renely dupage was eighteen when she was chosen for the hunger games. she wasn't cut out for the games; she wasn't a killer and leaving behind her brother was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do.
the hunger games led her to more than she ever tho...
tw: i just want to say that with the hunger games officially starting there will be a lot of blood, death, and threats. this is my only warning for the hunger games- no matter what happens. please read with caution!
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[____the_arena____]
THE SOUND OF cannons set everything into motion. on instinct, renely shoots off the platform and races to the backpack.
she sees the other tributes next to her run towards the actual cornucopia. seeing them not run at the bag she wants, eases her nerves ever-so-slightly.
ren doesn't break stride as she grabs the strap of the bag and takes off in the other direction, now the with goal to get as far away from the cornucopia as possible.
a few other tributes had the same idea as her and are already at the shoreline. ren can see them stalling at the edge of the water, unsure if it's safe.
she pauses at the water's edge as well, trying to see if there's anything in the water that could be dangerous. she wants to just jump in and swim away, but she knows that the gamemakers wouldn't leave the water perfectly safe. they know that renely and josiah, and possibly the careers, are likely to make a move for the water first.
there's a crash in the water to her left, one of the other tributes took their chance and jumped in. renely watches as he starts to flail his arms while whatever current is in the water pushes him away from them.
the other tribute near him takes a step away from the water, sending a panicked look towards him and then the water.
the riptide pulls him away from the main cluster of islands and eventually under. it's only a few moments later that a cannon goes off, the first of many to come. the other tribute glances around, his eyes landing on renely watching him and he takes off towards the other side of the island.
renely feels temporally frozen. they're not even five minutes in and someone has already died. she stares at the water as she debates on what to do.
she could follow the other tribute and run in the other direction, or she could try to brave these currents. if she does take on these currents, she'd get a strong lead in that direction. it would take the others a while to get to her, following this route. but if she went the other way, renely wouldn't have to deal with the riptides, but takes on the immediate risk of the others.
looking at the water she decides the reward is greater than the risk.
the sound of two more cannons spurs her out of her stupor. renely takes a quick breath in and out, looks behind her and jumps in the water.
she goes into the water smoothly. surprisingly, it's warm, something she's grateful for. almost immediately she feels the current push her in the same direction as the first boy. renely feels like she's ten again racing finnick in four as she forces herself deeper into the water, searching for the riptide's forgiveness.
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