“Things seem quiet,” the announcer said. The arena was quiet, with only a few sounds from animals scattering the vast, green tropical biome. The plasma screen seemed to flicker a bit when the camera panned in on my favorite tribute in the Hunger Games, who seemed to still be recovering from that frog attack. Oh gosh, he just took a drink from that puddle of blood, as bloodthirsty as a vampire. Maybe he was one. Blake Cooper was one of the final remaining tributes in the 80^th Hunger Games, and the one I cheered for the most. He needed some help since finding the other finalists will be a long hard struggle, so I decided I would send a silver parachute to his aid. With some extra money that I had from winning the local lottery last month, I decided I would sponsor Cooper with a cellphone. Not just any cellphone though, a smartphone, which is unique to District 3, as we have the best tech in all of Panem. This smartphone would allow Cooper to see his location via GPS, and have many other uses through the various applications. I’ll be sure not to install Flappy Bird since I wouldn’t want Cooper to break the phone upon getting it.

Going to the tech store, I browsed through the vast collection of technology and glided my hands over all the phones. Big screen, small screen, shiny screen, touch screen. Many, many, many different types to choose from and choosing one would be hard. A small, slim but hardy looking phone caught my eye. The smooth screen glimmered in the incandescent lights. The phone seemed to be touchscreen, and had an apple logo on its back. It was called an Eye-Fone according to the plastic label attached to it.  I picked it up and went to get a case for it. In the accessories section, I found a blood red, super hard steel case, which Cooper would love – and use to bash people’s heads in. Putting it on the Eye-Fone, I checked it out and went to the local sponsor of District 8.

The glass automatic doors slid open, and I went to the front desk. I told the clerk I wanted to sponsor Cooper, so the clerk led me into a room with the boss. An overweight person sitting in a chair with a cigar in his mouth and Hawaiian shirt on welcomed me. The boss sitting at his desk asked me if I got the money, and I told him yes. He then pulled out a paper that looked like a contract and asked me what I wanted to send. I showed him the phone, and he wrote it down on the paper, and then gave it to me to sign. Signing it, I returned the paper and gave him the smartphone. The boss then packed it in a small box, put a stamp on it, and put it in the mail, probably to the Capitol. With my silver parachute on the way, I can hope that the phone will give Cooper the upper hand, and win this bloody game already.

Brrrrrrrrp! I stopped walking and turned around. Scanning the area, I saw nothing out of the ordinary; only the usual lush, green plant life surrounding giant tropical trees. I turned back around and started walking again. It has only been several days since the tsunami and since losing my equipment and food, I needed to have a new start. I went back to the cornucopia only to find scraps of everything there, so I picked up only the necessities and got out of  that dangerous area as fast as possible. I also recovered a worn out cloth bag which seemed to have some food in it, so now I can survive a bit longer now. While I was at the cornucopia, I decided to go to a metal platform and dig up one of the mines surrounding it, disabled of course, and brought it with me just in case.

BRRRRRRRRRRRP! BRGLRPRRRRP! This time the noise resonated throughout the jungle, just as loud as the tsunami. I turned around just in time to see an ARMY of brightly colored frogs approaching me. Some were shining blue and others metallic green but all since to be homing in on me. Maybe it was another move by the Gamemakers? It didn’t matter at this point, so I sprinted as fast as I could away from the frog army, hoping to gain some distance. The colors on the frogs meant that they were deadly poisonous, or so said my biology teacher. I continued running when I thought of a way out of this. I decided to pull out the mine I had in my bag and use that, though I had never activated a mine before. Still running, I looked at the dull gold color of the mine and turned it around to find the hatch for the fuse. Grabbing a firm rock off the ground, I smashed the back open revealing the fuse and the explosives. The layout was simple for being a Capitol weapon, with a stopper plate preventing the pressure plate from activating the fuse. I grabbed the smooth metal stopper plate and threw it out, leaving the pressure plate in direct contact with the fuse.

