Aiden Birch, 6
I haven't any food
My resolve to live grows weak
As Day Five begins.
…
My foot burns like fire
An endlessly burning torch
That won't cease to end.
…
My biome is harsh
Swirling white, a tornado
And there's no heat here.
…
I pray for sponsors
Or a nightlock pill to end
Misery, my life.
…
I've survived for days
On eating my shoe's leather
Now I have no shoes.
…
Suddenly I know
That my life has come to end
Curl up in a ball.
…
I ponder my life
Its meaning was quite pointless
And now it is gone.
…
Jack Marko, 7
I stare at the yellow and orange raft, the girl paddling still. She had paddled past my island, probably saw me. I was on the shore, collecting some coconut shells to whittle into weapons. That's when I noticed the tides coming into my beach were different, coming quicker. They had little white bubbles as well, swelling up quickly. I looked out into the water, and not seeing any muttation, began picking over the shells. But then I did a double take. The little raft was bobbing over the waves, a girl with blond hair manning it.
I inhaled sharply and ran to my tree house like my feet were on fire. When I was braver, I took my saw-toothed knife and went out to shore to check her out again. It was the girl from Four, and she was making great speed. She was a hundred or so yards away, and I must admit that I was frightened. The 9 that she got in training was not lost on me.
And so, I had run back to my tree house, kicking up tiny clouds of grainy tan sand, ducked down under the window where she could not see me, and nervously ran the tip of my finger over the top of the knife repeatedly, stroking and stroking it.
I can hardly see her anymore. Her hair is like a tiny platinum light, reflected of the cheery oceanic sun. Waves of water blue mixed in with a wake of bubbly whites created a swirling effect that I could barely spectate. And just like that, her head disappeared and the water waves ceased to show themselves. But just like that, I knew that they were there.
Swallowing a banana chunk, I tried to get some sleep after a restless night.
Roland Sanders, 9
Caty kept moaning, and I honestly couldn't blame her. Her leg injury had caused her serious pain, and coughing besides. Choking noises racked her body periodically, causing a slight sheen of sweat to sometimes appear upon her forehead. I always wiped it away with the blanket. She had been the only one to sleep with it, while I shivered in the dark during nighttime.
I know that my ally felt really bad about this, as she kept murmuring feverishly, "I'm so COUGH sorry Roland, KAFF, HACK, really CHOKE!"
So I just cover her up and murmur that she needs it more than I, keeping my own feelings at bay.
Anything to protect this little girl.
David Brown, 8
Everybody stares at the gleaming parachute, 8 marked clearly on its ribbon. I step forward and snatch it up with one hand.
"THIS TOOL," I announce loudly and brazenly, "IS MINE. WHOEVER TOUCHES IT IS DEAD." With that, I fumble to get my meaty fingers inside and I grab it.
It's a simple, ivory slip of paper. Maybe it's a blueprint on how to build a new weapon, or secrets to where my enemies are located! I eagerly flatten it out of my lap and read quickly.
Killing is an instinct, David, so read clear:
Keeping your cool is not easy, for fear,
But keep it, per say, and you shall see
And reign in the royal lap of victory.
-Cecelia, District Eight mentor
I stand up, casting it to the side in one swift motion. "IS THIS A HELLISH JOKE?" I scream to the heavens. "A FRIGGING POEM?!"
My allies read it as well, their eyes growing wide and heads starting to nod.
"This seems wise," announces Justice solemnly. "You should probably follow the instructions, David. You have a great chance, like she's saying."
"It gave me no directions," I holler back. "It was a JOKE! A HELLISH, BLOODY JOKE!"
Diamond tilts her head. "I don't know," she says thoughtfully. "She must have spent a big amount of money to send this. You should listen to the advice. If you keep your cool, you shall reign in the royal lap of victory. That sounds pretty neat to me."
"If she wanted to help me, Cecelia wouldn't have sent me a stupid slip of paper," I growl. "She would have sent a map, telling me where CATY was! Or a mace! YEAH, A MACE!"
"David!" Eve shrieks from her sleeping bag on the ground. "STOP IT!"
"There was a cannon today," shouts Lance to me. "It was probably her! She got one of the lowest scores, and there's no way that she could outlast Eve here in her condition. Hell, Eve's getting better still! Look!"
I do look. Eve is a sickly shade of green, her eyes flicking up to me hopefully. I know she'll never get better, and I have no compassion for this thing that lies here wretchedly. She's not even a human any more. She's a deadbeat excuse for a female.
"I can't live like this," I bellow, my hand finding the cool, metal handle of a mace. With one motion and a shriek on Eve's part, I feel the weight of her skull being crushed and her hands, flying up to deflect the blow, being smashed so smithereens. I lift the black mace and hear her cannon boom throughout the arena. I look at the bloody, boney mess that used to be her head. She was once so beautiful, now so marred. I tighten my grip on the mace and step away as the hovercraft descends.
