Allure Beldam (18) D1F
Oh wow. I don't feel so good. I was really hot. Really, really hot. And I was thirsty. None of it made any sense. I was in the shade. I was used to the heat. And I was in the desert but I was drinking so much water. An undignified amount of water, really, to keep up with... other undignified things. I could have had a bug, but there was nothing I had eaten that wasn't prepackaged. Unless I was allergic to something, it didn't make any sense for me to be this sick. I couldn't even think clearly. I just knew I felt bad.
"Nailah I'm so hot," I murmured, barely opening my eyes. The sun was just so bright. Why was it so bright? I was in the shade. It wasn't this bright the day before. Or the day before. The sky had never been this bright in my life. My eyes were killing me.
"Yeah, I" Nailah replied, most of her words going straight through me. I could hear her but I couldn't hear. I was just so tired that I couldn't understand anything. Was I even saying words or was I just muttering?
"I need more water," I tried to say. I really didn't know if I said that. I couldn't feel my lips moving. I couldn't feel my tongue. All I knew was that my head was absolutely pounding and I couldn't move to get out of my own mess. I am definitely going to die, I thought. I hardly even noticed that Nailah hadn't come back with the water.
Nailah Nebit (18) D2F
You have got to be kidding me you have got to be kidding me. We were supposed to have one person win. I was supposed to have to kill Allure. And now everything was thrown on its head. I should have been happy to have Allure have even a shot at living, but I didn't really have time to think about that. Not with her death looming over me, no longer a necessary evil at all. I could have waited to poison her. I could have tried to use a fast-acting one once we were the final two. Why didn't I wait? I knew the answer. It wouldn't have been nearly as strategic. She would kill me before she would drink liquid I gave her in the final two. I would have died instead of winning. But I hated myself for it anyway.
The sand kept me from really running. Why was the Arena so sandy? Every step I took I fell back half a step, sliding down the dune almost as fast as I could climb up it. I just needed a vantage point. I'd be able to see the others from across the Arena. Would a winded Career be able to take down an outlier? I hoped so. There were two but I didn't have to take them both. I had to kill one faster than I died. How hard could that be? I pushed myself harder and tried to catch my breath while my mouth filled with sand. I was gasping for air and I was breathing in sand and I could hardly focus.
When I crested the dune disappointment flooded through me. There was sand as far as the eye could see. Then my senses returned to me and I looked around, remembering that the outliers could be any direction from me. I was craning my neck to see footsteps or tents or any sign of civilization. There had to be one. How far could they have gone?
Bess Carver (17) D10F
"And then, since it's night, we'll be able to sneak up on them better. Unless they're both standing guard, which would be a waste of energy, we'll probably be able to kill one of them before the other can stop us. It'll be hard, but it should be possible. Right?" I spoke with confidence. We could do this. It was entirely possible. Two outliers, both strong, against one Career. It was totally possible. And we'd have the element of surprise, assuming the sand was cushioning our footsteps as well as we thought.
"Yeah. We can do this." Culter's voice was still unsure, but our plan was pretty good. And we had so many things pinned down. Me attacking first because I had the distance weapon. Culter using the distraction to get between the Cornucopia and our target. Both of us working on one Career while the other hopefully slept peacefully. It could even be easy, if everything went right. Which it almost certainly wouldn't happen but I could surely hope for.
"Well. Nothing to do until night." I couldn't keep thinking about the plan. I'd obsess over it until I found something wrong with it, pacing endlessly over the sand until my legs gave out. And we had to survive until nighttime. So far the mutts had left us alone and the water was good, but I wanted to get more anyway. Purify it, just to be safe. Little bits of busywork to keep myself from going insane with the anticipation. I never could have anticipated Nailah cresting the dune nearest to us.
Allure Beldam (18) D1F
She's really not coming back? She's really just leaving me? I could hardly breathe. I was sucking in air but I wasn't getting enough and drinking was taking energy I didn't have. I lapped up water from a bottle I had laid on the ground near my mouth, trying to keep myself alive for just a little bit longer. Nailah wasn't a bad friend. She helped me with my hair and told me when I had lipstick on my teeth. She was the one who wanted to ditch the boys first. She knew we were bosom buddies and we needed each other until the end. She wouldn't just up and leave me.
I gasped in another breath and choked down some more water. I didn't have the energy to cry while the truth tried to force its way into my mind. I was drinking. I was alive. Nailah and I had agreed to be together until the end. She had the highest kill count of us all. She killed silently before anyone could see it coming. I was still alive. Her poisons killed by the end of the day. She would consider me a serious competitor. She had every reason to kill me. The fact that I had been poisoned was flooding into my mind and still I wasn't giving up. Not when there was a chance the outliers would dehydrate faster than I would die. Not when there was a chance they'd kill her first.
Culter Spring (17) D11M
What the hell is Nailah doing here? It didn't make any sense. Careers were supposed to be smart. They were supposed to be trained tacticians. They would know not to waste their energy bringing the fight to us when they could force us to bring it to them. There was no reason for her to be sprinting at us full tilt. Was she just that desperate to get home? What did her letter say? Was it that dramatic?
I didn't really have time to think about that. I wasn't dead yet, which meant Nailah wasn't using her bow and arrow yet, but it didn't mean she couldn't. And it didn't mean she couldn't win even if she wouldn't. She definitely had a weapon and she'd be formidable even without one. I got up, put on the brass knuckle that Bess had loaned me, and squared up for a fight.
Nailah Nebit (18) D2F
Forgot my freaking bow and arrow. Came all the way here and forgot to grab my bow and arrow first. It was the dumbest thing I could have done. One extra second at the Cornucopia to end the fight before it even began. And I forgot to take the time to think a clear thought. I had panicked, sprinting off before thinking. And I had to pay the price. I had my dagger, sure, and some shurikens, but those wouldn't end the fight nearly as fast.
