Copper (A Hunger Games fanfiction)

Part 12.

The fake sun's rays find a way to the elevator I'm in. It's taking me up to the arena, where I'll most likely die. I play with my copper bracelet, as memories flash before me.

I am standing in front of Calypso's room. I knock on her door, and she opens it up. I am four here, maybe five. She loved to play with me. She always found time to play with me.

My memory is changing, and I see a hospital room's door. A nurse opens it up for Mom, Dad, and me. We step in, and see Calypso, lying on a bed. She doesn't look like she's healthy. I want to go there, and talk to her, but the nurse won't let me. She said, it's for the best. She said that she doesn't want me to get sick, either. This was the last time I saw my dearest sister. And for a bit of time, I still had a sister.

My next memory is about me and Topaz playing in the park. We are both laughing about something. I wish I could remember, but I can't. We run around, and I fall, and she falls, and we're both laughing. And our parents are talking in the background about something. It was the last day of school in sixth grade. We don't have any problems in life. My sister died a year before that, but I forgot about her. When no one mentions someone, you tend to forget about them, I guess. Especially, if you want to forget about them, and act like they never existed.

Then I see the day we had to write an important test. I felt like I'm going to die that day. It felt terrible, really. The stress and all. The pressure. I thought I couldn't handle it, and eventually I was going to lose it. I thought I would die if I failed. I didn't fail. I reached ninety percent on the test.

The next thing I see is the day of the Reaping Ceremony. I suddenly remember details I wasn't even sure I noticed then. The slight wind that plays with the Panemian flag. The Sun that is shining. The smell of the air. And then I hear my name. Alloa says it again. I relive the day. The Peacekeepers take me. I talk to my parents, Mom gives me a bracelet - the very bracelet I am playing with, right now. Then Topaz comes in. We hug, she leaves.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the 68th Hunger Games is going to start in 60 seconds!" Announces a voice. I recognize it. It's Caesar's. I also know what it means: that I should open up my eyes and look around.

The arena is a meadow. It reminds me of the park I used to play in with Topaz. Maybe that's why it's this way. Maybe almost all districts have a park, where kids can play, and it looks like this. The countdown is at fifty.

The cornucopia is right before me. I know I have to go there. I'm a Career. I'm a Career. I have to survive. I have to. Forty seconds.

I look to my sides, only to see Mercedes on my right, and William is on my left. I know they are in an alliance, they always talked a lot, and William always defended her from mean comments if she was late. Because Mercedes was always late. I glance at the clock, only to see that half of the time is almost gone. Thirty seconds.

I look around myself again, searching for water. The whole arena is plain, except a forest that doesn't seem big, so you can see almost all of it. There are rocks, however, and holes, I guess. And lakes. Small lakes, and a not so small lake. Twenty seconds.

I start to prepare. I already feel the blood flowing in my head. The racing of my heart, the nervousness. Compared to what I feel now, what I felt when I had to write the test, it was just me feeling a little uncomfortable. Ten seconds.

When the countdown is at five, Mercedes slips. I hear the detonation. I know she's dead, I hear the cannon shot. Four. Three. Two. One. At the sound of the gong, I run. I was never a fast runner, but I give everything I got in this. There's a piece of wood next to me, so I get it, hoping I could use it as a shield. I hear something flying behind me. I can't help but think about the fact that I almost died. I keep running.

"Hey!" Someone shouts. It's Oscar, I think, but I'm too scared to be sure. I look back. It is Oscar, and he's handing me a belt with knives. "I figured you'll be needing it."

"Thanks," I smile at him. He shakes his hand, like he wants to say 'It's nothing', or something. "Where are the others?"

"Nike is on the other side with Austin. Isaac and Trista are in the Cornucopia."

"Ah, they wait for people who go in, right?" Oscar nods.

"We have better chances if we can kill as many in the beginning as we can." Now it's my turn to nod. Even though this is morbid in a way, I understand him perfectly. Only one of us is going to make it out alive, and if someone dies in the beginning, they weren't good enough to be them. It's all skill, I guess. And charisma. Mostly charisma. But even with charisma, you cannot survive the first battle, if you're not smart enough to run away.

I see Carter and Barbara, running away. They got a few things, maybe even killed a few people. Someone throws a knife at me, but I duck in time. I turn around to get the knife out of the ground.

When I turn back, I see someone coming at me. I recognize that hair. Ash. Without even thinking, I get a knife out of my belt, and throw it at him. The practice helped a lot. I don't miss. I run towards him, and get the knife out of his body. I hold into it, like my life depends on it. I see Oscar, fighting with another tribute. I run to him, see if I can help or not, but as soon as I get there, the other tribute is dead.