Well, Day Eleven is finally here.
Also, as we speak, Day 12 is 70% finished.
Cassia Lyra Maurise, Age 18, District 2
District Two Female, Sixth Quarter Quell
The sun rises on my eleventh day in the Arena. By this point, more often than not, the six Careers are left with one or two more outliers to cut through, eventually leading to the disintegration of the Pack. Those six, the best of the best, would turn against people whom they had barely known for two weeks, fighting against close friends for survival.
It's the showdown the Capitol lives for, the moment when Victory, true Victory, is obtained. In Two, that final battle is half the training, learning how to face a Four's spear or a One's rapier. Even the broadsword of a fellow Two, if it came down to it. The finale is the Victor's trademark, their way of proving they belong in the inner circles.
That was all stolen from me. First the Four boy, taking the place of a better prepared Career just so he could go gallivanting off with an Eight. Then the One girl, claiming to be with us from the start, until freaking Six came in and pulled her away and convinced her to murder her own Partner.
What should have been a glorious path for a Two has become a circus. The dreaded Pack, down to three members after the third day. Kills, few and far in between; seven in the opening hours, only three in the days since. Eleven days in, with only fifteen dead. Pathetic.
I crawl out of my tent, growling slightly as my hair hangs over my face. That needs a good brushing. I decide.
The Cornucopia provided three tents, the third of which, after Marcus' death, became our supply tent. With one of us on watch, the other two could sleep separately. That is, perhaps, the greatest perk of losing so many of our number so quickly.
I walk over to said supply tent, intending to grab a brush from one of my bags. I wave to Mason, who must have awoken before me; Mera had watch last night. He only ducks his head in reply. Boys.
The tent flap's open, though I give it little thought. Ducking inside, however, I'm horrified to find half the supplies gone, most of it being what I had claimed as my own. What the f-
Rage builds in my throat as I search the other supplies. We had two crates of food, one of which is now mostly empty. By my count, five bags are gone, likely stuffed with enough to last a single tribute another two weeks. My favorite knives are gone, and I can't find another stupid brush!
A scream tears itself from my throat, and I whip back the tent flap. Mason spins around, sword in hand, before running toward me. I ignore him, my frustration growing by the second.
"I'm going to kill her!" I scream. Nearby, a flock of exotic birds takes off in a panic.
Malaya Garnet, Age 17, District 1
District One Female, Sixth Quarter Quell
I can't believe how shaken I am over the Seven boy's death. I mean, sure, I had trained to kill tributes like him, but we were taught very little about the repercussions. Seven tried to kill me, and I killed him instead, but still my teeth chatter and I keep checking the treeline, waiting for something to chance upon Aran and I's clearing just to distract me a little.
Aran's been trying to stay upbeat, but I know how forced that smile is. The pain on his face is plain to see, even if I hadn't been taught to read others' expressions.
"You know, Malaya.." Aran's words come out hesitantly, as though he hasn't decided what to say but wants to say something. "With Devon having left us, do you think we should move camp? You know, in case she finds herself and army of some kind and decides to lead them to us?" He frowns, and I think he's dwelling on the last sentence.
I smile, grateful for this boy from Six who only wants to help. "You're right." I say, "She could. The Careers are out to get us, and not just because we're some of their biggest competition. They'll be angry that I betrayed them for, well, you, and for the fact that I shot…" I trail off, thoughts of my District Partner's face lighting up the sky on only the third day. I may never know whether I killed Marcus Caelum or not, but I have little doubt that, whatever did kill him, I certainly helped it along.
Again sensing my mood, Aran takes my hand and leads me to our makeshift shelter. He sits me down next to the smoldering firepit, and I watch him slowly break camp. He glances back at me once in a while, offering a slight smile.
The love in his eyes is evident enough. How I was lucky enough to find him in a place like this is beyond me. I don't deserve him.
Cordin Bolt, Age 16, District 3
District Three Male, Sixth Quarter Quell
I can't believe I did that!
The first time I stole from the Careers about a week ago, I never thought I could do it again. When I stumbled upon them last night, however, all hesitation flew out the window. From my vantage in the bushes, I saw their entire camp. Three tents, sitting around a small fire pit. Heat signals indicated that two were occupied, while a figure rummaged through the third.
Another setting in the goggles told me who the figures were, telling me that the only Career awake was the girl from Four. She seemed to be… packing?
A few minutes later, she sprinted into the trees, several bags in her grasp. Taking another look around, I slipped into the clearing.
