Day One... In the Hunger Games!
We have 5 wonderful new tributes for you to meet!
Raven and Darien (District 12) are by SakuraDragomir, Glint is by Improving fanfiction, Davina is by n3b, and Marley is by Victoria the Bipolar Tribute! Thank you to all of the wonderful authors that have submitted to this story!
Who do you think is going to win? Make your predictions now that you have met all of the tributes. Will it be a career, or maybe an outlier?
Thank you for reading!
District 12 Female - Raven Dragomir - 18
I pushed my dark hair out of my face and looked around in the dark. My green eyes scanned around the area, taking in my surroundings. When I saw nothing, I breathed a sigh of relief and sat down. Thank goodness. I ran away from the Cornucopia soon after the gong rang, I only paused to grab a small backpack that was close to my rising platform. I had grabbed Darien's arm once I caught up to him and we ran as fast as we could. I heard one of the careers close behind us, so I picked up a large rock and chucked it. I don't think it hit them, but they had to dodge and slow down.
Once Darien and I were far enough away from the Cornucopia, we began to look at the ground nearby. There was a small outcrop of rock that was perfect for hiding under. There was a small river close by, but something about it was slightly off. It took me a moment to figure out what it was.
"Darien," I furrowed my brow. "Is something… off about that river?"
"Yeah…" He said in his low voice. "I don't know what though."
"Look," I pointed at the ground surrounding the river. "There are no plants. Not even roots. And there is something rising off the water." Above the river, faint steam was rising. "Is the water burning hot, or is there some kind of chemical?" I asked.
"I don't know." He shrugged. "You're the one who knows this stuff." He squeezed my hand. I leaned my head against his shoulder.
"Not really, but that doesn't look like normal steam." I picked up a stick and threw it through the 'steam'. As soon as the stick touched the surface, it burned up and disintegrated. We both backed up immediately.
"Well. We are not going to be going in there." I stepped under the outcropping and pushed the vines away. I thought about Luna as I crouched down. I remember the fun we would have with each other, playing hide-and-seek when we were younger, and when I was teaching Luna to defend herself. I also remember when she was reaped. Her name was pulled from the jar, and I couldn't let her go in. I had a better chance than her, and so I called out. "I volunteer as tribute!" I touched the cold chain of the necklace Mom had given to Luna, Darius; my older brother, and me before she died. We still don't know how Mom and Dad died. I wish I could know, that would make things a lot better. I wish I-
"Hey, Raven, are you good?" Darien's voice pushed me out of my trance.
"What? Oh, yeah, I'm good." He nodded and we sat under the rock together. "It's going to be okay." He said. I nodded, not fully believing him.
District 1 Male - Glint Coldwater - 18
Smiling, I lifted myself into the Cornucopia to see what useful items still were left. I found a fine set of silver-coated knives, a slender but razor-sharp sword with a sheath, a small first-aid kit, and many other things including poison and antidote. Perfect. I took the sword and sheath, then slid out of the mouth of the Cornucopia.
"Hey, Valerie, that's your name, right? I've got some knives for you." I called over. The beautiful yet deadly girl from Two looked up at me.
"Oh - great. Just put them here for me please." I heard the pain in her voice.
"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting down next to her.
"That girl - that girl from Five. She… she-" Valerie coughed, her eyes watering. "She killed my boyfriend." She turned her face away from me, hiding her tears.
"His name was Nolan, right?" I asked gently.
"Yes." She muttered, clenching her teeth. "He was perfect. Kind, friendly, clever, at least most of the time," She smiled down at the ground, but it was a sad smile. "I loved him." I didn't know what to say. I had never really experienced someone having an emotional moment like this before, and I didn't want to say the wrong thing. So, I just moved on from the more difficult topics.
"How's your leg?" I questioned. I had seen her leg bitten by a small creature, and she wasn't recovering.
"Oh - right." She moved her left leg slightly and grimaced from the pain. "Not great. I think that creature was poisonous." She pulled her pant leg up, and the teeth marks were swollen and slightly green.
"Oh, wow. I may have something for that." I reached into my small bag and pulled out the poison antidote. "Try this, it might help." Valerie took the small bottle and poured a little onto a rag. She pressed the rag onto the wound and hissed as it took effect.
"Does it work?" I asked anxiously. She nodded, biting her cheeks from pain. "Good," I said, unsure of what to do. I got up and began to walk away. "Uh, let me know if you need anything." Suddenly, I heard a scream, then a cannon.
Boom.
Someone had died nearby because we saw a hovercraft come and retrieve their body. I realized that they were behind the Cornucopia when they died, because Marley came out from behind there, blood on the long trident.
"Who was that?" Valerie asked.
"The kid from, um, 9, whatever his name was. He was sneaking up on us, maybe trying to steal food or weapons. What a fool. He should have known he had no chance."
If people continued to drop like this, maybe I can get home. I can give Mom and me enough money to move to a better house, we could afford medicine, and she wouldn't have to work so much.
If people continued to drop like this, maybe I still have a chance.
