Aemilia Marsay, 31, Head Gamemaker
"Ugh."
That's the only sound I can muster up as Armahni's head drops onto the floor. I'm disappointed. Too many Careers are dying, too early in the Games. It's only Day 2. Without intervention, outliers could outnumber them before the end of the first week. I'm a fan of underdogs, but most of these kids from the outer districts don't seem like fighters to me. Natural deaths are not terribly exciting, especially in a hospitable arena like this. I'm becoming increasingly proud of this particular child-inspired creation. Aemma's frequent dreams about being attacked by geese contributed to Armahni's end. Aslan was meant to be the unlucky tribute, but fate had other plans. I almost prefer this outcome to the original, planned one. Dream Weaver's personal grudges can't come before my desire to keep a popular Career tribute.
Regardless, Aslan manages to flee but Coilee is now at the center of the battle, too. She looks exhausted, and is now saying something about having to kill Dream Weaver herself.
That's a fight she will definitely not win. Is she trying to be a hero?
Despite my distaste for Coilee, she is the only tribute from Two left. I certainly have no desire to receive any cold, angry stares from Cascadia.
Weaver gets in a battle stance as Coilee raises her spear, the two of them in a sort of standoff. Aemma looks tense. I turn to her, smiling.
"Aemma," I tell her softly, "Weaver cannot kill Coilee. Make sure he doesn't."
My daughter's face falls, and she folds her arms angrily. "Why?!"
"Because I said so."
This response from me usually means Aemma has no choice but to do whatever I have told her to do, and she bows her head, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Weaver," she whispers, her head still hanging. "Weaver, don't hurt the dumb girl. Mama said not to."
Dream Weaver perks up at the sound of Aemma's voice then frowns. It can't be too obvious that Aemma is in direct communication with him, so his expression readjusts to a content one quickly.
"You know, maybe one kill is enough for today," he tells them, tapping his foot. "This is already a confusing situation."
Dream Weaver hops away in gigantic leaps until he is safely out of the burning tent camp. Coilee and Aslan are staring at each other, sweating from the heat of the flames, but they both burst into life at the same time.
"Let's find Vinna," Aslan tells her, generating an annoyed look from Coilee, almost as if she were saying Eh, she can get out herself. Vinna has been far from kind to her throughout these Games. Part of me still wonders if this measly Career pack will survive the next three days with Azure still on the hunt for Magnolia Salix.
Speaking of Magnolia, they are less than a half a mile from crossing Azure's path, thankfully enough. Another clash today would be great.
Vinna Hegarty, 18, District 1 Female
The cannon sent me running. I could have just assumed it was an outlier running into a Mutt, or something, but maybe one of my birdbrain teammates got stuck in a burning tent. Wouldn't that be an amusing sight.
What I have stepped into is less amusing and more confusing. Coilee, standing on her own two feet, grabbing Aslan's hand as they escape the burning carnage. I call after them and they notice me.
"Vinna!" Aslan sounds relieved but Coilee, the wench, is scowling. My chest is already burning in irritation that I am being forced to tolerate this girl. However, I notice someone missing, and I honestly can't put my finger on who it is until Aslan speaks up.
"Armahni," Aslan says, wiping sweat from his dark brow. "He's dead."
"How?" I inquire, as if I care. Part of me hopes Aslan did him in himself.
"Mutt," is all Aslan says before urging Coilee and I to keep moving. Armahni really got killed by a Mutt, a freaking Mutt? Why would the Gamemakers send a Mutt after a Career tribute so early on in the Games? I'm bewildered, but before I know it I'm relishing in the fact that the Careers are dropping like flies. Some might say it's bad for me, to not have as many strong allies on your side, but it's not like I need an army. I know for a fact I could take out every last tribute on my own without breaking a sweat.
"Azure left," Coilee tells us after an awkward silence. Aslan turns to her.
"That weakling deserted already?" His tone is irritated but also aloof, as if losing yet another Career were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
"She said she had to take care of something," Coilee explains, annunciating with finger air quotes. I scratch my head.
"And you just let her leave?" I inquire. Coilee frowns at me.
"I was injured. I could barely move," she mutters. Coilee's response generates a sideways glance from Aslan.
"And you exactly are you moving right now? Magic?" He makes a good point. I thought I'd be free of Coilee but some miracle of nature seems to have blessed her, of all people.
"That… that bear. It healed me."
"The same bear who was trying to kill me?" Aslan asks, clenching his fists. Coilee nods stiffly. I step on.
"Why would it heal you, though?" I ask Coilee, stepping closer to her. "That doesn't make any sense."
"It just did. I don't know." Coilee sounds defensive but also unnerved, as befitting an interrogation like this. "Let's just get out of here, okay?"
We exit the smoldering tent area and head back up the mountain, hearing the hovercraft in the distance scooping up Armahni's headless corpse. I decide to take charge and turn to both Aslan and Coilee as we reach the top of the hill overlooking the tent faire. This is what I do best, looking like I know the answer to everything. Even if I don't, it fools people well enough and gives them a sense of comfort.
