A/N: I'll be brief. We have a Feast today, and action packed one for sure! I just wanted to let you know about Blow Me Over: The 22nd Annual Hunger Games. It is the sequel to this story, taking place 12 years after this story. After this chapter, there will be 1 or 2 more chapters of Games, then a few chapters of epilogue about the Victor. Only a handful of chapters left, and then my focus can turn to BMO. Go submit if you want! It's a bit different from Oceanside here, and I hope you decide to submit and see what happens to our tributes in that story. But, for now let's focus on our tributes here. We have five left: Mr. Gold, Ms. Manchas, Ms. Theardie, Mr. Evoncurst, and Ms. Burnett. Who will survive the Feast, and who will emerge Victorious very soon? Read to find out :)

...

Holly Burnett, 16, District 8 Female

"But I don't have a choice."

Morning light shines through the small interstices between the waxy green leaves of the canopy. I thought I had settled on a plan of action last night. I would go to the Feast, right? I would go for the medicine that would save me, the medicine that would give me salvation and help me survive? I would risk my life heavily just so I would die at a blade instead of from infection, correct?

My legs refuse to move. I yell at myself, punch the loosely packed dirt of the forest floor, throw a shower of decaying leaves into the air. But my shoulder is puffy with yellow pus and it is dirty, streaks of dirt slicing through the unhealthy yellow-green cut on my shoulder. I hiss in pain whenever I move. Things start coming slower, and all I can feel or think about is the anxiously throbbing wound on my shoulder. My growling stomach and parched throat slice through the haze of the wound's pain every now and then, but every moment is filled with the purest of agony.

I finally manage to stagger to my feet and drag myself forward. The sun is slowly rising towards its ascent, and I scream audibly, out loud, at myself to move faster. My only chance is to get there before Cephas, before Chen, before Serephina, before the girl from 5. I need to be first. That is the only way I'll end up being, well, first, at the end of these Games.

My feet churn up mud and dead plant material as I drag myself forward. Thoughts flash through my hazy, disoriented mind. Is this jungle never ending? Did I pass that tree before? Are the Games real? Is everything a simple illusion, a simple dream, like that day in the alleyway? Is that Chen I see, axe raised, running towards me, screaming bloody murder? It can't be. Nothing is right.

Then I see that it actually is Chen hurtling towards me. His face has a look of pity intermingled with determination, and two thoughts come to my mind as I make my feet shuffle faster away from this boy. First off, why does he look pitifully at me? I must look pretty beat up. Second off, who is this monster trying to kill me? What happened to the Chen Evoncurst that snuggled with Bethany underneath a sea of stars and made joking predictions about the deaths with Andi and stared silently at the sea with me in thought? All I know is that this is a different Chen. This is a rabid, anxious, needy Chen, who thirsts for this Games to be over. I understand him. But I also know that I would never kill him, and here he is, axe raised, ready to cleave my head from my shoulders.

As the axe whistles through the air, my body moves on pure instinct, merely ducking the swing of the weapon. More instincts propel me forward, and Chen pursues me. I almost trip once, and I swear out loud, screaming at the Gamemakers that they better not put any more fricking roots in my way. I find my path after that suspiciously clear of anything, just flat, descriptionless dirt.

Soon enough, the jungle edge arrives. I burst through, hurtling a small stretch of bushes and sprinting off into the dunes. My shoulder screams at me, my stomach and throat throbbing angrily, and my mouth trying to conjure spit I don't have to moisten my dry mouth. My legs ache from lack of use and my eyes are beading with invisible tears because I don't have enough water in me to produce actual tears. I sniff and whimper and scream as I skid through the dunes. I turn around once, and see Chen slowing as he pursues me. He is scared of what I have become. An animal, a mindless creature that's only thought is dumb survival. Well, screw it. If I get to survive, that's all that matters to me.

Chen is still running at me, so I keep running. We both tumble down the last dune and are deposited on the open, sandy Cornucopia field. A ring of 24 silvery pedestals glints in the noonday sun, and the golden Horn glistens alluringly. And a brass table sits in the mouth of the Cornucopia. 5 lime green bags sit on it, labeled with a 1, a 2, a 5, a 7, and an 8 respectively. My eyes lock on the lime green bag marked with a giant black 8. I sprint towards it, and stumble to the table. I tear open the pack and find a loaf of District 8's nutty bread, a bottle of water, and a small tube of pink healing cream. I squirt the cream onto my left hand and smear it across my wound, sighing in relief. The cream is cool and refreshing and everything feels better almost immediately.

I guess now that I can feel things other than pain, my instincts have shut off, because now Chen is standing over me, frowning, axe lofted high. I scream, trying to roll out of the way, but I'm trapped between him and the Feast table. I try to push over the Feast table, grab one of the packs to use as a shield. But of course my shoulder, while curing, is still in a terrible state, and I can't reach. And, anyway, the axe is already on a one way trip to my chest.

