Ashra Cairne
District Twelve Mentor, 28 Years Old
Victor of the 99th Hunger Games.
Celosia stands up, the pitchfork now plunged deep into the boy's chest.
She managed to disarm him, taking it for her own. The boy from Nine lies there, and before Celosia even has a second to breathe, the girl from One makes her way through the large bushes. She runs right at Celosia, catching her off guard, tackling her to the ground.
"That's my girl!" The mentor from District One, Leonora, comments. She leans over the table, banging her fist down on it, rattling the glasses beside her. "Kill her."
Back on the screen, Celosia flips over on her back, looking right up into the girl from One's eyes. The girl from One tries to pin Celosia down, but she fights back, managing to get her hand underneath the girl's chin. She pushes upwards, making the girl throw herself to the side, giving Celosia enough time to get up.
I bring the glass to my lips, tilting it back slowly, feeling the cold liquid rush down my throat. It's just another year – another year of false hope. A year that maybe, just maybe, District Twelve could bring home another victor. I've seen it before.
District Twelve surprisingly gets a tribute in the finale.
Then, they die. It's what District Twelve is used to now.
Celosia and the girl from One face each other now, a snarl on both of their faces.
And, for the first time since Celosia entered the arena, I become tense.
I grip my fingers around the cup tightly, my hands shaking as the girl from District One side-swipes her knife. Celosia dodges it, spinning back around, bringing her hand around the girl's neck.
The girl from One lets out a growl, and Celosia does what I never thought she'd have it in her to do again. She slips out her knife, swiping it upwards. It slices the girl from One's back open, and she falls forward, taking Celosia with her. With one more swipe of her arm, Celosia slices the back of the girl's neck.
Celosia's hands become bloody.
The girl slumps to the ground, the blood pouring out from her arms, her back, and her neck. It pools around her, and Celosia takes a step back, and I avert my eyes from the screen, avoiding making any eye-contact with Leonora or Thane.
Thane grips Leonora's shoulder with his hand, but Leonora forcefully pushes him away, and as she slides herself back in her chair, she stands up. The twin mentors from Two, Arick and Ryker, hold their hands up in the air, stepping away from Leonora.
Back on the screen, Celosia is hovering over the girl, the knife still in her hands, the blood spreading out in all directions. Then, when Celosia's victory is announced on the screen, it goes black. The screen goes black, and the room…
It goes silent.
Leonora stares at me, her jaw shifting, her facial expression contorting into something more sinister. More envious. She storms over towards me, and I stand my ground, pushing myself up out of my chair, disregarding the sudden rush of blood to my head.
I don't think drinking all of that was the best idea I could have done.
I didn't think mentoring Celosia would be a good idea, either, and look where that's gotten me.
"Are you proud?" Leonora comes at me, shouting. My legs tremble, and I press my hand against the table, holding all of my weight in my one arm. "District Twelve finally brought home another victor. What does that make it now? Two?"
"Two is right," Thane adds from behind her, still in the background with Arick and Ryker. Seina from District Four gets up from the table, going back to the counter with her empty glass. "Don't forget the dead ones, though. If we're counting those, it's about three."
"Three!" Leonora exclaims, throwing her hair back. Her blonde hair drapes down her back, and she shimmies her shoulder, snapping her head back up. "One committed suicide. One died in the Seventieth-Hunger Games. And the last one… What was her name again?"
I lift up my hand and stare directly at her.
It isn't worth it, I think, trying to rationalize with myself. She's just upset her tribute didn't win. She's just jealous.
"Oh, right! It's Katniss Everdeen," Leonora drawls, emphasizing each syllable in her name. "Burnt alive during the Victor's Purge. District Twelve is truly an honorable District. They all died for a cause."
I snort, shaking my head, and Leonora purses her lips together.
"A cause!" I sneer, pointing a finger out at her. My legs begin to shake once more, but I focus on Leonora, holding my finger out further. I take a deep breath before speaking again, the drinks already in effect. "I hope you die for a cause, Leonora."
"I don't plan on dying. But, you…," she says, leaning forward, the snarl on her face. "Keep on drinking that shit, Ashra. See where that gets you."
"Why don't you come over here and see where it will get you?"
She ignores my taunt.
"You'll die just like the rest of them," Leonora drawls, giving her fellow Career-mentors a glance. Surprisingly, none of them entertain her; they simply sit there, staring. "You know, the one who committed suicide and the one who died in that Quarter Quell? Oh, and we most certainly cannot forget the Mockingjay herself."
"Don't," I snap, feeling myself tense up. "Do not mention Katniss. Or Haymitch. Or Arthur."
Leonora throws her head back again, flustered by the situation. She turns away, stampeding out the door. Thane the twins from Two follow her, while Seina stays back at the counter, and so does the girl from District Three. She hasn't said or done much, except for sitting there with a smirk on her face.
When I look at her, she raises an eyebrow.
"Did you enjoy the show?" I say, falling back into my seat. I lean my head on my fist, closing my eyes, and when I hear footsteps coming my way, I open my eyes. In front of me, the mentor from Three stands there, arms crossed over her chest.
"Not as entertaining as Celosia's winning kill," she says, taking a seat across from me. She taps her finger on the table, the bartender immediately coming over with a glass. "I'm Allonia, by the way. Victor of the hundred and first Hunger Games."
"Ashra," I reply, closing my eyes again. I hear her take a sip from her glass, and as she places it back on the table, she chuckles. "What's funny?"
"I remember killing the girl from One in my Games," she says, and I open my eyes, raising an eyebrow. "And the boy from Two, the boy from Three, the girl from Seven, and the boy from Eleven."
"Wow."
"Yeah, wow."
As we sit there, I find myself drifting off, not wanting to run off to the nearest hovercraft and fly to Celosia. I'll see her eventually, and when I'll do, I'll thank her. I'll thank her for taking this… This responsibility out of my hands.
I won't have to do this anymore.
She will.
She will now the burden of mentoring placed on her.
Not me.
Now, District Twelve will blame her. They won't blame me.
It won't be my fault anymore.
Author's Note:
A sixth SYOT by the one and only, the fantastic, the prestigious – Cashmere67.
Amazing, isn't it? My addiction to this website and my inability to pry myself away from it? Yeah, it is.
Either way, I assume everyone knows the deal by now: The form is on the profile, spots are not allowed to be reserved and it is open submissions so submit as many as you want/to whatever District you want, and if you have any other questions just PM me.
I don't believe in deadlines. I'll close when I feel like I should and when I have a good set of tributes.
On a side-note, though: Please, please, please be aware that Career spots aren't easy to get. A lot of people submit to those specific Districts, but honestly, I'm flexible with my time-frame and what Districts train tributes and whatnot. So, Careers don't necessarily have to be One, Two, and Four. It is the 110th Hunger Games, after all. Be creative.
I just want to make it easier for everyone, since this really isn't canon anymore.
So, do send in some tributes. I look forward to seeing who submits and what kinds of tributes I receive this time around.
(Oh, and, do not be alarmed if I update this story and there's no second chapter. I like to re-update it a few days after I post it to get more tributes and whatnot.)