"Chaplin Harkless."
Freida breathed out a long held sigh of relief. Albert had aged out of the Reaping last year, so she didn't have to worry for him, but she would've been upset had the boy that was Reaped been anyone she knew.
She watched as Chaplin, a tall young man, emerged from the 17-year-olds section and trudged up to the stage. He wore heavy, dirty boots and a jacket that she assumed was supposed to look clean but did not.
Freida almost pitied him. But he seemed strong, and he didn't cry. Last year both tributes had cried. Freida cried too. She always did. But, the Capitol didn't like them because they cried. Neither made it past the Bloodbath.
She watched as Caecilia, District 3's brand new obnoxious escort, reached out her hand to help Chaplin onto the stage. He ignored it, and she tried not to laugh. How would it look if she was laughing in the middle of the Reaping? She breathed deeply and turned around, scanning the crowd for her family.
Her eyes locked on her mother; the woman's bright red hair stood out anywhere. She didn't notice her yet. Her father stood to her right, and to her left stood Albert and Joyce. Albert caught her eye and flashed her a smile. Keep your head up, Freida. He said without speaking. Stay positive.
He was right. Freida had to stay positive. She looked up at Caecilia walking towards the girl's reaping bowl and tried to focus on something else. Anything else. Dinner. It was late afternoon already. She'd have dinner when they got home. Every year they would have dinner with their downstairs neighbors, the Mays, on Reaping Day.
Their daughter, Isabella, was around her age, just a year younger. The two had met while standing out on the fire escape a few years back. Freida had been watering her plants, and Isabella politely asked what kind they were. The rest was history.
She blinked to return her attention to the stage. Caecilia had unfolded the slip of paper, and her stomach dropped. Only six slips, she tried to tell herself. She felt nauseous breathing deeply to avoid throwing up. A girl a few rows ahead lost her breakfast.
"Isabella Mays."
"I'm going to get a drink." Elodie gruffed, marching off to the bar. Caecilia frowned, watching as she left her with Baird and the tributes.
Before she could say anything, Baird took the boy, Chaplin, into the other car to talk strategy away from Isabella. She smiled awkwardly at Isabella, and the girl was quiet, tapping her foot against the floor.
Caecilia sat in the silence, staring at Isabella's foot. It hadn't stopped tapping. The glass table was beginning to shake. "How about we get something to eat?"
Isabella looked up. Her foot stopped tapping. She shrugged, and Caecilia smiled, getting off the couch and motioning to the girl to follow her into the dining car.
"I hope you're hungry. There are plenty of options." She said, gesturing to the buffet table stacked high with food. "Hopefully, we'll be having dinner soon, when Baird and Chaplin finish up." Caecilia paused. "But I don't know when that'll be, so feel free to have a little snack."
"What about my mentor?" Isabella blurts out.
"What?"
"Why is Baird talking to Chaplin, but Elodie is nowhere to be found?"
Caecilia wasn't sure how to answer. "I don't know."
Isabella sighed, and she looked back at Caecilia, and she could see tears in her eyes. "I'm going to die, aren't I?"
The girl squirmed again, and Flavia had to hold her legs down to keep her from kicking Francesca in the face. Lucia sighed and sipped her wine. At least the girl in front of her wasn't entirely unattractive.
She would still fit with the original plans. If she could just stop squirming and let her prep team ready her, they would be fine this evening.
The girl, Isabella, as Lucia had been told, was 16, though she looked a little younger. She was brown-haired with blue eyes and freckles dotting her face. She had something to work with.
By the time Isabella had finished prep, the girl looked positively exhausted. Lucia smiled politely at the girl, offering her water and a pair of cold spoons to hold over her eyes. She wouldn't want the dark circles to show during the parades.
"Let me show you your outfit," Lucia stated, snapping her fingers to alert the avox to go fetch the gown. "I decided I wanted to do something creative this year, and I think you will look absolutely fabulous in this dress."
Lucia frowned at Isabella's slight grimace upon seeing the dress. "It's made entirely of cords and wires, supposed to represent the technology of your district! You've worked with cords and wires before, right?"
