A.N.: And here…we…go!
XXX
BROADCASTING LIVE FROM THE CAPITOL
CT: Good morning, Panem! Once again, this is Claudius Templesmith, and you would not believe the level of excitement! I think that there are still some celebrators out in the streets as we speak, in fact! With good reason, too! This year's pre-game session has had everyone going crazy with anticipation. Let's start the morning off with an update on the betting. Sartorius, what've you got?
SM: Well, first of all, the favorite to win in the Capitol is Shimmer Argent of District One, with her eleven in training and otherwise spectacular performance since she arrived. She even has a high percentage of the bets in the Upper Districts. It seems that some people have more faith in her abilities than that of their own District's tributes. Such a discrepancy from the norm is not seen in District Seven, where Jude Paraux and Robin Sarabia each reportedly have a 50-50 chance of winning. Also, there was a sharp increase in bids on Anise Leenan of District Eleven after her announcement at the interviews that she killed her mother. Other than that, there's nothing to report.
CP: Back to that comment about Anise, Sartorius. That moment was a real shocker, especially for me. She wouldn't give any details about what happened, too!
YE: She's probably saving her surprises for the arena. We'll find out soon enough, then!
CT: That's right, Yvanna. At this very moment, the twenty-four tributes are being transported to the arena, and most of them are already stationed in their Launch Rooms.
CP: I'm ready for this to get started. Are you guys ready?
YE: Of course, I'm ready!
SM: Ready as I'll ever be!
CT: That's good, because I've just received the message that it's time to start!
[Camera cut to one of the launch rooms, where Moira Jemsom—her name, age (18) and District number (5) scroll across the bottom of the screen—is getting into her launch tube. She's wearing black leggings, black hiking boots, and a dark green shirt that has a hood but no sleeves. The tube closes around her, and the camera rises with her through the darkness, capturing the slightly nervous but determined expression on her face. There's a flash of light as they reach the surface, and then Moira glances around at the smooth, rocky surface that she has been deposited onto. The screen switches to an above view of the Cornucopia and the circle of tributes. The immediate area is a flat, light-gray rock which seems to be mid-way up a mountain, with a forest-covered upward slope on one side, a rough downwards slope on two other sides, and a near-vertical drop on the fourth side. While inside the Cornucopia there is the usual pile of various weapons, surrounding it are identical dark-gray backpacks. All the same size, there is no clue as to what could be in them. Rushing water can be heard, probably from a waterfall somewhere.]
CT: Ladies and gentlemen, let the Forty-Seventh Annual Hunger Games begin!
[A timer appears in the corner of the screen, which begins to count down from 60 seconds as the camera pans over the tributes, who are all identically dressed, and the surrounding area as everyone tensely waits for the mandatory minute to end. Robin Sarabia (16, 7) meets eyes with Jude Paraux (17, 7), who stands a few tributes away from her, and points at a large battleaxe on top of the pile, and he nods once in response. Thera Adrastea (17, 2) cracks her knuckles and eyes the distance between her metal circle and the Cornucopia, and also notes the distance between herself and the closest tributes: Dalinder Fernswith (17, 12) and Tam Penemue (16, 5). Anise Leenan (15, 11) turns her head to look at the upwards, tree-covered slope behind her. Dawn Calder (16, 10) notices that, at the base of the pile of weapons, there is a belt of throwing knives. She hesitates and glances at Shimmer Argent (18, 1), who is standing nearby and eyeing the same belt, before setting her feet determinedly in the direction of the Cornucopia. Kayla Rakkor (15, 9) glances down the drop behind her, staring at the rocky, nearly vertical surface. Landon Meddel (16, 8) searches around, shading his eyes from the sun, until he sees Gabrielle Oriot (16, 8) positioned on the opposite side of the circle from him.]
[The timer hits zero, and the numbers vanish as a gong sounds.]
