The Quinn Cartwright Story
I do not nor have ever owned the rights to this story
Quinn Cartwright lay naked on her bed staring up at the ceiling in her darkened room.
She was tired, but the day's activities still weighed on her mind, and she still hadn't decided how she would play tomorrow. She thought of that strange man and his funny looking beard, asking her all those questions, questions she could hardly remember, since her mind was a million miles away at the time. Fake smiles, phony camaraderie, she wondered if her murderer would be smiling at her when she died.
Her thoughts shifted to her home and family, forming images in her mind of people and places she would never see again. She began to take an imaginary walk around her little town, trying to remember for one last time the short time she spent growing up there. Mr. Edgar the store clerk in the general store where her mother bought provisions when they could afford them, would he be watching the screen when she died?
She began to think of her little sister Becca, just two years away from her name going into the bowl. Hah! Wouldn't that be ironic, her ending up here, maybe even sleeping in this very room, lying awake on the last night of her life, wondering if her older sister had slept in this room. Quinn then returned to memories of her father breaking down completely when her name was called, she had never seen him cry in her life. Her mother screaming hysterically as the Peacekeepers pulled her off and escorted her to the train. "I wonder if these people in the Capital ever thought of things like that as they sipped their wine while watching children die" she mused.
End of Chapter 1
"I just want to go home, why can't I just go home?" Quinn started to gently sob as she realized that by this time tomorrow, she would probably be dead. "Strong, I've gotta be strong" she thought, "am I ready for tomorrow?" She'd done all right with the spear, and her ability with a knife was pretty good besides. She'd spent a lot of time learning survival skills, but no, it probably wouldn't make much difference anyway, especially once those "career's" from 1 and 2 came after her She'd heard whispers floating around the dining room about some of the other girls "offering" themselves to male team members or other guys, in return for protection, rumor was that girl from 1, " Glimmer? Yeah! She's the one, apparently she's got some deal going with a couple of the guys. Nope, that's not me, I couldn't stoop that low, probably won't even save 'em in the end" "I guess about all I can hope for tomorrow is that I didn't make someone mad at me" Quinn's thoughts soon returned to home and family, hoping her parents and little sister wouldn't be watching the screen the moment she died. "They make everybody watch, but can't do anything about people averting their eyes at painful moments on the screen" Quinn thought. Quinn began sobbing again thinking about the family she would never have, children, "Children hah! Who wants children, just more fodder for their little killing game here" Quinn then formed a wry smile on her face thinking about herding the entire capital population into the arena, and then letting everybody who had lost family to these monsters descend on them with knives and axes turning the arena into a sea of blood. "that would fix 'em" she mused but sadly, she didn't ever think anything like that would ever happen.
"I wonder how long I'll last" Quinn thought. " I'm not a fast runner" like some she'd seen during the training. "Damn" she thought, "maybe I should have made a deal with Hector, he's got a bad leg and I don't run fast, yeah! We both die together hah!" "Poor Hector" she thought, "being crippled like he is, he won't last any longer than I will." More tears came to Quinn's eyes as she thought of Hector meeting the same fate.
End of Chapter 2
Gradually Quinn faded into sleep being awakened ia couple hours later by her Avox. Quinn crawled from her bed and dragged herself into the shower. After dressing, she headed down to breakfast where she saw Hector talking with their mentor Haley Cobb, who won the games eight years ago. Although he tried, he wasn't really of much use, but both she and Hector got what they could from the man, something was better than nothing anyway.
Quinn and Hector headed towards the roof, where they boarded a hovercraft that would take them to the catacombs under the arena, where the final dressing and prep would be done. As Quinn and Hector prepared to take their seats inside the hovercraft, a woman injected tracker devices into their arms. "Owww!" cried Quinn as the needle stung her arm, Hector didn't seem to mind one way or another. Quinn looked around the hovercraft noticing all the glum expressions on everyone's faces "Cattle to the slaughter" she thought. "hmm, there's that girl from 12 and her team mate, "I wonder if she has the will to kill him if it comes down to just the two of them."
Quinn looked down her row of seats and saw Glimmer smiling and chatting with the other tribute from 2, "the rumors must be true then" she thought " guess a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do" she thought. She then noticed the female tribute from district 8 glaring at her "uhh oh" "what's she looking at me that way for?" "I guess I did piss someone off, she's not that big, maybe I could take her, I'll have to keep an eye out for her" Eventually they arrived at their destination. Quinn and Hector traveled down a long tube to what was called the launching area where they were directed to their individual prep chambers. Quinn remembered them telling everybody that these chambers were only used once, and that Capitol visitors toured these chambers while on vacation. "Maybe I'll become a ghost and haunt my chamber, I'd give 'em a run for their money" Quinn briefly smiled as she thought of a ghost popping out of the wall and making some Capitol dandy piss their pants.
