Nereus Martin, 19
District 4 Male
"What happened?" Maya calls as they follow behind him towards the cornucopia. The cries of Legacy run through the air as they get closer to the dark building. The twins and his own twin follow behind him running in between the bloodstained flowers and trotted on grass.
Still confused by what Nereus had just seen, he takes slow and deep breaths. Confused. Angry. Shocked. "Just follow me," He calls back. "Quickly!"
They walk onto an odd scene. The cornucopia is still filled with many racks of weapons, a body lies at the very end of the structure covered in blood from a large stab in their chest. Legacy sits over the body, Eliza's body, staring at it in tears. The girl from twelve stands a few meters away from the body, just standing there unsure of what to do. She should have died. People bet on her to die. Though she didn't.
"What the fuck is this?" Scylla shouts as her eyes flood around the room. It's a very odd scene to look at.
"Please," Vivian says. Tears silently fall from her face.
Legacy shoots up with a force that could knock a mountain over. She holds her bow and arrow at the ready, pointing it right at the district 12 girl. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right here right now?" Legacy cries at Vivian.
"Listen, ladies," Nereus says calmly. "Put your weapons down so we can talk normally!"
Legacy shakes her head and ignores him. "I don't want to ask twice you bitch," She shouts. Her hands are covered in blood and her body shakes while tears run down her face. Nereus had never seen Legacy look like this, never.
Vivian, as if she is being choked, gasps for air and starts to shake. Anyone with a brain could tell she is nervous for her life. "I don't know," She pleads. "I just-"
"Excuse me. I have something to say," Nereus turns around to see the gay boy walk forward.
"Not now, Logan!" Nereus says, rolling his eyes.
The boy frowns. "It's Ronan," He adds. "And it won't take too long, I just wanna sort something out real quick!" You can hear everyone sigh as he walks forward towards the body. For a moment he examines the body, looking at Vivian and then back to the body every now and then. "So I assume Vivian somehow killed Eliza?" He asks.
"Yes of course the bitch did that," Legacy cries angrily, with the bow still pointed at Vivians head. "Eliza could be alive right now, we could be laughing and killing. But that was ended by her."
"I see," Ronan says quietly as if he is some Peacekeeper investigating an accident. Nereus stands there with his arms crossed, unsure of what will play out. Though he knows he should be ready for anything. "And Vivian, you were putting on an act to seem dumb but you really aren't?" Ronan asks the district 12 girl.
She nods her head quietly. Nereus can see in her eyes that she just wants to survive, though he does not care for some worthless actor. "Well what happened to Eliza was terrible, but I say we keep Vivian alive!" Ronan says quickly.
Everyone gasps. There is silence for a second. "What are you talking about Ronan?" Maya asks quickly before Legacy can scream in disapproval.
"Everyone thinks she is a loser right? Everyone thinks she will die," Ronan says. Nereus is still unsure of what the gay boy is getting at. "People will be surprised to not see her face in the sky tonight."
"Hurry up and tell us what the fuck you are getting at," Legacy cries at Ronan. Her face is no longer stained by tears. It's red and hot, Legacy is angry.
"I say we should put Vivian as bait," Ronan says. He ignores the confused stutter and continues. "We put her in the middle of the forest, people think she will be weak. They will come up to her thinking they can kill her, but when they do we all will be waiting for them." He says.
"Wait," Scylla says. "That's kinda smart."
"Yeah it is!" Ronan says proudly.
"But I wanna kill her!" Legacy cries, now pointing the bow at Ronan. "She killed my best fucking friend!" Her voice echoes against the structure. Nereus can bet everything he owns that the Capitol is enjoying this show.
"You can kill her later, just wait a few days," Ronan says.
Legacy cries out in anger, though she obeys. If she dared shoot Ronan, probably the smartest one here, she would be outnumbered in a fight. "Thank you," Vivian says. Her voice shakes from fear. "I will do anything, anything at all to survive," She gasps out.
Austin Palmer, 14
District 10 Male
The dark tree trunks casted daunting shadows over the pair who laid against a thick tree trunk. They were slightly hidden behind clumps of bushes away from the barely visible black trails snaking through the undergrowth. Austin had grabbed a small backpack when the gong sounded barely a metre away from his platform. Whereabouts Olivia, braved the dangers and took a few steps closer to the metal structure to grab one of the small wooden boxes and a larger backpack. Together they had collected an apple, two small knives, a small pack of dried meat, a can of fruit and a silk pillow which they now both laid their heads on. Moon shone through the lattice of leaves and patches of stars could be seen in glimpses through the leaf breaks. The tall shadowed trees stretched up like arrows into the sky and streaks of the moon covered clouds could be seen in the dark artificial sky. For all Austin knew, it could be midday outside of the arena as the days were shorter here inside the capitol controlled environment.
