Before this begins, I just want to make a short statement. I love all of you who review consistently, and I love pretty much all of these tributes. Please do not take personal offense if your tribute dies. Some of the Bloodbath picks were very difficult for me to make but are essential to keep the story driving forward. I am doing what will make the best story, not necessarily basing it on how much someone reviews, how many tributes they have in, how popular a tribute is, etc. etc. although unpopular tributes whose submitters are inactive won't last too long. I have made a solid, thorough Games plan, and while I doubt it will change it might. Anyway, tl,dr: Don't take this personally, and I'm sorry we had to lose some great tributes. I hope you have fun, and enjoy what is FINALLY here, the kickoff of the main event, folks...

THE BLOODBATH! :D

P.S. POV lengths may be somewhat inconsistent based purely on the fact of how much I needed to tell from each POV to make this chapter work the way I needed it to :)

P.P.S. Don't skip to the bottom there aren't any obituaries to spoil for you, as I wanted to make sure you experience it without spoilers (I always spoil myself so I didn't want to ruin it for any of you xD)

Trinity Vegas, 18

District One Female

The moment I hear Nuntius roaring that the Games have begun, I hurl myself off of my platform, sprinting for the mouth of the Horn. I can see Tyberios closing in as well; we're both headed for the pair of axes sitting quaintly for us in the mouth of the Cornucopia. The winds snap across me, and I see the Six girl stumble and fall to the ground from the fierce winds and slippery mud. She crawls towards a pair of water bottles, ignoring everyone around her.

I run past her, my long legs carrying me quickly towards the mouth of the Horn. Luckily I have good balance, or I'd have wiped out on this mud. Tributes swarm the area, and I try to make out certain faces, but it's so dark I can only recognize Tyberios because of his muscly build, and Ardin because of her graceful stride. Ardin darts off to find whatever weapon she wants in another direction, but Tyberios and I continue to barrel forward towards the same meeting point. I have an edge on him with speed, and I reach the axes first.

Screams start to fill the air as the tornadoes whip closer. One veers off to the west, but the other two crash through the field. Instead of going right for the weapons, I hurl myself inside the Cornucopia, hunkering down with my hands over my neck and head, hoping to avoid any debris that might be flung my way. I feel Tyberios's bulky body push beside my own as we wait. The wind is fierce and a tent slaps against me, but it doesn't hurt that bad. Soon the winds start to ease up, and I leap to my feet. Tyberios rises right behind, and we grab the handle of the same axe. I give him a quick smile as he grabs the other one, and then we race out into the muddy field.

All the supplies have been thrown left and right, and many tributes are on the ground in tornado position, just starting to hesitantly emerge from their protective holds. Chavez is already battling one of the stronger Outlier boys, and Cordelia is getting weapons. I can't see where Ardin or Zircon are; they're probably on the other side of the field, obscured by the Horn.

A boy not too far away is coated in mud, and as he tries to stand he falls again, the mud slick underneath him where he's fallen. He has a dagger in his hand that he's accidentally stabbed himself in the arm with, and the remnants of a pulverized sleeve of crackers surround him. He gets to his feet again and looks in my eyes as I lift my arms back, the axe glinting excitedly as I bring it down with force on his head. His head splits open violently, blood pouring out, and he falls back into the mud, not taking in another breath. A quick kill; the first kill of the Games. I don't think about how that makes me feel; this isn't the time for that.

It isn't the first kill for long. More moans and screams fill the air, attracting us bloodthirsty killers. As I've taken down this boy, whose now bloody shirt sports a dark brown 10 on each shoulder, Tyberios has run off to attack a girl that's frantically trying to outrun him. My eyes turn away from him to where slow yet desperate movement and pained groans grab my attention.

