Alright, here we go! The first chapter of the actual games is up and I am happy to present it to you. First of all, I'd like to say that this chapter is really, really long and that most chapters to come won't be this long. It's just that because this is the first chapter of the games I wrote a lot for the beginning. Anyway, I'd like to thank you for supporting and reading this and I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)
guest: Thanks for the review. Indeed, here you will find out when everyone dies and in what order soon enough. This chapter will feature many of the first deaths of the game. So let's see how this turns out... :)
Day 1 - Afternoon
Spade Bex (District 3 Female)
What would it look like? What would the arena look like? This thought plagued Spade's mind as she stepped into the glass bubble that would soon transport her upward and into the arena. She hoped there would be plenty of trees. If there were many, she'd be able to hunt with much more ease. It would be like at home, when she could hunt for fun with her brother. Now…it was not like that quite so much. But despite that, Spade tried her best to treat this as any other day.
The panel on which Spade was standing would soon begin its vertical climb. And then, when it reached the top…the games would begin. Everything they had spent worrying over the past few days would finally become a reality. Spade was sweating a lot through her suit. As she waited on the panel her hands began to go numb. She wasn't sure if she was nervous, but this sure made her feel all that more tense.
The glass dome began to rise around her. She would be sealed in glass throughout the climb, but then it would disappear at the start of the game. Spade couldn't keep her mind on one thing. She went from thinking about the arena, to hunting back home, to the situation at hand, to hunting with her brother, to her asleep hands. She shook them both and waited until they regained their sense of consciousness.
She was ready, though. She decided it. She was ready to fight. First, though, she'd need to find a weapon. There was always talk of a grand cornucopia in the Hunger Games that presented the players with weapons and water and all other sorts of survival supplies. The cornucopia was always located in the middle of the players at the start, and was there to tempt some players into making a run for the large golden colossus to collect some supplies. Of course, this was dangerous. Standing there, Spade's mind went from running to gaining supplies and then back to running. She didn't know what to do. Going to the cornucopia would be risky, for sure. That's always been where the most people die: at the beginning during the initial run at the cornucopia. This would be a bloodbath, Spade thought.
She felt the vertical climb start to take effect and, soon enough, she was surrounded by black as she continued rising. She wanted to stand on her tip-toes to see the arena as it came into view. Soon…
She stared at the top part of her glass bubble and watched and waited. She wanted to see the first thing that came into view. She hoped it would be trees. A lot of trees.
Ever so slowly did the glass tube creep upward. She waited impatiently and looked all around her. Nothing came into view yet. She began to sweat and tense up. This was it. This was finally it. She was ready, she thought. Black continued to surround her. She waited and waited and waited.
But then, she stopped. She had reached her destination. But…everything was black.
She peered around. She couldn't see anyone, for she could see nothing. She coughed quietly to herself and tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness. It was no use, however. Wherever she was there was no light whatsoever. Spade grew confused. Was this the arena? An all-black arena?
Again she waited. What was going on?
Clack! The lights were turned on, and in all but a nanosecond Spade saw everything in her location. She was as surprised as any of the other twenty-seven tributes around her. She…was in a room. She wasn't outside, as she had suspected they would have been. They were inside…
And in the middle of where they twenty-eight tributes formed a circle was the cornucopia. Spade peered around. The other tributes seemed to be looking at the arena. She watched them.
Then she took it upon herself to examine the arena as well from inside her bubble. The floors were wooden and they appeared to be on the second floor of this building; she could see they were on some sort of indoor balcony that overlooked the foyer below. In front of her was a grand staircase that led down to the foyer area. Judging from the two rooms she saw, this building must've been very, very large. It was also exquisitely furnished. Spade didn't know what to think. Was the entire arena indoors? Were they…in a house?
"Welcome tributes." A voice said over the loudspeaker. "The games will begin now, so may the odds be ever in your favor."
"10…"
Spade's glass bubble began to slowly sink into the floor. There were only ten seconds left until twenty-eight people could kill each other. She shuddered and wanted to run right then. The glass bubble continued to fall.
"9…"
There was Raz on one side of her and Stark on the other. She knew Raz wouldn't be a problem, but Stark was a career. She was afraid of him and knew better than to run alongside him to the cornucopia. She thought, perhaps, she could fall back and wait until he reached it, first.
"8…"
But wait…did she even want to run to the cornucopia at all? That would be risky. She wasn't sure she was ready to risk her life so quickly.
"7…"
But she needed supplies. How would she survive without supplies? She likely wasn't going to get sponsored, so without grabbing a water bottle or two she felt there was little hope for her survival.
"6…"
Then again, she was in a house. There would probably some sort of water she could find inside. Or perhaps the game-makers were smart enough to turn off all the water in the house. But anyway, there might have been a backyard or something. Maybe there was a lake.
"5…"
She did need a bow and arrow, though. Without those, how could she ever hope to fight? Those would save her for sure. Her mind was racing as she contemplated whether or not to make a run for it…
"4…"
She should leave. Running to the cornucopia would be too risky.
"3…"
But she couldn't survive without a weapon. She needed to go for it.
"2…"
Or perhaps run away?
"1…"
Or risk it?!
"GO!"
In a whirlwind of events Spade realized her glass bubble had disappeared and the game had begun. She scrambled off her platform and analyzed the scene before her. Several people were making a run for the cornucopia. There was Stark on her left, who was running with Angel. Those two had just reached the cornucopia when she had only taken a few steps. She tried to peer into the large golden structure to see what kind of weapons lie there. She could see nothing, however.
She panicked and made a run for it. She saw Fetch lift himself to the top of the cornucopia holding a knife and a backpack. Atlas was near him and he made a slash, but narrowly missed. He lost his footing a little bit and stumbled on top of the cornucopia.
And then there was Moon. She was digging through supplies quickly. She had several weapons, Spade could see, and was already trying to get some more. That's when Spade crept it. She slid near the cornucopia and slunk around its side. Cilla ran in front of her but seemed to be weaponless. She was thankful.
Fetch had leapt off the cornucopia by then and was chasing someone out of the room. Spade's heart fluttered as she reached around the corner. There still lie several backpacks and other things that hadn't been taken. She snuck up to them (avoiding Moon by a hair) and began to peer through.
As she was looking Lilac came up behind her. The girl was weaponless but was eagerly searching. Lilac pushed Spade aside and rummaged through the bags for any weapon. Spade picked herself up and tried pushing Lilac aside, but the career kicked her back and fumbled with reaching her hand into a bag.
Spade knew she had no time to look through the goods. She needed to take a bag, and fast. She quickly dove down to the ground and grabbed the first backpack she saw. Lilac had pulled out a small throwing axe in the meantime and took a hefty swing at Spade. The district three girl snuck underneath the overhang of the cornucopia as the axe struck the floor. For just a second it got stuck in the wood, and Spade knew this was her moment of opportunity. She crawled out quickly from underneath the cornucopia and made a dash for the staircase. Lilac picked up her axe and made one final throw at the girl, but missed terribly. The axe stuck out of the wood near the top stair.
Spade dashed down the staircase and headed for the front door, but stopped. She realized that she had a smarter tactic to employ. On each side of the grand staircase were planters that were raised above the level of the foyer. If she could perch herself on one, she'd be able to see up and over into room she was just in. This way, she'd be able to get a sense of the fighting styles of some of the players and perhaps see who had what weapons.
After propping herself up she took a look at the battles ensuing on the upper floor. Many people had scattered, she noticed, but there still remained eight or so looking through the cornucopia and fighting with the others.