Isabella looked at her strangely. "No, not really. I don't have a job."
Lucia was aghast. "No job? How do you support your family?"
"I'm 16. My family supports me. When I'm older, I'll get one. I don't need one now."
"I thought everyone in the districts was starving!"
Isabella scowled, and Lucia sighed. "Let's get you into this dress."
Flavia beamed as the first chariot began to pull out from the garage, and she caught a glimpse of the first pair of tributes.
District 1's pair looked stunning. The tributes were both tall and muscular, and they fit right into their costumes, a suit and a ballgown embedded with glittering diamonds. They waved at the crowd, and everyone cheered.
District 2 was next, and Flavia cursed herself at how stellar they looked. District 3 wouldn't be able to compare to the pair from District 2 who wore bodysuits completely covered in various stalactites and stalagmites.
District 3 rolled around, and Flavia clutched Flora's hand. As members of the girl's prep team, they knew they would be held partially responsible if she didn't make a good showing. They both breathed out in relief as the crowd roared at Isabella and Chaplin clad in wire-made dress.
Flavia began to relax as the rest of the chariots rode by. District 4 made a splash, dressed in various colors designed to represent the colors of tropical fish, but Districts 5, 6, and 7 were unsatisfactory. The tributes from 5 wore tight black bodysuits with flowing capes, and the pair from six were clearly supposed to be astronauts, but the material clung awkwardly to their bodies, and the pair from 7 looked absolutely miserable with leaves hanging off their arms.
Districts 8 and 9 did a bit better. District 8's tributes wore tie-dye and District 9's tributes wore tight tunics with an arc of golden wheat.
The last three districts with cow-print, farm-wear, and bright canary colors passed by without much applause and before long the tributes had dismounted their chariots and began mingling.
Francesca tugged at her shirt. She wanted to go see who people were voting for. But she was just going to be disappointed. District 3 hadn't done horribly. But the win would likely be stolen by District 9 or 1, 2, or 4. She was used to it.
She could just hope the girl would stand a chance. The boy next to her was muscular and cooperative. He would do fine. She watched as the girl from 8 approached Isabella and she smiled sadly. That girl would need all the luck she could get.
Chaplin never got jealous. But Isabella, his shy district partner who looked like she couldn't hurt a fly, had made herself an ally before training even began. But the first day of training was wrapping up and he had yet to convince anyone to talk to him.
He glowered at the girl that had followed him and Isabella into the elevator. Ramona, she introduced herself as. He raised an eyebrow at her and ignored the hand she had laid out.
"You don't have to be rude!" Isabella hissed as she turned back to Ramona.
He ignored her. But she had a point. Not that he was going to do anything about it though. He didn't see the point in making allies or friends. They would all be dead in a couple weeks anyway, why did it matter?
Chaplin knew Isabella knew these were her last days. She wasn't particularly strong, pretty, or motivated. She was tired of life already. She just wanted to enjoy her last days. That was all clear to him. He pitied her. He really did.
But it wasn't going to get in his way. She was on her own.
The next day he was up bright and early. Isabella stepped out into the dining room groggily, surprised to see he had already finished his breakfast and was preparing to head down to the Training Center. He wasn't going to waste his time. He nodded curtly at her and jogged to the stairs.
Chaplin was the first to arrive in the Training Center and much to his displeasure, he was not allowed to start until the rest of the tributes had arrived. It was a long wait.
Isabella arrived and she was giggling with Ramona like they were childhood friends and he still couldn't quite understand.
He tried knife-throwing first. He wasn't half-bad.
But Isabella and Ramona started a fire and they hugged and he could tell he wasn't the only one confused. Plenty of tributes had split off into alliances, not all of them of course, but a good number, even besides the careers. That didn't change the fact that alliances were just that, alliances. They weren't friends.
Isabella and her little friend were in for a harsh wakeup call come arena time. He just hoped he wouldn't be there to watch her fall part.
"Don't start without me!" Velva shrieked, struggling to carry the two plates of appetizers she had prepared over to the lounge.
"We can't control it! It's live!" Dagmar quipped. The whole family laughed. Velva scowled as she placed the plates onto the table and took her seat on the couch, turning her attention to the flatscreen TV in front of her.
