Who's ready for the most intense game of Capture the Flag ever?
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This is a super long chapter so I hope you like it! Please review!
Happy reading!
Lenore :*
POV: Frederick Sheen, D1
You would think that at the District Four training academy students would be taught about mirrors. Salmon tried to be stealthy and hide which people had maps and where they will keep them, but all it took was a shiny sword angled just the right way to see over the wall she was hiding behind. And now I know that she's planning on dividing into five teams lead by five people who are keeping their maps in a pouch in their left shoe. Her carefully constructed plan has just crumbled at the hands of Frederick Sheen. If she knew, I bet it would completely wipe the smile off of that pretty face of hers. I'm the only person with a map of our side because I don't trust anyone else. Nessa pitched a fit over it, but I'm captain so what I say goes.
The layout of our side is pretty ingenious, really. The maze surrounding the tower is small but dangerous. There are at least four dead ends and five different traps inside, and I am the only person who knows where that is. Of course, unless the other team finds the map hidden somewhere on our side, which is my biggest concern and the reason that I sent Nessa and Mitch, our best tributes, to find it. I put the weaklings on the front, figuring that if they're maimed, it'll just make them easier targets in the arena. I didn't want to waste any manpower on Salmon's upcoming diversionary strike.
The real power lies close to home. I have a pair of binoculars, my signature shiny silver short swords (try saying that five times fast) and a longsword. Additionally, I made everyone on my team (including myself) strap a gold dagger to their thigh because I know that a lot of the opposing tributes specialize in hand to hand combat, including the captain herself. You can never be too prepared. At the last minute, I grabbed a slingshot and some ruby stones, just in case.
From my position at the top of the biggest tower, I see Team X, which includes the girl from Seven, Claudine, and the guys from Nine and Eleven, Benedict and Mason, patrolling the edges of the maze that leads to the tower entrance.
My plan is genius in its simplicity. In One, they always taught us to stick with what you know and this plan has never failed in the games at the Academy. The closer you get to the flag, the higher the skill of the tributes. Team Y is composed of the girl from Five, Sarena, and the boy from Thirteen, Fergus, who are too good to be weaklings but not good enough to protect critical areas. They patrol the area between the front line and the maze entrances. Team Z, aka the Weaklings, sit on the front line, which makes them feel important. In reality, they'll probably scatter after the first drop of blood appears.
The gong sounds. Guess it's time to test my theory.
I look to the tower opposite, where I see the boy from Ten, Madsen, giving orders to two other archers who sit at arrowslits. I've learned to read lips pretty well, so I bring my binoculars to my eyes. The other two archers are the Capitol boy and the District Eight girl, who each have longbows. "Aim small, miss small" He tells them. If they're any good, my offensive strikes won't stand a chance. Madsen has a recurve bow, meaning he's searching for targets close to home. If Salmon let him run point, he must be good. I spot a few extra sheaths of arrows, so I doubt they're going anywhere. Any direct attempts for the flag would be foolish.
On my map, I spot a tunnel, one that probably connects our side to the other side. I bet that's where the maps are. I see Nessa and Mitch talking strategy inside a nearby metal enclosure so I send a ruby stone in their direction, making sure to miss them but hit the wall next to them. Nessa looks around, bewildered, but then Mitch sees me and points.
"The tunnel!" I shout. She immediately knows what I mean, because she saw it while scouting out our territory. She sprints toward the manhole cover that designates the location of the tunnel entrance. She and Mitch lift the heavy metal plate and disappear underneath. I turn my attention to the front line, which is surprisingly still intact. There are a good amount of knives and darts stuck in the plywood walls and sandbags that mark the start of Fire territory, which means that the girls from Three and Thirteen are putting up a good fight but lack aim. The small boy from Three is hiding behind a pile of sandbags, clutching his dagger and probably whimpering. I laugh, because it's quite a funny sight and realize something- no actual fighting has taken place yet. As this dawns on me, I realize that almost the entire Fire team side is empty. Its too good to be true. And it is.
The Fire team has led a full-scale offensive attack on our side. Alex and my makeout buddy Sarya have charged our front line, just when we've run out of ammunition. All they have left are a few medium and close range weapons, none of which are going to be effective against Alex's skills. Alex's district partner, the girl from Ten, and the boy from Six all hang back and fight using their medium range weapons. They're equipped with spears and throwing axes mostly, so they cause damage from a distance.
As Florence from Thirteen tries to block Alex's strike with the shaft of her spear, Alayna seizes the opportunity to send her spear soaring past Florence's shoulder, resulting in a cut about five times smaller than a normal spear would cause. Still, it's painful and Florence cries out, grabbing her wound. Simultaneously, Alex's sword cut through the shaft of her spear like a knife through butter. He hits the side of her head with the pommel of his sword and she crumples. Specially engineered or not, these weapons can still cause damage. With a regular sword, that kind of blow would've been lethal. Worst case scenario, she'll wake up with a major headache tomorrow morning. A few medics dressed in white carry her off on a stretcher, retreating into a door that slides shut behind them.