A girl is leaning against her platform, heaving and trying to crawl away. One of her legs is bloody and limp, broken after she presumably was hit by the tornado and thrown to the ground. She's on the far side of the pedestal, so she must've been trying to run away, and then got swept up and spit out. She's crying quietly and pulling herself down the slight slope towards the grass, leaving a bloody trail in the mud behind her. More screams echo behind me as I stalk after her.

She spots me and her eyes open wide in utter fear. Any emotion I'd have from seeing her like that is swept away by my mind reflexively before I can examine it. There's a reason Victors get such a long time between their Victories and their Victory Tours. They need the time to start sorting through everything they buried during the Games. I will kill, and I will fight, and in the end, either I'll die or I'll survive and come out of this stronger. Kill by kill, I will become harder.

"Please," she whimpers as I close in, only a few steps away. I don't waver, and she notices. In one last desperate attempt to escape, she tries to fling herself backwards into the grass, just to get as far away from me as she physically can. She ends up just rolling further down the small slope, and I close the short distance between us, axe raised. She shrieks as I bury the edge of my axe between her shoulder blades twice before drawing back. She's just a limp puddle sobbing in the mud, and there's no saving her. She was doomed the moment she broke her leg; no, the moment her name was pulled from the ball in Eight. That's the number on her sleeve.

I lope back up to the flat Cornucopia field, where the mud is slicker than before from the bloodshed and frenzied running. My eyes swivel around for more victims as I leave behind my gasping second kill, not even really thinking about what I've just done, just looking for another kill to make. I'm not the pretty girl from One who hides in the Cornucopia or avoids making kills while her allies do all the dirty work like usual. If Esquiria wants me to break my stereotype, fuck, I'll break it. She didn't even have to ask.

Lord Parthenia, 16

District Twelve Male

After the countdown ends, I run straight for the Horn. It's dangerous, sure, but especially with this plain arena, there isn't going to be much to sustain myself and Soya out here, especially for myself if we get separated. Soya could probably find something out here to eat with her farm know how, but if I'm out there alone, there's a big chance I'll starve and I'm toast, so I've gotta go for the supplies.

Mid-run, I see two of the giant storm things closing in. I don't know the exact name for them (that's what dropping out of school early gets you) but I know they're dangerous as hell. I see a guy hurl himself behind a crate and get in a position with his hands over his head, curled up in a ball. I scuttle over to another crate, this one half filled with empty canteens and extra pieces of clothes pretty close to the side of the Cornucopia. It seems pretty light, but hopefully heavy enough that it won't move around with me inside of it. I pull the lid over my head and hunker down.

The winds are fierce, and the crate begins to rattle violently. Suddenly it tips, and I try to keep quiet as it tumbles for a few seconds, falling still somewhere I can't predict. Something sharp jabs me in between the ribs, and I hiss, flinching away. I touch my abdomen; no blood, but I was close to stabbing myself. Great start, eh? The roar of the disaster is fading. My fingers hook around the sharp thing: a dagger. Good. I use the blade to help pop off the stubborn top of the crate, and then I crawl out.

The crate's been thrown to its side a distance from the Horn. People are starting to get up from their defensive positions in the mud, and a few people are wounded. Two of the Careers stalk out of the Cornucopia with axes, and the girl, the princess from One, hacks open the head of a guy trying to get to his feet. My eyes open wide, and I look around nervously for Soya. The Bloodbath's really starting now, and we need to get out quick.

I spot Soya sprawled out on the ground not too far away, maybe a sixth of the circular field to the left from me. She's just tripped; I saw her fall and land all splayed out like that. A chunk of sharpened wood, debris from the disasters, is lodged in her right thigh, and her eyes are full of fear. The source of that fear comes into my line of sight in moments. The One boy, with a silvery spear held tightly in his hands, looms over her.

I start to my feet, but it's too little, too late. I freeze out of cowardice, and the Career jabs his weapon into Soya's stomach. She gurgles incoherently as he stabs again in the same spot, and then a third time in the throat. She barely stirs, her body going slack after that last wound. All I see is red, but I know it's ludicrous to confront a Career.

