The Ceremony

I had just finished getting the hair from my legs rip out. My stylist insisted she didn't want to see me until every inch of body hair was removed. Sunshine, one of the people in my prep team, kept giggling at anytime during the prepping procedure.

"Sorry, but I can't believe a person could be so hairy." Sunshine giggled.

Sunshine's hair was bright yellow and she dressed completely in the same hue. She had her hair in spikes as if she was the sun herself.

"Finally, the hair is gone. Let's oil her down" Spring explained.

Spring's hair was bright green decorated with dots of pink and red flowers. Her eyes were dark green and her skin was the same hue. Light green eye shadow decorated her face along with blue glitter. Spring's lips were light blue embedded with emeralds.

My body went numb as the oil was slopped on my bare skin.

"I think we finally finished her" Sparrow exclaimed proudly.

Sparrow was a guy whose skin was a light chocolate colour. His hair was in streaks of brown and gold and Sparrow's suit was caramel with hints of bronze feathers.

My prep team left the room excitedly, calling for my stylist.

I sat there on the table, freezing. I couldn't decide whether I should grab my robe or leave it. I've been allowed to wear it on and off during the process.

Suddenly, the door opened and in stepped a beautiful young woman. I judged her to be in her early twenties. She had straight, flowing, red hair and eyes as green as the sea. She didn't look like she was from the Capital except for the way that she talked.

"Hello my name is Rose." She explained. "I'm your stylist for the games and having you from District 4, my partner and I have a great idea for you."

Oh please don't be like last years outfits I thought.

Last year our tributes were doused with water and plastic starfish were placed over their groins and chest.

I was quickly taken to a room were I was completely left alone for a few minutes before my prep team came bursting in. I was told to close my eyes and I felt them brushing my lids with eye shadow. After a while I felt them lower a garment over my head. It finally settled on my shoulders and I realised I couldn't feel the weight of it.

"Now open your eyes" Sparrow said.

As I opened my eyes, I saw myself sparkling in the mirror.

I was wearing a one shoulder strap that looked like the crests of a wave. It fell to my knees in ruffles like the ocean. Small sparkling fish heads were poking out of the folds and it looked like I was the mother of all sea creatures.

I was then hurried out of the dressing room and taken to the stables where our horses were. They were white and their manes rolled over their shoulders like waves. As I quickly took my place on the chariot, I noticed the District 1 boy tribute staring at me with cold eyes. I glared at him until he left the stables with me quickly following.

I was shocked and blinded by how many people there were staring at me. I even managed to smile and wave at everyone that I saw.

A/N Sorry I just got bored so i took it straight to the games. Btw my characters name is Lily Fields.

The Games

I rise up and out of the tube and I am immediately blinded by the sun reflecting off water. Small waves fall onto my pedestal and I bend to taste it. Salt. I glance up and see ahead of me lay the Cornucopia on a white sand beach. Scattered around it were backpacks and a variety of weapons from daggers to barbed whips. Behind that is an open area with hills. Slightly to the right of that is a forest. Perfect. I know being from District 4 was a huge advantage when there was water involved and I grew up hunting around the forest beside my house.

Ten seconds left.

I glance to the other tributes and six tributes to my left, Jakey is staring at me with bloodlust.

The loud ring of the gong rings and I dive into the waves. I paddle as hard as I can and I suddenly hit sand. I clamber onto the beach and was a few seconds ahead of Jakey. I sprinted towards the Cornucopia and grab me a dark green back pack that is quite large. I keep running and see my throwing knives, tucked into a vest, sitting on a double bladed axe that was perfect for me. They also sat on a bag that I could also carry. I throw both backpacks onto my back, throw on the vest and bolt off towards the forest clutching my axe. I must've taken a lot longer then I thought because almost all the tributes were scrambling for items. I bolt towards the forest and collide with the girl from District 8. She holds a sword about the length of the distance between my knee and foot. She lunges at me but I quickly sidestep her. We clash with our weapons and she makes a small cut on my left calf. While she stares me down I pretend to be weak and collapse to the ground. I beg for her not to kill me but she swings her sword towards my neck. I am fast enough to kick her legs out from underneath her before the blade connected with my neck. I kick her in the stomach and get up grabbing my axe. I'm about to sprint off when she gets up and suddenly blood is on my face and clothes. A silver arrow skewers her through her neck and she slips to the ground with a thud. I look up and the District 1 girl is loading her bow again and I'm her next target. I turn and sprint to the forest and I realize that I am out of reach for her.