My dear friend Sarya is battling Alina from Nine with a pair of platinum short swords. Alina is equipped with a pair of scythes, which she uses to swipe at Sarya. Sarya's face is a little scratched up, but she looks determined to claim victory. On Alina's next swipe, Sarya parries her strike and sends one of the blades clattering across the floor towards where the boy from Three is hiding. He has now made a fortress out of sandbags and he emerges for a quick second to retrieve Alina's lost weapon, only to be swiped by Alex's longsword before ending up the same way as Florence.
Alina's last weapon is a knife, because her other scythe went the same way as her first. She ineptly jabs and slashes with the blade, but she is running out of time. Out of nowhere, Axel from Six comes up behind Sarya and sends his spear into her calf. This provides enough of a distraction for Alina to slash Sarya's cheek, sending a river of blood down her face. This only angers Sarya, who grabs a knife she hid under the bandana on her leg and sends it flying in Axel's direction. The fabric of our uniforms prevents knives from getting a good stick unless there is a profuse amount of force behind the throw, but the knife makes a substantial mark, slashing Axel across the chest. Upon seeing the flow of blood, he passes out. Medics carry him off. Sarya, now energized by the small victory, advances toward Alina, who is carried off by the medics within thirty seconds.
Meanwhile, Tarpon and two other tributes disappear under the manhole cover on the Fire side, heavily armed. I consider helping Nessa and Mitch, because the map is my first priority. I decide to stay put for the moment, just to see where the battle is going. The only weakling still fighting is Ciara, the girl from Eleven, but she retreats when she sees Sarya and Alex advancing. She scurries up a plywood barrier, which is much too fragile for Sarya or Alex to follow her. She breathes a sigh of relief as they move on. Wait, I think, wasn't there another tribute on the front line?
I see that the small girl from Three is missing. I scan our territory, puzzled, but to no avail. Then, I hear a shout from the Fire territory. All three archers have set their sights on the small blonde girl. All three of their arrows have left their bows when out of nowhere comes Salmon, who tackles the girl to the ground, taking an arrow to the thigh in the process. She shoves the girl behind a nearby barrier and rips the arrow out of her leg. It's only a shallow cut, but it still bleeds heavily. Salmon removes the bandana from her hair and ties it around the wound to stop the bleeding. She stands up, undeterred by the wound, and disappears behind a metal enclosure. Somehow Laina got past the Fire team's front line, and I want to know how.
She doesn't emerge from the barrier Salmon pushed her behind, so I don't have a chance to ask her.
By this point, Alex and Sarya have been joined by Alayna, Ehna, and Albert, who are now advancing toward Team Y. However, Sarena's whip is severed by Ehna's throwing axe and Fergus's meager swordsmanship is no match for the team of District Two careers. The medics are dispatched to collect the bruised pair. Things get exciting as it seems Sarena was only faking a loss of consciousness. She sits up from her stretcher as it passes Alayna and plunges her gold dagger between Alayna's shoulder blades. Alayna cries out and falls. Alex rushes to her side. I smile with pride at her clever plan.
"It's okay, its not deep." Alex says, his voice calm and soothing. They're close enough to the tower that I can hear his voice shaking despite his efforts to keep calm. It's making me nervous. Medics come to collect Alayna and Alex composes himself before ordering his team forward.
Within seconds, they encounter Team X. Benedict, the boy from Nine, is large but slow, proving no match for Sarya, who is quick and relentless. Despite her speed, she never sees it coming. A small silver axe lodges itself in her bicep, adding to the plethora of injuries she has already sustained. She pulls out the small axe just as another lodges itself in the top of her leg. This distraction gives Benedict the opportunity to whack Sarya over the head with the butt of his battle axe. She and her short swords are collected by the medics. Benedict shouts thanks to Claudine, whose axes helped him take Sarya down. Albert is taken down by Mason with a few cuts from his scythes and the litany of knives he carries. The tide of the game is turning. Or so I thought. Benedict is taken down by Ehna, who hesitates to deliver a significant blow but is aided by Alex, who took down Madsen with only a few strokes of his shortswords. Claudine disappears under the manhole cover.
I curse. The only tributes left on my team are underground. I'm a goner. I can try to send a signal to Nessa, but it's too late. By that time they'll probably already be here, unless the maze detains them. I send a ruby stone flying towards the manhole cover on our side and hit it, hoping that Nessa gets here in time to help. But Ehna and Alex don't make a move on the flag. They retreat to Fire territory. I'm puzzled until I see a flash of silver in my peripheral vision. I whip my head around to face Salmon twirling around a rose gold dagger, beaming. The only thing that can save me now is charm.