I'm glued to the spot, and the thing that gets me moving is the Career girl from Four. She's found probably the only trident in the Cornucopia and is loping towards me on her short legs, looking shaky but determined. She's pretty fast, but I have a longer stride and some time to escape. I spot an olive green pack on the ground several feet away. I make a break for it, swinging it over my shoulder before running for my life away from the Horn and down the slight slope into the sea of golden grass. I can only hope there's food and water in here, or I may be royally screwed.

The Four girl pauses at the edge of the grass. It's taller here, and she could easily get lost in it. She doesn't want me sneaking up on her. She's not quite ready to take risks yet, or maybe her fear just plain compels her to turn around and run back onto the Cornucopia field to look for easier victims. Either way, she doesn't pursue, and I've escaped unscathed.

My legs soon become heavy as my pace gradually slows. I don't want to tire myself out too bad. I go until I'm at least a mile or two from the Cornucopia; it's just a tiny glittering blip on the quickly darkening horizon. Then I begin to walk, sure, at a decent pace, but it's slower than running. Night swallows up the prairie around me as I march on, looking for anything that could provide cover as I try to shove the images of death, especially Soya's, out of my head.

I could've saved her. Sure, I wouldn't have ever made it to her side, but I could've tried. It's the effort that counts. Actions speak multitudes, and I stood their like a coward and hid in a crate instead of fighting my way to her. Sure, I did the smart thing for my individual survival. But that girl...she was a sweet one. Too sweet for here, that's sure. She would've never made it out alive, and I'm kidding myself if I believe I could've done something. But it still stings. I may be a grand asshole oftentimes, but if I establish that emotional connection with you, it's like a holy covenant. I only let so many people in, even though I do so with pretty girls like Soya more than I should. But I hold onto every shred of those girls to bring some blissful meaning into my life, but it never comes. It never will.

I keep trudging on, determined to find somewhere as dusk sets in. Eight cannons fire, signaling the end of the Bloodbath, where Soya and seven others have been lost. I'm nearly sure none of the Careers are gone, and that just makes things harder. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers, that's for sure.

Baron Arbor, 16

District Seven Male

I try not to howl as a metal water bottle, flung by the force of the tornado winds, smacks into my side. That'll leave an ugly bruise. I curl up tighter, crawling towards an area where a few crates might provide shelter. Before I manage to get there however, one topples and another is blown away. I grab a nearby dagger, stab it into the mud, and hold onto the handle for dear life so I'm not ripped away. I see a girl dancing in the area, screaming, picked up by the tornado, and I feel like I'm in a fantastical storybook, not in a life or death competition. I can barely hear anything over the vicious sounds of the tornado.

It doesn't take long for the tornado's force to dwindle as it lumbers on its way, but it's long enough to wreck major havoc on us tributes and the Bloodbath field around us. Supplies are strewn everywhere, many of them broken, and several tributes are hurt, most still cowering in their defensive positions. I know this is a good chance to grab some supplies I wouldn't normally risk getting, as most people are still afraid to emerge.

I stand up and yank the dagger out of the mud, wiping off the sharp blade on my shorts. It cuts a little into the fabric; the point is deadly, the blade fine and dangerous. It's not my optimal weapon but it will do for the moment. My eyes quickly take in the area around me, and I'm floored at a nearby discovery.

The Four boy, Chavez, is laying on the ground a mere ten feet away, gasping for air and weaponless. He's curled up, his arms clutching one of his sides, his eyes scrunched in pain. I start to back up towards a nearby pack, but the chance of easily eliminating the strongest player in these Games is too enticing. I pick up a rock and fling it at him from a safe distance just to see how he reacts. I have to decide quickly; others are starting to come around to their senses, including the other Careers besides Chavez.

