Credit for the name 'mindsquitoes' goes to DBlaZe. I was really frustrated that I had this good idea and every name I came up with was stupid, so he gave me a few suggestions and this one was my favorite. If you haven't read his amazing fic Knightingale, you need to check it out. Enjoy!
Katniss's POV
It's the fourth day of the Games and Colton is still alive; a miracle in itself it seems. The Gamemakers certainly didn't hold back this year, that's for sure. Though nine died in the bloodbath, only one of the six tributes that have been killed since have been by another tribute's hands and even that had some help from a Gamemaker.
On the first day, one died by a flash flood from one of the rivers, the boy obviously not knowing how to swim. The District 9 girl was chased by a pair of mountain lion mutts off a cliff, dying from the fall. The District 3 pair who had been working together both died on the second day from eating poisoned fruit (apparently only half the normally edible food in the arena is not poisoned this year). Colton almost got into a fight with the burly District 10 boy, but they both were chased by mutant gophers with claws and shark-like teeth. Colton succeeded in escaping with only two small bites on his calf but the District 10 boy tripped and that was that.
The most horrible one in my opinion though is the one that happened this morning. The six Careers were coming back from hunting tributes (with no success) and ran into a sea of mindsquitoes. Mindsquitoes are sort of like tracker jackers in that they were a weapon of the Capitol against the rebels. But instead of making you hallucinate like tracker jackers, mindsquitoes make you forget the last thing you saw before being bitten. For instance, if you were looking at a book in your hand and got bitten, you would literally not know what was in your hand anymore let alone remember that you could read. The Capitol used it on rebel soldiers to make them forget how to use their weapons so essentially they were useless against them in a fight. Your memory would come back eventually (depending on how many times you were bitten and all the different things you forgot) but it's easy to take advantage of the person under a mindsquito's influence.
So once the Careers realized what happened they all ran in the opposite direction, but all of them managed to get bitten at least a few times. The District 4 girl forgot what grass was. The District 2 boy looked at the ax in his hand strangely and studied it curiously. But after about an hour all but the District 1 boy came around, remembering what they forgot again though they didn't remember not knowing what it was in the first place until they saw their bites.
Since the District 1 boy was obviously under more influence than any of them, he seemed like a bumbling fool for another two hours. The District 2 boy got so tired of him asking questions that he killed him on the spot, effectively ending the annoyance. Personally I think it was cheating and horrible because he didn't even make it a fair fight, but I guess this is the Hunger Games-nothing's fair. Besides, at least that's one less Career for Colton to face I think grudgingly.
I'm honestly surprised that the Gamemakers are doing this. I mean sure, they usually kill a tribute or two just to remind people that they can, but the real 'fun' of the Hunger Games is watching the tributes kill each other. The Capitolites can't be too happy with how things are going thus far; too unpredictable to bet on, too boring being that not a ton of blood is being shed because of fights.
At least Makenna, who has religiously been watching from either her chair at our station or at one of the other stations since the Games began hasn't seen too much of people killing each other. Her questions have not let up in the least, but instead of asking Gale or I endlessly she's decided that other Victors will actually give her answers (I think the real reason she visits other stations). To my amusement she's even ventured to District 2's station. Enobaria definitely isn't her biggest fan, but she didn't hold back on the answers to Makenna's questions in the least. She probably thought that it would either scare Makenna off to be so harsh and truthful or just make Gale and I mad that she was telling our six year old all that, but it didn't actually do either. Instead it seemed to make Makenna go to 2's station even more, clearly glad to have someone who would tell her things. And Gale and I weren't actually too mad about it because it annoyed Enobaria more than anyone to have the endless questions firing away at her while she was trying to mentor, and we (childishly) think it's kind of serves her right for being…well, the Wicked Bitch of Panem as Gale calls her. And it's horrible but I'm kind of relieved that I'm not the one answering all those hard questions, so I don't mind too much.
Makenna comes back from whatever station she just invaded around afternoon, and it just so happens to be yet another Gamemaker attack, this time on the District 6 girl who is currently being chased up a tree by mutant fire ants that are easily the size of my big toe. She's not the best climber in the world and the ants take over her soon, biting her and eventually making her lose her balance and fall thirty feet from the tree. Her cannon goes off about fifteen minutes later. Makenna stares at the center screen when the District 6 girl is being taken from the arena by a hovercraft and then looks at me.
