Alyona smirnov,18, district 5 female
I continue flicking through the various channels but other than a bunch of drama movies featuring teen capitol celebrities, nothing really catches my attention. I eventually flick to a music channel and there's now a popular teen band playing some kind of rock. It has a somewhat catchy tune, so I nod off while it plays in the background. It's been a long day and despite that, I'm still not tired or to be more specific, I am tired but just can't fall asleep, there's just a lot on my mind right now.
Mainly Paula, I can't help but think about her, how she's doing, if she's safe, why things had to be this way and I wish things were different, I wish I can be home with her right now, just eating some popcorn, laying down next to her while we slept throughout the entire day, but everything I'm going to do, it's all for her. I know what I'm capable of and killing people won't be anything new to me obviously, not that I relish in it, but I've just learned to live with it.
Tilo turned me into a weapon but did he really, or was I just always capable of being this way and he just brung that part out of me? That makes me wonder, do people actually change or was that just always them? Always something they were able to do or be. That's why I wonder can I really pin all of this on him or do I only have myself to blame for the lives I've ended? I remember the faces of everyone I killed, I remember their names, the looks on their faces before I dished out the finishing blow after brutalizing them, I remember exactly how many people I killed, 13, 13 people are dead because of me but I still don't feel anything, even when I want to…i just don't.
Remember when I said Noir was able to take on many different disguises? Well one of my first kills was a corrupt politician and how convenient that he was looking to hire a clown for his daughter's birthday. That was likely the only way I can get close enough to him since he was a paranoid man and was usually always guarded.
I applied for the position and nailed the interview after making up a fake name and changing my appearance drastically like dying my hair, wearing contacts, make up etc. He offered to pay a large sum of money just to dress up and entertain the kids but the money didn't matter to me. Back then the only thing that mattered was making Tilo happy, I did consider him my family. He was the only one who accepted me after so many others turned me away. Even if the only reason he accepted me was to make me his personal assassin, I still for a long time considered him a father. The party went well, I do consider myself naturally good with kids so they loved me, especially his 8 year old daughter and young wife who was expecting her second child.
I initially planned on just getting rid of him only and then disappearing. I thought this would all go off without a hitch but as he handed me my pay however I quickly pierced him in the chest with a hidden dagger and just as I did that his 8 year old daughter walked in and caught me, so I murdered her too, I remember grabbing her by her long curly hair as she cried and tried to run away but i thrusted my knife into her neck multiple times until she went limp, I still remember those sounds she made as blood filled up her windpipe.
His wife rushed up the stairs upon hearing the commotion and after seeing that horrified look in her face upon seeing her husband and daughter brutally murdered, something in her snapped and she went completely berserk attacking me. To this day I considered her my toughest adversity and that's when I learned there is no one stronger than a parent who's lost almost everything and is clutching onto the last thing they have, for her it was her unborn child and that was the most ruthless fight I've ever had, but in the end it was me covered in my own blood and wounds as I stood over her and she cried and begged me to not kill her child and to even hold her hostage for long enough so she can give birth to her child but I dug my knife deep inside of her chest without any hesitation and that's when I realized, there was no going back, that this was who I was and that this'll be the new norm. I don't plan on show casing my skills to any of these tributes though, not even the capitol. I'll disguise myself as a weak and helpless little girl, I'll suck at everything and just be an utter failure to the point where I'll probably even be pitied, but that's my strategy, to be a weakling and to slaughter anyone who tries to get an easy kill off of me.
"Hey there…" I hear Dio and I turn around to see him hesitantly inching towards me.
"Hi Dio." I greet him and he gives me a look, like he can relate to me, but he has no fucking clue who I am.
"So can't sleep either it looks like." He yawns and sits on the sofa across from me.
"Looks can be deceiving." I flick to a different channel and a rerun of one of the previous games play with a tribute getting their head smashed in by someone they thought they can trust and Dio seems uncomfortable watching this scene.
"What you mean by that? He grimaces as the tribute's brain matter is now seeping from their skull as a cannon rings out.
"Things are not always as it seems and you shouldn't assume things all the time." I lecture him.
"Yeah…noted, but how are you feeling Alyona?" He rubs his eyes.
"I'm fine, as fine as I can be at least." I flick to a different channel with a new kind of apparel being advertised.
