A/N: Thanks for reading that last chapter! The games will start in this one!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins does! All rights to her!
The Games- Katniss's POV
60…59…58…57… Why do I feel as if I am in the Games again? 45…44…43…42…41… It could not be because I mentored the tributes this year could it? Maybe. 35…34…33…32…31…30… I see all the tribute beginning to get in there running stances and I clutch Peeta's hand. 19…18…17…16…15…14… The camera goes through all of the tributes; Annie's face looks determined, Nicholas looks terrified, and Susan looks ready to kill. 5…4…3…2…1… And they are off.
The tributes, every single one of them, ran to the Cornucopia. Instantly, they started fighting on the grassy lands, bare-handed they fought, except for a few girls and a boy that were all running at the same bag. The girl to reach it had long brown hair and sea green eyes, I knew this girl but somehow she seemed so different. Annie Cresta.
The blonde girl with blue eyes swore at Annie, trying to get the backpack that had a bow and arrow, knives, and some food. That girl was Susan, she was our tribute correct? Somehow I was not sure, she seemed different as well, but somehow she still seemed exactly the same. Susan suddenly gave up on the bag that was on Annie's back, and ran after another one that had some knives on it.
As for the boy, Nicholas was his name, he did not bother with the two woman fighting as he grabbed a bag that had a spear beside it. Nicholas then ran off into the woods with his spear in hand, not a glance back at the other tributes.
Peeta squeezed my hand. I turned to him; Peeta's eyes were glazed with tears, I touched his cheek, bring his head to rest on my shoulder. I wrapped an arm around his shoulder; Peeta buried his face in my shoulder so he didn't have to watch the bloodbath that was the Cornucopia. The cannon's started to fire off; I counted eight as the faces of the deceased tributes flashed up on the screen. To this I didn't look either, burying my face in Peeta's blonde hair.
When I looked back, Annie was on the screen searching through her bag as the other tribute from 4, Nathaniel Jacobs, found her. Annie braced herself at first, getting the bow ready in her arms and pointing an arrow at him, but then she realized who it was and hugged him quickly.
"Nathaniel, I'm sorry," Annie whispered, "I didn't know it was you. Are you alright?" She broke away to look him over.
"That's alright, Annie. I'm fine just a few cuts," Nathaniel shrugged pointing to a few open red cuts on his face. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Look, I got a bag." Annie said motioning to the bag at her feet.
"Great! What is in it?" Nathaniel asked, bending down to the bag.
Annie bent down as well, she opened the bag. Inside the Game backpack was; hiking equipment, bandages, food and water, a few knives, and extra arrows for the bow. Annie got lucky, definitely.
"Wow, this is a great bag." Annie whispered. "I remember watching Finnick only getting a knife and some bandages."
Nathaniel nodded thoughtfully, "We should get going, come on." He helped Annie up and they started running again.
After a few more tributes, the camera finally switched to Susan and Nicholas because apparently they had found each other. Currently, they were going through their bags as well.
Susan's bag was small, much like the bag I had gotten in the first Games, minus the bow. She had hiking equipment, water container, and a knife.
Nicholas's bag was bigger; he had a spear, two full water bottles, knife, and an axe. Nicholas had gotten the best bag I had seen since Cato and Clove's bags.
So far, they were doing okay but they needed food and they would also need water by tomorrow, giving how hot it looked in the arena.
"Here," Nicholas said giving Susan one of his water bottles. Susan drank some of it gratefully.
"I'm sorry my bag isn't good." Susan apologized, "If it wasn't from that Annie from 4 I would have some bows right now." Susan glared at the sky.
"Annie Cresta?" Nicholas asked; from the way Nicholas and Annie interacted, they were okay friends.
"Yes, that tribute from 4." Susan nodded, "If I find her," She held up her knife twisting it in her hand, "well… she better just stay far away from me."
This was not good at all. Right off the bat, Susan and Annie are enemies. I looked down at Peeta on my shoulder; he had his eyes glued to the screen, staring intently at the conversation between our tributes.
"Okay," Nicholas nodded awkwardly, "Let's just keep walking." They walked deeper into the green dark forest.
For the first time, I examined the arena; it was a green grassy area with a large dam in the corner of the arena. The dam was not threatening now, as it only had some water behind it, not enough to break it. But, it might be hazardous in the future given how evil the Gamekeepers were.
As the day went on, a few tributes were killed as the intense heat raged on. Susan kept insisting on finding Annie while Nicholas would gently pull her away from that idea. By the end of the day, Nicholas had found a small underground cave which they both decided to settle in for awhile.
As for Annie and Nathaniel, they were making great progress they built a shelter, found a water source, and a healthy apple tree.
"We need to see what sponsors we can get them." Haymitch's words suddenly brought me back to reality.
Peeta lifted his head off my shoulder and stood up. Looking back to grab my hand and pull me up with him as we all started walking.
When we reached the area where all the sponsors were sitting, Peeta immediately used his words to help Susan and Nicholas. Nicholas instantly had many sponsors wanting to give him food and more water as for Susan, Peeta tried desperately for someone to sponsor her but he had no luck.
"Peeta," I whispered in his ear after multiple sponsors denied helping Susan, "if they stick together Nicholas can share the food with Susan. Don't worry."
Peeta looked back at me, sighing slightly he kissed my cheek, "Okay." Peeta grabbed my hand and we walked back up to the room to continue watching the Games. Haymitch walked away to go send the bread off to Susan and Nicholas.