She saw Cloud picking himself up from underneath the cornucopia. He was dragging out a bag and began rummaging through it. She could tell there must've been something large inside, because the bag was bulging. He reached inside and began pulling out a mace. It's steel hilt glinted in the rays of the lights above him and the top was secured with a heavy spiked sphere. He lifted it up and wielded it like a sword.
Xion emerged from his side and Cloud yelled something of a battle cry. He picked his mace above his head and swung down. Xion deflected the blow with the sword he had uncovered and returned the slash at double the speed. Cloud whipped around him and tried stabbing Xion in the leg, but was caught off guard as Xion brought the heavy blade through Cloud's back.
Spade jumped. The sight was ugly. Xion stood looming over a hunched Cloud, whose body contorted and wriggled around as Xion pushed the blade deeper and deeper into his back. At last, Xion leaned his full weight on the sword and sent it slicing through the other side of Cloud. Spade looked on his horror as Cloud's body stopped moving. He was dead.
Xion pulled out the sword, laughing all the while.
"No!" someone screamed. Xion and Spade saw it was Terra. She had tears streaming down her face and nothing but a small pocket knife in her hand. She looked at her friend's dead body and could barely stop herself from collapsing. Without another thought, she went sprinting from the room with Xion on her heels. Spade could only see Terra slamming a door in Xion's face before Xion opened it and went charging down the hall after Terra…
Boom! Spade jumped in surprise. A loud boom reverberated throughout the large building. This was to signal that a tribute had died: Cloud. Spade shuddered as a robotic arm came clambering into the room. It then took Cloud away to another room where Spade assumed all dead tributes were brought.
A loud slash took Spade's mind off of Cloud. She looked up and saw Katz twirling a spear around in her hands. Moon was on the other end of the room; she held a blunt club that looked too small even for her hands. Katz spun the spear around and, with her profound throwing skills, brought the spear down in front of her. Then she lurched forward and left the thing fly straight at Moon.
But Moon was too swift. She dropped backward and let the spear fly narrowly past her head. Katz swallowed hard. That was her only weapon. She had flung it with certainty that she was going to strike Moon in the heart. But now…she had missed.
Moon picked herself up and yelled angrily at the now-panicked Katz. "I hate you!" Her voice was like venom.
Katz shrieked as Moon began charging at her with her club. Katz picked up a nearby vase and tried to bring it down on Moon's head, but the career was too fast. She had already pummeled Katz to the ground and flung her into the bannister.
Spade jumped. They were right above her. Moon was holding Katz down by the neck with one hand and tried to disengage the vase Katz was holding with her other. She grew frustrated, straddled Katz, and picked up her club with both hands. Katz whipped up the vase in Moon's face and it struck her. Moon staggered backward as her lip began to bleed.
Katz tried to get back up but the career was on her. Moon swung at Katz with her club. The girl rolled out of the way and instead the club formed a large crater in the wood. Katz tried to kick up at Moon with her feet with the career pushed them aside and tried pushing the lying Katz over the edge of the balcony.
Katz was struggling, but she managed to hold Moon off. Now, the career was angry. She released the hand she used to keep Katz down and swung the club down with great force. She swung again and again, each time connecting with Katz's head. Moon was yelling violently and sweating profusely when she finally stepped off Katz's body.
Spade gasped.
Boom!
Jape Phisher (District 12 Male)
Jape was running. He had darted from where he started outside the front door as quickly as he could. He didn't believe it would have been smart to run for the cornucopia, so he didn't. Besides, he found it absurdly unlikely there would be a ball-and-chain. The weapon was just too unusual.
He was then outside. He was scared of going back, and when he ran far enough away from the building he turned. What he saw astounded him. He was looking from in front of the building and could see most of the arena from his vantage point. The thing that shocked him most was the immense building that stood in front of him: it was a mansion. The mansion, though, was larger than any he could have ever created in his mind. He stood in awe.
The building was a massive expanse of rooms and windows. It was several floors high and could have probably fit at least fifty rooms on each floor. Jape stared at it in awe as he looked over the building. The front yard was vast and grassy, and front what he could tell, there was a garden along the side of the mansion and a pond to the right. Wait. A pond? With water? Jape was surprised. Typically the games did not make the problem of water this easily solved, but he wasn't going to complain.
Farther behind the house and to the right was a forest. The forest didn't seem to be that large, so he didn't think it would be able to conceal a large number of people at any given time. It went fairly deep, but it was still not a huge forest. He figured the meat of the game would take place inside the house or around its vast property. The forest was a sort of afterthought.
Behind the house was something he was not able to see. He thought he was able to make out what looked like a graveyard creeping from the right side of the house to the back, but he wasn't sure. A graveyard? That's sickening, he thought.
He was trying to wrap his head around everything. So, inside, he saw the main room and the room above it where the cornucopia was. There were people battling in there right then, but no one seemed to be outside.
But…if they were like him, wouldn't they be coming outside soon? Jape pondered over this and realized that he should probably move. He needed to hide. Thea and Hope were somewhere inside the mansion, but he felt no desire to find them. He didn't want to be the cause of one or both of their deaths. And besides, he really didn't want to get too attached to someone. It was a little late for that, though…
Jape moved from his point. His first priority was to go to hide. He'd need to be able to stay somewhere outside without going back into that dreadful mansion. That's where they all were…he knew he'd need to make for the forest. Would he be safe even there, though? He couldn't be sure, but he started toward the forest anyway.
Then I'll need water. I'll find a bucket or something to put it in.
A noise got Jape's attention. The front door was opening and out bounded several people: he saw Sapphire and Torque charging from the house toward the right, so he doubled back and moved to the left. Then he saw Fetch come out right after. He held a knife. Jape took in a deep breath. He was standing in an open grassy area about fifty feet to Fetch's left. If only the career decided to go right would Jape escape without a chase.
But he didn't.
Fetch saw the scared district twelve tribute and took advantage of the opportunity. With his knife in hand he leapt off the front porch and into the flowerbed. He landed with a grunt and picked himself up immediately.
Jape shrieked and made for the garden on the left. Fetch was coming up fast, and Jape found himself struggling with the gate that was shut on the left side. The handle was so worn…This must be a trap! It's a trap from the game-makers! Jape gave one last pull on the gate and it flung open. Fetch was on him, and was running so fast he ran a few feet past the gate. He brought his hand down the moment Jape stepped inside the gate, narrowly missing.
"No!" Jape yelled out of terror. He whipped himself around and grabbed at the gate's handle to pull it shut. Fetch wedged his foot in front of the gate, though, and it remained immobile. Jape backed up against it with his back and gave it a push, which shoved Fetch's foot back outside the fence.
The male from district fourteen grew angry and merely barged on through. Jape, however, was ready, and slammed the gate the instant Fetch tried to run through it. It caught his hand between the black metal bars and caused Fetch to drop his knife. The tribute screamed a cry of terror and reeled back out the gate, grasping at his throbbing hand as Jape wasted no more time. He was gone and running through the garden.
As Jape looked back, he saw that the career had no intent to chase him. Jape was confident he would have been able to escape. The garden was a maze of hedges and grasses and would have made it very difficult to be on the offensive. For then, Jape was just happy to still be breathing…
Moon Vexus (District 1 Female)
"I don't want to look at it," Moon said. She and Atlas were in what they believed to be the kitchen of the mansion. Moon was trying the faucets and had no luck. She grumbled. "Someone so much worse than me should not have their blood on me." She looked at the blood of Katz.