With the mine now active, I turned around to find the swarm of bright frogs still chasing me. Hastily I stopped, turned around, and faced the frogs coming straight at me. Mine still in my hand, I threw it like a Frisbee, straight into the center of the swarm then dived behind the nearest tree. BAM! The mass of the numerous frogs activated the pressure plate and a blinding light filled the forest. Whoosh! The explosion was followed by a shockwave that took the breath out of everything in the area; and propelled frog guts and leaves in every direction. I peeked out from behind the tree to check if it was clear. Glistening red frog guts littered the area with a huge charred area where the explosion took place. That was a close one! I was just about to get up when something leathery touched my leg, maybe even a bit slimy. I looked down just to see a small, red frog, staring me in the eyes.

A faint rumble was felt underneath my feet. Great tropical tree branches rustled, and leaves came floating down. What was that? Shake. It happened again, and this time I could hear an odd noise. A gust of wind came in and almost blew my bag out of my hand. Exploring the possibilities of what might be going on; I came up with a few conclusions. Was it a super powerful weapon a tribute acquired? No, the Gamemakers would never let tributes have that sort of advantage. Gamemakers? Speaking of Gamemakers, they haven’t made their move yet. The sound got louder, shaking the ground, like a distant hovercraft coming in. I decided that this is probably the Gamemakers’ first move in the Hunger Games, but what was that sound?

I heard waves crashing on the shore, though 100 times louder, and still getting louder. I instantly realized that a tsunami coming in fast, on the whole arena. Crap! There is no avoiding this one. I thought of several options, but instead went for the quickest and most simple one. Dropping my leather bag in a hurry, I rushed to the nearest, sturdiest looking tree and climbed it as fast as I could. Branches scraped my arms, and a foot got stuck, so I had to kick off my shoe. I knew I had to cling to the tree for dear life to prevent myself from getting swept into the wave. Looking over to the tsunami, several stories tall, I saw it uproot trees and sweeping away whole forests, where only the strongest trees get to stay grounded. I looked at my tree, judging its strength to withstand the tsunami. The tree was massive alright, and though I was not sure that the roots could hold the tree down.  Oops! I just realized my bag had all my food and equipment, and I left it on the ground! Well that’s too late now, since the tsunami towered over me already.

The giant wave, known as a tsunami, casted a huge shadow that blocked out the sun and darkened the sky like an eclipse. I was gambling with my life, clinging on the tree for the chance it won’t be uprooted and carried away by the wave like a pencil. I took a huge breath, moist air filling every corner of my lungs and waited. In an instant, the wave hit me and the tree like a concrete wall, then submerged everything underwater. I held on to my branch as hard as I could to avoid being swept away by the strong current produced by the tsunami. The water seemed ice cold and burning into my skin, since it was so much colder than the warm tropical climate I was used to. A branch that got caught by the tsunami hit me in the back of my head and caused me to almost let go of the branch, leaving a bruise mark I could easily feel. I cursed the Gamemakers for this tsunami for doing this for their enjoyment when tributes could easily die by their hand. My lungs started burning and but knew I had to hold my breath to survive. I tried not to panic since I knew that would only make things worse. Stars appeared in my vision and an eternity passed. Finally with a big swoosh, my head surfaced, the water receding behind me. I took a big breath; the crisp air filled my lungs like it never did before.  I looked for the tsunami, and saw it disappearing in the distance. I thanked my luck for letting me survive the Gamemakers’ little event. I was left dripping, clothes soaked and sticking to my skin. With my food, and equipment gone, I will have to start back at square one. Several cannon shots went off. Still alive and running, I will continue to my bitter end, in the 80^th Annual Hunger Games.

Dull sunshine passing through boring grey clouds filled the tropical jungle of the 80th Hunger Games. Its been a couple days into the Hunger Games already and I already started to get homesick. I mainly missed my brother since me and him always played games about the Hunger Games back at District 3, though now I’m alone in the Hunger Games. For everyone else back in District 3, I just hoped that they wouldn’t worry about me too much. Eugene died, and I could of really used some help with my situation.

