A/N: Thanks to Kiliflower, Clover80, richards25, Violagirl, charliesunshine, Dragontune172 and I-am-Cashmere-of-district-one for reviewing as we're now over 250!
I'm going through a bit of a blank patch in terms of arena ideas... if anyone's got any good ideas (and they aren't going to use them in the competition) then please PM with your ideas :)
Anyway, on to today's chapter, about another Career, who was briefly mentioned in my story 'Second Time Unlucky'. And I really do mean briefly, too. I think he had one or two lines to say in the only chapter that he appeared in.
I hope that you enjoy the chapter :)
"I guess I'm alright, guess I'm alright
I guess I'm doing fine, guess I'm doing fine
D'you think I miss you? D'you think I care?
D'you think I'll lie here and die?"
- John Power, 1995.
The 55th Annual Hunger Games
Draco Bond (18), District 2 Male
Cast - Alright (1995)
I stand over her bloody body, feeling just as I have done since I entered the arena ten days ago.
Emotionless.
I kneel down beside her on one knee to pull my dagger from her bloodied chest. I comes loose easily, and I throw it aside for a moment. I take the time to gently close her eyes as I move away from my district partner.
I can't pretend that I ever liked Samantha; we never really spoke much in the seven years that we spent together in the Training Centre in District 2. We were in different training groups; I trained under an elderly victor called Cicero, while she trained under Brutus.
I always knew that she was better than average. I'd heard the trainers talk about her potential on multiple occasions. I might never have liked her, but I certainly respected her. Anyone who wins the mock Games is respected by the whole district.
Just like the rest of us who survived the mock Games, she certainly earned her right to compete.
Then we volunteered for the 55th Annual Hunger Games, and were taken into the custody of the Capitol. Our mentors were Amadeus and Ivy, and they treated us well. We made a good impression during the Opening Ceremonies, and backed that up with strong training scores; nines for both of us. By that stage, we were bound to get a large amount of support from the sponsors, regardless of our performance in the interviews. That said, our interviews went relatively well, although District 4's tributes stole the show.
Then came the arena.
After spending seven years preparing for combat in every possible environment, I was pleased with the arena.
Low, rolling hills and fields. Rural countryside. Occasional small copses or other areas of woodland. Little shelter, but plenty of food among the hedgerows. At one side of the arena, the ground sloped off down to a coastline, where I stand now.
The Career Alliance was always small this year; District 4's tributes were both fifteen, and were lacking in ability. Once we saw that they got a seven and a five in training, we knew that we had been right to refuse their entry into this year's Alliance. The girl died at the cornucopia, but the boy is still out there somewhere.
At the cornucopia, we picked up choice supplies, in which I got a dagger and a short, curved sword. The girl from District 1 was injured somehow, and we had no choice but to finish her once the fighting had died down.
So by the end of the first day, the Career Alliance was down to three, with fourteen left in the arena.
Progress was slow from then on, as we became unable to split up and hunt due to our small numbers. In the first week, most of the kills made in the arena were made by other tributes, as eight tributes remained on the eighth day.
On that day, we ran into another group of three; both tributes of District 12 and the boy from District 10. Of course, they fled in our presence. We killed the boy from Ten; he wasn't fast enough to escape us, but the other two kept running all the way to the coast, with us hot on their heels.
At the point where they reached it, the coastline had formed a small bay, where the only way down was along a steep coastal path down an almost vertical cliffside. We didn't dare take the risk of following them down the path. There was no food in the bay, after all. Sooner or later, they would have to come back up the cliff.
We camped out that night at the top of the hill, and only realised our mistake when I woke to see a silver parachute float down into the bay. The intervention of sponsors would be able to keep the tributes of District 12 alive for the time being, at least.
Waking my allies urgently, we ambushed the tributes of Twelve, killing them mercilessly. However, I am convinced that our attack had angered the Gamemakers, because as soon as the cannons had sounded, the Gamemakers caused an unnaturally large wave to flood the whole bay instantly. The boy from One, who couldn't swim, was lost to the sea.
With the numbers in the arena down to five, Samantha and I decided to stay close to the coast. By the time we woke today, on day ten of the Games, the numbers had been cut to four; Samantha, the boy from Four, the girl from Six and myself.
I've known since we ambushed District 12 that our alliance has been on its last legs, but I didn't expect Samantha to turn on me so suddenly as we entered another bay further along the coast. Walking down another steep cliffside path, she attacked me from behind. I'm not even sure how I managed to fend her off, but somehow Samantha ended up falling thirty feet onto the sand below.
With heavy injuries, Samantha was almost defenceless as I arrived where she had fell.
It was over all too quickly.
Now I stand alone, wading in the shallows as the tide begins to come in. For a few moments, the tranquility of the scene almost lets me escape the arena. I'd never seen the sea before, until this week. I'd heard of its beauty, but never witnessed it for myself, as District 2 is landlocked.
As I see the sun set in front of me, casting it calming orange rays over the water, I watch Samantha's body get carried out by the tide. In death, she looks beautiful. Innocent, even. For a moment I allow myself to feel sorry; sorry that I killed her, and sorry that a life that might once have held such promise ended in such a sudden and traumatic way.
But the moment passes quickly as a cannon rings out in the twilight, and I remember where I am. This is the arena, and I'm a Career tribute of District 2. That's why I killed Samantha. I was fulfilling my duty, to bring glory and riches to both myself and my district.
The arena is down to two, and I have a job to do.
The Games barely managed to last another hour.
The death of the girl from District Six had been caused by the boy from Four, who had been fighting an uphill battle ever since he was rejected by the Career Alliance.
In the end, it was dumb luck that the final two found each other so quickly. The Gamemakers didn't need to do anything as the boy from District 4 spotted Draco in the bay as he walked past.
The element of surprise was ruined as the boy clumsily made his way down the steep path to the bay, and Draco was ready for him when he arrived on the beach.
The final fight was much less exciting than the audience had expected, as one tribute was clearly superior to the other. Armed with very similar weapons (both had variations of short sword), the stronger tribute was also better trained.
It only took Draco Bond of District 2 just over two minutes to be crowned the victor of the 55th Annual Hunger Games as the sun finally dropped below the horizon in the arena.
A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please review! As ever, constructive criticism is welcomed :)
