Cashmere Vallen - District One Female Tribute
"Let the 64th Annual Hunger Games begin in 60..59..58.." Claudius Templesmith says over the loudspeaker of the arena.
I look out around at my surroundings. To my left is a huge mountain that seems to go on for miles. To my right is a lake, and a good sized field. The Cornucopia is right in front of me, with its mouth gaping open full of dangerous weapons that I can't wait to get my hands on. There's food and other supplies as well, which we'll definitely need as I don't think there'll be another food source in the arena.
"30...29...28...27.."
I glance around searching for my allies. I find Spark, my other district tribute, a few tributes down to my right. We nod in agreement of our pre-spoken plan. We run to the Cornucopia, meet up with Libra and Leo from 2 and kill who we can during the bloodbath.
"10...9..8...7.."
"Only a few seconds left" I think. I crouch down on my pedestal and prepare to run.
The gong sounds and I'm off. I make it to the Cornucopia seconds after Spark does. He grabs a knife and tosses it to me. "District 6 behind you" he says. I turn around and stab the girl from 6 in the heart. The canon sounds and I triumphantly pull my knife out. I hear two more cannons and turn to see Spark pulling his own knife out of the District 12 boy and I see Libra from 2 towering over the girl from 11 with her spear still stuck in her heart. They both run over to me and I see Leo in a distance fighting with another tribute, the boy from 7, I think.
"3 down." says Libra.
"Four actually." I say and point to Leo who is running to join us. He reaches us just as the cannon sounds.
"No time to talk, we're losing tributes." he says.
I look around to see that some of the tributes have indeed left their own pedestals and have made their way towards the are fighting each other, with a few dropping to their death every so often. Only a few still remain with the opportunity for us to kill them. I see the small frail girl from 12 hasn't even left her pedestal. Libra follows my eyes, sees that the girl is still there, and runs to make the kill. Spark and Leo go off to take care of the larger brute from 10 who's stupidly trying to grab some food from the Cornucopia. I glance around and see the girl from 3 running to the forest. She's close enough that I can hit her with a running start. I run for her, toss my knife and the cannon sounds promptly three seconds later. I go to retrieve my knife and any supplies she had and then return to the Cornucopia.
The other three return as well. I see they come back with only their weapons they used to make the kills. I know that those other tributes had something. At the very least a jacket we all were provided with upon entering. They should've grabbed everything those dead tributes had on them. We don't know what kind of tricks the Gamemakers could play on us. I start to speak up but decide not to. I know I'm smarter than them but now is not the time to show it. Especially when Spark seems very angry about how few we've killed. We sit down to discuss what's happened and what our next move is.
"Not as well as we could've done." says Spark.
"We got some kills in." says Leo.
"Yeah but mostly the weaker ones who would've died within the day. We only got one major competitor." replies Spark.
"The boy from 10.", I think. He was big and he had a score of 9 so naturally we planned to take him out first. Our only other competition is the girl from 8. She's fierce and can handle a knife pretty well from what I gathered from training. I saw the way she threw each blade with ease. I want her dead. She's the only competitor who I'm worried could take away my victory. All the other tributes were average to say the least.
"We'll get the girl tonight." I say confidently.
"We better." says Spark.
The canons begin to sound and signal the end of the bloodbath. We walk to lake to fill up our canteens with water so the hovercrafts can pick up the bodies. As we walk, I count the number of canons I hear.
"13." says Libra.
"Same. 13." I say.
As we walk back to the Cornucopia we continue to discuss strategy plans and munch on some apples. We talk and strategize for a few hours and then as the darkness of night begins to descend upon the arena, 2 cannons sound and we all look towards the sky.
"Wonder who it was." says Leo.
"We'll know soon enough." says Spark.
As if on cue, the anthem of Panem begins to play and we look towards the sky to see the deceased.
First the girl from 3, girl from 4, then both from 5, both from 6, both from 7, both from 9, boy from 10, both from 11 and both from 12.
"Wow, 15 on the first day. That has to be a record." says Libra.
"Yeah but we didn't kill most of them. Let's see how many we can kill tonight." says Spark, grabbing his pack of knives. He stands and begins to go towards the mountain.
