Asher Elm, 13, Third Male (District 7)
All I can do is keep running through the forest. I'm used to forests from back home in District 7, and it's sure to be the place that offers me the best chance of survival.
In all honesty, I'm surprised I've even made it this far. I was almost certain that I would end up dying during the Bloodbath, but I managed to survive. It's a miracle I managed to make it out of that zone alive, really, but I can't dwell on that. I need to focus on the positive, and that is that I am still alive.
A cannon sounds and it stops me in my tracks. Has somebody died already? I wonder, but when more follow it I realise that it's just the Bloodbath cannons. I count them as they come, glad to be able to take a short rest, and I reach twenty-five. That's how many lives have been lost so far today. That's how many children will never get the chance to grow old and experience life fully.
It's all incredibly sickening.
But none of those cannons were for you, Asher, I remind myself. You're still living. And it's completely true, so I start running again in an attempt to get as far away from the cornucopia as I can. After all, the more isolated I am, the less likely it is that another tribute will find me and kill me.
The land is surprisingly flat for a forest. I mean, sure, I'm having to dodge the trees, but there isn't really anything there for me to trip up over like holes or logs. The gamemakers probably decided to fill everything in to make it more aesthetically pleasing for the cameras, unless...
What if it's not a real forest? What if they just designed it for the Hunger Games?
I mean, it would explain the lack of imperfections. It would also mean that there are added dangers though, such as poisonous plants and muttations. My eyes widen - I could never win in a fight against a muttation.
I'm longing more than ever to be back in the Capitol's safety. There, I was looked after and I knew that I would be fed well. Here, I have nothing. I don't even have a weapon or a backpack - I thought it would have been too dangerous to go in and grab something. It probably was, but I suppose I'll never know what the outcome would have been if I did go towards the cornucopia rather than running away...
Ellia Reyner, 16, Second Female (District 2)
"Wait!" I pant, trying to keep up with Seb and Delta. I didn't realise just how slow I was at running until now, but it's not serving me well at this moment. "Aren't we going to wait for Ally?"
"She'll find us!" Delta calls, her voice full of desperation. I guess she just wants to get as far away as she can, and I don't blame her. I can't help but want to to stop regardless, though. All of this trying to catch up with them two is making me feel exhausted.
"C- can we stop now?" I call, and Delta turns her head to me. She looks puzzled - very puzzled.
"Why would you want to do that?"
"I- I can't keep up with you, I'm sorry. You seem to be forgetting that I've got a giant bag on my back. It's really heavy, Delta. I need to rest." Of course, it's not really that heavy, but I need an excuse to get them to stop when that's what they're both terrified of doing. Thankfully, Seb stops on the spot and nods.
"I think we've gone far enough to be safe from danger for now. We should check what's in our bags." He sits down, and Delta reluctantly does the same. I practically flop to the floor. "Okay..." He empties his out and Delta begins to nod.
"That's not too bad," she says, and I can't disagree. There's plenty of dried fruit in there, along with a soft blanket and two knives. They're not the finest ones avaliable, but they'll do as basic weapons. And the blanket will be able to fit two people rolled snugly inside it, if they sleep back-to-back. Sure, it'd be uncomfortable, but it'd manage to trap in body heat at least. "Okay, you next, Elle."
I tip out the contents and discover a bag that's very good indeed. There's a large length of brown rope which we could cut with Seb's knives if we had to. Then there's a small water bottle, which Seb proceeds to check inside and discover it to be full of water. There's a one person sleeping bag which Delta quickly claims as her own, and then there's a smaller, glass jar of tablets. "Chlorine," I read, and Delta grins.
"Water purification," she says. "Now we won't have to worry about drinking dirty water." I smile - that's certainly a good thing.
We separate the items back into the two backpacks, but this time Delta takes Seb's and he takes mine. "We can share out the weight by taking it in turns with each one," Seb says, and I'm grateful. Hopefully I'll be able to keep with them a little better if Delta's got something weighting her down this time.
Dynamo Serkit, 16, Second Male (District 3)
"Hey, Petra? I've found something..." I say, holding a small boy in the air. She jogs over and scowls.
"Take him. I've already got a kill, I need you to prove yourself. Do it now."
"I got a kill though!"
"I didn't see it. You could be lying. Prove it."
"Fine by me!" I say, grinning. In all honesty, I'm just glad she gave me her approval to begin with when we were in the Capitol. If she wants me to prove myself now then I'm more than happy to do it if it means that she fully trusts me because of it. "What's your name, hm?"
"A- Asher," he chokes, his eyes brimming with tears.
"District Seven?" He nods, and I scowl. For the district, he's doing surprisingly badly.
