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The glass tube was airless and hot. I waited. My token, a rare gold locket of my mothers, was around my neck. It was a slight comfort to stroke a finger across its delicate surface, feel the intricate patterns cut into the metal. Suddenly, a plate pushed up, taking me to the arena. My breathing quickened and my heart was beating rapidly. In less than an hour, I could be dead, sent back to my family in a wooden box. But I had to fight. Or at least hide. The sunlight blinded me after the warm darkness of the tube. “Ladies and gentlemen, let the 74th Hunger Games begin!” Claudius Temple smith’s voice rang out across the silent arena. The gleaming Cornucopia sat in-front of us, equidistant and tempting. Instead of looking around, taking the other tributes into consideration, I concentrated on the items around me. A good, solid looking backpack in camouflage colours caught my eye. There was another backpack, much closer but in bright orange, and I decided to go for the other one. It was close enough for me to run to. Also, a small brace of knives. A loaf of bread was right next to me, just a metre away. I counted thirty seconds, and shifted my feet as the gong ran out. Sprinting, I easily got the backpack and knives. A tribute stumbled towards me, hands out to grab my throat, and I thrust a knife into their chest, before slitting their throat in two, precise movements. Blood splattered onto my top and face, enough to make me gag at a weaker moment. But adrenaline was coursing through my veins, and I ran back for the bread. The ashen-skinned boy from 9 lay on the floor, dead and still clutching the loaf. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Clove throw a knife at Katniss, as she ran. I thought it would get her, but just before she hiked up her orange pack and the knife stuck in the fluorescent material. The knife in the boys back was tempting, but I had enough knives. I was reaching for the bread when a shadow fell over me. I rolled away as a spear hit the boy’s corpse, and I was staring into the crazed eyes of Marvel. He snarled like a feral creature, and tried to pull the spear out of the body. This was the time. I wheeled away and sprinted for the forest. Before I was in its protective depths, I fell. I whipped my head upwards to see Katniss, equally wary of me, after we had run into each other. I scrambled away, and she ran the other way. I looked around once, just to see what it was like at the Cornucopia. That was my mistake. I saw my district partner, Nate, fighting with Cato. Sneering, Cato drew his sword across Nate’s chest. Just as he let Nate fall down onto the dusty earth, his chest wound oozing thick red blood, Nate tried to stagger away. Cato left him for dead, drawn back to the Cornucopia. I thought Nate might be alright. Might have a chance! But as he locked eyes with me, the boy from 8 lunged at him, and knocked him onto the ground. He then stabbed him in the back. I screamed in terror and grief, and then ran away.
I ran for as long as I could. Mainly to get away from the other tributes, but also to escape what I had seen and done at the Cornucopia. The cannons began firing around about late midday. Calling it lunchtime just made me hungry, and I had to wait for food. I could go on for ages without food. I counted eleven cannons. Almost half of us. Well, I was alive. Tonight I would make a mental list of who was left. With darkness approaching, I clambered up high in a tree. That was when I found it. It was in a tall copse of trees, with a floor almost woven from branches. I couldn’t light a fire, but the leaves would keep me warm. Now it was time to go through my pack. I opened it, and laid the items out on a large piece of tree bark. A sleeping bag was tucked at the bottom. A packet of dried fruit. Some nuts. A small coil of wire, I could use it for snares. At least I had learnt something useful from the Training Centre. A small metal flask and a bottle of iodine for water purification. My throat itched and I wished I had seen a stream. I could look tomorrow. And then I had a brace of three knives, one small, one medium and a large one. My stomach grumbled loudly and I grimaced. Suddenly, the anthem roared out, and I peeked my head out of the leafy roof. In the sky the dead tributes faces shone down. First, the girl from 3. Then, the boy from 4, which was a surprise. Nate, my district partner. I missed him. Who else…Both of 6, both of 7, the boy from 8 and both of 9. The anthem sounded, the seal was shown, and it blacked out into the artificial night sky. So, most of the Career pack was intact, save for one District 4. The boy from 3, which was curious. I don’t know how he survived. Also, all of 11 and 12. Thresh and Rue, Katniss and Peeta. I was glad about the boy from 8. He deserved it. And then me. All alone…Wait, also the girl from 8. Just as I thought her name, a cannon roared out. Was that her? Or someone else? I couldn’t think about it. Today I had killed someone and watched my friend die, murdered by a psychotic Career. Before I slept, I climbed down from my camp and set three twitch-up snares. Hopefully I would have some animals in the morning. As I lay in my sleeping bag, staring up at a small break in the leaves, at the artificial stars, I absentmindedly scratched the dried blood from my shirt.