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★★★
MY FEET STUTTER, NOT SURE what to do. Then remembering that my little brother is watching, I force my legs to move, to run. I'm about to turn in the direction of the woods behind me when my eye catches on a backpack, just a few feet away.
Not a good idea. But I don't want to leave with only the clothes on my back. Blood pounding in my ears, I dash across the short stretch of grass and snatch up the straps of the pack, turning to run into the menacing-looking forest. Then some great force grabs the hood of my jacket, nearly lifting me off the ground.
"Going somewhere, Three?"
Cato. All the nerves buzzing in my veins before now builds up into a sudden shock of fear of this giant beast of a tribute, and my eyes zero in on the sword in his hand. I remember him in the Training Center, skewering dummies like paper. I'm next.
I bat uselessly at his hand gripping my hood, but it's like a mouse trying to fight a lion. Cato grins and hefts his sword. I'm going to die here.
Then he stops, smirk still in place. He slowly lowers his sword. "I'd love to get this over with now, Three, but Clove said to stay out of her way."
What?
He lets go and I tumble to the ground, staring up at him with wide, uncomprehending eyes. He jerks his chin at me. "Well? Run."
It finally hits me and I scramble to my feet, securing the backpack and bolting into the woods. The sounds of weapons clashing and blood being spilled are finally reaching my ears, and I shudder.
The forest seems threatening, the trees and the undergrowth and the sheer wildness making me hesitate once I reach past the outer line of trees. I'm not used to this much nature.
Deciding to scope out the area, I climb a tree near the perimeter of the forest and look out over the field, feeling slightly sick to my stomach. Blood is staining the grounds all around the Cornucopia. A few stragglers are already disappearing into the woods beyond, and the rest are hacking away at each other.
The Careers are easy to pick out. Clove stalks the terrain like a lioness searching for prey, head whipping from side to side as she scans the area for her next target. Glimmer and Marvel are front and center, slashing down tributes left and right. Cato is nowhere to be seen, possibly inside the Cornucopia. I'm too far away to make out the details, but the blood I can see clearly.
I look away, chastising myself. If you can't even handle the sight of blood, how are you going to survive?
I glance down. The rough bark of the tree is an alien feeling against my hands, and I feel oddly out of place once again. I need to get out of here. Find water, food, don't panic...
