A/N:

Sorry this took so long guys- this part is harder to write than I thought it would be. Also, before I write any more, I'd really appreciate some clarification. So, my impression of the showing of the Hunger Games based on what I remember from reading the books is as follows:

There are tons of cameras all throughout the arena recording 24/7, but the Gamemakers choose only one camera feed to broadcast at a time (presumably somewhere in a control center), and they switch it up based on what is most exciting to watch. This is then broadcast to citizens of Panem 24/7.

Frankly, if this is true I am a bit surprised that Suzanne Collins never addressed (that I can remember) the effects of a 24/7 broadcast on those watching (i.e. Prim, Gale, Katniss' mom)- wouldn't they have experienced massive sleep deprivation? Anyway, if this is wrong, let me know in a message. Thanks!

Chapter 25:

The sixty seconds that Prim stands on her circular metal platform before the gong sounds quite possibly are the longest of my entire life.

In that minute, I stare at the TV screen, oblivious to Haymitch and Peeta and the shouts of the betters and everything else that is going on around me. I watch intently as the camera pans from tribute to tribute. I try to take everything in that I can. Their full-body snowsuit-type uniforms appear fairly protective- they are mostly comprised of some sort of puffy synthetic material (presumably waterproof) constructed at the Capitol, and the tributes are all wearing hats and sturdy-looking boots. I would expect nothing less, however, if the Capitol intends for any of the tributes to survive overnight- you can see their breath.

Once I realize that they've been moderately well-equipped in attire, I look at their faces to distinguish the tributes from one another. The camera first lingers on Annella. Despite the circumstances, I stifle a laugh. Her turtleneck has a huge gash in the front, allowing her cleavage to show- her stylist must have realized that the added male sponsorship far outweighed any cold that the tear introduced to Annella's skin. She looks nervous but completely in control. The camera pans to the other tributes. Silk, Ruby, Stone, Nutmeg, and, well, Paavo, look as if they've been waiting for this moment their entire lives. A few others look like Annella, confident yet anxious. Everyone else looks pretty appropriately terrified. And then there's Prim. When the camera shows her face, she's wearing that warrior-like mask again- the one that I have difficulty fathoming belonging to my sister. I feel a surge of hope. I don't believe for a second that she isn't awfully frightened underneath it, but seeing her this way leads me to believe that she's capable of keeping her emotions in check.

I wonder about the plan for the alliance now that there's been something literally thrown into the mix- the rocks are completely in the way. For the four headed into the Cornucopia, how are they going to get past them? For those that aren't, how are they going to communicate where to meet up? With the rock barricades there really is no way for them to see each other across the Cornucopia; from afar their uniforms are a shade of blue light enough to blend in with the snowy background, or sky for that matter. Hopefully the tributes in the alliance are good at figuring out contingencies.

I don't have the opportunity to ponder this possibility very long. The gong rings out.

I wish I could just watch my sister. The butterflies in my stomach all take flight simultaneously; I have to fight to keep last night's meal down. I just want to see that she's all right, until- well, she's not. Watch every move that she makes. Unfortunately, while the bloodbath is occurring, they generally give all the tributes fairly equal camera time. So I'll only get to watch her for a couple of seconds for every minute of the Games.

Silk, Stone, Paavo, Joel, and Jack immediately get to work on moving the large rocks out of the way. It takes all of their effort, though- even in the cold you can see sweat start to accumulate on their foreheads as they struggle to lift such heavy weights so quickly. The few girls that try to muscle their way around the rocks don't fair quite as well. Ruby and Nutmeg are probably the strongest- they seem to be able to lift as heavy a weight as the guys can- but they move significantly slower doing it. The other girls- Annella included- succeed in dislodging a few of the smaller rocks, but not enough to free a body width. And when they go to move the larger ones, they don't budge.

The camera finally zooms in on Prim, who is carefully examining the moss on the rocks and starting to scrape it off with her fingernails. Good grief. Again with the plants.

The girl from District 5 and the boy from District 9 almost simultaneously have the idea to try to sidestep the rock wall obstacle simply by stepping into the 'snow'. Since they can't see one another, unfortunately they don't have each other to learn from. The second that they do, they plummet downward and out of sight- the snow has to be at least 10 feet deep. There is no splash or thud, the snow doesn't turn into acid or develop tendrils that pull the tributes under, but after a few seconds a white gas starts to escape into the sky, and soon after both tributes begin to scream.

Haymitch leans over and slurs to Peeta and I. "I think the snow is shaved dry ice- frozen carbon dioxide," he says. "It's used by the laboratories in the Capitol. It's incredibly cold, and it sublimates- it doesn't exist as a liquid. So this snow will cause frostbite much more quickly than the regular stuff and it won't be a source of water. Lucky them."

I nod, my eyes fixated on the screen. I can't tear them away.

The two tributes in the snow stop screaming, their bodies undoubtedly going into shock. No one is about to risk their life to save them, and they won't survive the hypothermia that is sure to kick in. They're goners. Though the cannon won't confirm it until the action at the Cornucopia has stopped.