I don't make a sound when the blade of Chen's axe thunks into my chest, breaking my sternum and crushing my lungs. All I see is an alley, gunfire, ash, and hovercrafts whirling above, instead of Chen and a baby blue sky and a sandy beach and a vivid jungle and an abandoned hotel. All I see is my family, linked hand in hand, as I die at the hands of who I thought was my best friend in the arena.

BOOM!

...

Chen Evoncurst, 17, District 7 Male

"I hope this ends soon."

BOOM!

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I ignore them. I push Holly's limp body, which is slung across the Feast table, to the ground carefully. I push away the fact that her blood coats my axe, and that her eyes are glassy, immovable orbs staring blankly at the teal island sky. I give my old friend pity and honor, closing her eyelids, before grabbing her pack and mine. Mine has another axe and a bottle of water in it. Caitlin's has extra arrows and a pair of extra purple glasses, and Serephina's has extra arrows and a picture of her brother or boyfriend, I'm guessing. Cephas's has a book on handling your moods along with a cake and a Bowie knife. As I'm debating what to take, what to throw in the ocean, and what to leave, I hear noises behind me.

Of course, I've lingered far too long. Holly and I got here luckily early, right after the Feast table rose out of the sandy ground. I forgot that Serephina, Cephas, and possibly Caitlin would be close behind. How stupid of me. It will probably be my fatal mistake.

As I turn around to face whoever else is here, time slows down. My heartbeat slows to a beat an hour, and my breath leaves my lips at the speed of a quarter of a mile an hour. My eyes slowly blink, and I reminisce on the prior events of the day, probably my last day alive.

I woke up at dawn, preparing for the Feast. I heard Holly screaming and knew I had to be her. I hunted her down, planning on giving the wounded girl, an old friend, an easy end. It didn't quite work out. I must have been too imposing, or she was already so far gone that she acted on pure instinct. But she fled like a bunny being chased by a fox, and the hunt began in earnest.

I chased her through the jungle, swerving around trees and sprinting through undergrowth and thorns and past jungle creatures. We broke through the jungle and dashed across the dunes and brambles where we once huddled with Andi and Bethany in hiding. My legs got cut up a bit but I didn't give a crap. I pursued her past the pedestals and to the Cornucopia, where she tore open her pack and applied her medicine. She looked at peace, and I could've allied with her again then, and we could have worked together. But my instinct took over. She was still wounded, weak. It would be easier to just take her out now, right? I guess my gut instinct had agreed with that question, and I had, without thinking, cleaved open her chest and killed her. Now she is dead, laying nearby, a bloody rift in her chest, her eyes unblinking, her arms unmoving, her lips unspeaking, her mind unthinking.

I think of Bethany's lips on mine, her body intertwined with mine, her with mine. When she left, everything fell to shambles. Holly left and I hurt her. I barely survived. I'm still depressed. It'll take forever to get over Bethany. Maybe it will just be easier to die here and now, and not face the consequences of a lifetime of guilt and heartbreak. Maybe it would be easier to accept the arrow of Serephina or Caitlin that's surely hurtling at me, or maybe let the blade of Cephas, arcing through the air at the current moment, slice into my neck and end me.

I think of my father. I think of my dead mother. I think of my friends. I think of Bethany. I think of Holly. I think of Andi. I think of Oakes, his lost lover. I think of Dyanna. I think of everyone that has ever suffered like I am about to. Caitlin, Serephina, or Cephas?

The sword slices open my stomach in one swift movement, and time resumes its usual tempo. I double over, blood gushing between the gaps between my fingers. I rasp out a whiny, high pitched scream, and Cephas cackles, bringing his sword down again on my neck. More blood sprays, and I fall to the ground, twitching, landing on top of still, cooling Holly.

Is it wrong, that as I die, I wish it was Bethany beneath me, so we could have one final embrace in death?

BOOM!

...

Cephas Gold, 18, District 1 Male

"Kill..."

Bloody boy! BLOODY BOY! HAH!

Dead girl by table, chest bloody. Boy, with bloody axe, at table. Cephas-boy, with sword, soon bloody from slicing slicing slicing slicing KILLING chen-boy-lovebird-boy-lumber-boy-tough-boy-everything-boy-now-bloody-boy. Hehehehe!

Tall girly girl, the bitchy bitch, ooh, she needs to be made bloody too! Mwahahaha! Bloody! Oh, shiny bow! Shiny spear! Duck! Parry! Duck! Parry! Ow! Arrow...arrow in Cephas-boy chest? Cephas-boy not Victor? Cephas-boy DYING?!

Ow. Ow. Ow. Cephas-boy bloody. Not tall girly girl. Cephas-boy bloody.