Hearing a faint whistling sound, I turned around and looked up into the cloudy sky. A silver parachute! The parachute gleamed in the dull light coming through the clouds! Finally, some help from my sponsors? I ran to the drop location, and lifted up the silver parachute. Attached was a round box with a video camera that was clearly made in District 3. I lifted it up, and under it was a note saying to record a video message to send back to District 3. Not much help, but now I could ease my homesickness by sending a message back home.

*Pant* *Pant* Out of breath and breathing heavily, I learned my body against the rough bark of a jungle tree. I had no idea how far I ran from the bloodshed at the Cornucopia but I ran as far as I could with my limited stamina. Still resting against the tree, I looked around. The ground seemed to be soaked with water, and plants covered the whole area. The plants were nothing like the ones at District 3, and didn’t seem to be domestic at all. Barely any sunlight reached the jungle floor though little specks of sunlight peppered the ground. Ants marched around carrying loot from somewhere back to their colony. Some bugs buzzed in my ear so I got up and decided to start searching for water. A dragonfly caught my eye and that’s when I remembered my science lessons. Dragonflies always appear near water, so I started to follow it.

A couple minutes later I stumble upon a flat area with a deep pond with a stream going in. The stream trickled water into the pond, shining under the light. Suddenly I saw some movement at the corner of my eye. I looked around, crouching, alert of my surroundings for any suspicious things. Eh, whatever, probably just an animal or something. I go back to the flowing stream and splash some cool water on my face, washing the grime away. I then take a sip of delicious cool water, moistening my parched lips. I didn’t realize that I was so thirsty from all that running, but then I noticed how much sweat I had. I was just about to take another drink when I noticed movement behind me. I turn around and suddenly-

“Put your hands up!”

The person behind me was a boy who was about the same age as me held a gleaming dagger clenched  in his hands. With the voice still ringing in my ears, I threw my hands up in a flash and yell,

“I’m friendly!”  I stood there contemplating what to do. This person has a weapon and I don’t, so I can’t go and fight him. I look at him, an average sized boy that looks slightly younger than me. His short but curly hair was a mess on his head and his attentive brown eyes stared at mine. Maybe I should run for it, or is he faster than me? I didn’t have enough information to make a decision on the spot so I waited. The silence was heavy in the air and seemed to press down on my chest, causing my stomach to turn. The moment seemed to last forever when he calmly said,

“Whats your name?”

I replied awkwardly,

“Lee Sin.”

“Eugene.” The boy, Eugene sheathed his dagger, and the tension faded along with the awkwardness of the situation.

“We could work together,” Eugene proposed. Well that was a stroke of luck! The first person I met didn’t kill me immediately. I gladly accepted his offer, and said,

“Sure, no problem.”  We sat down on the wet ground, face to face, and talked strategy. I said that I was from District 3  and was good with electronics. I also mention my plan to use the mines at the starting pad, using my electronic skills. Eugene seemed interested, and jokingly talked about how he was from District 8, could make clothes like it was useless. I assured him that his skill was actually pretty useful for the long run when clothing starts to matter.

Suddenly a large, holographic screen flashed above us with names of all the dead people so far. There were four, their names written on the screen in the following order:

Stan Jenning

Luan Smith

Yolanda Bubblebench

Duncan Reilly

Eugene asked me if I knew Stan, the other District 3 tribute, very much. I replied that I didn’t really know her but was still upset that one of my allies was lost to the fate of the Hunger Games. Eugene asked,

“Did you know Duncan Reilly?” I replied,

“Of course, everyone knew Duncan Reilly, he was such a jokester at training.” We both laughed for a little bit, and then Eugene said,

“Turns out my partner from 8 is pretty bad dude, huh? He probably caused all of this.” I replied,

“Yeah, and he gave me a death stare at the beginning. Speaking of death, we should probably find some shelter.”

