Wren Humboldt, District Five female (17)

I'm ready. I'm ready. Let's go.

I was hopping up over the edge before the tube was even fully above-ground. I just wanted to see what it was. No matter what, I was going to run, but I had to see what it was.

It wasn't what I expected, but it wasn't too weird.

Laken Dervissey, District Four male (18)

It wasn't exactly a jungle. It wasn't exactly a swamp. There was a thin creek running between the platforms and the Cornucopia, making the entire playing field muddy. Just a little bit past the platforms there was dry land leading out into the thick trees and vines. I may have been from Four, but I didn't like the look of that mud. There was no way to tell how deep it was or what was in it.

59, 58, 57...

Charm Sterlingshire, District One female (18)

Right away I started scanning the Cornucopia for waders. I was a smart lady, and one look at this Arena told me we were in southeast Asia. Not literally, of course, but the mud and the jungle brought to mind Cambodia or Laos or perhaps Vietnam. Forever ago there had been a war there. Just about the only thing I remembered from school was that it wasn't the animals that got you. It was the dampness.

48, 47, 46...

Timber Faldun, District Seven male (17)

I didn't know why I had to be right next to Laken. Sure, Anjou was on my other side, but I knew he wasn't going to help me. He was already looking for Rainbow, determined to "rescue" her and prove he wasn't such a bad guy. Well, he was, and she didn't want him. Also I really didn't know why it had to be dusk. The mud and dark seclusion of the tree canopy was bad enough without everything being in shadow.
45, 44, 43...

Jack Schnapps, District Nine male (13)

Something smelled wet. There was the fetid smell of dirty water in the air, and the somehow vital scent of a lot of plants nearby. The air was heavy and moist. A rainforest, maybe?

"It's a jungle!" someone called, and I looked around reflexively. "There's a river between us and the cornucopia so watch out! If you just wade a few feet outwards from the platforms the trees will cover you!"

I thought I recognized the voice of the boy from Eight, the one who made me wish I could still see, because everyone said he looked extraordinarily weird. I was stunned at his gesture. Here we were about to die and his first thought was to tell a blind boy where he was.

"Thank you!" I yelled.

"I'm here for a good time, not a long time!"

36, 35, 34...

Sky Larch, District Twelve female (16)

I couldn't breathe. I was getting lightheaded, sucking in air but breathing it out before it reached my lungs. I was going to faint. I'd fall off the platform and blow up. Would I feel my body parts flying off? Would I never even feel myself hit the mines? I knelt down. It might make it harder to run but it would ensure I didn't die before the Games even started.

29, 28, 27...

Zebulon Charles, District Twelve male (17)

This was no place to survive. These Games wouldn't last more than two weeks. The mud would take some of us. Careers didn't know how many ways the earth could kill you. They hadn't seen someone's hand go white, then red, then green, until poison spiraled up your blood and settled into your heart. They didn't know the way a little boy could sip from a creek and his parents could only watch the water rush out both ends of him until he died. And water like this was warm and thick and dark. Water like this was alive.

22, 21, 20...

Kade McNamara, District Nine female (13)

I found Valencia and glanced at her. She wasn't looking at me. She needed to see I had a chance before she would stay with me. I looked all around for anything that could help me and my eyes fell on a little dark spot in the ground. It was like a gopher hole, but bigger. A badger hole, maybe? It was so small it seemed no one else noticed. So small... so hidden. I didn't know how deep it went. Something about it told me maybe it was deep enough.

17, 16, 15...

Jurrien Lauda, District Three male (18)

I had to run into the Bloodbath. If I didn't get something to purify water, I would die. If I didn't get first aid materials, I would almost as certainly die. This time the outliers couldn't just run and pray. Those that tried would postpone death. Those that had water had a tiny chance of preventing it.

11, 10, 9...

Dahlia Redwood, District Seven female (18)

Isabella was giving me a dirty look. I rolled my eyes at her. Not that I would ever tell her, but her plan was smart. Romeo was the closest to me, so we glanced at each other and at our target. Honestly, Romeo barely needed my help. He'd killed plenty stronger people before. I was only there to make sure nothing unexpected happened. We watched our target, careful not to be obvious, as the last seconds ticked down and the Games began.

I don't suppose many of you are surprised. My titles aren't exactly obscure. Wandering Souls was a pretty famous Vietnam War operation, so here we are! Mostly I'm just going for a southeast Asian vibe, since specifically basing a Hunger Games story on a war where tons of survivors are still alive would be in pretty poor taste. But it just so happens there are a ton of Hmong people in my town, so I'm excited to use all their cool legends and stories.