[Jude and Robin sprint across the circle, reaching the Cornucopia first. Jude grabs the battleaxe and disappears up the tree-covered mountain, Robin right on his tail, holding a backpack in each hand and wearing one on her back. They pass the other tributes with no opposition. Moira, Dalinder, and Ashley Coralis (14, 4) each grab a backpack and flee, Dalinder heading upwards while Moira and Ashley go down the rough slope. Bergamot Palentia (17, 9) grabs a backpack and throws it to Kayla, who catches it and steps backwards off the near-vertical edge, grabbing at the rocks. Dawn and Shimmer both leap for the knives, but Shimmer gets there first and stabs Dawn in the chest. She then pulls the knife back out and turns quickly, throwing it and piercing Erit Byrne (17, 3) in the back. Icee Lightwood (15, 3) screams his name as he falls. She runs forward and grabs the knife, only for Shimmer to land another one in her forehead. Lucas Tandem (18, 4) grabs a trident and shoves Tam to the ground, spearing him through his chest to the rocks. Carn Hurdy (18, 2) grabs Moh Kandeld (18, 6) as he runs by and snaps his neck, letting him fall limply to the ground. Thera grabs a long sword and slices the neck of Luis Isofer (16, 10). Briar Tussen (12, 11) runs forward to grab a backpack, and Shimmer throws a knife at him. Right before the blade hits, Anise grabs him by his hood, yanking him backwards. The knife lodges in Briar's backpack, and Anise grabs another backpack as she sprints up into the trees. A strung bow and quiver of arrows lie at Thera's feet. Bergamot, Bint Westley (17, 12), and Sara Strickham (14, 6) all dive for it at the same time. Thera slices through Bint's back and he falls. She slashes Sara's side, but when she tries to get Bergamot as well, he has already run off into the trees with the bow and arrows, while Sara stumbles off down the rough slope, her hands pressed to her long, profusely bleeding wound. Shimmer, looking furious, throws yet another knife at Gabrielle, hitting her in the chest as she runs towards Landon. Landon cries out in despair and rage, and runs headlong at Shimmer. Phenom Spectral (18, 1) stabs him in the back with a short sword as he passes by. The pack glances around the Cornucopia area, but there is nothing left but corpses, and the blood that stains the rock.]
[Jude, Robin, Dalinder, and Bergamot continue up the mountain. Anise runs far too quickly for the cameras to catch more than a glimpse of her and Briar as they pass through the trees, the little boy tucked under her arm. Kayla works her way down the rocks, scaling the mountain wall. Moira, Sara, and Ashley reach the base of the mountain and set off in different directions, Moira and Ashley around its base and Sara outwards, away from the mountain. The base is dotted with dry bushes and a few sparse trees, and the ground is of dirt instead of rock.]
XXX
Briar Tussen, 12, District 11
I hold on to the strap of the backpack as tightly as I can, sure that, if I were to drop it, it would be left behind in Anise's mad dash up the mountain. We're moving so fast, I can feel a strong breeze moving past us. I don't know how long Anise has been running, or if she intends on stopping any time soon. Not that I don't want to put as much distance as possible between myself and the Cornucopia, but the speed is disorienting. I close my eyes and wait for something else to happen.
Soon, it seems like we're slowing. Anise's quick, long strides turn into shorter steps, and as I reopen my eyes I see that we're surrounded by trees.
Anise stops, and then I hear the cannons counting off the dead tributes. One, two, three… Nine cannon shots. Nine people died in the last five minutes. A sort of shudder runs through Anise's body, and then she gently sets me down on the ground. She takes my backpack and hers and dumps their contents onto the ground. They're mostly empty. Mine had five or six packs of dried fruit and a full water bottle in it, while Anise managed to grab one which held a sleeping bag and a pair of night-vision glasses, like we use back in District 11 when we have to work at night.
"Anise," I say, but she silences me with a look and then begins to repack the supplies. She puts most of them and the dagger into one of the backpacks, placing only two packs of fruit into the other. After picking up the first backpack and bouncing it in her hand to test its weight, she sets it at my feet, putting on the other backpack.
"You should do well with that, for a while," she says, turning away. "Good luck."
"Anise, wait!" I call. "Wait!"
She doesn't face me, but she doesn't move, either.
"Why can't we be allies, Anise?" I ask. "You need this stuff, too…and you just saved my life… Please don't go, Anise. I need you."
"But I need to get away…" Anise whispers.
"What?"