Petronia Kalispell smiled brightly and introduced the audience to the whole thing again. Velva didn't understand why they had to explain it everytime. The tributes were scored from 1-12 after 3 days of training. That's it. They just wanted to hear the scores so they could bet. Velva had her eye on a particular girl.
"Now, for the scores!" Petronia said. "Firstly, Marquis Holland, with a score of 8."
Dagmar slumped in her seat. She had already told everyone she was betting on him.
"Lazuli Rosario with a score of 9."
Velva swirled her drink. Closing out the talk of her family members.
"Oberon Rockwell with a score of 10."
Velva rolled her eyes. He was strong, sure. But he wouldn't last a day alone in the wild. That's for sure.
She didn't blink when Fallon scored a 10, it was expected. But she leaned in when the boy from District 3 scored a 7.
The girl- Velva's girl, Isabella- followed. She scored a 5.
"Hah! Good luck with her, she could barely hurt a fly." Dagmar hollered. Their father patted her on her back and Velva scowled once again. She thought the girl might've done better.
All of the other tributes from there passed by quickly. Only half of them scored higher than Isabella, the other half tied or dropped down a point or two. The pair from 4 had scored well, Finley with a 9 and Undine with an 8. The boys from 6 and 9 and the girl from 10 had scores that matched their potential, 7s and a 6 respectively. But the girl from 6 who scored an 8, a whole point above her older and muscular district partner.
Velva sighed. If Isabelle or whatever her name was, had a chance at winning, she'd need a lot of help.
Petronia gulped down her water and turned back to the audience, smiling brightly and waving a polite goodbye to Oberon. He was an oaf. A strong one, sure. With lots of sponsors too. But he wouldn't win.
She had dealt with too many tributes like him. They were too confident. At least the other trained tributes this year seemed less cocky, but she wasn't sure they would take a victory this year.
She had her eye on some of the outliers. Particularly the boy from District 3, Chaplin. He scored a strong 7.
She watched as the boy's district partner mounted the stage wearing a beautiful silver dress. Isabella. Petronia bit back a sigh. The girl was boring and weak. She felt bad for tributes like that. They wouldn't have a fighting chance or be showered with love before they approached their death.
"Good evening, Isabella!" Petronia called, gesturing to the nervous girl to sit on the couch beside her. She nodded and took her seat. "What's your favorite part about the Capitol so far?"
Isabella drew in a shaky breath. "Probably the clothing." She stated.
Petronia forced a smile. "Of course! We pride ourselves in our extravagant outfits here in the Capitol, I bet you don't wear a lot of fancy stuff back in District 3 huh?"
"Nope." Isabella replied. She laughed a bit and Petronia relaxed.
"Tell us about your life back at home!"
Isabella twirled her hair nervously. She was hopeless. "Well, I have two brothers back at home." She said, "Both younger, Alex and Cameron. I can't wait to see them again."
The crowd cooed. "Well, isn't that sweet!" Petronia exclaimed. "Do you take care of them?"
Isabella smiled. "Well, my parents do. But I have to pick up after them too."
The crowd laughed. "Boys, amirite?" Petronia laughed.
Isabella nodded in agreement.
Before long the girl's interview was over and she left the stage. Petronia smiled as her district partner mounted the stage, hoping it would go more smoothly.
Ramona felt sick. She shouldn't have had extra toast this morning. Her heart beat fast as the tube closed around her. She shot a panicked look to her stylist who nodded curtly at her and walked out the door.
Don't throw up. Ramona breathed in and out as the tube began to climb into the arena. She shut her eyes tight, bracing for blinding light but it didn't hit her. She blinked her eyes open to find herself in the dark.
Her eyes slowly started to adjust to the light as the countdown began ticking. She stood rooted to her pedestal, looking around for Isabella. The two had been planning for the Bloodbath since the first day they became allies. Ramona was faster, she'd go in to get supplies, Isabella would get whatever was nearest to her plate, then they would rendezvous and run away together.
She spotted Isabella five pedestals down. On one side of her stood the little girl from District 11, and the other side had the strong boy from District 9.