"Austin?" Olivia asks quietly. She keeps her head close to his as they lay on the same pillow looking at the night sky.
He smiles. Hearing her voice is calming. "Yes?" He replies softly.
"What is going through your head? We have not talked since we ran off our pedestals," She whispers in his ear.
Austin sits up and turns over to face her. His eyes stare into hers. She smiles. "I've been thinking how lucky I am to be alive," He says. Olivia smiles even more. "And to be alive with you," He adds.
They stare at each other. Her eyes glisten in the moon's reflection. He smiles and his white teeth glow like the sun. "Austin?" Olivia asks quietly. She also sits up and starts curling her hair nervously.
He reaches out and puts his hand on her hand which sits on her lap. "Yes Olivia?" He answers quietly.
She grabs his hand. Her hands are soft, very soft. Her hand tightens around his. "I love you,"
"You what?" He asks quickly. He is not taken abake, nor discomforted by her statement. He just wants to make sure he heard correctly.
"I said," Olivia takes a deep breath. "I love you."
They stare into each other's eyes. Olivia smiles. It's contagious. Austin can feel his lips peel upwards and he also smiles. They can hear owl's hoot in the distance, far away in the artificial trees, and crickets croak somewhere in the overgrown grass. Austin didn't know what she was thinking. He was hoping it was the same thing as he bows his head down to her level. His face gets ever closer to hers until his lips touch hers. She does not push him away, she instead kisses back. Austin can smell her breath as they gasp for air. Candy canes. She could not stop eating them while they were in the Capitol. He closes his eyes and their lips touch again. He had never kissed anyone before, no one at all. Though just like in watching and in other games with romance, he had learnt.
Their arms embraced and from kissing they turned it into a hug. Austin did not mind it one bit. Her presence was warm and calming. It seemed as if time stopped when their lips met. Their bodies were so close he could feel her heart skip a beat. When they kissed Austin lost all sense, like a black holes was pulling him in until all gravity seemed lost under her touch. "Austin!" She gasped, pulling back from his lips.
"Yes?" He asks quietly.
"Just so you know," Olivia says. "I don't want to do anything other than kissing, I am not losing it tonight in front of the world. I would rather do it with you after we get out of here."
Understanding completely, Austin nods his head. They are still fourteen after all. Even though they both will not leave the arena, he did not want to think about it. All he wanted to think about was that they were both in love, he shall think about death another time. "I love you," He says quietly before reaching down to her mouth and continuing.
Astoria Luna, 17
District 5 Female
She didn't want to think about it. Not at all. Astoria watched as her friend, her ally, her lover, was shot in the heart by the girl from 1. Astoria had run out of tears. She knew he was going to die, but she didn't want it to happen this early nor did she want to watch it. She was even ready to kill him herself, but she knew when she would that she would prepare herself for it. But she did not have time to prepare herself for that. It was a shock. A heartbreak.
The sun was setting lower and lower. Its reflection against the clouds caused vibrant shades of orange and pink to flurry across the sky. Sometimes it was hard to imagine the arena was fake. Astoria sat at the north of the arena on the edge of the dark forest and the large open flatlands. She tried to remember the little note they got on the trains coming to the Capitol. Something about flat lands and keeping you safe?
She took a deep breath wanting to get her mind of the death of Mae and onto something new. A small adventure. She prayed to whatever she could that this was not a trap and took a deep breath. Astoria stood on the edge of the deep misty covered grass before leaping onto the hard sand. As the wind picked up and flew sand around the air, she picked up her pace and ran faster and faster towards the mountains, those of which were starting to disappear between the gust of wind and sand.
She could feel her dark hair fly around in the breeze. It was glorious. She loved the sensation of being free, like nothing in the world mattered at all. She ran and ran losing every care that she had for the world. Astoria felt alive. She felt free despite being trapped in a kids killing arena.
Astoria ran and did not dare stop. The sun was well below the mountains and the saturated colors of the sky had started to fade and turn into a dark sky as day became night. The sand laced around the dry earth and the wind strapped Astoria's face, though she did not care. She started to feel tired but she did not stop. Running and running deep into the unknown, unable to hear because of the wind's howl in your ear and sand going in your eyes was what Astroia liked. She did not mind it. She had craved an escape after crying for the last hours. Now she did not want to stop. Astoria wanted to run until she couldn't stand.