BOOM!

...

Serephina Manchas, 18, District 2 Female

"I will win this, no matter what I have to do. If not for myself, then for the Manchas family name. For District 2. For Garry."

BOOM!

Cephas broke. It happens to the best of us. It happened to Garry's District partner, Lauetia, last year in the Top 8 after she killed her ally, the girl from 10. And Cephas wasn't the best of us. It was actually a bit pleasing to see Cephas, cackling with manic glee, his eyes glossed over with insanity. I was actually extremely pleasing to watch my arrow puncture his chest, and to watch him drop suddenly, his sword rolling away in the sand, his eyes wide open in shock, mouth twisted in an unpleasant, half shocked, half angry scowl. Now three carcasses litter the Cornucopia field; Cephas, the girl from 8, who is disgustingly wounded, and the loverbird boy, Chen is it? Yes, Chen. They're all dead. That means that only my fellow archer, Caitlin from 5, is the only other tribute left alive in this arena.

I cannot believe it. We're in the Top 2, like Garry was last year. My heart thumps wildly. My composure has rarely broken this entire Games, but now I start to shake. I feel the truest fear I've felt yet. To distract myself, I step over the corpses of Chen, 8-girl, and Cephas to reach the bags. I grab every single one, restocking on my arrows and feeding myself food aplenty and applying 8-girl's medicine to some minor cuts on my arms from climbing trees in the jungle.

The table drops away twenty minutes later. I take a stroll, inspecting some of the pools and bars. The hovercraft makes three trips to retrieve the bodies of Chen, Cephas, and 8-girl. When it's finally swooping away with Cephas clenched tight in its metal claws, I jog back to the Cornucopia and sit down inside. I sort supplies and clean my bow and arrows and my spear and anything else I can find.

Soon I find myself thinking about my first night in this arena, sitting around the fire with Kiera, Cephas, Dameon, and Emmer. Dameon was the first to go, followed by Kiera, and then Emmer, and Cephas just died at my hands minutes ago. I am the last Career. I am the last killer. The girl from 5, Caitlin, may have not killed anyone at all. Then again, she probably did kill my District partner, Dameon. Not that I care much, but still. That shows that she won't be frightened to kill. This will make my mission a bit harder, but I will still succeed.

Tomorrow will be the final showdown, and I will be prepared.

22 tributes have lost their lives in this arena, their existences snuffed out forever. I cannot be the 23rd. I cannot be another second like Garry. I cannot shame the Manchas family again. Garry is noble. I will never forget him. That is why I have to survive. So I can remember him, and give him the memory and honor he truly deserves. I will win this for everyone who has ever cared about me. I will win this.

...

Caitlin Theardie, 15, District 5 Female

"It feels good to know that I have a chance at Victory."

I decide that I do not need to go to the Feast. It's a high risk, high reward sort of affair, and I don't need to risk my life for supplies that I don't need. So when noon arrives, I snuggle deeper into my tree, popping an ice chip in my mouth and waiting for the cannon or two that will mark the Feast casualities.

BOOM!

Okay. One, about three minutes after noon. That's expected.

BOOM!

A second, okay, so just three of us left. That will be an interesting showdown.

BOOM!

Wha-what? I'm in the Final Two?! I'm in the Final Two!

"Grandma!" I squeal, losing it for a bit, jumping up and down and almost falling out of the tree. I cheer and swing from one branch to another in excitement. I quiet down a minute later, but I give myself that time to freak out.

"Grandma, shoot, Grandma, I'm coming home!" I chorus so loudly that whoever else is left has to have heard me, but I don't give a flying frick. They'll want to wait till tomorrow for the grand finale, but still. That just means that I have more time to prepare! That just means that I have time to enjoy my last hours in this wretched arena before I get to go home and run into Grandma's arms and bask in the District 5 sun, which is so much warmer and more comforting than the vapid beauty lingering too long in the skies of this accursed arena.

I have a celebratory feast (haha puns! I think to myself), eating most of my food excitedly. I'm hyper, and I start jogging around the jungle and doing jumping jacks to work out some of my energy. When that doesn't work too well, I start shooting arrows into trees and at animals for target practice to warm up my skills. I haven't practiced in two days, so I'm a bit shaky at first, but after the first two arrows my aim is better. I collect all of the arrows at the end of my sessions, only losing one, and then I huddle in my tree. Night is falling. Now I have the long wait to see who died tonight.

Finally, midnight arrives. I've dozed off from time to time, and eaten a bit more, and danced around a bit more, and cried in joy a bit more. And now I will see who my final opponent is. I really hope it isn't Serephina. Cephas has gone crazy, I know that since I saw him running around one day recently, screaming for blood. And Chen and Holly are both weaker than me, I could take both of them and vanquish them.

