Caldwell Brax
The Arena grew quieter ever day. Except for the blasting cannons, there was almost no noise. It was better that way.
After the first day, I settled into a new routine. Every day, as soon as I got up, I filtered some water through my sand filter. It was still murky, but I hadn't gotten sick yet. After that I searched for cattails and water lilies. I ate my breakfast, and then I counted who was left. There were only four of us now: me, Venus, Spencer, and Royal. After that I washed my clothes. I hated mud on my skin. I also hated damp clothing, so I usually sat in my underwear until they were dry. Suddenly, there was more noise.
"Attention, Tributes. There will be a feast at the Cornucopia in thirty minutes. We highly encourage everyone to attend," a voice said. I didn't want to move. I liked my nest and my routine. But the announcer said to go. I was supposed to obey the Capitol. I got up to go. While I was still on the way, a cannon boomed.
The announcer lied. There wasn't a feast at the Capitol at all. There was a table set with some flimsy plates, a pitcher of liquid, a bowl of noodles, and some sort of pie. Spencer was lying on the ground halfway to the table. Venus and Royal were wrestling near him. Royal was bleeding from his chest, but he didn't seem to be hurt. He was trying to pin Venus' arm.
Even though it wasn't a feast, there was still food, and I was hungry. I snatched the pie off the table and turned to go. Another cannon interrupted me. I turned back and saw Royal climbing off Venus. He was holding his stomach in one had and his sword in the other. He started coming right at me.
I dropped the pie and ran. Royal started to run after me at a horribly fast pace. I felt his eyes on me and knew I had to get away. I reached the water and it pulled at my legs, slowing me down and bringing me closer to Royal. Royal half-fell into the water after me and grabbed the back of my shirt. I cried out and tried to pull away from him. He raised his sword and I batted his arm aside. I was surprised when my defense actually worked and his arm fell away. He fell forward against me and we both toppled down into the water. I landed on my behind and my head was barely above the water. Royal landed facedown and only emerged from the water after a stream of bubbles came up. He was moving slowly, like a zombie. I pushed him off and scrambled backwards. He pushed himself up on his sword and lurched toward me. Instead of attacking, he fell into the water again. The hand holding my shirt relaxed and he weakly struggled in the water.
I heard his cannon minutes later. I was still wading through the water, trying to get away before he got back up. I wondered what killed him- was it Venus, or did he drown? It was all the same. It was over. I could go home, and everything would be normal again.
I'm seeing a pattern here with Venus. If she's not the last one, she's in the top three.