Nailah Nebit (18) D2F
As much as we enjoyed stalling, sitting around the Cornucopia and eating bonbons, we had to hunt sooner or later. The Gamemakers would get mad if we didn't, and we couldn't fight whatever the Gamemakers chose to throw at us. Quietly we gathered our weapons and quietly we climbed to the top of the Cornucopia, getting the best vantage point possible for starting out hunt. My bow would be better than Allure's rapier for hunting, but we both knew I wasn't rushing to get any more kills. More likely than my arrow, Anthony could throw his trident a lot further than Dionysus could throw his sword.
Even as I considered the weapons, even as we climbed the Cornucopia, I knew there was a divide in the Careers. I climbed up and compared myself to Allure. I compared Dionysus to Anthony. We were all allies until we couldn't be anymore, but there was no denying that I was closer to Allure than the boys. Even if she was a little strange and kept insisting that I try out new eyeshadows. I was pretty sure it was harmless makeovers and not her trying to make me pretty enough that I was worth killing.
It hardly felt like we could call ourselves hunters. Normally Careers started walking from the Cornucopia trying to find any trace of a tribute, watching for footprints or broken twigs. We had all trained for it and we were all ready to sneak and track our way to the top. But we could see the people we were hunting from across the Arena as well as they could see us coming and start doing their best to run away from us. Which wasn't much, because running sucked, but it was enough to make it a lot more annoying to reach them.
Even more annoying was the sand. Allure was somehow looking gorgeous, the sand sticking to her like the bronzer she insisted I try on and somehow accentuating her features. I knew it wasn't doing that for me because she kept offering me her water, telling me which parts of my face needed to be wiped off the most. As odd as it felt, it was a little nice to feel like someone saw the good parts of me. She smiled at me whenever I listened to her advice and I just knew that with a smile back I'd be able to get a kiss from her.
When we finally reached our quarry I couldn't focus on the sand anymore. I couldn't focus on it gritting in my shoes and getting between my socks and my skin and tearing at my palms while I reached for my bow and arrow. I had to focus on the hunt and pretending to Anthony and Dionysus that I wanted anything to do with it. At least Allure didn't care if I kept my act up.
Culter Spring (17) D11M
Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. It didn't take a genius to see the Careers walking toward us. It didn't take a genius to understand why, either. Of course they couldn't go for the fairer fight of Des, Bess, and... the other kid they were with. Of course they'd go after the two smaller outliers. Why? Because they wanted to hunt someone without taking any risks. Because the others would die of dehydration before the Careers ever got to them but if the Careers hunted us they could at least pretend they were hunting and keeping the Games interesting. It was so unfair I felt like punching something but there was nothing but the sand.
Of course we ran as far as we could. Of course we walked when the sand fell out from under us and crawled if we couldn't catch our balance. It wasn't going to save us. The only thing that could save us was hiding under the sand and the Careers would just see us do that and manage to find us anyway. I prayed the Careers didn't notice that we were heading to the other tributes, slowly closing the distance between us. We probably wouldn't make it the whole way in time, but we could get as close as possible. Maybe even within yelling distance.
Kjole kept looking behind us as we climbed a dune, her eyes widening a little bit more with every update she didn't have to verbalize. We were going as fast as we could and we couldn't outrun trained hunters. I felt like the cattle I had herded into the trucks to be butchered. No matter how far we went, sooner or later we'd end up in the same place anyway. It almost didn't feel worthwhile. If we just sat down death would reach us as much as if we ran and at least we could pretend we had a say in it.
Once Kjole grabbed my arm I realized what my only option was. She was terrified because we were caught. Her wide eyes and her grimace told me all I needed to know. I tried to grab her while I dove down the edge of the dune, knowing it was the only way to gain ground on the Careers. I just hoped she'd get the idea and not try to slow her fall.
Kjole Schmeichel (16) D8F
Culter grabbed me and dove off the dune. It was a good idea. What were the odds that the Careers would see that coming? What idiots would just do something that would probably fill their eyelids with sand and kill them on the way down? I didn't have time to tell him that it was too late. Whatever had lodged itself in my back had gone in deep and landing on it certainly wasn't going to help my case.
