learner.

As I run away I hear a cannon fire. I'm fairly certain it's one of the careers. I almost feel quite proud, that I got the first career kill, but I still can't help but feel bad that I am the reason that, that person no longer has a life.

Good work Oliver.

I am now fed up of being close to conflict, so decide to just walk and walk and walk. I conveniently stumble upon a pond, where I am able to fill up my water bottle, both of them, and add the iodine so it is safe to drink. Also next to the pond is an apple tree. I pick a few apples and they are going to be my breakfast.

I pop back to the pond where I have a quick wash. I know that it shouldn't something to worry about in this situation but I don't want to smell, I want to feel clean. Beside me is a fairly large boulder, and once I have finished washing, I stand up and see the girl from district 11, Tilly. We both make each other jump and I can see by how scared she was to see me that she is not a threat. Tilly is just 14, has thick, brown hair, dark skin yet amazing sapphire eyes. During training every time I saw them I was mesmerized. She smiles at me and so I walk over.

'I'm not going to hurt you' she says 'it's quite nice to see someone else who thinks the same actually'

I laugh and reply 'yeah I know, how's it going for you?'

'it's alright, I've just hidden around here the whole time really, I got water, and an apple tree and plenty of shelter' she explains. 'So, you're the one from 12, right?' she adds, luring me into conversation.

'Yeah, that's right' I say, 'You're from eleven aren't you?' I know this, but I feel it's polite just to keep the conversation going. 'Did you manage to get anything from the cornucopia?' I ask, to give me an indication on her chances

'Hell, no' she laughs, 'I got my 7 in camouflage, not in anything to do with weapons, I don't trust myself'.

I feel bad for her, and it's tempting to give her my knife, or even a spear, but I don't want to do anything that may make her a risk to me.

I don't want to talk to her for too long as I don't want her to think I want an alliance, but its nice to see someone who isn't blood thirsty.

'without sounding rude, I'm going to have to leave you. I've got this thing about alliances I think its risky business later in the game' I impulsively say.

'I sort of agree, so I guess this is good bye?' She says sympathetically, but I can't help but feel like I've upset her.

I wish her luck and then leave. I hope I haven't given her a motive to kill me now. She doesn't seem like that type but you can never be sure.

It's now time for me to find shelter, most likely to be a tree, once again to get my energy levels up for the next day.

As it turns dark, the anthem plays and I see the faces of the cannon that fired today. It is Katarina from four. She is my victim. I feel bad but I've proven to myself today that I can do it. For the first time during the games, I fall asleep straight away and wake up feeling rejuvenated.