𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 ☘︎ 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞

𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒 ☘︎ 11

Cato, Clove and Marvel have it all set up. In fact, it's like they're on a family camping trip rather than the Hunger Games.

Their camp is not so far from the cornucopia, with a shelter and chairs (which they're sitting on now) set up. They have their weapons, but apart from that, all their other supplies are piled up in a big pyramid, just like Rue said.

"Guys, guys, look! Over there!"

I see Cato rouse Clove and Marvel, then they all turn towards the fires that Rue must've lit just now. I've been gone about half an hour now.

Then I notice another amongst their ranks. The boy from District Three, a spear in hand, is apparently their 'lookout'.

But I know better. I know that they could just have somebody else be their lookout and have two of them go out hunting at night. I know that there's some deeper reason that he's involved here.

However, I grin as I watch Cato, Clove and Marvel leave. Because that gives me way more chance of survival.

But before I can do anything, I see none other than Nina jump out the bushes and run at the pile, but when she's a few metres away from it, she starts to do a series of jumps and leaps until she's near enough the pile to grab stuff.

I almost have to do a double take in confusion. Nina?!

She's... fine. From the way she was running I can tell she's still slightly hindered from the burns but apart from that, she looks alright. This must be how she's surviving. Stealing from the careers.

I want nothing more than to run towards her and start our alliance again, and offer her a new source of food with Rue and I.

But I can't.

Because soon, I finally realise what's going on.

On her way out, I see that she's looking at her feet, which means she knows where to place them. She's smart. Nina knows. She knows exactly how to avoid-

"It's mined," I whisper to myself. This explains everything. The careers being so willing to leave, the boy from Three, and Nina's reaction.

I let my old ally go without pausing to stop her. I wish I could go to her, but I can't. We would be attracting attention from the boy from Three, and we can't do that. So I start to wonder how he did it instead.

The mines that scour the floor beside the plates we first rose up on to start the games are disabled after the sixty seconds we stand on them, but the boy from Three must've found a way to reactivate them. And sure enough, look around the metal plates and see a small pile of earth dug up beside each one.

This is what the boy from Three gave the careers in exchange for his life. Steep deal, if you ask me.

Anyway, I look towards the pile in frustration. The boy from Three doesn't seem like much of a fighter, so I don't think I'll have trouble with him, especially because I have axes now (my stomach crawls at the thought of killing him, however).

Suddenly, in a moment of madness, I take an axe out and pull my hand back. I contemplate this for a second before using all of my strength possible to throw the axe into the pile and set off the mines. I've given up the idea of trying to steal all the food, I'll just have to destroy it now.

The axe lodges in between two boxes, not making a single difference to the pile.

I then focus my attention on a net of apples, hanging about two thirds of its way down the pile. Gale and Katniss always say I have the best aim out of the three of us. Well, let's see if that's true.