We quickly follow and head into the darkness.
We return around morning with only one fresh kill; the boy from 3. No one else bothered to take anything; probably because they assume we've got everything we need back at the Cornucopia. But I take the dead boy's jacket anyways; it is getting colder. I search his pack but he had was an empty canteen. It wasn't of much use to me or anyone else in my alliance since we have more canteens than we needed, so I left it on him. Better for the hovercraft to take it away from everyone than letting it help another tribute.
We head back to the Cornucopia and then Libra volunteers to take the first watch. Leo lays his head down and instantly falls asleep. I hesitate, because I'm still wary of Libra. But I trust Spark, he is from my district. He gives me a slight nod and I lay down. I'm only asleep for a few hours when the sound of hushed voices wakes me up. I open my eyes and hear Libra and Spark talking quietly behind me. I decide to listen in and pretend to stay asleep.
"He's weak. Yeah he can fight and he's good with a spear and stuff, but he's weak. He won't win. " says Libra.
I listen and try not to let the shocked gasp escape from my lips. "What is she talking about? She's betraying Leo! She's betraying me!" I think as I glance towards a sleeping Leo a few feet away.
"Cashmere is stronger than Leo, but she isn't like us. She wants to win but not like we want to. She just wants to get back home to her family. She has that stupid brother or hers and then 2 younger sisters. She cares about them too much and it is going to affect her performance in these Games." says Spark.
"What better reason is there for winning the Games than to get home to my family?" I think.
"How much longer should we stay with them?" asks Libra.
"They're planning to leave the alliance." I realize. "Or worse, they'll kill us while we're sleeping."
"Let's give them until tomorrow night. Then I'll take the first watch. When they're good and asleep, we'll kill them and then take care of the rest of the tributes." says Spark.
I can't believe this. They're betraying us and only one day into the Games. My only way to get out is to kill them first. I glance around, looking for my knives. They're down by my knees. If I grab them quickly, I can kill Spark first, then Libra. Of course if I kill them, then I'll have to kill Leo too, but that was going to happen eventually anyways. I decide to go through with my plan, I start to reach for my knives when Libra speaks again:
"Can you watch now? I'm getting tired."
"Actually, I'm tired too. I'll wake Cashmere and tell her to watch." Spark says.
I instantly pretend to sleep again. Spark gently shakes my shoulder and it's all I can do not to punch him in the face. But I pretend that I'm being woken from a peaceful sleep, even though it kills me to do so.
"Hey. It's your turn to watch." he says.
I nod, grab my knives and glance at Libra. She's sound asleep. She's also laid down right next to the spot where I was sleeping. They've made this too easy. They're a lot dumber than I thought. "I may not be the strongest one, but I'm sure not the dumbest." , I think, as Spark lays down in my old spot. I go and sit where she was and wait a few minutes until I'm sure they're asleep. Then I grab my 2 knives and stand over Spark and Libra.
"And now, it's your turn to die". I say as I plunge my knives into their hearts.
The cannons sound instantly and the noise awakens Leo from his sleep.
"What….what happened?" he asks nervously as he sees me standing over two dead bodies that used to be our allies.
"They were talking about betraying us. So I killed them. So now you're either with me, or against me. I can kill you just as easily as I did them. What do you want me to do?" I reply.
"Well now we're down to 6 tributes. Let's go kill four more and then it's down to us." he says.
I nod and we begin to pack up our supplies. We start walking towards the mountain with Leo a few steps ahead of me.I hope he's as dumb as Spark and Libra. He seems a bit too trusting of me, seeing I just killed our allies but he's still a good asset. I think about killing him right now, but I'd rather face the girl from 8 with an ally. Plus if she kills him in the process, then I kill her, it's a win-win.
We walk all day and find no one. We stop and rest the night in a small cave on the outside of the mountain. No doubt there are some tributes up there hiding, but we'll worry about that tomorrow. The anthem plays and shows only the faces of Spark and Libra and the boy from 3. We settle in for the night and I take the first watch and then wake Leo halfway through through the night for his turn. I shouldn't be this trusting but I think my threat of killing him earlier has scared him from doing anything. I know I could kill him in seconds and he knows it too.
