Day 3:
Walker Jeong, 13
District 6 Male
Vick peers through the telescope one more time, studying whatever they see as they try to move it. The telescope feels stuck, so we can only get it maybe a few inches to one side at best. I want to tug, but Vick insists on not doing that, because they're terrified the thing will break and make a lot of noise. And we don't want anyone to know we're here.
"See anything?" I ask lazily from the entrance to the observatory. Guard duty is boring. When's it gonna be my turn to look into the telescope again?
"Stars," Vick responds. "That's…kinda it. I don't know what you expected."
"Boring."
Linh shrugs. "I don't find it boring! I'm just glad we have something to do."
Vick huffs. "Yeah, if I knew which constellations were out there, it'd be better. You think the Gamemakers would've put them all up in the sky if we have to be looking through this thing. Or a really cool looking cloud. I'd settle for that."
"Constellation?" Linh cocks her head to the side. "What's that?"
"Oh, it's when a bunch of stars form a shape in the sky. Not really, but if you make up the lines, you can see it." Vick gestures to the telescope broadly. "The zodiac signs are constellations."
Oh, that's interesting. I resist the urge to snort. "Dude, come on. Astrology? You believe that, like, the stars and planets make us do weird stuff?"
"Does it matter if I do? I just find it neat." Vick looks a little deflated. Okay, I suppose I could've worded that differently. "I'm an Aquarius, by the way," they add after a few seconds of quiet.
"What's that? The fish?" I honestly don't remember much about the zodiac. One of the girls in debate club loves to talk about it, though not like I really paid much attention. But it's got "aqua" in it. So it's a decent guess.
"Close! It's technically the water bearer, which is some dude pouring water out of a cup. But that's my Sun zodiac sign. I'm also a Taurus Moon and Leo Rising. I've got a super cool natal chart."
"Andddddd you lost me," I grumble, going back to staring out the entrance. Maybe guard duty isn't so bad after all. Vick continues to talk natal and zodiac signs and people pouring water out of things. Linh somehow continues to marvel, as if it's the most interesting thing in the world. "Wow. Can you figure out my natal chart?"
Okay, that's not fair. Just because Linh and Vick hit it off doesn't mean I have to get stuck third wheeling in my own alliance that I happen to lead. How come nobody wants to talk about my super cool chess strategies and debate prowess? How come stars are more interesting than that? If these two start kissing or something, I might actually throw up.
"...hey, Walker? Walker? What's your sign?"
"I dunno," I mutter quietly, not really in the mood for more of this astrology talk. I wish something interesting would happen now so we could move on.
Thankfully, I got my wish. I catch sight of two parachutes drifting up towards me. I grab them and pull the packages free; one for Vick and one for me. My heart pounds! Finally! It feels like I've been waiting for a sponsor gift since forever! Surely Mom and Dad can afford to send me tons of stuff, right?
"Hey guys! We got gifts!"
"About time." Linh is at my shoulder in an instant. "I hope it's more food and water. We need that."
I quickly start to open up mine, but then I realize I should probably give Vick theirs since…it's for them. Then I turn back to my gift and finally pull out a little vial of some clear liquid. The only label is a skull and crossbones. Poison.
"I got a knife." Vick sounds almost disappointed. Don't get either of us wrong, a knife would be useful. But it would be even more useful if it was edible.
My stomach growls. I can't remember ever going to bed hungry before. I know I live a fairly privileged life, and I really am grateful for it. My parents always made sure there was breakfast on the table when I woke up and that I was able to get to school on time. I realize these are luxuries my allies don't always have access to.
But everything's gone, might not come back, and I miss it.
Avonlea Headden, 18
District 4 Female
"This is honestly stupid," Arietis gripes as we finish up beakfast. "We're wasting our time and slowing down our progress, which we don't even have in the first place. Can't I go upstairs today?"
"Stick with the plan!" Prism shakes their head. "I know for a fact there are outliers on this floor and we are going to take them out today. I'm going west. Cy, it's your turn to stay back and watch the supplies."