"So how'd you do it babe?" I inquire, shooting her a smoldering half-smile. "I didn't see you coming but I sure am glad you're here."
"Cut the crap Fred." She said. "I grabbed a grappling hook from the armory. Rose and Lucina are already outside with the flag."
"So why are you here?" I maintain an aloof façade, even though my inner Career is cursing like a District Four sailor.
"Because I'm a decent person Fred. I'm here to make a deal. Stay here. Don't leave this room for the rest of the game. And leave me alone. Go ogle Sarya or someone else. Leave me alone and I'll make sure you don't lose too badly. You've only got three tributes left, not including yourself. I've got ten. Do the math. How your team does affects your score, which affects your sponsors." She has a point, but there's no way I'm just going to acquiesce. I pretend to think it over.
"Alright, fine. Shake on it?" She sticks out her hand and I kiss it.
The small gesture sets her off. She slashes my face with the blade in her hand, which stings.
"What the hell did I just say? Did you not hear me?" She shouts. I wipe the blood from my face with my bandana and shoot her a cool smile. I don't care how pretty she is, I'm not going to lose. And the only things that make her lose her cool are my advances. I reach out to stroke her hair and in an amazing display of strength, she grabs my arm, flips me over her shoulder and onto the ground. She climbs on top of me and pins me to the ground. Its kinda hot, actually. She tosses all of my weapons away and grabs a silver knife from her belt. It's cold and beautiful, just like her. She tugs on my shirt and I lift an eyebrow, which is met with a slap from her.
"I came for this" She says, pointing the tip of her knife at the golden "C" printed on my uniform. She uses the knife to cut it out and she stuffs it in her left shoe.
"Did you want it to keep your map company?" I ask. The shock of the question doesn't show on her face, but I can see the surprise in her eyes.
"How did you know?" She growls, a forearm to my throat and a knife ready to strike.
"It'll cost you a kiss"
"Go to hell."
"Only if you'll be there too."
She tenses up with anger, which allows me to free myself. I push her off me and into the wall, grabbing the dagger strapped to my thigh. As she recovers from the shock, I unbuckle her weapons belt and kick it to the other side of the room. I put my dagger to her throat and her eyes open wide as she squeaks out a yelp, twisting away from the sharp blade. Small beads of blood appear on her throat. The next thing I notice is an intense pain in my thigh. I look down to see a silver dagger stuck into my leg. She must've hidden it in her bandana like Alina. I bend to remove the blade and Salmon squirms free, and retrieves her weapons belt. I charge toward her with my dagger, but I know that I am no match for her skill. Her first knife slashes my abdomen, the second catches my eyebrow, causing a river of blood to pour down the side of my face. She's purposely missing my heart because it has no protection- she removed the part of my uniform that covers it. The next five knives slash my forearms as I try to protect my face.
"ALRIGHT SALMON. I get it. I'll leave you alone. You win." I slump down against the wall in defeat.
She backs out of the room, never turning her back to me.
"I'm sorry it had to be this way Fred. I'll see you around?" She shoots me a sorry smile as she darts away. This would be so much easier if she wasn't so pretty.
I look outside as she and her knife team run back towards the Fire side, taking down Ciara in the process. When they arrive at the manhole cover on our side, they go in, taking the flag with them.
It makes no sense- why would she go underground?
I gather my weapons and decide to make a run for her flag despite her warning. It seems like everyone is underground.
This is a mistake. As soon as I cross the threshold into Fire territory, Alex and Ehna come out of nowhere. All it takes is a couple of slashes to get rid of Ehna, but Alex presents more of a challenge. He and I fight similarly, but in the end I win. He oversteps on one of his thrusts and I knock him off balance, pushing with the flat of my blade and striking his head with the butt of one of my short swords. Now how to take out the archers? I look to the tower but I notice they are gone too. It's a clear shot to the flag, but I'm dying to know what's going on underground. Curiosity wins, and the only thing left to do is to go down the manhole.
For every bit of calm that exists aboveground, there is equally as much chaos underground. It's not just a tunnel down here, it's another maze, lit by torches. There are little niches built into the wall and filled with purple light that have signs on them: "place underside of map here". Nessa, Mitch, and Claudine are fighting Salmon, Rosalie, Lucina, and Madsen. The other two archers are collapsed in the corner along with the boy from Eight whose fingertips are covered in blood. Tarpon and Forrester are nowhere to be seen. I look around for them, but duck when I hear the whistle of a knife through the air. It lodges itself in the wall exactly where my head was a second ago. I search for the thrower-Rosalie.