Oberon Murdoch (17) D9M
Culter and Kjole were racing toward us. At first I saw Des tense up and prepare for what had to be the stupidest attack in the history of attacks. Sure, Culter was a big guy, but he wasn't as big as Des and he wasn't as big as Bess. He'd die before he knew what hit him. And Kjole was a decent-sized woman but even I could probably take her, and I wasn't built like a brick wall. Then we saw the Careers were following us and all of us tried to pretend we weren't infuriated. They were getting attacked by the Careers and trying to lead them to us.
We all gasped when they fell. I turned to Des to make sure I was actually seeing what I saw and her reaction told me I was right. They'd jumped headlong off a dune and Culter had done an almost elegant somersault once he landed. Kjole did not move to get up and I bent over double when I saw her guts spill out. It was a horrific thing that no child should have seen and yet there I was, staring it down. I should've run right then, but it was pointless. May as well get caught when we were ready for it instead of being chased for days.
Culter ran to us and I saw us make a decision. Des looked at Bess who looked at me and we all agreed without even needing to nod. We couldn't just sit back and watch another kid die. Not when he was running to us out of complete desperation when we could kill him just as much as the Careers could. We also couldn't reject another ally in what was now the final eight. Four outliers versus four Careers and we had to take what we could get.
Bess Carver (17) D10F
The Careers were going to win. Yeah we'd do some real damage and yeah Des might be able to pull something off, but realistically, the Careers were going to win. They'd pick us off, Nailah with the only long-distance weapon, and there'd be nothing we could do about it. Then they'd rip each other apart and that would be that. One more year that the outliers didn't win because the Careers trained to kill children. I wasn't going to have it.
"Des you know we're the strongest. I think I have a plan." Des seemed confused but nobody else was offering up any ideas. I squared up and stared down the Careers. "Hey you! You wanna fricking go? You freaking cowards wanna fight me like a man? Get over here and let me pummel you you pieces of crap! I'll tear you apart and you know it! You wanna fight any of us and you're fighting all of us!"
Nailah and Allure were the first to look unsure. Nailah had her arrow pointed right at me but there was no way she'd be able to shoot a ducking and weaving Des before she could do some serious damage. Des almost laughed before joining me in our taunts. "Come on! You wanna go? You wanna die? You know freaking one of you will. Maybe if you run away with your tails between your legs you'll stand a chance, but you which of you is willing to die in this fight? Go back to the Cornucopia where you belong."
It was a stupid plan. It was prolonging the inevitable. Sooner or later we'd have to attack in the night and hope the element of surprise would save at least one of us. It probably wouldn't, but at least we'd bought time to plan.
Dionysus Bacchus (18) D1M
How did they taunt us so perfectly? As much as they were insulting our pride, they were right. And we all knew they were blustering to seem powerful and they knew we knew and somehow it was working. We could pick one of them off but there was no way Nailah could get four kills in before they reached us, and none of us wanted to have to start fighting each other. With our weapons still held high we advanced backwards to the Cornucopia.
Because we're not ready for the finale yet, are we? There are only two ALLIANCES left :P Plus tbh the Careers wouldn't want to 4v4 when they can just wait until everyone else dies of dehydration lol.
9th Place: Kjole Schmeichel - Tridented by Anthony
Kjole was a cool character from start to finish. Described as basically just a cat, she was fun to play with and develop. She made it a long way because she deserved it and because she had real development opportunities. She had a good run and was only slightly destroyed by how freaking obnoxious the sand is. Shoutout to QueenofMorning37 for a really interesting character who earned her placement well. Also btw Culter is now having the least bad time of the Games because he has those cool shoe covers that keep the sand from getting into your shoes. He's still sandy but at least he's not speedrunning calluses.
ALSO NEWS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE: This is my SECOND time updating today. You'll only get one email but I updated TWICE. Make sure to check out last chapter too because of ~important development~ and just because it's the best chapter ever written :) but really just because there's development lol.