Ramona looked at who was beside her and drew in a shaky breath. Lazuli and Undine stood on each side of her. Both girls looked like they were going to run straight towards a small pile of weapons and Ramona decided she would go the opposite way.
Ramona looked at her surroundings. They were in a cave, a large one, with roots at the top, no sunlight in view. There were several tunnels branching off. She locked eyes with Isabella and nodded towards the tunnel behind her.
The girl nodded in reply. She understood.
The gong ran and Ramona threw herself off her pedestal, thundering towards the Cornucopia. She wanted a backpack, maybe a sleeping bag and a knife too.
She bit back her nausea as she watched Fallon slam a sharp blade into the boy from District 11's stomach and he fell back with a scream, blood splattering across the ground.
Ramona lost sight of Isabella but she reached the mouth of the Cornucopia and she ducked inside. She spotted a bright yellow backpack in the corner, stuffed with supplies. She raced over, ignoring the screams outside and putting the straps over her shoulders.
Ramona froze, watching as Oberon knocked over her district partner. Burton was young and weak and she tried not to watch as he struck him with his mace. He cried out and she winced.
Ramona raced back out into the clearing, looking for Isabella. But she was gone. It was then that Ramona realized she didn't know which tunnel was behind Isabella anymore. She had no idea where her ally had gone.
Her eyes flitted from tunnel to tunnel, hoping she could see Isabella. Ramona let out a sigh of relief when she spotted Isabella at the end of one of the tunnels. She ran to greet her but tripped over a rock and was thrown to the ground.
She looked up to Isabella as a firm hand grasped her hair and pulled her up. Ramona coughed and screamed. Undine struck her spear through Ramona's chest and she sobbed, eyes glazing over as the world faded to black.
Monticello sipped his coffee, breathing deeply before he put on his signature smile. He looked directly into the camera and cleared his throat. "Good afternoon Panem, I'm Monticello Sinclair and I'm the Hunger Games Announcer and today we'll be recapping the events of the first day in the arena. Are we excited?"
The crowd in the studio roared and Monticello smirked. "As always, the tributes began in a circle around the Cornucopia, but this time they seem to be in a sort of underground maze, just lit enough for the tributes to see each other."
The large screen behind him showed footage of the arena; the giant cave the tributes had found themselves in at first, and the long dark tunnels that extended out of it.
"The Bloodbath this year claimed ten victims and the remaining fifteen tributes scrambled to safety. Let's see what the survivors are up to."
The screen focused on the career pack, still intact with six strong eighteen-year-olds. Fallon and Oberon sparred in the corner of the Cornucopia, the metal of their swords clashing loudly. Undine and Marquis sorted through supplies while Lazuli and Finley took flashlights into the nearby tunnels, trekking down a few meters and dropping lamps before coming back and finding another tunnel.
"The tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4 have once again allied and this year we have a set of strong fighters. As we know, all six of them are strong fighters who willingly joined the Games to show support for the Capitol. We are proud to have them here and I know certainly they will be fierce competitors. But for now, it seems they are just settling into the arena they will call home in the next week or two." Monticello stated.
The screen shifted to a faraway shot of a tunnel with a figure running desperately towards the other end of the tunnel. The camera zoomed in to show a battered Isabella sobbing as she ran as far away as she could.
"It seems the other tributes have not been so fortunate. Isabella Mays of District 3, if you remember her. She allied with Ramona of District 8 but unfortunately her ally died in the Bloodbath, leaving her alone in the cold darkness of the underground maze. She may have seemed sturdy before the Games, but I wonder, is the arena all it will take to break her?"
Balbinus was not in the mood for Aggripina's antics.
The young woman had thrown the tributes into an underground maze. Year after year the Gamemakers lost sight of what the Hunger Games was supposed to be; punishment. But once again, the Gamemakers had thrown in a new twist to make it more fun and exciting.
He'd put a stop to it if he could. But it kept the districts quiet. So he allowed it to continue.
"Sir, can we go over the remaining tributes?" Agrippina's annoying voice broke his thoughts.
He looked at her and sighed.