It was easy enough to slip into the Careers' supply tent. With the Twos passed out and the Four girl gone, I stowed knives, rope, water bottles, and even matches and beef jerky. By the time I had stuffed two bags, I felt like I could outlast all the other tributes for nearly three weeks.
Since last night, I've watched for signs of pursuit, something I became used to doing back home. Nobody seems to have any knowledge of my theft, however, and I suspect that the Twos would solely blame Four.
I'm free, supplied, and alert. For whatever reason, the Gamemakers have given me everything I need to survive, and I'm the only one who knows where the Careers are. I think.
I just need to take hold of this opportunity, and I just might see Three again.
Devon Cynthia Rose, Age 17, District 5
District Five Female, Sixth Quarter Quell
After the Seven boy's face appeared in the sky last night, I couldn't handle it any longer. Malaya had hated me from the start, I know, and Aran was only barely holding her back. Oh, he didn't know how badly she wanted me gone, but as a fellow woman I knew what that glint in her eye meant. The death of the younger boy made the decision to leave easier; the girl, however kind and lovey she acted around Aran, was more than capable of murder.
They let me leave without so much as a word, to which I'm grateful. I'm sure they're continuing on as though nothing had happened in their perfect little world. Honestly, I was even getting sick of it. Don't they understand the meaning of until a lone Victor remains?
A lone Victor. Could that really be me? I had little reason to hope when the Games started, but I'm getting really far. So many children already gone, and the sun has reached its peak over the eleventh day of the Games. Could I really go home? Will I really see Ori again?
There's a flutter in my heart as my mind wanders to my sweet little boy, and I recall a lullaby I used to always sing to him. A song my mother taught me, handed down from her own mother, like an heirloom from before even the Dark Days.
"Hush now, my baby, be still now, don't cry
Sleep as you're rocked by the stream
Sleep and remember my last lullaby
Someday we'll meet when you dream"
I freeze as a sudden noise, like an intake of breath, reaches my ears. No…
I look around, and the rustling of the tall grass between two trees has me worried. There isn't a breath of wind; nothing should be moving that much.
I ready a knife, though I don't know what good it will do. I was only mediocre with these in training, only getting them to stick the wooden targets one out of three tries. But it's my only chance.
A figure jumps out, and I cast the knife without a thought. I have a second ready when the cannon fires, and the blade clatters to the ground.
I don't hear it.
Henry Reynoso, Age 14, District 8
District Eight Male, Sixth Quarter Quell
As the Games draw longer, I've become more and more cautious. Blue seems to think I'm silly, jumping at every shadow, constantly surveying the area. He happily marches further and further away from our camp each day, convinced that there is no danger. If it wasn't for the fact that a cannon fires nearly every day, I might be inclined to believe him.
It's my cautious nature that alerts me first. A stillness of the jungle, the way the cicadas' chirping ceased nearly completely. Not a single death today, and so the entire Arena holds its breath.
I give a small tug on Blue's arm, holding out my hand as he glances back at me. He seems confused for a moment, even opens his mouth to speak, but I shake my head vigorously. I point to a small bush, a clump of particularly thick and tall grass, really, and we collapse to our hands and knees. We crawl through, hiding ourselves as best we can, when a soft voice startles us.
"Hush now, my baby, be still now, don't cry
Sleep as you're rocked by the stream
Sleep and remember my last lullaby
Someday we'll meet when you dream"
I gasp, and the singing ends abruptly. Blue shoots me a glare, causing the plants around him to shudder. His eyes are hard, and I suddenly know what he's thinking.
"No." I whisper. "You don't have to."
"I must." It's barely audible, but I hear it all the same. His knuckles whiten around the haft of his spear as he leaps to his feet. I watch, awestruck, as he rears back to throw.
He doesn't get the chance.
His cannon fires before he hits the ground, and I sob in fear. I scramble away as fast as I can, my backpack rocking me off balance. I stumble, landing hard on my stomach, and I can't do it anymore. I turn around, hoping for a glance at my death. I don't scream, the terror freezing me to the spot.
A hand is offered to me, and I look up at the girl from District Five. She smiles sadly, and I stare suspiciously at the proffered hand. I stand up myself, glaring up at her.
"I'm sorry." She starts. We both glance toward Blue's fallen corpse, and fresh tears well in my eyes. "He would have killed me, you know."
I nod. "I-I tried to stop him. I d-didn't want him to end up like the rest of… of them." I'm not sure to whom I'm referring, the Careers or the other dead tributes or whatever else. The tears keep falling, and I collapse back to my knees.
