Cupid Sanchez, 18
Shelby's #3 Female Pick
The girls arrived in a small ballroom that they decided that they'd camp in until the arena decided to change. Cupid was amazed by the beautiful white tiles on the ground, the murals painted on the wall, and the golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. She had always envisioned a life where she would one day be able to afford such a lavish lifestyle, such as this.
"You know you're going to have to face your demons soon?" Cortana asked Darcy. "You can't run from her the whole game. She's going to find you eventually, and Napoleon won't be able to stop her."
"Just leave me alone, Cortana," said Darcy as she kicked the marble tile.
Cupid didn't like this version of Darcy. Surely she couldn't have been this effected by whatever she saw from her past? Why is she choosing to live in that past when there is a brand new world that she is superior in. The truth that shook Cupid to her core was that Darcy was talented, and as much as her fucking up her chances in that game would be suitable for Cupid. She didn't want to win that way.
Darcy looked down at the floor and sighed. Cupid could see that she was beating herself up. Her past must have gotten to her head. Cupid wasn't sure what was happening with her, but if Cupid can overcome Jupiter, Darcy can overcome Kitana.
Maybe she just needed a reminder on who she was.
Cupid stood up and walked over to where Darcy was sitting. She squatted down on the ground in front of Darcy and smiled. Darcy gave her a light smile in return, and then Cupid reacher her hand out and slapped Darcy clear across the face.
Darcy stared at her teammate, stunned as Cupid raised an eyebrow at her. She then picked her hand up again and slapped Darcy for a second time. Cupid stood up, and Darcy was still looking stunned as Cupid brought her foot directly into Darcy's side.
"What the hell, Cupid?!" screamed Delaine.
She attempted to run over to them, but Cortana grabbed her arm and shook her head. Cupid diverted her attention back to Darcy and tried to kick her again. Darcy grabbed her foot this time and yanked it out from under her causing Cupid to fall to the ground.
"That the best you got?!" asked Cupid as she shoved that foot directly into Darcy's chest. The two girls quickly stood up, and Cupid could see that she got under Darcy's skin. The girl was flushed red. Cupid went to punch Darcy, but Darcy palmed the punch and brought her knee into Cupid's stomach. Cupid hunched over, and Darcy brought her knee into her stomach a second time and shoved her over.
"Don't you ever lay a hand on me again, Cupid."
Cupid smiled as she sat up. She struggled to take a breath as she did her best to center her breaths and looked at Darcy. "You are a badass," she said between slow breaths. "Stop selling yourself short. I don't know what past you're looking at, but the one I see had a girl who was always on top and didn't take shit from anyone."
"It's not that simple," Darcy said.
"Yes, it is!" Cupid said, annoyed. "It really is! You're living in the now. That's what you have to do. Because if you don't, you're going to end up stabbed, and do you really want to lose to Kitana?! Kitana, who can barely utter a sentence without adding "kins" at the end of every name in it?! Darcy, we are better than that. We are better than her!"
"I was in the games one hundred and fifteen years ago, Cupid," said Darcy. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked around the room. "Everyone that I would be fighting to get home to, the District that I called home, they don't remember me. They wouldn't recognize me. My family would be if my parents decided to have kids after me. If they didn't, I have no one. I'd be alone in this world."
"I was in the thirty-first," said Cortana.
"And I was technically in the first, but it was after a rebellion, so the jury is still out on that," said Cupid. The girls look at Delaine, who just shrugged her shoulders.
"I was in the fortieth," said Delaine.
Cupid turned back to Darcy and smiled. "Darce, we all have no one coming back in the original District. But we made new lives, and we have new families, and even though we're killing most of them in a deathmatch, there are still our parents. There are still two victors."
"Let's make a pact," said Cortana as she walked over to Cupid and Darcy. Delaine followed her, and Cortana stuck her hand in the middle. "Let's make a pact that no matter what, two of us are getting out of the arena."
"We can do our best," said Darcy sticking her hand in the middle, followed by Cupid and Delaine. "Let's do this. Next time I see Kitana, it's game on."
"Game on," said Cupid with a grin.
Ruben Ashven, 18
Hazel's #1 Male Pick
Ruben knew that this was his chance. He had been running in and out of the rooms of the castle looking for Darcy. She hadn't been in any of the rooms on the bottom floor, so now it was time to take it to the top.
A cannon sounded, and Ruben turned.
A sinking feeling fell over him. Like something awful was going to happen once the faces appeared in the night sky. No. Ruben thought to himself as he ran along the hallway. He didn't have time to waste on the what-ifs. He would have plenty of time to deal with those situations later.
