The 25th Hunger Games

Days 5 and 6

Fish. They were the only friends I had left in the arena, and I was trying to kill them, too. For whatever reason, I felt guilty about stabbing the little animals and eating them for breakfast.

After five days of the same routine, I finally stopped asking the normal questions, like what was the point of draining the water if you were just going to fill it up again? And why set the pillars on fire? Who would be stupid enough to stay up there? Now my questions were why are they forcing me to kill these fish? They don't even taste that good.

I guess that was when you knew you were either crazy or you lost your will to care. When all the weird stuff is suddenly perfectly normal and all the normal stuff makes you want to go vegan.

I shook away the thoughts as I stabbed another fish. I was now down at least two knives, seeing as my original dagger had been used to kill Ryker. Asking for it back from Ginger seemed a little rude. The other one ended up in the ocean after my first encounter with Ginger. Now I was left to stab these little creatures with my slicing knife.

When I finally gave up on fishing, I had three raw fish and one cooked one from the night before. Assuming I wasn't planning on burning any calories, this would be fine for the next two days.

Being all alone, while a generally easier lifestyle, was starting to bore me. Being in an arena like this set you up to be bored. There was nothing to do unless it was sunrise or sunset. The time in between was dedicated to waiting for something to happen.

I wasn't at the level of boredom to go find any action, though. I knew from my experience with Midnight and our old alliance that hunting action down didn't get you anywhere. Instead, I stayed where I was, hoping the Capitol hadn't given up on me just yet.

Since the Capitol clearly had no reason to focus on me, I couldn't help but wonder who they were watching. Out of all the people left, who would be the most exciting? Maybe one of the Careers was planning something big right this moment.

Or maybe they were in the same position as me, lounging on a pillar with their feet in the water.

Speaking of other people, where were they? I've only met, like, five people so far, and all but one are dead. Where was everyone else hiding?

I supposed, overall, not meeting people was a good thing. That way, there was no way for anyone to want to kill me. No allies, no enemies, no problem.

The trouble would come when the Gamemakers forced us together and I would either have to fight or gamble for my life. The only thing I could offer a Career was my trust, and even that was running low. The list of things I was willing to trust was getting very short, and I was just about to cross my own judgment off of it.

To avoid doing anymore hard thinking, I decided to join my gilled friends and go for a swim. The water was just cold enough to make me forget everything I had to worry about.

As I was taking off my shirt (I figured the Capitol might see that and change their minds about who to sponsor), my neck jingled. I looked down to find my token from District Two hanging there. I nearly forgot about it altogether.

Some time yesterday, Ginger found it in the side pocket of one of the backpacks Midnight and I had. I left it there for safe keeping when we started swimming, and I hadn't remembered to put it back on. Now that it was on my neck again, it really felt like something special.

Attached to a thin silver chain, the one my dad managed to find after the Reaping, were two rings, one silver and one gold. The gold one was meant for a woman, one with fingers slimmer than mine. It was topped off with a cheap red stone, the kind that looked real until you put it up to the light. The other ring had been given to me once I was in the Capitol. I smiled at the marks Sariel's fingers had caused after slipping it on and off so many times. A two was engraved into the white gold, with a twenty opposite it. I knew what it meant.