She took that as a yes and pulled up a chair, flicking on the television to the latest recap of the Games. Day 2 was always the quietest and slowest day, barely any kills were ever made, but it wasn't concerning.
"How do we feel about Marquis and Lazuli?"
"Sure." Balbinus replied without bothering to explain. All he had to do was tell Agrippina which tributes were allowed to escape the arena alive, and which sparks should be put out before they could turn into flames.
"Fallon and Oberon?"
He paused this time. "Not the boy."
Agrippina nodded and scribbled something on her notebook.
"Isabella?"
"Who?"
Agrippina furrowed her eyebrows and gestured to the screen. A small girl gnawed at a piece of jerky on the screen, pressing her frail body against the wall, face stained with tears.
She definitely didn't have a chance. "Doesn't matter, she won't win."
"I think I hear something." Hecate whispered, stopping in her tracks.
"What is it?" Byron asked.
"I don't know." Hecate replied. "If I knew I would've told you!" She hissed back at her ally.
"I hope it's not another tribute."
"What else could it be Byron? If it's another tribute then it's another tribute, we'll kill whoever it is."
Byron winced. Hecate did not bother sugarcoating anything. Yes, he knew they were in the Hunger Games. He knew they were going to die. But the girl was so snappy.
He stepped forward but paused when he heard another noise.
"Crying," he mouthed at Hecate.
She smiled and he winced. She better have weird coping mechanisms, he thought. There was no way he had willingly allied with a girl who liked killing.
They crept forward, knives in hand.
"Please don't hurt me!" A voice begged. A girl emerged from the shadows and instantly the two relaxed, still holding up their knives. It was the girl from District 3, Isabella. She looked half dead. Her hair was matted and she was dirty all over. It was clear she hadn't eaten since yesterday, maybe even the day before.
He lowered his knife and Hecate hissed at him. "I won't." Byron said.
Isabella breathed out a sigh of relief but Hecate rolled her eyes. "How do you expect to win if you're just going to go around making friends with everyone you see!" She demanded.
Byron shot her a dirty look. "You're free to go." He replied stonily.
She stared daggers at him before marching off.
He turned back to Isabella who smiled at him. "I thought I was dead." She said, relaxing.
"How do you know I'm not tricking you?" Byron asked, smiling slightly.
"You wouldn't do that."
"How do you know, we've never even spoken before."
Isabella looked up and smiled for the first time. "I can just tell."
Hecate watched through narrowed eyes as Fallon pushed Oberon away, yelling incoherently. She tried to creep forward without making a sound, trying to understand what was going on.
Marquis lay bleeding on the ground. Lazuli crouched beside him, looking crestfallen. Undine and Finley looked on from the sidelines.
"You're heartless!" Fallon screamed, pushing the boy again. She was tall and muscular, but he was much bigger than her. Dangerous game she was playing, Hecate thought. But then she realized the other careers seemed to be on the same page.
Undine stared daggers at Oberon.
"You're free to go, yknow," Finley stated matter-of-factly.
"He was weak! I had to kill him."
"No! We're a team!" Lazuli quipped, standing up from her district partner's side. "He can't even get a chance at winning now."
"Yeah right, like he stood any chance in the first place." Oberon replied.
Lazuli knocked an arrow and Oberon balled his fists.
"Go. Before we make you." Fallon said.
Oberon grabbed a pack and trudged off, his sword slung over his shoulder.
Hecate decided she was going to be brave. She stepped out of the shadows and hurried to put her hands up high in the air as Lazuli turned on her, readying her bow-and-arrow.
"Don't shoot. I can help you!" Hecate bargained, trying to keep back a smile.
Undine placed a hand on Lazuli's shoulder and she lowered the weapon.
"You just lost two allies, you'll need help." Hecate reasoned.
"Oh yeah?" Fallon asked. "What help can you give us?"
"I know the exact location of two tributes. There are only eleven of us left, one is Oberon, we're the other five. I can help you find at least two more. Isn't that worth something?"
Finley rolled his eyes but Undine smiled. "Sure. Welcome aboard."
Hecate breathed out a sigh of relief. She was going to get Isabella and Byron killed, and she would go home a victor.