Atlas shrugged. He couldn't find any towels, so he said, "I want to search for water, anyway. If we find a pond, you can wash it off." He nodded to her and led the way back out the kitchen. He held a bow and arrow at the ready and had Moon follow behind him with her club. Both had found a backpack, yet neither had water. Atlas's consisted of the bow and plenty of arrows. Moon's held the club and several pieces of jerky. It'd be enough to get them through the night.
When they were creeping through the dining hall, Atlas said to Moon, "You killed her good."
Moon laughed. "That girl thought she was strong. You should've seen the way she attacked me!" She gently touched the bump on her head, which was still throbbing from Kat'z assault. She was in quite a bit of pain, yet she didn't want to admit it to the male. "But I got her. I knew I would."
"One female down," Atlas said. "Twelve to go."
Moon laughed. "You know me too well."
As the two creeped through the foyer, Atlas noted that there was no activity going on upstairs. Surely all the backpacks would be gone, but the cornucopia was still unoccupied. What if…someone forgot to take a bag? Everyone was clearing out of that room so quickly it was likely that no one really stayed for an extended period of time. "Should we…?" He pointed upstairs.
"I doubt there's anything left," Moon said.
"But…" Then Atlas thought. Anyone could be up there. They could be hiding under the cornucopia or in the hall. "We can't risk it." He turned and showed Moon the door. "Let's go."
Atlas pushed open the door quickly and the door ran out. No one was there, so they felt slightly safer. Moon watched the right side while Atlas watched the left. There was no activity. Where was everybody? "Looks like we found a lake," Atlas said. He pointed with his bow to the lake. He never kept his eyes off the left side, though. "Let's run. To the other side of the lake. The side near the trees."
"Trees…" Moon said, looking up at the sun. "And this mansion. At least I won't be in the sun much."
"That's good."
Without further ado, the two made a dash to the lake, but ran alongside it to the other side. They checked the nearby area in the forest to make sure no one could creep up on them while they were drinking and washing their hands, and then made it back over to the water. Moon said, "Gotta get this blood off." She reached down into the water…
And pulled her hand back quickly, flinging droplets into the air. She stumbled backward and fell onto the ground. She screamed and mumbled things under her breath, holding her hand as though it had been bitten.
"What?!" Atlas cried. "What's the matter?"
Moon shrieked and cried out in pain. "Look!" She yelled, her hand shaking. "The water burned it. It…"
Atlas looked at her hand. Indeed, the tips of three of her fingers were severely burned. This was no water, Atlas realized. This was a highly concentrated pond of acid. The game-makers had surely thought this would trick a few people. And it did. "It's…acid."
"What?!" Moon yelled. Tears began welling in her eyes. She flailed around and writhed in pain. Atlas tried to console her. She seemed angrier and more heated as a result. "Take me to the forest!" she commanded. Atlas helped her up and let her cling to his shoulder. She struggled to move and let her injured hand hang limp at the side of she body. The two moved slowly to the forest to find a place for Moon to rest.
"That's…a pool of acid!" Atlas screamed, angry. "I thought it was water!"
"No kidding," Moon said, annoyed. Her hand felt as though it had just been held over a torch. A lot of the skin was burned away, and what skin remained had blackened and shrunk. "I need a bandage."
"We should find one. I'll make you one…" He looked around at the leaves. He thought maybe he could design some sort of bandage out of the leaves or grasses nearby. When Moon saw him doing this, she stopped him.
"Don't do that. You've seen the book of poisonous plants. If you put something like that on an open wound…" she said warningly. Indeed, the arena was likely littered with newly created plants and grasses that were potentially deadly.
Atlas shrugged. "Maybe. But…I'm sure one of these plants will work. They're not all poisonous."
Moon wouldn't backpedal. She said, "It's alright. Maybe someone'll sponsor me." She clutched her hand and then looked up at the sky for nothing in particular. Then, knowing there must've been cameras all around the area, she said, "Can't someone send down a bandage?! I already killed someone! Isn't that worth getting sponsored?!" She was losing it and Atlas knew it.
The career changed his mind. "I have a better idea: I'll go back to the cornucopia and look for any more backpacks."
"Too dangerous."
"That's what everyone thinks, so no one will actually go," Atlas reasoned. "It's abandoned."
"Well, I'll come with you, okay?"
"I think maybe you should stay here."
"No!"
"Well then…" Atlas sighed. He didn't want to drag his only alliance member and friend into danger, but he did admit that going back to the cornucopia would likely be dangerous. "You could watch my back. But let me do the fighting. Can you even do anything with that hand?"
"Not right now," she said. "The wound…it's very fresh. Maybe after a little while. The club's heavy. I can try to lift it with one hand, though." She sighed and looked at the ground. As of then, she was not having the greatest time of her life. "Now let's go."
Raz Golding (District 3 Male)
Luckily for Raz, he had been able to escape without any harm done. When he felt he was safe, he took it upon himself to explore the mansion. This way, he thought he might be able to find someplace to hide and set up camp. After that, he'd need to find water. And after that, he'd need to find food. First, though, he tried to think of a place most people wouldn't likely find him.
He was in the east wing of the gigantic mansion. To get there, he had passed numerous rooms, such as a study, a room full of trophies and grand objects, and several hallways and parlors. The house really was massive. He wondered if he had even explored a tiny fraction of the building's rooms.
Raz found himself in what looked like some sort of taxidermy room. This wasn't a good place to hide out in, but he decided to take a moment to explore. Taxidermy…taxidermy…I wonder if there are any weapons in here. Raz peered out through the door to make sure no one was coming, and when he saw that no one was, he got right into searching the room for some kind of weapon to defend himself.
There were empty drawers and other drawers filled with scattered papers. He wasn't interested in these, though. He was looking for a weapon; a spear would do, as would a knife. Anything he could find he'd gladly accept. The thought of Xion brutally massacring him sent shivers up and down his back. There was a closet, he saw. The door was locked, so he took an alternate approach; the door was also made of wood, so the marble lamp on the adjacent side table would make for a good door-breaking device.
He smashed in the wood (as softly as he could, of course) and opened the door from the other side. He pushed himself past pieces of wood as he looked through the dark closet. "What's this?" he whispered quietly. He had stepped on something, and when he did, it made a loud clack! sound.
He reached down into the dark depths of the closet and clasped something metal. Pulling his hands back up, he saw the thing he had picked up glimmer in the light of the taxidermy room next door. It was a bear trap, he saw. He wasn't sure how this would protect him, but it was a weapon nonetheless.
Raz moved out of the taxidermy room after that and into the next. He had to pass through several halls and eventually reached what appeared to be the library. This room was massive and had a staircase along the right wall that led to another floor of books and chairs and tables. This truly was a mansion, Raz realized.
He tip-toed quietly through the room, looking for another door. Perhaps there were more rooms past the library, yet he saw only one door in sight: the one he had entered through. But wait…wasn't it common to hide some sort of secret room accessible from the library? Yes, surely. It was common in books and movies, and there was nothing the Hunger Games liked more than to pull out secrets and hidden treasures. And if only Raz knew about this so-called "secret room", then no one could ever find him, and he'd be able to survive. The thought excited the man; for the first time in the entire game, he thought that maybe he'd be able to live and not suffer the horrible death he thought he was going to suffer.
He just needed to look. He tried pulling books from the shelves, switching candles from one place to another, and moving around various objects in the room. Nothing seemed to happen. But still, he believed very much that somewhere behind those books lay a hidden passage.
