The Ultimate Games

The Night

 With the nighttime, the forest becomes dead silent. Every twig that snaps under my feet startles me. Not being able to see doesn't exactly help either. Too worried about other tributes to risk sleeping, I wander around the arena. So far I've only seen trees, trees, and more trees. What scares me the most is that lurking behind every boulder and hiding in every tree could be a tribute ready to jump out and attack me. A shiver runs down my spine. I managed to grab a small knife near my platform at the start of the games. I wish I had gotten me, but I would never be able to make it up to the strange structure in the center without being killed. At this point, I have no idea where I am. All the trees look the same, and for all I know, I could have been wandering out in a circle for hours. A slight shifting of leaves in a tree up ahead sets me on edge immediately. I cautiously approach it, holding out my knife. I catch a glimpse of brown eyes through the leaves, and I step backward with a gasp. It takes me a moment to realize that the other tribute is simply a young girl. She is small, with satiny brown skin, and her eyes are locked on me. I put my hands out in a sign of peace.

"Hi," I whisper. "I'm not going to hurt you." The knife sticking out of my pocket probably doesn't help to convey that. The girl creeps forward on the branch where she sits, and I recognize her as a Panem tribute. She looks to be twelve or thirteen. Surprisingly, she doesn't look scared at all. I guess I can't do much to her from down here. I think. As I watch her, I wonder if I should attack her. I'm here to win aren't I? The thought sends me reeling. I don't want to be a killer, especially not the killer of a little girl. I sigh, dropping my gaze to the leafy ground before returning to watching the girl. She doesn't even seem to be blinking, tracking my every move. It doesn't occur to me until I feel something hard hit my head that I should be the one afraid of her. I stumble backwards. She's thrown a small hard rock at me. I feel liquid on my head. I stare at her, backtracking as fast as I can without turning around. She hurls twigs and rocks at me from her pockets. A few of them hit me, and I abandon trying to watch her and sprint away. After running far enough that the girl is out of sight, I bend over on my knees, panting. She could've killed me if I hadn't gotten away, I realize as I feel the bloody sores on my arms and legs where her stones hit me. Some of them were sharpened. I sit down against a tree, surveying my surroundings. Never once does it occur to me to hate that little girl for attacking me, after all, it's what we have to do to survive.