Harlan Ryeson,17, District 9 male
I let out a small sigh as I'm 'escorted' to my launch room and the peacekeeper literally slams the door behind me which makes me jump a little but what I see just looks like an ordinary dressing room with a pod in the middle that I'm obviously supposed to enter once they give the signal. I look at my outfit which only consists of jeans, sneakers and a yellow shirt, if this is anything like last year then Elsie will also be wearing a yellow shirt and hopefully make her easier to spot. I waste no time dressing myself and look myself in the mirror when I'm done. No matter how confident I try to look, I can still see just how nervous I am.
My hands are going to be full for sure having to look out for Elsie, her friend Annabeth and hoping Hyperion doesn't get to them before me. I can't waste my time fighting him though, the longer I stay there, the more danger I'll be exposing the girls to, I need to get to Elsie as quickly as possible and if I have to…I'm willing to leave Annabeth. Elsie will be upset of course but I know she'll come to understand my decision if it ever comes to that. Elsie safety is a priority and it's not just for Cassidy's sake anymore, I've come to really care about Elsie and I just can't allow anything to happen to her.
"Attention all tributes, please enter your podium and await launch." Augustus' voice rings out and I take a deep breath before I enter my pod and it begins rising moments later. Here we go, just please let us make it out of this alive…
Elsie Pengrove,14, District 9 female
I can feel my entire body trembling as I'm escorted to my launch room and left alone afterwards. I spot my attire which consists of jeans, sneakers, a t-shirt and I begin dressing. I can't help but wonder if me and Harlan played with fire by responding to Hyperion, all it really did was make him even more bloodthirsty and angry, it probably would've been better to just ignore him…
I know Harlan is capable, I see how he handles a sickle and how he can literally glide around the area cutting anything to shreds but, this is a career and he has 5 other allies to back him up. I just hope I can find him and Annabeth quickly so we can just get out of there. Once I'm finished dressing, I put my hair in a quick ponytail, look myself in the mirror for a moment and it makes me even more nervous so I look away from it. I know Harlan is going to try and protect me, but at the same time, I also want to protect him. I can fight too, and I will when it comes to that.
"Attention all tributes, please enter your podium and await launch." I hear Augustus' voice and my heart skips a beat. I can literally be dead a few minutes from now and that thought, just the very idea of death terrifies me. Some people say there's something after, but what if there isn't? I have to force my mind off of this for now and hesitantly enter my pod and almost immediately it begins slowly rising and I take several deep breathes, I don't want this to be the way it all ends, but then again 23 other tributes have the same thoughts as me…
Cortez Baker,18, District 10 male
There's an eerie silence in the room with me after I finish tying my sneakers and I stand up after taking a deep breath as I try and prepare myself for the worse. Only minutes from now, I'm going to be out there fighting for my life, thankfully I didn't rub many tributes the wrong way to make myself a big target. I think my only notable run ins were with Blyana and Hunter and they both already have their focus on someone else. None the less, I wont spend anymore time out there than I need to, I'll grab a weapon, a bag and make a run for it, I didn't make any allies either so that also benefits me since I won't have to look out for any one. I still do wonder what Thea's plan is. We're not allies and we haven't really said anything to each other but she's still my district partner- no now this kind of mindset isn't going to work for me, I can't afford to worry about anyone else out there but myself and If i want to make it back home to Kayla and my baby girl, I'm going to have to be selfish and I'm going to have to fight…
"Attention all tributes, please enter your podium and await launch." I hear Augustus and I cracks my knuckles before entering my podium which slowly begins rising, Here we go…the true start of a nightmare.
Thea Brodecka,16, District 10 female
The time is almost here. I tried to prepare myself for this as much as possible but this all still feels new and realistically, I know I don't have the best odds. I certainly didn't win myself any fans with that interview nor do I really care. I spoke from the heart and if they didn't like that, then I don't really know what to tell them. I don't need to put on an act to win over anyone, I'll always speak the truth and whether someone loves or hates me for that, I try not to really care that much. I'm one of the few tributes who isn't in an alliance and that's fine with me, they'll just slow me down cause I'm just doing to grab the nearest weapon and bag I see before getting away from all of the chaos. I didn't make any allies but Cortez…he came to my aid when that asshole Hunter was messing with me, I didn't ask for his help but still…I appreciated it. I just wish I could've mustered up the courage to thank him, but that doesn't matter anymore. What matters is me surviving and it might not be enough in the end, but I'll fight through everyone and everything if It comes down to that.
"Attention all tributes, please enter your podium and await launch." Augustus' voice sounds and i immediately enter the podium where it slowly begins rising, if I meet my end out there, I just hope it's quick...