But where was it? He was exhausting himself just looking, and he thought for sure he heard a familiar voice somewhere near the door. He hid between several shelves and waited. The voices were gone, but Raz was afraid. He'd need to move. Perhaps there was a small room he could camp out in. He wasn't sure…
As Raz continued his search throughout the mansion his mind began to wander. He began to think of someplace else that was far, far away. He thought of home. And then he thought of his family. He tried to picture his wife's face, and his children's faces too. As he nervously walked up and down the halls, he felt his heart beating faster and faster. He couldn't think of their faces. He tried harder. Was someone coming? He turned around quickly. He thought he heard Lilac's voice, but maybe not. He tried to think of his wife but he could only think of Lilac. He started to pick up the pace. He tried a door. It was locked. He tried another. Was there a secret passage in the library? Perhaps he had missed it. But he couldn't go back. Lilac could be waiting for him, waiting to kill him. And his children…would they be able to live with themselves without a father? But what did they look like? He tried to remember…he tried and failed.
Sapphire Raven (District 10 Female)
Sapphire and Torque had locked themselves away in one of the many, many bedrooms on the mansion's fourth floor. They figured they had probably gotten away from the majority of the action given how far they had departed from the cornucopia. Here, they agreed to wait for awhile and discuss their plans.
"Look outside!" Sapphire said urgently. She was at the window and was looking at the part of the arena she could see. There was a garden beneath them, but nothing beyond. She failed to see much outside, so she shut the blinds angrily and turned to her partner.
Torque was busy fiddling with a spear he had picked up at the cornucopia. He had fought with Axem over the thing at the beginning, but had managed to pull the spear free. Sadly, though, it seemed the spear had snapped ever so slightly. The fault in the weapon was small, but Torque insisted it didn't feel right in his hands.
He looked over at Sapphire and said, "This thing is broken." She just rolled her eyes.
"It's not," she insisted. "Just don't play with it like that. It only has a small splinter, right?" She pointed at the wooden weapon and waked over to it. She played with it in her hands and said, "Yeah, this thing is still good. Just be careful." She returned the weapon.
The two waited in silence for a little while and let the sounds of nothingness overwhelm them. It was so odd. Twenty-six people were still alive and yet it felt as though they were the only two left breathing. Things were just so…mysterious. Sapphire's heart had been beating rapidly throughout the whole game and was only then beginning to slow down. "You shouldn't run to the cornucopia with me," Torque said.
Sapphire made a face. "I tried. But then Cilla came running at me with a pipe and I high-tailed it outta there." She put her hands down to her sides and sighed. She looked around the room and said. "This is a good room. I wonder…" She walked over to examine the door they had locked. She tried pulling on it hard. The door did not budge. "No one can get in here."
"You think it's safe to sleep here tonight?" Torque asked. Would the tributes really have the luxury of a bedroom? If this was true, then these Hunger Games would be a lot better than the ones Torque was picturing in his head. Sapphire seemed pleased.
"I could get used to this." She looked at Torque. "Keep your bag here," she said, pointing to the one Torque had managed to pick up at the cornucopia. "No one can get it, then…"
Torque agreed that would be wise. Then he said, "I wish we had some careers."
Sapphire shrugged. "We can win on our own." Then a thought struck her. "Actually, I think we ought to get looking for September. We were gonna ally."
Torque looked up at her, sweating. He seemed exhausted already and he had only engaged in a few meager fights. He watched her with both eyes and stared deep into her mind. "You're kidding, right? You can't be serious."
"Why not?" Sapphire wondered. "I told you she asked me to join an alliance."
"And I said not to," Torque said.
"But she's strong."
"She has a limp." He threw his arms into the air and stood up. He cracked open the window and looked outside to make sure his cracking the window wouldn't give someone the opportunity to break into their room.
"I don't care," Sapphire said, surprised. "She's a powerful ally."
"Sapphire, I don't like her, okay? She's not a career. She's not even that strong." He held his head in annoyance. "Leave her be. I don't want her on our team. Maybe we could try to convince—"
"No!" Sapphire yelled. She stood from the bed and moved to the door. "If you're not going to look for her, I'll do it myself."
"You will?" Torque asked. "Without me?"
"Yes."
"Good luck," he said, laughing all the while. Sapphire made a face at him as she opened the door. She wanted to slam it, but she didn't want to risk making any detectable noise. She closed the door gently and stepped into the hallway. It was scary out there. The halls were dark, and she had a sinking feeling that someone might just have been lurking around the corner…
Qax Qionis (District 6 Male)
He could see the golden shine of the giant cornucopia through the shutters on the wooden doors. He and Apple were on a stakeout, waiting for anyone to return to the golden colossus with the intention of stealing one of the remaining three bags. The two were waiting behind the closed doors of a small washroom adjacent to the foyer's balcony. The door had small shutters that made it convenient to peer out into the outside room to see whether or not someone was making a run on some of the final bags.
Qax stood ready with a large mallet. Apple was behind him; she wasn't armed with much, but the two had found a small switchblade in the pocket of Qax's backpack that they thought would suit her well. The three bags left under the overhang of the cornucopia had been emptied. Qax and Apple were splurging on water bottles and weapons and food and a first aid kit.
"We can stay here all day," Qax said. "Someone's gotta come by this place."
Apple was worried. She and Qax had planned to jump out from the washroom and catch an interloper off-guard, yet the thought scared her. Something could go wrong; perhaps Xion or Fetch or September would be on the other side waiting to rip them apart with their bare hands. But no…she had to trust Qax. He was there to protect her, so she stood by his side when he needed her.
"Did you hear that?" Qax asked. He waved his hand to alert Apple of the sound of an approaching someone. It sounded like someone was coming up the stairs. This would be his chance! The man waited patiently with Apple sweating behind him, nervous and flinching.
When the male could get a better look at who it was, he saw that it was Atlas. He was coming up the stairs quietly and making his way over to the cornucopia. Qax grabbed the door handle and pushed the door ever so slightly outward. Atlas didn't seem to notice, but instead quickly reached under the cornucopia and pulled out one of the bags.
At that moment, Qax and Apple burst from the door with their weapons in hand. Qax swung his mallet quickly and hit Atlas in the side of his chest. The career grunted and fell to the floor. He scrambled for his bow and arrow, but Qax denied this move by kicking the bow away from Atlas. Qax lifted the mallet (and Apple closed her eyes) to strike, but Atlas quickly stabbed Qax above the ankle with the tip of an arrow. The caught-off-guard man swung spontaneously and missed, hitting and denting the floor severely.
Before Qax and Apple knew it, Moon was flying up the stairs to aid her fallen career. She wielded a club (not very well, given the situation with her hand) and tried to fend off the looming Qax. Apple shrieked and tried her best to swipe at Moon, but she was too conservative and missed by several inches.
"Apple, run!" Qax yelled. The situation looked bad. He turned to his career as Moon's mallet struck his club. Atlas was just then regaining his balance and was trying to stab Qax again whenever he was safely out of range. Apple, with tears in her eyes, began to rush off toward the west wing. Moon saw this, though, and chose to not take any prisoners. Atlas would have yelled at her to aid him in the fight against Qax, but she was gone by the time Qax was coming upon him.
Atlas rushed to his bow, but Qax was just as quick. By the time the career had picked up the weapon, Qax had kicked it out of his hands and down into the foyer. Atlas, now kneeling, did the only thing he could think to do: he charged Qax's legs. The career heaved the district six tribute onto the ground. Qax grunted.