End of Chapter 3
Still don't own any rights to this boo
As she entered her dressing chamber, Quinn saw her final outfit laid out on the table, apparently everyone would be wearing the same thing, " No individuality" Quinn thought, "Not even in death" As Quinn examined the clothing, her dresser, Peakstar entered. "Here, let me help you put these things on" she said. Quinn sighed and started to undress while Peakstar started to explain a few more of the final details. "Do you want to take a shower" said Peakstar pointing over to the shower stall. "No, I took one this morning, let's just get this thing over, I don't feel all that great!" Quinn snapped at Peakstar. "I'm sorry!" said Quinn, "I'm just feeling edgy, and I know you've done your best for me and all that, but I can dress myself, I don't have much longer to live, and I just want to be by myself if you don't mind" "I'm sorry" said Peakstar, as she left the room.
Quinn stood looking at herself in the mirror, "Well Quinn, this is the best you're ever gonna look" she then noticed for the first time the pain in her arm from the tracker imbedded there, she could feel the lump as she rubbed her arm. Quinn also noticed herself starting to shake, so she quickly dressed in the brown pants and light green blouse that had been provided.
As she finished putting her boots on she noticed the shaking still hadn't stopped, she quickly put on the black jacket and zipped it up thinking that she was just cold, but warmth still wouldn't come. Quinn put her hands to her face and started to sob, "I just want to go home, I just want to go home" she kept repeating to herself. "Damn these people, damn them all!" Quinn heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see Peakstar entering the room. "Do you want to talk?" said Peakstar "no!" "just let me spend my final moments with my family, you people have taken everything else from me, at least leave me my memories" Quinn sobbed. Peakstar looked at her for a moment then said " they'll be making final call in about an hour" turned, and left the room.
End of Chapter 4
I do not own any of the rights to these books
As Quinn sat there still holding her face in her hands, her mind slipped back to her home, trying to imagine what everybody was doing at the moment. Soon they would all have to go down the the town hall where the large screen was set up, some richer people had old t.v.'s but most just watched the big one. Things were probably pretty glum around the Cartwright household today, Quinn thought her father would much rather be out working with the cattle to keep his mind off the events that were about to take the life of his little girl, but those damn peacekeepers would make him watch that screen. Quinn was afraid her mother would be a wreck, and just barely holding it together, she always was her favorite, "well, Becca will just have to fill that slot now" thought Quinn.
Quinn thought briefly of Hollis, her sometime friend, Hollis was a year older than her and so far had escaped the reaping, "I wonder how long his luck will hold out" she thought. She then thought of the first time Hollis had kissed her, she had protested at the time, but later had changed her mind. " I wish I was back there with him now" she mused, " I'd do more than just kiss, hah!" Too late for that now, too late for everything, Quinn started sobbing again.
"Goodbye everybody! Goodbye mom….dad…..Becca, goodbye Hollis" Quinn took a deep breath and stood up, "better get my mind in focus" she thought. Quinn relieved herself at the toilet washed her face and hands and noticed the shaking chills had stopped, but she still had that fear of the unknown riding deep in her gut, a fear she knew would leave her only at the point of dying.
Soon Peakstar returns as a female speaker announces that it's time to prepare for the launch. "Time to go" said Peakstar "yeah, time to die you mean" muttered Quinn. Together they walk to the metal plate that will take her up to the actual arena. "Good luck girl" sighs Peakstar "show them who you are" Quinn stepped onto the plate as a glass cylinder lowered around her as the plate began to rise. As she rose higher she could see Peakstar looking up at her tears filling her eyes, "hmm, maybe someone did care" she thought as she reached the top.
End of Chapter 5
I do not own the copyrights to this book
Quinn stood looking around as her eyes adjusted to the bright sun. Off in the distance she could see a small grove of trees, a lake over in the other direction. She then focused her attention on the large structure everyone called the cornucopia where the weapons lay." Well, this is it! Where is a spear? Yeah! There's one lying on that backpack" she thought. Quinn wondered how many seconds were left before she could step off the plate, they warned everybody over and over again "step off that plate early and mines will blow your legs off" "Couldn't have that, now, could we" chuckled Quinn. Her mind quickly returned to the spear, her whole mind was focused on it trying to calculate how fast she could get to it, who might beat her to it Quinn scanned the other tributes for any sign someone else was eying her spear, "hard to.." Bong! Went the gong.
Quinn propelled herself off the plate and started to make a beeline for the spear, Whoomff! Someone crashed into her, Quinn quickly rolled back onto her feet and continued towards that spear. She could hear screams off to her left, and someone closing on her from the rear. Never taking her eyes from the weapon, she practically "willed" it into her hands. Swinging it around with the end anchored in the ground, she lowered the point just in time to catch a boy full in the chest as his momentum carried him right into it.
Blood sprayed over Quinn's face as the boys eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped to the ground. Quinn's breakfast immediately came up and she vomited all over the boy she recognized as the boy from district 9. Wiping the foul smelling bile with her sleeve Quinn pulled the spear out of the ground and reached for a small knife she spotted. Turning around she saw the tributes from 1 and 2 heading her way, blood in their eyes. Leading the pack was Glimmer, "This one's mine" she heard the girl shout to the others.
Quinn stood there for a moment trying to decide her next move when she's knocked off her feet. Something's not right, she feels the knife sink deep into her back, as blood starts gushing from her mouth. Her conscious begins to fade, as her last thoughts take her home. Quinn found herself standing just outside the door to her home, the day was sunny and bright, she turned the knob, and as she entered announced "mother, father, I'm home.
End of Chapter 6