Crystal Vine, District 1

"What's the plan?" Crystal asks the three Careers that surround her. She's incredibly relieved that Alexandrine is feeling better. Despite her missing hand, Crystal knows she'll be able to hold her own if it came down to it.

"We either hunt or let the fight come to us. The Gamemakers will force us together at some point." Evan answers first.

"Who's still out there?" Alexandrine asks.

"Casper and Mako for sure. Then two or three tributes from outer districts." Evan says.

"That's good. We could take out Casper and Mako as a group. Shouldn't be a problem." Crystal says with enough confidence to convince herself it's true. Sure, a four versus one is easy to say who will win. But who would they lose getting into a fight like that?

"As long as we don't do what Casper did." Maeve says quietly. Although it has remained unspoken, Casper's decision to abandon the Careers due to the limited number of tributes remaining put an edge on the remaining alliance. He's right, only one or two of them will come out alive. What would happen if the four of them were the last four tributes remaining in the arena?

"No. We're stronger together. We'll stick together until the end." Evan reassures everybody. Crystal knows he won't go against his word. He's too honest. And she knows Alexandrine wouldn't betray her. She would have never expected, but they've grown the closest since being put out in the arena. That leaves Maeve, mentally deranged Maeve. She's kept her head on her shoulders and has yet to appear like a threat, but Crystal knows she's a ticking time bomb. One wrong move could set off a spark.

"Now that that's settled, what is our plan? Should we hunt or stay put?" Crystal reiterates. She assumes none of them want to make that decision. This late in the game, every decision could be their last.

"Let's stay put. Only hunt for food. Wait until the Gamemakers force us together." Alexandrine says. No one argues. Crystal takes her seat next to Alexandrine and leans against her shoulder, feeling safer than she has been these last two weeks. Maybe she feels better now that Alexandrine is up and moving. Or maybe she's more confident than ever that she will be one of the two victors of the 50th Hunger Games. Maybe she doesn't know why herself, but she holds onto that feeling, wanting it to stay with her as long as possible.


Mako Swanson, District 4

Mako holds his sword behind him, lifting it slightly above the ground to keep it from making too much noise or get caught in anything. He's abandoned the place they've-he's called home for the last few days. Everywhere he looked he saw his sister. And he couldn't bear it.

"Why didn't you save me? Minnow's piercing brown eyes were like daggers in his heart.

"I tried. I tried to stop you." He would reply, hating himself for failing her.

"I want him dead." She would tell him. Over and over again, as a constant reminder of what Evan did to her.

"I do too." He would try to reassure her that he hadn't given up. That he was still her brother and he was still looking out for her, as he always had.

"Then go do something." She would say. Those were typically her last words before she vanished back into his memory. No matter what her last words were, he would always feel empty after her visits. Cold, defeated, and empty. He didn't think killing Evan would make him feel better. All it would do is bring him closer to victory.

Winning. That's all he's ever wanted from the day he enrolled in the academy. Entering the Hunger Games and coming out victorious. But even winning won't bring her back. Nothing will bring her back. Nothing will fill the void she left behind when she was killed.

Mako is so consumed by his thoughts he doesn't see the sword swinging at him until the last second. Thankfully for him, he's quick on his feet. He raises his sword in the air and metal clanks on metal as the swords collide. He finds himself staring in the face of Casper, once his ally, now his enemy.

If Casper is here, Evan must be near. Mako pulls his sword back and slices at Casper. Casper is able to jump back just in time. He doesn't hesitate before he does his counterattack, catching Mako's arm and slightly cutting into his arm. Even when the blood starts flowing, Mako doesn't notice or mind. It's just another wound.

Mako swings at Casper, who easily dodges the first hit. Mako is fast and gets in Casper's face. He's able to swing into Casper's side, just barely breaking skin.

Mako's advance has left him vulnerable however. Casper notices this and takes advantage of it. He kicks Mako in the stomach. Mako stumbles back and for just a moment is defenseless. It's just a moment too long because Casper comes down with his sword and cuts through Mako's stomach. Mako gasps for air, dropping his own sword in defeat.

Casper pulls his sword of out Mako's stomach and Mako collapses to the ground.

"You didn't kill him." Minnow stares at Mako's dying body.

"I know. I'm coming to see you, though." Mako responds as the life drifts away from him.

"Good. I missed you." Minnow fades away with Mako. The cannon fires.


Hodaka Granger, District 9

Hodaka thought she knew what it was like to be hungry. But growing up with just enough money to eat regularly hasn't prepared her for feeling true starvation. She was hoping holding up in her tree would keep her safe and well fed enough until the tribute pool dropped down low enough. But she was wrong. So she's forced herself out of her tree to hunt for food. She sharpens her makeshift knife and drinks from her pond before venturing out. She tries to ignore how afraid she is. If another tribute were to bust through the woods right now, what would her chances of survival be? She tries not to think about it.

She tries to suppress her frustration as she ventures through the woods. She's always been someone who knows exactly what she wants to happen. She gets frustrated when things don't go her way. In the arena, nothing seems to be going her way.

She pushes through the trees and stays low to the ground, staying as quiet as possible. She's happy to see a group of fat squirrels sitting in the trees above her. She crouches low and waits as the squirrels get low enough down the trunk for her to strike. She manages to kill two before the group realizes whats happening.

