Evelina took her place on her mark, her heart beating out of her chest. She looked around at the 22 other tributes. The spot where Finley should be was empty, and Evelina saw that Jodi had noticed this, the blonde's face screwed up in anger. Evelina was empathetic toward Jodi, even if they didn't exactly see eye-to-eye.
Coriolanus was correct; instead of the pile of ruins and dust that covered the first arena, this one was thick and forested. A pile of weapons and supplies lie in the middle of the room, tempting the tributes. Evelina recognized a girl from District 4, Coral. She had impressed everyone with her wielding skills on an old broomstick during the presentation for the gamemakers. Evelina didn't have much to present, but she was skilled enough with a bow that she wasn't seen as too easy of a target. Coryo had reminded her to stay strong, not show weakness. And she did, refusing to cry and scream even though that's all she wanted to do. She could see a bow, quite a sad little thing, sprawled out over some arrows in a quiver. It was flimsy, probably not great for shooting a moving target, but it would have to do.
She knew that Coriolanus was watching, and she knew she would upset him, but she had to grab the bow. She trusted her father more.
Find a bow. It's your only hope.
A voice began to countdown. "Ten, nine...", Evelina felt her palms sweating, so she wiped her hands on her pants. She started to get increasingly worried with every number that was counted. "Eight, seven...", her eyes darted around manically. "Six, five...", she clenched her fists, balling them up, ready for anything. "Four...", this was it, she could just have them kill her. Step off the platform and you'll be shot immediately. She shook her head. She couldn't back down now. The final numbers rang out. "Three... two... one. May the 10th annual Hunger Games begin."
All around her, people were running wild. She took a deep breath before she, too, ran to the center of the room, immediately grabbing hold of the bow. Then, she darted backwards, narrowly missing the throw of a knife. She turned to see where it came from, and was not surprised to see Coral, smirking and holding two more knives in one hand, ready to strike again. Evelina wasted no time and sprinted toward a cluster of bushes. Residing in the thicket, she had enough time and space to see where the others had gone off too. Coral and three other tributes seemed to form an alliance and Evelina stared in horror as they picked off people like they were rabbits you'd hunt in the woods. They murdered four before running off from Evelina's hiding spot.
Tears stung at her eyes, but she willed herself to not cry. She was being televised now, and any and all sponsors are essential to her survival. Yet, maybe if they saw how sensitive she was they would pity her. She gets up, ignoring the cuts on her skin that stung from her sweat, and began to walk. Slowly, very slowly she took in her surroundings. The arena cannot be much larger than the original one, but as she looks around, she can't see any sign of a human bedside herself. Maybe it was bigger than she thought. She feels like she can't breathe. What if she never gets out? She at least wanted to die somewhere natural, somewhere like home, where she could join the dirt and worms below. Here, they'll just leave her to rot and then throw her body in some sort of furnace or oven.
Suddenly, a group of hollering brings her back to reality. Scared, she climbs a tree, her muscles burning from fatigue. She doesn't dare stop until she makes it about half way, far above the ground where she hopes no one can see her trembling. Or hear it, for that matter. She moves her hand to try and climb higher, and a branch that wasn't as strong she she hoped snapped from her pulling, and it falls to the ground, making a loud thump! as it lands. The voices come to a halt, and suddenly the silence is more frightening than the shouting. Evelina freezes, her hands still up, reaching for the next branch.
"Over here!" A voice yells. Evelina peers down to see a curly haired boy holding a large, wooden spear. He gestures toward the trees surrounding Evelina. Coral and two other tributes join him, their eyes scanning the area, heads spinning around madly.
"I want that little one from District 12 gone!" Coral shouts. Evelina sees she's abandoned the throwing knives and has moved to a trident. District 4, fishing. Figures.
"Well, we'll just have to pick out anyone we find on the way, then," the curly one says, rubbing the back of his neck. "She's quick."
Coral rolls her eyes and turns back around, the others following in pursuit. She shouts obscenities at the others as they leave, which brings a small smile to Evelina's lips. She sighs and leans against the tree, letting herself rest.
After waiting an hour, she decides it's safe to come down. The sun was still high in the sky, so she figured she had time to find water or food. She walked aimlessly about for a while, careful to climb a tree or hide in a thicket if there were other tributes. Being out in the wilderness, even if it wasn't real, reminded her of home. She spotted baby's breath and felt her heart warm. It was her favorite flower. Her and her mother would pick baby's breath when they were out gathering. It was a nice to way to keep their hopes up during the Dark Days. Evelina reminded herself to stay focused. But, to give herself hope, she picked a handful of the flower, letting it stick out of one of her pockets.
After finding a patch of berries she knew were safe, she settled herself behind a hollow tree. This way, if someone were behind her, she would hear them, and if someone were in front of her, she would see them immediately. She sat in silence and ate her berries slowly, savoring the bitter sweetness of the juice. She found herself growing tired, but sleep evaded her. Her eyes were heavy, yet anytime she tried to sleep, she was awoken by screams or any passersby stomping through who couldn't see her in the dark. She fought off her exhaustion by daydreaming.
Coriolanus's face was a reminder of what she was fighting for. And thinking of him reminded her of her family, of District 12. Determination filled her.
For Coryo, she thought.
"how could anything bad ever happen to you?
you make a fool of death with your beauty, and for a moment i forget to worry"
YOU ARE READING
Panem Forever
Fanfiction"hope. it is the only thing stronger than fear." Anyone would tell you that Evelina Sanders was not a "go getter". She was a gatherer, not a hunter. She wasn't particularly good at anything, though she could fancy herself a painter if she were aske...
