A/N: You have no idea how excited I am.
Today's Spotlight Story is The 250th Hunger Games: Second Chance by Halyda. Haylyda is my collab account with Lulubell2495 (Haley+Alyda=Haylyda) It's the 10th Quarter Quell, but is in no way related to this series. The twist is that once a tribute dies all the tributes that person killed will be restored to life. Oh, and it's an open SYOT.
The other Spotlight Story, since I hardly think that counts is Illea's First Selected by DobbyTheFreeElf1290. It's a first come first served SYOC for the first selection. The Selection fandom, not HG.
Jasper Sarunski (14) POV
District 12 male
(No favoritism. It's important. Don't doubt me.)
I wake up with a foot in my face. I don't even open my eyes, I just accept that a career has found me, and I'm going to be dead soon. But that's okay. I mean, wasn't it my fault for volunteering in the first place? How could I think I had what it takes to be in the fucking Hunger Games? And why would I think that this would impress Adelaide?
"Why isn't he getting up?" a young girl's voice asks. "You said this would wake him up."
Why do the Careers have a little girl with them?
"I'm trying!" a familiar female voice says, exasperatedly.
"Try harder!" a third voice shouts. "I need to talk to him."
"I need to get out of here and find my own damn ally," the first young voice says.
I deem it safe to look, and open my eyes. I take in the sneaker, and since I was expecting a guy's foot, the petit-ness of it startles me. I look up further, seeing the sneaker, then a hairless leg, white denim short shorts, a black tank top and finally, the blonde pony tail.
"Lileth, you scared the shit out of me," I say, pushing myself into a sitting position. I let my eyes wander away from Lileth's face and see the two girls behind her. First, the tiny redhead in the tomato red tank top, and then Essie. I didn't think she would try to find me, but I guess that makes things easier on my part.
"Well, I'm gonna just leave Mid-sized One here while I help Little One find her missing ally," Lileth says, breezily.
"Lileth!" the girl from 8 protests.
"What?" Lileth asks, irritatedly. "Everyone already knew you were allied with Techa."
"Jasper didn't!" she exclaims.
"Actually, I did," I say.
"We're leaving," Lileth says. "Nice seeing you, Jasper."
"See you, Lil," I say.
Lileth waves over her shoulder, and soon enough, they're gone.
"So you were looking for me?" I ask, teasingly.
"Shut up," Essie says. "I need answers."
"Answers?" I ask, genuinely confused.
In response, she reaches into her backpack and pulls out a small box. In the box is some leaves, a handful of buttons, a few rolls, some apples and a bit of coal. I reach for one of the apples and she swats my hand away.
"What was that for?" I ask.
"Everything has a specific number," she says. "Seven leaves. What's District 7 known for? Their trees. Eight buttons for the eighth District, that just so happens to specialize in textiles. Nine rolls for District 9, or, as some people call it, 'Panem's Bread Bowl." 11 apples, probably from the orchards of District 11 itself. And you'd have to be stupid not to get that twelve lumps of coal has something to do with District 12."
7, 8, 9, 11 and 12. All the rebelling districts. Essie knows that something is going on with them. But how do I tell Essie and not the rest of the people watching the games?
Alicia's notebook.
There's a rebellion, I write. Alicia's leading it. Don't ask why, because I don't know myself, but they're trying to keep you alive.
Mason Quartz (18) POV
District 2 male
I'm just going to come right out and say it. I've been stalking the girl form six and the boy from 10. They both got eights, and they're from outer districts. I want to find out what's up with them. I'm not all that worried about the boy. I heard him tell the girl form District 11 that he was the butcher's son, so it's not all that peculiar that he knows how to use a knife. But the girl. The girl makes me suspicious.
I know that Elizabeth's twin brother Maverick won three years ago, because I watched his year after the reaping recaps, but he couldn't have been luckier. At the bloodbath, he went thoroughly unnoticed, probably because of his training score of four, and was able to get a large backpack, several knives and a bow. Ten people died in that year's bloodbath: both from three and five, the girl from seven, the boys from eight and nine, the girl from eleven and both from twelve.