The next few days are filled with us walking around the forest by the mountain. I hoping we come in contact with someone, these Games are getting boring.
We continue walking and make our way back to the little cave we found our first night away from the Cornucopia. Leo takes the first watch and before long morning arrives.
We wake before dawn and eat some of the leftover food we found in the Cornucopia for breakfast.
"We should look in the mountain. I bet there's more tributes up there." Leo says.
"Well… it looks kinda dangerous. We don't know what could be up there." I say
"Whatever or whoever is up there is no match for us. We'll kill them." Leo says confidently.
"You're right. We could kill anything up there. But I'm still not so sure. What if the Gamemakers are planning to do something to it?" I say.
He looks down at his shoes with defeat. He knows I'm right, the Games have been moving quickly. The first two days were full of death but these past four days have had no deaths at all. Nothing major has happened so no doubt the Gamemakers are planning something. And that giant mountain has the potential for many disasters.
"We'll wait and see what happens and then make a plan from there." I say and begin to head back to the forest to look for tributes.
"We'll wait and see what happens today." he says with force.
I turn around and glare at him.
"We'll see what happens today and then go to the mountain at dusk." he says again with more force than before.
This isn't good. He thinks he has all the power. I've been too kind to him. I need to show him that I'm the leader, not him. I weigh out my options. I can agree and look weak to him or I can stand up to him and possibly get killed. They way he's gripping his spear is frightening and I can see the thirst for blood in his eyes. Spark and Libra were wrong, he does want to win this and he will kill anyone who steps in his way.
Fortunately, I don't have to decide. I hear a cannon sound and some rustling behind Leo. Leo runs to stand by me and a few seconds later the pair from 8 step out of the trees.
"Well this is a surprise. Didn't expect to find you here, away from your precious Cornucopia." says the girl from 8.
"Well we aren't your usual tributes." I say.
We stand there facing another, team versus team. No one makes the first move.
"Well if you won't kill first I will. I'd like to go home." says the boy from 8 as he moves towards Leo trying to stab him with his knife. Leo is too quick for him though and moves out of the way knocking me to the ground in the process. I try to get up quickly but the girl from 8 sees this as an opportunity and lunges at me and tackles me to keep me down.
"Kill her Gloria! I'll get the boy!" yells the boy from 8 as he chases off after Leo, who has run deep into the woods.
"Oh I will. And I'll enjoy it." she says wickedly.
She's stronger than me and as much as I try, I can't seem to get the upper hand.
"Are you trying to beat me? You know you can't." she taunts.
We wrestle a bit more. I try to get a hold of my knife which is just a few inches from my hands. If I can get it, I can kill her. A cannon sounds and this distracts her. She loosens her grip on my wrists and I'm able to grab my knife. I take my opportunity and stab her in the stomach. She tumbles off me, clutching her wound but she's still able to fight. We stand and I lunge at her again. I stab her in the arm. She lunges right back, and I'm not quick enough. I yelp with pain as the knife pierces through my thigh. We keep going at each other, stabbing here and there, making small cuts. I keep listening for the canon to sound for either the boy from 8's or Leo's death but it doesn't come. Finally after five agonizingly long minutes filled with pain for both me and Gloria, a cannon sounds.
Gloria and I pause for a minute. We both know that now one of us is wounded and without an ally, but who it is, we don't know. I hear a whoop of victory and then the sound of someone running towards us. I don't know if I want it to be Leo who runs through from the trees or the boy from 8. Both just make it harder for me to win.
Leo leaps through the trees and lunges his spear towards Gloria. He stabs her in the back, her eyes roll forward. She falls down, the cannon sounds and she's gone.
Now I know, Libra and Spark were wrong about Leo. He will fight to win. And if that means killing me to win, he will.
"Thanks. You got the boy from 8?" I ask.
"Yeah, wasn't to hard to do." he replies
"So now it's just us and either the girl from 10 or the boy from 4." I say.
"Let's stick together until they die. Let our fight be the final showdown." he says.
