Jonah Breaker, District Four
The Capitol probably thought I would be long dead by now. Since I was from Four, obviously all I knew how to do was swim and fish. As a matter of fact, I did know how to swim and fish, which was exactly why I didn't spend any time training for that. I spent all my time at the survival stations, and as a result, I knew what a cactus looked like. In this scorched, sun-dried Arena, a lot of us would die of thirst, but I wouldn't be among them. I gently tugged off one of the cactus' spiny arms and sucked at the spongy flesh within.
I ran a handful of sand through my fingers and pretended it was from the beaches back home. I longed for the cool water all around me, sliding across my skin and washing the grit away. A breeze blew the sand in my face, and I coughed dryly. Specks of dirt coated my tongue.
Something shimmered in the distance. I peered closer, wondering if it was another mirage. I'd heard of them before, but here they were real. If I hadn't known the puddles I had seen before weren't real, I would have followed them until I couldn't go any farther.
This wasn't a mirage. The form drew closer and I realized it was another Tribute. It looked like a girl from the long hair. She was crawling toward me with her head barely up over the sand. Her skin was red and strips of it were peeling off. Her hands left a bloody trail in the sand. Her head raised slightly, and she stopped. I knew she could see me.
"Water," she whispered. It was barely loud enough for me to hear. Her voice was crackly like dry paper. Her shoulders trembled at something like a bark came from her mouth. I thought she was trying to cry.
"Please, water," she said again. I looked at the cactus in my hand. What was it going to be? Life or death?
I walked over next to her. There was a spear lying a few feet behind her. I knew she couldn't do anything with it, but I picked it up anyway. I knelt down beside her and held the cactus to her lips. When she felt its dampness she clamped her fingers around it and started slurping.
"Better?" I asked when she was done.
"Thank you," she said weakly. I smiled. No one should die without water. She tried to sit up, and I stabbed the spear through her stomach. Thick, goopy blood dribbled out, and she stopped twitching within seconds.
She didn't have any hope anyway. If her organs weren't already shutting down the burns would have finished her. I didn't feel any guilt… yet. I looked at her spear and remembered how back home some people used spears to fish. I was never any good at it. I couldn't spear anyone, even if I did want to. And yet, when I stood up and left her behind, I brought it with me.