The girl's fingers brush my hair as she goes to rest them on my shoulder. "Do you want to be my ally?" She asks soothingly. She's shaking. "I recently lost mine, and I'd feel a lot better with another around."
I close my eyes tight, hatred for this woman burning into my heart. I look up through the tears, briefly imagining the terrible things I could do to her. Poison, surely, but what? No, I think, I don't want to be your "ally." I want to freaking kill you!
I accept her hand. "Please." A small hiccup escapes my throat. She smiles. The murderess smiles.
Esmeralda "Mera" Annalise Dawn, Age 18, District 4
District Four Female, Sixth Quarter Quell
My separation from the Twos was a result of several things. Foremost among them, however, is the severe lack of kills. Mason tromps through the jungle like a crazed elephant, and Cassia's smell scares off any tributes in the vicinity. Hopefully on my own, I can actually sneak up on the other tributes.
Of course, I might have actually missed one of their kills today, what with the cannon earlier. The Panem Anthem plays high above the Arena, the forcefield glowing in a network of shimmering lines.
"The Horn of Plenty"
Day 11
"The Horn of Plenty overflows!"
District 4
"Panem shall raise above"
District 4?
"Panem shall reign above"
Blue…
"May our nation never fall, again"
He can't be gone already!
"The Horn of Plenty overflows!"
Couldn't have been the Twos, otherwise they would have probably nagged the Eight boy too. Eight had a good memory when it came to plants…
Had Eight poisoned him?
Deaths!
11th Place: Jasper Blue, Age 16, District Four Male
Knifed by Devon Rose, District Five Female
Time in Arena: 9 Days, 23 Hours, 6 Minutes, 58 Seconds
To be honest, Jasper wasn't originally going to die here. He was going to place sixth, but I decided to expand further on Henry, and prove to myself that Devon could kill, even if this was self-defense. Jasper was the Four I never expected, and I was happy to have him in the Games. Unfortunately, his journey ends here. Thanks MeganCK, for Blue.
Placings!
26th: Sparky Montgomery, Age 12, District Thirteen Male
25th: Kenzi Williams, Age 16, District Seven Female
24th: Tulle Salane, Age 15, District Eight Female
23rd: Thorn Ashbury, Age 13, District Eleven Male
22nd: Keola Foeba, Age 13, District Twelve Female
21st: Harvest Miller, Age 14, District Nine Female
20th: Rebelle Rine, Age 13, District Thirteen Female
19th: Soot Maloy, Age 13, District Twelve Male
18th: Denny Rico, Age 14, District Ten Male
17th: Marcus Caelum, Age 17, District One Male
16th: Jetta Carter, Age 17, District Six Female
15th: Darius Line, Age 17, District Five Male
14th: Infiniti Reagan, Age 17, District Three Female
13th: Willow Orchids, Age 13, District Eleven Female
12th: Logan Woodson, Age 16, District Seven Male
11th: Jasper Blue, Age 16, District Four Male
Kills!
Malaya Garnet: 1 (Logan Woodson, D7M)
Marcus Caelum: 1 (Kenzi Williams, D7F)
Cassia Lyra Maurise: 2 (Thorn Ashbury, D11M; Sparky Montgomery, D13M)
Mason Lepodolite: 4 (Darius Line, D5M; Jetta Carter, D6F; Tulle Salane, D8F; Keola Foeba, D12F)
Esmeralda "Mera" Annalise Dawn: 3 (Infiniti Reagan, D3F; Soot Maloy, D12M; Rebelle Sunflower Rine, D13F)
Devon Cynthia Rose: 1 (Jasper Blue, D4M)
Darius Line: 1 (Harvest Miller, D9F)
Thanatos Rize: 1 (Willow Orchids, D11F)
Other: 2 (Marcus Caelum, D1M (Sepsis); Denny Rico, D10M (Jaguar))
Alliances!
Malaran: Malaya (1) and Aran (6)
Glory for Two: Mason (2) and Cassia (2)
Poison: Devon (5) and Henry (8)
Loners!
Cordin (3)
Esmeralda (4)
Thanatos (9)
Cheyenne (10)
Welcome to the Final Ten! In the time that I was absent, I finally narrowed my final Four down to my Victor, and I'm excited for you all to meet him/her. I'm also planning another Games, but I can't start it until we reach the Top Five for plot reasons. I plan on writing this next one in a very different manner, moving quickly and not sticking to the rules I set for myself as I wrote these Games.
I would like to thank everyone who has stuck with me through this. I WILL finish these Games.