"Don't you listen?" She shouts over the clatter of weapons. "She told you to stay put. Geez." She sends another knife in my direction and I roll out of the way, but it still slashes my back. There's a corridor three feet to my right so I make a run for it. I throw a torch in Rosalie's direction, but I miss and get another knife thrown in my direction, which cuts my ear. I grab the knife off of the ground and take off running into the darkness. Soon, my eyes adjust to the darkness and I come to a room with two batons on it, a silver and a gold one. A button on the wall says "lights", so I press it and the room is illuminated with a purple light. I didn't see this room on the map, so I'm super confused. On the map, it just looked like a tunnel. I take out my map and flip it over. In the purple light, new writing appears.
"If the team captain can find his or her team's baton underground, one extra point will be added to his or her training score and a tribute of their choosing. However, at least one of the flags from either team must be claimed before the batons can be found."
So that's why she went underground. Tarpon probably found out and told her. My guess is that the "extra map" thing was just a ruse. I bet Tarpon and Forrester were looking for this room. But there are at least seven different passageways, so my guess is they're still trying to find the batons. I just happened to pick the right passageway. The odds really were in my favor. The gold baton has my name on it, so I grab it and race back in the direction I came from. When I enter the main room, Tarpon and Forrester have returned. Madsen, Rosalie, and Claudine have joined the pile of unconscious bodies in the corner.
Mitch and Nessa look exhausted. They're the last two left besides me, and I think they've been at this for a while. We've been playing for at least two hours now, and they've been down here for most of it. I decide that it's about damn time that someone gets a taste of what seventeen years of career training can do. I secure the baton in a loop on my belt and draw my longsword.
Forrester charges me, armed with one of Tarpon's longswords. I can immediately tell that he is an amateur. He isn't even holding the sword right. I parry his first slash with the flat of my blade and feign an attack to his left. When he goes to block, I sweep and roll to avoid his blade. When he recovers, I thrust, disarm him, and push him into the wall with enough force to knock him unconscious. I turn to climb the ladder to the surface, but a knife pierces the back of my hand and I lose my grip on the ladder. Of course, it's Salmon. But it's her last knife. She's used the rest of them and now she has no way to defend herself, except with a short sword. But she knows it's not enough to defend herself. I advance towards her, thirsty for revenge.
POV: Lucina Carlisle, D6
"Give me your belt." Salmon commands. Who the hell does she think she is? Just because she used all of her knives, it doesn't mean she can just take all of mine. I don't think so.
"Hell no." I tell her. "Just use your sword."
"Give me your goddamn belt before I make it my personal mission to ensure that you don't make it out of the arena alive." She's dead serious and I can tell that she would have no problem getting rid of me. I reluctantly hand over my weapons. She hands me her sword so I'm not completely defenseless. She grabs a throwing star and launches it in his direction. It completely misses. Or so I thought. It missed his body but severed the loop holding his baton. He didn't even notice.
"I thought you didn't miss babe" He laughs.
"I don't." Salmon replied sweetly, as Tarpon tackles Fred to the ground. Fred was so distracted by Salmon that he didn't even notice Tarpon coming. Tarpon rains down a series of blows on Fred's face and body.
"That's for hitting on my girlfriend you asshole." He shouts. In all the commotion, no one realizes that Nessa, Mitch, and the baton are gone until the manhole cover clangs shut.
"Shit." Salmon says, staring at the cover. "Well at least we still have the flag." She pulls the flag out from the corner and leans her head to the side.
"Let's go guys." We're the only three left. She steps over a moaning Fred, climbs the ladder, and lifts the manhole cover. We climb out and place the flag in its original spot. We've won.
Atala, the Head Trainer, appears from a door in the wall along with medics, who begin removing the countless unconscious bodies from underground.
"Congratulations Fire team." She smiles. "You've more than earned your victory. However, the Ice team has recovered their baton, so Frederick and a tribute of his choosing receive the bonus prize. It seems that everyone is a winner today. Come now, it's time for lunch. But first, let's visit the infirmary."
Laina emerges from her hiding spot and joins us.
Salmon, Tarpon, Laina, Mitch, Nessa, and I walk through the door that all of the medics have been coming and going from.
Almost all of the previously unconscious tributes are awake and unharmed, as if the game never happened.
"We've given them medication. All wounds are healed. The weapons only inflicted certain types of wounds, which the medication is able to target and fix almost instantly. You will feel no side effects whatsoever or any pain from the injuries you received. You all were injured, so take these."
She produces a tray with six cups of water and six small green pills. We each take one and feel immediate relief. It's as if the past few hours never happened, but I can't shake the feeling that today's game was nothing compared to what the actual Games will be like.