Noor El Deeb, 16

District Seven Female


Games: The 185th Hunger Games

Arena: The Looming Frost

Tributes remaining: Carmen Frayer D1F, Voya Luxton D1M, Noor El Deeb D7F, Daxx Telleigh D11M, Isabella Akudo D12F

x

The Frost is coming.

The Frost is coming.

The Frost is coming.

These words that have been passed along through the intercom in the arena are permanently engraved into Noor's mind. What is the Frost? It had to be what the gamemakers have been saving for the Finale. It had to be something grand to end the Games with a big bang.

So far the arena was quite simple, not at all fitting to the new era of invention and innovation where every gamemaker tries to grab the audience's attention with tricks that they've been hiding up their sleeves and, to be frank, European woods aren't really the most inventive battlefield to choose from.

Playing chess has taught Noor three important rules which she applies in her everyday life. Anticipate. Prepare. Always be one step ahead.

Only through these steps has she been able to become the chess champion that she is today.

And so Noor is chopping down trees, just the way she's been doing for the past two days. Cutting, collecting, and building. She is almost finished with her nice and sturdy hut, able to withstand whatever that Frost thing is. With only a handful of tributes left, this twist has to be closer than ever and Noor isn't going to put her life in fate's hands. Fate will never reward you. If you leave it up to fate, then you are weak and unprepared and if you are unprepared then everyone in life will take advantage of you.

And then the alarm sounds. 'Let The Frost commence.'

'Oh no…' Quickly Noor lets the pile of wood in her arms fall, hurrying back to her hut. She runs as fast as she can, feeling the temperature in the arena drop rapidly as the winds start to increase. The Frost is here. The Frost is now. The alarm continues to sound, adding an eerie effect to the already haunting atmosphere in these lonely woods.

Noor enters her hut, slams the door shut, and takes out all of her food supply. She wraps herself in a warm, cozy blanket, which she's been sponsored with, the pile of food between her legs, and waits. Never in her entire life has she experienced that much adrenaline flowing through her system. Not even when she's figured out how to beat her opponent in a game of chess. Even then it wouldn't be the same. The adrenaline rush she feels while playing chess is a sadistic one. The expression on her opponent's face when they know that they've lost is priceless. This adrenaline flow is different. This is fear of the unknown. Fear of not being able to prepare the way she always does. Fear of dying.

Within minutes, the once warm and bright skies and the beautiful, fresh green landscapes are covered in a white haze that swallows the arena whole. Noor can feel the storm in her body. The sheer strength of this catastrophe rattles Noor's hut, makes the floor rattle, makes her arms and legs shake. Noor wraps the blanket tighter around herself, trying to block everything out.

Boom. One person down.

Boom. Another person down.

What is happening? Have none of these tributes been paying attention to the intercom? Only two more cannons and Noor can go home to her father and hug him tightly. Only two more. Come on.

Boom.

Noor's hut starts to crack. The screws loosen, the wood breaks apart, the icy winds squeeze themselves into her sheltered home. 'OPEN UP!' someone from the outside bangs on her door. A male voice. 'I'll kill you!' OPEN UP!' Voya, the male from District One. Be one step ahead. That was and will always be the rule. Noor reaches for her bow and slides an arrow out of her quiver. She pulls the arrow back and faces the door silently. The sound of someone trying to break into her home sends shivers down Noor's spine but she won't let that fear take over. With all of his might, Voya, throws himself against the door, breaking it open. He's pale like a ghost, ice particles have formed on his eyelashes and his lips are an arctic blue. He can barely walk and yet he doesn't give up. Instead, he stumbles towards Noor, trying to carry himself on his two feet without falling over from exhaustion.

One step ahead.

Before he even gets close to her, Noor sends her arrow flying his way. It hits him in the gut which usually wouldn't be a lethal shot but in his state, it was enough to bring him to his knees. His body twitches on the ground but eventually goes into a resting state.

Boom.

'Congratulations, to the victor of the 185th Hunger Games, Noor El Deeb!'


Coda Rovéra, 17

District Six Male


Games: The 177th Hunger Games

Arena: Temple of Ragnarok

Tributes remaining: Shirley Sandbrook D5F, Coda Rovéra D6M

x

The Death God, in the form of a resting skeleton with ruby red eyes, sits atop the throne as the ground beneath Coda and Shirley starts to shake. The two of them stand there, holding hands, knowing that one of them has to die in order for the other to make it home.