He runs up the marble staircase, running his hand along the golden rail. She has to be here. It's really the only place that there is to hide out while they were in this part of the arena. He stormed into the first room, and there was no one there.
He stormed into the second room, and once again, there was no one there.
The third room ran him over like a mac truck because standing there in the center of the room was the love of his life as she talked with her allies. He ran over to her and hugged her. Each of the girls in the alliance braced themselves for a battle, but Ruben would never hurt Darcy. If this were who she wanted to spend her time with until she had to kill them, then they would do it together.
"Ruben, what are you doing?!" asked Darcy as she pushed him away.
"I came to find you when they said that there could be two victors. Darcy, we could be together. We could live out our lives and love each other forever. You wouldn't have to run from us because we could be together!"
"Can you give us a moment?" Darcy asked her alliance. Ruben couldn't help but see how the light from the sun caught her face in the perfect glow. As her alliance left the room, Darcy looked at Ruben, but her once-perfect smile was not on her face as she looked at him. "Ruben, we've been over this."
"But everything has changed," Ruben said, grabbing her hands in his. "This time, we can both be together. We can get out of here together."
"Ruben, no, we can't," said Darcy as she pulled her hands away. "I will always love you, Ruben. You've been with me since we were fourteen-years-old. We can't hold on to puppy love. We aren't kids anymore. This has turned us into full-fledged adults, and whether we want it to or not, there are repercussions from that."
Ruben sighed; he felt tears well up in his eyes. He looked at his love and reached out for her one more time. "One last hug?" asked Ruben.
"Sure," said Darcy.
Ruben embraced her, and the sudden urge to never let go fell over him. He felt the crease of her back and the locks of her hair under his hand, and he couldn't let go of this. It just didn't seem right. "I'll never let go," said Ruben trying to swoon her. "I love you, Darcy. This doesn't feel right."
"Ruben, you have to let me go," said Darcy.
"I can't," Ruben said matter of factly.
"Ruben. Stop!" said Darcy. "Let me go!"
"I can't-"
A sharp pain entered Ruben's back, and Darcy was finally was able to wiggle out of his grasp. Ruben could no longer feel his legs as he fell to the floor and started to see the blood pool around him. "You...you stabbed me, Darcy."
"I told you to stop," Darcy said. Tears welled up in her eyes as she sunk to the ground to join him. "I can't have this right now, Ruben," she said as Ruben felt his life drain from his body. He sobbed as the world began to be fuzzy, and Darcy was the last thing he could see. "I'm going through too much."
She reached out and grabbed Ruben's hand and squeezed it as he drifted off into the unknown. He closed his eyes, and his head slouched to the floor. "Win," was the last thing he said as he felt his heart stop beating.
"I'm so sorry, Ruby," Darcy whispered.
Kitana Striker, 18
McKenna's #2 Female Pick
Kitana was not having a good time in the arena. This was supposed to be her moment. It was her time to be the great and powerful Kitana Striker that struck fear into the hearts of her fellow tributes each time exams came by. She only managed to get two kills so far. Two kills. That is nothing. She was going to beat her record this time before leaving this arena.
She also planned on not dying.
"You need to control your anger, Kit," said Napoleon. "I'm tired of holding you back from fights you're going to lose."
"I wouldn't have lost," said Kitana scoffing to herself as they walked along the marble floor that leads up to the castle. "Darcy is a joke, and since she's been in the arena, she hasn't made a single kill. She isn't the big hot shot that everyone has given her credit for during training. And I'm going to prove it."
A cannon sounds, and Kitana raises an eyebrow. At least someone is getting some action.
"And what of Cortana? Or even Cupid?" asked Napoleon. "You think they're going just to sit back and watch you kill their allies?" Kitana scoffed again and kept walking, but Napoleon grabbed onto her arm and pulled her back to face him. "This isn't a joke, Kitana. Our alliance is in shambles. Synth and Vritra ran away, and Caio is dead. Rana went and got herself killed in the bloodbath. We are truly on our own."
Kitana knew that Napoleon was right, but she honestly couldn't care. When she saw those girls, she saw years of competition and anger all boiling down into one giant clusterfuck of annoyance. She worked hard to stay on top, and when she finally managed to overcome, she expected things to look differently for her.
But Rana, the easily manipulated little toad died in the bloodbath. Caio died because she brought two snakes into her Garden of Eden, and now she's sitting on a pile of nothing as Napoleon lectures her.
"I am not the type to lean back and let the world dictate what happens, Napoleon."
