Well friends, I finally did it. After literal ages, everything I've worked toward has come to fruition. I hope you've enjoyed the ride, those who are still reading, because I certainly have.
Thanks to roses and dreams for the reviews; you two have stuck with me from beginning to end, even though I killed your tributes. I hope to see you again in Ladies First.
Speaking of, I have 9 submissions now!
On to the chapter!
Cassia Lyra Maurise, Age 18, District 2
District Two Female, Sixth Quarter Quell
There's a ringing in the back of my head, a result of the explosion. I fade in and out of consciousness several times before I finally open my eyes, careful not to move. The grove is different than it was only minutes ago, before my knife struck Cheyenne's final weapon. Everything appears as though it has been ripped apart, though I'm not surprised.
It feels like an eternity before I manage to move my head, and I can finally hear something other than the internal ringing. Shouts from my right, and I turn my gaze in that direction.
DING
I freeze for a moment, panicking. Did my cannon go off while I was out? How am I still alive?
I grab a knife from my vest as quickly as I can, throwing it at the boys facing each other ten meters away. The larger one, Six I believe, quickly drops to the ground, apparently aware of my attack. The knife takes the smaller boy in the gut, however, and he crumples to the ground.
"A couple of boys having all the fun? Please. Let me show you how to have fun." I cough quietly, stumbling to my feet. Six jumps to his feet, nocking an arrow on his bowstring.
I raise another knife, mentally taking stock. I should have five left, after the knife that took out Ten and the one embedded in Eight. Should be an easy shot, if I wasn't so dizzy.
Six acts first, though he flinches as he draws back the string. He releases the arrow much too early, and it sticks into the ground a meter to my left. "You're about as out of sorts as I am, Six." I pant, leaning slightly against the mangrove. I need more time. I think, shaking.
"You should be dead." He replies. "Your cannon sounded and everything."
"Never underestimate…" I pant. "A Career."
"I never do." He says grimly. "I killed your Partner, you know." He informs me.
"I figured." Is all I say, though my gut wrenches slightly. "But he took out your little girlfriend, didn't he?"
Aran Quade, Age 17, District 6
District Six Male, Sixth Quarter Quell
"And he paid dearly for it." I spit, remembering the result of that fight four days ago. Mason's body was mangled and nearly unrecognizable by the time I was through with him, but I don't regret his death.
I nock another arrow, carefully watching the wounded Career. Pain flares through my shoulder again, and I glance back at Henry, still as a corpse on the ground. No cannon has sounded yet.
I look again at the destruction to the jungle around me, and Cassia follows my gaze. "The explosion was the Ten girl." She says. "She had some sort of device that blew up when my knife struck it. The force of the blast threw me into this tree, knocking me out." She pushes off the tree, showing me how much strength she's regained.
"Your tracker must have malfunctioned." I find myself saying. I raise the bow. "That's why they blew the cannon; they thought you were actually dead."
I release the arrow, though Cassia's reaction is lightning quick. The knife leaves her hand, confronting the arrow mid-flight. They both spin out in opposite directions. I drop down quickly, gathering another arrow. Four left.
Henry Reynoso, Age 14, District 8
District Eight Male, Sixth Quarter Quell
I'm barely breathing from my spot on the ground a few meters behind Aran. The boy from Six is largely ignoring me, watching instead the girl from Two on the other side of the grove. If I had reacted faster, her knife might not have found me. The chime that blasted over the Arena gave us plenty of time to react, but I was too astounded to dodge, while Aran immediately got out of the way.
Cassia's knife landed in my side, sinking in about three inches. It shouldn't have hit anything vital, but the blood around my fingers suggests that the blade isn't stopping the bleeding. I have very few options right now, and I don't like any of them.
While Cassia and Aran confront one another, I carefully scoot away from the battle. Both tributes are wounded in some way, though they seem to be gaining strength. Neither of them notice my attempt to escape, but they probably wouldn't be worried if they had. They wouldn't think I'd be able to get far anyhow.
I find myself in a clump of dead weeds, trees hiding me from the others' view. I quickly turn my attention to the knife as the adrenaline from before wears off, and I groan in pain.
Carefully, I remove my bag from my shoulders, each movement sending lances of pain up my side and through my body. I freeze whenever these fires try to take over, and it's a long time before I finally manage to remove it and set it down at my feet. My pants are covered in red, and I vaguely realize that a trail of blood leads to my position. No time. I think.
Gently, trying not to make the bleeding any worse, I dig into my bag and pull out my supply jar. Hopefully, I can remember something to help me survive.