Maverick set up camp in a tree on the other side of the arena as the cornucopia, never once running into the careers. Over the span of two weeks, the remaining tributes were picked off until only Maverick, the girl from one and the boy from my district remained. The careers had forgotten about Maverick, and they began what they thought was the final battle, with the girl gaining the upper hand by outsmarting the boy. The bitch was beyond excited, jumping up and down, thinking she had won.
It was a relief when Maverick stabbed her in the back of her head. She was obnoxious; I wouldn't have known what to do with my life if she had won. It was bad enough that she killed someone who could have been a great mentor. But Maverick's easy victory just makes me curious as to how Elizabeth has been doing so well. It's not as if strength and determination runs in the family.
And it's not as if District 6 has training centers.
Jaclyn Hide (12) POV
District 8 female
We left Jasper and Lileth about 10 minutes ago, an neither Lileth, nor I have said anything about them. I feel really weird and awkward around Lileth still, so I try to make a joke and lighten the mood.
"Neither of them has any idea what they're doing," I say, with a giggle. "I give them a day."
"I give them eleven minutes," Lileth says, smirking.
I allow myself a small huff of laughter, and then another until I have a steady laugh going on. At first, Lileth just stares at me, but then she starts to laugh as well. Soon enough, we're both in full blown hysteria, rolling around on the ground, slapping our thighs with tears running down our cheeks. Once one of us had calmed down, the other would whisper "eleven minutes," and we would crack up again. It was one of those things that really wasn't that funny, but at the same time, it was the funniest thing in the world.
"Is something hysterical?" a girl's voice asks from behind us.
"Wha-" I start. I turn around and face the girl behind me. Her long raven hair is lifted at the ends from the wind, and her once fiery silver eyes are now a dull slate color. Her mouth is set in a line, and her cheeks are already sunken in. If I thought she was thin before, that's nothing compared to now. It doesn't look like she hasn't been eating, more like she's just run down after only four full days in the arena.
"Techa?" I say, with disbelief.
"Yeah," she says, forcing a smile. "Where's Mason?"
"I ran away," I admit. "He fell asleep, and I took my opportunity."
"Cool," she says, nodding. "Look, since we're both here, do you want that alliance we had before?"
"Yeah, I was actually looking for you," I tell her. "Thanks, Lileth."
"No problem," she says. She walks away, never once looking over her shoulder. Once she's out of sight, I face Techa again.
"So what's new?" I ask. "Anything exciting happen while we were separated?"
"Yeah, actually," she says, smiling. "I snuck into the Career's camp and jacked some supplies."
She unzips her backpack and shows me some throwing knives, a bunch of food and a first aid kit.
"Jesus Christ," I say. "How did they not catch you?"
"They did," she says, ducking her head. "Lileth did, anyway. She let me go."
"Wow," I say, somewhat in awe. "Anything else? Get any kills?"
I meant it as a joke, which makes her response somewhat terrifying.
"Yeah, actually," she says. "The boy from 5. I don't know what came over me..."
I feel my mouth drop open. Techa's days in the arena make mine seem like a walk in the park.
"Tell me everything."
Isadora "Essie" Fox (15) POV
District 5 female
Rebellion. Third rebellion. With... Alicia? I'm sort of in shock, but I need to pretend I'm not. For Jasper, for my sisters, for Alicia, and just for the rebellion, period.
"We should make a map of the arena," I say. "So we can, like, keep track of where we are."
"I don't think we have quite enough information for that," Jasper says.
"Humor me," I say, rolling my eyes. I take his pen and the graph paper and draw a circle in the bottom corner, labeling it Cornucopia. I draw a triangle in the opposite corner at the top and write Mountain. I draw a squiggly line around the perimeter of the page and label it Beach. I draw in two sweeping arcs across the entire page, labeling the sections Desert, Meadow and Forest. I flip the paper over and begin a list of all the tributes.