I slow my pace down and start jogging into the forest searching for a water source. I will be able to purify the sea water but it would be better if there was a river in the forest so I didn't have to be in the open. I keep searching and also kept an eye out for anything I could use as shelter. About an hour of trekking I come across a thin river leading into the ocean. I get on my knees and gulp as much as I can. Close by, I find an oak tree that is good for climbing.

That is when I hear the first canon. I count them and it seems to go on for years before the forest goes silent again. Seven shots. That isn't as much as usual.

I finally settle by the tree and start to check through my packs. The bag that was lying with the knives holds a few apples, crackers, a pack of gum and a small dagger. I tuck the dagger into a pocket that is over my heart, saving it for Jakey. In the green bag is a water bottle that is full, berries, fruit, wooden matches, 50m long wire, dried beef sticks, a thin sleeping bag, a belt that is the same length as me, a cruelly curved knife and a long slender whip. I tuck the blade in to my vest and wrap the whip around my waist.

After packing everything back into the bags, I climb the tree until I'm high enough to hide myself. I get out the sleeping bag and belt. As I tuck into the sleeping bag, I wrap the belt around the branch and belt myself to the tree. At least I won't fall out now. The sun goes down but the temperature is still quite warm. I hear the anthem and I wait with dread to see the faces in the sky. The first to appear is the boy from 3. So Jakey and his partner made it through. The next was my district partner. I'm not surprised but I feel ashamed that I didn't even know his name. Next is the boy from 5, he always had a strange personality. Both from 6 & 8 as well. The anthem finishes and the faces disappear. Seven thirteen-year-olds have been murdered in the last five hours. After a few minutes of constant moving, I finally fall asleep.

The sun was peeking through the leaves and blinded me as I woke up. I wiped my eyes and realized that there was a sound coming from below. I turned quietly and below I saw a couple tributes drinking from the stream. From behind, they look like the tributes from 9 and by the looks of them, they are well stocked. I quietly undo the belt and slide out of the sleeping bag. I pack everything back into my green bag and with my knife vest on and the axe in hand, I slowly climb down the tree. Before I reach the ground, a spear hits the ground next to the girl. She yelps and runs off but the boy stares at the advancing tributes.

I glance up and notice the shapes of the Careers. I speed back up the tree in time before they trap the boy at the base. I stare down and hear the boy pleading not to kill him. They chuckle and start arguing on who gets to kill him. As they do this, I climb back up the tree until I reach the top. But before I get there a piercing scream echoes through the forest. I slip and hit a branch beneath me.

All eyes turn up and I am staring into the District 1 girl's eyes. She is the first to start climbing the tree before the careers follow her. I scamper to a branch that juts out and drop three metres. I roll down a hill and finally stop myself at the roots of another tree. I see the District 2 girl leap from the tree and run after me armed with whips. Before I stand, she is looming over me and flicks her wrist. The whip hits me on my left calf which still hurts a little from the Bloodbath. I grab my axe and swing at the girl. I cut her shins and she screams as she collapses. I swing my axe at her again and her screaming stops. A cannon goes off and I sprint. I keep going after an hour passes but I don't stop until I find a water source. It's late at night so I find a tree that might hold my weight, but all the trees have their lowest branch 6 metres above me. I then find a low shrub that hides me perfectly. I lie down and hear the anthem play. The District 1 boy. I was shocked because I saw him chasing me before except he stopped when he saw the District 2 girl's body. Her picture showed up next, then the District 9 boy. The seal and then everything went dark. I lay there and thought about who was still alive. District 1 girl and Jakey. Girl from 3 and 9. Both from 10, 11 and 12. Then there is me and Sierra. Half of the tributes are dead which surprises me, especially since both from the last 3 districts are still alive. They are probably in an alliance. Same with the Careers. Sierra is still alive so tomorrow I will try and find her. I eat an apple, a few blueberries and a couple crackers. After that I drift off to sleep.

