I open my eyes. The sun is shining through the trees onto my face. I sit up, forgetting about my back. Surprisingly, it doesn't hurt too much. I stand up and start jogging around in a circle. It still doesn't hurt much. Just a tiny tingly pain that I can deal with. I look around me, excited to tell Nick and Lucas. No one. They've gone. It's only me. I clean up the things around me. I put the things scattered on the floor into my backpack. I look around again, this time for footprints. It's no use. The ground is full of twigs which would cover up any footprints. I start to climb a tree nearby, looking all over the place for Nick and Lucas. No sign of them. I climb back down and sit on a rock.
Something flies past me. It's not a bird. It's a spear. I turn around and look in the direction it came from. A girl appears in front of me. It's the district 1 girl.
"Sorry," she says, blowing a strand of orange hair off of her face. "I thought you were someone else." She sits down next to me. "I know where Nick and Lucas are. Down by the river. I can take you to them."
I don't trust her.
"Come on," she continues. "I'm not going to kill you."
I get up hesitantly and grab the spear.
"You would really kill me?" she asks, a smile appearing on her face. "Is that how you want to play it? Oh, you really are a funny one. Stupid too, to think that you can kill me." Her voice changes from innocent to angry. "You can't win. You're thirteen. Weak, easy target."
I drop the spear. How dare she say that?
"Face it, you're not going to win," she whispers in my ear. She's behind me now. She quickly pulls my arms back and starts tying my hands up with some rope. I wriggle and squirm and try to stop her. Nothing works.
"There," she says. "All ready for me to get the others and kill you."
She pushes me to the ground with so much force. She leaves me. I'm stuck here waiting to be ambushed by a bunch of strong tributes. I need to get away.
I wriggle over to my backpack. I manage to unzip it with my hands. I reach into the bag. I feel around for the pocket knife. I feel something sharp and guess it's the pocket knife. I pull it out of the bag. I'm taking ages. I really have to be quick if I want to get away. I twist my wrist into a position so that the knife faces the rope. I start cutting. It's hard and tiring. Finally I cut the rope and free my hands. I grab the spear, pocket knife and backpack and start climbing one of the surrounding trees. I hear their voices in the distance but I keep climbing. Higher and higher.
"I've got her hands tied up so she can't do anything," the district 1 girl, Emily says.
"I can't wait to get my knife into her," says another familiar voice, Ruby.
"I wanted to do the honours," a boy's voice says. I think it's the district 1 boy, Lachlan.
"You got to kidnap her district partner," Ruby argues.
What! I can't have heard that right.
"I didn't kill him though," Lachlan replies. "Charlotte told me not to."
"Who cares what Charlotte says," Ruby says furiously. "Her district partner Lucas betrayed us, we shouldn't trust her."
"Will you please be quite?" Emily snaps at them both. "We are about to put on a good show, arguing is no way to start."
Ruby snorts in disagreement, but they stop arguing. I'm high up in the tree when they reach the spot again.
"I thought you trapped her here!" Ruby yells. "What is wrong with you?"
"I did," Emily retorts. "That stupid little girl got away."
I aim for Lachlan. My arm is back ready to throw. I let the spear lose and it goes flying into Lachlan.
It pierces through his chest and he falls to the ground.
"Lachlan!" Ruby screams.
They curse and swear as Lachlan's life fades away.
"That stupid little girl is smarter than I expected," Emily yells.
Ruby starts tapping her on the shoulder.
"Emily!" she shouts. "Emily! We have to get out of here!"