"Well that's good enough, I can't really sleep much honestly, I didn't exactly have a good send off back at home." He seems to have some guilt on his face and I can tell he wants to say more but seems a little hesitant. People just loved telling me their darkest secrets for some reason, I don't know if it's cause of my appearance or just the aura I exhibit but there must be something about me that just makes people feel comfortable and want to open up. Paula always told me I had such an innocent and adorable look that'll lure anyone in.
"What do you mean?" I pretend to care.
"Hey look I'm not even trying to brag or anything ok, but I've been with a lot of girls, like a lot. I never got really got attached to any of them cause I only saw them as nothing but tools that I can use to increase my body count, but my latest girlfriend, her name was Maeve and I've just learned so much from being with her. She wasn't like the others and…I can probably even say I loved her.
We've only been together for a few weeks but damn were those like the best few weeks of my life, I cared about her and I didn't want her to miss me because she's too good for me. I wanted her to hate me just so she can miss me a little less when I'm gone so I broke her heart, lied to her about how much I couldn't stand her, about how I was so glad to be done with her and that look on her face upon hearing all of that, it's a look I'll never forget, like her whole world just came crashing down and her life was just meaningless, I wish I can take it all back..." He sulks.
"You loved her." I calmly say and he looks up at me with watery eyes.
"I did...but she'll probably never know that now." He laments.
"And if that is the case, you only have yourself to blame for that. It's your guilty conscious that ate away at you, you felt you weren't good enough for her and that's why you wanted her to be free, to not give a rats ass about you once you bit the dust." I clarify and he only slowly nods in agreement as he wipes his eyes.
"I want to take it back…I just want to see her again but I know I won't, I already made a friend pact with those careers from one so I know I'm fucked!" he punches the table in anger.
"You be can't too hard on yourself though." I suggest and he looks back up at me.
"You never loved before, not like that at least so you were experienced. When you love someone though, you tell them how you feel, you tell them you love them, don't be afraid to suppress your feelings cause it might just be something you'll regret for the rest of your life." I inform him.
"You sound like you have a lot of experience with this…is there someone you love?" He sniffs and I nod.
"It's complicated but yes, there is someone very precious to me, I'm a bit of a hypocrite cause I was like you as well, I always tried to suppress my feelings, I was for a long time afraid of telling her how I felt, cause not only did I feel she was too good for me, but also cause it hurts, knowing you love someone and that they don't love you back, but it hurts even more when you bottle up your emotions when you can't tell someone how you really feel about them, you knowing that you never took that extra step and the unknown of wondering how things would've played out had you taken a different approach, it will destroy you." I look into his eyes and some tears come down them and he looks out of the window at the two lone stars in the sky together.
"I just…I'm sorry." He breaks down and he begins sobbing.
"Just let it out, don't suppress it." I encourage him as he continues releasing his emotions so I walk over to the table to pour him a glass of water and sit it down on the table next to him.
"T-thank you…" He sputters before taking a sip of it.
"You loved her though and she obviously really cared about you too. I believe she knew you didn't want to hurt her, she was probably more upset that you couldn't bring yourself to tell her how you really felt, but she knew you cared about her, so fight for her ok? Cause you're always at your strongest when you have someone to fight for, you can get far alone, but people need people in the end." I stand up from my sofa as he continues sobbing.
"Alyona…thank you, thank you!" He manages to choke out between his sobs and I nod.
"You'll feel much better later Dio, I can assure you that, but for now, don't hold anything back. This is your time to just release everything in you." I state and he sniffs and nods.
"I'll release everything…everything!" He cries and I give a final nod before walking away and returning back to my room. I then look out of the window into the night sky and think of Paula…I just hoped she still loved me after seeing the things I was going to do.
Thea Brodecka,16, District 10 female
Finally some peace and quiet, don't have to hear my mentors or that annoying heavy accent that Cortez has, just peace and quiet and I can concentrate on my art and my analysis of the tributes here. I finally complete the painting I've been working on ever since I boarded the train and it's a painting of me and Khrakia. I let out a small sigh as the painting is of her behind me hugging me as she rests her head on my shoulder while I'm wearing the dress she wanted me to wear, doing a forced smile and I can't help but smirk a little upon seeing it just cause it's so real. It hasn't even been that long but I already miss her.
