Chapter 8.
The next morning I'm woken at dawn.
"Time to get up, darling. The big day has arrived." Brynn's voice blares unpleasantly into my ear.
As I get out of bed and look through the window, I see that the sun hasn't even risen completely yet. The clock says it's a few minutes past 6 in the morning. The games start at 10. It must be a long trip to the arena, I think. Zircon, Auria, Parcival, Brynn and I have breakfast together for the last time in our apartment. Then Zircon and I are given clothing to wear: A long-sleeved, black shirt and black leggings with simple black shoes underneath. I do not frown at this, for I assume that our final clothing adjustments will be done in the catacombs that lie deeply underneath the arena. When we're both dressed, we follow Parcival and Auria to the elevator, which brings us to the roof of the training center, where the hovercraft will be waiting for us. When we walk up the roof, there is no one else there yet. We are the first to arrive. When Zircon and I get on board of the hovercraft, we are being held by two women in white coats as they insert the trackers in our team with thick needles. I wince at the pain in my arm as the needle digs in and releases the tracker into my vein, but it's over soon. We sit down in two of the four seats, wondering for who the other two seats are meant. We get our answer as soon as Peach and Doozie board the hovercraft and sit down with us. Then the hovercraft takes off, bringing us to the arena.
When I thought it must be a long trip to the arena, I was right. Nearly two hours have passed when the windows turn black, which must mean we're close now. Peach and Doozie have made a few attempts to initiate a conversation, but neither Zircon nor I were very interested in talking at this point. We both know what lies ahead of us, and we are all business. Would I say I am nervous? Not at the moment, but who knows how it will be when we're underneath the arena, or inside it. Several minutes later, the hovercraft starts to descend. When we've landed and we get off the hovercraft, I see that the vehicle is placed in some kind of underground hangar. This place is not very big: The sides of the hovercraft are nearly touching the walls around it. There are three doors in the room. Doozie leads Zircon through one of them, and Peach leads me through another one. What the third door is for, I don't know. After a short walk through a long hallway, we end up in a small room what must be the launching room. It's only a few square feet big. In one corner is the door we came through, in the other is a clothing rack with the clothing I'll be wearing in the arena, still covered up, and in another corner is the tube that ascends into the arena. Peach puts my hair up in a braid that starts right at the hairline above my forehead, then ends on the back of my head in a ponytail. Then she uncovers the rack with my clothing on it and starts dressing me. On top of my long-sleeved shirt and leggings, I get to wear a lightweight ski-jacket, marine blue, the hood lined with beige fur. Along with it go matching marine blue trousers and black leather boots that end just above the ankle.
"60 seconds to launch." A voice over the PA interrupts our nearly peaceful but slightly tensed silence.
"Okay," Peach says with a sigh, "This stuff is all thermo, so my guess is it's going to be cold in the arena." Then she retrieves a shimmering item from her fanny pack. It takes a few seconds for me to recognize it: It's the heart pendant necklace my mother gave me.
"You wanted to wear this as your token, right?"
I nod, glad that she remembered it. "Yes."
"30 seconds to launch." The voice over the PA says as Peach adjusts the necklace around my neck.
She takes a step back and eyes me carefully.
"I think my work here is done. You look beautiful, as always."
"Mostly thank to you." I reply.
She smiles a genuine smile, and for the first time I see lines under her eyes. I always thought Peach would be at the end of her twenties, but I doubt that now. I can tell now that she's had surgery, like most Capitol citizens, to make her look younger. It's hard to tell how old she really is. Maybe she's in her thirties after all.
"15 seconds to launch."
Then she does something I don't expect: she steps forward and gives me a hug. At first it takes me by surprise and I don't know how to respond on it. But when I'm over the initial surprise, I hug her back softly.
"Good luck, little princess. I'm sure you're going to do great things." She assures me.
"10 seconds to launch."
It's time. I walk up to the tube and take my place on the small circular platform. Right after that the glass cylinder lowers around me and the metal circle I'm standing on begins to rise. The last I see of Peach is her giving me a thumbs up.
For a few seconds, I'm enclosed in darkness. Then lights starts seeping in from above. As I rise into the arena, the first thing I see is brightness, then an icy wind hits me in the face. It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust and distinct shapes. The ground that surrounds me is all covered in a white material that I have never seen in real life, but only on television: snow. It's everywhere. There's not a single spot of ground in the entire area that I can see that's not covered in snow. Behind the cornucopia are trees, their tops covered in snow. I turn around and see that about sixty feet away from me are mountains. Lots of mountains, stretching out to the left and right, covering about a third of the arena. And the wind keeps cutting through me like a frozen knife.
This is the moment my nerves kick in. This climate is so different than the one I'm used to; maybe I wasn't prepared for this after all. For a second, I wish for the metal circle to descend again and bring me back to the launching room. Then I remember why I'm here. I'm Satin Charbrooke, the princess of District 1, and I'm here to make my family and my district proud. Because that's what I wanted: to become the pride of the district.
My train of thoughts is interrupted by the same familiar voice that booms over the PA:
"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Fifty-seventh Hunger Games begin! And may the odds be ever in your favor."
Then the countdown starts. We all have to stay on our pedestals for sixty seconds, until the gong sounds. If you step off before that time, you'll be blown to bits.
Once I'm focused again, I look around the arena. In front of me is the cornucopia, which is not as enormous as it has been in several previous Games. It's only as high as a human, and if I'd stretch my arms, I think I'd be able to touch both sides with the tip of my finger. It's made partly out of steel, and partly out of wood. In front of the opening, I see the silver of several weapons gleam invitingly. The pedestals of the tributes are placed only a few feet apart, which makes the circle very small. On my right I see the boy from 5, I believe his name was Raiden. On my left is the boy from 11. I try to look for either one of my allies, but I can't seem to find Magnus or Zircon anywhere. However, I do spot Elza soon. She's only three pedestals away from me. We make eye contact, and she waves and smiles at me.