Aran Quade, Age 17, District 6
District Six Male, Sixth Quarter Quell
Cassia and I watch each other warily, unwilling to attack. Her knives are quick, but she only has a few left. I have four arrows myself, but my aim is off. Henry's attack makes my arm spasm when I draw back an arrow, and missing too many times could prove fatal.
We stalk back and forth around the grove, watching for an opportunity. Henry's disappeared, leaving behind Malaya's spear. I'm careful to make sure Cassia doesn't get ahold of it; I can't afford to give her the advantage.
After minutes pass, I see an opening. Cassia stumbles over a tree root, having paid more attention to me than her surroundings. I raise the bow, and an arrow flies between the trees toward the Two girl.
It embeds itself in the tree beside her.
Despite Laya's praise, I never was the most proficient with the weapon. And now Cassia and I are on a more level playing field.
"Who taught you to shoot, Six?" She taunts, waving a pair of knives. "I think our friend bleeding out behind the tree over there would be a better archer than that."
Another arrow streaks through the trees, and she whips another knife to intercept. Both projectiles crash to the ground.
"And I'd have thought more of a Two." I say fingering one of my last two arrows. "If you Careers were as terrifying as they all say, I should have died in the Bloodbath."
"You were one of our first targets, Six, I'll give you that." She says. "Our main focuses were the Sevens and Nines, though you were close behind."
"I suppose you're just not that good at your job." I spit, raising the bow again. She doesn't try to dodge the arrow this time, only smiling in contempt as it slices the air over her shoulder.
Final arrow.
Henry Reynoso, Age 14, District 8
District Eight Male, Sixth Quarter Quell
I ignore the taunts from the other two tributes, seeing as how they're directed more to each other than they are to me. Carefully, I dig through my supplies, pulling out some things while leaving others alone. The mixture I'm after is incredibly difficult to come by, but I'm pretty sure I had everything I needed when I first got the package.
It takes only moments to find the ingredients, and I quickly get to work. Slice up the petals of a dragon rose. I can almost hear my grandmother whispering in my ear, guiding me. Steady your hand, child, these have to be cut against the grain for maximum results.
The power given off by the wings of a fruit beetle are an old wives' tale. But maybe throw them in there just in case.
A strip of bamboo flesh.
Extract from a jacker's mucus…
The lessons come flowing back to me, steadying my hands as I try to ignore the knife in my side. After carefully mixing everything together, I add a little water, mixing it even more to create a paste opposite to the one I tested on the jaguar. A remedy for open wounds.
Carefully depositing my paste on a decaying jungle leaf, I turn to the Two girl's blade. It sticks out at an awkward angle, and I suspect the older girl wasn't completely ready to fight when she threw it. If Aran hasn't killed her yet, she's probably recovering her strength quickly.
I suck in several breaths as I wrap my fingers around the hilt of the knife. The slightest movement send more pain lancing through my body, and I cry out. I start to hyperventilate as I build up my resolve, and in a quick, searing tug, the knife comes free, followed by a river of blood.
I quickly roll onto my side, forcing the blood to build itself up before escaping my body. I gather the paste, lathering it over the wound. It stings like nothing I've ever felt, but the adrenaline is back and I manage to overcome it. I press the paste against the knife wound until the blood stops flowing over my back and stomach, and I sit still for several moments.
Did I just do that?
Cassia Lyra Maurise, Age 18, District 2
District Two Female, Sixth Quarter Quell
Idiot boy. Why does he keep wasting arrows? I have three knives left at this point, two on my vest and one strapped to my leg. He's going to lose everything at this rate.
He's watching my every move, looking for a mistake. Once in a while, however, I catch his eyes darting between his fallen arrows and the spear Eight dropped, clearly trying to formulate some sort of plan. If he could get ahold of some of his arrows, he might stand a chance.
If he was a half decent shot and I was the broad side of a quarry refinery.
We reach the edge of our half-circle dance, with Six standing over the spear. His shoulders stiffen, his feet set themselves differently, and I throw the knife as he ducks for the fallen weapon. I don't know what his plan was; there's no way he can throw the thing.
My knife slices through the exposed bowstring, which whips around and smacks Six in the face. I smirk.
"Gonna have to be quicker than that." I say. The Capitol must be loving this.
He holds his right hand up to his cheek, and it comes away red. I laugh as he grimaces, and he glares at me. He drops the useless bow, removing the quiver of arrows on his back. Wiping his hand off on his pants, he grips the spear in both hands. I ready another knife.
"Well?" I ask, bored. "I don't have all day, pretty boy."
"I'm going to kill you, Two. When was the last time a tribute from an outer District killed both the tributes from yours?" His voice is low, his eyes wild.