“Well, we’ll spend the night here, but we won’t stay here for long, it’s not safe. I’ll take first watch.”

I climb up a tree to get some rest in safety while my new found partner takes first watch. A cool, night breeze passed through the tropical forest. I took a deep breath, and the smell of fresh air and moist jungle filled my lungs. Looking up, I saw the silhouette of the leaves fluttering in the sky and some getting blown off. A leaf landed on my chest for a moment then took off in the wind again. Will I make it through the Games? Can I even make it through the night? I adjusted my self on the rough branch, trying to get a comfortable position to rest in. Will this Eugene kid betray and slip a knife in between my ribs? He seemed okay though, and I really needed someone to work with if I wanted my plan to have a chance. The thoughts kept coming into my head, but slowly I drifted to sleep…

Cold sweat dripped down the back of my neck. I stepped on the hard metal plate and a shudder shook me as the platform rose up. As it rose, it became dark as a moonless night though it got warmer than the air condition underground room. Slowly the light got brighter, though it only felt like a second to my mind. From the incandescent light bulbs to blistering sunlight, the light overtook my eyes. A warm draft fluttered my loose shirt and moist air filled my lungs.  Squinting, my eyes slowly adjusted, as I waited to see the Capitol’s new theme for their “show”.  An ironically beautiful sight appeared; a great tropical forest, where all of us will die, but one. Maybe I would die from a weapon, or an accident, or limb by limb. The thought sent shivers down my body and I clenched my sweaty hands. The Cornucopia shined its golden light, tempting me with all its goods. It was then that I realized that the countdown had already reached thirty seconds.

I looked around at the other tributes, standing isolated on their shining metal plates. Some were totally anxious, even shaking, and eyes flying everywhere. Others had a mean look, ready to rip anyone who dare compete with them, especially that District 8 kid. He looked straight into my eye with a death stare. Holy &#*&, I nearly just peed my pants. Crap! I totally forgot what I was going to do at the start. Should I go for the Cornucopia? No, too risky, I’m not a fast sprinter anyways. Runaway? I could work, but I had no idea of what to do after. I looked up into the sky, hoping to get an idea. Some birds were flying over the arena, and then dropped out of the sky and the limp body skid down a transparent force field. I nearly lost my balance when a gust of wind blew over the rainforest. If I fell, I would have been blown to bits by the mines. Mines? If they were electronic, I could definitely reverse engineer them and use them for weapons. Great idea! But first I would have to find food and water, and the Cornucopia was no use to my plan. 10… 9… 8… 7… I tensed my legs, ready to bolt out of the clearing. 5… 4… 3… The blood was gushing though out my body and my head. 2… 1…

The last second felt like an eternity. The gong ringed out in the clearing as clear as a gunshot. My hips turned from the shining cornucopia like a hinge. The adrenaline rushed through my legs as I run instinctively away, to find safety in my slim chance of survival, and big plan.

I walked into the spacious Training Center located in the capitol. It smelled like a forest though inside a gymnasium, and training centers scattered the area. This was going to be District 3’s private session with the Gamemakers. They called us out at lunch, district by district. I was eating a delicious pizza when they called our district, third as usual. I had no plan whatsoever so I was just going train at what I did best or what I liked. I didn’t really care about the training score besides the fact that I didn’t want to appear weak since people will surely hunt me down, so that made me a bit nervous. Some squeaking of shoes on the floor meant that the other District 3 tributes arrived.