'What's happening?!' Shirley lets go of his hand. She turns her head frantically trying to grasp the situation.

'It's the finale…' Coda trails off into nothingness.

'What do we do?!' Shirley shouts in panic, still not able to focus her gaze on one single spot. Everything around them is falling apart, quite literally, and yet all Coda has on his mind is that beautiful girl standing next to him. Don't fall in love, he had told himself before the Games. He's fallen in love so many times before the Games, each girl breaking his heart one after the other. All his friends and even his mother kept telling him that he gets fooled far too easily. But how can love be foolish?

'We run.' Coda takes her by the arm and jolts out of the room where they'd just killed the District Three male. To win he has to kill her but he can't do it now, not like this. He has to act first and think later.

Shirley and coda squeeze themselves through the tight corridors and the narrow hallways. The debris crashing down from above, creating storms of dust, makes it hard to breathe.

'I can't see, Coda. I can't see!'

'Just hold on to my hand! Trust me. We can do this!'

The two of them finally reach a quiet spot that hasn't been tainted by death yet. The rumbles of the collapsing temple still echo in the background. Coda looks over at Shirley, she having a solemn expression on her face. 'What's wrong?' he asks her.

'Why did you do it? Why did you save me?' her eyes glisten.

'Because I love you,' Coda whispers, taking a step closer to her.

'One of us is going to die, Coda... you know that.'

'I don't want to think about that right now.' he places his hands on her waist, holding her tightly, one of his hands sliding up to cup her cheek.

'But-' Shirley starts before they lock lips.

Her lips are tender and soft and they make him forget things, things he never ever wants to remember again. She makes him forget the arena, she makes him forget that they have to kill each other…

Kill each other…

A stinging pain in his side makes him pull away from Shirley. It must have been the dust accumulating in his lungs and yet when he glances back at Shirley, she's crying. Not tearing up, but actually crying.

'I'm so sorry, Coda.' she spits out before revealing her blood-stained dagger. The pain in his side increases again. He covers the area with his hand to control the pain but is greeted by a thick, warm liquid. And when the moment of realization hits him, his legs go weak and he stumbles back.

'No…why would you…?' he tries to breathe but all the air has been knocked out of his chest.

'What do you mean 'why'?' her tone is filled with spite now. 'What did you think was going to happen, Coda? Did you think we were going to get married, have kids, live a happy life in the arena? I… I don't know about you but I want to go home. I want to see my mom and my dad and my brother and all my friends. I want to be home…'

She doesn't hesitate before pointing her weapon at him again. 'And for me to be home… you have to die.' These words hurt so much. They hurt more than the physical pain he feels. These words cut like a knife.

Coda can't kill her because he doesn't have the guts to. Everyone in Six was right. He is weak, pathetic, a fool. He doesn't even dare reach for his sword because he already knows the outcome. 'Kill me, Shirley.' he can't believe he just said that but it has been said and now it cannot be unsaid.

'Thank you, Coda. I'll always remember you, okay?'

Coda closes his eyelids. Although he knows that his life is going to be cut short now, he's found someone who will always remember him, always love him, cherish him. He's ready to leave the world now. The sound of rocks falling from the ceiling interrupt his thought and as he opens his eyes again, half expecting Shirley to have already placed her dagger against his throat, he realizes that she is nowhere to be seen.

'Congratulations, to the victor of the 177th Hunger Games, Coda Rovéra!'

And then he sees it. One single arm reaching out of a pile of debris, clutching a dagger, blood oozing out between the cracks of the rocks.


Seven Smirnov, 14

District Three Female


Games: The 195th Hunger Games

Arena: Italian Seaside Town

Tributes remaining: Seven Smirnov D3F, Supernova Eclipsus D4F, Naksh Khatri D8M

x

Gently, Seven dips her pale toes in the ocean water. She'll never get used to the feeling of the cool water caressing her skin. Back in Three, they don't have that kind of stuff. They don't have beaches, and large bodies of water, and gorgeous people with perfectly chiseled, tanned bodies the way they do in Four. In Three they have large skyscrapers, busy streets, people walking with their phones stuck to their faces, just like zombies.

