The thought came to my head the very moment I was standing on the metal circle made me shake on the inside. What happens if I never come out of the arena? This has been popping in and out of my head the last few days but now it is reality. It is now time for the gong to sound so that kids are released to begin killing each other. What a messed up idea this is. As I was lifted from the ground on my very own stand I see all the worried faces of the competitors. But, in the corner of my eye I see one boy who seems thirsty for blood and death. The look on his face made me believe that he was the one who will kill me. I quickly looked away when we made awkward eye contact. I hear birds chirping which is unusual because the arena is a scary place and when birds chirp that is peaceful. The birds reminded me of back home and how much I missed my family. I wanted to come out alive so I can see my mom, dad and twin brothers but I had that feeling deep down inside me that I would never come out. Well, the only reason I would is because of my funeral back home in district 7. I grabbed my necklace that my mom and dad gave me. I squeezed it so tight and said, “This is for you, all you back at home.” In a soft voice so that no one could hear.

It felt like ages that I was standing on that metal circle awaiting the start of the 80^th annual Hunger Games. A drip of sweat drops down my face and I felt, at that moment the evil of me come out. I was totally ready to kill. That sweat dripping down my face made me heat up inside and the devil came out. Magically, all of the sudden my nervousness and fear ran out of the door like a scared cat. I’m not sure what I have been worrying about this whole time. Confidence is key in the games. I have plenty of that, I’m strong, independent and most of all now fearless. Most people are majorly strong, I have that a little bit but my plan is to outsmart the other weaklings. I have this totally in the bag. All I got to do is kill twenty-seven others then I’ll win… easy right?

I was caught day dreaming as I heard the loud irritating sound of the gong. I was caught sprinting into nearby trees. I squatted behind a bush and began to regret me not making a decision on how I was going to start off the games. The rest of that day I just avoided all of the killing and just stayed in hiding. I was saving my energy to kill for the next day. By nightfall I was exhausted and ready to fall asleep. So climbed up into the trees and rested on an oversized branch. Almost immediately I was out like a light bulb.