Chapter 9 – Day 2 – 13 Tributes
I'm waken up early by hundreds of birds chirping in the trees. I can see them plain as day, hanging all on the dead branches of the thin trees. They seem to stare at me, longing for something. As much as I try to ignore them, they continue to stare. Then, when the sun fully rises, they fly away. Only a few birds remain, but the ones that stay go about doing bird things. It's like they forgot they were ever staring.
My stomach begins to groan so I get myself together and stand up. I find more of the berries and I chew them slowly to really get the juices. I want my hydration to last a while. I fear that water will be too difficult to find, that it is something to make the game interesting. So many people will die due to dehydration, and I don't intend on being one of them.
After I eat, I practice throwing the knife I gained from the tribute at some of the trees for practice. It isn't a throwing knife, a bit more of a knife for cutting rope or branches, so it is a lot heavier than a normal throwing knife. It takes me a while to get the best throw from it, but once I do, I pack my things up and I'm on my way. My belongings are minimal; I just have berries in my pocket and knife in my hand. Water is my main concern. One can live about three days without food, but without water, one can only live about two days. It is already my second day, so at this point, water is a necessity.
The trees around me are calming at first but then they start to annoy me. I'm alone with nobody to talk to and trees surround me that all look the same. Trees with dead arms and no leaves. You can perfectly see the gray sky above. It looks as if it's about to snow but it's not. The air is too warm. I want to say about seventy degrees. I could practically strip of this jacket and pants because I'm starting to sweat so much.
By the afternoon, my tongue is dry and my throat is developing small spots that can never get enough saliva. I begin to worry for myself. Two days is only an estimate; I could easily die tonight. My stomach starts to gurgle, asking for more food. After eating the left over berries in my pocket, I relocate the place with the bushes and pluck and eat a ton of them, hoping their juice will suffice for now. It doesn't really, but it is the best I can do.
The day goes by slow but I mainly search around where the berries are for water. I figure that if there are so many bushes, they have to have a water source. Drinkable water must be close by.
At what I judge was eleven o'clock or so at night, a cannon fires. The Careers are out hunting again and have weeded out another weak tribute, so I'm not worried that it's Billee. He is too smart to die this early.
Half of us left.
I find a place in the bushes as I did last night. My hood helps me camouflage the light hair I have on my head from the moonlight. I'm sure nobody can recognize me in the mass of bushes I found. I'm literally laying down, covered up right in the middle of them.
The Capitol seal and the anthem show right on queue and presents one face, the boy from District 8 that died only an hour ago. Based off what I remember from last night, District 8 is completely eliminated at this point. I close my eyes and hear an owl hoot before I fall asleep. I feel alone.