District 3 Female - Davina Chase - 17
I pushed the leaves and branches out of my face and smiled at what I had in my hand. I had managed to snag a large spool of wire and some pliers. I was very much at home with electric wires and tools, as I used them all the time at home in Dad's workshop. His company made TVs, and even though my four sisters aren't really interested in that sort of thing, I love learning new things and working getting my hands dirty.
I thought about when I was reaped. When the escort called my name, I saw my sisters, my oldest sister's daughter, and my parents all standing there shocked. I was probably about as shocked as they were, and I was holding back tears. I honestly hope they can see me now on the cameras because I spoke softly into the air.
"To my family, if you are listening, know that I love you, no matter what. Mum, Dad, Natalia, Rayna, all of you. Natalia, say hi to Bailey for me. She's getting so big. I love you all. I'll love you forever." I stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath. I miss them so much. However, I need to move. I can't stay in one spot for a long time, that's too dangerous in here. I continued to push through the narrow 'paths' if you can call them that when I came upon an odd clearing. I pushed my foot into the soft ground, and suddenly felt something hard.
"What is this?" I muttered to myself, moving my foot around. Then, I felt the hard thing begin to move. Absolutely not. I instantly ran from the clearing. Whatever was in there is not friendly, and I am not messing with it.
I need to be a lot more careful about where I'm going. I get the feeling that this strange misty arena has some tricks up its sleeve.
District 4 Female - Marlene "Marley" Crest - 16
I laid back on a slightly wet rock and stretched. The Career Pack has taken over the Cornucopia, much like many Career Packs, but there is something that keeps us really well protected. There is a thick, black, muddy, pitch-like water mixture surrounding the Cornucopia nearby. We watched a small mutt try to cross to us, but as it stepped into the strange mixture it became stuck and slowly sunk. We never saw it again.
I thought about the reaping when I volunteered. I needed to see what it's like in person, not just watching the videos. Also, I am pretty confident in my skills. Mom and Dad have been helping me to learn how to wield the trident since I was 7 years old, and I can definitely swim better than anyone else here. I think I may have a chance.
One of my major worries about this arena is how things appear in front of us, then as we rear up to attack, they disappear. There is also a hazy mist wherever we go, and I am worried that someone may hide in there. Something seems off about everything like there are secrets and dangers everywhere.
Suddenly, I heard something move from behind the Cornucopia. I walked over and I saw a small boy hunched over with some of our supplies. I quickly threw my trident at his neck. Boom. He was dead.
I strolled back over to the rest of the careers.
"Who was that?" Valerie questioned me.
"The kid from, um, 9, whatever his name was. He was sneaking up on us, maybe trying to steal food or weapons. What a fool. He should have known he had no chance." I sat down near Valerie. She seemed nice enough.
"Hey," I said to her.
"Hey." She responded. We saw the hovercraft come to retrieve the kid's body, and a long claw came down and scooped him off the ground. "Wait," Valerie said. "That's not 9, that's the kid from 11, the boy." She raised her eyebrows at me. "Why did you lie? You know who each of the tributes is. You were telling us all about every single one of them."
I bit my lip. "I guess I just thought they were someone else." That is not what really happened. I lied, but I just… had to. I can't really control it. I've always been like this. What do I do now?
District 12 Male - Darien Night - 18
I heard a booming cannon shot in the distance as Raven and I huddled under a rock. It had begun to rain gently, and we heard the chemical river hissing as the rainwater mixed with it. The chilled air had begun to get to us, so we sat close and opened up our supplies to see if we had anything to help keep us warm.
"Raven, look." I pulled a small, insulated sleeping bag out of my backpack.
"Perfect!" She smiled her beautiful smile. "I have some food and medicine, as well as a couple of knives. Do you want one?" She asked.
"Yeah. We should go hunting soon, anyway."
"Okay." Together we went through everything else, finding water, dried beef and fruit, some gloves, a tiny mirror, and a few other seemingly unhelpful objects, such as a two-inch piece of tree bark.
"Who do you think that was?" I asked her.
"The cannon shot? I don't know, I'm just glad it wasn't us." I nodded. I pulled out the small mirror and looked in it. I thought about how my dad had looked a lot like me, with short, spiky black hair, blue-green eyes, a sharp chin, everything. I pulled at the moon locket that was around my neck and glanced at my old watch. They were Mom and Dad's things, and pretty much the only things I have from them. They were taken from me when I was younger by peacekeepers. I never found out what happened to them.
I find it best to not think about my siblings. I was the primary source of income for my family, having taken on two jobs and working overtime. I wonder what they are doing now. Maybe my friends Serena, Nick, and Eric are taking care of them. I hope so. All I know is that I will do everything I can to try to get back home to them. If I can, I'll get Raven home too. I love her, Raven. We will get home.
We have not had too many deaths this time around, only that poor kid from District 11. Also, you may not have picked up on this, but Marley (District 4 Female) has a condition known as pathological lying disorder. This means she often lies for no real reason.
EULOGIES:
18th Place: District 11 Male, Non-Pov [Skewered with trident by Marley D4F]
Tributes Remaining: 17
Kill Count:
Glint: II
Valerie: II
Marley: II
Raeden: I
The next chapter will be Night 1! Thank you for reading!