Baird couldn't help but smile. His tribute had reached the final ten. Actually, both tributes from District 3 had reached the final ten. He knew that if he kept trying he could get Chaplin home, and if he sobered up Elodie, and talked to Tusk, maybe Isabella could get to the finale.
That was a stretch though.
He watched through the screen as Oberon, the strong but foolish boy from District 2 lumbered around the outskirts of the underground maze.
Baird knew the boy wouldn't last much longer if he remained alone, but he was worried because each step Oberon took, the closer he got to Chaplin, who wasn't moving much.
He watched intently as Oberon rounded another corner. The boy was at a dead end. Baird sipped his coffee, turning back to see the brute slamming the wall with his sword. Bad idea. That was useless.
Baird made eye contact with Tusk. He was mentoring Isabella's new ally. Tusk was exhausted. He was mentoring alone and despite losing the strong girl two days back, he had managed to keep it together to support the boy. Respect.
Even if Elodie was a drunk who did little to help Isabella or the tributes before her, he couldn't imagine how badly he'd fail without her just being there.
All eyes shot to their screens as a loud crash echoed through the speakers. Oberon had dislodged part of the wall and Baird sat up in his chair, anticipating the worst.
The worst for Oberon did indeed happen as water spewed from the hole Oberon had created and pushed him to the ground, flooding his mouth and nose as it enveloped the tunnel he was in.
Chaplin was nearby. Baird could barely focus on the victory of losing one of the strongest tributes in the arena because he knew his boy could drown as well. He raced to buy a sponsor gift, anything, just to get his attention, but he had no funds. Elodie had passed out next to him and he buried his face in his hands.
He watched, pained, as the water filled up the nearby tunnels and caught Chaplin.
The boy drowned much slower and Baird watched the whole thing..
Now he was stuck trying to get the weak little girl out of the arena. He had little hope for success.
Flora tucked in her blouse, smiling brightly as her TV screen showed footage of Petronia in District 3, standing at the door of the Mays' house. The home of Isabella and her family.
Her mother opened the door and welcomed Petronia and her crew. The apartment looked small and cramped. About right for a District citizen, but she wasn't sure how it held five people. If Flora herself lived in that apartment she'd not have enough room.
Nevertheless the mother looked insanely proud of how well she had prepared the place. She sat down next to her husband and she grasped for his hand to hold but he pulled it away and glared at her. She glared back and Petronia forced a smile.
"Hello Mays family! As you know, your daughter Isabella, has reached the Final 8 tributes in the Hunger Games!"
The girl's mother smiled once more. "We are so proud of her!" She exclaimed. She gestured towards a door down the hallway and emerged two young boys.
Alex and Cameron Mays, they introduced themselves as.
The whole family talked about Isabella for what felt like forever. The girl seemed so plain and boring.
"Isabella helped raise me and Alex." Cameron explained. "Without her, I wouldn't be here. I just hope she can get home safe."
Flora rolled her eyes. Every single little sibling said that about every single outer district tribute every single year. It was so boring.
Agrippina laid back in her chair, eyes glued to the screen in front of her as the banquet table was deposited into the arena. The tributes would be emerging from the tunnels any moment now. The Feast was about to begin. The final 8 tributes, Lazuli, Fallon, Isabella, Undine, Finley, Hecate, Kaiser, and Byron, all stood around the brilliant horn, ready to charge in for supplies and resources.
She loved the feasts. They always added the necessary spice to the Hunger Games.
Her eyes fell on Isabella and Byron, the pair was clearly the weakest.
The tributes were all split into groups. Byron and Isabella were the closest to the table. But they didn't know it. Hecate, Undine, and Finley were a few tunnels down, and on the opposite end, stood Fallon and Lazuli. Kaiser stood alone, a few tunnels down from them.
The gong rang and Agrippina sat up as the tributes all raced in to grab supplies. Byron was fast and he outpaced Isabella and the careers who suddenly emerged behind them. He grasped for a backpack on the table and slipped in the mud crashing onto the ground.
Agrippina winced and giggled as Isabella caught up with her ally, rejoicing in the panic in the girl's eye.
