I could feel my body going on automatic as I ran towards the Cornucopia, which was filled with weapons from its mouth. I wasn't thinking as I moved quickly around the green field. The stash of knives were laid out, almost as though they were beckoning me to them. Cato and Marvel, who were fine in using brute force, acted out as the wall for me and Glimmer to get our weapons to cover for them. Once I had the knives in my hands and Glimmer had her bow and arrow, we started covering for Cato and Marvel.
At this point, I was scanning the field for the Girl on Fire. She was my target. She was mine. I sprinted out towards her and took a serrated knife in my hand and stopped when I saw that guy from District 9 started a pulling fight with her over supplies. I raised a hand and flicked my wrist. The knife buried itself in the square of his back. Within minutes, his body flung down to the ground and Katniss looked straight at me. She knew I was after her.
A smirk played across my features as I took another knife and started my way towards her. She ran off and I threw my knife at her, I targeted her head for a quick kill. I cursed out when she covered herself with that damn orange bag that she took as a prize from the bloodbath. I was about to throw her another when she was already out of my sight. I hesitated to follow her because the forest was too unfamiliar for me to venture in.
I will kill her one of these days.
For now, I turned my head and joined the Careers in the bloodbath. There were already dead bodies around me and I felt my adrenaline rush through my veins as I started whipping out knives and leading people straight to their death.
There was something surprising that happened in the Bloodbath, that little Jester kid from 4? He died. I saw his lanky body dangling from one of the crates by the Cornucopia. Maybe that was the reason why Jeany was hitting people angrily with the club she found.
The moment when we cleared out the field, I met Cato's eyes and he nodded. I looked around and pulled out my knives in the bodies because they were actually the best quality of throwing knives I've seen in a while. It was time to leave so a hovercraft can take away the bodies of the dead tributes. We actually did not vacate the Cornucopia but stayed a few meters away, just by the trees nearest to the pile of goodies stashed there for us.
It must have been a long while because I heard Glimmer say, "Why isn't there any cannons yet?" Although I didn't want to admit it. She was right. I have watched so many Games and almost after the place has been emptied by life, a hovercraft would come and collect the bodies.
"I think I know." Marvel called out to us. He was in a fighting stance with his spear up and pointing towards a blond tribute who was backing off. "You're from Twelve."
We made our way towards the boy from Twelve. He knew he couldn't run now. He was cornered – with his back on a tree – and from the looks of it, he knew it was hopeless. I thought he would beg for his life but he didn't. He spoke and it was the only thing that made me actually make him want to live, "I know Katniss. I can lead you to her. I can help you."
This guy, Peeta, really knew what to say to catch people's attention.
"Alright." It was short and concise, no one argued with Cato when he decided to keep the boy from Twelve with us. The moment he said that the cannons started.
One. Two. Three... Eleven.
Once the bodies were removed from the site, we went back to the Cornucopia. There were so many supplies left in the field, even I don't know what to do with all these. There were food – mostly dried but there were also those which aren't – and weapons but there were also foreign materials that I couldn't name at the moment. I picked around and chose a bag near the mouth of the Cornucopia. It had a canteen which was bone dry, a pack of dried fruit, more knives, a flashlight and a sleeping bag.
"What do we do with these boxes?" I heard Marvel call out to us. "Do you guys want to divide them?" He held up a pack of apples, "I get dibs on these."
Cato looked up from his crouching position by the Cornucopia and shook his head, "Leave them alone. We don't want to divide them already." I could hear the words he refused to say. He doesn't want to divide them any time in the Games because he was sure that not everyone in the Career Pack would survive. The supplies, if divided, would dwindle and we are not sure how long this Game would last. These supplies were only for the Careers who would survive till the end.
"I agree." I spoke up and sat down cross-legged on the grass, "Let's set up camp here. We don't have to divide those."