Or until the base of the mountain started to come into view. Astoria stopped. A small opening at the bottom of the mountains was visible from where Astroia stood. A cave. She knew no-one would be in there. She had to be the first out here. Right? Astoria didn't want to stand still for much longer, her heart beat slightly faster as she slowly approached the cave entry.
She prepared herself for a jumpscare, or to run if need be. Slowly and steadily she made her war across the wind covered desert which was gaining speed by the second making it harder to see and move forward. The dark hole got bigger and bigger until it consumed Astoria. She stopped walking when darkness covered her sight letting her eyes adjust to the new setting. She blinked a few times as her eyes focused.
The cave was about the size of the stage they had their interviews on and was flat and dry just like the desert she had just come from. Astoria realised that there were probably cameras on her so she stood up straighter and tried to look less interested, as if she knew this was here. In the center of the cave, illuminated by a small candle sat three wooden boxes, each about the size of a shoebox.
Astoria knew with everything inside of her that this could be a trap to kill her, to eliminate her for the Capitol's entertainment. But what did Astroia have to live for anyway? She had nothing back home, and everything that would keep her alive in the games was gone. Stabbed. Curiosity took over Astoria though as she approached the small boxes.
They all sat side by side and all looked identical, like the boxes that sat in piles at the cornucopia. She first opened the one on the left. Inside it contained a small remote bomb. The dark sphere was also connected to a remote control that had just one button labelled with the words 'Detonate'. She quickly realised the power she had if someone came into her new home. She would throw the bomb at the intruder since the cave was a one way entry and exit, and press the dark blood red button.
The second box and the one in the middle contained various types of foods. A small apple, dried chicken strips, a carrot, and a small velvet pouch. Again, curiosity got the better of her and she pulled on the strings to open it.
"Shit," Astoria breathed. She dropped the bag in an instant and took a step back from the three small boxes. She had never expected it, it's like the bag was made for her. Inside the pouch contained a small handful of the berries that had killed her mother. Moonseed.
She gasped again before stashing the pouch back into the box. Still not over the shock of seeing those berries she never wanted to see again, she opened the last wooden box. Inside and wrapped up neatly was a thermal blanket. Astoria did not hesitate to rip it out of the box and cover herself in it. Moonseeds reminded her of her mom. She cried. She cried herself to sleep thinking about the loss she had gone through. The pain she had gone through. Her mom. Maeshous. She was even starting to lose herself in these games.
As Astoria slept, the sand storm raged on throughout the night. She did not wake until the morning sunlight shone into her tear stained eyes.
Ladon Beaumont, 18
District 12 Male
Ladon was scared. He felt so very out there, so exposed. He hated it. Usually he would be calm about things if not trying to help others feel calm, but not now. Ladon wanted someone else to tell him everything would be alright. He wanted to feel safe again. Ladon hated the arena. All the terrible things it did to your mind, he hated it.
"We need to find somewhere quickly. It's nearly night," Owen points out. They seemingly had been walking forever through thick and dark forest. As each second passed, fog started to gather around the forest floor making it harder to see in the distance by the minute.
"Good idea," Frost says. "Though we can't just stop in the middle of the forest, we need some place to hide in that we all can fit in."
"True," Owen says. They continue walking deeper into the forest and further away from the cornucopia. The ground has been flat the entire way, meaning that there is obviously no higher ground in the arena. Tomorrow, Ladon makes sure to remember, they need to find a spot where they can see the entire arena. So they can observe where to go next and what their surroundings are like.
"Wait, what was that?" Oliver says quietly and the group stops in their tracks. The other three look around to see what Oliver was talking about.
"What was what?" Frost asks. Ladon looks around. A fear he has never felt before rubs into his bones. Like a wolf is about to attack him. He is horrified at whatever Oliver heard.
"The sound, a sound," Oliver whispers. Unsure of what he heard, everyone, even the brave Owen, stand scared for their life. Please don't be a mutt, Ladon thinks. He does not want to die. Not now. Not ever. The unselfish, calm and collected Ladon everyone knew and loved has gone. The arena had stripped his core to the bone and now his true colors were showing.
A faint cry wails through the air. Not loud, or unhuman (thankfully). But a young girl's cry enters Ladon's ears. It sounds scared. Not hurt, but scared. "Should we go near? I think it's only a human, a little girl," Owen whispers to the group.
