The Starving Artist: Hunger Games 2015

TASK THREE ENTRIES: FEMALE TRIBUTES

DISTRICT 3: ELYSIA AMBROSE

I frowned as I looked over at the useless pack I had grabbed from the cornucopia. It was lying on its side by a tree where I had kicked it in anger the night before. The crossbow bolts that had filed it were lying all around it, mocking me. I had expected a career to have packed a bag with things that could be useful to survival in the arena, but it seemed he had emptied out everything and filled it with nothing but bolts. I couldn't use a crossbow, and even if I could, his weapon was lying at the bottom of the marsh.

"Are you jus going to sit there staring at them all day or are you going to get rid of them?" Acadia asked, standing in front of me.

A slight frown had appeared on her usually smooth skin.

"What's the point?" I asked walking over and kicking one of the useless bolts. "It's not like he's coming back to get them."

"Lucas wasn't the only tribute who used a crossbow during the training." She shook her head at me.

"You mean the boy from ten?" I asked her as I began to pick up the bolts and shove them back into the bag. "He's dead as well."

She leaned down and started helping me pick them up and shook her head.

"I can't remember who but I'm positive someone else was practicing with a crossbow." She paused for a while, and stopped picking up the bolts. "I know there was someone else," she said, so quiet it was like she was speaking to herself.

"It doesn't matter who, If you say theres still someone who would want these then we should get rid of them." I said her bringing her attention back.

Slipping into our heads in the arena, even for a few seconds, could get us killed.

"We should put some rocks in the bag then throw it in the water, Make sure no one will be able to swim with it." she said standing up straight and looking around us.

"We can add the rocks later. I'm not carrying rocks around." I said pulling the bag over my shoulders. "Did you manage to find anything edible?" I asked as u stomach began to rumble.

We hadn't had anything to eat since the night before, and then it had only been a small piece of bread each and a handful of dried fruit. I was starving and I knew that if we didn't get food soon that we wouldn't have any energy to defend ourselves if we were attacked.

She looked down at her feet before answering.

"I saw Elias," she answered, "he had a bag, and he was eating something."

I smiled at the thought of finally getting something to eat.

"Where was he?" I asked her.

"Not too far from here." She sighed.

I guessed that she was feeling uneasy about stealing from her district partner. I would have had he been mine, but we needed the food. In the games we couldn't afford to feel guilty for stealing, we couldn't feel guilty about anything. It was us or them, and I would choose us every time. I would choose me.

Acadia lowered her head and lead the way through the trees to where she had seen Elias. I followed along behind her keeping my eyes out for other tributes but I couldn't stop my mind from wandering. I thought back to all the deaths I had witnessed the day before in the bloodbath. I knew the images would haunt me for the rest of my life. I tried shaking off the images, there was no time for the guilt, if I wanted to survive I would have to push it to the back of my mind. I needed to be strong. The guilt would have to wait.

Acadia suddenly stopped walking and crouched to the ground, indicating that I should do the same.

I crouched down beside her and followed her line of vision to Elias. He was standing in the lake splashing some water over his face.