District 12's First Victor

CHAPTER 7: DEATHS AND A SURPRISE

BOOM!

I am jolted awake from my doze by the death cannons. They fire them at the end of each day to signify how many tributes have died before showing their pictures in the sky so that us tributes know who we are still up against.

Twelve cannons. Twelve deaths. Half of us gone in the first day. No one from 1, 2, 4 or 11 died. Matthew died, which was a shame. He was nice. I hope I wasn’t the one who killed him. I'd never be allowed to live it down by my district, even if I did claim I thought it was someone else… both from 3, 6, 8 and 9 died and one from 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10.

I am just about to fall asleep again when a bag thumps next to me, just outside the cave. I jump, surprised and hit my head on the roof of the cave. Who would send me sponser gifts? And so soon! I'm not going to complain though.

I open up the bag and find a sleeping bag, a water bottle and some food. A first aid kit would have been good right now because my head is hurting really badly and when I reach up to touch it, my fingers come back red. Great. It's bleeding. Hopefully I will be able to find some herbs to heal it tomorrow morning. I am greatfull for the sleeping bag though. It was going to be a cold night without it… I check the front pocket, just to check that the sender didn’t hide something in there and find a small square of folded paper. It must be a note. I'll read it in the morning.

I shove the knives to the bottom of the bag then put my leaf wrap of food in the front pocket. I snuggle down into my sleeping bag and use the pack as a pillow. It isn't very comfortable but it is better than what I had before and at least the cave will give shelter if it rains.

I can't fall asleep. My mind just won't turn off. I wonder about the note and the knives and the bag hidden in the tree. Maybe the bag was another gift for another tribute and the note just a good luck wish from my sponser. Somehow though, this doesn’t seem right… I can easily imagine that I am back in the woods just outside district 12 and it is this thought that lets me fall asleep.

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I wake up to the sound of bird's cheeping and think for a moment that my dad and I spent the night in our hut by the lake in the woods surrounding district 12. But I'm not. I'm in a small cave in the second annual hunger games arena. It  takes me a while to wake up properly because I didn’t sleep very well in my cramped little cave but then I remember the note and I almost hit my head on the roof again! I quickly scramble around my stuff, grab it, shove it in my pocket and go over to the thick bush I hid in yesterday to read it.

I am shocked. No wonder this place seems so familiar! It is! I used to come here almost every day before my accident. The bag of knives wasn’t a hidden present at all, it actually belongs to me. I feel a bit  overconfident all of a sudden because I know where there are hidden weapons and supplies, there are preset snares waiting for me to empty and reset. I step out of the bush and hastily shove all my belongings in my bag.

"Thanks, Thorne!" I say before I move on. I hope it doesn’t get him into trouble but I also want him to know I got his message and that I am greatful for the supplies.

I don't have to follow the stream anymore. I don't know exactly where I am but I take a guess and walk to my right , back the way I came. I think the cornacopia is on the top of the ridge where we used to have lunch and so if I head in that direction, I will find the snare line, which will take me to the lake.

As I get closer to the cornucopia, I have to be really careful because the careers might be hiding here. I hear a noise and duck behind a big bush just in time to see the boy from 4 and the girl from 2 heading out into the forest. Great. I will have to watch out for them. Soon, I reach the snare line and have to pretend to be shocked as I find game just waiting for me to collect it! I quickly reset the snares the way Thorne and I used to as the men hunted.

By lunch time, I reach the lake but to my annoyance, it is cut in half by a shiny wall and the hut is on the other  side! I will just sit by the lake for a little while, like I used to. My thoughts wander to the gamemakers. How stupid of them to put the arena here! I guess it is a good sign for us - they don't know that we hunt and gather here.

Suddenly, I hear a rustling noise behind me. I don't do anything for a moment but then remember that I'm not here because I want to be, I'm in the Hunger Games. I stand and whirl around, knife in hand, ready to throw if I need to. If it's game, I'll just let it go. I have enough from our snares.

"Who's there?" I shout. "Show yourself and I won't hurt you unless you hurt me".

The boy from 4 sprints out of the bushes, trident in hand, ready to throw. He throws it but I have already thrown my knife and ducked. I grab another knife, ready to stab him if need be.

But I don't need to. The knife I threw hits his chest with deadly accuracy and the trident lands in the lake with a splash. Great. Now I'm wet. The boy slumps to the ground and takes one last breath before he dies. I drag his body into the bushes where he was originally hidden and find his supplies. Nothing except his trident which is now in the lake. The girl from 2 must be carrying the rest because I swear he had more this morning when I saw him! I hope they haven't been following me. If they have, they will know about the snare line!

Since I figure the girl from 2 must be nearby, I climb a tree nearby to rest.