Author Games: Contest Entries

Second Task

Cold frost lined her fingertips; the skies cloaked in charcoal as a sharp wind battered against her frame. Ebony shivered. The thick coat they'd given her was keeping her insulated as she rose into the arena, but it wouldn't be enough if she didn't start moving soon.

Her head turned, looking through the falling snowflakes as she rubbed her arms against the sleeves of her jacket. The sickening chill of dread breathed through her veins. But it was not the cold that disturbed her. It was the silence.

An icy breeze slashed across her cheeks, stinging her eyes as her feet shifted on the platform. No matter which way she turned, it doesn't change. Ebony could hear nothing. Not the sound of the countdown. Not the breath of the other tributes. Nothing. Through the white of the snow, even the silhouettes of other tributes were hidden. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought herself alone.

Completely, utterly, alone.

A gust of wind pushed her forward, heavy winter boots clanging against cold metal. Ebony felt the toe of her foot begin to dip over the side, and she jolted away from the edge. Black curls flew around her face, and with a frustrated humph she flipped her hood up over her head. The steep cliff face before her made her stomach settle deep in her gut like a stone. The thought of the harsh, unpredictable wind and the hundred plus foot drop was enough to make Ebony think twice. She turned around to look at the safety of the treeline only a few feet behind her. When the timer sounded, she could be there and be gone before most people were even off their plates.

But she would never make it far.

In District Eleven, Ebony had prided herself on her strength. Her strict diet and rigorous exercise had been necessary for survival. But now, to survive she needed quite the opposite. She needed fat--insulation against the cold. Otherwise she'd freeze to death on the first night.

There wasn't time to contemplate her options. Ebony couldn't hear the countdown, but she still knew that time was running short. Turning back to the cliff face, she looked out onto the horizon until she saw the glint of metal in the rapidly dying sunlight. A smile twitched across her face. Clever, she thought, delay the bloodbath by moving the Cornucopia away from us. Ebony's eyes scanned over the bright whiteness of the arena and she set her jaw in determination. I've got to get there first.

When the blare of the timer finally broke through the silence, she was ready. Her feet plunged off of the platform and deep into the snow, sending chills up her calves as the snow pressed in around her.

Some of the others were staring down at the bottom, contemplating the best way to get down, but Ebony didn't have time for that. She swung her leg down over the edge and landed it into a solid footing. With one hand, she gripped the snowy edge of the cliff and threw her weight over. The other hand pulled the collar of her jacket up around her mouth and nose, where she held the thick material between her teeth. Her breath spread warmth throughout her face.

She pressed herself as close to the face of the cliff as she could, but every step was still a struggle for her increasingly numb fingers. As she climbed down, the descent became more treacherous that she imagined. Hidden icy patches and packed snow proved difficult footholds.

As if on cue, a brittle scream cut its way through the silence of night, followed by the body of a girl rushing past and the sound of a cannon. Ebony's feet slipped out from underneath her, her heart lurching up into her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut, biting down on the lining of her coat as her muscles strained. Her boots scraped uselessly against the slippery rocks, breaking off thin pieces of ice as she tried to get her footing.

Someone to her left was laughing, but she didn't have to look to see who. She recognized the boy from Three's voice, and was not surprised. He had the eyes of someone who could order everyone they knew to burn and not lose a moment's sleep while they screamed. From a moral standpoint, she did not like him. But even more so, she did not like the fact that he was climbing down much faster than she was.