"The Cornucopia's deserted right now, so let's just keep hunting until it gets dark. After the anthem we'll check and see if Azure comes back." They both nod in agreement and I point to the west, where a glittery mountain system can be seen. The mountain itself seems cavernous, a perfect place for weaker tributes to hide.
If we can at least return from this mission without losing another one of us, it won't be a complete disaster. My district partner died today, yet I can't scavenge an ounce of grief or even sadness out of my stomach. Another reason I'm simply better than everyone else here.
Salalai Asshaise, 14, District 10 Female
Peace is a blessing. Especially when you've been used to chaos your entire life, in and out of your head. Adahy and Gilalai ensured that my life after the abuse would be anything but normal. Now, in these last few days I'll have to myself, things are normal. I huddle up in a ball in the cave, still, unmoving. The walls look like a geode. They flash in muted shades of the rainbow at night. Now that it's daytime, the colours aren't as visible.
I haven't sensed anyone coming in my direction as of late. No footsteps, muffled voices, even a shift in the air to suggest that anyone would find me. It's a relief, because I would appreciate some alone time before my stay here expires.
What's it like, I wonder, to have such a luxury? Will I be bored? Will the anxiety of knowing there are people out there who want nothing more than for me to die and will do anything to make that happen make me give up? It's not exactly something I take personally, which might be why the pit in my stomach I was expecting to be a constant feeling the moment I rose into the arena has been absent. Everyone has to do what needs to be done. For one other child in this arena to go home, I have to die.
When did I start crying? I don't remember the warm feeling rising in my throat or my vision clouding. The only sound in the cave is my tears splashing onto the floor of the cave.
Wiping my sadness away, I curl up in the corner, settling into a comfortable enough position. I almost feel lonely. At least Adahy would reassure me that I have just as much chance of winning as anyone else. Most of the time he was a realist but I feel like he would comfort me in a situation like this. I almost can't handle functioning like a regular person.
Right as my thought ends a burst of light shines in the center of the cave glowing all the colours of the rainbow. The glittering walls reflect the light, creating a beautiful sight that far surpasses any stolen sunset I can recollect. The light fades, and I suddenly feel very tranquil.
Can ye no hush your weeping
all the wee lambs are sleeping
Birdies are nestling, nestling together
Dream Weaver is hirpling over the heather
Dreams to sell, fine dreams to sell
Weaver is here with dreams to sell
Hush ye my baby and sleep without fear
Dream Weaver has brought you a dream my dear.
It's becoming increasingly hard to keep my eyes open. When did the ground become so comfortable? I have to lay my head down, before I fall over and smack it on the ground, that's how tired I feel. Am I on a cloud? No, because even a cloud isn't as comfortable as this. I haven't ever fallen asleep with a smile on my face but even as my consciousness is fading I'm certain one is plastered on my frail, weathered face.
I open my eyes again, and what they're showing me makes me blink rapidly to confirm I'm seeing correctly. Tall, brisk, with a displeased expression on his face. His hair is shaggy, partly falling into his eyes. I always knew he wore his hair like that.
Next to him, a curvy and beautiful woman, twirling her dark hair on her finger in a suggestive way. Her clothes are tight-fitting and revealing.
Adahy and Gilalai, for once, are waiting for me to start talking.
Albert Hade, 16, District 3 Male
What's the point?
That's what my entire body is screaming at me, every minute of every hour since I've been without her. I've never felt such a horrifying degree of numbness, crippling emptiness. Is this what grief is? Is this the aftermath of watching the person who matters most to you die in front of you?
Her last words haunt me. They haunt me endlessly because if I had gotten the chance to tell her the same before she took that final breath, I would have been lying. She said she loved me. The guilt feels like a parasite eating me from the inside out.
I should have asked her out before we both got Reaped. At least it wouldn't have seemed like such an afterthought to date her. She deserved better. She deserved better than me.
I wish my body would move on from where my mind is. Feeling horrible both physically and mentally is not something the body is designed to endure for longer periods of time. I'm dreading the moment when death starts to look more and more welcoming than continuing to live.
The fatigue comes as I have yet to find a food and water source. My entire body feels like it's leaking energy. I'm not sure if that's possible, but I can almost see my lifeforce creating a trail behind me. With each step I take, I drain a little more.
It's way too early in the Games to be this way, isn't it? It's probably the dehydration sapping me of any motivation. I know the human body can't go without water for more than three days. It's been two days, so far, so unless I find a solution quickly, I'm in trouble.
In the distance, beyond the lavender hills blanketed with carpet instead of blades of grass, I see what looks like sand. A desert? Not the best spot to find water, but if I'm lucky, maybe a desert oasis?
If only there were people nearby. Not only so I don't feel so hopelessly lonely, but also in case they happen to have some nourishment.
When I step over the hills after around half an hour of climbing, I'm right in my analysation. Pools of water are surrounded by the first vegetation I've seen in this arena yet, in the form of twisty ferns with bright pink flowers. They're extremely easy to spot in the pale pink sand of the desert arena.
