The Countdown

Gaia Imani, District Eight Female

I try my hardest to keep from shaking too badly as sun filters through the darkness of the tube. My head soon hits middling air, and I look around at the arena. Wide expanses of golden grass, as far as the eye can see, surround the ring of silvery pedestals that encircle the glimmering golden Cornucopia. Supplies are piled in the mouth, with more than usual spread out in the slippery mud between the Horn and the pedestals. The whole area's a little raised, probably the only thing besides some dark smudges on the horizon that breaks the never ending sea of prairie grass.

It's hard to hide in plain sight, and the only visible plant in the arena is this unidentifiable golden grass that surrounds me. My plans are already starting to swirl down the drain, and the pedestal hasn't even fully risen yet. There's a mechanic click, and I've fallen still.

To my left is the Three girl, her eyes narrowed as she surveys her surroundings. And to my left...is Zircon, the Career from One. The shaking starts to intensify. His appearance next to me should just make my plan to run away even easier, but I won't be able to sustain myself in this arena. What am I going to do here?! There's also the fact that my allies aren't as close as I'd like. Bernie and I are separated by two pedestals, which hold a Career and the strongest Outlier, while Sage and Carmen are next to each other a third of a way around the circle of pedestals.

The countdown starts with a holographic 60 popping to life above the Horn, bright and enticing as it dances through the air, flickering to a 59. I have 59 seconds to figure out what I'm going to do.

58...57...56...

Rufus Braunvieh, District Ten Male

My breathing gets heavier once the countdown starts. I try to reign in myself, to keep myself in check and to keep myself from being distracted. The arena isn't very inviting for Outliers like myself, who are going in for a few outer supplies and then plan on hiding for the rest of the Games. All there is is grass, and any landmark where one can hide will be targeted by the Careers as one of the few noticeable breaks in the landscape where someone would hide. I knew I should've spent more time at camouflage.

The sassy Seven girl stands to my right, her eyes flipping over everyone else and then looking at the supplies situated near us. My eyes lock on a delicious looking bottle of water leaning up against a short serrated dagger about fifteen yards away on a mound of harder mud. The slippery surface of the Cornucopia field is dangerous, but there's no way I'm wandering off into the wilderness without anything at all to sustain me. I'd rather die quickly than be tortured to death by natural causes for weeks. Cordelia, the girl from Four, to my right, might be able to help out with that. She looks scarier than ever.

I keep my eyes locked on the water bottle and the dagger as the time continues to tick away.

55...54...53...52...51...

Chavez Belasco, District Four Male

My smile doesn't seem to unnerve the two Outliers on either side of me, and that aggravates me. They're two of the strongest Outliers this year, the guys from Seven and Nine, and they're both dangerous. The Seven boy gives me a few anxious glances, but the Nine boy never looks my way after spotting me soon after we ascended from the catacombs. It just makes me want to kill him more.

I don't give the arena more than a cursory look. I know it's natural, I know it's flat, and I know it'll be hard for Outliers to hide from my knives and whatever other weapons I choose to use. The perfect arena for a Career, and I plan to make the most of it. My eyes are trained on the Cornucopia and the ring of tributes, studying the layout of supplies and which weapon to pick up. A belt of throwing knives is propped out against the tail end of the Horn, right in my sight. My biggest adversary, Ardin, is exactly on the opposite side of the field. We've made a truce to at least stick together past the Bloodbath. I would be able to take any of them, but that deal is what got me the leadership role, so I begrudgingly made it. One never knows what might happen in the heat of the moment however...

50...49...48...47...46...

Soya Chaffer, District Eleven Female

My eyes are wide open in fear, and not because I'm next to the Seven boy, who's a criminal and probably would be willing to kill me. In that catacomb room, I realized that there's a chance that fate might not be in my favor, that just because I lost my dad doesn't mean I get to survive this. That Seven boy lost his parents and went to jail. That's worse than me, so shouldn't he win if fate chooses the Victor that way? I can die today, and I probably will. That makes my knees quiver.

Lord is almost halfway across the field from me. I don't know if I'll be able to get to him. But that's not what has my eyes wide open in fear. It's not the arena theme either; it's sort of similar to home, although the Nines will feel more comfortable. What bothers me are the dark shapes growing on the horizon.

Everyone in Eleven knows a tornado when they see one. Others are starting to notice. The Nine boy's head snaps back and I see the first bit of fear out of him the whole time we've been in the Games. Tornadoes. Tornadoes, coming full speed at the Bloodbath.

It takes all my willpower not to just give up and step off of my pedestal now. I'll stay alive at least until the Bloodbath, and try to get to Lord. I don't know if I can, however.

45...44...43...42...41...

