I see one thousand reflections of myself.  

Green eyes. Blonde hair. Vanilla skin. All trapped in a thousand different shards of glass. 

I am everywhere.    

60. 59. 58. 

This year's outfit is unlike anything I've seen before. Black, sturdy lace up boots that rise to my calf. Black pants. A bright red tailcoat atop a shot white blouse. Black cuffs embroidered with gold trim. 

47. 46. 45. 

I nearly laugh at this costume they're putting us in.  All 24 of us dressed like ringmasters. What a spectacle they're making out of this. 

 36. 35. 34.

Everything except my podium is glass.  I'm surrounded by three walls, and in front of me, a long hallway stretches. It tapers off into something I can't see on my right. The ceiling, the floor (with the exception of my podium) are also mirrors.  

21. 20. 19. 

Mirrors. Something I've been surrounded by my whole life. This is a mirror maze. And I need to find my way out of it.    

10. 9. 8.  

The games really are beginning. This is it! This is what I've been waiting for! I can already imagine winning! The post interviews, the fame! Seeing mom and dad and Gloss. Seeing Amethyst and all my friends back home. 

But you won't get to see Jasper. 

"Keep your eye on the prize," I whisper to myself. "You are running a circus, after all." 

3. 2. 1.  

Before I know it I'm sprinting down the hall, my 1000 reflections doing the same. I manage to narrowly avoid crashing headfirst into the mirror at the end of the hall, and skid to the right. 

I meet a dead end as I turn left, silently cursing. Seconds mean everything in the games.  I keep running down the halls, making a left and reaching....a tent. 

A giant, humongous tent striped red and white. The cornucopia.  

I spot Sakura a few feet away, who gives me a darting glance but disappears into the tent with Aidan.    

I follow, kicking up a large cloud of dust. In the middle of the tent is a large pile of supplies. Red and gold backpacks. Large water canteens. A first aid kit. 

Never mind those, I think.  Rose is getting supplies. Barley water. Poseidon first aid. What I need are the weapons. 

When I lunge to snatch a glittering knife belt, I can't help but notice the peculiar styling of all the weapons.  The knives are almost comically large, with golden brass handles and slightly curved blades. 

I find a knife vest as well, but the same girl I fought against in Training wants it too. 

We grapple for it, and I throw a punch at her to distract her. When her eyes flit away momentarily, I draw a knife from my belt and her blood spills onto the vest. 

Out of the corner of my eye, a snarling Beatrix is making a gory mess on the floor. In her hands is a whip, and the lashes ring out across the tent like a wet rag hitting cement. 

I hear something whistling and suddenly pain explodes across my left shoulder in multiple places. 

And it's Aidan, wielding what looks like a spiked juggling pin. Right. Just an act.  

But I don't think it's an act when he swings again and narrowly misses my head.  My knife is at his head but then I hear Marshall whoop,"Cannon ball!" And know I must get out of here.  

I'm stumbling towards the exit of the tent when I here a loud buzzing noise and then a bang! 

I'm thrown off my feet and land back in the mirror maze, hitting my funny bone and sending jolts through my body. 

Everything is hurting. The pain sharpens my senses, grating them down to the finest point of focus.  And soon enough, I'm back on my feet. 

My reflections blur by as I scramble through the maze, hitting a few dead ends but never stopping. I've been running for what feels like eternity, but I'm still stuck in this trap. 

And then I hear a rustle behind me.  One of my knives flies through the air and I hear an exclamation of pain.  

Then a voice. "Cashmere, Cashmere! It's me! Barley!" 

And it is him. Though red streaks his wheat blond hair, and his knuckles are adorned with fresh bruises. 

Rose comes up behind him, her willowy frame slightly hunched over from the two backpacks she got. 

"Glad we made it." I give them a quick smile. The least I can do is seem somewhat trustworthy. I don't want to be the first one killed. 

"Have you guys seen Poseidon?" Rose asked, clearly perplexed. "I lost track of him after the cannonball went off," she admits. 

But I barely hear what she says because a boy is running at me, a whip already raised. 

It lashes through the air like a hissing snake, but not before my knife hits his chest and sends him falling backwards, spraying blood over me and Rose, who shrieks as if it's acid. 

Since this is still technically the bloodbath, no cannons have gone off yet. But when his pulse stops, we know he's dead.  

"Check his bags," I order, while I remove my knife and quickly clean it on his shirt. 

I take his jacket and tie it around my waist for if it gets cold. Barley's broad shoulders bear the weight of two backpacks now. 

"Let me take that from you, Rose." I soften my voice and extend a hand to take one of her backpacks. Using her name adds a personal touch to show we are true comrades. 

She doesn't hesitate to give me the bag, and I sling it over my right shoulder. 

"Cashmere? Should we continue?" Barley asks, preparing to walk out of the maze. 

"I don't know...we should wait for Poseidon," Rose replies. "He is our ally." 

"But we should probably try to get out of the maze now, when we still have energy. We should leave before the Careers go tribute hunting," Barley adds. 

Right. I forgot. I'm not part of them anymore.  

"I know him being our ally doesn't sound like much, but you guys are hurt. And he's the healer of the group. He could mean the difference between life and death." Rose's voice is getting sharper now.  

Luckily, we don't have to choose because there's a figure running towards us now. "Wait! Guys!" It's Poseidon, waving his arms  around desperately to get our attention, his small figure weighed down by a giant mallet.

When he catches up, Rose breaths a sigh of relief. "We're glad you made it." 

"Really?" Poseidon's face lights up. 

"Of course," she nods towards him. 

My back is starting to ache from carrying the two bags and being weighed down by both the knife vest and knife belt. 

"Take this," I say and hand a bag to Poseidon. 

He nods obediently and stuffs two large first-aid kits into it. 

"Let's get out of here now. Then we'll have a better sense of the arena. Once we're far enough, we'll sort through the bags and take leave a few behind, so we can carry everything." 

All of them nod. 

"Wait. What if there's not a way out of this maze?" Poseidon asks, worry etched across his face. 

Shoot. I never thought of that until now. 

"Let's just go with the flow," Barley reassures him.   

And we do, slowly escaping this trap.  

We're still not out of the maze, but we decide to sort through the stuff now, so we don't tire ourselves out. I stand guard while the other three rummage through the contents of the bags. 

Now, we each have a full water canteen.  I carry about twenty knives. I have a half loaf of bread, some dried fruit and some beef strips.  A pack of matches. A roll of bandages. A rope.  I half-snort when I see the carnival mask and stuff it to the bottom of my bag.  And I have shin guards, which I gladly put on.   

"What are these?" Rose asks, taking out a packet of small red disks. 

Poseidon furrows his brow. "I don't know. They look like coins, but I'm not sure what we can use them for." 

They both look to me. "Cashmere?" 

"Let's keep them. Just in case."

I make sure everyone has some form of a weapon. I give everyone a knife each. Poseidon gives Barley a giant mallet, claiming it's the closest thing he'll get to a scythe.  Poseidon raises a spiked juggling pin menacingly.  

When I ask if anyone would like the dead boy's whip, Barley and Poseidon decline. 

"Maybe you should take it, Rose. You're the only one without another weapon," I suggest. "I know you have a knife, but you might want something that covers more distance." 

Rose instantly looks away and shakes her head fiercely. 

I give her another knife to make up for it, and we head out. She refuses to talk to me for the rest of the time, and I wonder if I did something to offend her.

We pass the time by talking about friends and family and strategies in hushed voices. I'm avoiding the fact that I will have to kill these people at some point.  I can't let them into my heart. 

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! What do you think of the carnival theme of the arena?