"Fifteen."
"Fourteen."
"Thirteen."
Elza points toward the opening of the cornucopia. I believe she means that we should get there first and fast, before any of the other tributes do. It will be an advantage for us that will determine the course of the bloodbath. A very necessary advantage. Fortunately, the four of us are all very fast. I see several weapons glisten in the opening of the cornucopia. There is an open suitcase which is stacked with knives. My fingers itch; I want it. Those knives are mine. They belong with me. I need to have them. Mostly, I need everyone else to not get their hands on them.
"Twelve."
"Eleven."
"Ten."
On the left side of the cornucopia, I see Stitch, the boy from 8, trying to regain his balance. He nearly falls off his pedestal, but manages to stay on at the last second. There almost would have been one less contestant already.
"Nine."
"Eight."
"Seven."
I wonder what it's like back in District 1. I'm guessing the Central Square will be filled with people, watching me and the other tributes on the big screen. Everyone has a working television at home, but a lot of people like to gather at the square to watch it together. I wonder if Blaze will be there, too.
"Six."
"Five."
"Four."
I slightly move my feet, trying to stand in a position that enables me to break into a run easily. It's not as easy as usual, because the amount of space I have to place my feet on is very limited.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
The gong rings, and my feet are moving before I even think about it. I try to run as fast as my legs will carry me, but this clothing and the slippery yet soft snow makes it hard to run on full speed. I curse under my breath, but I keep going anyway. I fasten my pace when I see that the boy from 10 is running in on me. I'm the first to reach the suitcase with the knives, and I grab a hand full, thinking I'll come back for the rest of them later. Around me, the fights are starting. I run towards Zircon, who pulls a sword out of the stomach of the girl from 12. I look down to her for a split second: she was the first one to die. Then I look up again. The boy from 5 is trying to run past us, but Zircon is faster than him and cuts his throat before he even gets the chance to grab something. Magnus is soon next to me, hitting the girl from 9 in the head, against her temple, with his spiky mace. She falls down and doesn't move anymore. Her hand is outstretched to an item next to me: a leather whip. However, the boy from 11 manages to get hold of it, and runs back right away. I'm tempted to run after him, but Zircon is holding me back. I then throw one of my knives towards him, which hits him in the back. He falls down, coughing up blood.
"Well done." Magnus comments.
"Never go into a fight by yourself." Zircon hisses.
Elza has joined us too, after she got her hands on a pole arm. The four of us stand in front of the cornucopia, trying to prevent the rest of grabbing weapons. We don't have much success. We see Aran getting his hands on a sword, and with him is the girl from 6, who only manages to grab a bow and a quiver of arrows.
"Come on, Trix." Aran yells as they see us running towards them. I throw one of my knives towards the girl, but she manages to dodge it with her quiver. Then they run, and within seconds they have managed to put too much distance between us. It seems that the bloodbath has ended in minutes. Every other tribute is nearly out of sight now. Most of them are making their way to the pine forest, some of them head towards the mountains or the snowy plains. When the area around the cornucopia has quieted down, the four of us get to work. Zircon and Magnus take the lead. They break off the wooden boards from the top of the cornucopia and pile them up for a campfire. In one of the backpacks that Zircon got his hands on is a box of matches. After three attempts, he finally manages to set the wood on fire. I walk back to the suitcase and pick up the knives that are left. Magnus and Elza search the cornucopia for the leftover items. There isn't much left: One filled backpack for each of us, two blankets and even a pillow. Zircon has found two swords and a spear. Magnus has a sword too and the spiky mace. I have a dagger and my knives. Elza has her pole arm and a dagger. We lay our gatherings down next to the campfire, and look around the area. Around us, the snow is stained red from the blood. Further away, it's all white. Footsteps are spread out in all directions. Then the snow starts falling from the sky, covering the footsteps and the bloodstains, and extinguishing our fire.
Zircon strides towards the cornucopia, but after three steps he turns around.
"We can't stay here," he concludes, "There's not enough room for the four of us."
"We also need a proper shelter." Elza adds. "Who knows what more the weather is going to do."
So the four of us gather our things again and get going. We each put a backpack on our back and we carry our own weapons. Because I'm able to arrange my knives and dagger inside my jacket, I get to carry the blankets and the pillow too. And with that, we start hiking towards the mountains, leaving the bloodstained cornucopia behind us. A few minutes later, we hear the first boom of the cannon, followed by a second, a third, a fourth and a fifth. I hear Elza counting along out loud.
That means only five tributes have died during the bloodbath. "That isn't much." I say. In last year's Games, eleven tributes had died during the bloodbath. That's almost half of the tributes. Now only a quarter of the tributes are gone, leaving the other three quarters roaming free in the arena around us, forming a possible threat, and we don't know where they are. In this moment, I'm glad I chose to be part of this alliance. The four of us will be able to take on any tribute getting in our way.
"That means we have a lot of work ahead of us." Magnus comments, pulling his lips in a thin line that goes along great with the usual frown he wears. He seems so… dissatisfied. I try to read his face, wondering what it is that makes him so dissatisfied, but I get no further than the creases that have formed on his forehead before Elza interrupts us.
"Look, over there!" she yells, "It looks like caves."
I follow her gaze. It's hard to see in the distance with the falling snow blurring my vision, but then I see it: About halfway up on the second mountain to the right, there's a dark spot: an opening. A cave.