Chapter 3

In my mind I review the remaining tributes. There's the two from District 1, Marco and Alice, who I am pretty sure are camping out in District 11. The only one left from 2 is a girl named Linda, who might be teamed up with another career. From 3 there's the girl Amaranth, who looked cold and calm like me on the televised reaping. There's Tara from 4, Sheena from 5, Pluto and Saffron from 7, and Chiron from 8. Which tribute would know how to disable an electric fence?

Then it hits me, the girl from 3, Amaranth. District 3 specializes in electronics. What if Amaranth is working her way down from District 3 right now? Slowly making her way to District 12. At least she might not know that Violet is in the cornucopia.

A cannon shot confirms my suspicion. Either Linda found and killed Amaranth in her first attempt at murder or the clever girl from 3 outwitted her. I pray to myself that Amaranth will have to turn in for the night and not make it to District 12. My final thoughts before I drift off to sleep are that I hope she doesn't find me.

I wake up coughing, smoke filling my lungs. The sky shows that it is morning, being a brilliant light blue, but it is shrouded in thick black smoke. I quickly scramble to my feet and look in the direction of the fire. My eyes widen as I see District 11 burning to the ground.

So there goes the career's food supply, and possibly the careers themselves. This explains the capitol's logic, when both tributes from a district are killed; their district goes along with them, thereby eliminating the product from that district. It is clear what the capitol is saying, be careful whom you eliminate, it might just cause your downfall.

That's good, I haven't killed anyone yet, but Amaranth might just be finding out the hard way. I take off running from District 12, hardly knowing what I'm doing until I reach the cornucopia.

"Stay back!" A feminine voice shrieks at me.

I simply reply by drawing my bow and pointing an arrow straight at Violet's face, "Listen, if you let me in, I have something important to tell you."

Violet is quiet for a while. I can tell she doesn't trust me after what happened last night with the rock. Finally, she whispers only loud enough so that I can just barely hear, "Come in only if you promise you wont kill me."

I nod, and put withdraw my bow. I'm surprised that most of Violet's bags of food are gone when I enter.

"What happened to all of your stuff? When I came here last night, you had a whole cornucopia full of goodies," I ask the girl who so resembles Haymitch. Her eyes have the same steady look, like she can read your mind.

"That trickster from 7, Saffron, took it all while I was unconscious," Violet looks forlornly around the once full cornucopia.

"How did you know it was her?" I ask, puzzled.

Violet stares back at me coldly, "The other guy from 7, Pluto came in later today and teased me about letting her get away with all of my stuff. I wanted to tear his pathetic throat out, the jerk!"

"And they didn't kill you, why?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Something about Marco's orders," Violet replies, "The careers from 1 are teaming up with the people from 7 and that girl Sheena from 6."

"How did you set up camp in the cornucopia last night?" I hunger for answers.

"Well, Flora from 11 and I decided to form an alliance, after the bloodbath at the cornucopia where the other guy from her district Fidelius was killed. We hid in District 11 until nightfall, when I decided to search the cornucopia for more useful items. I left her, heard the scream and the cannon later on, and decided just to stay here with all of the stuff," Violet sighs, "Poor Flora, she seemed so young."

"You're the same age as her," I say, but looking at Violet's face, I conclude that she looks more mature, fierce even. It's the harsh conditions in the Seam that did it to her, that does it to almost every child.

"I guess so," Violet laughs weakly, "I kind of forgot what with all of the commotion."

She lifts one of the few remaining backpacks and snatches up a silver knife from the floor, "So Leon, what was this important information you wanted to give me?"

I eye the knife and set my hand on the bow, just in case, "When both tributes die from one district the district burns."

Violet's eyes widen in surprise, "Which ones are gone?"

"District 11 for sure, I nearly choked to death this morning from the smoke," I gesture at the smoldering remains of the eleventh district.

"Oh my," Violet says, slowly rising to her feet, but then dropping down onto the floor again. She looks very dizzy and disoriented.

"Are you okay?" I ask, kneeling down to her.

"Fine," She closes her eyes and nods slowly.

I stare at Haymitch's sister. At the terrible condition I accidentally put her in. I remember Haymitch's final words to me: "Take care of Violet. If you don't she'll be dead by the second day, knowing her." She's survived one day so far, but in this condition, she won't make it much further. I just hope that some careers don't find her in this state.

I look into her eyes, "Look, I'm sorry for hurting you," I begin, "I had no idea it was you and I thought-"

Violet interrupts me by holding up her hand to silence me. She smiles knowingly and says, "Isn't that what the hunger games are all about? Hurting people? It's not your fault, Leon."

Pausing for a moment to think about her words, I stand in the cornucopia entrance, fully vulnerable. Finally, I nod and leave, walking at a slow pace across the grass. I know where I am heading. District 10, where they have probably moved to after the burning of District 11.

I am joining up with the careers.