As we turned on the television, the parachute floated down into Nicholas's hands. He opened it up and sighed with relief as he noticed the bread. Susan quickly bit into the bread.
Nicholas turned his head up towards the sky, "Thank you." He whispered gratefully. Susan said nothing as she broke the bread in half and gave the second half to Nicholas.
I rolled my eyes; she was selfish but selfless at the same time. Arrogant but humble. Kind but mean. Good but evil.
Then, the camera switched to the tributes from eleven and six fighting. The eleven tribute male was fighting the male from six. The girl from eleven was fighting the girl from six. They were all excellent hunters as they swung their weapons at each other. However, after several minutes of fighting they all fell to the ground; dead. Perhaps killing themselves from exhaustion.
As the days went on, a few more tributes would find each other and end them. For the most part the tributes from the same districts staid together, oddly enough, I had never seen that happen before. Susan and Nicholas and Annie and Nathaniel never crossed each other, they crossed other tributes and would kill them, but would not cross each other.
On a Tuesday, when there were only five tributes left; Finnick Odair came to our room with tears in his beautiful sea-green eyes.
"I'm sorry," Finnick whispered, "I cannot handle bearing it by myself any more. I just needed some friends." He shrugged, looking at his feet.
I held out one of my hands, Finnick took it gratefully, and sat down beside me. "It's okay." I whispered.
We continued to watch all together and for the first time in three days; something actually happened involving our tributes or Annie. The male tribute from one, Lucas suddenly found Annie and Nathaniel. Lucas had an axe in hand and he swung the axe, Nathaniel's head was the victim as it fell from his body. The tributes left were Lucas, Annie, Nicholas, and Susan.
Annie, who had been getting apples from a tree, witnessed the whole thing.
"Run!" Finnick yelled. "Annie, run!"
It was as if Annie had heard her love, because she grabbed the game backpack and ran in the opposite direction. Lucas, who did not see her running away, kept walking in the other direction. The camera focused in on Annie as she suddenly stopped running; breathing heavily, clutching her heart, and crying hysterically.
"Annie," Finnick whispered running towards the screen and stroking her face, "I'm so sorry. I'm right here."
As the night fell, Annie made her way into a camouflaged area under a huge willow tree. Finnick ran from the room saying something about saving her with a parachute.
The next day, a parachute came down towards Annie; carrying a golden trident. I gasped, that was the most expensive present I had ever seen given to a single tribute. Annie let the trident fall in front of her, not looking at it.
Then, after an hour or so, she suddenly looked up as if to notice the trident for the first time. She touched the golden weapon hesitantly, as if it was not real. Then she opened the note that was loosely wrapped around the trident.
"Annie, I am so sorry about what happened to Nathaniel. You are doing great, I love you so much –Finnick." Annie read the note aloud. "Thank you, Finnick. I love you too." She said towards the sky.
Suddenly, the camera switched back to the dam; water was overflowing off of it and a small crake that instantly broke bigger and made its way up to the top of the dam. The dam broke, water gushed out of it instantly.
Annie sprung into action, running onto higher ground; leaving her bows and backpack behind the trident held firmly in her grasp. She found a cliff, waiting there until the water would reach her feet.
The camera switched, Susan and Nicholas were running the water was inches behind them catching up with them as they dashed through the woods. They ran and ran, Susan tried to dry out the water by making the sun brighter but it was no use, the water would catch up with them; and they didn't know how to swim.
All of a sudden, Nicholas fell over a branch and a tidal wave of water engulfed him. Nicholas, coughing, gasping, trying desperately to swim, suddenly stopped moving peaceful as the water surrounded him and he drowned. The camera briefly showed Lucas having the same fate.
Susan didn't give him a second glance as she also found the cliff that Annie was at the top off, Susan ran up the cliff; giving herself a chance to take a breath as she reached the top. Susan fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
"Susan, are you alright?" Annie asked, yelling over the loud water, she hesitantly placed a hand on Susan's back.
Susan looked up and then flinched away from Annie, raising her knife in warning.
"You!" Susan yelled, pointing her knife at Annie. Annie raised her trident hesitantly.
"Susan, calm down. Please." Annie pleaded.
"No, I have been waiting for this for the past week; since you stole my bag!" Susan replied, somewhat crazed she cut the air with her knife, getting closer to Annie.
Annie stepped back soon she was on the edge of the cliff, "Susan, I'm sorry. Let's talk about this." She glanced down the cliff, now the water was halfway up the steep hill, and it was rising quickly.
"We don't have time to talk about this." Susan stalked forward.
Annie suddenly quickly made her way behind Susan, so now Susan was on the edge with a trident at her head. Susan turned around, shock covering her features as the water reached their feet.
"I can swim out of this, Susan." Annie said desperately, "You can't let me help you."
Susan shook her head, the water creeping up her legs, "No I won't let you."
Susan suddenly lost her balance and fell back into the mass of water; Annie tried to grab her hand to help her, but it was too late.
"Ladies and Gentlemen the seventy-sixth annual Hunger Games winner, Annie Cresta from District 4!" A male voice who I did not recognize shouted over the arena.
The water was evaporating quickly, a hovercraft was landing, and Annie was in shock. She stared at the spot where Susan had fallen as the camera zoomed in on her face.
The hovercraft landed and peacekeepers started filling out to get Annie.
"No!" Annie yelled suddenly, "I cannot leave them! They are my friends! No!" She screamed and kicked as the peacekeepers lifted her and carried her into the hovercraft.
A/N: Thanks for reading!
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