Caio Sagres- District Two male
"It's been nice knowing you," I said to Meenah as the tube came down. I meant it, too. Meenah was one of coolest people I'd ever met. I was glad she lived. She went in for a hug and I returned it. It must have looked funny, a tiny girl hugging a big thug. I waved to her until she was out of sight.
Nimini Dolores- District Two female
I had some ideas of what I might see when the tube broke the surface. It wasn't entirely right but I had the right idea. There was hard-packed dirt around the platforms surrounding the Cornucopia. The edge of the dirt led to rows upon rows of ascending limestone aisles. Doors on the bottom led to the bowels of the coliseum we stood in.
59, 58, 57…
Arielle Ermin- District Four female
As expected, the Cornucopia was brimming with weapons. Members of my alliance looked from one platform to the next to find their nearest ally. We were attacking in pairs, since I suspected Bacchus had prepped his alliance to attack barehanded before we reached the supplies. But Jayden had prepared us for that.
52, 51, 50…
Roderick Caspitian- District One male
I couldn't even see Eliora. Good. I would avoid her and she wouldn't cross paths with me. I found Karen in the throng of Tributes and we both seemed to have the same idea. Eighty Tributes were leering at the piles of weapons in the golden Cornucopia. We thought it better to fight another day.
46, 45, 44…
Coco Vermonte- District One female
Bacchus extended his arm sideways and waved it beside his head. The allies who could see him all turned to look. It had been his idea for us all to learn hand-and-arm signals for communication in battle. He crossed his arms in front of his head and I squinted. He put his hand palm-forward to his forehead, then raised his finger to the sky and circled it, then pointed at the sun. I was uncertain as I passed the signal along.
39, 38, 37…
Kodiak Alward- District Two male
Disregard plan. Cease fire. Assemble to the west.
What was Kodiak doing? He wanted us to retreat? We were the biggest alliance! What was he thinking? As I passed the signal along for the sake of transparency my allies' faces mirrored my own. How much did we trust Kodiak? Could Careers work under a commander? What the sixteen of us did when the gong sounded, and whether Kodiak was right, would determine the Games for everyone.
33, 32, 31…
Whyte Roberts- District Four male
Why are we shirtless though?
At least we got loincloths and stylish thigh-high strappy sandals. To my disappointment the women were allowed sports bras. Now that's just not fair. Either we all get one or no one gets one. Where's my sports bra?
28, 27, 26…
Swift Flasher- District Four male
It could have been worse. I was pretty sure the actual gladiators fought naked. And on the bright side Polaris was five platforms away. I questioningly cocked my head at the nearest door leading into the safety of the coliseum understructure. He nodded. This was not a fight we were ready for.
19, 18, 17…
Jayden Chadsey- District One female
I couldn't believe what I was thinking. But… it had been sixteen years since I last did it. In all the tapes I'd watched, it seemed I was the only one who ever did. We were always talking about doing whatever it took. And psychological warfare went a long way…
I would do it.
10, 9, 8...
Miall Piscot- District One male
On the platform beside me, Jayden unhooked her bra. I did a double-take that would have looked appropriate in a cartoon, though it was entirely unplanned. I looked over just to make sure I'd seen it right and saw Lucretius on the platform next to me looking back at me just as incredulously. When the bra fell from her he looked away like morality still had a place here. And I must have felt the same way, because I looked straight at the Cornucopia.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
I thought about it for a bit and decided that a ruling class that made entertainment of children murdering each other 100% would also sexualize their barely pubescent bodies. That's completely gross but take it up with the Capitol. And they really did fight in loincloths so they can tell themselves that's the reason.