Fuji LaMac, District Three Female

My eyes swivel across the plain, looking around for my allies even more frantically after spotting what must be a twister on the horizon. I know Omri is a couple of pedestals to my right, Ivy a few to my left, but I'm looking for Millard. I finally spot him, most of him blocked by a large crate filled with supplies. We make eye contact, and he nods ever so lightly as a signal that he's got my back. That eases things just a tad.

My game plan is swirling in my head, and it's becoming fuzzy. The tornadoes, which most people have spotted at this point, are nearing, and they fully destroy all rhyme and reason behind what to do at the Bloodbath. One can only presume that they're rushing towards us to fuck with us during the opening minutes, shrouded by a horde of dark gray clouds and whistling winds. It doesn't seem quite natural, probably because it's created by the Gamemakers. They're rapidly getting closer, and they make the golden prairie wheat ripple like water when a pebble hits its surface. I don't know what the hell I'm going to do now. I just know I need to get to Millard above all else.

40...39...38...37...36...

Luke Saturn, District Nine Male

Chavez keeps glancing my way, sneering and baring his teeth like the dogs that try to steal scraps from the trash back in my village. He's trying to intimidate me. If he wants to be more successful with that, he should turn elsewhere. Yeah sure, I'm buzzing inside with anxiety, but I'm not letting anyone see that. My mask has taken years of practice, but now it's so natural and it fits so snugly that I don't even need to put effort into it. He's not going to get a reaction out of me.

My eyes spot a scythe sticking out of the Horn, and two sickles lying in the mud five yards from the tail of the structure. Weapons of mass destruction; if I get either of them, I bet I can defend myself enough to make it out. But do I want or need to take that chance? The tornadoes are dangerous (I sensed them the moment we rose up here) and I'm going to be the tribute most familiar with this arena. I can survive off of the land here while the others begin to starve and get picked off one by one. My plan was always to run in a get things, but now my plans may have changed. All I know is I'm the best off Outlier in this arena right now.

35...34...33...32...31...

Tyberios Palatium, District Two Male

My entire body is thrumming with nerves. I can almost hear the sound of all of the atoms in my body bouncing off of one another. I would jump around the make sure everything keeps going and the pain in my head is still eased if I wasn't wary of my large weight setting off the explosives by moving about so much. My eyes are locked on a couple of swords inside the Cornucopia that look like they can do some major damage, and then there's two large bladed axes, one for me and one for Trinity. She's basically on the other side of the ring of pedestals, but we're both Careers. Instead Chavez or Ardin decide to go all rogue on us we don't have anything to worry about. We'll be a formidable force fighting together thirty seconds from now, taking down tributes left and right.

My mind is rushing a million miles an hour, and the relief from the pure adrenaline is so much better than anything a pill could give me. My mind feels clear and the air feels alive, although that might be the twisters winding their way towards the Cornucopia. I just hope they don't mess with me too much. That would be real fucked up to break my leg or something because of a dumb Gamemaker twist before I even got to land a single kill. I've just got to stay useful and stay clear minded until it's time to split from the pack, and I won't have a problem with anyone.

30...29...28...27...26...

Bernie Areli, District Five Female

I'm trying to be strong. I won't cry I don't think, but I'm shaking like crazy and breathing like I just ran a half marathon. The skies are darkening as the tornadoes get closer and closer. They taunt me, swirling the world beneath them into a mess. I can't even imagine what they'll do to this area. I feel like I might be having a panic attack. My heart hammers loud and hard against my chest, and I bite my lip to keep from making any embarrassing sound of fear.

The loud Twelve guy's on my right, while the strong Eleven dude's on my left. I don't think either of them will necessarily go after me, but there's six Careers out there and one of them isn't that far from me. Tyberios's eyes drift over to mine for a split second, and I'm chilled to the bone by the excited grin plastered on his brutishly handsome face. The shaking intensifies, but I keep my feet planted firmly. I am not falling off. I'm not going out that way. I'll enjoy my last spare couple of minutes of life.

25...24...23...22...21

Baron Arbor, District Seven Male

Grandma Circe often mentioned omens and such when she'd tell her fantasy tales of magic and heroism in days gone by, when dragons flapped through the air and men bore silvery armor with pride instead of white armor with snarls. The black cat, a magic mark, or a gathering storm. The dark clouds and rapidly approaching twisters mean only one thing to me; luck is not on my side today. However, luck isn't on the side of everyone here I guess, so we're at an even level again.

Chavez stands proudly next to me, cracking his knuckles, and it takes all my willpower not to show my fear by being placed right next to him. I know I've been put here for a reason, probably under Snow's orders. The girl on the other side of me looks familiar, and it takes me a while to puzzle out that she's the girl from Eleven who's been hanging out with the Twelve guy. She shaking like a leaf, and her customary glittery smile is gone for the first time since I've seen her. That's why I didn't recognize her.