It is late morning when I wake up. I scurry out of the shrub and quickly grab myself a piece of gum. This will stop my stomach from rumbling too loudly. I start to back track to the river before I hear the sound of crunching branches. I turn to the right and see the girl from 3 attack Sierra. I grab one of my knives and follow the girls. Sierra is scratching at the girl's eyes so I throw my knife and it gets the girl in the neck. Her cannon goes off and I roll the body off of Sierra.

"Took you long enough Lily" she pants.

"I had my own troubles you know" I reply.

I realize that Sierra doesn't have anything and neither does the other girl. I give my whip to Sierra and we walk off to the sound of the river. We drink and have a few apples and crackers. Just as we're about to leave, we get ambushed.

The tributes from 11 and 12 come barging out of the trees and circle us. The boys have a sword and both the girls have a dagger in each hand. On a silent agreement, I attack the boys and Sierra takes on the girls.

I throw a knife at the boy from 12. The knife hits the boy in the shoulder. I swing my axe at the other boy from 11. Our weapons clash and his sword falls to the ground. He turns to run but I throw my axe and it gets him in the middle of his back. A cannon goes but I turn back to the other boy. I throw another knife at him and it gets him in the thigh. He won't last much longer so I turn to see how Sierra is doing. She is taking on the girl from 12 in hand-to-hand and the other girl is staring at me with bloodlust. She leaps at me with a dagger in hand but I'm too quick. I grab her wrist and twist it which causes her to drop her blade. I pin her to the ground and stab her in the chest multiple times. A cannon goes off and another follows. I turn to look at Sierra and she is standing over the other girl. We gather our weapons and go to the boy from 12. He is still fighting to stay alive. I position a knife over his throat and question him.

"Where are the two from 10?" I ask.

"They're in a cave beside the river. It's a ten minute walk." He replies.

"Thanks for that buddy" I say before I slit his throat.

A cannon blows and I grab the knives that are still buried in his body. Sierra and I walk off to the place explained and find an opening. We walk in with our weapons ready and we see them eating. Sierra is the first to attack. She flicks the whip and it hits the girl on the top of her. The girl collapses and blood flows from the wound. Before I can react, the boy grabs a spear and launches it at me. Sierra jumps in front of me and hear scream echoes in the cave. Two cannons go off and I know that there is no way I can save her. I turn to the boy and throw knives at him. One gets hits shoulder, another gets his calf. He just lies there so I go over to him and drag him out of the cave, in full view of any cameras. He screams and I turn to him.

"Make it quick" he whimpers.

"I intend to do the exact opposite" I spit.

I cut some of the material from his clothes and gag him. I swing my axe and cut his legs off. He screams into the material and I let him bleed out a bit before swinging it again but this time, at his neck. His screaming stops and a cannon blows. I make my way back into the cave and wrap the whip up and place it in Sierra's hands. I silently cry and close her eyes before leaving the cave. The sun is setting so I walk another half hour before climbing a tree. Suddenly a cannon goes off and I hope that is was one of the Careers.

I lie in the tree and hear the anthem playing and see all those that died. The first to show up is Jakey. I feel glad that he died but I didn't get to use my knife on him. The girl from 3 then Sierra shows. I almost breakdown but I somehow keep it together. Both from 10, 11 and 12 show up. The seal appears and it goes dark again. Only three people left. The District 1 girl, District 9 girl and me. I try to fall asleep.

I wake to the sound of chirping birds and slowly climb down from the tree. I eat the rest of my food and drink as much water that I can hold. I then start to trek back to the Cornucopia in hopes of finding some game. I suddenly hear screaming and I rush to it. At the mouth of the Cornucopia, the girl from 9 is pinned to the ground. The girl from 1 grabs an arrow out of her sheath and stabs the tip into the other girl's skull. Her cannon blows and the girl walks away calmly. A hovercraft comes and takes the body away. The girl makes camp as the night comes quickly. I hide in a shrub and wait for the girl to fall asleep.

I walk swiftly and quietly towards the figure in the night. She is sleeping but I don't intend to kill her. I reach into her sheath and take all of the arrows out. I calmly walk into the Cornucopia and fall asleep.