Anise turns back to me and kneels on the ground in front of me, placing her hands on my shoulders.
"You may need me, but I can't stay with you," she says. "I can't be with anyone, no one that might die. I can't do it, Briar. I kill someone by not saving them. There's blood on my hands already, can't you see it? I can't bear the thought that I'll kill again. I won't be able to handle it being my fault. Can you understand that, Briar? Please try to understand that. I just can't do it. I can't…"
I stare right into her eyes, which are so dark that they're almost black.
"I never did get you to smile," I say.
Suddenly, and incredibly strangely, the ends of Anise's mouth curl up and she smiles at me. She has the sort of smile that someone uses when there is absolutely no reason to be happy, one that I've seen in District 11 many times by people who have lost everything. But it's a smile. Anise pulls me close and hugs me tightly, her lips brushing against my forehead.
"Good luck, little Briar," she whispers. Then she lets go, stands up, and, faster than I can blink, she's gone.
XXX
Shimmer Argent, 18, District 1
Nine kills. A disappointing number, but it will soon be rectified. For now, we have to deal with the Cornucopia.
"Search the backpacks," I say. "Anything that we can't use, we destroy. There's no need to leave anything lying around for someone else to use. Phenom, bring me the three knives that I used. Understood?"
The others nod and hurry off to the backpacks, Phenom rather grudgingly. The Gamemakers are probably annoyed with me—we're supposed to move away from the bodies, so that the hovercraft can pick them up. At the moment, though, I don't care. To waste time would be a bad move. The bodies can wait. They're dead, after all.
Carn is still staring dumbly at the kid that he killed.
"Get moving, you!" I snap. He glances over at me, then back at the corpse, and then at me again. He nods and walks over to a backpack. I roll my eyes and turn to the pile of weapons. I know what every member of my pack can use. There's a decent variety in the Cornucopia, but mostly useless to us. I find a second belt of knives, and I strap them both on. Now, even with the loss of one knife to that duo from Eleven, I have an arsenal of eleven blades around my waist, each and every one of them expertly crafted. Perfect.
Now, the other weapons. Thera and Phenom have each already taken a sword, but there's a large one left over, which I set aside for Carn. Lucas has his trident, so the spears are not necessary. There is also a pair of maces and another axe, but none of us use them. I pile them up with the spears.
Where's the bow?
I'd seen a bow in the pile of weapons. Where was it? It has to be destroyed, so that Bergamot Palentia can't use it…
…No!
"Who let Bergamot Palentia get away with a bow?" I call, turning to face the others. They glance back at me, but say nothing.
"I'm not a patient girl!" I shout. "Own up, now!"
"Yeah, he got past me," said Thera. "But I killed that Twelve boy, and the Six girl won't get very far with that wound…"
"Idiot!" I stomp up to her, drawing a knife. "Idiot! Didn't you see his training score? Nine. That's equal to your score, Thera, and more than Phenom or Lucas got! And do you know what he must have used? The weapon that he was showing off in front of us in the gymnasium, of course! The bow and arrows! You idiot!"
"So, what are you going to do?" Thera challenges. "Kill me?"
I snarl. No. I can't kill her, not when I need her to help with the hunt after such a dismal bloodbath.
"We'll catch him eventually," Lucas says calmly. "Or those two from Seven will. If he's that good with a bow, he could do some killing for us, too."
I sheathe my knife, but I hold a threatening finger in Thera's face.
"I don't have to put up with you," I say. "So don't push your luck."
She shrugs, but I can tell that I struck a chord in her, somewhere.
"Did anyone find matches?" I ask. Carn holds up a box. Maybe he's not completely useless.
"Gather up all the useless stuff," I order. "We'll burn it. And if it doesn't burn, then Carn will crush it."
XXX
Kayla Rakkor, 15, District 9
I work my way across the rocks, careful to use only my arms and my "good" leg. The cameras could be on me at any moment, and I want to keep up the façade, even to the audience. It's all that I have. The act, my clothes, and the backpack that's on my back are my only possessions.
The climb is not too difficult. The rock wall is basically made of boulders, so there are plenty of handholds and footholds. I could probably sit on the rocks without fear of falling, but I'm not about to risk it. The ground is too far away for comfort. Up is towards the other tributes, and down is too much of a climb. My only hope is sideways.
