We've reached four hundred reviews. AAAAHHHHH! So, to all, thank you for reviewing. It means a lot to lil' ol' me. To know you people waste your time on me, it's a good feeling. Obviously I wouldn't have gotten these reviews without you, random person reading their computer screen or phone or other electronic device. Unless I made all those accounts, and I'm just wasting my time and talking to myself. (Shut up, the alternate me's will catch on).
Ippetra "Ip." Z. Flycactus, District 13
She's not dead yet. Huh. Unless she found the strength to treat herself, I thought Fiona would have died hours ago.
I shrugged the thought off. Whatever.
I wonder if I could pass off as a Career? Deadly weapons, muscular physique, an alternating Y chromosome (this applies for female Career tributes). Wouldn't want to meet me in a dark alley in the midst of the night.
Wow, I need human companionship. I even used a bigass word that Fiona would be proud of.
I keep to the main paths, out in the center. What was I looking for? Not sure. I'd say trouble, but that's just stupid.
Pausing, I tilted my head at the echoey sounds of whimpers. Could be that twelve year old, although, she wouldn't have made it so far on foot on her own. I wonder if she'll even survive long with that arrow in her arm. There's a lot of people dying here, isn't there? That sounded awfully stupid, Ip.
Turning a corner, I inched closer to the dumpster. The asphalt caused my feet to scrape a bit and the whimpers stopped. The breathing struggled to be controlled and I eased my sword out of its scabbard. Bloody deaths are always the worse. The crap just gets everywhere, stains everything.
Just how to get them out. With a further shrug, I banged the side of the dented metal. A girl's head shot up and flew over the side with an interesting momentum. Her arms sprawled out and she struggled for a moment to gather her bearings and level her head. In that same split hesitation, I planted a foot into her stomach. A quick thrust and done. Nothing big.
But something in those eyes made me freeze. Slits of emerald with matted, dark-brown wavy hair. Comb it out, work on the makeup a little...Still has a slammin' body either way.
"Don't kill me." Those words shook me to the bone. Irrestistable, I couldn't say no. Couldn't strike through with the blade.
The notion came and passed, but my foot remained in her stomach. She wiggled her body a little beneath my weight. After a long moment, I finally reached out a hand.
"Ip," I said with as much charm as I managed to muster. Which wasn't that hard, obviously, especially for a girl like her. She slid it gingerly into my own, and I stepped off to bring her up.
"Harmony." Ah, Harmony. Not some weird ass name like I'ver heard through the years.
I kissed her hand, taking on my usual swagger. "I kindly make your acquaintance." Harmony fluttered her eyes flirtatiously. The sneaky-sweet smile was a good touch, although, seen it a thousand times. This will be fun.
Olive Quaker, District 12
"I don't like this plan!" But Devmani had already ran out of sight. Fiona hid in some brush not too far as a backup plan. The heat of my flames flooded through the darkness before dawn. Suddenly, Fiona shouted and I swung my rapier. The whole shaft of metal steamed red hot. My flames scorched the ground.
"Sorry, I just thought of an idea." Limping forward to prevent any pain from starting up in her center. A wire glinted in the light behind her and she tossed it with a wince to me.
"Tie it tight to the bar. Over there. Remember, tight." A little awkwardly, I dimmed a little and did as told. Fiona shuffled back to her spot.
"Where'd you get that?" I called out.
"From a fence, didn't have much else to do. Thought it could come in handy. She went on to explain something about my flame and convection and heat transfer. I'm a twelve year old with a very limited knowledge in science. I just smiled and nodded. It'll burn someone who doesn't notice it, I picked up that. Or something else, not sure. She set up a second one behind me, protecting both sides.
I wrapped my hands around the metal, straddling to reach both and feeling the warmth of it melting in my grip. So, I stood, watching over the land. We were perched on the highest possible point of the zoo area, and everything was visible. Which means I was visible, especially in the dark like this.
The sky was only a few shades short of light. Sunlight. God, I need some. The enveloping warmth of it gave me comfort and eased my bones. Made flaming a heck of a lot easier, for some reason.
The point was for me to draw attention and when the murderous tribute charged after me, Devmani would jump out and slice them up. Yeah. Not scared at all. I've used the bush three times already. Fiona sat off to the side with a knife in case Devmani didn't pull through. Still not totally scared.
A wind picked up, stronger than the one already blowing, and I watched my form dance on the ground. I closed my eyes, breathing in the scent of smoke. It comforted my nerves, a homey fragrance that made my eyes water.
A flurry of sound snapped my eyes open. The next instant, a blur of movement cut across my line of vision. My light dimmed with the nerves and I breathed heavy to keep it going. Come on, Devmani...
The blur darted across again, and then again, gradually finding a path closer to me. He then rushed forward, the pointed tip of a makeshift blade thrusting forward. I dropped my hand, instinctively bringing my hands up to shield my face.
Suddenly, Devmani tossed forward a knife. The weapon caused my attacker to veer off out of the way. But his body propelled into the wire and I felt a split-second tug on it. I awaited for the scream of pain from the burn, but none came. A cannon fired.
Dev examined her hands, then ducked under the wire to grab her knife, unbloodied. "I don't know how I did that but, wicked cool, huh?"
Seeing the corpse, my stomach knotted up. The boy's body lay in two pieces, upper and lower half. Blood and inside organs flooded out. Such a mess. So much blood. Staining the ground. My tattered socks. I never did think to go back to grab my shoes.
The wires dropped as Fiona tugged them down. Her face paled even further than what it was, and even a tinge of green. Her stomach does not sit well with this sort of stuff. Neither did mine.