She watched as Undine grabbed a sharp blade, depositing her old dull knife, brandishing it in the eery light, ready to stab Byron.
But Hecate had other plans. Agrippina had thought that the girl had hated Byron and Isabella but her sudden beheading of the girl from District 4 shocked her to her core. The whole room gasped.
Finley slipped in the mud
Hecate had the upper hand. Agrippina half expected her to help Byron and Isabella up but the girl simply readied her sword to attack the two.
Finley got to his feet and raced towards Hecate, making her drop her weapon and charge off. He dropped to his partner's side as Isabella helped Byron up and the two limped away.
Kaiser and Fallon reached the table, Lazuli having ditched her ally and fled down another tunnel.
Fallon turned towards the boy from District 9. While he was strong compared to most of the outliers, he paled in comparison to Fallon who had trained her whole life to participate in the Hunger Games. She snatched up a spear and plunged it into the boy's chest, ruining his chances at victory.
Finley got to his feet, leaving Undine on the ground, and picked up a weapon, turning to face Fallon. The two squared up and Agrippina froze. She was not supposed to lose all but two of the careers. That was not the plan! She was desperate to stop the fighting but her heart sank as Finley stabbed Fallon in the gut, but before she could fall to the ground she skewered his heart through, and the two both fell, bleeding out into the soil, the banquet table still covered in supplies.
Lazuli pumped her fists into the air. She was the last one. She could practically taste victory.
Her final opponents were weaklings.
The traitor, Hecate, had mysteriously died that morning, leaving just Isabella and Byron left. The two were allied, sure, but both of them were weak and not particularly smart. The crowd hadn't favored either of them the way they had favored her.
She breathed in and out. Tomorrow she will emerge a victor. She just had to wait for the finale.
She tried to think back to Isabella and Byron in training.
Isabella had spent the whole time with Ramona. The two would not stop talking to each other. The girl was shy and frail but she had a good heart and a contagious laugh.
She could kill her. But she didn't want to enjoy it.
Elodie stared at the screen in front of her. There was nothing more she could do to help Isabella as she and Byron raced down the tunnel, fleeing a flood.
Soon they would be face-to-face with Lazuli. Ivory's girl was strong and a crowd favorite. She certainly had the best chances.
Tusk's boy, Byron, wasn't too shabby either. Sure he was weakened, but he was tall and not horribly frail.
Isabella had the worst chance at winning. But yet Elodie hadn't had a drop of liquor in the past two days. She was praying for her girl to come home.
The two rounded the last corner and sprinted into the clearing where they had started. Lazuli was nowhere in sight. Elodie cursed. She was going to attack them by surprise.
Sure enough, an arrow whizzed by Isabella's ear and the pair screamed, racing for cover as Lazuli emerged from one of the tunnels shooting another arrow that lodged itself in Isabella's arm, knocking the girl to the ground.
Elodie cursed. Her ears were ringing as she saw Isabella drop. Byron readied his knife and charged toward Lazuli but the strong girl swerved and threw her bow to the ground, grabbing a knife from her pocket instead.
The camera flitted back to where Isabella laid on the ground. But she was gone. An imprint of mud lay on the ground and Elodie's girl was gone.
Her heart beat faster as the camera refocused on Byron and Lazuli circling each other. Lazuli didn't even notice she hadn't yet killed Isabella.
While Elodie was distracted, thinking of Isabella, Lazuli struck out her knife and buried it in Byron's stomach. The boy dropped to the ground, bleeding out and Lazuli smiled victoriously. Her eyes fell on the spot where Isabella used to be but before she could react Isabella had dug a knife into her back from behind and Elodie was screaming and Baird had pulled her into a deep hug and Isabella was safe and she was a victor.
Isabella was free. She was a victor.
A/N: This was such a fun thing to write. This event was hosted by glimmerglint, and essentially, I had to write the story of a victor, Isabella Mays, who was submitted by optimisms.
Opti, I really hope you liked Isabella's story here. I went a really untraditional route but I had fun and I think it helped me grow my writing. Thank you Anya for hosting this event!
Let me know if you have any constructive criticisms!
7/31/21