District Three just wasn't the place for a girl like Seven. Seven is someone who likes to be free and to explore life, someone who wishes that they didn't get a sunburn whenever they received even the slightest exposure to the sun.

She feels so out of place being together with the last two people in the arena. Both of them, the most beautiful human beings she's ever seen. Nova, a goddess in human form with her bronze skin and her muscular thighs and her golden locks that curl down to her waist. And then there is Naksh. Beautiful, androgynous, confusing Naksh. Naksh and Seven spoke once, that being when he rejected her invitation to an alliance, his tender voice just as enchanting as she thought it would be.

And then there was Seven. Sunburnt, sloppy Seven with a number for a name.

It's pretty obvious what is going to happen. The arena is going to be flooded, allowing the predators that lurk in the dark depths of the water to properly reach the remaining tributes. It's not like Seven hasn't seen the fins peeking out of the ocean or how the water level is slowly starting to rise. She knows that if at any time she found herself in the water, together with the sharks and the District Four girl, wielding her spear, it would mean certain death which is exactly why she planned her escape when the flooding happens.

'The water's nice, huh?' Seven's heart drops. Immediately, she pulls her toes out of the water and puts some distance between the all too familiar voice and herself. 'Oh, lord. Relax, would you?' a figure climbs down from one of the balconies, belonging to the colorful houses that decorate the shoreline. It's Naksh.

'W-what do you want?' she stutters. Well, clearly sounding all though and confident isn't fully working out for her.

'I think both you and I have figured out what is going to happen...or am I wrong?' he tilts his head slightly towards the water.

'Yeah, and?' she doesn't trust him one bit. He rejected her alliance offer so why is he being all friendly towards her now?

'Well, I guess you're not as smart as I thought you were,' he says turning his back on her. 'Goodbye then, and may the best tribute win.'

'No, no wait! I'm sorry! I was playing dumb! I-I-I already figured it all out, I swear! I even made an escape plan!' Seven spits out in a messy mush of words. 'Wow, you're that fucking desperate, aren't you?' she thinks to herself.

'Well we better hurry.'

'Why?'

'Behind you.' Seven follows Naksh's instructions and looks at the ocean.

'HOLY FUCK!' she screams, perhaps a bit too loudly. The beautiful and distant sea view has been replaced by a dawning tidal wave that seems to be getting bigger and bigger the closer it gets to where Seven stands. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, she grabs Naksh's warm hand and drags him behind her. Seven leads him into one of the houses. They ascend the spiraling staircase until they reach the attic. From there, Seven and Naksh pull open a hidden door, attached to the ceiling. Naksh helps Seven to reach the top, she then, pulling him from upstairs. They make it onto the rooftop of the house. 'Wow, this is...beautiful,' Naksh says in astonishment. And it really is. The collecting of tiny, orange, rustic rooftops combined truly is a wonderful sight to behold. But they don't have time for that. 'We need to continue,' she says abruptly, interrupting the peaceful silence. Seven jumps from rooftop to rooftop with Naksh doing the same behind her, following her every move. They are making their way towards the large belltower, protruding between the many houses.

Seven looks back at Naksh and smiles, he smiling back at her. 'This is awesome!' he shouts, falling with his arms.

'Hell yeah!' she shouts back. There's this warmth in her heart for a split second like she's finally happy, finally free like she's always wanted to be. No busy streets, no polluted skies, no irritating sounds coming from the outside of her isolated window. Only her and Naksh and the ocean breeze gently hitting her skin. No limitations, only freedom. 'We can do this, Naksh, we can do this!' excitedly she smiles at him once more but the smile isn't returned because Naksh isn't running behind her anymore. Seven stops. Where is he? 'Naksh?! Where'd you run off to?!' And then she sees it. The body, lying behind her on one of the rooftops. No, it can't be. It shouldn't be. She sprints back as fast as she can to the collapsed body.

'Naksh! Are you okay?!' she flips him onto his back. Blood trickles down the side of his lip. He's still breathing, meaning that he hasn't died yet. 'Oh my god… Naksh.' Then she sees it. The dart wedged into the side of his neck.

'Run…' he wheezes. Just as his eyelids give in, another dart comes soaring towards Seven. She throws herself to the ground, barely evading the shot. Immediately, Seven turns her attention towards the origin of the shot and that is when she spots Nova, the girl from Four. Nova winks at Seven before placing her lips on the gun once more, ready to take aim. Seven, about to make a run for it, stops as she feels the ground beneath her shake just as a loud and hollow crashing sound comes from the seaside.

