suzanna-kollinz-acliq-oyunlari-1-hisse-eng

“Don’t have to,” says Haymitch. “He’s already there.”
“But you think I’m not?” I say, taking the opportunity to
straighten a bright red bow tie Cinna must have wrestled him
into.
“Since when does it matter what I think?” says Haymitch.
“Better take our places.” He leads me to the metal circle. “This
is your night, sweetheart. Enjoy it.” He kisses me on the forehead
and disappears into the gloom.
I tug on my skirt, willing it to be longer, wanting it to cover
the knocking in my knees. Then I realize it’s pointless. My
whole body’s shaking like a leaf. Hopefully, it will be put down
to excitement. After all, it’s my night.
The damp, moldy smell beneath the stage threatens to
choke me. A cold, clammy sweat breaks out on my skin and I
can’t rid myself of the feeling that the boards above my head
are about to collapse, to bury me alive under the rubble. When
I left the arena, when the trumpets played, I was supposed to
be safe. From then on. For the rest of my life. But if what Haymitch
says is true, and he’s got no reason to lie, I’ve never
been in such a dangerous place in my life.
It’s so much worse than being hunted in the arena. There, I
could only die. End of story. But out here Prim, my mother,
Gale, the people of District 12, everyone I care about back
home could be punished if I can’t pull off the girl-drivencrazy-by-love
scenario Haymitch has suggested.
So I still have a chance, though. Funny, in the arena, when I
poured out those berries, I was only thinking of outsmarting
the Gamemakers, not how my actions would reflect on the Ca-
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