Ugh. I don't really want to go hunting with Arietis or Vivian. They're both just completely unpredictable. Vivian is super hard to figure out and I don't even know what she wants half the time. Arietis feels like a ticking time bomb. He's going to explode and take us all down with him at some point, and I really don't want to be alone with him when it happens.
Thankfully, Olympia motions for her to join her and I do so in a heartbeat. I like Olympia. I can't really say I'm close to her, but she's probably the second nicest of my allies after Cy. Speaking of Cy, ever since the last night before the Games, we haven't gotten a chance to be off together. I don't know if Prism is hell bent on keeping us apart or it's just a plain coincidence, but it makes me feel a lot less secure about my position in the pack.
"We'll go north," I say quickly, and then start pulling Olympia along before anyone can complain. Prism mutters something about me finally being useful and I pretend I don't hear it. After a few minutes of brisk speed walking, I slow down my pace; it's not really a big hallway. It's built funny in a way, with quite a few nooks or crannies someone might be able to squeeze into.
An hour passes in silence, both of us more intent on hunting than making conversation. Then Olympia speaks up. "How are you feeling?"
"I don't know."
"Oh…oh, okay."
"I'm just tired, I guess. I get maybe three hours of sleep each night if I'm lucky and I can't function like that. I need my shut-eye."
Olympia nods. That was weird. It feels like she wants to say something but can't muster up the courage to. I didn't do anything to piss someone off, did I? Oh fuck. Maybe Prism's mad at me and they're sending Olympia to give out the first warning.
"...am I in trouble?"
"Huh?" Olympia asks bluntly.
"Well, am I? Like, is Prism gunning for me or anything?"
She shakes her head, her eyes not fully meeting mine. "No, I don't think they are. Nobody is going to kill you. And I still want to work with you, and even Cy. Prism, Vivian, and Arietis are just…like that. I think that's just the way they all are. Acting all strong and thinking everyone else is weaker than them for not having a kill."
Olympia taps the butt of her spear against the floor. "Trust me, if one of them got pissed off, we'd all know. But you're fine."
I bite back a terrified laugh at that, covering it up with a loud cough. If Olympia notices, she's polite enough not to point it out.
Then I hear it.
Footsteps. Cora from 11 carefully creeping out from their hiding spot against the wall, suddenly looking straight at me. Their eyes widen in fear. They turn and run.
Olympia and I both give chase. My heart is pounding in my chest and I don't know if it's from the sudden sprint, adrenaline, or something else. The hallway is a dead end. We're going to have Cora cornered and it's only a matter of time.
Cora pushes further up against the wall, with nowhere else to go. "No! Please, you can't kill me! I have a family, I have a baby!"
Olympia stands a few feet back. I suddenly get why. I'm not sure I'll be able to stomach this either. Fuck, did it have to be Cora?
The handle of my sabre suddenly feels very sweaty in my hands. I worry I might drop it at any moment. Cora sinks to their knees and I push inward. Just get this over with, Avonlea. No need to draw it out any longer.
"You can't kill me!" Cora sobs. "My daughter…you can't…"
Just like training. It's just like training. I'm a Career, this is what everyone expects of me. This is what the others would do in a heartbeat.
"I'm so sorry," I say quietly. Cora lets out a loud shriek as my sabre pierces through their heart. I pull it out as quickly as I can, trying to ignore the blood that squirts out all over the place and the way the blade gets stuck in their flesh. I quickly stab a second time and that's it. The cannon fires. Olympia rubs my shoulder and I bite back the urge to cry.
Arietis Rammestien, 18
District 2 Male
BOOM!
"Huh. Did you hear that?" Vivian asks, a little startled. Prism and I both look up for some dumb reason, like we'll see an answer in the air. We already know what it is. Someone's dead.
"Seven down," Prism says quietly, completely unfazed. They're right, of course. As long as it's not our allies dead, it doesn't matter who it is. But there's one less tribute now standing between me and victory. About damn time. Three days is a long time to wait for seven tributes to drop dead.
"There's no reason to really stay here," Vivian points out, gesturing at the empty hallway. "We won't find anything except space, space, and even more space. Fun. Wanna head back now?"