She was really the only friend...no she was the only family I had and sometimes I think of my actual family and just wished things could've been better but it wasn't and that's why I've just always been on the edge, why I turn everyone away. if my own family is capable of hurting me like that, what's stopping anyone else from doing so? I'd rather just avoid them completely than to potentially open myself up only to get stabbed, I prepare myself for the worst, but that doesn't make me a pessimist, I'm a realist and the reality is that it's always the people you love or that you care about that's going to betray you, that's going to hurt you in the end. Khrakia was my only friend, my best friend, but I always had a barrier around me just to protect myself if she ever tried to stab me, but she never did and I just wish I could've been nicer to her.
I flip to the next page of my paint book and it's a picture of me, my sister and my parents hugging each other, but I can't stand to look at it for even more than a second. I don't even know why I painted this stupid picture in the first place...
I walk over to the table and reach into the fruit bowl to pull out a crispy green apple and take a large bite out of it while opening up my notepad where I have all of the tributes scribbled down as well as some of their traits. I don't have a whole lot of Info on them yet, it's during training where I'll be able to investigate them and discover their traits, strengths and weaknesses but I do have some traits listed.
Blyana from two seems like a real piece of work and she also appears to have a glass jaw, getting dropped like that proves it. Nyx from one seems to be going through something, I saw her stumbling out of the elevator and made sure to take note of that, Beauregard is clearly trained, the way she was able to weave that punch shows she's used to dodging these kinds of blows all the time, she also uses the proper technique when throwing a punch, she generates the power in her legs before letting loose. Verbena from district 11 seems to nod off occasionally, and it can make her an easy target if that happens in the arena, and Hunter, well he's just a bully, but unlike most bullies who flee at the first sign of adversity, I know he'll stand his ground and fight whoever challenges him and that's really all I have for now, but the fun starts tomorrow when I start learning all of their little secrets.
"Oh…" I hear that annoying thick accented voice and I roll my eyes before seeing it's Cortez with a surprised look on his face.
"Sorry 'bout that, didn't know 'ya be out here, hope I'm not interrupting or anything…" he explains himself and I only turn away from him before turning to a blank page and start painting some pigeons.
I can hear Cortez's heavy footsteps as he likely walks over to the table to get a snack or something but I don't really care to be honest.
I continue painting some pigeons and I can sense his presence behind me so I turn around to see him gawking at my picture as he's balancing a mug of some kind of steaming beverage.
"Just uh…lookin' at ya' picture…it's really nice. My fiancee likes to paint too…" he explains to me.
"Yeah, nice." I sarcastically say and turn away as I continue painting my picture.
"If ya' don't mind…I'd like to keep watchin' if that ain't a problem with ya'." He adds.
"Don't care…" I bluntly say finishing up the feathered wings.
"Alright then…" he sits on a sofa across from me and continues staring at my picture, he's not distracting me or anything but maybe I can learn some traits about him so paint my picture and look for anything about him to take note of.
"Hey uh…I saw that other picture, that's ya' family?" Cortez asks.
"You said you wanted to watch right? so shut up and watch or get lost." I sternly say to him and I hear him sigh a little as I start painting a sky over the pigeons.
"Sorry 'bout that…I'm just tryna' take my mind off of stuff, but guess it won't be that easy. There's something I didn't mention 'bout my fiancee earlier, she's pregnant…or was pregnant atleast, she went into labor right as I said goodbye…" He admits and I turn around to look at him for a moment, he's a father?
"Why are you telling me this?" I give him an irritated look.
"Wasn't really telln' ya' specifically, just can't keep it in anymore and i feel better just sayin' it." He takes a sip of his beverage afterwards.
"Well you can talk to yourself like a weirdo somewhere else." I snap at him.
"Ya' act cold and detached Thea…but I can tell ya' not a bad person." He speaks in a soft tone and I can't stand it!
"You don't know anything about me so you can keep your little conclusions to yourself." I begin coloring the sky.
"Well…just wanna letcha' know, there's people here ya' can talk to if ya' want, have a good night Thea…" Cortez waves at me and leaves. I let out a long sigh afterwards and sit down my paintbrush only gazing down on the small table. You seem nice Cortez…but this is for the better.
Annabeth Gordon,13, District 12 female
My hands tremble erratically as I clutch a knife close to me, tears running down my eyes as I can feel almost my entire body is sore and I tremble when I picture Hunter's devilish grin in my mind. This monster…he's been doing nothing but terrorizing and hurting me ever since and, I just want this to end, I just want this to end because I won't stand for this anymore. I won't but still…I'm so scared, if I don't act now though, then it's only a matter of time before he kills me, so i need to beat him to the punch. I'm not just doing this for me, but for Emil too! Thankfully he isn't dead but he sustained a severe concussion and I just can't have this monster having his way with me anymore! All I have is a kitchen knife that I managed to take from the kitchen earlier without anyone noticing.
