Silence: a color only those who have learned its meaning can see. I am surrounded by it, and it will be how I meet my end. I won’t go out screaming, probably not out at all. The glass tube I am restrained in elevates me up and into the arena. Since it is too bright to be able to make sense of anything, I squint, adjusting my eyes so I can be ready quicker. My silver and metallic plate begins to rise slowly, and I focus hard on what my objective will be. After scoring a 10 out of 12 on my Gamemaker trial, they’ve surely placed a katana right in the middle: they want me to give them a bloody start. After a period of time that feels too long to measure, my plate is a ground level or… sea level?

The sun gleams off of the wavy ripples of the water. Half of the tributes including myself have started on the water, while across from us there are people standing on beach. In the middle lies the golden cornucopia, which is golden in two senses: one, it is literally colored gold, and two it contains the weapons of my salvation, worth more than gold. My eyes, now having full adjusted scan around the ring of inevitable death, to reveal my main competition: a boy from District 7, a girl from District 3, and a boy from District 1. Trying to balance on my plate, I turn around and see nothing but jungle. Good, I think to myself, I can hide in these like I showed the Gamemakers. As I turn back, I see the one minute we were originally given on our plates has dropped to 20 seconds.

Once more scanning the cornucopia, I spot the katana. It is right in the middle.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven,” counts down the deep voice of a Gamemaker, “six, five, four, three, two, one.” I do my very best dive off of my plate, and do a lightning-fast breast-stroke to the cornucopia. Only now does the twist arise: the cornucopia has been submerged into the depths of the sea. I look under the water, and sure enough, down has gone the cornucopia. Coming up one last time before my dive to the depths, I suck in all of the air I can hold, and rocket to the bottom. I open my eyes, and can just make out the slim and silver blade of the katana. I finally grab it when my foot is tugged on by the girl tribute from District 1. Just mustering enough strength to keep going, I grab the light katana, and swing. In one, clean motion, only the torso of the girl from District 1 remains. Both parts if her, her head and her body float to the top of the water. I feel highly conflicted though, not something I expected. Though I can easily swim up, my body feels weighed down by the metaphorical weight of the murder I have just committed. As I reach the surface, gasping for air, three cannons can be heard. Who else has died? I’ll find out tonight, when their faces are highlighted in the sky.