Chapter 16: The Feast's First Dish
A/N: Hello once again, and I hope you're doing well. This chapter will be the long-awaited Feast chapter. Are you ready?
Ghostgirl8 - Hello, and welcome to my story. Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, it means a lot to me. The girl from 3 makes an appearance, so watch out for her.
Leafpool8788 - Thanks for the kind words, it does warm my heart. I do focus on the scenery a bit too much, don't I? xD I like to provide details so you can picture the story in your head for yourself. :)
Day 12
Time: ~2:00 PM
Location: The Arena, Cliff Sector
[Rain]
Julius Templesmith's unmistakable booming voice, just like his father and predecessor, rings out in the clear blue sky of the arena.
"Hello to the remaining tributes of the 100th Hunger Games. As a reminder, the Feast will occur in four hours' time. Remember that items that will give you an advantage will be in backpacks marked with your district number on it. That is all. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"
Then, silence.
I'm sitting on a rock at Sophia's and my camp. I look up at the bright blue sky, knowing that there will likely be another person dead today. Urgh, it's just as Haymitch said.
"Don't worry about other people and whether they're dead or not. Just stay alive."
"So, are you ready yet? We ought to head out as soon as we can, so we can get a head start on all the other tributes," Sophia snaps me out of my thoughts.
"Sophia…"
She raises an eyebrow, not knowing of the thoughts that lingered in my mind.
"You told me that your father won the 76th Hunger Games, right? By any chance, did he kill the female District 12 tribute in those Games?"
Sophia ponders for a minute, and locks eyes with mine.
"Yeah… he did. Do you...:?"
I take a deep breath.
"Yes… she was my aunt, who I didn't even know until after she perished in the Games. Her name was Heather Orion, and she died on the second day. I've seen the reruns."
Silence. Total, and utter silence. The tension in the air is so thick that you could slice it with a sword, and it was silent enough for the tiniest rock to make audible noise upon striking the artificial earth.
Sophi decided to break the silence.
"Does that mean you'll try to kill me? I thought we were allies," she said, with a hint of unease in her voice.
"I want to kill you, so I can avenge my aunt and all of my fellow district brethren that your district has taken in the games. I can only count my home's victors on one hand, I rant at her, Meanwhile, 2 needs another set of hands to count the amount of victors you guys have."
I breathe, and continue on.
"You are the daughter of my aunt's killer. That means I have to kill you in order to have my revenge," I finish.
She lifts her sword, ready to fight. I'm not quite finished yet, however
"...But you're not your father. I'm not my aunt. Therefore, we don't have any quarrel with each other.. While my wish to avenge my aunt runs deep, my wish to cooperate with you is stronger. That way, we may both survive," I say, not wanting to continue the cycle.
I won't play the Capitol's twisted game.
She sits down, and lets a sigh leave her lips.
"I've got something to ask you, too… Rain."
I look at her. This time, I'm the one raising my eyebrow.
"Are you genuinely concerned for me?", she asks.
"Of course I do. You're my ally," I quickly reply.
"I didn't mean that…"
I observe her face, which does have a little red dusting it.
"You told me to stay alive. Does that mean you truly are concerned about what happens to me?" she inquires.
I find my face growing to a smile, but I manage to contain it to more of a small smirk.
"It's something my mentor always said to me."
"Stay alive."
She ruffles my hair as I smile at her, thinking it'll be the last time I'll ever see her.
Location: The Capitol
[Katniss]
I watch the TV screens televising the 4th annual Quarter Quell. Now that we were in the Top 8, sponsoring was getting absurdly expensive. This was made even worse that the Gamemakers decided to use all the newly bought sponsor items to host a feast.
Haymitch and I have pooled our money towards our surviving protégé, Rain. What confused me most, was his pair-up with the girl from 2. Sure, it was welcome news, but Careers who haven't been through the brutality of the Games will backstab anybody to further their own survival.
I sit there, emotionlessly, just thinking about what Rain's mind is processing, when someone sits down next to me.
