Hannah Dandelion, D9
It was surreal to be riding in a hovercraft instead of rising up through a tube. I could see out the windows to the water below. It was more than I'd ever seen in my life, and I guessed we were probably off the coast of Panem. Hardly anyone in the country ever got to see that. It almost made the Games worth it. Some of us- mostly Careers- were talking, but most of us were just watching out the windows at the once-in-a-lifetime sight.
There wasn't going to be a Bloodbath, but I was still scared. I kept thinking it was a horrible trick, and they just said that so we wouldn't run and more of us would die. The hovercraft dipped lower toward a sandy beach, and its backwash covered the unbelievably blue-green water with choppy ripples. Making everything even weirder was the elephant in the room. Titian was sitting at the back of the hovercraft bay so we were all arranged around him. We were all scared to look at him, but when I peeked, he looked like this was going to be just the best thing ever. And for him, it might have been.
"Let's go," he said when the hovercraft touched sand. Everyone swerved to look at him at once- the Careers out of deference for a Capitolite, and the rest of us out of fear he would shoot us if we did anything wrong. I pulled at my seat belt and it clicked free. I got in line with the others and we all jumped out one after another for our first look at the island.
The sun was so bright it hurt to look at the beach. There was soft whitish sand that stopped at a line of palm trees bordering a thick forest. It was hotter than summer back home, and the air smelled like salt and fruit. It was like nothing I'd ever seen or heard before.
I looked down and saw I'd stepped onto a red mat marked Fonu and decorated with a turtle without even noticing it. Bailey was next to me, and we held hands as Titian addressed us.
"Welcome to Hunger Games: Survivor," he said. "For the next few weeks, you twenty-four will embark on the greatest adventure of your lives. You will compete in challenges that will test you physically and mentally. Each week, the losing tribe will meet at Tribal Council, where two of you will be voted out. Those two will immediately undergo a sudden death challenge, which I assure is exactly what it sounds like. At the end, there will be one Survivor."
Reefe Mordecai, D4
Titian went on to explain a few more basics to us. We weren't supposed to seek the other tribe out between challenges, but it was all right if we happened to cross paths. We'd be stationed in separate camps, each of which came supplied with a well containing water we would have to boil. The first challenge would be tomorrow, giving us one day to construct a camp and prepare. At the end of the speech, he tossed both teams a map written on a scroll and pointed us toward our destination.
It wasn't hard to find. The map was clearly marked and the island wasn't terribly big. We quickly reached a cleared-out portion of forest with a stone well. None of us had said anything on the short trip over, since we were all gathering our thoughts and getting ready to put our plans into action. Once we reached camp, the discussion began.
"Obviously, the most important thing is a shelter. Let's start working on that," Charming said. "Does anyone know anything about building?"
"Sometimes our roof leaks and I fix it," Deme volunteered.
"I think we should weave the roof," Angora said. "That makes fabric stronger. Does that sound good?" she asked Deme.
"Yeah, we can use these skinny leaves," Deme said, pointing at some trees.
"I can get us some logs for the walls," I said. I wanted to be sure I volunteered for the hardest work right away. My best chance was to prove useful around camp. If I worked like a dog, people might like not having to do the heavy lifting.
"Why don't we have me, Reefe, Ruby and Jackie get the logs, since we're the strongest," Charming said. Everyone agreed, and we set out into the woods. I found the heaviest log I could lift and dragged it back into camp, insisting I didn't need any help. I wasn't stupid, though- after the first, I got normal-sized branches and added them to our pile.
"I found a good spot," Trent said when we got back. He showed us four trees growing in a rough square. Lancia brought us some vines and we started lashing four of the stoutest branches to the trees to make a frame. Angora and Cross threaded the other branches together around the frame to form the walls, and Camellia and Sammy wove the roof under Deme's guidance. Potato imitated the girls and generally didn't make things worse. Our first day was off to a rousing start.
Gael Orford, D10
We might have been more organized if we'd had a leader. We weren't arguing, but no one really knew where to start.
"We need a shelter," Bailey pointed out. It was obvious, but it still needed to be stated.
"Should we make a tipi or something?" Ash asked.
"I think a lean-to would be the easiest," Manny said.
"What do you think, Sherman?" Aliara asked. "You're from Seven."
"I just cut them down. I don't build with them," he said.
"Let's find a good spot to start with," Cain said. We started to wander around the camp, discussing ideas and examining the ground. Abrexa split off into the forest and came back dragging a log.
"Where'd you go?" Hannah asked.
"Whatever we build, we'll need wood. I'll get some," she said.
"I can help!" Nash said, running to her side. She smiled thinly.
"Oh boy," she said. At least they were doing something, though.
"This looks like a good spot," I said, pointing at a stretch of sand between two trees.
"Why?" Sparkil asked, but she wasn't challenging. She was just interested.
"It's flat, it's open, it just looks okay," I shrugged. "We have to pick somewhere and get started, so why not there?"
"I think it looks good," Aliara said. We took one of Abrexa's logs and tied it across the trees with some vines, then started laying her sticks across it in a tent shape.
"I'll get some leaves for the roof," Abrexa said. I could tell by the way she stumbled up the tree that she had no experience climbing, but she didn't let it stop her from getting the leaves. As she tossed down the leaves, Bailey and Hannah wove them between the sticks. I joined Rahina in clearing debris away from our tent. We were off to a late start, but the night was still young.
Sammy Voltage, D3
As most of us dispersed to find food, I asked Camellia if she'd help me get some sticks.
"What for? We have plenty," she said.
"I have an idea," I said. We grabbed two armloads of sticks and some dry crispy leaves to use as tinder. Potato, who had taken to following us around, gathered sticks as soon as he saw us do it.
When we got back to camp, Lancia looked at us askance from where she stood fine-tuning our shelter. "You got sticks?" she asked.
"We sure did," I said.
"Why though?" she asked. Our shelter was pretty much done. It stood about six feet high and the roof and walls were snugly covered with leaves. The inside didn't look too comfy, but sleeping in sand wasn't terrible.
"We have a lovely bag of rice there," I said, pointing to the bag that held about a cup of rice for each of us, "but it's gonna taste gross raw."
"Yeah?" Lancia asked. "I saw some tapes. The first challenge usually gives away fire stuff as the prize.
"Yeah, but what if we don't win?" I asked.
"That's a pessimistic way to look at it," she said.
"On the contrary, I am being most optimistic," I said. "Because it just so happens that I wear contact lenses." I poinked a finger at my eye and took out the curved piece. "We couldn't afford the new ones, so mine are plastic."
"Ohhhh," Lancia said. She came and crouched next to me and Camellia as I held the lens over the tinder, trying to focus the light. After a few minutes, Camellia impatiently stuck her hand underneath.
"It's a little hot," she reported.
"We have time," I said.
The others wandered off eventually. The sun dipped lower in the sky, and my legs burned from squatting. Some long hours later, as the others started to trickle back to camp carrying fruit, I got some smoke. Just maybe, in a few more hours when Jackie and Reefe came from from fishing, we'd have a fire.
Other important info: Fonu also has fire, thanks to Sparkil's magnifying glass. Titian is grumbling about his first prize being ruined but refuses to change it out of stubbornness.
Voting starts after next chapter, which will be the first challenge. I don't have an exact system for who wins challenges, but I will take into account the strengths of the team as well as making sure one tribe doesn't get steamrolled.