The rock thunks him in the back and he flinches but doesn't look to see who did it. He has to be seriously injured. I make my decision and roll with it, loping across the ground towards him, dagger lofted high in the air. In a glittering arc, I bring it down towards his exposed neck-

Chavez hurtles to his feet and cracks a baton he must've been laying on top of across the arm holding the dagger, causing me to lose my hold of it. It lands in the mud at his feet, and I also spot a belt of throwing knives, his favorite if him spending half of training there was any indication, nearby. But he doesn't go for either, just smiling wickedly as he kicks my left knee, sending my legs buckling. I should've been smarter, and known he was just luring me into attacking him, a method to bait a tribute like myself that usually has sense.

I land face first in an especially muddy patch. I push up with my hands, hacking mud out of my mouth, but the baton cracks across the back of my head, sending it crashing back into the mud. I cough and splutter into the dirt, but something holds my face against the ground, probably his foot or knee. I fight, but it's useless. I can barely gasp in any air like this, and I'm clogging up any airspace with mud as I struggle and writhe. Right as I think I'm about to lose it the pressure fades.

I flip onto my back to scuttle away, spitting out a clod of mud and trying to breathe again. Before I can pull in a full breath however, Chavez is pushing me back against the ground again, the belt of throwing knives clipped to his waist, one held in his right hand right above my throat. I guess he didn't want to chance anyone else taking them. In one last desperate attempt I flail my arms and legs around, but the throwing knife, being utilized like a dagger, is already in transit. He jabs downwards, and if anything, my kicks and squirming just send him lurching further forward as he buries the weapon in my neck.

He draws it out and rises to his feet, quickly darting off to go find some other prey while I lay there, wheezing out my last few moments of life. Blood is everywhere, staining the chest region of my tan shirt maroon, cascading down my neck and intermingling with the mud as I try desperately to stand, taking a moment to realize that this is the end, and that no poultice or elixir can save me. Nothing can save me now, nothing can show the world that my family and friends aren't wretched rebels. I'm dying in the Bloodbath, showing the world that the Coven is something worse than rebellious: it's insignificant.

I failed them. Of course that has to be my dying thought.

Fuji LaMac, 17

District Three Female

I swear there's something more in this wind than the force that inexorably pushes it forward. The stirring of the air has made something primal arise within me, or maybe it's just the adrenaline. But as the wind gushes around me, whistling in my ears shrilly, I don't pause and hunker down like many other tributes. I keep moving, running against the wind, eyes scrunched in focus, towards Millard's pedestal, where he cowers, hiding from the tornado.

I just saw him on the opposite side of the clearing, barely able to be made out and mostly obscured by the Cornucopia, and something broke or fit together, whichever way you want to puzzle it. I was in need of assistance and backup here, someone who would help me out if I needed it as I tried to swallow my fear, and I saw Millard. He's reliable. I couldn't curb the urge. Instead of running along the rim of the circle and grabbing some supplies before meeting up due south like we're supposed to do according to our plan, I ran straight for him. I don't care for Omri and I blatantly don't trust Ivy. They're stronger than me and are closer with one another than myself. I can't sleep at night with them watching guard over me. I just need to get to Millard, grab some things, grab his hand, and get out of here before Ivy and Omri can catch us.

Despite my determination, the winds are too strong, and I'm forced to fall to my knees near the side of the Horn closest to Millard's pedestal to avoid a lantern that's been swung into the air by the tornado. I hear a girl scream and I can only imagine what horrible thing the tornado is doing to her. I brace myself against the metal side of the Cornucopia as the winds switch directions constantly, sometimes slamming into me, sometimes blowing the opposite way for a moment. In those seconds I'm protected by the Cornucopia, which blocks the wind.

The delirium doesn't last for too long, however. Soon the winds die away, and I can see the massive system whirling away through the prairie, slowly extracting itself from the premises. It takes a few moments to shake myself out of the trance the vicious gusts sent me into, and then I'm lurching to my feet, sprinting towards Millard's pedestal.