"Hey, girl on fire. You don't look so fired up. What's the deal this time?" said a voice.
I knew that voice all too well.
"Wade, what do you need now?"
Wade and I actually get along. His snide comments compliment my own fairly well. Not to mention, we won our games 2 years apart, so we've formed quite the bond.
"Don't tell me your flame's been doused already. I'm here to talk."
"Talk?"
Now I'm curious. What was Wade getting at here?
"Yeah, girl on fire. Sophia and the boy from your district have teamed up. We should do some strategizing, so both our tributes can make it out alive."
I can't help but let a chuckle slip.
"Don't you have your nephew to be concerned about?"
"That stereotypical Career arrogance is gonna get him killed, sooner or later, Katniss. The moron doesn't even know how to use the rope I sent him."
"You should've taught your precious nephew to not avoid the small stations, Wade. They could very well save your life," I replied, still amused.
"Sometimes, when you're lucky like me, avoiding the stations is a luxury you can afford. Besides, he wouldn't have listened to me anyway."
That's right, Wade won the 73rd Hunger Games, which took place in a ruined city, with practically no plants in sight. Some of the stations would've been worthless then, especially the edible plants one. Another strange sight was that there were only sharply-spiked maces for tributes to brutally bludgeon each other to death with.
"You caught a lucky break. Also, did you actually just call me by my real name? What's next, Catnip?"
"Girl on Fire didn't roll off the tongue too well. Who would call you Catnip anyway?"
I smile, one of the first times I've ever done genuinely in the Mentors' Bar.
"A close friend of mine, before I ever came here."
My stone-cold exterior was finally broken after 25 years. Prim's untimely demise would never leave my mind, but I know that she would want me to move on. That was what she would have wanted. I have to believe that.
Day 12
Location: The Arena,. Burnt Forest Sector
Time: 5:00 P.M.
[Cyrus]
I wasn't sure just how long it's going to be until the Feast. I'm vicious, and ready to eliminate my competition. My aim is to kill both Sophia and Vulcan in one fell swoop. The only problem was that I had absolutely no idea where the hell both of them are. I could possibly set up a trap with the rope I got from the sponsor, but curse my luck, I avoided the snares station.
Another thing that crossed my mind that Sophia may have forged a new alliance with that boy from 12, but I wrote it off as impossible. There's no way that she'd team up with some outlier district. Vulcan, on the other hand, is a massive threat. It'd probably be a good idea to head there now. If I did, then I'd be able to run in and grab the District 2 bag first, before Sophia could get to it. It was a necessity, period. If Sophia got that bag, I'd be at a huge disadvantage. Also, by getting that bag, I could lure Sophia to me.
With my objective set in motion, it was time to see it bear fruit at last. If all went well, I'd be able to kill Vulcan, Sophia, and even the girl from 4. The others were a little more than thorns in my side.
I took my axe out of the tree, and packed up. It was time for the big show at long last.
Location: Border river between the Cliff Sector and the Cornucopia
Time: 6:00 P.M.
[Rain]
Sophia and I are hiding behind some fallen rocks, with our game plan in motion.
I'd run in and grab the bags, since I was the faster of the two of us. I'd just go in, grab the District 2 and 12 bags, and then I'd make a run for it. It sounded simple, but I know that the other tributes would likely just screw up the plan. Sophia would be my backup, just in case I clashed with any of the other competitors, especially her district partner and former ally, Cyrus.
I hear a clicking noise, and I know it's go time. I come out from behind the rock, and see the District 3 bag already gone.
What in the world? I look for the girl from 3, but she's nowhere in sight. What I do notice, however, is lumps of dirt surrounding the Cornucopia entrance, and some near the starting pedestals. Something comes to my mind: the landmines that discourage any tribute from trying to get a headstart.
Some poor sap last year forgot that rule, and got too eager before the countdown was up. The two tributes on the other side of him nearly fell off their own pedestals.
I wasn't sure what to make of this. Could the girl from 3 have rewired and reactivated the landmines? How could she have the time to do all this? That was mind-boggling to me.
