Walcott Patel- District Three female (16)
My eyes trailed down as I looked at Gidget while my tube rose up. The ceiling disappeared under me and there was nothing around the tube but sterile gray walls lit by the yellowish dome light coming from the tube itself. In a second I'll see the Arena, I thought. But a second passed, and then another, and then ten more, and still the tube rose.
Arroyo Cardoso- District Four male (17)
This tube has been rising for a long time. I'd been in the narrow tube for what seemed like at least thirty seconds and I was getting pretty ready to be out of there. There was a tightness in my chest and a tiny but present dislike of being so tightly enclosed. Careers weren't supposed to be afraid of anything but claustrophobia was not one of the trials we prepared for. I took deep breaths as the tube kept rising. When a sliver of light suddenly appeared at the top of the tube I let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Alysanne Audren- District Six female (15)
I'd known it would be inside. I hadn't known the specifics, but when the tube rose I discovered we were in an office building. Cubicles made a maze around one giant gold-painted cubicle that was this year's Cornucopia. At first I was surprised to see it held as much food as it did weaponry, but when I thought about it, an office building wouldn't necessarily have a lot of food. The Cornucopia might be more vital to survival than most outdoor years. I looked up as the timer appeared in the air above the Cornucopia.
59, 58, 57...
Oaken Mushroom- District Seven male (17)
It was an urban version of home. This wasn't just any building- it was a skyscraper. Looking out the windows above the cubicles I could see the tops of other buildings. We were higher than any tree I'd ever been in. It was so homey I felt a wave of peace combating the roiling anxiety of the countdown. I found Clair six platforms to my left and saw she had none of my nostalgic zen. She was probably the more correct of us.
54, 53, 52...
Erida Ampere- District Five female (18)
What a time to get sick. Why does everything bad have to happen to me?
My stomach felt like it was rotting. I had that horrible feeling in my chest and throat of wanting to vomit just so I could get it over with and stop feeling sick. A sudden cramp shot through my stomach so painfully my knees buckled. My left knee hit the edge of the platform awkwardly and slid off. I put out my arms as I tumbled sideways and hit the ground.
Ezra Aaryn- District Three male (17)
The explosion shook the entire room. The cubicles shuddered and one of them lost a wall when it tumbled over. I looked to the source of the noise and from what was left I didn't know who had died. What I could see clearly was poor Walcott spattered with blood and gore. She was on one knee with her hand steadying herself as she shuddered and frantically wiped herself off with her free hand. I felt horrible but it was just a little bit funny that the vampire hunter was afraid of blood.
41, 40, 49...
Lacey Weaver- District Eight female (18)
Jacquard was right on my right. Sometimes the odds were in my favor. I knew it wasn't how statistics worked but I still felt cursed, like Jacquard being near me used up all my good luck and I'd die in the Bloodbath to balance it. Jacquard and I looked at each other and we couldn't seem to look away. If I didn't look at the Careers maybe they weren't there. Maybe it was just me and Jacquard...
37, 36, 35...
Flint Kenyte- District Two male (18)
The nearest Career to me was Charybdis and she was four platforms to my right. She was right next to Vaslav, which boded well for me and less well for him. But it didn't take long to kill someone so I might still not be out of the woods.
30, 29, 28...
Scarlett Antonia- District Twelve female (15)
A hunting knife with a six-inch blade lay invitingly on the giant desk inside the Cornucopia cubicle. It was so near the close edge of the table it actually hung off. I needed something to defend myself. It wasn't even being indulgent to go after it provided the Careers weren't near my platform. I looked around and the closest, Arroyo, was six platforms away. And it wasn't like I was their first priority.
23, 22, 21...
Dionysus Bacchus- District One male (17)
We all had our targets. If we were far away from one and no one was closer to another we were allowed to switch but I happened to be only three platforms away from mine. As the last seconds ticked down I glanced at her eyes to try to see where she was headed while at the same time glancing away every few seconds so it wouldn't be obvious if she happened to look at me.
11, 10, 9...
Fleur Laveau- District Eleven female (18)
Dionysus was just a few platforms away. Whether I lived or died entirely depended on whether or not he chose to come for me. I really didn't like the way he kept looking at me.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1