Too easy. She can't help the thought as it poisons her mind, creating a load of anxiety in her chest. They've never been hunted before, she tries to convince herself. She ties the dead carcasses to her belt before turning to return to her safety tree, next to her pond and her tree that's been her shelter. But when she turns, she's met with something that makes her heart drop down her stomach.

A large cat-like creature stands in her way. But it's not a normal cat. It's larger, standing on all fours it's as tall as Hodaka, if not taller. Every step is nearly silent. It's stealth allowed it to sneak up on Hodaka as she hunted. It could have been following her for a while without her even realizing it.

And it moves fast. It tackles her before she can react. It pins her to the ground with its paws and growls at its prey. Hodaka panics and uses her knife to stab it in the leg. It bites at her hand, but it releases its grip on her just long enough for her to scramble up to her feet. Her knife stays stuck in the cat's leg, leaving her defenseless. So she climbs. She climbs up a few feet before having to dodge the cat, who jumps up trying to nip at her legs. The cat swats at Hodaka as she swings her legs around the branches to stay stable. It's able to get a long scratch down her leg, causing immense pain as she tries to continue climbing.

With the knife still stuck in the cat, it's unable to follow her up the tree. When she feels safe enough, she stops climbing. Exhaustion from hunger and pain from her cut cause her immense distress. She looks around her surroundings to see if there's anything that can help her get rid of the muttation that threatens her.

She's just about to give up and wait it out when the cat notices something in the distance. It stands its ground and attacks whatever has caught its attention, leaving Hodaka still trapped in the tree. She doesn't try to see what it is. She just holds her breath and hopes whatever it is will get rid of the cat and leave her be.


Yeong-Ja Song, District 3

Yeong-Ja Song stands face to face with some kind of capital muttation. It growls at her and shows her its fangs. Yeong-Ja tries to suppress her fear and makes the first move, slicing her sword towards the cat's neck. It dodges but barely, allowing Yeong-Ja to get a good slice in it's neck. The cat collapses but bounces back up. Yeong-Ja can tell it's weaker. The knife in the cat's leg doesn't go unnoticed by her. Someone's been here. And without a cannon firing, she knows that person is still alive.

Yeong-Ja swings again at the cat, slicing near it's face. The cat howls due to injuries, causing a shiver down Yeong-Ja's spine. It backs up before retreating entirely into the woods.

Yeong-Ja takes a moment to catch her breath. She's relieved and allows herself a moment of rest. It doesn't last long. Yeong-Ja hears rustling up in the tree above her. When she looks up she sees Hodaka between the leaves.

Yeong-Ja freezes. Her instinct has been for flight, not fight. But the pool of tributes remaining is small. If she wants a shot at winning, she's going to have to change her strategy.

As she starts her climb, she can see the blood dripping from where Hodaka has been. Yeong-Ja doesn't remember seeing this girl in training, but she can tell she's pale from blood loss.

As Yeong-Ja scales the tree, Hodaka searches for an out. She's defenseless and weakened from the injury. Her only advantage is her location - she's higher than Yeong-Ja. Maybe, just maybe, she can hold off her attacker.

Yeong-Ja recognizes this as well. When she's about 6 feet lower than Hodaka, she swings her sword into the large branch that support Hodaka. She begins sawing. She saws back and forth, the branch swinging more and more from the motion alone. Hodaka's trapped.

To Yeong-Ja's surprise, the girl jumps from that branch to one closer to her. Yeong-Ja looks at the girl, who's just an arm's length away. She tries to pull her sword out of the bark but it's too far lodged. Hodaka uses her last strength to kick Yeong-Ja in the face, causing the girl to fall out of the tree. She lands on her back, her neck broken, the cannon firing confirming the death.


Maeve Landstone, District 2

Maeve sits in fetal position, leaning against a tree for support. She can feel how her joints are locked up from being in that position all day. But she doesn't care.

Back at home, it was easy to distract herself with training. Or family. But the best distraction she had was her girlfriend, Octavia. But in the arena she's had too long with her own thoughts. She tried distracting it by leading the Careers, but she can't even do that anymore.

On top of all of that, Maeve feels more like a burden now than she ever has in her entire life. She doesn't feel connected with her remaining allies. She wouldn't be surprised if they were planning on abandoning her, even killing her, when the opportunity arises.

Maybe they should. Maeve's mind isn't her own. These thoughts are barely her own.

Maybe it's better this way. Maeve grabs her head. The thoughts don't stop.

Make it easier for them. The noise is too much for Maeve to take. Too much.


Aha this took me a minute. Hope it was worth it!

Also we're down to the final 6!

Happy Holidays to everyone, I hope you were all safe this year and despite the pandemic, were able to enjoy your holidays.

ALLIANCES

Career Pack #1: Maeve Landstone, Crystal Vine, Evander Floyd, Alexandrine Laurent

Alone: Hodaka Granger, Casper Chevallier


DEATHS

23rd-Pepper Lokma (D7F)

22nd-Hayley Onyx (D4F)

21st-Ashleigh Cane (D12F)

20th-Marshal Woods (D7M)

19th-Crane Bavari (D2M)

18th-Lancia Audren (D2F)

17th-Elise Linderman (D8F)

16th-Eros Herier (D10M)

15th-Mathias Hayes (D12M)

14th-Ashley Oak (D7M)

13th-Minnow Swanson (D4F)

12th-Tristan McKnight (D4M)

11th-Thread Hawkins (D8M)

10th-Adonis Herier (D10M)

9th-Warren Faulkner (D11M)