Kade Jackson,14, District 11 male
Dammit dammit, C'mon Kade, relax yourself! I can't stop my body from shaking in fear and it's so bad that I can barley get dressed! I hardly got any sleep last night because I was just awake the whole time envisioning the worst possible scenarios. I went out to the living room area hoping Verbena was out there, but she wasn't. Even tried knocking on her door but she was likely sleeping like a baby. I eventually did just pass out on the couch after putting on a boring cartoon but today is the day and this can very well be my last day alive. I tried to train as much as I can and Verbena was even nice enough to teach me some tricks but I'm still not very confident in myself. I just wish I was strong like her, she's like a super badass big sister that I look up to and I don't want her to have to pull my weight for me, I know I'm so much better than that and that's why I need to get it together. I literally have to smack myself in the face several times and give myself a pep talk but Augustus' voice rings out informing the tributes to enter their podiums which I do and it begins rising. Alright Kade, you got this man just find Verbena, grab a weapon and maybe a bag and get out of there, it shouldn't be that hard…right?
Verbena Grayzer,17, District 11 female
I finish dressing myself and it's kind of tough to deduce what the arena is going to be based on this attire alone. I assume it's going to be somewhere with a warmer climate as we weren't given a hoody like the tributes from last year, but it's anyone's guess. If the color codes are like last year then Kade should be wearing the same colored shirt as me, i'll try to get to him quickly so we won't have to waste any unnecessary time there.
"Hmm hmm hmm…" I suddenly hear some ominous chuckling behind me and I look up at the mirror to see "he's" behind me, he just won't go away.
"Are you ready to face your atonement? Once you raise a hand, or in your case a gun at one of your own, you can't expect a pleasant end for yourself." He states, but I try to ignore him, he isn't real, just a hallucination, but it reminds me of what I've done...
"Trying to convince yourself that I'm not real are you? How wrong you are though, I'm the reminder of what a monster you truly are." He says with so much disdain that it hurts my chest. I put my hair in a quick ponytail and wrap a band around it so it can stay in place.
"You're not a good person Verbena, you never were, you never will be and the faster you come to realize that, the quicker you can move on." He suddenly appears beside me and I turn around to look at him, the fresh bullet wound still there.
"You may be right…but that's not for you to decide." I respond to him and begin walking towards my podium.
"You're going to die Verbena! You won't have the luxury of going to the same place as me though, no you're going to burn in the deepest and darkest depths of hell!" he yells at me and I enter my podium and the casing closes around me as Augustus is making the announcement for all of us to enter our podium and I look at my brother again as he continues glaring me and my podium begins rising as a tear comes down my eye, not a second goes by where I don't think of this, I tried so hard to suppress it, but it just always finds a way out, but this is likely how it'll be until I draw my last breath, which can be sooner rather than later…
Hunter Skype,18, District 12 male
Once I buckle up my jeans, I grin at myself in the mirror. I won't be wearing that dumb looking shirt, instead I got my tank top on me, tucked into my jeans, and I'm ready to get it stained with blood. I already know exactly what I'm going to do, I know that little bitch from one is going to come crawling to me so I can cave his skull in but I got some other matters to attend to first. No worries though cause I'll be long done with that by the time he shows up. An emotional little twat is what he is, even his man looking sister got more balls than him and boy the look on her face is going to be priceless as she watches her big brother fall before her along with any of his butt buddies that decides to intervene.
Oh this is gonna be such a shit show for them but I'm going out there to make a statement and to show that no fucker out there can stand up to me, I already have a hit list and let's just say that someone is going to be dying a very painful and very avoidable death and I can hardly fucking wait. That little punk Annabeth though haha. last night was an absolute blast and I doubt she got any sleep after what she had to witness. ill snap her like a little twig when I see her , but I hope she makes it a little exciting and try to run, it'll make it all the more satisfying in the end
I hear the announcers voice ring out afterwards instructing everyone to enter their podiums and I chuckle to myself before entering my podium that slowly begins rising. These people want to see a bloodbath huh? Well they're gonna certainly get one!
Annabeth Gordon,13, District 12 female
Last Night…
I hesitantly walk into the room of Caleb in the ICU ward and it pains me seeing him in the state he's in. He's hooked up to so many different machines that's keeping his heart beating and his organs functioning. He's been in this state ever since his fight with Hunter and I can feel my eyes begin to water as I recall every moment of what happened. I seat myself next to his bed on a nearby chair and cover my face with my hands.
"I'm sorry Caleb, I'm sorry, this is all my fault…" I cry as I look over at him.
He was declared brain dead earlier today and because of me, he'll never be regaining consciousness, he'll never be able to see his wife, his young son again and I clench my fists as tears continue streaming down my face. I'm so weak, so helpless and there's nothing I can do to stop this monster, why do I have to be so weak,? Why do I have to drag other people into my problems and get them killed? I won't ever be able to forgive myself for this, for being the reason Caleb is no longer here, I just wish it was me instead…
I hear sudden frantic footsteps and only moments later I see Dearica with a young woman who I recognize immediately and I can already see the distraught look on her face as she sees her husband in this state, it's heartbreaking…
"Caleb, oh god Caleb…" she drops to her knees beside his bed.
"Answer me, answer me Caleb!" she cries and even shakes his arm but he doesn't answer…he can't.
"Caleb!" she shrieks aloud and I cover my face with my hands as I feel more tears coming down my face but Dearica walks beside me and tries to comfort me, it's his wife that needs the comforting though, I don't deserve anything…
A doctor enters the room afterwards with a clipboard and gives Caleb's wife Becca a sympathetic look and she seems to sense his presence and quickly turns around.