"Mommy? The lady over there said that people are supposed to take out other people in this game. Why did the ants take her away or the weird animals take that boy away yesterday?" Kennie asks me with a thinking expression on her face that looks far too old to be on a six year old.
I sigh. I hope all these questions end with the Games, because I think I've had enough for a lifetime. "The people that make the Games do that. They make all those animals and floods and things happen to show people that they can. But no, it isn't normal for all of those to be from them."
"So why are they doing it this year then?" Makenna immediately asks the follow up question. Too bad this is one I'm trying to answer myself.
"I don't know sweetie." I reply, and for once she luckily seems to believe my 'I don't know' because she drops it and goes back to watching the screen. But I wish I did know. Why are the Gamemakers doing this?
"Another Gamemaker subject?" I hear from behind me. I turn in my chair to find Nelia and Carper holding hands and I have to smile. Well, at least they hit it off splendidly. Too bad they can pretty much only see each other once a year and it has to be here.
I nod. "Yeah, fire ant mutts this time."
Carper shakes his head, "I just don't get it. No one does."
"Someone gets it." I point out bitterly. Probably Snow, though I can't figure out what he would do this for other, "It's just not us."
Nelia shrugs at that. "Maybe we're not meant to." Yeah, maybe we aren't. And that's what scares me more than anything. I don't like ambiguous threats or subtle things-I would rather know the score. And unfortunately all the score in this game tells me is that the Gamemakers are winning by choice, not the why. But Nelia accepts that better than I do. Perhaps she has always accepted things for what they are when you can't change it and moves on. All it does is frustrate me.
"Maybe." I finally concede.
"Well we were just going to go swimming and we were wondering if you wanted to join us." Carper states after a pause, changing the subject.
"Well Gale's sleeping so I can't, but Kennie can go if she wants to." I reply. I really hope Kennie does go. I have a feeling she won't since she has adamantly refused to do pretty much anything that takes her away from this room that she's learning all sorts of things I wish she didn't have to but she surprises me.
"I want to go!" Kennie says excitedly and I almost sigh in relief out loud. Thank goodness she's voluntarily getting out of this stupid room. Nelia locks eyes with me and looks almost relieved as well, clearly thinking that Makenna is finally done with her questions.
"Alright. Let's go up to our floor and change first." Nelia replies to her cheerfully.
"Okay." Makenna nods, and then turns to Carper, "You know how to swim really good right?"
"Last time I checked, yeah." Carper replies.
"Did you swim a lot when you played this game?" Makenna questions him, pointing to the screen in front of me.
"…Some." Carper informs, clearly not wanting to remember that. He had only swam in the arena because he was swimming away for his life when the Careers started turning on each other. He only succeeded in getting away because he was the best swimmer, and even then it was just barely.
"Can you teach me what you did? I don't want to swallow water like that boy a few days ago." Kennie asks, and I shake my head. Makenna and her one track mind-this is almost worse than the questions, but at least she wants to learn. I can't imagine how much she'll want to learn if and when she figures out that she's going into the Games…
Gale's POV
A week and a half into the Games and Colton is still thankfully alive. It's strange that he almost appears to not be dealing with the wrath of the Gamemakers like everyone else aside from a few things. One being the mutant gophers from that one day with the District 10 boy, but maybe he just happened to be in the immediate area for that and it was already planned. Or maybe they were just trying to prevent a fight? Well, that doesn't make much sense; it is the Hunger Games after all. Two days ago he got bitten by a few mindsquitoes, but there wasn't anyone within miles to take advantage of that so maybe it was just a coincidence as well. I mean it did happen to be around the same spot as when the Careers found a sea of them days ago, so maybe they were just there from the beginning. He forgot not only what a tree was but I think what his foot was as well by the way he sat down on the ground and studied and poked his shoe for about an hour and a half. It would have been funny if it wasn't so dangerous for him to be so vulnerable in the arena.