"Cool. Bye, then!" I laugh, taking a knife from my pocket and slitting his throat. He falls to the ground, limp and lifeless. A cannon sounds and I turn to Petra, half-expecting her to act pleased or something. Of course, the fact that she is Petra means that she seems totally indifferent to my actions.
"Let's move on. He seemed alone, nothing more for us here."
"Is that it?" I ask in disbelief.
"Yes. Now move," she snaps, and I roll my eyes. I'm glad to be deemed like any other alliance member, of course I am, but I'd still prefer it if she was a little more encouraging at times.
I wipe my knife on Asher's top and quickly chase after my allies, all of whom seem really bored already. Right now, I seem to be the only one of us who is even slightly happy, but I guess I'm okay with that.
After all, not everybody's going to be feeling this enthusiastic throughout a death match.
Therese Patterson, 16, Second Female (District 3)
"Why couldn't we go for the forest, again?" Orchid groans as we climb up the mountain.
"Because that's where all the other tributes seemed to go," I remind her, "and that means that that'll probably be where the Careers all search." I don't mention that my sister's creations typically end up in forests, because I don't want them to realise that I'm genuinely scared that it could be my sister who kills me.
"She has a point, Orchid," Brietta says. "The more alone we are for the first day or so, the safer we'll be overall."
"Fine."
"It had better be," I laugh, "because I'm not trekking back to the cornucopia now."
Eventually, we reach a relatively flat section and the three of us sit down. "Okay," says Brietta, "let's look in these bags." I offer my backpack first of all, just wanting to get this over with. There are some crackers, an empty water bottle, some chlorine tablets, and a pair of light grey, thermal leggings. I literally squeal when I see them, and I don't hesitate to take off my shorts, shoes, and socks to wear them straight away. Of course, I put them all back on over the top, but I can feel the immediate difference. It's chilly up here, but at least my legs are properly covered now.
"Okay, now you guys," I say, happy with my items. They should all come in handy - the leggings already are, after all!
Orchid has a small hammer and some black, woolen gloves in her pack. Brietta and I frown when that's all she shows us, but it turns out that the final item was just hard to get out. It's a tent, and it explains the hammer for us. We should be able to stay dry tonight, at least.
Brietta goes last. Her bag is smaller than both Orchid's and mine were, but it's a bag nonetheless. She still had to risk her life to grab it, and that makes it just as precious as anybody else's items.
Inside, she has a full water bottle, some more crackers, and a blanket. It should be large enough to go on top of all three of us at night, though it's too small to be able to wrap beneath us as well.
"I think we've got some decent stuff," Brietta says, and I nod.
"We have." But we're going to need to find a way to stay alive to begin with or it'll all be as useless as having nothing at all. You can't rely on blankets if you're already dead, after all...
Rowan Leyton, 12, Third Male (District 12)
I'm all alone as it goes dark. Leone agreed to grab the bags for both of us beforehand, and he still hasn't found me. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if he ever will.
I gulp - that'd be bad, considering I didn't take a single item from the cornucopia. I'd probably freeze to death in this forest.
Eventually, the Panem anthem plays and I look up. The first face to appear in the sky is the oldest boy from District 1, and it shocks me. He always seemed strong, like he could be a contendor, but I guess I was wrong about that. It's weird to think that people such as him are dead, yet I am alive. I'm only twelve and I'm fairly incompetent, and he was the complete opposite, and yet I'm not the dead one?
It's surreal, that's what it is... completely surreal.
The next face doesn't surprise me as such - no, it just saddens me. He was only young, it's not fair. None of us should be here.
I decide to only half-heartedly watch the rest, because I don't want to start crying about all the lost lives. Because that's what I would do if I watched closely: I would cry. Nobody deserves to die in the Hunger Games, I think it's far too cruel.
Sighing, I curl into a ball at the base of a tree. It's not very comfortable, but I've got to at least try to sleep, haven't I?
47- Asher Elm, D7m3 - Dynamo Serkit
KILL COUNTS:
Leone: 4 (Trigg, Tech, Florian, Astra)
Charming: 2 (Sylvie, Riley)
Dynamo: 2 (Agar, Asher)
Monique: 2 (Fiyero, Taylor)
Tiara: 1 (Platinum)
Lyndon: 1 (Malachi)
Opal: 1 (Luka)
Petra: 1 (Charity)
Arminta: 1 (Persimmon)
Mason: 1 (Vernon)
Invictus: 1 (Natalie)
Ally: 1 (Centra)
Rhoena: 1 (Thomas)
Giana: 1 (Azalea)
Jake: 1 (Pixey)
Barley: 1 (Percy)
Castor: 1 (Peridott)
Pepper: 1 (Natalia)