My ally peeks his head over his pedestal, and our eyes meet. All around us commotion is resuming again. Screams paint the air with a sickening symphony, and I can see blood trickling across the slippery earth out of the corner of my eye. Already many of the smarter or more apt tributes are on their way out with what they were able to gather, and I catch a glimpse of Ivy's blond hair fluttering behind her as she and Omri look around wildly for us, making their way down the south side of the tiny plateau the Cornucopia's perched on top of. I bet she's seen us, but she and Omri aren't chancing sticking around for much longer.

"Fuji, come on, we've gotta go," Millard mutters urgently, and I realize I've zoned out in the middle of the damn Bloodbath, standing next to his platform. He grabs my hand and tugs me towards the south, and it's obvious he plans to intercept Omri and Ivy.

"We can't go with them," I insist. "They can't be trusted."

"We talked about this, Fuji," Millard replies firmly, grabbing a bag on the ground some feet away, his eyes flitting around in fear. "We stay with them for a night or so at the least. We need to leave now."

"We're going north," I interject, tugging him towards me now that he's back in distance. "Come on!"

"Fujitsa LaMac, for fuck's sake-" he begins, and then his mouth falls open as a silvery spearhead juts out of his chest.

I scream, backing away as Millard falls, blank eyed and motionless to the ground, life already quickly seeping from his body. My eyes flicker up to where the One boy stands some fifteen feet away, having just thrown the spear into his back so hard it poked out of his chest. The agony rips through me but the adrenaline and instincts surging inside are stronger. I cut south instinctively, knowing that while I may not trust a single word out of Ivy's mouth, being with her and Omri is better than being alone. They have supplies and strength while I have neither at the moment.

I flee down the slope and into the golden grass as the One boy lopes over to Millard...well, probably by now his corpse...and tugs out the spear. That sight just makes me run harder, and I tumble into the grass, propelling myself by swinging my arms like a madman. I aim south, well, as well south as I can, trying to keep pretty low. My dark hair and skin will stand out against this grass. Thankfully I'm not the tallest girl in the world, and I probably don't look too stupid running with a minimally bent back. The grass gets shorter the farther I get from the Horn however, going from probably neck height right at the bottom of the slope to about chest height now, about a minute or two of running later.

I guess the Career boy didn't want to chance getting lost in the grass chasing me, because he's nowhere in sight unless he's crawling across the ground like a ravenous snake, ready to strike at any second. I wouldn't put it past him. I keep my legs churning, every now and then pausing for a single moment to get a glimpse of the Horn to make sure I'm heading south. The mouth of it opens to the south, and soon enough I'm right in line with it.

By now, at this distance the grass is at about navel height, and it seems like it's going to stay about that height for at least a while in this area. I'm far enough from the Horn that I'd only be a barely noticeable dark brown dot among the sea of golden grass from the Career's vantage point. They might just mistake me for a mud puddle if they didn't keep watching and see said mud puddle moving around like a madwoman. I'm at least a mile from the Horn, and I collapse to the ground with a sigh, the grass rising over me and disguising me.

I lay there for about twenty minutes until I hear nearby rustling. My eyes shoot open; the Careers must have begun to hunt after they finished up slaughtering the weakest at the Bloodbath. Now they're already hunting, going after the slightly stronger members of the weak, which include myself if you haven't figured it out. All Outliers are weak in their eyes. I get on my hands and knees, starting to army crawl away as fast as I can without making too much noise or movement in the grass.

"Fuji!" I hear Omri's voice say in a loud whisper voice. I immediately pause and crawl back towards the sound. In moments my two other allies come into sight. Ivy is standing with one hand blocking the sun, looking around for me, while Omri inspects the ground where I'd been laying, studying the broken stalks of grass and the scuffs in the dirt from me pushing off with my shoes to start crawling.