"That's what I was thinking," Ladon replies quietly.
Frost looks slightly alarmed at the thought of investigating a most likely weaker sound that he could easily overpower. "Are you sure?" He asks.
Owen nods his head before slowly walking towards the faint sound. "Positive."
The cry only gets louder and louder as they get closer and closer. All four boys make sure not to make a noise. They agreed before the games started that they would work together to eliminate competition, but now that it possibly was happening Ladon was more alert, more scared.
Ahead he could see a small glow, like a candle. He could see the tiny flames in the jet black dark and even through the fog. He could smell the burn of wax and even feel the heat of the flame. The small light illuminated an outline of a girl. The candle sat on a log, next to it was a girl with curly hair and her back facing the boys. The group was so close that they could reach out and touch the crying girl, though they didn't.
Ladon turned to the boys, all who seemed just as confused on what to do. They all carried small knives on which they grabbed from the cornucopia, but should they stab her?
"Honey?" Frost said. The boys froze and the girl turned around instantly. She screamed at the sight of four large boys carrying knives standing so close behind her. Who wouldn't?
"PLEASE! NO!" She cries out. Tears run from her eyes so fast she could fill up a lake. She screams as if she has already been stabbed. The girl who is Honey, and Frost's district partner, stands frozen backed a few feet away. The candle and the log sat in between the boys and the girl with a hand to her mouth.
"No! Honey," Frost cries out. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."
Ladon looks at Frost who is scared for his district partner, then at Owen who is now the leader of the group. Kind of. "Yeah but I will!" Owen cries out before throwing his knife at Honey. She barely has a second to breathe before she falls to the ground and her canon goes off. "That was ridiculous, of course I'm going to kill her. She is competition and she is now gone. That means I am one step closer to getting out of this hell hole." Owen snaps angrily.
Ladon turns to Frost who stands there in shock. "What the fuck," He says quietly as a tear runs from his eye.
Rowan Irwin, 16
District 7 Male
The water was like a mirror and the wind was calm. A peace came into his heart. Rowan was sitting on the bank of the large lake. The serenity of the lake, with the quiet stillness all around felt unrealistic. Even the insects were at peace. The moon in its full splendor lights up the night and cascades its light with a glow. Life seemed good. But Rowan knew it wasn't. The beautiful arena he was in was a pretty deathtrap for children, for him. Though he still relaxed, laying his head on the sand bank as Olive walked behind him, turning her head every few seconds distressed that something might pop out of the dark tree line. Rowan could hear fish breaking the surface of the lake and small tsunami's rippled across the water. The artificial moon reflected a shimming glow off of the large pool and the silvering sparkle of light cast around Rowan's eyes. It wasn't real, none of it was real. Though it was.
"How long do you think it's been since the bloodbath?" Rowan quietly asks Olive. He hears the sound of feet against dry leaves stop.
"I don't know," She answers. Rowan can hear the care in her voice. He rolls his eyes.
"I don't want to be angry but can't you be a bit nicer?" He asks, turning around to see her face illuminated by the moonlight.
She stops and looks back at him. "I don't think you understand," She says quietly but frustratedly. "We are going to die, and I don't want to die. There is much more on the line then what you would ever think of," She snaps.
Rowan feels startled, attacked almost at her sudden tone of voice. "I know we are going to die!" He yells out probably a bit too loud. "I understand that perfectly fine!"
"No you don't!" She cries back. Even in the darkness Rowan can see Olive's face turn red from anger. She pulls up a finger and points it at him, starting to slowly advance on towards him. "You don't understand death, you don't understand loss at all!"
Now Rowan is angry. "Don't understand? We both suffered loss in the mutt attack years ago!" He screams back. Right now the least of his concerns are them yelling and possibly attracting other competitors.
"But that was ages ago," She yells back. Their screams eco across the night sky and several birds can be heard fluttering away from the chaos.
"Why are we even screaming at each other like this?" Rowan interrupts. "I don't want to fight Olive. Please."
"Because I'm angry," She cries back in a final burst of anger. "I did not sign up for this, I don't want to die like my fucking brother did." She says quietly, barely even audible. "You have no idea what it's even like to go through this, through the games, loss. You have no fucking clue and that makes me angry."
"But I do have a clue!" Rowan cries back. "I'm in this arena just like you, scared for my life and you're talking to me about how I have no clue?" Rowan can feel his blood boil in his veins. He is so angry, so very angry.
"You look like you're hot," Olive says simply.
Rowan is confused at the change of voice again. "What?"
