Sol Johnson (D5Mentor)
Nacelle and Rotor actually had a chance. Nacelle could help Rotor, Rotor could help Nacelle, and I actually let myself believe that. Hope finally rose in me once Nacelle made it to the top seven, and then she was just gone. I could believe that it was an honest mistake. Rodney seemed sad. I just couldn't fully comprehend the fact that one mistake had ended the life of my mentee.
District Five
The workplace was quieter without Rotor and Nacelle. Productivity may have actually gone up, but morale didn't. Everyone missed Rotor's odd daydreams, and people actually found themselves missing Nacelle's snarky retorts. The Aeolius and Ypsilons, close friends, both felt like they had lost two children. Twice as many children as were usually missing from a family were gone, so the District had to work twice as hard to keep things together. The families smiled when condolences were offered, but it would be a long road before they actually got better.
Tourmaline Addells (18) D1F
Icy ran one way. We casually walked off another. We didn't want to run into him right away, and we figured we could leave the girl alliance alone until we were more recuperated after so much death. I was surprised to find that both Wolf and Mahi were totally fine. They hadn't gotten involved in the Vibrant massacre, and Icy hadn't gone after them. I couldn't understand what they had been doing, unless they were making sure we didn't get attacked from behind. I figured Wolf was doing that, and Mahi was just too dumb to realize that he could have been helping me. He didn't seem to be a smart man.
Two cannons fired, pretty close to each other. That could mean that Rodney found the girl alliance, or that the girl alliance was breaking up. I assumed the former, which would hopefully mean that Rodney was dead. He was our biggest competitor, compared to the small girls, and I knew about his weapon knowledge. He would know exactly what he was doing if any of us got close enough for him to reach us, and most of us preferred close combat. For once, we didn't have as much of an advantage as we could have had. Rodney's bag was full of something, and it could be drugs, weapons, or both. I didn't want to find out.
"That was... something. I guess we should have stuck together. Maybe Valerie would still be around," I said, surprised to find myself upset she was dead. She was an obstacle, but she had died saving me. I guess I owe her one. Can't pay that back.
"No. I still think we made the right decision. One of us would have gotten shot anyways, and I didn't like the way Rodney was looking at us. He was planning something. It's a good thing we got to keep watch, even if we had to watch out for anyone," Wolf replied. I sighed. They could have just killed Rodney and taken care of us. He must know what he's doing, I tried to tell myself, although I wasn't sure how much I believed it.
"Maybe we should go find Icy. She'd let us chill again, and then we'd be able to pick ourselves up and make a real plan. There are two kids left, and I don't want to deal with any more casualties before I have to," Mahi said. I wasn't sure if he knew what the word casualty really meant, but I nodded. That made sense.
Wolf Krieg (18) D2M
We started walking towards the Games Building, knowing Icy was somewhere around there. We could find her house once we knew exactly where we were, rather than just having a vague idea. Mahi seemed to know exactly where he was heading, and I let him take the lead. I didn't mind following for a while at all. It was about time that someone else made an executive decision. My last one hadn't gone too well.
"We're gonna get there in no time! Then we'll get rid of the others, and we can draw straws or something to see which one of us wins!" Mahi said. I knew he wasn't bright, but I also knew he wasn't that dumb. He knew that, as soon as the others were gone, we were going to be duking it out the same as if we had never met. We'd actually be more vicious, since we would know each other's strengths and weaknesses. It would be a bloodbath.
"Are you sure you know the way? We could stop and ask directions," Tourmaline said when Mahi turned down an ally and promptly turned around. He shook his head.
"I don't think we need to yet. I just counted wrong," Mahi replied. Tourmaline shrugged, and I shrugged. I was fine with wandering for a little bit. We could clear our heads without worrying about keeping a Capitolite happy.
"What's that?" I asked when I saw something shine on the ground. I bent down to pick it up, confused to feel something wet and cold. "It's summer, isn't it? There shouldn't be any ice or anything."
"It's probably a trap. Let's turn around," Tourmaline said, and Mahi turned with her. I got up off the ground and followed.
Something flew through the air and hit Mahi in the back. It bounced off harmlessly, but that meant it was definitely a trap. I slipped back into leader mode, stepping behind Mahi and Tourmaline. "Get into that alley and run. Try to lose his trail," I said, watching for more icicles. Mahi just stood there, trying to let me go first, and I saw another item flying at him. I shoved him into the alley and followed him, but I felt something sink into my chest. Two more things sank into my back as I turned, and I fell to the ground.
"Mahi, you've gotta win this. I'm not gonna."
Mahi Katao (18) D4M
Wolf fell onto the ground, and I picked him up. I wasn't the brightest, but I was strong enough to carry him like a sack of potatoes. He said something about not being able to win, but I wasn't going to let that happen. I was going to get him away from whoever was chasing us, and then I would patch him back up. It would be as easy as that, and then we could go back to the Games.
"Quick change of plans. He can make ice, which can trip us up. We're gonna duck around a corner, then ambush him. You take left, I'll take right," Tourmaline said, and I nodded. I took Wolf's sword and turned a corner, ducking down so Icy wouldn't be able to see me.
It didn't take long for Icy to find us. I jumped up and tried to stab him before he had time to throw anything. He slipped away, but not far enough that I couldn't get a slash through his side. He glared for a second, then slid away.
"I already got one of you. You take care of yourselves," Icy called out, skating away from us. I watched as he took a straight path, not dropping my guard until he was out of sight. It took a while, but I figured he was an acceptable distance away.
"All right, Wolf, let's get you patched up," I said, leaning over him. He was pale, but he was still breathing. "What did he do to you?"
"Just go," Wolf panted, but I shook my head.
"I am not letting you die. You are going to be all right. You're going to win this," I said, not able to accept the fact that Wolf was going to die. He couldn't die because of me. He couldn't die because of some dumb Capitol twist.
"Can't... Sharp... Deep..." Wolf panted, barely breathing. I shook my head.
"It can't be too deep. We'll get sponsors or something. You're gonna get through this," I said, surprised to feel tears slipping down my cheeks. Wolf was not supposed to die.
I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Tourmaline was standing over me, looking down at Wolf.
"He's right, Mahi. We have to keep moving. We don't know when Icy will come back," she said to me. I shook my head.
"I can carry him or something. He'll be fine."
Tourmaline shook her head. "We have to let the hovercraft pick him up. Just look at your shirt. It's entirely covered in blood. He's dead, Mahi." A cannon went off as she spoke, and I was forced to recognize that she was right. My best ally was dead, and that was the end of that.
5th Place: Wolf Krieg - Stabbed by Icy
Quick explanation before the eulogy: Icy had icicle daggers, but he also had weird razor ice skates. Those didn't get described because Wolf was busy dying, but it was requested by Icy's submitted.
Wolf was super cool, in my honest opinion. He was a last-minute submission by LCS, because I was getting impatient. Even though I would have taken anything, LCS still sent someone worth writing. Wolf was a Career, but he was uncertain, and he knew what was going on. He actually should have outlasted Mahi, but LCS specifically asked for Wolf to die protecting Mahi. I thought it fit his leadership character, and now Mahi can feel both sad and stupid. Thank you to LCS for Wolf, who was everything this story needed.
Special Shoutout: 1st Hunter: Icykill - He ain't dead, I just wanted to give him a shoutout. For not dying.
Top four at last! This thing's almost done.
