They all had mocked us in the past. They always said Careers were horrible, only killing the weaker ones to win. I told them I'd prove it that Careers weren't always bad. Even though everyone shunned me forever, I volunteered that day to prove it to them.

My name is Sugar Motto. I am 15 years old. I live in district 9, and I am about to go into the bloodbath of the 65th annual Hunger Games.

I kept repeating that in my head as the countdown started. I watched my allies, the Careers, all getting ready, grinning and looking for their favorite weapons. They had accepted me for being skilled with a long sickle. My eyes greedily feasted upon the sight of the iridescent black and purple blade, glowing in the darkness of the cave. It was only about 30 yards away from where I stood. My eyes started examining the cave's features, like the speleothems. Certainly I could crush any opponent with one of those. The water dripped down from them, and every breath fogged up and drifted from my sight. I looked down at my leather boots, my cut-off leather gloves, and white tank top with comfortable pants. I had my hair back in a ponytail. The countdown started echoing around the cavern. I got more bloodthirsty by the second. As the final five seconds approached my eyes drifted to the three boy, who was inspecting the cave. A drop of water landed on his pedestal and he stepped forward, ready to run. He slipped forward and fell head-first onto the ground. The explosion made me laugh a little, his blood raining down on all of us. The gong went off and some others were still dazed by the explosion, but us Careers and some smarter kids ran straight to the Cornucopia while we could.

My hands touched the cold, silver metal of the long sickle. I giggled and lifted it up, looking for a victim. The three girl was crying by her district partner's explosion of blood, and no one had seen her. I approached her from behind as she wiped up some tears, about to stand up.

"Hey, sweetie." She shrieked as she spun around and my sickle dug deep into her chest. She coughed up some blood and slumped back, her head resting on her partner's pedestal. I dragged it out slowly, so I could see some of her ribs from the inside of her. I grinned and ran back to the middle, where the eight girl was wrestling with the six girl.

As the six girl brought her hands to the eight girl's neck, I got behind her, grinning evilly. The eight girl shrieked, trying to catch the attention of six, warning her.

"Oh, you'll never learn," she laughed, her fingernails digging into the girl's neck. I did a few practice swings to the girl, silently counting, one, two, three…

"Fore!" I yelled and swung right into six's neck, making a clean cut and chopping her head off. I smiled as her body slumped onto eight, her blood oozing everywhere.

"Please!" She squealed, scooting back as I approached her. Suddenly, she widened her eyes in shock and fell backwards, eyes glassy, but dead. I saw Shadow, my favorite of the Careers, the two boy. He grinned and tossed a knife in his hand.

"Never hurts to take a practice shot." He walked over casually as I laughed, him pulling the knife from the girl's neck. I swung the sickle around my back, picking up a strap from the ground and adjusting it to my liking, as well as a small bag.

"Nope." My eyes scanned the bloodbath. Shilling, the one boy, was finishing off my district partner, Cashmere, the one girl, was stabbing the ten girl, and Violent, Splash, and Drip were teaming up on the twelve duo. I smiled. Another successful bloodbath year by none other than the Careers. I wiped the blood on my hands off on the number 9 on the front of my tank top, walking over to where Cashmere was pulling her falchion from the stomach of the now-dead girl from ten.

"Nice," I inspected the girl's ragged body, her eyes staring nowhere and an everlasting scream engraved on her face. Cashmere examined the blood splattered all over me.

"You too," she said, scowling and walking away, flourishing her hair. I never understood her; I was nice, and in return, she hated me. I'm guessing it was because I was from an outer district.

I started walking around as the others started making a little fort. I inspected each body, some that I had killed myself. Seeing my district partner, Travel, made me want to laugh. His legs were forced behind his back and one hand was covering his face in terror. His stomach was torn open, from Drip's blade. I turned on my heel.

"Better luck next time," I mumbled. I went over to the fort, examining the tents they had set up. One for each of us. Currently, Shadow and Cashmere were arguing.

"We only have six, and there's...There's her!" She spat, pointing at me. I felt mocked and cocked my head, crossing my arms.

"Cashmere, I know, but there's no way I'm sleeping with h-"

"Me neither!" I walked between them, pushing each of them away gently.

"Woah, woah, guys. I'll just sleep without a tent. No biggie." I glared at Cashmere and stormed away, trying to find a blanket or something to sleep with. When I found one, I placed it next to one of the tents. The smell of fire alerted me and I looked up to see Violent and Splash using a match on some gas.

"STOP!" I screeched just as they were about to light it. I took the lighter and threw it into a wall. "Gas EXPLODES, what were you thinking?!" I started wiping it away with my foot, and Violent rolled her eyes, walking into the Cornucopia and grabbing some firewood instead. I knew Career districts weren't smart, but was that necessary? I took a deep breath and retrieved the lighter, starting a fire that wouldn't explode.

I watched as the cave entrances were illuminated with the faces of the dead. I thought it was smart, considering that there wasn't a sky in the arena this year. I sat on the hard ground of the cave, with only a large pillow and a blanket to keep me warm. I listened to the crackle of the fire and the tapping of the feet of the guard on first watch, Shadow.