I shake my head. "We need to find the rest of the tributes."
"One kill is good enough for the day. We will literally have everyone else dead by the end of the week." Prism puffs their chest out a little. "Let's go back. I wanna see who did it."
"Probably not Cy," I mutter under my breath. "Nobody's stupid enough to raid the Cornucopia when a Career's there."
Prism sneers. "Please. I bet Cy can't even pull his head out of his ass by himself. If it isn't white knighting for his district partner, then he's useless."
Vivian shrugs. "I dunno, Prism, maybe don't count him out so fast. A Career's still a Career. You don't volunteer if you don't know what you're doing."
I can't help myself. "That hasn't stopped anyone before!" Prism bursts into laughter and Vivian just rolls her eyes.
"Let's just go meet the girls. I need some estrogen to offset your stupidity."
I stick my tongue out at her. "That's why you love me, babe."
"I'm putting your sleeping bag next to Cy tonight. He can snore in your face for a change."
"Don't threaten us with a good time."
Olympia and Avonlea are waiting for us back at the Cornucopia. Olympia is busy putting some pots together for a meal and Avonlea is…shaking? Oh, you've got to be kidding me. First kill of the Games and you suddenly can't handle it anymore? What's the point of all the training, then?
She sees us and throws down her bloodied sabre. God, this weakness would never be tolerated back in 2. Can't stomach the sight of blood, kiss your shot at volunteering goodbye.
"Took you long enough." Prism doesn't even seem to care. "I was beginning to worry you wouldn't be able to do it."
"It was only three days." Cy wraps an arm around Avonlea. "And I don't see you trying to rack up a body count either."
I let out a scoff, a bit louder than I really meant to. "Buddy, that's rich coming from you. What, you think the fucking Pythagorean theorem is gonna help your girlfriend contribute to this pack for once? Has it served you?"
"Just leave her alone," Cy hisses. Suddenly, there's a strange glint in his eyes. I catch Vivian glaring at me, mouthing the words drop it, and I remember her previous warnings. Okay, maybe time to back down. We shouldn't be splintering the alliance this early, right?
"Whatever. Have it your way."
Cy and Avonlea retreat further into the Cornucopia. I just ignore them and join Olympia in preparing dinner. Even from here, I can just barely make out the whisperings between the Fours from the horn.
"It's okay. You did what you had to do."
"I almost didn't want to. They had a family, Cy…"
"I know. We all have people we want to get back to. We all have families we left behind at home."
Family. Family. Well, isn't that just rich. People who want to go back home to family, whether that be the pricks who were responsible for biologically creating you or took you into the Training Centre when you were a kid. One has been dead for me for years. The other…I wanted to trust. I thought I could trust.
God fucking damn it. I told myself I'd stop thinking about it and I almost did. That was three months ago and I'm strong enough to get over it. Strong enough to just move on and, and, and-
I squeeze my eyes shut and break a small pack of beef jerky in half, pretending that it's someone's arm. Being destructive is always a great distraction.
18th place: Cora Buchanan, District 11. Stabbed in the heart by Avonlea.
This was a death it hurt to write, even though I knew it was coming. Cora has changed quite a bit in their initial conception, where they were basically Karkat Vantas with how bitter and angry at life they were, upset at how they had to use the shitty hand they were dealt to provide a better future for Zebe. I think I liked their final version more, with them being able to see the positives and what made life with living. And while I did consider them my Victor, having no allies and being stuck in close proximity to the Careers did them in. RIP, little Cancer.
Another one bites the dust! And for once I stop being a heartless bastard and actually feel bad for killing a tribute. Though this probably isn't gonna be the death that puts me on the verge of tears though. You'll see ;)
I would've loved to have gotten this out earlier, but uni midterms kicked my ass. Shout out to everyone surviving through them as well lmao. Hope you're dealing with it better than me!
Blog has been updated for today and as per usual, sponsoring is still open. C'mon guys, don't be afraid to sponsor! I don't bite!
See you all next chapter,
-Vr
