Yeah, I meant Mase, not Mink. Oops.
Mary Sue POV
This isn't what we planned. There's hardly anything for me to bring to Mase. Better ask him what he wants. I trotted forward as the others dashed into the Arena. When Mase saw me coming, he stopped in his sprint and pulled me closer. Then he shoved me back, swept my legs out from under me, and slammed me to the ground. My head cracked against the hard floor and I put up my arms to wave him off. He grabbed me by the hair and smashed me into the ground again and again. That wasn't the plan at all.
Lyte POV
Gordon was right next to me, but it was okay. The others would protect me. I saw Tillo watch where the others ran, dart in to grab an envelope, and turn to run after me as I dashed down the nearest path. Before she got to me, someone tackled me from behind. He flipped me over and started pressing his thumbs into my eyes. I caught a glimpse of Gordon.
"Felix!" I screamed. "Felix! Reiner! Shogo!" I squirmed and turned my head away from the awful pain. Gordon grabbed my hair and yanked my head back as he pressed his knee against my throat. My screams of terror and pain were muffled as he settled his weight on the knee blocking my breath. I tore at him and the ground around us, struggling for a grip on the smooth tile.
Reiner, Tillo, please hurry! It hurts Felix, Fe-
Reiner POV
I saw Gordon just as Lyte went limp. I screamed in rage and vengeance as I hurled the spear I'd grabbed at the butcher. Gordon toppled to the side, and Tillo bent over Lyte. She was too late. We all were. Three warriors and an Amazon, and we couldn't save one boy. What were our lives worth?
Jamie POV
The Careers could have the weapons. I just wanted a little food and one of those envelopes. At the mouth of the Cornucopia I saw a long loaf of bread. I snatched it and turned to run, weaving between the other Tributes. Most of the Careers were already digging through the weapons. With any luck they wouldn't stop to run after me. I'd outrun them anyway.
Turned out, it didn't matter. Arrows fly faster than either of us could run.
Cordin POV
As soon as the gong sounded, I sprinted across the ring to Abigail. She waited an instant for me and Willow, then darted toward the broken escalator. We ran up one flight only to find two more. How big is this place? I started to climb the next flight, but she held me back.
"That's where they'll all go," she said. She grabbed my hand and we ran perpendicular to the Cornucopia and around a corner, out of range.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"To the edge," she said. I looked behind me to see if Willow knew what she meant. There was no one there.
Willow POV
I can't make it across. I was on the other side of Abigail. I'll have to sneak around the back. I started running around the Cornucopia, pausing when I reached the tail. I peeked out to see where the Careers were.
Maybe that wasn't a good idea. They were right in front of me, at least Kisarna was. I knew the Games were a terrible idea.
Caleb POV
It was a good idea to run away from Mase. Unfortunately, he knew it too. He sprang for me the instant the gong rang. He was on my platform before I was off it. While his arm was tightening around my neck. I had time for one thought. Of course I spent it on Shaw. I prayed I'd see him again.
Demetria POV
I didn't have a chance. I knew I didn't. So why wasn't I dead yet? I was running straight out from my platform, listening to the screams and slashes from behind me. Was I already dead and I didn't even notice? Almost any one of them could snuff me in an instant. At any second Emma's arrows could cut me down. I tripped as I rounded a corner and crawled against a glass door, sobbing into my hands. Someone grabbed my arms and I screamed.
"Shhh! It's just me," Ashlyn hissed. She hauled me to my feet. "Come on, we have to get out of here." I ran behind her like she was my lifeline. After a long time, the screaming stopped.
Emma POV
When all was said and done, six cannons rang out. Not a great year. It wasn't normal to have so little food, either. Some of the outliers snatched a few pieces, and we had maybe three days' worth. I had my bow and the Gamemakers even provided the poison I told them I preferred in my session, but that wasn't enough. Something was off.
You, I remembered. I picked an envelope up off the ground and tore it open.
Up the escalator. One floor. Forward twenty feet. Turn left. Across from the minigolf course
"Hey, guys," I called. Mase and Kisarna gathered beside me. Calvary warily listened from fifteen feet away. "What do you think?"
Kisarna opened another five envelopes. "They all say the same thing."
"Let's check it out," Mase said. It if was a trap, it wouldn't make sense to set it for all of us. That would be a bad show. More likely, it was the supplies that weren't in the Cornucopia. That was where we needed to be.
Our first batch of obituaries. Don't blame me. I only give the people what they want.
24th place: Mary Sue Brooklyn- Head smashed by Mase
I suppose everyone handles comical characters differently. Some would say they make the Games less realistic, but I don't mind a little comic relief. No one wants their Tribute to die first, and Mary Sue took care of that. She was odious, icky, despicable, and utterly easy to let go. Thanks for requesting that your Tribute die first. You're a hero to us all.
23rd place: Lyte Anderson- Throat crushed by Gordon
I'd have killed Lyte first, since he was mine, but santiago specifically wanted Mary to be the first death. I made Lyte up as a filler, and you guys really embraced him. I'm glad you liked him so much. I would have let him live through the Bloodbath if he got enough votes, but he would have died anyway, so just as well. I'd never seen a Tribute who wanted to be a doctor. I'm not sure it's right with canon, but someone's gotta be a doctor. There's no medical District. Since I made Lyte, I'll give me a pat on the back for putting him here so your Tributes can live longer.
22nd place: Gordon Spokes- Speared by Reiner
I'd have thought Gordon would live longer, but he scored low on both the least favorite and least likely to live polls (or highly...), so I killed him. I don't know if it's because I have a mental illness too (tests came back on the 23rd. I'm autistic) but no matter how evil you make your Tributes, I always sympathize with them. As a Christian, I don't think anyone is irredeemably evil. I look at kids like Gordon and all I see is that at one point, they were innocent babies. Something went wrong, and I wish I could help. Thanks stellaslomp for Gordon. I don't really go villains in my Games, but he would have been the closest thing if you guy's didn't vote him to death.
21st place: Jamie Coal- Arrow fired by Emma
Jamie was a Bloodbath. I aim to please. Remember when I talked about "that one kid from Eleven or something who runs into the Bloodbath and gets himself killed"? Jamie. I appreciate people who want their Tributes to go into the Bloodbath. That's what most Tributes did in canon, and most submitters say their Tributes avoid it or grab stuff on the outskirts. Thanks Emberstoashes. You sent in a Bloodbath. You the real MVP.
20th place: Willow Trill- Throwing star thrown by Kisarna
Willow's submitter said she'd probably die by a stupid mistake or mishap. Poking your head out to check for enemies isn't the dumbest thing in the world, but it was the dumbest thing I could think of quickly. Willow never would have won. She didn't have the skills and she had too big a mouth. She went quick and her alliance lives on. Thanks ItsaCatsWorld for that rare Tribute with honest weaknesses and an honest low chance of winning.
19th place: Caleb Lindsay- Neck broken by Mase
Lots of SYOTs feature strangulation. In real life, it's crazy hard to strangle someone barehanded, and it takes at least five minutes. Thus, I have a lot of neck snaps. I don't know how easy that is in real life. For some reason, Caleb scored low on the likely to die poll, and he didn't have enough favorite votes to save him. I was neutral on him, so I'd have let him live longer. Thanks LX4 for not overpowering Caleb. I can't stress enough how much I appreciate all of you who send normal Tributes. We didn't get to know Caleb very well. I'm sure we missed out.
FOR NEXT CHAPTER:
1. Who would you sponsor and what would you give them?
2. Who do you think will die next, factoring in popularity?
3. Who definitely should NOT die next?