Hi! I wasn't writing over the past week because I had exams and then Christmas, so now that is over and I have winter break! Anyway, let's get into the chapter!
~MiKayla
In the morning, the whole arena feels different. All the Careers are gone and only nine of us are left. I make a mental list of all of them and realize I don't know any of their names. I heard the interviews the year Haymitch won, who knew all of them, and he had a lot of problems afterward. I am happy that I don't know their names. I never want the pain of seeing their face in the sky, like Selena's.
I jump out of the tree and Candra follows. We start looking for food. Neither of us has the weapons to kill an animal and we also have no idea what plants are poisonous. Candra taps me on the shoulder and points up a tree. I turn around expecting to find an animal but I find the girl from 11.
"Don't." She whispers from the tree. She leaps down and knocks the leaves out of my hand.
"Those are poisonous." I like this girl. She is quiet and sneaky. She knows food. I think we should join her.
"Can you find us something that is edible?" She walks close to the ground, not even touching some. She finds a bunch of berries behind a tree. She picks a few and walks back to us. She holds them out.
I reach for one before Candra grabs my hand.
"You eat one first." Candra commands her. She eats one and nothing happens. I eat one and finally Candra gives in.
"What's your name?" I ask her. Candra gives me a look, which reads don't make friends with her. I can see the Career coming out.
"Blair." She whispers. I am about to ask her another question, when an announcement comes overhead.
"Tomorrow, there will be a feast at the Cornucopia!" Templesmith calls over. Candra perks up and Blair doesn't seem so excited.
"We are going!" Candra stands up and cleans her suit off.
"Are you sure we should do this?" I ask her. She nods like I am stupid.
"We could die." I tell her. She nods.
"We are going too eventually."
"What does that mean?"
"We're not going to make it especially with our new recruit. She's like 12!"
"So?"
"You are 14. No one has ever been that young."
"There is a first time for everything." I turn on my heel and motion for Blair to come with me.
"Ugh!" She turns around too and starts walking back to our previous camp.
That night, no one dies. Blair and I climb up a tree and make our plans for the feast. We are going to go to show off to Candra. We decide that I will go in while Blair stays in the tree. We are pretty sure everyone else is going to go to so she will be safe. In case something happens, she has to run to the Cornucopia because our tree is close enough that she can run it. Just like the first night, I can't sleep. That morning, people are already closing in on the Cornucopia. I jump from the tree and make my way too.
The doors open up and I can see the pack with my name on it. I make a run for it and somehow end up being the first one inside. I grab my pack, open it, and find a trident. It has to have cost a ton of money. I must have sponsors. I love Mags.
I leave the bag on the floor and guard the front of the Cornucopia. I throw my trident at the girl from 8 and she dies. I run over to retrieve it. I grab it out of her and take off toward Blair. I get there safely, and she isn't dead.
It turns out that Blair is even better at making nets than I am and we start weaving them out of grass. We make six nets, enough for everyone in the arena besides us. We decide to wait until tonight to use them. We hear two cannons go off from the feast. We look up in the sky to see the girl from 8, the boy from 8, and the girl from 6. We have extra nets now. I realize that at one point I might have to kill Candra or Blair. I don't want to do either.
The next morning, we set off to find someone. We plant a net near the river and hide up in a tree. We stare down at the net, waiting like a leopard ready to jump. Candra is walking along the riverside with her hand pressed against her forehead. She looks ready to faint. She steps on the trap and it springs up against a branch. I jump down from the tree so I can get a better angle.
"Come on Finnick, we were friends!" She screams at me from above. I don't think I can do this. I realize that I must. Before I can process what I am doing, the trident is out of my hands and flying through the air at Candra. Her screams suddenly stop. I pull the trident out of the net and Blair jumps down with me. We keep walking along. The good news is that everyone that I am scared of is out of the arena. The only person that I still kind of fear is Blair. She is my ally and sometimes allies can do the worst things to you, especially if you see or cause their death.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! And a Happy New Year too if I don't post before then, but I probably will!