The 25th Hunger Games

Day 2

"District Two was a lot of almost Capitol's thinking they fit in even though they'd never even been there. And then when they had a chance to ship one of them off there for a week, they send me instead."

"Sucks. Eight wasn't much of anything. Nothing at all to do. Or you were just too poor to do it. I'm pretty sure they only voted for me because they all thought I was crazy," Midnight explained. To me, it sounded like she didn't think much of her home. I guess I didn't either, until I found out I was never going back to it.

"Maybe it's more like mis--"

Bzzzzzz.

"Do you hear that?" I looked around for the source. It was definitely something, like a buzzing sound.

"Tracker jackers!" Midnight squealed.

Damn, I should've recognized that buzzing! I saw the swarm now, coming straight for us. At least a hundred little pests, all swarming together. A nice present from the Gamemakers to spice things up. The audiences must've been rowdy if they stooped to this already. Or maybe they decided it was our time to die.

I didn't have time to wonder who else was dealing with these pests since they were on us in seconds.

I found out quickly there was no swatting the flying bugs away. They were all over me and Midnight, and I had to try my hardest not to get stung. Too much tracker jacker venom could kill a tribute like me instantly.

Running was useless. They weren't called tracker jackers for nothing. Before I could even try to escape, one got me right in the arm. Unbearable pain flared up in an instant. I needed a plan, fast.

Another three got me in only moments. Two were right in my neck, and the other got my right arm. There was no way I could fend anyone off now.

Don't pass out, Noah. You're okay.

This was not at all fair. You couldn't stab these stupid bugs, there was no way to torture them until they died. They had almost nothing to do with the Games, except that they could kill us.

Another one to the shoulder. Everything was blurry for a second. I blinked it away, trying to focus. Just when I was beginning to give in to the fact that both me and Midnight were screwed, I saw one of the tracker jackers land on the surface of the water. Or maybe I just imagined that. Either way, it was good enough for me.

Thinking fast, I cannon-balled into the ocean, boots and all, with the slim hope that the bugs couldn't follow.

When I made it safely under water, I looked up at the bugs. They swarmed around my head, but stayed in the air. A few flew into the water but were quickly washed away by oncoming waves.

It felt like hours until the bugs went away. Occasionally my vision would get dark and I would panic. Huge fish would swim right at me and I'd have to swim miles to get away. I thought I saw five inch splinters coming out of my skin. A moment later I would realize they were the trackers' stingers and pull them out. The sun rose and sank in the sky about nine times in a row.

I was just beginning to be convinced that air was a myth altogether when there was a scream from the land.

I quickly made my way out of the sea, forgetting all about the tracker jackers. They seemed to have disappeared anyway.

"Mom!" someone shrieked. I scurried onto my old pillar, only to find the sun had barely crawled across the sky. I also saw Midnight, curled in a ball near the edge of the water. She was the one screaming.

She was up here on her own the whole time and I didn't even think of coming to get her. And there goes my only ally.

"Midnight?" I asked when I made it to her. Her skin was red and blotchy, with little holes all over. Some still held the stingers. Clearly she had gotten the worst of the bugs. The bugs that could be potentially deadly. Still, she was breathing now. "Are you okay?