Jeanna's parka and boots didn't protect her from the icy bite that started pricking at her as soon as she emerged from the ground. District 8 could get fairly cold in the winter, but oftentimes, the warm air was trapped between all the buildings. It wasn't exactly clean, true, but at least it wasn't freezing like this was. Sun was glinting off of snow everywhere, blinding Jeanna, and she could tell that this would be hell if she managed to survive the Bloodbath. She stared forward, her vision adjusting to the bright light and gleaming snow everywhere. The tip of the Cornucopia was pointing directly towards her. She had to flee this way. But the black bags scattered in the area around the Cornucopia could have been filled with anything, and making the run would be dangerous and difficult. Jeanna's heart began racing as bile rose in her throat.
55...54…
Talon was used to freezing weather due to his life on the plains of District 10, but his nose was starting to run. He hated the feeling of it, and knew that his face must be turning red. He snarled in anger as he saw that he was near the back of the Cornucopia, but looking to either side, he saw Jeanna and Zara. Easy pickings. He could easily kill one of them and escape. They were both shaking. Pathetic.
51...50…
Zara knew that she needed to put her token in the pocket of her parka, but she couldn't bring herself to. Even though the gods of her family had gotten her into this mess, she sent prayers out to them. She just hoped that they could hear her over the whirring machinery and false godhood of the Gamemakers and over the wishes and prayers of every other Tribute here. She looked at Khol, wondering if he would remember their deal, and hoping that he would.
47...46…
Luke's plate was surrounded by white stuff. Snow. Snow! He had never seen snow before, and he was almost tempted to act like a child and lean down to touch it. But it was loaded with mines. And how would he survive? He would be cast out into the winter, with no way to survive—but no. He was a Career. But his ticket to survival would be to become a murderer. Luke imagined Jedd, watching at his apartment. I love you. Don't leave me.
43...42…
Ash hoped that the cold would sharpen his senses and that the snow wouldn't inhibit his escape. At least it was a clear day. No flurries of snow would cut off his vision or movement. And his outfit, skintight leggings with boots over them and at least three layers on top, would keep him warm. He looked around himself. Forest surrounded them, with some plains to the north, and a frozen river in the distance. He needed water. But was it worth it not to have the cover of trees?
40...39...
Landon was shivering violently, the air biting at his exposed face. To his right was Ash, a threat, and to his left was Percival, who was obviously unhinged. Landon looked for his allies. Luke was two down, Kaede was hovering at the edge of his field of vision, and Faustia and Paris were hidden by the Cornucopia. Landon knew that he would have to flounder through snow to make it to weapons. Could he make it without getting killed by someone else? Landon found himself looking for Robin and stopped himself. He allowed himself a last thought of Kira before steeling himself for what was to come.
36...35...
Percival didn't know whether his violent shivers came from the steely cold or the knowledge that despite his innocence, he was in the Games. Red blood would soon coat the wintry paradise before him. Percival spat at the ground, making a small divot in the snow, and pulled his gloves higher. He needed to escape. But he also needed supplies. But with Landon on one side and Kronos on the other, how could he get them?
33...32…
Kronos knew that the weather would give him a leg up. He just wished that he could start moving, to get his blood flowing. He worried that his face would freeze off in these first few minutes. He assessed his surroundings. To his left was a plain, familiar and dangerous. To his back and right were woods, dark and inviting and probably just as bad a choice as the plains. Which way to go? Kronos didn't know what to do.
30...29…
Adalicia had to keep herself from throwing up. The winter wonderland before her would no doubt be nightmarish within an hour, and it reminded her of the day that her life had shattered completely, the day that her mother had led those children out onto the ice. She forced herself to focus on the frosted Cornucopia. Jeanna was at the back of it. They would flee in that direction. Robin was on her other side, shivering violently, and Cabe was within sight. They would make it through this. They had to.
28...27…
Robin retched, wondering if her vomit would freeze before it hit the ground. Luckily, nothing came up, and she didn't explode with the mines at her feet. The air was completely still, and Robin irrationally wished for a wind. It was too quiet, too stagnant, too placid. It unnerved her. She wished that someone would move, someone would scream, just that someone would do something!
25...24…
"Rabbits run through the violent winter, knifes make the wood of the door splinter, rocks on the surface of the water skitter, rabbits run through the crying winter…"
Someone was singing. Their voice was high, comforting, terrifying. Fiori gazed wildly around, completely unnerved, wondering if this was a trick. The voice was amplified once, twice, three times, until it went silent again. Fiori tried to push it out of her mind, finally finding Zoe just out of sight. Zoe made eye contact with her, and they both nodded. Fiori checked her boots again, making sure that they were laced correctly, and got ready to run.
22...21…
Meri was maybe six down from him. Hector gave her a smile that was probably more of a grimace. His face felt numb already, and the thin leggings didn't give him enough cover. They'd all freeze to death at this rate! The music was nightmarish, and Hector desperately hoped that he was still asleep. He cast another glance at the inside of the Cornucopia. There was a double-edged spear, just waiting. But could he get to it?
19...18…
Cabe had more distance to run than his allies, but he was still fairly confident that he could be ignored. He wondered if he could tunnel through the snow. How deep was it? Then he stopped himself. He was being like Father said he was, acting like a child and letting stupid ideas get the best of him. Cabe had to be smart. He had to run for all that he was worth and hope that no one would kill him.