Fiona choked her sleeve, gagging. "He was running so fast, the force was enough to make the wire-"
"-go right through him," Dev finished. "Gross but," she nudged aside the dismembered body, "effective."
Erone Thorn, District 12
"Dammit, Bubba, stop butting into me! We cannot get the fucking Twinkies!" he groaned sorely. A gruff anger rumbled in his throat. What's with him? I'm not that fluent in panda, sorry, but seriously, I did what the magical panda guru told me to. The other pandas love me. Why is this one so pissed?
Maybe it's because I brought his life back...but took his prior master's. They were close, I can tell. Bubba and Aries, best friends forever. I can't believe I killed him. What's with the strange feeling that a lot of people are pissed I killed him?
Bubba rolled his stunningly human eyes, roaring tiredly at me. "I'm sorry, me no speak panda." This guy really...
Suddenly, a figure burst from the remains of a tent. He shot an arrow over his shoulder, the string only managing to thwack his forearm. The boy grunted with the pain, instant red flaming his skin. Alarming yellow eyes flashed through his mass of black hair. Kid from Eleven.
Bubba growled, his haunches rocking up. Great. Clowns. Creepy zombie clowns.
Behind them, acrobats flipped through the curtains of the tent. The walked forward on their hands, sharp teeth hissing with an unnerving grin. My heart picked up and my throat constricted. Bubba plowed forward. I cringed at the massacre unfolding, Eleven stepping beside me.
"He really doesn't like clowns," he commented. "Although, I'd expect as much." I was glad he wasn't trying to kill me. I don't kill him, he doesn't kill me for the moment.
I nodded slowly. The male acrobat's head rolled to my feet. With a girlish squeak, I kicked it back. The other pandas sat about me. Their awkward exchanging glance caused me to shake my head at the duo.
"He's a strange one, Bubba," I stated, crossing my arms as a spray of what should be blood sprayed out at us.
Eleven tilted his head curiously. "You mean him?" He jutted a thumb at the panda mauling off a rainbow afro. He chewed off the nose and it screeched in pain. Chewing it, the red nose will never be quite the same. Bubba trotted to the side. The pink tongue licked away happily at the punctured holes.
"Yeah," I nodded. The girl of the two by my side roared. She turned her fluffy rump and disappeared in a poof of black and white.
"Why do you call him Bubba?" Odd question.
"That's his name. It's what Aries called him." Eleven's eyebrows knitted together. Confusion was written all over his face.
"But that is Aries."
I blinked at the statement, and Bubba raised his head in acknowledgement. "What?"
"That may be Bubba's body, but it isn't Bubba's soul, or thoughts at least. That's Aries." The panda roared. His gray eyes lightened happily, like someone finally got it.
See, Boss. He likes calling me Boss, rather than Master. He thinks it sounds cooler. He gets it. What kind of panda master are you, seriously?
I gaped, closing and opening my mouth like a drowning fish. "B-But how! I killed him. I brought Bubba back. His cannon fired!" Eleven nodded slowly, considering this. I didn't have to explain my abilities. He just already knew.
"I have no idea whose left, to be honest. I've been dream walking for days. I woke up upside-down in a rollercoaster. Started humming the Batman theme under my breath to fight off the nerves. But I came upon Aries, and he was sitting in a field drinking tea with a couple of pandas and his sister."
I looked at the panda, Bubba, well, now Aries. I made him switch bodies?
He made a gutteral sound in his throat. "Roar!" I tried to tell you, Boss. But you didn't get it. You need to brush up on your panda. I was pissed at first but, really, look at me now. I'm a panda!
The way I imagined him saying 'I'm a panda,' it oozed with an adorable little wave upwards to the an of panda. I turned him into a panda. I put him in a dead thing's body. This power is just getting weirder and weirder.
Devmani Crews, District One ~(Olive, Fiona)
Kazu Hokoshi, District One (killed by Erone)
Hunter Faye, District Two ~(Ron)
Ronneir "Ron" Tammel, District Two ~(Hunter)
Leanara Gee, District Three (neck snapped by Ron)
Trint Nevlin, District Three
Felicity Lissette Lebedev, District Four (betrayed by Dev, dagger to stomach)
Rodney Calder, District Four (Head smashed in by Ron's hammer)
Cynthia O'Meara, District Five (speared in the stomach with a trident by Rodney)
Aries Prospero, District Five(Panda Form)
Lysemet Sprintyarrow, District Six (killed by Trint's death touch)
Kalel Lepios, District Six (sneak attack by Hunter)
Skylar Hawkins, District Seven (killed by Trint's death touch)
Derrick Young, District Seven ~(decapitated by Ip)
Harmony Curr, District Eight ~(Ip)
Erik "Nugget" Traub, District Eight (crushed by pirate ship ride)
Mira Fox, District Nine (poison and crossbow through torso from Trint)
Nico Lenho, District Nine (sliced in half by Fiona's creative wire thing)
Melissa "Lissa" Arno, District Ten (head smashed after tornado)
Till Yarrow, District Ten (hacked apart by Hunter)
Mimosa Thistle, District Eleven (Hunter's maiming and dagger through chest)
Jasper "Jaz" Martinez, District Eleven
Olive Quaker, District Twelve ~(Devmani, Fiona)
Erone Thorn, District Twelve
Fiona C. Flycactus, District Thirteen ~(Devmani, Olive)
Ippetra "Ip" Z. Flycactus, District Thirteen ~(Harmony)
I'm not sure to count Aries as alive so, he's just in italics.