Atlas stood up quickly while Qax was down and rushed down the foyer stairs. He took a moment to search for his bow, yet it seemed swallowed by all of the plant-life in the planter. Not wanting to risk his life, Atlas ran from the foyer to the room on the left. Qax was barely coming down the stairs by the time Atlas had snuck out of the room.
That was crazy. Qax knew he had won that battle, and spent a moment looking for Atlas's bow. But before he could actually take a good look, he remembered that Apple desperately needed his help. He charged up the stairs and took the door on the left, screaming and calling Apple's name all the while.
The hallway he was in was dark and seemingly deserted. He creeped through the spooky hall and watched around every bend. He thought for sure Moon was somewhere lurking. He was just about to turn the bend when a hand grabbed him from behind. He lifted his mallet to swing, but only saw Apple there looking distraught and utterly scared. Qax was surprised. "What? Where…where did you come from?"
"I…I managed to hide," Apple said, out of breath. "But Moon…she's somewhere around we. We have to go, Qax. We have to go someplace else." He knew she was right. They needed to relocate as quickly as they possibly could. And as they did, Qax could only think the depressing thought that Apple had almost been killed by a career.
"Where…am I?"
"You are here. Right here."
"What do you mean? Where is the arena?"
"There is no more arena to worry about."
"But…why?"
"Do you still feel pain?"
"Pain?"
"Pain."
"Why…no, I don't!"
"And no blood?"
"Let me see. No! There is no blood! Am…I healed?"
"Do you remember the way you have been killed?"
"All too vividly."
"You died a noble death. A quick one, yes. But a noble one."
"Thank you, but…where am I?"
"You are here."
"I know that, but…"
"You are no longer alive. You are free from the Hunger Games. You are a winner."
"A winner? But…you can't win the Hunger Games."
"You can if you are freed from it. You served your purpose. You are a winner."
"But I don't want to be dead. I…I have a family. I had a life."
"You have a family that loves you very much, too. Your wife will no doubt remember your strength and character. She will tell your story for years to come and sing the song of your success. You did not die a loser. You were noble and strong. You were a winner. Do you believe me now?"
"I suppose. But, still…"
"And your sons. They will grow up to be like you. They will do the right thing and follow their hearts. Your death is not a burden. It will be an obstacle, of course, but it is not ruinous."
" 'Not ruinous…' Who are you, exactly?"
"Someone who cares for you very much. Someone who has come to you at your time of need to help you cope with your lost life. I am a friend."
"A…friend?"
"Indeed. I am here to tell you that everything will be alright. You must trust me."
"I do trust you."
"Thank you."
"You have told me great things about myself. I believe I understand, now, what a true winner is."
"You see? You truly are a winner."
"I am…"
"Are you ready to go?"
"Go? Go where?"
"Beyond?"
"Beyond…? I…I am ready. At least I think I am."
"Well then let us go. Cloud, you will always be remembered for your nobility and courage. You are a true inspiration to tributes this year and for the years to come. You are a winner…"
Xion Macabre (District 2 Male)
"Two are dead," Xion noted. "That's not a lot." He and Lilac were rummaging through the house looking for other tributes or secrets. They were in the northernmost wing of the house and were walking through an indoor courtyard. "Let's get outta here fast. Too many windows."
The two swept through the room and entered a small room with a staircase that led up. "No, it's not a lot at all," Lilac realized. Only two tributes had died thus far during the initial sequence of the game. It seemed that by then most of the tributes had successfully managed to find places to camp out or conceal themselves. She, however, just wanted blood. She looked at Xion's magnificent sword and then down at the sickle she had managed to snag from a cornucopian bag. "Let's get a few more out of the picture."
Xion and Lilac took the stairs up. The could have gotten off at the second floor but chose to continue upward. They continued until the reached the top floor: the fourth floor. The whole room was just one big vertical tunnel of staircases. They were wooden and creaky and seemed like they could have snapped just under the immense weight of Xion alone.
Xion went to the door that would lead them to the hall. Lilac called him, though. "Xion! What is this?" She pointed to something on the wall. It was a button.
"That's…interesting," he said. The button looked safe enough to press, yet it wouldn't have surprised him if it were some sort of trap. He approached the wall, aside of Lilac, and pressed his ear against the wood. He heard nothing. "This might be…a trap."
"I figured as much," Lilac said. "I'll press it."
"No!" Xion said, grasping her hand. "I'll do it. Stay clear of this wall."
"Xion," Lilac said, worried. "Let's just forget about this stupid button. Let's go. Oh, please…" He led her away from the wall and all the while she continued to beg him not to press the button. "Let's go kill someone."
"One minute," he said, examining the wall a little more closely. Something was definitely inside it. He could see a barely visible crease in the wood that seemed to hide something behind. He stood in front of the button.
"Xion, let's go!" Lilac yelled urgently. She looked pained. She wanted to go over to him but she went nervous. "Please…"
Xion shook his head. Lilac begged him one final time to forget about the button, but Xion ignored her. He pressed it and leapt out of the way. Slowly, the wooden walls began to part and reveal a large metal box. Xion just laughed. "It's an elevator."
Lilac looked at him with her face twisted. "I hate this game," she mumbled as she walked back over to the wall. "Should we get in?"
"Let's," he said. The two stepped in and waited for the walls to close. It seemed there was only one other stop this elevator made: "B". "What's 'B'?" Xion asked. Lilac shook her head in confusion and admitted that she had absolutely no clue. "Basement?"
"Yeah, maybe…" The two waited for the elevator to descend, and when it finally did, Xion and Lilac found themselves in a dark and dank room that smelled of mildew and dripped of water from the rusty pipes above. It looked like a cave of sorts, but there was such little light that it made it very difficult to see.
"What's that?" Xion wondered.
"What?"
"That." He pointed to something in front of them. Lilac squinted and could finally barely realize that there was a wall in front of them. There was an all-stone wall that stretched from one side of the cave to the other. It was blocking whatever was on the other side, which must have been pretty important if it needed to be protected by a wall. Xion just looked confused. "This is weird."
Lilac yelled," Look!" She was peering through a small hole in the wall that allowed for one to see through. On the other side…was water. She gasped. Indeed, there was a fresh spring of water on the other side that looked absolutely delectable. She said, "We have to get over there."
"We need water…"
Lilac put her finger through the hole. She wasn't sure if she could feel around for a hidden button or something, but nothing happened. She sighed. "There's gotta be a way to get over there…"
"Didn't your backpack have matches?" Xion asked. "We need to see."
"It might have," Lilac admitted. She began searching through her bag, but stopped unexpectedly. She looked up at Xion. "This…is kinda fun. It's like we're on a hunt for treasure, or something. Just you and I…" She resumed her search and finally pulled out what they were looking for. Xion struck a match on the wall and instantly the room became a tiny bit brighter. They held the match near the wall blocking their way to the water and began to look. Perhaps there was a button, or something.
"Look here," Xion said. He pointed to something on the wall. "There's something written here."
"Really?" Lilac moved next to him.
When there's nothing to drink,
Your heart should not sink.
For behind this wall lies the spring,
The spring of life and of the living.
Insert the gift into the box,
And watch as the wall unlocks.
The gift to access the spring of life,
Is a mere human sacrifice.
Beneath the poem lay a large hole big enough for a person to lie down in. Lilac and Xion both assumed this was where the "gift" should be placed, and shuttered. "I wonder…what's in there." Lilac peered into the depths of the black box and looked at Xion.
