Catching Fire: Burning '7'

Chapter 7

“Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fifth Hunger Games begin!” Claudius Templesmith announces. I have 60 seconds to find them. The arena has a water, salt water, I guess. There’s a sun, too. And there’s the Cornucopia, at the middle of the arena. It’s like a spokes on the wheel. There are 12 spokes. Between the spokes, there are two standing victors or tributes.

The other tribute in my watery wedge is Cecelia from District 8.  I have less the 60 seconds to find them. Where are you, Blight? I see Katniss Everdeen, she must be looking for Peeta. And I am, too. I found him! The other tribute in his spoke is the District 9 male. Where the hell are you, Blight?! Then the gong sounds.

I plunge myself into the water and swim. I know how to swim. Just a little. I propel hardly, but something is keeping me floating. I don’t know what it is, but I’m glad. I pull myself on the rocky spoke and run to the Cornucopia. Katniss Everdeen is already there and Finnick. They are talking and I see Finnick shows his bangle to Katniss. It must be from Haymitch. Finnick throws his trident and it impales the District 5 male, he sinks to his knees as Finnick frees the trident from his chest. Where are you, Blight? Then I see them. Blight with Nuts and Volts. Heading to the woods. Then I quickly grab the axe and follow them. When I’m at the woods. I exclaim, this is not ‘the woods’. It’s a jungle. Then I shout, “Blight!” Blight turns his back and he sees me. He’s with Wiress and Beetee.

“Johanna’s with me. Don’t worry.” Blight says. Wiress and Beetee nod. Beetee has a blood on his back. I asks Blight, “What happened to him?”

“He ran to the Cornucopia trying to get that wire.” I look at the wire in his hands and then roll my eyes.

We walk to the endless jungle and suddenly, we’re tired.

“We need to find some water.” Blight says,

“I know. But where?” he shrugs at me. The cannon keeps ringing. “How many?”

“I don’t know. I lost count.” Blight says, panting.

My stomach growls and Blight stares at me. “Hungry.”

“Me too,” Blight says, smiling at me. Then Nuts stands up and pick some nuts. Then she walks away from us. “Nuts! Come bac – “ I trail off,

“Let her,” says Beetee. I roll my eyes.

After 30 minutes, I guess. Nuts comes back with a lot of nuts. No, roasted nuts. Then she handles it to me and I smell it. I roll my eyes at her. Blight grabs some and cracks it and puts it on his mouth. Beetee, too. And so am I. I don’t want to thank her. This is their payment for being with us, my mind says. The cannon stops ringing.

“8,” says Wiress,

“8 dead in the bloodbath,” Beetee continues, Wiress nods.

Blight and I stare to each other. Nuts and Volts are really weird. My stomach is satisfied because of Wiress. Not-so-thanks to her. Then we walk again to find some fresh water but we found nothing. We are really exhausted.

“We need to find Katniss, Peeta and Finnick,” I say

“And Mags. Yeah. We need to find them as fast as possible,” says Blight.

“How’d you escape? I mean, there’s no swimming pool in District Three,” I ask Volts,

“The belts,” says Wiress, huh? The belts?

“The belts are flotation device. It keeps you from drowning, but you have to propel yourself,” explains Beetee. I blink a few times, to process what he has said.

“Ahh,” reacts Blight, with amazement. Blight mouths me the word ‘wow’. I roll my eyes.

We keep searching for Peeta, Katniss, Finnick and Mags through this endless jungle. But we really can’t find them.

“We need to rest,” says Beetee. Blight agrees and we sit. It’s getting darker. We sit in silence and eat some of roasted nuts.

“How’d you roast this nuts, Wiress?” asks Blight,

“The forcefield,” says Wiress.

“Forcefield?” asks Blight curiously.

“The forcefield has a million volts, and can reach temperatures approaching 10,000 kelvin,” explains Beetee. Blight nods in amazement. I can’t process it.

“English please!” I snap. Blight, Wiress and Beetee stare at me. I sigh, “Fine. Fine. Fine.”

Where the hell are they? Where the hell are Finnick, Mags, Katniss and Peeta? It’s dark now. Then the anthem begins, then the faces of the fallen tributes come.

The District 5 male, killed by Finnick using his trident. Then followed by the male morphling from Dsitrict 6, Cecelia and Woof from District 8, the tributes from District 9, the female tribute from District 10 and Seeder from District 11.

I saw how Seeder was killed, at first, she wounded the District 10 female but it didn’t die. Then Cashmere threw some knives at her and it hit her neck. Then she fell. Cecelia was killed by Enobaria by stabbing her. Woof was killed by Brutus. District 6 male was killed by Gloss, the District 9 female was killed by Brutus using his spear. I don’t know the others.

“Get some rest,” suggests Blight, “I’ll keep the first watch.”

“Okay.” I say, Nuts and Volts nod. “But wake me up if you need me. Okay?” he nods.

We rest and I shut my eyes. Then there’s a loud alarm. Bong! Bong! Bong! I look at Blight but he shrugs. There were twelve bongs, but what it’s for? I see Beetee, stands up. And that’s when the lightning hits the big tree near at us. But it only hits the big tree. Then I see Wiress, looking at the lightning. Then she sings,

“Hickory dickory dock,

The mouse ran up the clock.

The clock struck one,

The mouse ran down,

Hickory dickory dock.”

”This is no time for singing, Nuts!” But she keeps singing, Beetee looks at her.

“Hickory dickory dock,

The mouse ran up the clock.

The clock struck one,

The mouse ran down,

Hickory dickory dock,” sings Wiress. I roll my eyes at her. We move a little, away from the big tree and sit. But Nuts keeps singing. Ugh!

“Stop it!” I shout at her. But she keeps singing. I can’t rest.

We’re getting dehydrated. Then the clouds begin to swirl above us. It’s gonna rain. It’s gonna rain! But Nuts seems nervous. Volts seems happy. Finally! We can finally quench our thirsts. We run for it and neither of us has said anything. We just run for it. For the rain.