Kitana stopped in the middle of the square and sat down on the tile. She put her hands in her lap, and she pouted as Napoleon sat down and joined her. "What are you doing?" asked Napoleon.
"I'm going to kill then, Leon," said Kitana bitterly. "I'm going to kill them, and they're going to wish that I did it quickly because when I get my hands on Cortana, Darcy, and Cupid, they're going to wish that they never came against me. I'm going to destroy them."
Napoleon opened up his mouth to talk, but a beeping sound came from the sky. Kitana looked up to see a giant box falling down from the sky. She clapped her hands in glee as she jumped up to retrieve the box.
"Leon!" said Kitana excitedly. "Look! I'm so excited! We have a fan!"
The box landed in Kitana's hands and scrawled out across the top of it was Kitana's name. She gasped as she tore the lid off her present and looked inside. "OH. MY. GOSH," she screamed into the air. Napoleon tried to hush her, but she slapped his hand away.
"IT…" Kitana shouted. "ITS AN EDIBLE ARRANGEMENT!" She picks up a bowl of fancy decorated fruit that is in the shape of a sword. Chocolate is drizzled along all the of the fruit, and Kitana shrieks as she bites into the tasty treat. "Oh my gosh, this is a sin!" she said.
Napoleon reaches over and grabs a piece of fruit off the arrangement and pops it into his mouth. "Are you even going to read the card?" asked Napoleon.
"I suppose I can," said Kitana as she grabs the piece of paper out of the box.
Kitana,
You're so awesome, and you're my favorite tribute my family has had the whole way through Game of Life! Keep going and kick their asses!
"Oh my gosh, it's like they get me!" screamed Kitana as she throws the note up in the air. "I'm telling you, Leon, I think that this is our turn around in the games. Get ready!" screamed Kitana. "I'm feeling murderous tomorrow morning!"
They began walking toward the castle again, and as Kitana stepped by the giant stone crab, she could have sworn she saw it move.
No, Kitana thought to herself. That can't be a thing.
Elizabeth Adews, 18
Hazel's #2 Female Pick
"That was harsh," said Arturo for the third time since Elizabeth killed Hadrian. "That was brutal."
"Relax," said Elizabeth, kind of annoyed. "He screwed me over. Everyone is going to have to die eventually. I had no choice but to take him out when I did. You've seen him fight. He would have made it farther, and then where would we be?"
"I just think that there could have been a better way to handle it," said Arturo as they walked through the plaza together. They began to walk through the maze, and Elizabeth attempted to process the events of the day.
"This has been a mess, dude," she said. "I've been trying to process what it would be like if the games went according to what I was anticipating to happen, but I just-"
As the group walked by a giant stone crab, Elizabeth noticed a twitch. "What the hell?" she asked as she walks over to it and touches it. The stone crab remains stagnant, and Elizabeth turned back around to face the boys. "That's actually crazy!" she screamed. "Did you see that?!"
Elizabeth attempted to walk away, but the stone crab stretched it's pincher out and wrapped it around her waist. She screamed for help as the stone crab slammed her into the ground. Elizabeth tried to force her way out of the pincher when she flipped her upside down.
"Elizabeth!" screamed Arturo as he ran up and tried to stop the stone crab. Carter reached out and grabbed his arm. Elizabeth watched as her allies idly stood by helpless to what was about to happen. The crab raised its pincher higher to where Elizabeth couldn't even make out the design on the white marble tile.
"PLEASE NO!" Elizabeth screamed as the crab slammed her head into the marble concrete.
Wow, okay, I wasn't anticipating two more deaths. I didn't even get carried away. Just as I was typing, it just felt right…
16th Place: Ruben Ashven, Killed by Darcy Hanning: Jim, I wasn't anticipating killed Ruben, but as I started to draft this chapter on the paper, I started thinking about the character growths and projections, and unfortunately, Ruben reached his. I'm so sorry. He was one of my favorites!
15th Place: Elizabeth Adews, Killed by Stone Crab Mutt: Abby, the real issue with Elizabeth was that similar to the couple that died the other evening, I couldn't figure out her arc. I had one, and I did, but then I hated it. I couldn't sit there and give her a bad story. It was something I couldn't justify, but I'm sorry that my failure as an author led to this. You know I think you're fantastic.
Alliances:
Edible Arrangements: Kitana/Napoleon
Bad as hell: Vritra/Synth
Bad Bitches: Cortana/Darcy/Cupid/Delaine
House Princeton: Lily/Axton/Sagar/Valerian
Anxiety twins: Carter/Arturo
Twinship: Lily/Axton
Keep it classy,
Caleb