Dane Verity
First I lost my arm. Peppermint stabbed me with a rock and tore a ragged gash in it. The wound turned red and started to swell. When it started to get tender and I noticed I was thirstier than usual, I knew what I had to do. I'd heard stories of people who stepped on nails and ended up dying with rigid muscles and locked jaws. There was no medicine in the Arena, so I took the only other option. I tightened the tourniquet until my arm turned red and waited until it darkened to black. It fell off like ash on a burning stick as I was wading through the mud.
Next I lost Celestial. I found her on the third day in the Arena. We knew we didn't have much time, so we sped things up. I'd never met anyone so perfect. It broke my heart that we were in the Games and it could never last, but it almost made it worthwhile to get reaped just so I could be with her. She had this crazy idea about training the weird muskrat things that were in the Arena with us. It was funny how much they loved her. She had them eating out of her hands. They got jealous of me and hissed when they couldn't get close to her because I was in the way.
Even she couldn't love the crocodile monster. It burst from the water like a firework and we ran opposite directions. I saw her climbing a tree as I ran with the monster hot on my trail. By the time I shook it off, I had no idea where she was. There were three cannons that day, and each one froze my blood. I counted the seconds as the sky grew darker that night. I dreaded the silence as I waited for the Anthem. She was the first face, whether or not she was the first cannon. After that, there was nothing left to lose.
I only fought one Tribute in all my time in the Arena. It was the boy from Six. He tried to steal some water I'd just purified. He must have been dehydrated and probably desperate, since he hardly fought back when I chased after him. I only meant to get him to let go when I grabbed him around the neck from behind. I didn't think about how long it took to choke someone. But I couldn't say it was an accident. You don't choke someone unless you're willing to kill them.
The last person left in the Arena with me was Ever Fellows. She seemed pretty capable in the training room. I wasn't looking to chase after her. I was busy just trying to stay alive. I had it better than a lot of Tributes. I knew how to fish, and I never went hungry. Mostly I caught bland-tasting mudfish, but it kept me alive. Ever didn't come from Four. It must have been harder for her. Eight wasn't a rich District, either. They couldn't afford to send her food. Four weeks into the Games, I heard her cannon.
I shouldn't have been so mournful about Celestial. We'd only known each other a week. That wasn't enough time to really love someone. But I still found myself wishing she'd won. She was such a lovely girl, and I felt like she deserved it more. She'd have won by a brilliant use of something the Gamemakers designed to make trouble for us. I just won by eating fish and staying alive.