"You have to help him, you have to! If there's anything that can be done, please do it!" She begs him.
"I'm so sorry to inform you of this, but Mr.Morgan has suffered some irreversible damage to his brain, there hasn't been any activity In our most recent scans. Our machine will keep his organs alive, but he has no chance of regaining consciousness." He informs her and she cups her hands in-between her face.
"I can't live like this, I can't live without him!" she cries profusely.
"There's still something good that can come out of this Mrs.Morgan, would you happen to know if Mr.Morgan was a registered organ donor? He asks and Becca gives him a disgusted look even through all of the pain she's feeling right now.
"My husband is coming back…he's coming back!" she cries.
"Mrs.Morgan-" the doctor begins.
"Just go, just go!" she shouts at the doctor and he immediately leaves while she continues sobbing afterwards.
I join Becca however and sit on the floor next to her before hesitantly rubbing her back and she looks over at me sniffing.
"You're the girl he protected…" she mumbles and I nod.
"Caleb, he was so nice to me, so nice to everyone, I'm…I'm just so sorry…" my voice cracks.
"He gave his life to protect you, to make sure you were safe, so don't let this go to a waste, you go out there.. you fight…and you come back, you promise me that!" I can feel all of the pain and desperation in her voice and it's almost unbearable…
"I promise…" I promise her and she gives me a hug, and it's so comforting, it feels like a mother's hug and I don't want to let go.
"Heh heh heh." I hear familiar chuckling and my eyes shoot open as I quickly spin around to see Hunter leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed.
"So you all left me and decided to join a party without inviting me? I was getting a bit lonely you know!" Hunter sarcastically states.
"Hunter, you need to leave right now." Dearica warns him.
"Actually I think not, but talk to me like that again and I'll send your ass flying across the room again!" Hunter walks up to her and I can see Dearica tremble a bit.
"So you're him…you're Hunter…" Becca mumbles and she quickly gets Hunter's attention.
"AH So you must be the housewife of this loser huh? Sucks he had to give his life for this little runt, you look like a real nice piece of ass!" Hunter cackles at Becca but Becca quickly reaches into her pocket and pulls out a revolver aiming it at Hunter while me and Dearica gasps aloud. Hunter shows no fear at all though, his grin only grows wider, how can he be so calm?
"Oh now that's a nice little toy you got there, what exactly do you plan on doing with that thing?" Hunter smirks.
"You killed…my husband and you're not even showing an ounce of remorse . That to proves to me that you don't belong here, that you don't deserve a chance to live!" she says through gritted teeth.
"Oh yeah, well I'm so sorry you feel that way." Hunter begins walking closer to her and her hand gradually trembles more and more as he comes closer.
"You never killed before, that much is obvious, now I advise you put that thing away cause little Caleb is no longer around to save the day if I decide to put you on your ass!" Hunter threatens her.
"Do it…Just shoot him." I beg Becca and Becca looks at me for a moment and gives me an apologetic look.
"How about you shut the fuck up?" Hunter glares me and I jump in fright.
"Things…things won't ever be the same again…" Becca's voice cracks.
"Ah you'll be fine, you'll find a new man, hopefully someone with more balls than that dead wimp over there, he'll pop another kid inside of you and you'll live happily ever after!" Hunter snickers and Becca hangs her head down and lowers her revolver seemingly losing all of her will.
"Becca…" I mumble.
"Heh, fucking weakling, I knew you couldn't do shit." Hunter scoffs.
"Dearica...please promise me something…" Becca calls to her.
"Becca, just come with me, I'll take you to the restroom to get cleaned up." Dearica holds her hand out to her and more tears come down her face.
"Please…look after my son." Becca says and she suddenly puts the revolver in her mouth.
"NO!" I scream aloud and try to pull her arm away, but she pulls the trigger and it's too late…
PRESENT
A puddle of tears are forming around me as this traumatic event plays over and over in my head, Hunter…this fucking Hunter, he destroyed an entire family and young Caleb Jr. He's going to have to grow up without any family and it's all because of him. I hate him, I hate him with every ounce of my soul and I just wish I could be strong, I just wish I could kill him, but I'm just too weak!
"Attention all tributes, please enter your podium and await launch." I hear Augustus and I drag myself into my podium and it slowly begins rising. I'm so tired, so weak and just so fed up. I haven't slept at all last night and it feels like I'm going to collapse any second, but I remember Becca and the promise I made to her. I have to try and find a way back but more importantly, Hunter needs to die, and I will find some way to achieve that…
Phew guys, finally done with this chapter but this was ofcourse the final part of the final thoughts and next chapter will be the bloodbath which I'm sure alot of you are excited and anxious for. I'm interested to hear some of your predictions because some of you do make some very interesting ones as well as catching on to the small details I sprinkle around the story that can possibly foreshadow future events.Once again guys, I'm so sorry in advance if your character(s) die in the next chapter. I already have the entire bloodbath mapped out and yeah, just want to get that out there again. I hope you guys continue to read the story even after your tribute(s) die but if not, I'll be sad but will completely understand. I will see you guys soon with the bloodbath, till next time!