Oh my gosh I had SO MUCH HOMEWORK for a few weeks but I'm finally back! SOrry to keep you waiting so long!


Nailah Nebit- District Two female (18)

A cannon surprised me and I jumped.

"Who do you suppose that was?" I asked Nero.

"The Three boy? He's pretty weak. Or Des had some internal injuries from fighting Kjole." He said.

Hope it was Des. I was brave but I didn't go looking for trouble. If someone as strong as Des was eliminated without me having to go near her, I was happy. I just didn't say it out loud. The other careers already thought I was weird enough for hating crowds.

"Hope the rest are close by," I said. "It's hot." I might have been Egyptian but that didn't mean I liked sweating. It only meant I took longer to burn than Kjole or Allure. I didn't trust the water here after we ran out of bottled stuff. That was one thing the outer Districts had the advantage in. It's possible to build tolerance for waterborne germs. City people like us careers didn't have any of that.

"It's not so bad." Nero shrugged, not convincingly.

"Wonder when we'll break up." As soon as I blurted it I knew how stupid a thing it was to say. Every career knew you just sort of pretended the breakup would never happen. We all knew we were going to kill each other but you were supposed to pretend you didn't. If everyone thought you were thinking about the breakup, they'd all go against you.

Nero gave me the weird look I expected.

"Honestly, probably soon. There aren't many people left." He seemed to feel guilty talking about it but went ahead anyway.

"I guess we aren't supposed to kill each other. Since we're partners and all." I said. Maybe I could put the thought in his head, or maybe I just sounded like a coward.

"This is mean but I think I'll go for Allure first." Nero said. "I don't hate her but I like her less."

"Kjole will probably run." I said. That's what I would do if I was her.

"Damn, she probably runs really fast with those long legs." Nero pouted. For some reason it made me laugh.

"She's a foot taller than I am." I said in agreement.

"She's almost a foot taller than I am!" Nero said.

"At least you outweigh her." I said with my normal awkward attempt at compliments.

"That's true." Nero said.

"Oh nice, some shade." I said as we went under an awning at the corner of a building. But after an instant I felt confined, like someone might drop something on us from where we couldn't see them above. I jogged ahead of Nero a little to get around the corner faster.

As far as I could remember, whenever I got really scared I would feel this sudden clamping in my chest, like someone actually grabbed my heart. I also got this electric jolt that started in my back but came out through my stomach. That was what happened when I heard to footsteps. But there were too many of them. They were like... pawsteps. And in an instant I saw I was right to be afraid.

Oh my god, what IS that? It was like a bear, but too skinny. Then it shifted from four feet to its back legs and as it got closer I saw how messed-up it really was. Whatever it was, it had spikes down its back and red eyes and big claws. It was greenish like a reptile and its skin looked hard, but there was something a little dog-like about it. All of that I saw in less than a second, since that was how long it took me to turn and run.

It didn't do me any good. I saw Nero's face go terrified at whatever was behind me just before I felt a crushing pressure on the back of my head. I bent my arm backward to try to stab the mutt with a poisoned arrow, but my blade glanced off its thick skin. It felt like my skull was going to cave in. I reached around to just try to get a hold of it. The pressure on my head lifted but I went flying as the mutt tossed its head and threw me. I flew into the wall of the building we'd been walking next to face-first. I slid down, half-conscious, and turned around to see the inside of the mutt's mouth.

Ammat, I thought in a daze. What a stupid thing to think. Grandma hadn't told me that story for ages. The thing did look a little like a crocodile, though, at least its skin. Ammat ate souls, though. Not bodies.


Nero Inculta- District Two male (18)

It was like a tornado. One second I was walking just behind Nailah and then she went pale and turned to run. Before she got two steps, before I could even see what she was afraid of, it had her. Some messed-up dinosaur mutt ran up behind her and bit the back of her head. I thought for sure she was going to pop like a grape, but instead she hung two feet off the ground, flailing with her knife behind her as blood oozed out from her head.

She's on her own. It was probably too late anyway. It must have pierced her skull in half a dozen places. She'd die of infection even if we got her back to camp. And I didn't have the slightest confidence we'd get her back to camp. The mutt holding her was way bigger than both of us. If I tried to get in the way I'd just die too.

I didn't feel bad leaving Nailah. Like she said, careers always break up eventually. She was my district partner but no one would blame me for not fighting that thing. I turned and ran just as the monster tossed its head. I looked back over my shoulder and saw Nailah hit the wall like a rag doll. She left a smear of blood as she slid to the ground. She looked up at the mutt and.

I retched.

I'd never seen something eat someone's face before. The mutt bent down and just BIT her FACE. Its jaws caught for a second on her bones and then crunched through like it was eating a stalk of celery. I didn't know someone could be erased like that. Nailah's face was gone. It was like she'd face-planted into a power sander.

I tried and failed to stop another stomach cramp. Vomit shot up my throat and I bent while I was running to let it come out. It stung my mouth and nose as I looked behind me again. The mutt took Nailah by the head again and picked her up in its jaws. Oh thank god, I thought. It's going to eat her so I can get away.

The mutt turned and sprinted after me, Nailah dangling from its mouth like a disgusting chew toy. I leaned forward and ran like I never had before. I didn't even want to think about Nailah flapping after me like a bloody avenging angel. I heard the mutt galloping after me, far faster than was fair, and in the end it didn't matter that I leaned too far forward and fell.

I threw up an arm as I turned over. I wasn't even thinking about fighting. I was thinking I didn't want the back of my head bit like Nailah but I also didn't want my face bit like Nailah. I crossed my arms over my face and felt the mutt's breath on my stomach instead. It ripped me open like a can opener.

Even in my panic, I still didn't give up. I stabbed up at the mutt's underbelly with my sword. When it glanced off the thick skin, I started punching. It had to have a weak spot. Nothing liked getting punched in the eye, not even a monster.

The mutt didn't like getting punched in the eye. It solved that problem by closing its jaws around my mouth. I felt the bones give and then my hand was just gone. Blood sprayed all over my face until I tasted how metallic it was.

That's not fair, I thought as shock made me cold all over. We can't fight this. Why did they do this? It's not fair at all. My uncle never fought something like this...


Kjole Shmiecel- District Eight female

After hours of debate, I settled on my plan. I would tell Nero and Nailah that Allure disappeared while I was going to the bathroom and hadn't reappeared since. Maybe she got bored and went out to hunt or maybe she abandoned us. Either way, a cannon came after that. Maybe she found someone? I'd certainly be surprised when I saw her in the sky tonight...

A cannon sounded. I was still collecting my thoughts when another followed.

Maybe Nailah and Nero found Bess and Omar, I thought. Anyway, Allure disappeared. She just disappeared.


7th place: Nailah Nebit- eaten by chupacabra mutt
I couldn't decide what to do next but I knew for my first story I wanted more of an underdog victor, so I decided to kill the last two careers. I hadn't had any mutts left and of course in a Mexican arena I needed a chupacabra! Nailah's form asked for a mutt death so at least that worked out. Nailah really deserved better but SPOILERS I think she got treated well in LCS' games at least. Sorry I killed your Tribute, Willuna. She'll probably win someone's story since she's cool.

6th place: Nero Inculta- eaten by chupacabra mutt
Nero and Anthony were the two most normal careers, so they took more work. I added in the part where he killed Anthony but since he was a career he didn't angst about that much. Now he and Nailah will never tell on each other. Nero may have been less over-the-top but he was still a cool character. If all the tributes are crazy it just makes a less serious story.