"It's been a while." I glance at my nails, using my knife to scrape away a fleck of dirt. Don't want the Capitol to see their Victor in a mess. "You wanna try?"
"I'll do you better." I watch as he tenses up, preparing to run at me. "I'll win."
Aran Quade, Age 17, District 6
District Six Male, Sixth Quarter Quell
Gripping the spear, I charge through the grove at Cassia. Her expression is one of contempt, a knife dancing in her hand. I don't waver, however, focusing instead on the task at hand.
"Take care of my sister." I whisper under my breath. Cassia raises the knife to throw, and I duck behind a tree. I curse softly when I realize that she didn't throw it, and I hesitate before jumping out from the other side of the mangrove. The blade catches my left shoulder, and I cry out.
"Come closer, little boy!" She laughs, another knife in her hand. "Don't you wanna play?"
Trying to ignore the pain, I advance again. Cassia watches me, a smile on her face, as I get closer. Closer…
Her sly smile widens as she swings the knife toward my throat. I gasp softly as the blade tears through the skin, severing arteries. Drowning in my own blood, I start to panic.
As my body quickly shuts down, I recall my time in the Arena, from my encounter with Marcus to my time with Malaya to killing Mason and almost torturing Mera.
And, in my final act, sticking Malaya's spear into Cassia's gut.
Cassia Lyra Maurise, Age 18, District 2
District Two Female, Sixth Quarter Quell
I wheeze in laughter as the Six boy collapses at my feet. Blood pools around him, and I look down at the spear in my stomach. If this weren't the finale, I might be worried, begging for Sponsors to help me. Instead, I simply sit back against a mangrove tree, pain rolling off me in waves, as I wait for the cannons to sound.
BOOM
Won't be long now. I think, glancing at the corpse. He fought valiantly, but I was always going to win this Game. Nobody beats the Careers, not even a Six who tried to love one.
There's a long pause after the cannon, and I wonder where the trumpets are. "Hey Eight!" I call. "You dead yet?"
To my annoyance, the boy steps out from the darkness twenty meters in front of me, my knife in his hand. I roll my eyes, showing him the blade that ended Aran Quade's life.
"You wanna fight, Eight?" I ask, waving the knife in the air. "I'll kill you just as quickly as I did this one!"
"You won't kill anybody ever again." He says stoically. His head tilts as if in curiosity. "If that wound is anything to go by.
"This is nothing, pipsqueak. The healers in the Capitol will fix me up all nice and pretty after you're dead. Let's not draw this out."
"Is that the same spear I had earlier?" He asks suddenly, and I cock an eyebrow.
"Does it matter?"
"I used that spear to kill the jaguar that was after you." He says, and I chuckle.
"Bull."
"If you say so." He sits down, watching me. "However, in my time here, I've found that knowledge always beats out strength. Your strength tried to kill me, but my knowledge" he raises his jacket slightly, showing me the knife would. A black mound seems to be growing out of it, and I stare before he covers it back up, "saved my life. If I know how to create a substance that can stop bleeding and keep out infection, what do you think I'd have done to my weapons?"
Henry Reynoso, Age 14, District 8
District Eight Male, Sixth Quarter Quell
Two's eyes bug out as she takes in my meaning. Her gaze wanders down to the spear sticking out of her belly, before looking back at me. "No." She says. "No!"
Her blood from the wound is black, a side-affect from the poison seeking out her vitals. In a minute or so, she may lose consciousness. Soon after, her heart will stop. Just like the jaguar.
She throws the knife at me in a desperate attempt to survive, but it's no use. The substance on the spear has already begun to mess with her motor skills, and her disappears into the jungle. Tourists will have a fun time searching for it in the near future, I'm sure.
Cassia screams and screams, loud and piercing and mildly terrifying, before she goes still. Her body slumps to the jungle floor, and I look away as the poison finishes the job.
BOOM
The trumpets come, celebrating the deaths of twenty-five kids. I should stand up, raise my fists in the air, but in all reality all I want to do is sit here and breathe. I haven't had the chance to sit still and relax since Blue died.
Blue. Would he be proud of me? Would he be upset that I killed his Partner? Would he be happy I avenged him by killing Devon?
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Victor of the Sixth Quarter Quell, Henry Reynoso of District Eight!" Cheers blare over unseen speakers, and still I don't move. The hovercraft appears over me, the claw descending to retrieve the corpses of Aran Quade and Cassia. I never did get around to learning her last name.
The tribute craft takes off, likely toward the Capitol so they can preserve and stitch up the bodies. Another craft hovers over me, dropping down a ladder.