My allies watch in quivering fear. Once it has picked up ever fragment that was once the recognizable form of Eve Glory, I turn to them.
"I taste nothing but vengeance," I whisper harshly, licking between the spikes of the mace and tasting warm, red blood that was once Eve.
Vengeance is a wonderful thing.
Saffron North, 11
"I wonder who that was," I remark to Willow as we take a short break from our hiking. "Two today. That sure made up for the lack of deaths."
"Yeah," Willow puffs. "I wonder who's next."
"My guess is that weakling from Five, the spark kid. All she talked about with Caesar was fashion," I say, a note of disgust creeping up into my voice. "Weird."
"She's not weird," Willow defends boldly. "Her name's Sparkella and she had a good alliance. I wouldn't be surprised if she lasted the final eight, Saffron."
I snort. "Hell, if she does then I'm going to choke her myself!"
For some reason, my last comment has left a tinge of awkwardness in the air, the type that always makes me want to cringe. Willow tries to hide her stricken face, but I know that I've hit a wrong chord. I shouldn't have said that about little Sparkella.
"She is strong, though," I remark casually, leaning back. "Who do you think's strong?"
"Roland," Willow replies immediately. "And Diamond. She was so good in training. She and her little friend, Justice."
"Awww, Willow and Justice!" I sing-song merrily. "I wonder when the wedding will be?" I croon, moving towards Willow. "Can I be the flower girl?"
Willow snaps like, well, a willow branch. "Stop it!" she erupts. "This isn't helping anything, it's just uncomfortable!"
I'm sure she's never said anything like that in her life, as I can see from the panic in her eyes. Normally I'd push her down a cliff, but seeing as she's my ally, she might have to go a little longer.
"Right," I say.
She turns her head away from me and faces off into the misty distance. An unwelcome, pinkish haze settles over the rocks and it smells like rain. This place suddenly introduces itself as creepy to me.
"Might have nasty weather," I tell her. "Better keep moving."
"I'm staying here," she corrects me. "I won't move up any more. I'm freezing cold and tired. Come on, Saffron. Honestly. We've been climbing forever, and nobody's gonna come up here, obviously. Please?"
I sigh. This is frustrating. "No," I tell her. "I'm going further up. There's something about this place that strikes me wrong, and I'm not going to stay here. Bye."
With that, I grab hold of a slight rock overhang and heave myself onto the next series of rocks without a look behind.
I guess we're not allies any more.
Lilicon Jummers, 3
My fingers find the opening and rip the parachute open eagerly. Dirt clods rain down as my head dips down to see everything. I browse through it, examining my new gifts. A short sleeve of crackers and a small, plastic, white tube of healing cream. Eagerly I unscrew the cap and hold out my arm as well as it can go straight as a result of the bones being broken inside. I stroke some on the long gash on the frontal arm, then dab small globs of the yellowish gel on the nicks on my back arm. Next I examine my legs and treat those.
Relief flows through me, and hope is rekindled like a candle in the night. I beam as I open the crackers, tasting the dry saltiness. My tongue savors them because after having nothing but bread and berries to eat meal after meal, this is a real treat. I plop another blueberry on top of a skinny cracker and eat it as a small meal.
I polish off one-fourth of the crackers before I put them with the rest of my food- half a canteen full of blueberries, two rolls, and three-fourths a sleeve of crackers- and set them all back in the bag. I apply more healing cream and gaze outside. The snow has not let off. It sprinkles down merrily. There was no option of going outside, so the parachute had come down through the fireplace. It must have taken some careful maneuvering- the fireplace had a grate in it so no animals could come down. I wonder how they did it.
Refreshed by my meal, I nap.
A/N:
Deaths:
Eve Glory, District Two- "Showing off is the fool's idea of glory." –Bruce Lee
Aiden Birch, District Six- "Well, fans always root for the underdog." –Maria Sharapova
Alive:
Career Alliance:
Diamond Star, 1
Eve Glory, 2- killed by David Brown on day five
Justice Wright, 2
Kristine Murray, 4
Lance Finn, 4
David Brown, 8
Underdogs:
Jacques Frost, 5- Killed by Lance Finn in the bloodbath
Lily Hoff, 10- Killed by Gamemaker's ghost mutt after the bloodbath
Brother-Sister:
Kenji Jummers, 3- Killed by Eve Glory in the bloodbath
Mix-Up's:
Jacqueline Edwards, 6- Killed by David Brown on the second day
Caty Lianne Peterson, 8
Hydrangea Samson, 9- Killed by Eve Glory on the second day
Roland Sanders, 9
Elijah Bruno, 10- Killed by Justice Wright on the second day
Cloe Berry, 12- Killed by David Brown on the second day
Loners (no alliance currently):
Lilicon Jummers, 3
Sparkella Munez, 5
Aiden Birch, 6- died of dehydration on day five
Jack Marko, 7
Willow Birch, 7
Saffron North, 11
I'm still sick. Isn't that crazy?
Merry Christmas! :-D