There was no time to dwell on it, however, as an angry Jose came blazing across the field, with his axe at the ready. One good look at his axe, and if that thing hit me, it'd be over in an instant.
"You're mine, 12!" he yells as he sprints toward me.
I jump back with his first blow, his axe buried where I was just standing. He's gotten more agile, as I'm forced to go on the defensive almost immediately.
I look around for Sophia, who's scouring the burnt treeline of the forest sector for any of her dangerous former allies.
"Focus on the battle, 12! You don't have time to look around!" Jose screams as he swings his axe like a madman.
Fortunately, that hefty axe is slowing him down quite a bit, as he's not built like a Career is. I change my spear into its cylindrical form, making it negligibly light as I start to create more distance between myself and Jose. I start racking my brain for solutions to get Jose off my back, as well as I get Sophia's and my bags off that table.
I hear a quiet thud, and then a chain reaction of explosions go off, as Jose and I are completely caught by surprise. We're both blown back in different directions, since we're both far enough away to avoid being seriously hurt.
I land flat on my butt, and get up as fast as my body would allow it, just in time to see a figure dashing through the smoke. It didn't take a genius to tell that the girl running out of smoke was the girl from 3.
She must've booby-trapped the Cornucopia in the hopes someone would fall for the trap and be killed in the blast. In the case that didn't happen, she'd set off the trap herself, and use the smoke of the explosion as a means to disorient her competitors. I have to give her credit for her brilliant plan, if my speculations are correct.
Now that all the landmines have been blown up, there was nothing to stop me from snatching the bags. I sidestepped my way through the craters, the remnants of the explosion, and I made it to the mouth of the Cornucopia, only to find that there were no bags left on the table.
Had she taken them all for herself? My question was answered as I peered inside of the Cornucopia, as I saw that the remaining bags were still there; they were likely blown off the table by the explosion. I don't waste any time grabbing the bags labelled "2" and "12". As I'm about to exit the Cornucopia, I see Sophia let out a bloodcurdling scream as she gets axed in the shoulder by her former ally and district partner, Cyrus. The wound doesn't look to be deep, but it could get serious if she got infected. One look at Cyrus, and I could see that he's wounded too, just not as badly.
I take out my spear in its cylindrical form, and I immediately try to rush to her aid. However, I'm stopped by Jose, who still has a bone to pick with me.
"Sorry, friend, but I'm still here. I won't let you escape!"
He swings as I duck, with the blade taking off some of my hair. I roll to the side, as he digs his axe into the ground right at my previous spot. I roll back and get up just as he charges at me again.
"Hahaha, is running around all you can do? You'll never kill me like that!"
"Can't you just stay quiet while fighting, instead of yelling like a lunatic?"
"I won't stop until I have your head, 12!"
Jose was correct though, and I needed to wrap it up fast. I don't have time nor the stomach to look if Sophia's still alive. He brings his axe down again, which was the moment I was waiting for.
I remember my training with Sophia, and thrust my spear forward.
Jose looks like he's about to laugh at first, but his look turns to a mixture of shock and horror as the momentum of the thrust deploys the spear, impaling Jose right through the abdomen. He coughs up blood as he falls back, and I don't look back.
I turn to look for Sophia, who's been disarmed and is heavily injured by Cyrus. He pins her down, after gloating at her for her allying with an outer district. I can't hear what he's saying, only that he seems rather giddy he's about to kill his district partner. I see her weakly struggling, and I start running towards them.
Just like with Iris, I won't be able to save Sophia.
I run anyways, despite knowing I won't be able to make it in time. I was about to throw my spear as a javelin in a last ditch effort to save Sophia, but I didn't need to.
To my surprise, the boy from 1 comes out from the undergrowth of the burnt treeline, and tackles Cyrus. I needed to exploit this chance now, before one of them managed to kill the other person. Cyrus was injured, while the boy from 1 was fresh and ready to fight . The two wrestle on the grassy field, as I get back into gear, and rush to Sophia's side.
