Hello, this is lightning4022! This is my second story here on , and also a companion to my previous story, Another Face in the Sky. It is a companion because they share similar styles and ideas, but are not the same games. This is some obscure game unmentioned in The Hunger Games, like, say, the 30th.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games

Thanks to my beta reader, sarahhaley, and my other editor, Isaac! You guys rock!

60 seconds.

The moment I had feared all year was here, and this time I wasn't a spectator. It's just a game, the Capitol citizens told themselves. But for the 24 of us, we were playing for our lives. And I had an advantage, which was unusual for District 6. As a young man of 18, I was the oldest and strongest here, unless you count the other careers. I had a shot at survival, and I was definitely taking it.

15 seconds.

The arena wore the dry, tan sands of the desert like an old coat this year, and from what I could see it was enclosed by a giant, murky lake on the horizon. The golden Cornucopia shone in the hot sun, as a reminder that the Capitol had all of the wealth that they didn't deserve.

I found my allies on their starting places around the Cornucopia. Kenya from District 2 was three spaces away from me, and her brother Kurt was a few spaces to my left. District 1 and 4 were also spaced evenly around the ring. My district partner, Maddie, was directly across from me, glaring at me with eyes of hatred. Our eyes met, and I looked away, continuing to observe my surroundings before the timer ran out and we could start playing the game.

The starting pads were unusually close to the Cornucopia this year, which would provide for a messy bloodbath and a higher chance of victory for us.

GO!

I snapped out of my runner's crouch, adrenaline pumping, and sprinted to the pile of weapons, grabbed a sword, and threw a bow and quiver up to Opal from District 1. She had perched on top of the Cornucopia and was picking off tributes below with her excellent aim. The other six of us rushed into the battle on the ground, slashing and swinging at the other tributes.

I saw Pearlie from four lying in a pool of blood, and felt the small rush of joy one from the poor districts watching the Hunger Games always feels after seeing a career tribute get taken down, providing a higher chance of victory to the underdogs. I wondered if that was what people would feel if I died.

I shook myself, remembering that she was my ally, and I was now one of the menacing tributes our district hated so much.

I'm doing this for Naomi back home, I told myself.

Caught back up in the heat of battle, I saw the girl from District 8 running away, so I caught up to her and delivered her a quick, hopefully painless death. I felt only the slightest bit of remorse, but knew that my conscience would catch up after the adrenaline wore off.

By this point, all of the tributes were either dead, or off in the distance running for their lives from us. It was terrible. Back home, everyone liked me, and I was scared to think of how everyone would see me if I returned home. If.

Opal jumped down from the Cornucopia, and we all stepped back so the hovercraft could retrieve the bodies from the crime scene and ship them back to the districts.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The rest of the careers hooted and hollered at their success after the death toll was announced, and I was caught up in a sea of high-fives. I knew that Pearlie and the girl from 8 died, but I had no idea who the other cannons were for. I hoped that they weren't Maddie or her ally Donna.

I helped my allies pitch tents and distribute food and water from the Cornucopia. There were six of us left, and the food would easily last us a month if no one messed with it. The water, on the other hand, could be a problem. There would be enough to last six people who were like me for a week, but the other five were used to washing every day and having gallons of water during training. I figured we could last for four days before it ran out.

We slipped into silence and my mind drifted off. I had worked as a bodyguard for the mayor back home in District 6, and my family had always had enough to eat. My job had also left me skilled in hand to hand combat, which was what got me into this pack. I trained with swords during my stay in the Capitol, and was now fairly proficient. Obviously, I was good enough to kill an unarmed child. What an accomplishment, I thought to myself sarcastically, trying to fix the uneasiness growing in me. I decided to take my mind off of it and busy myself by taking inventory of our other supplies.

The air turned cold as the day went on, and a large silver parachute brought firewood and matches from the sky. The sponsors were betting on these guys to win, and I was glad that I was a part of it, if only so I didn't freeze. We planned our strategy for the games while we set up the fire, although, of course no one revealed our full plan, because it most certainly involved some backstabbing for all of us. I would just run away when I had a chance, after most of the contestants had lost this game.

The fake sky gradually faded to black, and the anthem played. Some of my allies actually sang along with their hands over their hearts, because their districts were pampered by the Capitol and had never endured the hardships the rest of us had. The song ended, and the sky lit up with faces.

Pearlie from 4, the only career down. With me to replace her, the pack was at the usual six, so none of my allies seemed at all bothered by her death.

The rest of the tributes in the sky, I thankfully didn't know.

The boy from 7, both from 8, both from 9, both from 11, and the girl from 12.

My wish had come true. Maddie and Donna were alive. Hopefully they would cross one of the bridges I had seen to whatever lay on the other side of the lake. To my knowledge, that was where everyone else had gone. We saw a few silhouettes in the desert after the bloodbath, but they were gone now, and we would just have to pursue them tomorrow.

We cooked our food around a fire and went into our tents to sleep. Opal and Kenya were taking guard tonight outside their small red tent, and the four guys went into a large gray one. I regarded my fellow tributes with interest as we prepared to sleep. In the center, taking up most of the space and complaining about the thread count of his sleeping bag, was Opal's district partner, Glint. I think the others would have killed him by now if he wasn't such an excellent tracker. In the corner, rolling his eyes at Glint and hiding a smirk, was Clayton. He was by far the most charismatic of the group, and although he was the weakest fighter, he had probably gotten us most of the sponsors with his perfect smile alone. He had recruited me, and we might have become friends if we didn't have to kill each other.

His polar opposite, Kurt, was already asleep in the back of the tent. He and Kenya were siblings, and had both volunteered, regardless of the fact that at least one of them would die. He was by far the strongest in the group, but also the quietest, and he only ever talked to his sister. In all honesty, I think he scared everyone, and no one wanted to leave him alone to guard.

We all settled down to sleep, hoping we wouldn't be stabbed in the night by someone. I sunk into a deep sleep, finally letting the guilt creep in.

I killed someone today.

So, how did I do? Please reply! I will hopefully post a new chapter in a few days.

BYE!