Powerhouse (D1M)
Ditz (D1F)- Dead
Kidnapper (D2M)
The Boss (D2F)
The Fat Kid (D3M)- Dead
Little Girl #1 (D3F)
Knight In Shining Armor (D4M)
Bitchy Blonde (D4F)
James (D5M)- Dead
Me (D5F)
Mini-Perv (D6M)- Dead
Maverick's Sister (D6F)
Tech Geek (D7M)- Dead
Something With A Nature Name (D7F)
Reaped But Also Kinda Volunteered (D8M)
Little Girl #2 (D8F)
The Guy From 9 (D9M)- Dead
Little Girl #3 (D9F)- Dead
Guy From The Climbing Wall (D10M)
Miss Perfect (D10F)- Dead
The Boyfriend (D11M)
The Girlfriend (D11F)
You (D12M)
Lileth (D12F)
"Essie!" Jasper says, laughing.
"What?" I ask, pretending to be hurt. "Did you not like my names?"
"No, I liked them," Jasper reassures me. "But... Bitchy Blonde? Tech Geek? The Fat Kid? These are so hurtful!"
"That's what makes them funny," I say.
"Very true," Jasper nods.
Jasmin Kentwell (17) POV
District 2 female
Together, Ambrose, Tim, Star and I have formed a great circle of boredom. I'm sharpening my tomahawks, Star is fiddling with her hair, Tim is absentmindedly eating a bag of trail mix, and Ambrose is constructing what looks to be a bow out of a branch from a palm tree.
"Why are you making a bow?" I ask. "There's, like, 8 in the Cornucopia, and none of us even like using bows anyway."
"I'm bored," Ambrose says, half heartedly. "There's nothing to do."
"Nothing to do?" I say. "We're in the Hunger Games, there's plenty to do."
"Yeah, like what?" Ambrose says, shortly.
"We could go hunting," Star says. "We haven't gone in a while."
"There's not enough of us," Tim says. "We need someone to stay and watch the supplies."
"The supplies will be fine," Ambrose says. "There's too much there to steal."
"Fine," Tim says. "But if we come back and there's no supplies left, it's on you guys."
"I'm sure we can handle it," I say. "So you're coming?"
"Yeah," Tim says. "If I don't get another kill in soon, I'm gonna shit."
"Cool," Star says. "Let's get some bags and weapons together, and then we'll go."
I get off the dock, then go to the Cornucopia. I grab an empty bag and fill it up with everything I might need. Two water bottles, several packets of food, some iodine, a first aid kit, some rope, night vision glasses and some throwing knives. I strap a vest of tomahawks on and slide an ax in my belt.
"Did you take the last ax?" Star asks. "I don't know where they keep going."
"Yeah, sorry," I say. "I could only find the one. There's some tridents over there."
Evidentially, Star doesn't need a trident, because a box falls from the sky. She opens it and takes out her new weapon; a gold, double bladed ax with a leather handle inlaid with emeralds for grip.
"Damn, girl," I say. "Sponsors must love you."
"You have no idea," she mumbles.
A/N: I updated! It's a Christmas miracle! I'm just really excited for the next chapter. Lots of action. Three whole deaths. WHICH BRINGS US TO THE FINAL TWELVE!
Alliances:
The Careers: Ambrose, Jasmin, Star, Tim
The A-Team: Elizabeth, Fenton
Some Taylor Swift Song: Amina, Ralix
See You On The Playground: Techa,Jaclyn
Thug Life Chose Me: Essie, Jasper
Mason
Ivy
Lileth
Questions!
1) Which POV was your favorite?
2) Who do you think is going to die next chapter (3)?
3) Who do you think is going to kill next chapter?
4) Who do you want to win?
Quote of the Day: "You look at pictures of butts. Try to get a buttspiration. An asspiration for your butt." -Jenna Marbles, Buttspiration.
-Make the day special and Merry Christmas.