The 70th Hunger Games- Fliss' Story

18

I must have fallen asleep as I'm gently shaken awake by Laurette. I get up and I am taken to the roof where a hovercraft awaits. I step onto the ladder and a current freezes me in place. I expect to be released when I'm in the hovercraft but I'm still stuck. A lady appears and injects a tracker into my arm. This way they can't lose me in the arena. Unfortunately. I'm finally released and I go and sit next to Laurette. I look out of the window taking in the scenery. I look out at reality, my last chance, before my whole world turns into the arena. The windows black out to stop me from seeing exactly where I'm going. It means I'm close to the arena. "Do you want anything to eat Fliss?" I nod and take a piece of bread although it sticks like glue in my mouth and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be sick. For the rest of the journey I try to drink water but even that seems hard.

We are deposited under the arena in the catacombs. This is where I will wait until I am lifted into the arena. I am sat in a white room which is very much the same all the way round. There is a small white sofa and a room off the side, which I expect is a toilet. I continue to sip my drink.

Laurette comes over with my tribute outfit. Everyone wears the same thing in the arena. It consists of a black top and trousers made of a wetsuit like material. "This won't keep out water, but it might make you more streamlined." Laurette says. Attached to the sides of the legs of the wetsuit are orange strips which feel abnormally heavy. That is it. This is all I will wear over the next weeks.

Over the loud speaker I hear the words: "Tributes get ready for launch." I stand up and Laurette walks me over to a circular platform. This will lift me up into the arena. "Good luck Fliss. I will be watching and cheering you on." I smile and she hugs me again.

I step onto the plate and a clear wall falls around me. Now I am trapped and there's nothing I can do. I am stuck in the games. The plate begins to rise. I hold me head up high, I'm not about to look scared.

The glass around me subsides and I'm greeted by a cool breeze. The sixty second countdown begins and I look around to get my bearings. The sky is blue and looks fairly normal. I look below me and see a vast amount of water stretching out as far as the eye can see. The only land is the Cornucopia which sits about 100m in front of me. The water is lapping over my feet and I get a bit on my finger. I taste it and it's definitely salt. It's as much as I can do to keep a smile off my face. I brace myself and get ready to dive.

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The gong sounds and I immediately plunge into the icy water. It's so cold it takes my breath away, but I don't stop. I need to get to the cornucopia before my opponents. This will be my life line in the arena. I make it to the island before anyone else. The other tributes are all still out on their podiums. I think back to training, there wasn't a pool. Well they'd better be fast learners. I do remember a station going over the basic strokes though. I run up to where a pile of treasure awaits me. I dig through the pile finding a load of spokes. I attach them to my belt. I also pick up a small knife. This way I have weapons but not ones that will weigh me down when I'm trying to swim.

I hear someone on the other side of the cornucopia. It's very likely that it is Ash but I'm not taking a chance. I get up and run back down the sand picking up a backpack and some rolls on my way down. I hastily shove my rolls into the orange backpack, which I hope is waterproof.

I dive into the water and start to swim. When I'm back out at the plate which brought me into the arena, I stop and tread water. I look up at the island. I think I see Ash but I can't tell. Most other tributes are now in the water slowly making their way to the cornucopia although many are moving away from it. I take one last look and start to swim. I want to put as much distance between me and any other tribute that I can. Hopefully the bloodbath will keep them occupied.

I swim for what seems like ages until I finally start to see rocky outcrops start to appear. The further I get from the cornucopia the bigger the rocks become. I pick one to sit down on and rest. I decide to look through my backpack which seems to be water resistant. My rolls have stayed dry. I also have an apple. My pack contains a sleeping bag, some goggles, a torch and one container of water. I find in the front a bottle of blue liquid. Something in the back of my mind tells me that this is what they use to purify salt water into drinking water. I have seen it back home when sailors go out on long trips to sea. I have one bottle of fresh water now so I better make it last.

I have a small drink and nibble on the corner of one of my four rolls. My backpack which is orange on the outside is black on the inside. The bright orange will show up anywhere, day or night. The black however wont. Before I pack my belongings away I turn the backpack inside out. The zip still works but is difficult to undo. At least it's not reflecting orange anywhere.

I'm about to dive back into the water when the sound of a cannon pulls me up short. How long has the bloodbath gone on for? I judge by the position of the sun that it's about three o'clock. We entered the arena at mid-day due to the fact that many capitol citizens get up late. That means the bloodbath has gone on for about three hours. Have I really been swimming that long? I count 9 cannons. That means that there are 15 people still alive. That is a lot, although I suspect that many haven't made it off their platforms yet. I wonder if Ash has made it at all but I guess I'll find out tonight when they put the faces of the dead up into the sky.

I get back in the water and continue to swim until I judge it to be about 5 o'clock. I pick out an outcrop of rock and climb up onto it. This one is taller than the one I rested on. I sit down and try to find somewhere to sleep but I fear it is going to be a long night. I should be far enough ahead of the other tributes. I sit by a cluster of rocks. In theory I shouldn't be able to be seen if anyone was to swim past. I make a nock up fishing hook out of a few odd bits of strong grass and some of my hair. I catch a small fish and de-bone it. The rocks have been baking under the sun all day and should be hot enough to cook me small fish. I could eat it raw but I don't want to get sick off it on the first day. As my fish gently cooks another cannon sounds. That 14 of us left now. I wonder who and how they died but I guess I'll never know.