The wave finally hit the shore and it was bigger than Seven could have ever imagined. The buildings on the seaside are torn apart by the sheer power of the current as the water forces itself through the narrow alleys of the town. Another rumbling causes nova to lose her balance and fall on her back. This was Seven's opening. She runs as fast as she can towards Nova, tackling her back to the ground just as she tried to get up again. The two of them roll back and forth on the ground, grunting and growling, until Nova presses her foot into Seven's stomach, kicking her away. Seven jumps to her feet again, taking out her small knife and holding it in front of her. Nova laughs. 'Sure,' she mocks. From the corner of her eye, Seven can spot the blowgun that the girl had dropped earlier after the fall.

She makes a run for it. Nova not wasting any time standing around chases after Seven who barely has any chance of even getting close to the weapon before she can feel Nova's fingertips touching her back.

That was the moment where Seven knew that Nova had lost the Game. Quickly, Seven ducks on the ground as if bracing for impact. Nova unable to properly control the speed at which she was chasing after Seven is unable to stop her feet in time, instead, tripping over Seven's huddled body and falling face-first off the rooftop and into the rapid currents below.

'Take that, bitch.' she points her middle finger to the water just as the final boom rings.

'Congratulations, to the victor of the 195th Hunger Games, Seven Smirnov!'


Atmos Martinez, 18

District Four Male


Games: The 190th Hunger games.

Arena: Prehistoric Dinosaur Land

Tributes Remaining: Tasha Crimson D1F, Luxor Cayne D1M, Mariko Watanabe D2F, Fyndra Gillhood D4F, Atmos Martinez D4M

x

The meteor shower started about three hours ago when everything was still calm and just the way it was supposed to be. Well, just the way it was supposed to be in an arena inhabited by dinosaurs. The Gamemakers were kind enough to give Atmos and the rest of the tributes some basic lessons about different types of dinosaurs and how to approach them.

With the help of the gamemaker tips, Atmos successfully tamed an ornithomimus after the careers threw him out of their pack, due to him being, as they put it, too annoying.

Atmos knows he isn't everyone's cup of tea and he doesn't really care. Why should he? If you don't like him, well, you can just go…

'Fuck!' Atmos shouts, falling down from his ornithomimus. 'You can't do that, Jeff. You can't keep tryin' to throw me off like that,' he scolds his dinosaur. He climbs on top of Jeff's back and the two of them continue traveling along the plains, trying to evade any meteor that could potentially hit them.

He sees Fyndra, his District Partner, in the distance, running from a triceratops. Atmos can't help but laugh a little. 'Hey, Fyndra!' he calls for her. She turns her head, still running for her life.

'Screw you, Atmos! Go to hell,' she spits out.

'Love you too, Fyndra!' he gets closer, now running alongside the triceratops, chasing her. 'So, where are the others?' he asks gently.

'We split up, now help me!' Fyndra's face is covered in sweat.

'Nah, I'm good. But don't worry, I can help you end the suffering.' Atmos wields his spear in front of him, signaling Jeff to run faster. Before passing Fyndra, he swings his spear with one quick motion, decapitating the District Four girl.

'Now let's find the other three, Jeff, how about that? This is why revenge is so sweet.' he cracks a wicked smile.

Atmos made sure not to enter the jungle area so he can keep a good eye on the meteors. He doesn't really understand why the other careers had to be so mean to him. Tasha kept saying that he's a big baboon, Luxor kept complaining about how unbearable he is, and Mariko was persistent in whispering false little things about him. No matter how hard he tried to fit in with them, they just kept pushing him away. They made him feel like an outlier and Atmos can't forgive them for doing that.

Traveling with Jeff was so easy and fast. He was able to cover the arena's diameter in two hours. 'Hey, Luxor! Sup, dude?' Atmos waves at the male from One with excitement. Luxor clenches his teeth as he sees Atmos approaching. The resentment in his eyes is so deliciously obvious that Atmos can't wait to cut through the boy's flesh. Something isn't quite right. Why isn't Luxor moving or at least making an effort to prepare for the attack? Before Atmos is able to properly gather his thoughts, Jeff lets out a painfully sounding screech. 'Jeff, my boy, relax!'. Once the arrow stuck in Jeff's hip reveals itself, Atmos understands the predicament he's found himself in.