"Then it's settled," Xion said. "We must find someone. Come, Lilac. Let us get our sacrifice."
Stark Locar (District 4 Male)
"Well where did you see him last?" Angel prodded.
"I don't know. This is annoying," Stark complained. The two were having a difficult time finding either Fetch or Axem, both of whom were supposed to be allying with them. "Fetch took off immediately. Serves him right to be out there on his own. And Axem…I don't know where that guy went."
Angel and Stark were in the forest pondering the situation at hand. They had plopped themselves down near the base of a large tree and considered their situation. Stark grew frustrated with each passing minute that two of his alliance members were missing. Perhaps either of them was dead as well. Angel asked him, "What should we do?"
Stark seemed unsure. He watched as Angel straightened her gold hair and grew anxious. "We ought to find them. Then we can plan. You should figure out how to build a bomb, too. I mean, we don't have much time." Angel shrugged at him.
"It'd be nice if I had the materials to build a bomb…"
"Well," Stark began, "maybe there are some here in the forest. I mean…" He peered out through the trees. The forest seemed even smaller and less safe now that they were inside it. It was quite expansive behind them, yet it also grew thicker and more convoluted as well. They would save those areas for when they needed to hide. "I have an idea."
"What?"
"You can start work on your bombs while I look for Fetch and Axem. We should meet back here before the sun starts to go down. And…if that cannon goes off. Well, I'll be scared 'til the moment I get back here." He stood up and Angel did the same. She seemed only moderately excited about his plan. The thought of splitting up didn't bode well with her.
"You know," she said. "I don't know if I'll even be able to build a bomb. I'll need to find a lot of stuff."
"True," Stark admitted. He glanced around and continued to think.
Angel said, "So, what should I do?"
"Look around anyway," he said. "Think about it. If you can build a bomb, we can kill a lot of people that way. I mean, sure it will be difficult to build, but if you can build one…"
"We can blow it up in the house," Angel said. "Perhaps the whole thing'll come tumbling down and the people inside'll get killed." She liked the sound of that. "I still don't think I'll be able to build one…" But she stopped. To her amazement, a small little parachute flew down aside of her carrying a large golden shell. Inside the shell would be located the objects her sponsors chose to give her. She looked on in surprise.
"You might want to rethink that…" Stark said. "I think I know what's inside there." He started to walk away and leave Angel to her bomb-building supplies as he trudged through the green forest. He laughed to himself for a little while, but then got down to business. He'd have to be careful. Worse yet, the only weapon he managed to pick up was a meager set of shurikens. He had virtually no skills in the art of throwing, especially shurikens. He sighed as he looked down at the little weapons.
Stark didn't need to go far before he found himself aside of the large pond that spread across the right side of the arena. He had no thirst at that time and had no bottle or flask in which to put any water, so he continued on. At that moment, he heard his name being called. He turned to the source and saw Axem staggering up from behind the house.
Stark noticed the man's limp. He couldn't move very fast. But still, Stark had deep respect for Axem. He had certainly proven himself when he showed off his mastery with the bow and arrow.
"Look!" Axem said as he approached Stark. He held something in his hand that was utterly unmistakable. Stark's jaw dropped as he saw what Axem was wielding. "Can you believe how lucky I am?"
"Where'd you find that?" Stark wondered. In Axem's hands was a bow. Indeed, the district five tribute had managed to find the very weapon he was good at using.
Axem took Stark by the shoulder and led him into the woods where the two would be better concealed. "You see, I saw Atlas and Qax fighting. Atlas had a bow, but it got kicked over the balcony in the foyer, so I went up and got it later. I mean, how lucky can a guy be?" He flaunted his bow with excitement as Stark shared in this ecstasy.
"Good find," he admitted. Stark then said, "Come. We should go back to Angel now. We ought to find Fetch, too." Stark led the man to Angel and began to wonder just how well this alliance might turn out. It seemed like everything was going in their favor: Axem had found a bow and arrow, and better yet, Angel had been sponsored with a too-good-to-be-true gift. The games, Stark thought, were going well…
Terra Celeantra (District 8 Female)
There were tears. There were lots of tears. Terra sat crying in a washroom she had managed to come across during her exploring. She didn't even care about the games. She didn't care about fighting and she didn't care about protecting anyone. She only cared about Cloud. He was dead, and she had done nothing to save him.
Why?! She thought angrily. Why did you have to be so ambitious? Why did you have to pick a fight with a career right away? Why? You are so stupid. Cloud, why?! I…I hate you for that. You left me. You had to fight. You had to be strong! Why? Please, Cloud…come back. Cloud…She cried even louder now. Why would you fight? Why couldn't you just think first? She was sobbing. We could be strategizing right now. But now I'm gonna die…I'm gonna die because I'm sad. And I'm sad because of you! Cloud…
Terra let out another burst of tears and began to wonder if she'd ever be able to stop crying. She thought of Cloud and when she had first met him. She had loved his personality and loved his sense of strength and courage. He was a tad ambitious, yes, but she was always there to give him direction. She helped him think before acting.
Similarly, Cloud gave her the drive and will that she might have been lacking. He told her to be proud and valiant and taught her all of the things he was good at that she wasn't. They…they had been perfect for each other. They completed the missing pieces of each other and formed the perfect pair to tackle and beat the Hunger Games.
But now, Cloud was dead. He had died at the hand of the very man he was striving to beat. Terra felt awful. She had been busy looking for a bag that no one had taken when Cloud began his fight with Xion. Then, the career showed no mercy. He didn't even feel bad when he stuck that sword all the way through Cloud's back.
"Why?" she whispered. She wanted to smack herself right then for acting like this, but she just couldn't stop. She had always been so collected, but now she wanted nothing more than to wither and die.
But she had to protect people. She knew it was her duty. She couldn't let others die simply because she was too sad to do anything. If she couldn't resurrect Cloud, she'd need to resurrect his spirit. And his spirit was filled with chivalry and justice. She couldn't just wither. She'd need to weather the storm and fight.
Terra stood up. She was still crying and she'd still hate herself until the moment she died for not telling Cloud to be careful, but she forged on. With Cloud on her, mind, she moved from the washroom and picked her way carefully outside the door. She had no weapon. She had managed to claim no bag. But she had the will. She had the drive. She had Cloud's drive. She was ready.
"What is this place? How…how did I get here?"
"Do you not remember?"
"I remember…a fight. I remember a big headache, and then…"
"And then you came here?"
"I…I think so."
"You held her off well."
"What?"
"You held her off well. You put up a fight."
"I did, I guess…"
"She was afraid of you. You were strong. She knew it. You shocked everyone with your skills. You are not as you seem."
"I…I hated everyone. What do you mean I'm not like I seem?"
"You did not hate them all. You were strategizing and you were an underdog. You had the skills, and they almost paid off. You are not a failure, because you proved yourself today."
"But…I lost."
"That matters not an ounce. You lost to a professional. You fought strong and level-headed."
"Thank you…?"
"And you have made your parents proud."
"Did I?"
"You did."
"W-well…"
"Shhh. You do not have to speak. You must listen. You have made your parents proud and you have proven you have the skills to fight in the Hunger Games. You hated no one. You just didn't want to die."
"I didn't. I was scared."
"And no one can blame you for that. You are not a bad person. People looked up to you; they thought you could have won the whole game. You were a champion, in their eyes, and you never let your facade down."
"Well…I couldn't trust any of them. They…are killers. You know that."
"And so you did well. Had you not lost your life, your independence would have carried you far."
"Thank you for your words, but…who are you?"