Cato stood up and nodded, "Let's set up camp. There are eleven who died in the Bloodbath, I don't think it'll be fun to wipe out the field early on." He was the leader of the pack and nobody dared to speak against him and his leadership. Glimmer would follow him like a dog and Cato seemed like he was enjoying the attention.
I don't know if Glimmer know this is an act. I don't even know if Cato was really enjoying this but I knew him well to doubt that he wasn't using this to his full advantage in the Games. Glimmer looked lovesick. I know that look. This is the look that most girls give Cato back in the District. There were actually so many. He would walk around the Training Center and the trainees there would give him lasting glances. I was actually busy hating him then. He was everything I wasn't.
The whole afternoon, we tried to cover as much land as we could. Like me, the other Careers were a bit hesitant to enter the forest. This was one of our weaknesses, I thought silently as I watched Cato and Glimmer emerge from the couple of trees. They were laughing but they clearly did not have any luck on finding other tributes. I seated myself by the mouth of the Cornucopia and was only looking around.
Cato and Glimmer continued to converse about their favorite Games and their favorite deaths. Marvel was polishing his spear and was looking wistfully up at the other two. Jeany was silent, she had been murmuring earlier to herself. She probably went crazy now. Our new addition, Peeta, was looking very bruised and was nursing his bloody arm. Cato entrusted him with a knife and I nearly talked his ear off by allowing Twelve to hold a weapon but I caught his eyes.
"Watch him." He mouthed and I shrugged as a response.
I busied myself by cleaning blood off my new set of knives. I had lined them up in my jacket. It was surprising that they made my jacket like this but I thought about what I had been showing throughout our training. They must have thought I needed this.
It was hours when we all looked up when we heard the anthem of Panem being played. The dead will be revealed to us and we get to count each one. I was not all that interested in watching the faces of all those who died because they were gone. My eyes went towards my hands, which were stained by dried blood I had tried to take off of my knives. Immediately, I tried to rub them off my skin.
The sight made me realize that at that moment, I was a killer. I had been responsible for killing at least three people in the Bloodbath and I do not know how I feel about it exactly. It was a mix of emotions...but I knew I shouldn't linger on them for a long time. Killing is inevitable so I knew I had to get over this feeling of guilt in the pit of my stomach. This was the only way I could get out of this arena alive.
"Look! Smoke." Peeta spoke up as he stood and pointed out to us a smoke rising from a distance.
It was either that tribute is looking for actual trouble or just plain stupid. I stood up and took my flashlight from my bag as the others did. I looked up to see Glimmer smirking at Cato, the latter had his Game face on. "Come on. Let's get him." He said as we set off to the source of fire.
The forest gave me a creepy feeling, like I was being watched but it maybe is the cause of the cameras planted everywhere so as the Capitol could have a good look on the Games. I figure the cameras are all pointed towards us, the Careers. The Capitol must be either cheering as we hunted for the first time or dismayed that we fell in such an obvious trap.
I stayed at the back just in case.
When we caught sight of the fire, it was obviously not a trap. There was a girl, curled up in sleep, near the fire. She did not have a sleeping bag and must have created the fire to warm herself – it was actually a pretty cold night. Glimmer woke the tribute up by kicking her awake. The small girl's eyes widened in fear and she got up to beg for her life. Glimmer started mimicking her, in the cruelest way possible.
"Kill her already." I said as I slowly pulled a knife out of my jacket, "Or else I will."
Cato laughed and lent his sword to Glimmer who was excited for her kill. She was sloppy. Her sword skills were off and that made the girl's death a bit more painful. Glimmer hit muscles, which tortured more than kill. The girl screamed loudly at the experience. It was a good thing that Cato took the sword from her and struck her in the chest, killing her instantly. I knew he hated what the girl had to go through. I could see it in his eyes.
"Twelve down, eleven to go!" He announced with a large grin on his face. Both from District 1 started laughing, I only shook my head.
I looked around and found that the girl had no one with her that I could kill myself.
"Better clear out so they can get the body before it starts stinking." He said again. We started walking but I realized something.