I honestly thought of just ending my life with this knife, but I think of Emmett and how he never gave up, how he always smiled whenever adversity came his way and still managed to overcome it, so for Emmett I wasn't going to give up, but I also wasn't going to be someone's punching bag. As big as he is, he's still only human, I just have to stab him in the heart, that's it and it'll all be over!
My hands are trembling so much though that I can barley hold the knife in my hand but it's ok, i know I never killed anyone and for a long time I thought everyone deserved to live but no, there really are people who just don't belong in this world, people who just destroy this world more and more with each breath they take and that's why he needs to go!
I can't control the tears coming down my eyes but i tighten my grip on my knife as I gaze at myself in the mirror, this will be the last time I look at my self and knowing I never took a life and I take a deep breath before exiting my room and look around me to see if anyone is around but the coast is clear and I assume everyone must be sleeping right now so I walk towards Hunter's room and test out his door knob to see if his door is locked. It's open and I slowly creak his door open and see he's under his covers asleep as his chest slowly heaves up and down.
I need to finish this, all I have to do is stab him, stab him one time and it'll be over! I creep up to him as slowly as possible hoping not to wake him up and once I'm in striking range, that's when my hand starts trembling more and I try to compose myself as I look at his face, him still sound asleep and I raise my knife as I look at his chest, picturing where his heart can be but my hand freezes in mid air and I can't move! Do it…just stab him!
"Heh heh…" I hear a low chuckle and I look down to see Hunter with a slight smirk on his face but his eyes are still closed!
"Just what the fuck you plan on doing with that?" He yawns as his eyes opens slightly and my heart begins pounding as my eyes widen, he's awake!
"You think you can take a life little runt, think you're ready to cross that line?" His smirk begins turning into a grin but I don't see an ounce of fear in him, is it cause he's not afraid of death, or cause he just believes I don't have it in me?
"I'll cross any line…if it means you won't exist anymore..." I hesitantly say and he lets out a laugh, like I'm telling him some kind of joke.
"Oh so I'm just a big bad wolf huh? If you want me gone so bad then what's stopping you? Go ahead, take a stab, but I doubt you got the balls to do it. Crawl about into your room now and I'll give you an extra hard ass whipping tomorrow since you woke me up out of a good sleep." He sternly tells me but I lose it and before I know it, I plunge my knife down towards his chest, but his enormous hand emerges from under his covers and wraps around my small wrist, intercepting my attack and I gasp as my eyes widen and I now see irritation and anger on his face.
"Hmmph, well looks like you had it in you after all, now are you ready for your punishment?" He grins and he uses only a fraction of his strength to shove me back with one hand but I still go flying back several feet and crash into his dresser as I squeak in pain and fall to the floor as Hunter jumps out of his bed laughing maniacally and he quickly turns the lock on his door trapping me in here with him.
"Now the fun can get started and we won't have to worry about any uninvited guests interrupting us!" He cracks his knuckles.
"H-help!!!" I cry aloud and he storms towards me and i stagger to my feet and try stabbing him but he weaves out of the way, smacks me across the face and I shriek in pain falling over his dresser and crashing to the floor.
"Annabeth! Annabeth!!" I hear Caleb outside of the door followed by loud bangs as he's trying to force his way in.
"Caleb!" I cry aloud.
"Caleb!" Hunter mocks me and grabs me with one hand by my neck easily lifting me up and starts squeezing my neck as I immediately feel myself losing oxygen and everything is blurring. I start making inhumane choking sounds as I feel everything being choked out of me and I think of Emmett, how he'd want me to fight and I manage to punch Hunter across the face with everything I have, but it doesn't faze him at all!
"That tickles, but you hit a little harder than that little bitch boyfriend of yours!" he cackles and just as I'm about to lose consciousness, the door shatters and Caleb rushes in, but he looks completely different, fueled with so much anger and darkness, this is how he looked when he killed that career during his games…
Hunter releases his grasp on me and I fall to the floor coughing and wheezing uncontrollably as Caleb rushes at Hunter and lands a powerful blow straight into Hunter's face and the blow is so loud that is sounds like a gunshot rang out across the entire dorm, but Hunter's head only snaps back for a moment and blood begins pouring down his nose like a stream but he only grins, how is he still standing from that!? That punch would've probably knocked anyone else unconscious or even killed them.