"I am a shadow. I am like you. But shadows can be good. They know when not to trust a person. You are a shadow, too."
"You may be right. Any…"
"Yes?"
"You are trustworthy. I can feel it."
"Indeed, I am. You are smart. I am no enemy. I will take you now, if you wish."
"Take me?"
"To a place where you need not worry. To a place where you can live a life of freedom. Will you come?"
"Yes…I will come."
"Thank you, Katz. You will always be remembered for your unexpected fighting skills. And your antisocial, but not hateful, attitude. You will be remembered for the good shadow that you are."
Cilla Omala (District 11 Female)
"This is more my kind of weapon." Cilla played with a steel knife in her hand as she tested its balance. In her other hand she held a pipe, which she would have discarded had she not had a convenient bag in which to carry it. So, she kept both weapons and began to leave the dining hall. Conveniently there lie a knife underneath one of the napkins on the table, so Cilla was happy to see she was able to a weapon. And this weapon, unlike the blunt pipe, was much more suited to her fighting.
She stalked from one of the room to the other and exited the door. She found herself in a hallway on the east side of the house. She began taking its passage and leading herself to the nearest room. Perhaps she'd be able to find some sort of weapon or survival item in this room, too.
As she rested her hand on the door she began to think about her situation. She was a mother, but admittedly not a very good one. And now she was in these Hunger Games and was forced to fight for her life. She could feel her mind begin to wander from the normal, everyday things that typically past through it; as of late, thoughts of death and murder began to surface.
I'm changing…
She had a desire to kill. These games had prepped her for what was to come, and now she wanted to use these skills. She felt herself slowly losing the few normalities she usually had, and she began to transform into a psychopath. She would have normally thought herself insane and awful, but now…it felt normal. She didn't care about someone's life as she would have weeks ago.
Killing is just nature. Animals do it all the time. If so, what would be so bad about killing a person? She wanted everyone to realize that. It wasn't so bad to kill a person if your government was making you do it. It got her angry to think of how ignorant people like Fox and Hope were to this fact; they didn't need to be cowards. They should be instinctive and not concerned about their morals, she thought.
As her mind lingered and as she stood in the middle of the hallway, she jumped as she heard something coming down the hall. She quickly entered the room she was in front of and peered out into the dimly lit passage. She saw Raz pass at the intersection of the T-shaped hallways and continue perpendicular to the hall she was in. He seemed defenseless.
Cilla tip-toed out into the hall with her pipe at the ready. She peered down the hallway he walked down and barely saw him enter a room somewhere on the left side. She approached, walking down the hall. Then, without thinking, she kicked the door open. Raz, on the inside, screamed. He saw he standing there in the middle of the doorway with a pipe in her hand. He was carrying a water bottle that he had managed to find and was just about to open it when Cilla came storming into the room.
"Woah…" Cilla said, catching herself from falling. She had almost walked right into the bear trap Raz had set up right past the door. She laughed at his attempt to stop an intruder and said, "Is that your only weapon?"
"Yes…" His voice was shaking and nervous. Cilla just laughed again. She leapt over the bear trap and looked him in the eyes.
"Don't you want to get a weapon?"
Raz looked down at the ground. He didn't want to fight, so he new exactly what his answer to her question was. "No."
The girl looked at him as though he had gone mad. There were chairs in the little living room they were in, so she bade him sit down. Raz followed her instructions to the tee. "I see you got a water bottle there…"
"You…you can have it," Raz offered. He was anxious. Cilla just laughed again.
"I don't want you to hand it to me," she said. "Why won't you fight?"
"Because I don't want to."
"You're scared."
"Yes, but also because I don't want to."
"Why?"
"Because," Raz began.
Cilla just waited for him to finish.
"It's not the right thing to do."
Cilla chuckled as she took a seat across from him. She balanced the pipe she had in her right hand and said. "Oh, that's what everyone's saying these days. But guess what: this is a game, and it's a game about survival. The government wants you to kill someone, so why won't you just do it?"
"I don't care what the Capitol says…" Raz said.
"So you will not fight just because you don't think it's right? Well, everyone is doing it, so you might as well, too. Otherwise, you'll just die. And it's not like your death will save other people." She looked down at the pipe in her hand. Then she looked at her backpack.
"Don't…please…"
Cilla picked up the pipe and put it in one hand and then picked up the knife and put it in the other. Then she looked at him. "Here's what we'll do. We're gonna play a little game. It's a fun game that will be much more fun than the Hunger Games, I'm sure."
Raz looked on, confused.
"I have a pipe in this hand and a knife in this hand," Cilla began. "Tell me why it is so wrong to kill, and if you convince me, I just might spare you. If you can't, I'll choose whichever weapon I want and kill you with it. If you can convince me even just a little bit, I'll let you pick the weapon I'll kill you with."
Raz didn't move a muscle. He swallowed loudly and continued to stare at Cilla. He was shaking badly now, and the girl seemed to enjoy that. He looked at her in the eyes and tried to tell if she was bluffing. Surely no one could be this cruel. How could someone be this blind to the value of life? He couldn't speak. His mind was a whirlwind. Would this be how he died? He hoped that somehow, some way he could get sponsored. Perhaps a parachute could materialize out of thin air and give him the thing he needed to get out of Cilla's grasp. He didn't want a weapon, but he needed…something. But that could never happen. How could you get sponsored indoors?
Raz's daydream was shattered as Cilla spoke. "Or, if you don't speak at all, I'll alternate killing you with each weapon. One jab here. Cut a little here…" He waved her arms around and pointed at Raz. "So you won't speak?" She stood up with both weapons in hand. She moved over to his seat and took a swing with her knife at his arm. She sliced it open and he screamed in pain. "Want to speak now?"
Raz choked a little bit. He coughed and sighed and winced and fell to the floor. He held his arm and said, "I won't speak." He wimpered out a few words and screamed in pain. Cilla laughed for what felt like the hundredth time and raised her right hand.
"Then it's time for the pipe…" She swung down, but before the pipe could hit Raz, the man sprung from his seat, tackling Cilla to the floor at the same time. She was startled as she felt herself hit the floor. But now she was angry. She kicked him off of her and held him by the arm she had cut. "You fool!" She threw the pipe to the side and picked up the knife high into the air. Raz wriggled around as he tried to make his escape, but it was too late. Cilla was slicing and cutting and jabbing for several seconds before she finally gave it up.
The girl looked down at the blood that had stained her hands and the carpet. She was breathing heavily and she didn't know what to do. She just stayed there, looking down at Raz's dead body as she recreated her murder in her mind. That man was no fighter, she told herself. It was better she die at the hands of her than of someone merciless. She stood up and wiped some blood from her hands. "You just needed to talk to me."
Boom!
September Realer (District 14 Female)
Thhhump.
Thhhump.
Thhhump. September moved slowly but steadily through a third floor hallway. She had a ball-and-chain dangling from her left hand while the right half of her body supported her stilted walking with the help of the wall. She made quite a ruckus trying to move around, but it didn't faze her. If someone came upon her, she could fight them to death.
Thhhump. Someone must've been nearby. She had yet to kill a single tribute, and this only made her angry. Her mind was devoid of activity as she meandered down the hall. With her weapon in hand, she didn't care about anything else. The only thing she'd need then was a fresh place to get water. However, she had not been outside, so she had not yet known of the lake.
Thhhump.
Thhhump.
There was a voice. "September!" it called. The district fourteen female turned to the voice. She knew whom it belonged to. The limping girl waited in the hall as the voice got closer and closer. "I've been looking for you forever."