I think about it. I could kill him. Right here, right now. But I'm wounded, and since the boy from 8 was easy to kill, he seems to have walked away from their fight without a scratch. I could risk it, but then I'd be in no shape to go up against the boy from 4, who judging by his ease with a sword in training could kill me. The girl from 10 is only 14 and she's small. I don't know how she's survived this long. Unfortunately, I don't know which one of them is still alive. I look up, and see that it's almost dusk. The anthem will play soon and I'll know who has died and who I'd be up against. My wounds aren't too severe and I can probably get into better shape by tonight, if I rest for a few hours. I'll be able to kill him then, I decide.
"Okay." , I reply, "Till it's just us."
We head back into the cave. I inspect my thigh. It isn't too deep, but it will probably get infected if I don't do anything. But hopefully, I'll be out of this stupid arena before that happens.
I eat few crackers from my pack and drink the Gloria's water I took from her pack. I look to see if Leo was smart enough to grab the huge pack the boy from 8 had on him but he didn't take it. "He may have become bloodthirsty, but at least he hasn't become too smart." I think.
Leo looks like he's about to fall asleep when the anthem plays. I head outside to see who my other, final opponent is. I smile widely as I see the boy from 4's face in the sky. No doubt Gloria and her ally killed him. Now all I have left to do is kill Leo and the girl from 10 and I can go home. I'm about to walk in the cave when I see a small shadow in the distance. It looks like the shape of a girl. I smile and begin to walk towards her with my knife ready but I stop. If I kill her now, then I have to face Leo in that small cave or I run away into the woods with no supplies with a bloodthirsty Leo on my back. Or my other option. I could tell Leo I saw the girl, let him kill her and then while he's killing her, I could kill him. It's very very risky, but worth it. I'm in no shape to face Leo yet and if I catch him off guard while he's killing the girl, then he won't have time to fight back.
I run back to the cave where Leo is waiting outside for me. I am reminded of my thigh injury and I start to slow down as I near the cave.
"The boy from 4 is dead. I saw the girl from 10 a few yards away. She's close and we can catch her." I say.
"Well c'mon. Let's go." Leo says and takes off running.
I run too and I struggle to keep up. Fortunately the girl from 10 isn't fast and just as I reach Leo, the cannon sounds. I raise my knife, ready to strike when Leo turns around and pushes me backwards.
I stumble into a tree, shocked at Leo.
"I thought you might pull something like this Cashmere. You're smart, but not smart enough. And you're weak and wounded now. You won't be the Victor of these games. No matter how badly you want it." he says.
I don't respond. As he walks closer, I prepare myself. I think he'll strike my hurt thigh first, he'll try to wound me harder there before he tries anywhere else. It's an expected move, it's dumb and a beginner's move but it will be very effective if he succeeds. He comes closer and just as his knife comes swinging towards my thigh, I jump out of the way and turn around on him. He turns around surprised.
"Well you're smarter than I gave you credit for. But not strong enough to take me down. I will win this." he says.
He runs at me and lunges for me again. He strikes my arm and I cry out in pain and drop my knife. Before he can retreat though, I give him a good punch to the eye. He is so startled he drops his knife as well.
I stumble to pick up my knife but it's gone. I look to Leo's knife and see it vanish into the ground. "Gamemakers" I think. "They must want us to give them a real show."
And I'll give them a great show.
I look to Leo. I now know he is weaponless because he left his spear back at the cave. He thinks I'm weaponless as well and says:
"Looks like we'll have to take care of this the old-fashioned way."
"Not quite." I say as I pull a spare knife from my inside jacket pocket. It's smaller than my regular one but still very useful. His eyes go wide with fear for a split second but then the retreat to their normal stance of want. A want for my blood. A want for the crown on his head. A want for the title of "Victor". Unfortunately, I'm not going to give that want any satisfaction.
"I'm going to go home. We both know I'm the stronger one. You can't win with that little knife. You're going to go home but not alive. You'll go home stone cold in a wooden coffin." he says tauntingly.
I tackle him to the ground and stab him a few times but miss the major arteries and organs.
"Looks like you're the one going home stone cold in a wooden coffin" I say as I plunge my knife through his heart.
"Congratulations to the Victor of the 64th Hunger Games, Cashmere Vallen of District One" says Claudius, his voice ringing through the now empty arena.
"I'm going home." I think. "I'm going home."