17...16…
Kaede could spot an axe and a sword well within his field of running. And he was fairly well-versed at running through snow due to his work in 7 in the lumberfields. Kaede Mitchell, reporting for duty, he thought to himself. He gave a nod to Faustia and to Landon. He located Mist. He was ready to go. He was ready to be back in control of his own life.
15...14…
Khol located Zara. He didn't think that she would be a very valuable ally, but the knowledge that there was someone watching his back, someone who cared whether he made it out of the Bloodbath, was incredibly comforting. The creepy song finally faded away, and he wondered what the purpose of it had been. He shook off of all of his doubts. He had a plan. He had an ally. Yes, he might die, but he would die with purpose, trying to get to someone else, with the knowledge of who he was. And really, wasn't that all that anyone could ask for?
13...12...
Mist was located in a great position to get into the Cornucopia, grab a mace, and get back out. But she knew that she would be targeted by those damned Careers. And Faustia was right next to her! Mist glared all around her, letting her anger keep the freezing air from getting to her. She just had to stay calm and hungry and ready to kill. A little bit of cold never hurt anyone.
11...10…
The winter was annoying, but Faustia had a feeling that the snow would still be light and easy to run through. The Gamemakers wouldn't want to mess up the flow of the first day. She rubbed her hands together, trying to get her blood flowing for when the gong went off. The cold wouldn't stop her. Nothing could.
9...8…
Meri could focus, not on anything but how cold it was. Stop it! She screamed at herself. She had to be ready to get to Hector, who stood across the circle from her. She needed to get a backpack and hope that he got into the Cornucopia. They had to escape! But where to? She didn't have a plan! Maybe Hector did, but maybe not, and what if he died? What if she died? Meri trembled on her plate.
7...6…
The winter honestly wasn't awful, not compared to some nights back in 12, and Ezrael was fairly calm. He was going to run in and get a pack. Then he was going to go into the woods. From there, he could get to higher ground and make sure that he didn't freeze to death in the night. It was an odd setup for the first day...something was wrong.
5…
Zoe could see Fiori, and she just hoped that she hadn't made a horrible mistake by agreeing to help the girl out in the Bloodbath. They had pledged to watch each other's backs for the first hour, and Zoe admitted that it was a better idea than going in alone. Still, she had a feeling that being near the center of the circle at all was a bad idea. Zoe's outfit felt flimsy and useless. She never thought that she'd say it, but she wished that she was home.
4…
Paris knew that he was at a disadvantage due to his past. He shivered in the cold, trying to get himself ready for the death that was going to come. He had to prove that he was strong. And he had to survive. He could imagine Mark, laughing at him from another place. You're weak. You'll never survive. But Paris would be strong. He would make it through. And Mark would never hurt him again.
3…
Acacia relaxed into the winter, refusing to clench her muscles to keep the cold out. It was easier that way. Shivering took up too much energy, and she had to be ready to run. She wasn't going to bother to get a backpack, instead going to just run away as fast as possible. Maybe she wouldn't be benefitting the alliance, but at least she wouldn't be dying, either. Midas was two plates down from her, and he nodded at her. But Florence was between the two of them, and Paris was on her other side. A sob tore its way through Acacia.
2…
Florence hadn't expected her song to be amplified, and she silently thanked the Gamemakers for it. It was never to early to play the game. And Florence planned on being the winner here. That was the root of it, wasn't it? People acted like she was the loser. She lost to Draven, to Cassie, even to Jeff. And that was unacceptable. Florence won against them, and she was ready to win against everyone else.
1…
The last moment before the Games started seemed to drag out for Midas. He had located most of his alliance. He had formulated a plan. He was confident that he could make it out of here. He was focused, ready. But somehow, his mind was drawn away from that. It went to the sky, of all places. It almost reflected the snow on the ground, the sun unreachable. It was beautiful, peaceful, like the placid surface of a pond. The world was silent, beautiful, sewn together and sealed up tight.
How quickly the world can fall apart.
"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Twenty-Fifth Hunger Games begin!"
D1: Paris Sapphire, 6; Adalicia Corona, 5
D2: Ash Gabbro, 8; Faustia Graston, 10
D3: Cabe Corda, 4; Zara Kapoor, 3
D4: Hector Hardy, 8; Meri Sutherland, 7
D5: Landon Mercer, 7; Robin Wood, 4
D6: Percival Pisani, 4; Zoe Winter, 7
D7: Kaede Mitchell, 8; Acacia Mildeye, 2
D8: Midas Redglove, 7; Jeanna Rasch, 2
D9: Kronos Malakai, 6; Florence Channing, 4
D10: Talon Prime, 8; Fiori Hart, 5
D11: Luke Abaca, 6; Mist Orchard, 10
D12: Ezrael Ward, 3; Khol Thomas, 8
Alliances:
Faustia, Paris, Landon, Kaede, Luke
Hector, Meri
Midas, Adalicia, Cabe, Robin, Acacia, Jeanna
Khol, Zara
Zoe, Fiori
Authors' Notes:
I know, I know. The bonus chapters were basically just interludes. But it would have been unfair if these had been weekly chapters of their own, and I personally can't wait until the Games. I'll see you all tomorrow!