Not that there is any action- yet. But there soon will be. The camera turns to Paul, the towering District 7 tribute. With a running start, a several foot vertical jump, and an extreme height advantage, he is able to grab the top of the wall and with sheer strength pull himself up, scaling the wall without dismantling it. He will have to climb it again assuming he turns around, but that is of little concern at the moment. He is first over the wall. Though he isn't one of the original four slated to collect a weapon, in an instant he realizes that he's the first one over and stands the best chance of retrieving anything without getting hurt. He dashes into the Cornucopia straight for his weapon of choice (and the alliance's) - a bright shiny new axe.

Some of the other tributes are not quite so triumphant. A few of the girls, abandoning the idea of moving the rocks altogether, instead try to climb them, but to no avail. The moss has rendered the surfaces of the rocks incredibly slippery. The cameras show several of the tributes trying to put their fingers in the gaps between the rocks and hoisting themselves up. But there is only unsuccessful attempt after unsuccessful attempt as the tributes slip off of the rocks and crash to the ground.

It is then that I realize that Prim is a genius. In pulling away the thick layer of moss, not only has Prim removed the primary source of the slipperiness but has also revealed even deeper grooves in the rocks to better pull herself up. The camera realizes this at the same time I do and cuts back to her, just in time to see Prim scrambling up the side of her rock wall. All of that tree climbing did pay off.

The camera then shifts back to Annella. Why, I can't quite figure out at first, because she had no luck at all scaling the rock wall with all of the moss- until I see a little silver parachute dropping onto her metal circle. Sponsors in the first few minutes! I don't know if I've ever seen that before- but Annella isn't exactly your typical female tribute. She quickly opens the container to find a climbing anchor connected to a rope. She immediately gets the idea, attaching the anchor to as far up as she can get on the wall, and begins to ascend it.

A couple of the others are fast on her tail though. Stone, Paavo, Joel, and Silk are all making excellent progress. Surely they will all gain access to the Cornucopia within the next minute or two. Jack, the District 8 tribute in the alliance, is also moving rocks, but since he is not as powerful as the Careers, he is a little ways behind the others.

Meanwhile, Paul is still at the Cornucopia, wildly gathering food and water, matches and flint, anything that he can fit, and stuffing them frantically into his bag. Prim arrives and instantly goes for the knife. She also disappears into the Cornucopia and comes out a moment later brandishing a large flat plastic disc- a sled. It is unassuming but may be the most important tool for survival yet. It is an emergency exit- right from where they are, with no additional running or climbing required- the terrain slopes downward out from the Cornucopia. She calls out Paul's name and holds it up for him to see; he nods ever-so-slightly in return. With this newly hatched last-ditch escape plan, armed and together, they don't move from the Cornucopia, but rather seem to be waiting for whoever makes it over/around the wall next.

That person ends up being Annella, thanks to her sponsors. Unfortunately, not five seconds have elapsed after her arrival when Silk has moved enough rocks to appear on the far side of the wooden path. Prim and Annella freeze, eyes bulging, unsure of what to do, when Silk begins running up the path right towards them. But Paul, already with the axe in his hand, takes a swing. Not at Silk- he's still way too far away- but at the wooden walkway at the edge of the Cornucopia leading right to him. Paul strikes wood hard, but needs several more swings before something happens. But not all that many. Turns out, the wooden pathways are not very thick, and were suspended over the snow like a bridge. Silk keeps running but can feel the tension release beneath him. He grabs the edges of the wood with his hands and hangs on for dear life as the bridge collapses deep into the snow. Silk remains on the wood, somewhat insulated from the cold, but is now far out of reach of the Cornucopia. If someone doesn't rescue him, he's in trouble.

Prim, Paul, and Annella breathe a sigh of relief- until they look up and see that Stone and Paavo have now gotten around their rock walls as well. Not wanting to see what Paavo is willing to do to project himself as the loner in front of Stone, Prim shouts out the only thing that she can think of.

"Run! Now!"

Paul doesn't argue- he starts barreling across the Cornucopia to where Prim has the sled. Unfortunately, it's taking him a little time, as he is completely weighed down with provisions. Annella takes a second, too, as she was frantically searching for her trident. Prim mounts the sled and shouts one more time.

"NOW!"

By this point Paavo and Stone are both running toward them. Annella and Paul, realizing the gravity of the situation, accelerate towards Prim. As if by magic, Annella's long sought after trident catches her eye in the snow, a mere few feet from where Prim is positioned with the sled. Annella quickly plucks it from the ground as they jump on the sled with a running start and the three of them glide over the snow away from imminent danger- for the time being.

We are less than fifteen minutes into the Quell. While Prim's heart may still be beating, my heart feels like it's sputtering with no rhythm whatsoever and I feel like I have almost had a brain aneurysm at least twice. Never mind Prim. How I am going to survive days or even weeks of this is beyond me.