The 25th Hunger Games

The Games: Day 1

"Four," a voice boomed. I snapped back to attention. "Three. Two. One." A cannon sounded, but I was already diving into the water. I swan forward first, thrashing in the artificial waves. My hand closed around the backpack before I even took a breath, and no one seemed to stop me. I took hold of it and stole a moment to catch me breath. As I turned to swim back, shining metal caught me eyes. Without thinking, I grabbed for the object, shoved it in my bag, and kicked off the island, sending myself towards the safer pillars. Cannons were already sounding. The bloodbath had begun.

Before I left, though, I saw someone in the corner of my eye. With a better look, I would've seen it was a girl maybe twenty feet away. She was struggling in the water, trying to get to the Cornucopia. With a better thought, I would've killed her right there.

But she was defenseless. And it was out of my way. Plus, she didn't need to die. Not right now. I sighed at my own weakness and left the Cornucopia.

I ducked underwater, swimming as fast as possible. I couldn't tell if I was alone or not. The girl certainly didn't follow me. If I wasn't alone, no one attacked me. I kept paddling until I made it to the nearest pillar. I caught my breath before hoisting myself up. I set down my backpack and assessed my new surroundings. Water dripped from my hair and dyed the stone a darker brown.

The pillar I sat on was big enough for maybe three people and had just enough space for hand to hand combat with two people. Not that that's what I wanted.

I can see a few other pillars close by and even more far away. There didn't seem to be a pattern to them at all. It was so unlike any previous Hunger Games. I wondered why we were so special.

The fish in the water kept their distance from me. I watched them, knowing they would be my first meal here if there was nothing in my pack to eat. I couldn't see anything else, except maybe the weeds on the pedestal, but they didn't look like much of a meal.

Our source of water was obvious. The ocean was all they gave us, and that was filled with toxins. Purification sounded painfully long, but I'd do it to stay alive.

After deciding there was nothing else in nature that could help me, I opened up my pack. Inside was a grappling hook, an empty canteen, a tent, a small roll of gauze and a blanket. I understood the first few items, all cheapie gifts for obvious purposes, but the grappling hook puzzled me. If nothing else, I could use the string for something, or maybe fish with it? Maybe there was a mountain range or something farther out. In the side pocket, I discovered what the metal piece I found was: a pack of knives bundled together.

The first knife was the size of my hand, meant for precise cuts. Each one after that got a bit bigger, and the last one was big enough to be considered a sword. At least I had some protection now.

I checked my bag again, making sure I saw absolutely everything. This time I came up with an air tight bag of dried fruit and a tiny flashlight. After the double check, I realized a scary thought: I got absolutely nothing to start a fire with. Maybe some of the others got matches, but there wasn't even anything flammable here. As thirst crept at the back of my throat, I wondered how I would purify any water.

To get my mind of it, I thought about what Sariel would've said right now. You aren't going to meet any allies on this island. Also No kills yet? I expected more from you. Swim back there and knock some Career heads together!

No, he wouldn't say that. But the allies, that he would say. All the while, cannons are going off. The bloodbath must've been slowing down by now, but there were certainly a lot dead. All I needed was to make it through the first night. Also, to not starve. And make some allies.

I decided the best idea was to leave my island after dark. I did better in the dark, even underwater. The sun would set in a few hours. In the mean time, I could fish.