The Gamemakers welcomed us as they dined on their feast. I could smell the scent of their food from a couple meters away. They mumbled things to each other as they told us to begin training. I looked around, trying to find a good station to begin with. There were weapons I have never even seen, weird trees and plants all around. The weird trees caught my interest so I walked over. On a small metal sign in big gold letters, it said Tree Climbing. I felt pretty nimble so I grabbed a branch and hauled myself over. The wood was rough but yet smooth at the same time, no wonder why it looked weird. It had no splinters so I guessed that it was a synthetic tree though the designers did a pretty good job at making it look real. All those pull-ups in gym class really paid off as it was fairly easy to pull my body up. In a short time I was at the top, looking over the whole area. I saw Jennings at knife throwing, getting a few bulls-eyes in a row. Looking over to the Gamemakers I saw them seemingly talking about me since they were glancing over while stuffing steak and salad in their mouths. I decided to jump to another tree to impress the Gamemakers while they were looking at me, and also to get to the next station. Tensing my legs, I pushed down as hard as I could on my current branch and used that force to jump to another tree and grab onto a branch. The Gamemakers muttered to each other excitedly. I didn’t know it was about me but it didn’t matter so I slid back down the tree.

I heard a loud crash as I saw Jennings walk away from her station, proud and all, knives clanging on the ground. What happened? I had no idea. I was trying my hand at the hand to hand combat station, which I know I’ll need for the Hunger Games. One, one, two, I muttered to myself as I flew punches at a dummy. Later I tried fire making, fishing which I was terrible at (no patience), and archery. I held a bow and arrow in my hand and set the carbon fiber arrow on the bowstring. With a swoosh, the fletching of the arrow brushed past my hand and hit two rows from the bulls-eye. Not too bad of a shot, and it would get the job done. Suddenly the Gamemakers called us over and said we were done, and would give us our scores later via television. I felt great after leaving the gymnasium and someone what impressing the Gamemakers. Some anxiety was in me though, waiting to find out my score. That wouldn’t matter though because what matters is the Hunger Games, and that is coming. Very soon.

The Tributes are Announced! (Including me)

            Sunlight poured through my windows in the early morning of a cool spring day. The shutters fluttered in a gentle breeze as I get up to change clothes. As I look at the LED calendar hanging on the kitchen wall, I realize it’s the big day, the announcing of the tributes to participate in the 80^th annual Hunger Games. Because I applied for tesserae as our family needs food, I am eligible to be a tribute.  Stuffing my breakfast in my mouth, I throw my shoes on my feet, and slip my phone into my shorts. Shutting off our house’s A/C to conserve energy, I zoom out of the house like a rocket and felt the warm air striking my face.

Dashing down the asphalt streets, with the aroma of vendors opening up their food shops filling my nostrils, I make my way to the vibrant, busy district center. Everybody was heading in the same direction for this big day. As I got closer, the atmosphere changed. The air was tense and there was a dead silence, especially for a busy city center. My footsteps came to a halt when Harper Haze, the District 3 escort, stepped up on a podium. She looked around; inspecting the townspeople, then adjusted the microphone with a screech.

            “In penance for their uprising, each district shall offer up a male and a female between the ages of 12 and 18 at a public “reaping”. These tributes shall be delivered to the custody of the Capitol. And then transferred to a public arena, where they will fight to the death until a lone victor remains. Henceforth and forevermore this pageant shall be known as The Hunger Games,”

Harper Haze said, her voice resonating throughout the city center.

“I will now begin selection of the tributes, ladies first, of course.”

From underneath the podium she grabbed a glass jar shining with glare from the sun, filled with cards of various names. Reaching in, she clasped his hand around a random card and pulled it out. Harper Haze then announced,

“Willow Abernathy, you are picked for tribute, please come up to the stage.”

There was clapping and applause while bets were exchanged with the adults. I tried to get a better view, standing on my tippy-toes to see who it was. I recognized her; it was the rich girl that lived in the mansion three blocks from our house. Harper Haze then brought up another glass jar. Grabbing a card out of this jar, she said,

“Lee Sin, you have been reaped for tribute, please step up.”

Oh great. I hastily run to the stage and hopped on, next to the other tribute. There was slight clapping in the crowd, and everyone’s stares were aimed at me. Cold sweat broke out when I saw my family, shocked, in the audience. Later, after packing up and saying farewell, it seems that a third tribute, Stan Jennings, has been picked. This may be my last time seeing my family and friends, or the start of an epic adventure in the 80^th annual Hunger Games. I hope for the latter.