So the question is, what if the Gamemakers really aren't targeting him on purpose? Are they trying to choose the winner themselves? Have they chosen Colton to win or are they waiting to pounce on him when he least expects it, giving him no chance at all? Somehow I don't see them choosing Colton to win simply because Snow would not like it. I can't imagine he was too happy with Nelia winning a few years ago, let alone giving 12 another Victor by choice two years later. It just doesn't make any sense. But I guess that's the point-they aren't letting anything make sense in these Games. Maybe I should just stop trying to analyze these crazy mutt obsessed Gamemakers and focus on the boy on the screen in front of me.
With only four tributes left now, Colton is going about the arena more carefully, clearly expecting at any time that the three Careers will jump him and that will be that. Too bad I can't tell him that it's the Gamemakers he should be more worried about-they've killed almost half the tributes already dead this year themselves, which is really strange. What the fuck are they doing? Why? I really can't imagine because I'm sure that the Capitolites don't like it too much and really, that's the point of being entertaining in the Games. Maybe they're trying to remind the Districts that they can kill whoever they want whenever they want? That could be accomplished with two or three, but this is a far greater number than that this year. I just really don't know and it's annoying me to no end.
The three Careers left are in fact hunting him, but luckily they're still miles away and who knows? Maybe the Gamemakers will target them again. While these three did actually kill the District 4 pair yesterday, they were still subjected to a Gamemaker horror today. Three wild dog like things chased them with the pretty obvious intent to separate the three of them but to no avail. The District 1 girl climbed a tree to get away from hers and the District 2 pair took on their dogs head on about ten yards away from the climber, and eventually they managed to kill all three with only a few minor scratches to show for it. But now they are even more ready for blood, and with as much confidence as I have in Colton I can't see him getting too far if and when these three catch him. But who knows? Maybe when they do it will be an all-out battle to the end and one of the Careers is just waiting for the others backs to be turned to turn on them. It's what I would do anyway.
Around midafternoon Colton's luck is up unfortunately. He hears the Careers coming and as soon as one spots him from maybe a quarter mile away he looks around frantically. Running isn't going to be too good of an advantage, not with how fast that District 2 boy is. Swimming in the river near by is an equally stupid idea because he can't swim very well and the other Careers could probably easily get him them. So what does he do? Go up. He starts climbing the rough rock of a cliff maybe thirty yards high, using his pick to help him. He's maybe fourty feet up when the Careers are standing under him.
"What are you doing 12?" the District 1 girl calls up.
"Yeah, come down and fight like a man." yells the District 2 boy. Colton looks down briefly as if he's considering it and then shakes his head.
"Nah I'm good." he calls down almost casually, "I could always wait up here until mutts attack you." Well I guess he has a point. If he can manage to wait up there long enough with the way these Games are going, he might just be alright. But somehow I don't see that happening with the three Careers down at the bottom of that cliff side.
"Well alright then. Guess I'll come up." the District 1 girl says, the one who could climb pretty well earlier. As she starts climbing the District 2 pair look at each other and ready their long range weapons, clearly planning on turning on the District 1 girl now. Ha I knew it! But the District 1 girl keeps climbing and Colton goes higher for a few minutes. But as soon as the District 2 boy is about to throw his spear at his ally, all four tributes stop where they are. They hear just one crack first, then another, and all of a sudden it's like the entire cliff is cracking, falling apart. But before any of them realize and run at what the Gamemakers are obviously doing, there's a rock slide from the top of the cliff and it breaks the cliff too, Colton and the District 1 girl are falling and all four tributes being buried by the tons of rock.
The mentor room is silent, waiting for something to happen. My tablet goes black in about a minute. Guess it's not Colton that's going to win. About thirty seconds later I hear a groan from District 2's station, and then another. So I guess District 1 won? But why isn't Claudius announcing it? Then Cashmere throws her tablet across the room and we all sit there in shock.
"So who won?" I finally ask aloud, apparently the question of the day. Almost immediately all the screens in the Mentor Room go black, and we all sit there in utter surprise as we finally figure out what just happened.
For the first time in history, all twenty four tributes died in the Hunger Games.
There is no Victor.