"Soph... get up, damn it!"
She barely responds, and her breathing is the only thing that lets me know that she's still alive. Katniss' words, borrowed from Haymitch, enter my mind.
Stay alive.
"Alright… here we go… ngh…!"
Left with no choice, I pick her up and I hold her in my arms, with our bags I picked up occupying my back. I decided that going through the burnt forest and then circling back to the waterfall base would be the safest option, as the wet highlands would bog me down and provide no cover, and the cliff sector was filled to the brim with those accursed snake mutts, as well as ravines that would be impossible to traverse. I hear a cannon go off as I enter the treeline.
BOOM.
I start to panic. Was my effort for naught? Was Sophia dead? I take a glance at the girl in my arms, and I'm relieved to see she's still breathing, signifying that she wasn't dead yet. That cannon was likely Jose's, or someone else's.
But she will be dead if I didn't take any action to close up her wounds. That nasty shoulder wound in particular, courtesy of Cyrus, wasn't doing her any favors.
After stumbling through the burnt forest sector for what seemed like forever, I found some dense forestry, or what remained of it, that would provide some decent cover if we were ambushed by any tributes.
I laid Sophia down on her back, and I took the bags to see what was inside.
I opened the District 12 bag first, and found one thing we sorely lacked - medicine. I took it out, and there was a note as well.
Apply to heal your wounds faster than the Careers get to the Cornucopia. Stay alive.
K
I smirk, with Katniss' dry sense of humor giving some lightheartedness in the unending darkness of the Arena. Katniss' wording made me realize that this medicine was the infamous regenerative medicine that was a rather new addition to the games, having been added 5 years ago. I get to work immediately, unscrewing the cap, and then squeezing out a few drops into Sophia's major shoulder wound.
She groans in pain as the liquid makes contact, and that was her only major wound to be a cause for concern. I use my jacket as a temporary tourniquet to stop any more blood. I watch her slowly close her eyes, as sleep overtakes her. I notice the gold mockingjay pin glimmer as the sun sets, with it still pinned onto my jacket-turned-tourniquet.
The medicine debuted in the 95th Hunger Games. There it helped that year's victor, a 15 year-old girl from 8 win, and essentially brought her back from death's door, with how powerful it was.
It has since then only appeared as a sponsorship gift, as it was deemed far too powerful to be normally available at the start of the Games in the supplies in the Cornucopia, which were likely going to be hoarded by the Careers. It also came in a rather small bottle, able to fit in a small pocket with ease, although it was designed that way so it forced recipients to conservatively use the medicine, since there were scarce amounts of it.
That was for the better, I thought to myself.
Katniss and Haymitch must have pooled their money for this, and it was this late in the Games. I set a mental reminder to thank the two if I ever got out of this unending nightmare.
I look at Sophia, who's sleeping soundly, and seemingly at peace. Her brown hair framing her face fall down to the ground below, resting on the earth, while the sun shines down on her fair skin. The characteristics of a brutal and merciless Career tribute are gone, replaced by a normal teenger, who openly shows signs of vulnerability, even in an environment like the Arena.
It reminds me that we're all still human.
A/N: Sorry for the abrupt end, but I thought that'd be a good place to end the chapter. For the Fallen…
District 1 - Vulcan Prisma
District 2 - Cyrus Rankine & Sophia Kirhart
District 3 - Ellie Volicy
District 4 - Aileen Kendari
District 5 - (none)
District 6 - (none)
District 7 - (none)
District 8 - (none)
District 9 - (none)
District 10 - (none)
District 11 - (none)
District 12 - Rain Orion
Robert Leiden, District 10 - Drowned in the Gamemakers' highlands disaster, a flood.
Jose Aspen, District 7 - Bled out as a result of a fatal wound inflicted by Rain Orion, from District 12.
I think that it shows that, at heart, Careers are still people as well, and aren't the savage killing machines that the books and the movies made them out to be. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter, since I think this one was the best. Thank you all, and see you guys next time. As always, take care and stay safe.