I finally give in, standing up and climbing. An electronic current freeze me in place on the ladder, unseen pulley systems hauling me into the dark underbelly of the craft.
I'm going home.
Deaths!
4th Place: Cheyenne Bruno, District Ten Female
Blown Up by Cassia Lyra Maurise, District Two Female
Time in Arena: 16 days 39 minutes 16 seconds
Understandably, everybody loved Cheyenne. She was strong in so many ways, so clever, and yet not perfect. I loved writing her, watching her develop as I rudely took Ally after Ally away from her. Cheyenne was the youngest tribute left in this Arena for so long, and yet she made it this far. I am proud of her, and I loved her, but she just wasn't a Victor. If you're still reading, Misty, I want to thank you for being willing to send in two amazing tributes!
3rd Place: Aran Quade, District Six Male
Stabbed by Cassia Lyra Maurise, District Two Female
Time in Arena: 16 days 1 hour 15 minutes 27 seconds
Aran's story was one I fell in love with remarkably quickly. He guided along a story that I never expected to have in these Games, and I got to explore writing for something I hadn't expected. Adventuress sent in so many tributes that I loved, and I'm sorry none of them occupy the Victors Village. This decision was tough for me, but I'm incredibly grateful for Malaya, Aran and even poor Soot.
2nd Place: Cassia Lyra Maurise, District Two Female
Speared by Aran Quade, District Six Male
Time in Arena: 16 days 1 hour 21 minutes 57 seconds
Dreams, I hope you're not disappointed with Cassia getting so close yet not making it. Her cannon earlier was shot off in error, a result of the explosion messing with tracker's vitals monitor. Until she regained consciousness, everybody thought she was dead. Cassia was difficult for me to write at first, but I wanted a Career in the finale and Cass was the only one that fit the bill I was charging for. Me wanting her here made me try harder to do her better, and I'm happy with the result.
VICTOR!
1st Place: Henry Reynoso, Age 14, District Eight Male
Outlived Cassia Lyra Maurise, District Two Female
Time in Arena: 16 days 1 hour 23 minutes 8 seconds
Nobody expected this, did they? No, I think not. Henry was, somehow, the most unique out of all my tributes. He wasn't a killer, but he did overreact sometimes. He killed Devon out of anger, and yet he killed Mera out of sympathy. He played smart but he wasn't entirely innocent by the end, and his development after Blue's death, his internal struggle, was fun to write. Congratulations, Clis! You have yourself a Victor!
Individual 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
10th: Thanatos Rize, Age 15, District Nine Male
9th: Cordin Bolt, Age 16, District Three Male
8th: Mason Lepodolite, Age 18, District Two Male
7th: Malaya Garnet, Age 17, District One Female
6th: Devon Cynthia Rose, Age 17, District Five Female
5th: Esmeralda Annalise Dawn, Age 18, District Four Female
4th: Cheyenne Bruno, Age 13, District Ten Female
3rd: Aran Quade, Age 17, District Six Male
2nd: Cassia Lyra Maurise, Age 18, District Two Female
1st: Henry Reynoso, Age 14, District Eight Male
Kills!
Malaya Garnet: 1 (Logan Woodson, D7M)
Marcus Caelum: 1 (Kenzi Williams, D7F)
Cassia Lyra Maurise: 4 (Aran Quade, D6M; Cheyenne Bruno, D10F; Thorn Ashbury, D11M; Sparky Montgomery, D13M)
Mason Lepodolite: 5 (Malaya Garnet, D1F; Darius Line, D5M; Jetta Carter, D6F; Tulle Salane, D8F; Keola Foeba, D12F)
Esmeralda "Mera" Annalise Dawn: 4 (Infiniti Reagan, D3F; Thanatos Rize, D9M; Soot Maloy, D12M; Rebelle Sunflower Rine, D13F)
Devon Cynthia Rose: 1 (Jasper Blue, D4M)
Darius Line: 1 (Harvest Miller, D9F)
Aran Quade: 2 (Cassia Maurise, D2F; Mason Lepodolite, D2M)
Henry Reynoso: 2 (Esmeralda Dawn, D4F; Devon Rose, D5F)
Thanatos Rize: 1 (Willow Orchids, D11F)
Other: 3 (Marcus Caelum, D1M (Sepsis); Cordin Bolt, D3M (Hellhound); Denny Rico, D10M (Jaguar))
Questions!
It's finally over. What did you think?
Did you ever think Henry would win?
What would you have done if you were in the Arena, in the finale, with Cass, Aran and Henry?
Would you have gone about this chapter differently then I had? How?
See you later,
Z