Eventually, I find what I'm looking for. There's a tunnel in the rocks, a space left open that's wide enough for me to comfortably duck through. I drop into the tunnel and creep through it, checking to see if there's something already living in it. There isn't, but after a short trip through the tunnel I come out into the open. I'm on a wide ledge on the side of the mountain. The rock ground here is covered by grass and trees, and there's even a pond. There isn't much space, but it's enough, and as I watch, a squirrel scampers around the branches of a tree. With the rocky face with the tunnel to my back and the ledge to my front, I'm completely secluded from the rest of the arena. Unless someone climbs after me, they won't find me. And here there is water, and potential food! It's perfect for me.
I take off my backpack and go through it. There's nothing but two small coils of rope and a box of matches, but that's all that I need. I get right to making snares, before the local wildlife realize that I'm a threat.
Dinner is as good as served.
XXX
Ashley Coralis, 14, District 4
The sound of rushing water gets louder and louder as I make my way around the base of the mountain. I need to find shelter, or else Lucas will just be able to look down and see me. If he sees me, I'm dead. He and Shimmer have too good aim to miss.
Then, I walk around a rocky face and I find the source of the noise: a waterfall! It's a massive waterfall, one that looks like it begins all the way at the top of the mountain, thundering down to land here in a pool attached to a stream that winds away into the distance. I assume that the arena ends somewhere out there, but I've never known anyone to find the edge of an arena. I'm not particularly interested in looking.
I approach the waterfall, looking down into the water. There are fish in there! Lots of silver fish are swimming lazily about. Hopefully they're normal fish and not some kind of muttation. I'll need them for food. On a hunch, I wade into the water and edge around the waterfall. Sure enough, there's a little cave back there, with just enough space to sit and keep dry and relatively hidden.
The sun is starting to set, so I sit down in the little cave and go through my backpack. There's a coil of wire, a small bottle of iodine for purifying water, and a little cup with a lid. There's also a skinny little knife. I test the tip with my finger. It's very, very sharp and pointy.
Thinking, I get back out of the cave and walk over to one of the skinny trees that dot the landscape down here. Nervously checking over my shoulder, I cut down the tree and take it back into the cave with me. There, I shave off the branches—no need to let Lucas know where I am by pieces of wood lying around outside—and bind the knife to the long stick with the wire. Now I have a spear, for fishing, and also perhaps for self-defense.
Are things really looking up?
I hear the anthem play as the sky turns dark, and I peek out from behind the waterfall to look up at the sky. The seal of the Capitol is displayed up there for me and all of the other tributes to see. Now, I get to learn who's dead. When the cannon fired earlier, I had been too preoccupied with moving to count the blasts.
The seal vanishes, and then pictures of faces, like the ones used for our training scores, appear in its place, one by one, accompanied by their district number. The two tributes from Three are first, and then it moves on to the boys from Five and Six, both from Eight—Oh, no…—and Ten, and the boy from Twelve. The Capitol seal appears again, accompanied by a musical fanfare, and then it too vanishes.
I stay there for a while, staring up at the dark sky. Nine tributes dead. Nine people, or at least they were people, just this morning. This morning, they were teenagers. Children. Now, they're only faces in the sky…and now those too are gone.
XXX
Remaining Tributes:
Tribute-Name-Age
1B Phenom Spectral 18
1G Shimmer Argent 18
2B Carn Hurdy 18
2G Thera Adrastea 17
4B Lucas Tandem 18
4G Ashley Coralis 14
5G Moira Jemsom 18
6G Sara Strickham 14
7B Jude Paraux 17
7G Robin Sarabia 16
9B Bergamot Palentia 17
9G Kayla Rakkor 15
11B Briar Tussen 12
11G Anise Leenan 15
12G Dalinder Fernswith 17
A.N.: I'll put up a list of remaining tributes at the end of every chapter, just to keep everyone on the same page. Again, I apologize for killing your tributes… I hope that you continue to read my story, regardless. And I also hope that you tell me what you think! Please? Even if you think it's the worst story that you've ever read, tell me, so that I can make it better!