I survey the supplies in front of me, choosing which ones I want. They're all in the direction away from Chavez, that's for sure. As I make my selections, I can see the time slipping away too fast. The roar of the artificial tornadoes as they near is worrying, and it takes all my energy to keep my eyes on the prize: surviving the Bloodbath with supplies and my health intact.

20...19...18...17...16...

Carmen Ionique-Astron, District Twelve Female

I still feel jittery from leaving the tube, and standing here with the wind now getting sharper and the world a bit darker, my stomach starts to churn. I don't like this, not one bit. I try to put on my brave face again but I'm so queasy it probably just looks like I'm trying to make a funny face and failing at it. The wind buffets my body and I pray that I don't waver and fall in this unstable state. I want to at least have a shot at survival.

Keeping my feet firmly planted, I look at the two people next to me again. Sage is to my right, and she tries to smile at me, but it doesn't quite come out. I mouth "I love you" and she nods, mouthing the words in return. I know there's a slim chance both of us make it out, and I wouldn't be surprised if all four of us got killed within the next hour. That thought just leads to bad places, and I shut it down, focusing on my destination: running away, and running away fast. Well, as fast as someone like me can go.

15...14...13...12...11...

Libby Miles, District Six Female

Is this another hallucination from my Torcido's? There's no way they'd be sending tornadoes at us, but I can feel the wind full on and the air smells sort of like it does when it rains, just more chemically charged due to the fact it's artificially whipped up by the Gamemakers if it even is real. My mind is spinning fifty miles a minute and all I can focus on are the two water bottles a mere fifteen yards from my pedestal. Run, grab them, and run out. I can deal with everything else except water. I just hope that those water bottles are actually real.

This whole experience is mind boggling. Is what I see real? Or is it just my imagination, even though I can touch and feel and experience all of the fake things and not remember a single thing about what actually happened? I just want to slam my head against the ground and get this out. I just want to be normal, I just want my head to work correctly. I want to stitch together my life again and see what actually happened back home. I bet Anaya didn't die mysteriously, she probably got killed in a shootout or something. My parents probably hate me and I probably don't get A's in my classes. And I definitely wasn't clean.

I know I'm not going to make it, but I wish I was so I could figure this out for once.

10...9...8...7...6...

Zircon O'Dile, District One Male

So little time left. I'm excited to get the ball rolling, but I'm not hopping around a little like Tyberios, grinning prettily with an icy undertone like Trinity, or trying to intimidate the others like Chavez. I just stare ahead at the Horn and at the spear I want, getting my game face on. It's time to fight and it's time to put away the party Zircon. I played my heart out in the Capitol, but I did that just to have my last hurrah in the unfortunate yet unlikely event that I don't make it out of here. Now I've turned on the serious Zircon. I'll still crack jokes and stuff to keep up my Academy-approved persona, but I have my eyes on the prize now and I'm not taking them off for a single second.

The tornadoes are close, dangerously close, and the sharp winds snap across me, making goosebumps pop up on my arms. As the last seconds drain away, I'm surprised no one tumbles off of their pedestal from the harsh blowing wind and blows up. I narrow my eyes and get ready to leap off of my pedestal and to grab my weapon and fight tooth and nail against some Outliers. I'm ready for this. I'm ready to prove myself.

5...4...3...2...1...

LET THE TWENTY SECOND ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES COMMENCE!

A/N: ONE CHAPTER AWAY I AM SCREAMING GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

So, last minute predictions? Throw everything you've got at me, I'm curious to see what you all think I have planned!

What did you think of the twist with the tornadoes? How will they effect the Bloodbath? Who will be the first casualty?

You may start sending sponsorship gifts after the Bloodbath, so total up those points and decide what you want, and remember that prices go up every day! For reference, check the sponsorship chapter. If you don't feel like counting them all, just estimate. Most of you got the right answers and I don't want to list the 40 plus questions I haven't listed the answers for so...yeah XD

If you were curious about full pedestal order, this is it, going from due north clockwise:

Chavez, Luke, Miriam, Fender, Tyberios, Lord, Bernie, Omri, Zircon, Gaia, Fuji, Calico, Ardin, Jayce, Ivy, Rufus, Cordelia, Sage, Carmen, Millard, Trinity, Libby, Soya, Baron.

P.S. These 12 were the tributes not highlighted in the "Meet the Stylists" portion of the Pre-Parade chapter; I wasn't choosing favorites or anything. I do like most of these tributes however :)

Trivia:

Countdown (1 pt.) - Who was the first POV to identify the tornadoes by name?

Until Next Time AT THE FRICKING BLOODBATH!,

Tracee