Still the first day, and it's going to a long day for both the tributes and the Careers.

Chapter 25: Clover
The Beginning of the Hunger Games

The bloodbath was bloody. However, it wasn't as bloody as I thought it would be. Only a few minutes ago, I saw the Careers climb the plateau, all except the girl from 1 and the girl from 2. One of them must have died. I guess I won't know until later.

After I had retrieved my supplies, I ran and hid behind a tall un-climbable hill. There are three of these in the entire arena as it's extremely small and visible this year.

My supplies include a dagger, a sowing kit with a needle, and as much food that I could fit into a bag.

My plan is to find Baxter. I don't care if he doesn't want to form an alliance but I just want to make sure he's safe. I watch as the Careers and the two from District 3 return to the cornucopia. As they pass by, I check to see if they're looking in my direction. When I see that they aren't I sprint across a hilly valley and behind the plateau that they just came from.

I see that a walk away from me is what seems to be a small, but more of a blob or forest. I make my way there and cover myself. I find a good tree and take my first try at climbing. I make it up only a few feet when I fall. It will take some time to learn.

In fear that someone may have heard me from my fall, I hide in the bushes. When I think the cost is clear, I try climbing again. This time, I actually get pretty high, but that's when I realize that I chose the wrong tree to climb as it doesn't provide much coverage.

I slowly make my way down and of course, the second I touch the ground is when I am found.

I turn to see that Jacob, Moray, and Bala have found me and I sprint. Once I reach the end of the small forest, I turn and run along the side of it. Once I see them reach the edge behind me, I return to the coverage of the forest, and they follow me, hot on my trail. I quickly run into the plateau and start climbing and I admit that this climbing is much easier than tree climbing is.

Once I reach the top, I dive through the bushes and nearly fall into the hidden lake in front of me. I get up onto my hands and knees and I hear Jacob calling after me as they climb as though it's a joke. I crawl into a near by bush just as they reach the top. When they see the small bit of greenery between the lake and the bushes and trees is empty of any living being, they fall silent. As they search, they walk right past me. I hold my breath as not to make a sound.

"Do you think she went back down on a different side?" asks Bala.

"Where else could she have gone?" says Jacob and the two make their way to the edge of the rocky plateau and start to climb down.

The cost is clear and my throat is parched from all the running. I slowly make my way out of the bush and head towards the empty lake. Just as I am about to dunk my head into the water to drink, I am suddenly tackled from the side.

"Shh!" my assailant whispers and I look to see that it's Moray, I had completely forgotten that she as with them. From now on I'll have to be much more careful.

"What are you doing," I hiss in a whisper.

"Saving your life," she whispers back, "That water's poisoned."

"It is?" I ask in shock and put my hand on my forehead. I was about to die.

"Thank you," I say and she just nods.

"Do you want to make an alliance," she asks immediately and I admit that I am shocked.

"No," I say, "Maybe later, but not now, not right at the beginning. Not while you're still with the Careers. I need to find Baxter."

"But…" Moray says, "In the training arena, you said…"

"I know what I said," I tell her, "And I will, after you've left the Careers."

"I can leave right now," She tells me.

"It's too soon," I say, "You need to get to know they're strategies if you want to survive without them."

She shrugs.

"Well, if you were about to drink the water I guess you're thirsty, the other plateau has good water…" she says, "Here, I'll give you some of my water."

She reaches for her bag but it's gone. We turn to see Oralae Cledgrep running to the other side of the lake holding Moray's bag. Moray takes out her weapon, a bludgeon, but does nothing. I grab it from her hands and chase Oralae down. I'm going to win these games, and I don't care how it happens. Oralae gives out a little shriek as she mustn't have thought we had noticed her. I whip the bludgeon at her and she falls to the ground, dropping her things and her sword. I kick her sword away from her, as I saw how handy she was with it. Moray runs over and grabs the things that Oralae dropped.

"Alright, just let her go," says Moray.

But I can't. This thirteen year old girl will die soon anyway. Thirteen year olds never win or even make it to the final eight. I take the bludgeon and whack her on the head. Then she moans in pain and I continue to beat her.

"Stop!" Moray yells, obviously not caring about the careers finding us. It'll be a matter of minutes before they reach us.

But I don't stop. I take out a dagger that I took from the cornucopia and slit the young girl's throat, tears begging for mercy stream down her now lifeless face. The cannon fires and I hand the bludgeon back to a horrified Moray and go to disappear into the bushes.

I watch as the Careers arrive and Moray is now balling over the girl's body. Why is she doing this? I ask myself. Is it part of her strategy for sponsors? But her tears for this young girl she never met seem genuine. Bala holds her shoulder in support. They think that she killed Oralae.

I don't even feel a twinge of guilt which is weird since I thought that I would. But all I care about now is getting back home to Leather.

"It's alright," Bala says to Moray, "We heard you shouting. Moray, it was self defense."

They think that Oralae must have attacked her. I start to feel that I should feel guilty for killing this girl, but I feel nothing.

"She's so young," Moray cries, "She didn't deserve to die."

That's when the hovercraft comes. Bala holds Moray back from shielding the poor girl's body while Jacob goes through her things and grabs whatever could be useful.

The hovercraft picks her up and it's as though she never existed.

"Get a hold of yourself," Jacob snaps at Moray and she shuts up and looks in my direction. I wonder if she'll still consider an alliance with me.

I know that she will when she tells them to just get back to the base and they all walk away and head back to the cornucopia.

The count has become eight deaths, with seven Careers alive, and nine tributes alive.

I have to admit that I'm upset about Oralae's death cause I really liked her. Meanwhile, Clover has become a simple peice of the Games, and doesnt seem to have any intention of showing up the Capitol. So much has happened and the first day's not even over! So here's the death list in order of when they died:

Rose Redbird-18-District 12-Choked to death by Willow.

Thalia Skyware-17-District 11- Knife lodged in throat by Crescent

Bull Shooter- 12-District 10- Killed by Jacob's sword

Willow Spring-17-District 7- Decapitated by Jacob with his sword

Graphite Ramirez-14 -District 12- Killed by Glamour with her mace

Aadrash Mohina- 14- District 9- Killed by Arma with his flail/flanged mace

Glamour Devine-18-District 1- Drank from the poisoned lake

Oralae Cledgrep-13-District 10- Beat to death bclover with Moray's bludgeon

Here are those who are still alive and who they've allianed themselves with just because the story is limited to naration:

The Careers: Jacob Diamond-17-District 1/ Arma Treno-16-District 2/Crescent Lyagh-18-District 2/Techno Electrique-13-District 3/ Aura Woodlock-16-District 3/ Bala Shark-18-District 4/Moray Eel-15-District 4

Other Alliances: (Everlee Madett-16-District 6/ Reinzac Chako-17-District 6)

Loners: Surge Cooper-17-District 5*
- - - - - -Edeline Crow- 14-District 5*
- - - - - -Alder Black- 17-District 7
- - - - - -Baxter Orkendale-13-District 8
- - - - - -Clover Wool- 15-District 8
- - - - - -Kraken Lazarus-16-District 9
- - - - - -Woldfbane Stride-15-District 11

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