"You are all red," She says. "You should cool off in the water! You would probably feel better too."
What? As much as Rowan loved Olive and would do anything for her, he was confused and angry. She was pretending like she was fine and as if it was only him who was yelling. Olive smiles before walking around him and towards the shore line only a few meters away. She reaches down and touches the water with her hand. "It's pretty cool," She exclaims, acting like they weren't just yelling. "You should try it!"
Her eyes look different though. In a quick glance at him, the moon reflects into her eyes. Rowan sees her bright blue eyes. Wait what? Were they not deep dark brown? Rowan could swear on everything for as long as he has known her, they were brown.
Almost as if she is trying to convince him to cool down in the lake, she walks out into the body of water. Pitch black in the dark, you can see her walk into the lake. "Olive come back, what are you doing," Rowan says. He stands up quickly and his heart starts to beat faster and faster.
Though she does not listen. In her clothes she walks further into the depths of the water. Now she is not even looking at Rowan, she just continues to walk. The waves part for her almost as if they are making way for Olive to walk. "Come with Rowan," She cries out, not even turning around. Her voice is odd. Very odd. It shakes at every word and sees higher than usual.
"Olive!" Rowan cries out. Tears run from his eyes, he is scared. What is she doing? "Please come back Olive, it's not safe out there!"
Olive stops in the water about ten meters offshore. She slowly turns around in the water so she faces him. Her bright blue eyes stare into Rowan's soul. He notices tears running down her red cheeks. "The water is cool Rowan, really cool." She says quietly, barely loud enough to hear before falling back into the water.
"OLIVE!" Rowan cries. His heart stops. Oh no, oh shit, oh no. He screams for her. What is she doing, why is she doing it? It's like she is being controlled, forced to do something she does not want to. Bubbles appear on the surface of the water where she sank.
Seconds go past. Only bubbles show.
Minutes go past. The bubbles have stopped.
The water has calmed down and the waves have stopped. The moonlight reflected water is flat and calm. Until, no. "Please no," Rowan gasps. His hand comes up to his mouth and covers it as a body floats to the surface of the water. Cuts covering the body from head to toe can be seen. Many cuts and blood. Rowan falls to the ground as the second canon for the night sounds. Olive's dead body floats lifelessly in the middle of the lake.
A/N: hey so i uhhh. hi. how are you? this is night 1 and boy is it spicy! what did you think about it? id love to hear ALL your thoughts about it down in the reviews :D this took a lil longer to get out then i thought but i hope you dont mind! this was a really fun chapter to write yet, such a sad one. the amount of times i cried during it... it had to be done, and i hope the tribute creators dont get mad as this whole thing is for fun, but i hope you can forgive me. remember the odds are low of getting out of the arena, like what? a 4% chance of getting out!? thats low.
since there will not be any chapter questions while the in the arena, ill let you make up the review yourself! what did you think of the deaths that happened, how you think the two died? tell me all your thoughts and opinions about this chapter! i would really love to hear them all. also thank you for all your comments and feedback for the bb, i love each and every one of you!
EULOGIES:
17th Place - Honey Fields , District 11 Female (Stabbed by Owen, D9)
honey, honey, honey. how i loved you. you were very brave and a very amazing person. ik alot of people really liked you. you were super kind to everyone you met and just wanted everyone to be alright. you also were preparing yourself for the games really well in training instead of crying like a few people. your death was hard to write since your district partner was right there. you just wanted to survive and im sorry you didn't. thank you Willuna for submitting honey, i loved her alot.
16th Place - Olive Thiller, District 7 Female (Killed by the Arena)
well holy mary. this was tough to write. before i start on the death i wanna talk about how amazing olive was. she was a joy to write, i loved her unique character and cool personality/backstory so much! i am so sorry that i had to do this averyrandomauthor, i know you would disapprove of this. but this was her end. as for her death? im going to leave that up to you, you think about how she died? tbh im not gonna tell anyone, use you imagination hehe. but seriously, it was amazing to have olive.
KILLS:
Legacy II
Vivian I
Nereus I
Maya I
Ronan I
Scylla I
Emmi I
Owen I
The Arena I
OFFICIAL ALLIANCES:
1 Team, 2 Parts (Careers): Legacy D1, Maya D2, Ronan D2, Nereus D4, Scylla D4 & Vivian D12
Kind Killers: Oliver D8, Owen D9, Frost D11 & Ladon D12
Teenage Dream: Olivia & Austin D10
Loners: Emmi D3, Astoria D5 & Rowan D7
