A/N: Here's WeeMadArthur's competition entry for the second competition. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.
The 69th Annual Hunger Games (WeeMadArthur's version)
Monet Cassius (17), District 2 Female
I take a deep breath calming myself as darkness engulfs me. I close my eyes relishing the darkness, it allows my brain to clear as I run over my plan, the plan I have kept quiet to everyone but my mentor Lyme. Slowly and a little jerkily I feel my platform rise up and into the arena.
I open my eyes when light pierces my eyelids, I'm in the arena. Although a minute isn't that long, it feels like a lifetime as I look around. The scenery that greets me is like nothing I have ever seen before, everything around seems to be shades of reds and browns the whole arena is made of rock including the cornucopia which is just a long arch with parcels and packs huddled under it.
After careful inspection I realise we are on a plateau and when I crane my neck around I can make out a steep slope leading down to a red dirt floor with the odd spindly tree. What I find shocking though are the rocks on the ground. Huge pointy rocks rise as high as the plateau and dominate the landscape. There are hundreds of them in fact the ground below the plateau seems to be maze of rocks, this will provide narrow higgledy piggledy paths which will make easy escape routes.
I give my fellow tributes a glance, my district partner is directly opposite me through the arch, and the other careers are scattered about. Either side of me I have the little boy from Eight who is trembling all over his wide eyes fixed on me, he clearly knows what is going to happen once the countdown reaches zero. On my other side is the boy from ten who had got the best score from the outer districts, his gaze is firmly on the cornucopia. I'll have to keep my eye out for him, I remember from training he is fast.
10, 9, 8…
I take a deep breath and find what I am looking for, my weapon, a crossbow which is leaning against a big pack. I tense as my focus zeros in on my weapon as the timer inches towards zero. As soon as the gong sounds I leap into action, I grab a nearby piece of wire and quickly dispose of the little boy from eight in seconds, he is the first to die and my name is the first on the kill board. I don't hesitate though and sprint towards my prize. My path goes undisturbed and soon the crossbow is loaded and in my hands hastily I stuff the extra bows into my belt, this is the Hunger Games there is no time to dawdle. As an afterthought I swing the large pack onto my back, this cornucopia will be hard to defend so I need to grab good supplies now.
"MO, I need back up," comes the shout of Julius, my district partner and leader of the careers, I look towards where his voice came from and I see him sparring with the two from Ten. I run in his direction picking up a knife as I go. As I get closer Julius gets the upper hand and he thrusts his sword through the girl's chest, on seeing this her partner turns and runs. I close the gap, and within seconds I have made my second kill.
I pull out the knife from Julius's neck and his body slumps forward. I glance around nobody is looking all either running away or concentrating on their own battle. This only benefits me as it means the remaining careers won't pursue me. Surely this second kill will see me skyrocketing to the top of the leader board and sponsor chart.
I allow myself a smile before jogging down the plateau onto lower ground. After a few looks I know nobody is watching so I carry on running. As I run I allow my thoughts to roam the air is dry and hot making running hard but I refuse to give up I have to put as much space between myself and the plateau as possible, not that I think much about the remaining careers, four were a couple of fifteen year olds, while one were made up of a overconfident girl with little talent and a boy who was all muscle and no brain, without Julius they would be like a headless chickens.
When the sun is high in the sky I allow myself a quick rest. I find a gnarled tree and sit in its tiny shadow searching my pack. I have gotten a good haul including; a padded jacket which although is useless now taking a look at the cloudless sky tells me it will be cold in the evening and the cotton trousers and gauzy long sleeved top won't be good at keeping me warm. The rest of my pack includes a full water bottle, some dried fruit, a bread roll and a couple of bandages with some pain killers. I repack my bag carefully and decide on my next move, I will need water soon and from the countdown I don't remember seeing any form of water, maybe there isn't any? and we have to find water using clever means, they have done that in games before.
After thinking for a while I get up and start my search for water looking for any signs, just before the sun dips behind the rocks I still haven't found anything but I have my theories and no victor is ever made if they give up at the first hurdle. Before it gets dark I find a place to stay the night a small hole at the base in one of the massive rocks. For the first time I feel vulnerable I may be a light sleeper but people could still sneak up on me even though I am well concealed, I guess that is the one advantage of being the careers. Not that I regret my decision, being part of a team especially an incompetent one like the careers are this year is only a hindrance. I have always been better on my own, people will only slow me down and make me weaker.
When the seal appears in the sky I see seven faces. Two are Careers and two died at my hand.
The Games lasted 15 days; Monet's Games like many others game was ruled by the search to find water as it was scarce in the arena. The Career Alliance lasted until the seventh day when the Careers from One turned on the boy from District 4.
Tributes were plagued by poison mutts. Two tributes were caught by scorpions which were a meter long and whose poison paralyses you for up to twenty-four hours, while the girl from District 3 was eaten whole by a snake.
Monet's games were pretty quiet until she bumped into the tributes from District 1 on the twelfth day. The battle was bloody and hard, the girl was killed almost immediately while the boy put up a good fight. Monet finally finished him off with a crossbow to the temple but she was left seriously injured as he had cut off her arm at the elbow. Weak and losing a lot of blood, Monet was forced cauterize her wound.
By the fifteenth day, there were three tributes left; the boy from Ten, Monet and the girl from District 5. The boy from Ten kills the girl from District 5 but not before she has left him with multiple stab wounds. Dust storms force the boy from Ten and Monet together onto the plateau. Monet is only able to fight as she has been sponsored powerful pain medication so she can fight through the pain. With only one hand, Monet can no longer operate her crossbow while the boy from District 10 is weak from blood loss. They both fight hard but both are weak and each sustain injuries. The Games end when Monet finally is able to use an arrow as a spear and stab through into the boy from Ten's spinal cord, paralysing him, then again into his chest.
A/N: A review for WeeMadArthur, anyone? :)
