District 12's First Victor

CHAPTER 8: TO THE LAKE (Thorne)

"Thanks Thorne!" I hear Anya say as I slip on my coat. I have decided to go to the lake and see if I can get to her. Or at least see her.

I slip under the fence and walk through the woods slowly. I have packed for an overnight stay and have written a note to my parents saying that I will be in the woods for a few days. They won't mind. I'm more worried about the peacekeepers.

After a while, I reach the start of our snare line. It starts quite a way into the woods because otherwise we risk it being found. Most people are brave enough to go a little way in but the further out you get, the more bears and wild cats and dogs. I would also hunt with my bow and arrows but I left them behind, not wanting them to trigger Anya into a panic. I don't understand why I persist with caring about her so much! She doesn’t need me to look after her and besides, it's not like she can care about me back after what I did to her! I'm surprised she doesn’t hate me!

There is a lot of game caught in our snares as always so I collect it then reset the snare. After about one out of three kilometers, I see the shiny wall up ahead. There's the arena! I worry for a moment that the other tributes have found the snare line and our hidden supplies but then I remember the hours and the amount of care we took to camouflage them.

After maybe another half a kilometer, I reach the shiny wall. I think it's called a forcefield. I don't want to find out why, sounds dangerous. If I follow it, though, I should reach the lake. Hopefully…

As I walk, I begin to wonder what Anya is doing. The downside to being out here is that I can't see what her or the other tributes are doing and where they are. On the plus side, I get to see her in real life before… Before she is killed… If she is killed. Presumably, she is heading to the lake like I suggested because even if she doesn’t like me, heading to the lake is still a smart move. Hopefully she travels along our snare line so that she can get some food along the way.

I can't wait to see her but does she want to see me?

It takes longer than usual for me to get to the lake because I have to go around the arena. As I walk along it, I wonder how I can get in or how Anya can get out if she wants to see me. I definitely can't go through it as it is designed to keep the tributes in. I might be able to climb over it if I could find a high enough tree but it seems to make a dome shape so I find it highly unlikely. I kick a rock in my frustration. There must be a way in or out!

Suddenly, I can see the lake. I made it! Finally! I run towards it, smiling. Then, I notice the hut to my right.

"Oh no!" I whisper, realising the force field has always been on my left. I guess it means that I have a place to stay though Anya can't get at the supplies. I walk over to the hut and dump my stuff inside before walking to the edge of the lake. Since the forcefield cuts across the lake one of us might be able to swim under! But first, I'll let Anya know I'm here.

I walk up to the forcefield and hesitate for a moment, wondering exactly how I will get her attention. I know she can see through the forcefield because I can see into the arena. Maybe if I throw something at it it will make a noise or something. I grab the biggest rock I can find and hurl it at the forcefield. I think - and hope - that's her sitting in a tree. I throw another rock as I see the figure turn their head and a third as they begin to climb down. It's definitely her.

I smile as she walks up to the forcefield, excited to be able to see her again.