"I've been doing the same," September said matter-of-factly. She turned back down the hall and started to walk. "Where have you been?"
"With Torque, but…" Sapphire paused. She thought hard about something. "He doesn't want to join our alliance."
"No? But and thought you two were friends."
"We are, but he…doesn't trust you."
September glared at the darkness in front of her. How dare a person say such a thing without ever really know the person? This got the girl riled up and more ready to kill than ever. September sped up her pace down the hall and said, "Let us find people."
"To…kill them?"
September nodded. Sapphire walked behind and watched how slowly September moved. In a way, she had to admit that Torque was right: she really wasn't all that fast and would slow them down.
That was her only fault, though. When Sapphire saw that September had a ball-and-chain in her hands, her heart flitted with joy. Already September had managed to pick up her best weapon? This was good. This was very good. "September…" Sapphire began, "how exactly did you get that ball-and-chain?"
September looked over her shoulder at her. "Sponsorship."
"Oh…"
The girl from district fourteen slowed down the pace a little bit. Her leg was hurting. She grasped at the wall even harder now to help steady herself. She made a few winces, but never stopped moving. Sapphire just watched from behind. "Maybe," Sapphire said, "we can go look for Torque? I'm sure he'd like to join us if he saw your weapon."
September just glared back at her. "Oh, would he? He would trust me then?"
Sapphire looked confused. "Why, yes." She swallowed hard and walked on slowly.
"How nice," September mused, picking up her speed again. She held the ball-and-chain a little tighter as they continued through the third floor hallway. With Sapphire by her side, September was ready to kill. She was ready to use her ball-and-chain skills and split someone open. She smiled a faint smiled as they walked.
Thhhump.
Rave Klipper (District 9 Male)
Both Rave and Watch were completely defenseless as they creeped their way along the garden on the side of the house. They were looking for anything that could have possibly be of use. Specifically, they were looking for a can or bucket to collect water. They'd need that later…
"Hurry," Watch said urgently. Rave was trying to keep up with his jogging partner but was having a difficult time. Maneuvering around the garden's hedges was difficult work, and no doubt Rave Klipper was having a particularly difficult time given his poor breathing patterns. He had to stop again and again. Watch grew nervous.
"Stop…" Rave said quickly. He hid behind a hedge and took in another deep breath. "Start looking," he said. The two moved around that general area and began exploring for any kind of bucket. They searched the obvious places, like the shed, but the search bore no fruit.
"Over here…" Watch said. "They had to have hidden something in a hedge." He pointed at the dozens of hedges and grass sculptures built in the garden. Watch put his hands into the hedges and moved them around a little bit. He tried to feel for any kind of object but was having a particularly difficult time.
"Look!" Rave called. Watch turned to him and saw that he had indeed found something inside one of the hedges: it was a bow, and along with it came a quiver with more than thirty arrows. "You think this thing'll work as a flask?"
"Brilliant!" Watch said happily. "That's a great idea. Come, let us fetch water." Along the way back to the front of the house the two listened to the sound of any approaching tributes. When it seemed like the coast was clear, the two snuck along the front of the house and to the other side. They thought they saw movement in the forest, but neither was sure. They stayed on the side of the pond opposite the woods, and Rave knelt down to fill up the quiver with water.
"Woah!" The man yelled. The quiver began to burn away as the water touched it. Watch jumped in surprise and looked at the quiver curiously. "What is this?"
"Don't touch it," Watch said. "It's…that's not water."
"No…it's like…"
"Acid." Watch looked down at the half-burnt quiver and pondered what they were going to do. "Well that's a surprise." He wondered how many people were going to burn something in that lake before the day was done.
"How are we gonna get water?"
This was an important question. Watch didn't really know. The arena was a clever one. It left a large lake that look awfully tempting. But still, there had to have been water. Perhaps, he thought, there was a secret spring somewhere in the forest. There had to be one somewhere. "I don't know…"
"Well, we'll need water…"
"And we won't get sponsored…" Watch figured. "Only the careers'll get sponsored."
"You might," Rave said. "You put up an impressive score." That was true. Watch had actually received one of the highest training scores, so perhaps the sponsors would have respected this and paid them in water. "But still, we ought to check."
"We better move out, then."
The two headed back to the house, and along the way they discussed where they might find more water. "And we need weapons," Watch warned. Indeed, they were walking around the arena with no weapons at all. The thought made Rave more and more nervous as they entered the house. "And we need 'em now." The two walked into the foyer and looked around. There was no one.
"Maybe there's something in here," Watch offered. He began looking around the foyer, checking the pots and plants, to see if there was anything worth taking. "What's this?" the man asked, looking at the vase in the middle of the table centered in the room. He picked up the vase and put his hand inside, pulling out a piece of paper after. "A…note?"
Rave tried to get a look at the paper Watch had just revealed. Indeed, it appeared to be some sort of message, perhaps one written by the game-makers themselves. Rave read aloud as Watch read silently. "There are many secrets in this house. Papers with the Capitol's seal are important clues." He looked at the paper nervously.
"So it seems our game-makers have included some hints for us tributes…"
"Yes," Rave said absent-mindedly. "But…where could they be? In a book? I wouldn't even know where to begin looking."
"Neither do I," Watch admitted. "I suggest we don't spend too much time going on this wild goose chase, however. We need to find some more important things first. So, let's go."
"Where to?" Rave asked.
"I have no idea," Watch said. "But somewhere…"
And as the two disappeared from the room, they kept their eyes peeled for any kind of weapon, sign of water, or a slip of paper with the Capitol's seal on it that just might have given them the answers they desperately wanted…
"It's so…pretty."
"You're out of the arena."
"It's beautiful here."
"I'm glad you like it."
"Am I…dead?"
"Do you think you are?"
"Well, I remember getting stabbed, and then…wow! My wounds are all gone…"
"In a place where there is no murder, you don't have to worry about wounds."
"That's a relief. It really is."
"I hope you know, there is no shame in hiding."
"Even from death?"
"Especially from death."
"You mean…"
"I mean you fought bravely, even if you didn't fight at all. You may not have fought physically, but you did mentally. You chose your morals over your survival."
"That was not easy."
"I know."
"I just…I can't kill."
"And that is perfectly okay. You have won other battles. You have battled your mind and you won. You battled your sanity, too."
"And did I win?"
"You did."
"That is great…"
"There is something you must do for me."
"What is that?"
"Imagine your wife. Imagine your children. Can you do it?"
"Let's see…wow! I can! I…I can think of them."
"And you see their faces?"
"I do! Yes, I finally do! I haven't been able to see their faces for days. I…I don't know what was wrong with me. But…yes, they are vivid. I can imagine them at home now…"
"And are they happy?"
"Yes, they're very happy."
"Then they are happy for you. Your death is not good, of course. But they will live their lives not with a mindset of death and unhappiness, but with one of courage and strength. You have proven yourself a true man."
"Thank you…thank you so much."
"Think of your family often. You will be able to now."
"Thank you…I will. I promise I will. Thank you."
"I believe it is time to go."
"I shall. And I shall go with my head held high. I am ready."
"Then let us go."
"Wait! I have one question…who exactly are you?"
"Call me your bravery; I am what you love and trust. You are a strong man. You have proven this today. You have an unusual sense of heroism, but yet you are a hero, no doubt."
"Thank you so much…"
"Thank you, too. Raz, you will always be remembered for your unconventional sense of courage. You will be remembered for the strong man you are. You are a hero."