A/N: Thanks to richards25, Violagirl23 and coaster317 for reviewing the last chapter!
As promised, here's today's Games; The First Quarter Quell.
I hope you enjoy the chapter :)
"Warning came, no-one cared
Earth was shaking, we stood and stared
When it came, no-one was spared."
- David Coverdale, 1974.
The 25th Annual Hunger Games (The First Quarter Quell)
Arturo Foster (18), District 2 Male
Deep Purple - Burn (1974)
I always expected I would enter the arena.
Well, ever since those words came out of President Shawcross' mouth at the Quell announcement in April.
"This year, as a reminder to the rebels that their children are dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district will hold an election and vote on the tributes who will represent it."
The elections took place on the second Saturday of July; the day before the reaping. The following day, there was only one name in each of the reaping balls across Panem.
And one of those names was mine.
It wasn't my fault, not really.
It wasn't my fault that I was born short-tempered.
It wasn't my fault that Rubeus was asking for it.
Far worse atrocities have been committed by children far younger than me in the Training Centre, but in the eyes of District 2, I'm a murderer.
And that was all that mattered on the day of the election.
I burst out into the bright light of the arena from the dark tubes and I'm immediately stunned by the arena.
The twenty-four pedestals are situated on a circular ridge; a vertical cliff-face in front, a steep scree slope behind. In front of the cliff, there is only a thirty-foot drop into a lava lake. Behind me, the scree slope extends downwards for fifty yards or so, until a cloud layer blocks my view. It takes me a few moments, but I realise what the arena is.
The arena is a volcano.
The cornucopia is situated in the centre of the large crater at the centre of the volcano, towering above the lava on a pillar of basalt. There is a rickety rope bridge, with wooden planks placed at irregular intervals as footholds, leading from each pedestal to the cornucopia.
I must be cautious when approaching the cornucopia, as there are no alliances this year. District 4 voted for two hopeless cases (neither of them are older than fifteen), and my district partner is fourteen. Only the citizens thought to vote for the winners of their reaping trials, and so District 1 brought two stereotypical Careers to the Games. Along with the tributes District 1, I am the highest scorer in the arena; all three of us scored tens. I must watch out for them at the bloodbath.
Then the gong sounds, and the First Quarter Quell begins.
I take my time crossing the rope bridge, which sways unevenly, and at least six tributes reach the cornucopia before I do. When I finally arrive, I quickly throw a punch at the thirteen-year-old boy from District 4, and I catch him squarely in the face. He staggers backwards before toppling off of the edge of the pillar. I don't stay to watch the boy become engulfed in the lava.
I turn to see a younger girl wielding a longsword which is clearly too big for her. I wrestle the sword from her and take a swing at her neck, cleanly decapitating the girl. As her body collapses to the floor, I become aware of two heavily-armed tributes behind her. It's the brother and sister duo named Glitz and Glamour; the tributes of District 1. Turning to run, I run my sword through another boy who stands in my way before finding the nearest rope bridge.
I nearly lose my footing twice on the bridge before sprinting again once I reach the far side.
I had forgotten about the scree slope.
Over and over I tumble for what feels like eternity amidst a torrent of loose rocks and gravel. Battered and bruised, I lose my sword quickly, which tumbles down the slope beside me.
When I finally come to a standstill at the bottom of the volcano, it takes me a couple of minutes to take in my surroundings. Looking away from the volcano, I can only see a sea of sand. Suddenly it dawns on me that I am alone in the desert, without supplies and without weapons.
Now the Games must begin for real.
After wandering aimlessly around the base of the volcano that afternoon, Arturo found his sword which had fallen down the scree slope along with him, and survived a day in the desert before ambushing the District 1 tributes (who had all the cornucopia supplies), killing Glitz and taking supplies for himself.
After spending the next fortnight slowly whittling down the number of tributes, snake mutts from the desert forced the final two, Arturo and Glamour, back up the slopes to the cornucopia atop the volcano, where a swordfight ensued, with Arturo being the eventual winner and the victor of the First Quarter Quell.
A/N: We're a third of the way through the story! Only fifty more to go...
If you've enjoyed this chapter, please review! As ever, constructive criticism is welcomed :)