Chapter 4:
Before Katniss even had time to adjust to her surroundings, she found herself sprinting off the launch pad towards an orange pack and towards the other tributes.
But she'd missed her window of getting the better equipment because Peeta looked at her and shook his head. She was perplexed as to what that meant, while she tried to figure it out, she wasted valuable seconds and the gong sounded.
Damn it Peeta!
Although Haymitch warned Katniss to get away from the starting area and head to a source of water, she couldn't leave without something. Luckily for her, the career pack were far too concerned with getting the best gear than with the stragglers furthest away.
Katniss grabbed hold of the pack just as a boy (from district 9 Katniss thought) reaches the pack and they both grapple for it. Then he coughs and blood splatters over Katniss' face, he then drops the pack and falls to the ground, dead.
Katniss was repulsed by the warm, sticky liquid and was shocked and confused about this boy's weird death, until she saw a knife sticking out of his back. She put the orange backpack's straps on both shoulders hastily.
She saw the knife thrower running at her, clutching her many knifes. Katniss turned and ran to the tree-line, hoping the trees would cover her from being hit with any projectiles (as wanted their secret alliance to be believable).
"Thunk!" Katniss felt her pack get heavier and she knew from the training room that Clove never missed.
As Katniss sped away, hidden by the trees' long green arms, she almost felt at home. And now at least she had a weapon.
She pulled the knife out of her pack. Thanks Clove.
By late afternoon, Katniss hears the cannons, they are fired every time a tribute is killed. The fighting at the Cornucopia must have stopped.
Katniss listens as the cannon fires eleven times; eleven are dead. Thirteen candidates are left. It must have been a bloodbath.
Katniss slowed her pace to a fast walk, thinking that she had put enough distance between her and the others. I wonder if Peeta's still alive? She would bet money on it that Clove was fine. If she died, it would be too easy for her.
Exhausted, Katniss sat down on a large rock to examine her backpack. It was bright orange, which meant camouflage was a must. Inside was a sleeping bag, crackers, beef strips, iodine, matches, wire, sunglasses and an empty water bottle.
Katniss held the water bottle up against the sunlight that peered though the gaps in the leaves. There was not a single drop. Great. Now water's my top priority.
Katniss remembered there was a lake back by the Cornucopia, but she reasoned that the careers would use that as their main camp. Besides, she was too far away to backtrack now even if she did manage to find a way past the career pack.
So Katniss kept going onward.
Katniss knew it would be dark soon, so she set two snares near a cluster of willow trees that Katniss thought could hide her reasonably well and darkened her pack with dirt (although she knew it would be better with mud, but this wouldn't be possible without water).
By the time she was done, it was getting dark. She nimbly climbed up the tree, got in her sleeping bag and strapped herself to the branch using her belt.
After watching the anthem and seeing all of the dead tributes (Clove and Peeta weren't included), Katniss drifted off to sleep.
Katniss awoke from her thankfully silent slumber by a snap of a twig. Katniss was on full alert, her senses sharpened to a knife point. She didn't dare make a sound.
Whoever this person was, they weren't very stealthy. Katniss could hear their footfalls go a short distance away and then slump down on the ground.
To Katniss' disbelief, this person then started a fire. That's so stupid, the careers will come right to us! Katniss was aware that it was bitterly cold and she did have a sleeping pack, but she would much rather be cold than dead.
The bright orange flames came to life and illuminated the trees around them. The candidate that started the fire had his back to Katniss and was huddled close to the fire, shivering slightly.
A column of smoke drifted into the sky, this would act as a beacon to the careers if they were further away. Anyone close to them would certainly know someone was here. The fire sent a message that was: 'I'm right here! Kill me already!'
Katniss waited and waited. Their immanent arrival was obviously going to happen, but there was nothing she could do but wait it out. It was a good thing Katniss had a hunter's patience.
Katniss watched, concealed in the trees as sure enough, the pack came along and killed the poor idiot. He begged and begged, but it made no difference. He fool was silenced permanently.
"Twelve down, eleven to go!" Someone shouted and was met by the laughter and hoots of the rest of them.
There were two boys and three girls. One of them was Clove.
They walk closer to Katniss' hiding place and she tries not to do so much as breathe. They walk under Katniss' tree. Katniss can see Clove below her. Clove's eyes glance up, meet Katniss' for a second (she forgets to breathe) and glance away as if nothing happened.
"The cannon hasn't fired, Lover Boy go check he's dead." Clove calls. She almost falls out of the tree. Lover Boy? That's what the careers call Peeta!
Then Katniss sees him. He's limping and bruised but it's him none the less and then he goes out of her sight.
"Cato why don't we just kill him?" A girl whispered.
"Because he could lead us straight to twelve stupid. She got an eleven, she's a threat." He answered. It took Katniss a moment to realise they were talking about her.
Peeta must have come back. "She's dead." Peeta said bluntly. Sure enough, a cannon fired after that sentence.
"Let's go back to the Cornucopia, we're wasting our time staying here any more than we have to." Cato said.
Katniss stayed deadly still until she was sure they were far away. It was still the middle of the night and Katniss was sure that the careers wouldn't come back so soon. Without realising it, she fell asleep again.
"Katniss." A soft, quiet voice said. Katniss was shaken gently.
Katniss opened her eyes and looked at Clove, who had somehow managed to get away from the careers and up the tree without waking Katniss.
"Hey." She smiled. "I thought you must not have got anything good back at the Cornucopia so I brought you some water." She handed Katniss a full water bottle.
"I'm sorry I couldn't bring anything else, they might have gotten suspicious. Especially if I gave you a weapon, Cato supervises those himself." Clove said as Katniss drank from the bottle.
Katniss felt rejuvenated. "Thanks Clove. I would have dehydrated." Katniss pulled the girl into a hug. Clove froze for a second, then returned the hug.
Katniss was happy to feel the warmth of Clove's body against hers, it had been so long since she had felt close to someone and Clove's unexpected appearance was a welcomed one.
"It's okay. You're not hurt are you?" She asked, concerned.
"No I'm fine." Katniss smiled at the worry in Clove's voice. "Are you sure they won't notice you're gone?" Katniss asked.
"I'll be fine if I head back soon. I said I'd petrol the area."
Katniss had to ask. "Have you seen Rue recently? The little girl from eleven?"
Clove's eyebrows creased in thought and she frowned. "No... I don't think so. Have you formed an alliance with her?"
"Not officially. She just... Reminds me of my sister." Katniss said, with a note of sadness in her tone. Katniss emptied the bottle and Clove took it back.
"I know it's hard to believe, but the pack is quite organised. They keep stock of everything we have. So, sorry but you can't keep the bottle."
Katniss nodded in agreement. "Okay. I'll see you soon?"
"Yes, but hopefully not with the pack following me." She grinned.
Clove slid down the tree trunk gracefully and landed on the ground with a soft thud. "Be careful Clove." Katniss said softly.
Clove chuckled. "I'm more worried about you."
She looked as though she just remembered something. "Oh! By the way, apparently there's a stream a little way in that direction. It's really close, you can't miss it."
"Okay, thanks for everything, really." Katniss said.
Clove took one last look at Katniss, then dashed off back to the Cornucopia. Leaving Katniss alone once more.
Only one thought was on Katniss' mind: Don't go.