As I was about to fall asleep, I heard a tent unzip and someone looming over me. I pretended to be asleep, but as soon as the figure walked away, my eyes shot open as I listened to the voices.

"Shadow!" I heard Cashmere hiss.

"What? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" He hissed back, and I could hear him standing up.

"Well, yeah, but I need to talk to you about something...Important." Her voice sounded dead serious and I heard them both sitting down, a slight clank from the metal of Shadow's knife being put down. I listened intently to their voices.

"She has to go."

"What do you mean?"

"Sugar. The nine girl? You know. She has to go." I felt shock and anger run through me as I listened, now very interested.

"What? Why? She's really skilled with that sickle, you know, Cashie…"

"District nine isn't meant for the Careers! I want my brother to be proud of me, dumbass! Allying with an...outer girl isn't helping our cause." They were going to kill me. Cashmere was the leader of the team, and her brother won last year's Games, so that didn't help my cause at all. I slowly stood up, slipping my long sickle into my strap, along with the small sack that I had grabbed earlier. I still didn't know what was in it. Slowly, I stood up, taking a few steps to the cave entrance, then…

I sprinted. I heard Cashmere screaming "Get her! Drip, you dumbfuck, get UP! Throw something, Shadow! Somebody do something!" My feet flew across the ground and I was met at two cave tunnels. I heard footsteps echoing behind me, and now I had to pick something. The stacilites were a lot bigger on the right side, so I darted to the left, hoping it would be a good one.

I heard some voices, and I heard two sets of feet coming my way. Four people had been chasing me? I kept running, dodging any rocks, then found myself stuck at a dead end. I turned around, holding my sickle out defensively. Cashmere and Drip soon came close to me.

"Drip," Cashmere panted, "Kill her." Drip brandished his spear, jumping out at me. I dodged to the left and he sunk the spear into where my head had been moments before. Cashmere giggled, and I saw her stepping back and watching my impending doom. I swung at his legs, and he sloppily fell backwards. The hunk of a boy backed up against a stacilite, his eyes full of stupidity and anger.

"I dare you," I heard Cashmere say. "I dare you to kill him. Do it." I smiled, nodding.

"Okay," I mumbled, watching Cashmere from the corner of my eye as Drip attempted standing. I grabbed him and held his head over the stacilite's sharp end, whispering to him.

"Last words?" I asked, his eyes noticing the sharp edge.

"I-I wouldn't do this...CASHMERE! HELP!" My eyes darted over to her.

"I dare you." She repeated, the words echoing in my head. Drip tried shaking his head.

"I'm not your typical District nine bitch, Drip." I pushed his head down against the sharp end and I heard an intake from Cashmere. Blood started dripping down the rock and I could tell I had already pierced the skin. I laid him there, allowing him to try to get up. I raised my combat boot over his head, and as he looked into the rubber sole…

Splat. The stacilite ripped right through him, causing it to go through his whole skull and open his mouth. His blood got all over my foot and leg, and I heard a cannon echo in the distance.

"Satisfied?" I grinned at Cashmere. She laughed.

"Fuck you, dipshit bitch!" She tackled me, her falchion sinking into the ground, dangerously close to my neck. I kicked her off of me, she was surprisingly light, and pulled up her falchion, blindly throwing it. I heard the tip on a stacilite hit the ground and I took off, following where I came from.

As I passed the cross-caves, I saw Violent and Shadow, looking around, bewildered. They watched as I zoomed past and I heard Cashmere scream something. Finally I came to the opening, staring out to the Cornucopia. Splash was wandering around and Shilling was still moving around in his tent. Splash looked at me and then at the people chasing behind. She grabbed me by the neck and held me to the ground.

"I...I killed...Drip," I choked out, and her grip only got tighter on my neck. Her face was dangerously close to mine and her breath smelled like stale fish.

"...You bitch…" She growled. I threw my arm up into her face, trying to make a mark on her. My hand found her right eye. I shoved my thumb into it, hearing the ruined sound of a popping noise of her eyeball. I laughed and she stumbled, covering her eye and looking at me with the other.

"My eye!" She screamed, tackling me with ferocity I didn't expect. We clawed and fought. My sickle was cast across the cave floor and I saw the others just simply watching us fight. I shoved her into a wall. She punched me in the nose. I kicked her in the stomach. She twisted my ankle. Finally, she had me up against a wall.

"You never had what it took, Nine," she growled, spitting in my face. Her hands closed around my neck. I was going to die. I was doomed. The thought ran through my mind and I remembered, in a choking moment, about my little bag. My hand went deep inside it, and a cut was formed on my finger. There was a knife in there! My hand wrapped itself around the handle. As death started surrounding me, I pulled the knife out, blood dripping down my hand. Splash was grinning in my face, her hands wrapping even harder around my neck. Everything started spinning, and I saw blackness and stars. I heard Violent scream, "Splash! She has-"

The knife sunk into her back. She gasped, coughing blood out on me, but her grip not dying. As I slumped the the floor in a dying motion, I dragged her down with me. I heard a cannon go off. I smiled, my eyes closing. I heard my cannon erupt, and I knew it was over.

But she had died first.

I won.