The games started like one I remember from a few years ago, we all had to swim across to the cornucopia from our podiums. I managed to snatch a couple of daggers and some rope, it wasn’t easy trying to grab things blindly amidst the bloodied chaos that ensued. We all want to survive and we all want to protect ourselves by any means, which means you need some weapon or something to do damage with.

This year was different, the people of the capital wanted something different, a new element to the games. After years of similar goings on, the eccentric folk were bound to get tired of throwing their bids on the games without much difference between them. So, all contestants were granted to bring one singular item with then into the game, the condition being it has to be non-lethal. Otherwise that could lead to unfair play and the killings being to easy. The whole of Panem knows the game masters love to mess with us, their little toy play things.

I brought a blanket with me.

My mother made it, she spent months buying wool from the local markets, scraping together the last of our small funds to make something for me and my sister, a final present from her for Christmas. She passed away only five months ago, she was struggling with a form of rapidly spreading cancer. We couldn’t afford even a fraction of the cost of treatment. Once I was called into the games, my sister insisted that I take it with me, the blanket as a reminder of her love and strength she showed caring for us whilst deteriorating from her sickness.

It was only the first night but we had all been forced to plunge into the ice cold water in order to get anywhere. Of course, we have no change of clothes other than our wet suit type outfit and the night drawing in carried a frosty bite to it in the breeze. In any other survival situation I would as anyone light a fire for warmth but a fire means smoke and light—a death wish. Like a drop of blood in a pond of piranhas, a fire would lure in the enemies.

I’d found comfort in a small cave near a small stream with a few fish within. A source of food and water, it was my kind of perfect. I shuddered, my chest was tight like some ghostly hand was squeezing my lungs leaving me gasping for air. I couldn’t get hypothermia, that would lead to weakness, dampening my senses.

Glancing to my left I saw the blanket folded up beside me. How could I forget? I shivered again, unfolding the blanket I wrapped it tightly around me,

clinging to every ounce of warmth and comfort I could get.