"Shouldn't we have heard the cannon by now?" I asked them. All of them, who were walking before me, turned their heads and glanced at Cato for his answer.
Marvel frowned, "I'd say yes. Nothing to prevent them from going in immediately."
I smirked, "Unless she isn't dead." I just wanted to tease our so-called leader.
Cato looked absolutely offended, "She's dead. I struck her myself."
"Then where's the cannon?" Only I can face Cato head on like this.
He was turning red by the minute so Glimmer spoke up. "Someone should go back. Make sure the job's done." Cato threw her a death glare which she somehow managed to not see.
I wanted to laugh but I had to keep a straight face, "Yeah. We don't want to have to track her down twice." The look on Cato's face was priceless.
"I said she's dead!"
It would have went on longer but Peeta spoke up, "We're wasting time!" We all turned to look at him. This was really different from the tribute I have been seeing, "I'll go finish her and let's move on!"
Cato raised an eyebrow and nodded, "Go on then, Lover Boy. See for yourself." He seemed a tad impressed. We all watched as Peeta left and were enveloped with silence.
Until Glimmer pouted at Cato, "Why don't we just kill him now and get it over with?"
"Let him tag along." He shrugged, "What's the harm? And he's handy with that knife." Lie. We have never seen Peeta fight before. This was a rouse to get the others keep District 12. "Besides, he's our best chance of finding her."
I nearly nodded but I stopped myself. I wanted nothing but to continue poking fun of Cato's leadership, "Why? You think she bought into that sappy romance stuff?" Yeah. Like you and Glimmer?
Glimmer sneered, "She might have. Seemed pretty single-minded to me. Every time I think about her spinning around in that dress, I want to puke." She didn't really like the fact that the girl from 12 had a prettier dress than her.
Jeany murmured, "Wish we knew how she got that Eleven."
"Bet you Lover Boy knows." I finally agreed on Cato's theory of having Peeta know Katniss that well that we may have a shot on finding her in this dumpsite with trees.
Peeta returned, a blood-stained knife in his hand, and Cato raised an eyebrow, "Was she dead?"
"No but she is now." The boy from 12 answered. To back up his answer, the cannon fired. "Ready to move on?"
The Career Pack went back to our camp and decided on who was going to keep watch that night. I volunteered since I had no desire to sleep. I didn't want to have a nightmare in my first night. Marvel went to a deep sleep immediately after snuggling in his own sleeping bag, I could hear him snore. Peeta was staring at the sky, probably wondering how long we were going to let him live. Glimmer had cozied up to Cato, she was asleep but he wasn't. Cato was also looking up at the sky; he had a peaceful expression on his face.
I was looking at the real Cato now.
My eyes travelled up to the sky as well. There were stars, like those from the District Two. I never really gave much value to the stars, but they actually were very lovely. They distracted me for a moment and I felt like I wasn't in the Games anymore. It feels like I'm in my bed, looking out at the window and at the stars.
"You can sleep now." I heard a voice break my thoughts and I found Cato sitting right beside me. When did he get here? He laughed at my expression and shook his head, "I don't want you to slow us down tomorrow."
"I might not wake up tomorrow." I countered.
Cato gave me an amused look, "I won't kill you in the first night." We were silent for a while. Talking is difficult now. We don't even know if the cameras are on us or not. "Don't you trust me?"
"I trust you as much as I do back in the District." My answer seemed vague enough for the viewers (if there are), but clear enough for Cato. "Never changed."
He seemed satisfied with my answer and he nodded, "Me too. So go to sleep, we have a slaughter tomorrow." I felt lighter when he said that. Whatever happened between us before that caused us to fight disappeared. I think he never stopped trusting me, he just wanted to seem like he did. I stood and took my sleeping bag and prepared to sleep.
Once I was settled in my sleeping bag, I said, "Good night. Don't kill me yet."
"Good night." Cato chuckled softly, "I won't. Tomorrow maybe."
"Not before I do."