Chapter 1
"Take care," says Sylvie before a cylinder descends upon the metal plate I'm standing on. Despite her menacing look, Sylvie is perhaps the kindest person I have ever met. Now, my chances of ever speaking to her are nearly non-existent
The cylinder blocks out any form of sound that tries to enter. Besides my breathing, nothing, and I mean nothing, can be heard. The silence hurts my ears.
The cylinder starts to rise as Sylvie's sad eyes follow me up until I'm out of her sight. Complete darkness takes over. About fifteen seconds later, the cylinder stops and the metal plate pushes me out onto the cold arena.
Before I'm even aware of my surroundings, the voice of Claudius Templesmith announces, "Ladies and gentlemen, let the Sixty-ninth Hunger Games begin!"
And so it begins. Sixty seconds.
Before entering the arena, I could already guess that it was going to be cold because of all the clothes I was wearing. But I never imagined how intense the cold could actually be. Back in District Ten, I only ever saw snow four or five times. It only lasted for a few hours before melting. I'm guessing the folks that live further south in the District never see it.
My eyes adjust quickly to my surroundings since it is nightfall. I then notice that all the other tributes are dressed in a similar attire but in different coloured jackets. I'm glad to see my colour isn't as noticeable as the yellow and orange ones. Gabrielle, my district partner, is about six tributes away. I don't bother counting. She's dressed in the exact same outfit as me. Hunter is halfway between Gabrielle and me. His jacket is some shade of red, I can't really tell. We briefly make eye contact then continue analyzing the arena.
The position of my plate is horrible. Behind me rages a mean river that stretches beyond the surrounding mountains. To make matters worse, the tail of the Cornucopia hides most of my view. The only items I could see inside the circle of tributes are some dark crates.
I meet Hunter's gaze again. I bring my index to my lips then point it towards the mouth of the Cornucopia. He seems to understand what I'm asking for as he pretends to put something on his back. It must be backpacks, I tell myself. If it were jackets, he'd just point to his jacket. I nod to him. A backpack would be great, if it weren't inside the mouth.
As I continue to study the arena, I realize there are no trees in sight. The area behind Hunter is perhaps the only place worth escaping through. I can't see beyond the Cornucopia, and the hill near Gabrielle looks too steep. But that would mean running through a part of the Bloodbath. I'm already off to a bad start. On the bright side, I could open a crate or two on my way. Maybe get my hands on some gloves or better yet, a knife. I decide to go with it; I mean, what is there to lose besides a finger, a hand, or a life?
More than thirty seconds are over; my heart starts to beat faster than a rampaging bull. On the other side of the Cornucopia come shouts from the other tributes, presumably the careers. I ignore them and concentrate on the crate that is closest to me. It is far closer to the girl to my right but I think I can outrun her to it and fend her off with whatever I find inside. But what if there isn't anything inside? I ask myself. My mind races to find a solution as the butterflies in my stomach increase in number. I force myself to calm down and to think straight. Then my brain comes up with a solution: the lid.
Approximately ten seconds are left on the countdown as I position my feet to run.
Then I notice the girl in orange throwing her boot at someone. BOOM! The sound of an exploding mine resonates throughout the entire arena. A tribute on the other side of the Cornucopia dies. I want to join the screams and shouts coming from everywhere but the sound of a second exploding mine stuns me. The girl in orange also dies. The Gamemakers must have detonated her mine. All the tributes are shrieking. The cries from the tributes adjacent to the dead ones are the loudest. Then I hear the faint sound of a gong.
Before I can even grasp what is happening, my feet fly off my plate and run; not towards the crate, no, the Cornucopia. Halfway through the radius, I see other tributes jumping off their plates. In a matter of seconds, I reach the mouth of the Cornucopia. I grab two large backpacks, sling them across my right shoulder and snatch a third backpack before running in Hunter's direction.
Like many tributes, Hunter is opting to search inside the crates. Luckily, only one tribute stands near him. By the colour of her jacket, I'm guessing she's his district partner. Back at the Training Center, I once bumped into her at the edible plant station. She seemed really nice as she openly taught me a few tricks to detecting poisonous plants. However, I never noticed her after that. She must have wanted to stay under the other tributes' radar.
As I gradually approach my ally, I stupidly smile to myself. I could actually win this thing, I convince myself before Hunter yells, "Ethan, look out!" And with that, I fall to the ground after suffering a blow to my head.