cloves games - a hunger games spin-off

Let the Games Begin

When we get back into our floor, I don't talk. The games are tomorrow and it's finally setting in that either me or Cato will be dead within the next 2 weeks. I just hope it's him.

I grab a slice of toast from the table, and go to my room.

I take a shower, wipe off all my makeup, and put on the same pyjamas I've been wearing for the past few nights.

I go out to get a bottle of water, and then go to bed.

I wake up very early the next morning, the games don't start till later, as the people in the Capitol like to sleep in. Nobody woke me up, but as soon as my eyes opened I felt terrible. But I know I must present myself as ready, and excited for the games.

So I bounce through to where everyone else is, and Fauna gives me my outfit for the arena.

A deep red V-Neck t-shirt, with brown cargo pants, and a black jacket. Skin tight socks with flexible shoes over them.

We take the elevator downstairs, and the hovercraft is here to pick us up in no time. I'm sat next to Katniss Everdeen, from District 12.

A woman comes round "Ms Everdeen, hold still please."

"What's this?"

"This is just your tracker."

She comes to me next.

"Ms Kentwell, your arm please."

I silently accept this. After a while of being in the hovercraft, the only thing to do was watch out the windows. But then they black out. We must be near the arena.

Finally, we land, and I climb down. I'm taken into a small room underground, and I see Fauna waiting for me in here.

"Are you ready, Clove?"

"Yes. I'm ready."

She just smiles and looks at me.

"Your necklace, you left it in the bathroom. It's your token, right?"

"Oh. Yeah it was." I expect her to say that she's left it there, and the next tribute from District 2 can find it in a year, but she doesn't.

"Here, Montrow brought it."

"Who?" I've never heard of a Montrow.

"From your prep team. Do you pay no attention Clove? These people have been prepping you for a week!"

"Sorry! They all had such Capitol names I didn't bother remembering them, I was focusing on my upcoming death."

She turns around, and doesn't look at me for a few minutes. In this time, I get to look at the room around me. There's a table against the wall, full of food and drinks, and a small circular platform in the far corner. I know this is where I enter the games from.

A male voice booms above us. "You have 60 seconds to enter your pedestal"

I recognise that voice. I'm just placing where from when Fauna says. "Claudius Templesmith. He commentates the game. If there are any announcements, he will pass them onto you in the arena."

"Thanks." Is the only thing I manage to say.

Then I step up onto my pedestal.

"You have 10 seconds to enter your pedestal."

I make eye contact with Fauna. She tells me good luck and take care, and I just nod. Then a glass tube is lowering down on me, and I start to move upwards.

It goes dark for around 10 seconds, then light glares in from the tops of the tube. My head goes above the ground, and I see the arena for the first time. Next to me is the girl from 8, and the boy from either 6 or 7, I get them mixed up. 

I scan around for Cato, and see him about 7 places to my left, there is one person between him and Glimmer, and Marvel is on the other side of the Cornucopia.

Behind me is a big lake, I can't see very far behind Cato, and there's a huge forrest where Marvel is.

I see lots of knives at the Cornucopia, they're not too far from me, I'm close to the mouth. 

Finally, we hear the gong, and I'm one of the first to jump down. I grab a handful of knives that were hanging down from the top of the Cornucopia, and look for my first victim.

I see the boy from 9 running not too far from me, he's heading towards one of the backpacks, and so is the girl from 12.

I see he already has an axe, he's about to bring it down on the girl when my knife finds his back. He falls flat on his face and I see the girl splattered with blood, grab the pack and start to run. I throw another knife, but she blocks her head with her new pack, and I know if I chase her, I'll miss out on all the good stuff back here, so I grab my knife out the boys back, wipe it on my jacket and go back to the Cornucopia.

I saw the girl from 7 and I ram her to the floor, I grab my knife and slash her neck, she looks terrified, but it'll all be over for her in a matter of seconds.

I stand up, and I keep fighting, I kill 2 more, though I cannot remember there names.

After what feels like only 10 minutes, though I know it was longer it all dies down. We grab all we need, and scan our claimed land. The boy from 4 is dead, but the rest of the careers are still good and alive. Then someone moves from inside the Cornucopia.

The boy from 12 walks out, we all pull out our weapons, and we're ready to kill when he talks.

"Wait. I can help you find Katniss, if you keep
me alive. I know you want her."

We all look at each other for a few seconds. I cant tell if he's lying or not. He sure is brave just walking up
to us like that.

Cato answers him. "Fine. We'll keep you alive on the condition that you lead us to the girl. Right?"

"Right."

I suggest we go down to the lake, so they can collect all the bodies, we don't want them stinking up our terrain.

We take what we need, and we grab all the remaining backpacks, and a few other bits and bobs that could be useful, then we head down the small slope to the lake.

We open our packs, we have lots of food, and lots of weaponry. There's even a vest perfect for all my knives in one.

After we're all sorted, we head back up to the Cornucopia, and, as expected, it's all untouched.

We eat, and talk about tactics, who to kill, who to leave for now, when the anthem plays. We look up, and watch as all the dead tributes light up the sky. Eleven dead. When they show the young boy from
4, Cassia, his district partner, lowers her eyes. I shake her shoulder in what I hope is a comforting way, and watch the rest of them.

Our biggest threats are still alive, the boy from 11 and girl from 12, but it's okay.

"I'm bored."
"What"
"Let's hunt"
"But we have food here."
"Not for food.."
"People?"
"Exactly."

And so we set off. We're about to enter the field I saw before the bloodbath, when Cassia spots something.

"Look. Smoke. You don't think someone lit a fire already do you?"

We laugh, and head off in that direction.