Wiress, District Three (Unknown)
The Arena, which resembled a battlefield from the Dark Days, was probably two square miles. The platforms seemed random at first glance, but it wasn't that simple. It was clear the Gamemakers had used a simple algorithm to ensure the cruelest Careers stood next to the little children and the others stood near the greatest threats. That left me out of the danger zone and gave me time to analyze the Cornucopia.
The Cornucopia was golden in color, like most Cornucopias. It was likely an alloy of bronze and iron and was only plated with gold, since pure gold was far too flexible to make a structure. It would still be a good conductor and could prove useful if I could find a way to take advantage of its properties.
There were many useful things in front of the Cornucopia. I was a small enough target to be able to risk a few minutes gathering supplies. The first thing I wanted was the lighter. Nearer my platform there was a roll of tape and a tiny knife. A small javelin farther in would have been ideal to have, but it wasn't worth the risk. When the gong sounded, it was easy to get the handful of things I needed and dart away.
I chose a dilapidated, nearly entirely demolished house as my home base. As expected, the faucets didn't work, but the pipes were still full when I dug them out of the ground. I broke off a section of pipe under the sink and got the final piece I needed for my plan. It was an elementary design, but my primitive materials and stressful environment made it a welcome challenge.
I knew where I stood in the hierarchy of targets. I didn't have to worry about the Careers looking for me until I heard eleven cannons. I counted them off as I worked and finished with plenty of time to spare. A circuit board yanked from the rusted wiring in the wall of the house provided the trigger. The pipe from the sink was the barrel. The tip of the lighter ignited the fuse, and my bullets were crumpled wads of the siding from the roof barely a foot above my head. When I tested my invention on the wall across from me, I nearly set the house ablaze. I was ready.
The Careers didn't come as soon as I expected. I knew they'd search every house and that most of the Tributes of my caliber would be hiding inside. I had enough time to surreptitiously douse the exterior of my headquarters with water from the pipes. I was lucky my Games was on the shorter side, because in two weeks all the food I got was the cockroaches I found skittering around at my feet. I roasted them with what was left of the lighter to avoid parasites. Sometimes I heard screams and something that sounded large enough to flatten my house, but I never looked outside to see what it was.
In the end, it wasn't the Careers that found me. The first to cross my path was a little boy from one of the far Districts. I watched from under a pile of rubble as another boy beat him to death with a broken plank. I didn't want any trouble, but when the second boy saw me, there was nothing to do. I shot him as he ran at me and proved once and for all that my weapon was sufficient.
The last one whose face I hadn't seen in the sky was the boy from Two. He used a spear, and he never missed. When I saw he and I were the only two left, I abandoned my shelter. I walked out into the open and wandered an exposed part of the Arena. He didn't have to hide, and I knew he'd find me quickly.
It was the perfect shot. There I was, standing in the middle of a barren stretch of land, nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. I didn't even try to flee as he came closer, and he didn't even bother to run.
Most people can throw a spear about 200 feet. A gun shoots much farther.
Wiress' HG Wiki form said she was a genius. I tried to measure up to that. As far as I know, she's the only one in Hunger Games history to construct a firearm- specifically, a projectile taser.