It was an ambush. Tasha steps out from between the bushes, preparing another arrow, this time aiming for Atmos. The boy from Four knows that he has to abandon his dinosaur, Jeff, in order to win. 'Im so sorry, you were the only true friend I had,' he whispers to his ornithomimus before jumping off of him.

He charges at Tasha with full speed. 'Luxor!' she cries. Luxor is a coward, he's not going to help her. Knowing that, Atmos doesn't have to watch his back for an incoming attack from the District One male. She tries to shoot another arrow but misses. It is becoming evidently clear that Tasha should have used her time more wisely, perhaps spending more time at the archery station, instead of desperately trying to flirt with her District partner. Atmos raises his spear and brings it down at Tasha, embedding the head of the spear in her chest. Wasting no time, he picks up the bow and arrow and aims for Luxor. The latter tries to run, being the coward that he is, but Amtos never misses and today isn't going to be the first time that he does. The arrow soars through the air until confirming that it hit its target as the boy's body collapses on the ground.

Three down, one more to go. Mariko Watanabe. The scariest out of all the careers this year. She was definitely hiding somewhere within the jungle. She isn't one to be roaming the open fields. Mariko is stealthy. The jungle is her home. It wasn't before he wandered through the towering tropics for half a day, that he realized something stuck to his calf. He wedges the mysterious object out of his flesh, only to notice the object's oddness. It was a tiny spiked metal ball with green liquid slowly dripping out of the protruding needles. And then the dizziness hits him. He rests his hand on one of the trees to keep his balance.

'Pathetic.' Mariko's voice cackles from behind him. Atmos tries to ready his spear but is too slow. Mariko explodes into a flying kick, sending Atmos sprawling across the floor. It becomes increasingly hard for Atmos to understand what is happening or where he is as the venom fuses more and more with his blood. Mariko presses her foot against his chest, squeezing the air out of Atmos' lungs. 'No one ever liked you. We made fun of you every single fucking day,' she laughs. 'I can't believe you made it that far. Honestly, I was sure I was going to be facing off against Tasha in the finale. But, oh well, guess it's you.' Atmos tries to move his fingertips and feels something round and solid next to him. He's not sure what it is but it might just be his saving grace. Wrapping his hand around it, he slams it against Mariko's ankle. She squeals, falling to the floor next to him. Atmos lifts his body on top of the District Two girl. He pounds the object against her head over and over until she stops struggling and he hears the cannon he longed for so dearly.

Atmos' vision goes completely blurry. He plops down next to her, trying to catch his breath.

'Congratulations, to the victor of the 190th Hunger Games, Atmos Martinez!'


Hey, guys! So, these were our second mentor introductions. We have chess prodigy Noor, foolish Coda, sunburnt Seven, and vengeful Atmos. I'd love to know who was your favorite and who was your least favorite out of these mentors. I'm having a lot of fun actually writing these different scenarios and this time I had the idea of trying to combine the four natural elements into four different arenas. Wind/air was represented in Noor's POV, earth was represented in Coda's POV, water was represented in Seven's POV, and fire was represented in Atmos' POV.

So, let's get down to business. On my profile, I have closed some spots. These spots that say 'spot filled' is where I have decided on who I want. This doesn't mean that I like these submissions the most but it means that I know I want them in the story because I have an idea of what I want to do with them. We still have two more intro chapters until submissions start to close and I still need more tributes.

Spots that have zero submissions:

- POV-Spot: D3F

- Non-POV-Spot: D2F, D4F, D7M, D10F, D11M, D12F

The other spots that aren't closed already have some submissions but feel free top submit there as well! I'll probably end up changing some spots to different Districts anyway.

Just so people understand: My stories are very character-driven so I promise you that the Non-POV tributes will still get a ton of screentime. So don't worry about that.

I could definitely use younger tributes (14 and below) and more racially diverse tributes (I know I'm pushing with the whole diversity thing).

I don't think there's anything else I need to mention, except maybe that new submitters are welcome! I have received several tributes from the same authors so please don't shy away from submitting. I'll definitely prioritize submitters who have only sent in one tribute and I'll try to make it as evened out as possible :)

Okay, now I don't have anything else to say. Goodbye. See you next time. Love you.