Caleb then lands another anger fueled punch to the side of Hunter's head followed by an uppercut but Hunter only laughs more before catching Caleb's next blow but Caleb quickly head butts Hunter in his already bloodied nose and I hear a sickening crack and Hunter grunts as he stumbles back slightly and that's when I'm dragged out of the room by Dearica and Caleb is about to follow up with another blow but Hunter lands a hook hard into Caleb's jaw and he drops to his knee.
Hunter then pulls Caleb up but Caleb roars in anger as he grabs Hunter's leg and tackles him against the dresser and Hunter is only raining down devastating hammer fists on Caleb's back and it looks like each and every one of those punches are greatly affecting him to the point where Caleb drops back to his knee but Hunter grabs Caleb by his head and smashes it into his bed post and Caleb let's out a grunt of anger and pain as he falls to the floor.
"Stop! Stop!" Dearica rushes at Hunter but Hunter turns around and smacks Dearica across the face and she loses her balance as her head slams hard against the dresser and she immediately loses consciousness as I gasp aloud.
"Dearica!!" I cry aloud but I can't move, I feel frozen, frozen in fear!
Caleb tries to make his way back up to his feet but Hunter stomps on his head hard as his face smashes into the floor and he pulls Caleb by his hair back up to his face and Caleb punches Hunter across his bloodied face again but it seems to have no affect on him and Hunter effortlessly throws Caleb into a glass mirror as it shatters into pieces.
"Annabeth run! Run and call security, just run!!" I hear my voice internally telling myself but I still can't move, I cant!
"Enjoying the show!?" Hunter gives me a crazed look as his entire face is covered in blood and I begin peeing myself because I'm just so terrified and Hunter uses his monstrous strength to rip off a piece of his bed post and begins using it as a club as he repeatedly slams it on Caleb's back and Caleb only cries out in pain.
"Starting to regret it now you little bitch, starting to regret being the hero!?" Hunter roars at him and Caleb tries standing but every time he tries, Hunter only slams his bed post on Caleb's back knocking him down.
"Caleb…Caleb…" I mumble to myself as Hunter is literally beating the life out of him with his club.
"Caleb!! Get up! Get up!!" I cry aloud and Hunter only laughs more as he slams his club like weapon back on Caleb's back but Caleb continues making his way back up to his feet.
"Sit back down little puppy!" Hunter slams the club back on his back but Caleb grunts in pain and still continues slowly making his way back up and I can only watch in horror as blood is literally pouring out of Caleb but he still manages to stand as he's panting heavilly.
"Arrgh!!" Hunter proceeds to try slamming the club in Caleb's face but Caleb catches the club in his hand and this seems to shock Hunter, Caleb…how does he still have this much strength left!?
Caleb glares him however and does an animalistic like growl before using every ounch of strength he has left to punch Hunter across the face and Hunter let's out a pained grunt as he stumbles back into the dresser stunned, but he's still standing! Caleb tries to follow up but drops to his knee from exhaustion.
"Annabeth…" Caleb pants heavily as he struggles back to his feet.
"Caleb!" I cry as tears run down my eyes.
"Go… move Dearica, call security…and close the door behind you." He instructs me as he struggles to stand.
"Caleb…" I cry.
"Go…" he repeats himself and weakly raises his fists to do a fighting stance, his body is so damaged that he can't even stand straight or still as his body is shaking from all the trauma he's endured and Hunter begins coming back to his senses as he spits blood from his mouth but chuckles.
"That was a good punch, taking another one of those won't be pretty, but no worries. I can tell you put all your strength into that, so let's finish this shall we!?" Hunter also raises his hands in a fighting stance while grinning and I can see that punch from Caleb knocked one of his teeth loose.
I wrap my arms around Dearica's waist and use all the strength I have to drag her out of the room as she's now out of harms way.
"I'll be seeing you soon little maggot!" He glares me as he's giving me that same crazed look before diverting his attention back to Caleb and I close the door behind me as I hear a desperate yell from Caleb as he tries to take down this seemingly unbeatable monster, I have to move though, I have to get him help!
Here we are with night 1 in the capitol! Things are already reaching their breaking point and we are no where near done! Next chapter will be the first day of training and that's also when I'll make a list of all of the current alliances. i have so much planned for these tributes that I can barley contain my excitement so they stay tuned everyone, till next time!