First up is Cephas. That's nice? This next face will seal my fate.

Chen's face glitters in the evening sky, and I curse profusely. So I am facing Serephina Manchas, the first female in the history of the Games to ever score an 11. I may be screwed. But I try to keep up the mood. I glimpse Holly's face before the sky falls dark.

Tomorrow I will be going home. Tomorrow I will vanquish the Manchas-Beast, and I will arise Victorious.

...

Inventory and Location of Remaining Tributes:

Serephina Manchas: Bow, 9 arrows, spear, medicine, pack full of food and water, and all 5 packs from the Feast. At the Cornucopia.

Caitlin Theardie: Dagger, Bow, 9 arrows, crackers, energy drink, orange ice cream, wagyu, mushroom soup, and iodine. In the southern jungle.

...

A/N: GAAAAH! It is now Caitlin vs. Serephina! We're pretty much at the end and I can't believe it! Here are the obituaries:

5th: Holly Burnett, 16, District 8 Female - Chest cleaved open with axe by Chen Evoncurst, District 7 Male

I loved Holly's backstory, and she was one of my favorite underdog characters, so that's why she lasted as long as she did. Her flashbacks were always so fun to write, and everyone seemed to at least be neutral with her, so I thought it was good to keep her around. But she was in an arena with tributes who scored 8-11, and she scored a 6. She also was dehydrated, starved, wounded, infected, and tired. She had no realistic chance. I am sorry to the entire Burnett family, and hopefully you can move on from the loss of this wonderful girl. Thanks to Skyheart033 for Holly!

4th: Chen Evoncurst, 17, District 7 Male - Stomach sliced open with sword by Cephas Gold, District 1 Male

I have to be honest. Chen was my Victor for half of the Games. I realized recently that he was just too perfect to be Victor. Also, to be honest, that's why I had Bethany make it out alive; so she and Chen could have a romantic get together after realizing who the other was some time down the road. But I thought that would just be too cliched. Instead, seeing Caitlin or Serephina interact with Beth? That will be more peculiar and interesting. But back to Chen. He was an amazing tribute, and I loved his personality and quirks. I am so sorry to your father. Now he is alone. Thanks, Bluffs, for this amazing dude.

3rd: Cephas Gold, 18, District 1 Male - Arrow to the chest by Serephina Manchas, District 2 Female

Someone had to go wacko, and Cephas turned out to be the one to have a mental explosion. I never thought Cephas would be my Victor, but I always knew that he would make it far. He sort of became the villain of this story, and that was nice. His character slowly evolved from usual rich 1 kid to thoughtful, cocky, talented murder to crazy wacko serial killer. Sorry to your parents, Cephas! Thanks, ThomasHungerGamesFan, for this fun villain. :)

REMAINING TRIBUTES/KILL LIST

Now, for the remaining tributes and their kills (bold means alive, unbolded means dead):

Cephas Gold - Walter Inlaen (Assist), Camillie Montegro, Olivanna Sanatorium, Catherine Spark, Chen Evoncurst

Natalia General - Bison Seville

Dameon Xaine - Burlap Thomasson

Serephina Manchas - Calix Jackson, Kiera Waters, Andrea Matches, Cephas Gold

Cameron Spark -

Catherine Spark - Hailea Himalayan

Christopher Tidesworth - Kiera Waters (Assist)

Kiera Waters - Theodore Anderson, Christopher Tidesworth

Emmer Schuliare -

Caitlin Theardie - Dameon Xaine, Emmer Schuliare

Steale Boeing - Bianca Catalano (Assist), Cameron Spark, Steale Boeing (Himself)

Olivanna Sanatorium -

Chen Evoncurst - Holly Burnett

Bethany Taylor -

Burlap Thomasson -

Holly Burnett -

Calix Jackson -

Andrea Matches -

Bison Seville -

Bianca Catalano -

Theodore Anderson -

Hailea Himalayan - Natalia General

Walter Inlaen -

Camillie Montegro -

Mutts - Walter Inlaen, Kiera Waters (Assist), Bianca Catalano, Bethany Taylor, Emmer Schuliare (Assist)

QUESTIONS

1. Serephina or Caitlin?

Thanks so much for being on this special ride of a story with me. We're almost at the last hill, the finale battle, and I cannot believe that we're finally there. You've all been supportive and I love you all for that. Thank you for the great characters and feedback. They all have a place in my heart, like you all do. :)

There are still plenty of spots left in Blow Me Over: The 22nd Annual Hunger Games SYOT. Go submit if you have the time please! It will be even better than Oceanside. True Careers are in play now, making the Games more exciting. :) Our soon-to-be Victor will be highlighted in BMO. :)

P.S. Sorry that this was a bit rushed, but I wanted to get it out ASAP.

Until Next Time,

Tracee