The 64th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter Three

I look at the clock to see what time it is. It's only four, but I'm not tired anymore. For some reason I slept good. The opening ceremonies were uneventful after talking to Key briefly. I roll out of bed and see the red and black training clothes with a big four on them laying on the dresser. I quickly put them on and start to wander through the building. I look out the window and see hundreds of Capitol citizens watching a large screen on the side of a building. Highlights from a previous Hunger Games are being projected, most likely to get the crowd as excited as possible for this year's. It looks like it has just begun and I sit by the window to watch.

The tributes are all still standing on their platforms and eyeing the supplies at the cornucopia. They're in a large dessert area and it doesn't look like there's any forest to be seen. The countdown reaches zero and a majority of the tributes dash towards the supplies. The district one male makes the first kill by lodging a spear in to the nearby district three's head. The bloodbath continues and 10 tributes end up dead before the first night.

The video cuts to the male district eight tribute running through the sand. The pack of career tributes pursue closely behind him and one of them stops to shoot her bow. The arrow pierces the boy's arm and he falls to the ground. Sadly for him he wasn't dead yet, and the large careers surround him like a pack of wolves. The district one male pulls out a sword and thrusts it through the pleading boy.

The crowd cheers and I turn away as the cannon fires. I go back to my room and try to get the thought of dying out of my head, to no avail. It soon is morning and I can hear the others starting to move around out in the main room. No one really says much at first. We all just eat. Before we head out Mags tells me to not be intimidated by any of the other tributes and to learn a large variety of survival skills. She gives me a silver fishhook that she says that she made for me and hooks it through my shirt like a pin.

When we get in the training facility most of the careers are eyeing some of the weapons and targets. The district one male, who Key tells me is named Latch, is eyeing the throwing knives and spears. I automatically see him as being the biggest threat to me, because throwing knives are one of the few things I trained with back in district four, and if he gets his hands on them before I do in the arena, I'm pretty much screwed. Latch was easily the tallest of the careers. He had short light brown hair and dark blue eyes. He seems to be the leader of the group.

After a short speech from the trainer we all are free to walk around and train on our own for the day. I see Ceffa climbing around on the obstacle course and Key is wielding an axe near a training dummy. I hesitate to walk towards the area for throwing knives, spears, and archery cause I see Latch and the other careers practically guarding the place, yet I end up going that way anyway. The district two female, named Roar, gives me a condescending look, but I step up to the target bordering Latch without giving her any attention. I want to show him that he has some competition. I pause to whatch him thrust forward as he throws the silver blade across the aisle leading to the target. It sticks in perfectly straight in the ring one off from the bullseye on the targets heart. He looks proud and the careers that are standing there congradulate him. I grab the knife on the table and put my finger across the edge. I take a deep breath in and launch the blade in to Latch's target. It whizzes through the air and meets up with the bullseye that was previously missed. The force of the blade shakes the target and Latch's knife, which turns out to not have been stuck in all the way, slips out and lands on the floor with a clink.

The sound of the steel interrupts the small celebration and their heads turn to the target, and then to me. I can't tell if they're shocked, impressed, or angry so I just decide to act like I don't notice them and pick up another blade. Before my hand reaches it, Roar has stepped up and grabbed the weapon. She quickly and powerfully throws it successfully next to my knife. She looks at me and I give a sarcastic silent applause. Key, who had moved to the targets for archery, is now a part of the audience, and it seems to be my move. There are no more knives on the table closest to me so I just grab a spear so it looks like I know what I'm doing. I'm really only skilled with knives, but I assume a spear can't be too different. I aim for the untouched target in front of me and heave my body forward to give the spear enough distance to actually reach the target. The spear misses the heart completely, but lands two rings off from the bullseye on the head.

By now we have the attention of several tributes in the room. Latch matches my throw with a spear directly on the center of the head, and then steps towards me. "You can throw pretty well." he says with a pause. A few of the tributes that were watching us go back to their training. "If you would like to join, we could use more members in our alliance."

I don't know how to react at first, but I know that I should respond quickly. "Sounds good. Strength in numbers, right?" I say and we shake hands. On the outside I'm completely calm, but on the inside I'm yelling at myself for what I just did. I know that they're just going to kill me after I've helped them! The group walks away and Key turns around briefly to give me a nod of approval. This makes me feel good, but the feeling soon fades when I see the other tributes whom I'm going to have to see die, unless I fall victim first.