An axe whizzed by my head and I looked at it for a second, noticing that Bess didn't have another in her hand. I ran toward her and Culter, hitting Culter first, and sliced at him with my dagger. It glanced off his chest harmlessly while his knuckles dug into my face harmfully. I rolled and shoved, trying to knock Culter off his feet, and jumped back up just in time for agony to burst through my kidneys.
Bess Carver (17) D10F
We could still pull it off. Nailah was already overwhelmed and we had just began. We could really do it. She had a knife but Culter had armor. She was already injured, too. I could see a nasty bruise already forming on her cheekbone where Culter had caught her and she had flinched when I hit her. Sure, Culter was taking a few seconds to get up, but I could hold her off until he stood. I took another swing while she recovered from the first and she stabbed me in the wrist.
I didn't have time to flinch. I grabbed Nailah's hair and yanked her down into my knee. She stabbed me in the palm of my hand and then yanked, tearing my fingers apart. I tried to choke her. She stabbed me in the arm. We matched each other blow for blow and I really didn't know which of us would die first. Me, bleeding out, and Nailah, already swaying on her feet. It could go either way and that terrified me.
Allure Beldam (18) D1F
How am I cold in a desert? I need a blanket. I need to get out of the shade. I can get into the sun. I need to warm up. I'm so thirsty. I'm so thirsty. Nailah killed me and I'm so thirsty.
Culter Spring (17) D11M
How do you sprain your ankle on sand? Pain shot through my leg when I fell, but I still knew I had to get back up. I just kept most of my weight on my good leg before lunging to Nailah, ready to take her down. She hardly even flinched before launching a shuriken at me. I thought she was a fool. I had full body armor on. Then pain shot through my good leg and I saw blood rushing out of it faster than I thought was possible. I tried to put weight on it but knew that it would be a lot more effective to take Nailah out. So I hit her in the face as hard as I could while Bess struggled to hold her in place.
Nailah Nebit (18) D2F
Freaking try and get me in a chokehold. Try and hold me down. Idiot. I let the rage and insults fly through my head. I wasn't normally such a vindictive person, but I could insult someone who was trying to stab me. It seemed like my right. I had one knife and one shuriken and I used them both. I dug them both into her stomach as deep as I could get them, my hands soaking up blood while I worked, and yanked them across her as hard as I could. And she dropped me. No one could live through something like that.
I hit the ground to catch my breath while Bess fell behind me, clutching her stomach. It was dripping blood onto me, which was gross, but I couldn't focus on that. I had to kill her faster. I turned to finish her off and Culter hit me again in the face, turning my nose to mush. So I pulled the shuriken out of his leg.
Bess Carver (17) D10F
Oh this much blood can't be good. All blood all the time. That might be my intestines. Gotta kill Nailah gotta kill Nailah dying dying this isn't good.
Culter Spring (17) D11M
I have this much blood? How is it pouring out that fast? Gotta kill Nailah just a little bit faster. Hit tear hit kill break her nose her blood or yours?
Allure Beldam (18) D1F
Hot cold hot cold can't think can't breathe breathe in breathe out drink water cough water breathe in you're fine drink water breathe water breathe air not water it's all water
Nailah Nebit (18) D2F
I just have to live. I just have to live. Culter was holding me back, choking me on my own blood while he died out. He had to die faster than I did. That was all I needed. Just die a little faster and I'd be fine. Sure, the pain was already making me black out and I'd be defenseless if the blood knocked me out, but it was fine. I was going to pull through. I had to. Breathe breathe don't breathe blood breathe air swallow blood breathe air
Bess Carver (17) D10F
A bright line shone above me. A hand reached for me. I took it and Des's face lit up and we were back together.
4th Place: Bess Carver - Disemboweled by Nailah
I tried my best to make this really intense. All of these tributes were potential Victors, and any of them could have lived. But, sadly, Bess did not end up being my chosen Victor. She was awesome and I loved the idea of a strongman tribute, but Allure and Nailah had their sisterhood and you already had Allure winning. So hey, you're not a total loss! Thank you to LadyCordeliaStuart for Bess, who is in Heaven with Des.
Victor: Culter Spring
Wahoo! Culter is a cool dude. He volunteered for a dumb reason, but I still liked him. He gets to live a good life with Summer, who will never again be called a slut. Culter's a good chance for me to improve my writing and develop him further. Congratulations to kkstar47 for getting a Victor in at least this Organized Chaos!
Victor: Allure Beldam
Ok we all know Allure is bae. She's a clear commentary on One's values and how messed up they are, with a child getting plastic surgery to be more beautiful, but in the story she got to grow. She got to make a real friend who didn't see her for her beauty and learn her true strength. Even if she won while about 1/3 conscious and rapidly dying. Congratulations to LadyCordeliaStuart for a Victor in my verse. Guess I'm not killing you for being my sister anymore.
Victor: Nailah Nebit
Nailah is an awesome tribute. She had a cool heritage and a cool personality with very real weaknesses. Equally importantly, she grew into a good relationship with a real friend. I feel that too many SYOTs gloss over friendship in favor of romance when both can really exist. Thank you to Willuna for Nailah, who helped thin the herd and make this story much more manageable, and congratulations on getting a Victor!
Make sure to also read all the other OCs - dreamsofclatniss, LadyCordeliaStuart, Fiona11303, Willuna, kkstar47, neonfunerals13, carlpopa707, KatDog42, and SailorSvensTea! AmericanPi will also be starting one once the others end. And read 66samvr's Death of a Star because Kerkylas is in it and he's bae.