Strangely enough, the large sculptures dotting the arena make it seem less like a desert and more like a gigantic sandbox. A plastic mold for a sand castle. An overturned bucket. An orange shovel.
I'm practically stumbling to the oasis, nearly falling into the water. I scoop handful after handful of water in my mouth. After getting enough hydration I start to splash my face in an attempt of snapping out of whatever delirium I have been in since she died. As she would say, I need to "get a hold of myself."
The water's warm. Not that I mind. It's also a bit thick, with a slight mulberry flavour. My eyelids feel like they weigh a thousand pounds. I have to get out of the pond; if I fall asleep in the pond, I'll drown. My vision is going spotted and orange-tinted, yet my relief is indescribable when I feel myself sink face-first into granules of sand instead of the strange, sweet water.
Magnolia Salix, 18, District 7 Female
I knew the woods wouldn't last forever, but seeing a burning flock of tents in the valley wasn't exactly the most welcome sight either. I know the Capitol probably thought it was funny to place this here, as a reminder of my past and that they know everything about everyone, but I am in no mood to engage. Turning away, I head east.
The landscape is… peculiar. Big, gaping holes dot the ground, large enough to swallow a person. I peer down one of them but I can't see past the darkness shrouding it. Some of them have blankets hastily thrown over the top, as to trick an unsuspecting tribute into falling into the holes. Luckily, if there's one thing I've gotten good at, it's watching my step.
I'm a bit unsettled at the lack of cover, however. The red forest provided a shield from anyone in the distance spotting me through the thick, wiry branches, but the only other potential shelter I can spot are some mattresses arranged in the shape of forts, decorated with throw pillows of all sizes and colours. Other than that, I practically stick out like a sore thumb due to the fact that I am not pastel-coloured and plush. This arena's colour scheme is already giving me a headache.
Hissssss.
I jump. That sound is anything but a natural one. It sounds dry, angry. I turn around to notice a large, pink snake slithering towards me. Actually, it looks more like a toy, with its cushy body and silly-looking face. Oh, wait. It's a gigantic sock.
The sock's elongated, snake-like body and button eyes make it look incredibly childish and crude, but I know it has every intention to hurt me. I clutch my hatchet, already feeling sweaty. My heart is pounding out of my chest.
Then, out of nowhere, it attacks, leaping off the ground. I deflect it with my weapon, its body bouncing off the flat side of the blade pressed to my chest. That doesn't deter it, however. The worm once again pounces at me but instead aims for my arm. It lands on my shoulder and sinks its newly-sprouted teeth into my shoulder.
Yelping, I grab the sock roughly and throw it with all my might, causing it to land on the ground again. One of its button eyes falls out, clanking on the ground.
It hisses again, but suddenly I see a white shoe stomping on it hard, making the sock scream in pain before going still. I look up and notice a tall girl with ocean blue eyes gazing at me with a certain fury that reminds me of the hottest, most brutal fire I've come face-to-face with. I gulp nervously.
"Magnolia… Salix?" The girl's cadence is stilted, strange, villain-like. "Not like I care, anyway."
"Yeah, I'm Magnolia," I reply shakily, trying to keep my hatchet gripped tightly in my clammy palms. "Were you stalking me?"
"You can hardly call it stalking," she says dismissively. "This is the Hunger Games."
"Yeah, it is," I mumble. I don't know why I am even talking to her, but part of me thinks that continuing to engage with this weird girl whose name I can't even remember will increase my lifespan.
"I'm Azure," she tells me, as if she was just reading my mind. "You killed my friend."
"I did?" I try to dig through my memories for anyone I may have harmed. My stomach drops when I remember sinking my hatchet into the abdomen of the girl from 2. This is Azure, the girl from 4. I saw them mingling during training. If I killed Coilee, Azure wants revenge. But then I realise something. "I didn't see her face in the sky. She isn't dead."
"She died earlier today," Azure says dejectedly, hanging her head. "I wasn't even there. I was off, trying to find your firefighter ass." My blood goes cold at the mention of my former profession.
"You don't know that," I argue, backing away as slowly as Azure is approaching me. "You don't know until the faces show up again later."
"Still," Azure hisses, twirling her miniature machete that I didn't notice before. "I'd like to make you feel how she felt."
The murderous look in her eyes was making my brain endlessly plead for me to run. Her swing at my midsection is what allowed my body to respond.
Day 2
Kills
Vinna (2): Sixtine (assist), Garrett
Coilee (1): Ethan
Azure (1): Nerezza
Aslan (2): Sixtine, Sophia
DW (1): Armahni
Tributes remaining:
Vinna (1F), Coilee (2F), Albert (3M), Azure (4F), Aslan (4M), Pontiki (5F), Aston (6F), Indy (6M), Magnolia (7F), Esther (8F), Altaïr (9M), Salalai (10F), Ryker (10M), Andrew (11M), Damon (12M), Lilac (12F)