"Here," I murmur, and Omri's head turns. He smiles weakly at me, beckoning me over, and I shakily stand, striding over. Ivy spots me as well, and she gives me a cursory smile that fades to a faint frown the moment she turns away. I narrow my eyes but don't say anything.

"It's good to see you," Omri tells me, clasping me in a loose hug. I just nod my head, not even bringing my arms up to embrace him back. He lets me go quickly, noticing something is off but not saying anything about it.

"Let's get going," is all I say, walking off. They seem startled a bit but just follow me, chatting quietly and basically ignoring me for the most part. I bite my lip in annoyance, but my eyes flick back and see the heavy laden packs on their shoulders and the throwing knives clipped to Omri's waist. Ivy probably has enough sponsors to get her beloved hatchet. I don't even have enough to get a single waterproof match most likely. I just need to stick with them for their supplies for now, simple as that. Beggars can't be choosers. I just hope I decide they're expendable before they decide I'm not useful enough to keep around. It's a race to see who will break the pact first, and I can see the end already in sight for us. I don't have a problem breaking my word. I hope they do.

Jayce Newman, 17

District Five Male

I guess the Gamemakers felt like being fair this year, or more likely they just wanted to make things harder for everyone. Most years they lump allies together, putting them a pedestal or two apart at most. But most people are spread out: the Careers are spread evenly among us, and Miriam's on the opposite side of the Cornucopia field from me. We'd talked about our strategy, but we'd neglected to think of what we'd do if we were literally on opposite sides during the start. It just never came to mind, and now we're going to have to come up with an impromptu decision as a tornado bears down on us.

I leap off of my pedestal the moment the countdown finishes. I tear across the raised, circular muddy field that the pedestals ring as the tornado's blusters hit me harder and harder. Most of the tributes, acting intelligently, curl up in balls or hide behind things to protect themselves. Well, I'm not that intelligent if we're going to be honest, and why should I even care? I just need to get Miriam out of here at the least. If some stupid winds fuck me up, well then I'm fucked. I'm fucked whichever way I go, be it left, right, up, down, or center. It feels good to fight something impenetrable, even if it is just for a couple of moments before the winds knock me to the ground and I get in the tornado position to protect my head from projectiles.

Some things thunk against my back, and I lose my hold on the ground for a moment, going tumbling before I latch onto a machete planted in the ground. That anchors me long enough for the winds to fade as the tornado moves on, and then I hurl myself to my feet, charging towards Miriam's pedestal, the machete in my hand.

I reach there as commotion begins to fill the area around me; I was one of the first to recover, and now everyone else is emerging, and the true Bloodbath has begun as I watch Trinity, the female from One, plant her axe in one of the other Outlier males. The sight makes me even more frantic, and I look around Miriam's pedestal with vigor, determined to find her. That's when I realize my folly; Miriam isn't at her pedestal. Why would she be? She probably ran towards me, or ran flat away.

My eyes scan the Bloodbath field, seeing more than enough gore. Bile creeps up into the back of my throat as I watch the girl from Two strike down a girl with a wickedly curved dagger. She shrieks as blood gushes from the large cut on her stomach, and the Two girl finishes it, plunging her blade into the girl's sternum. She gasps and falls onto the Two girl, who shoves her off and looks around for more victims. I kneel behind the pedestal and jump to my feet once her sight moves away from me, continuing my search for Miriam.

I spot her with a wine colored bag slung over her shoulder, tumbling across the muddy field towards me. Her eyes dart around frantically and she keeps her head down, moving as fast as she can to get to me. I decide to close the distance towards her, my machete held tight in my fist. I sprint as fast as my tiring body can carry me. We meet close to her pedestal, as she was closing in on it, and I'm slow as hell and getting worn out already. I guess that's what having a terminal illness does to you, eh?

"Come on Miriam," I say, reaching to take the pack from her. "We've got to get going."

"Of course doofus!" she grunts, shrugging away from my reach. "And I can take the pack. You're tired as it is."

"Miriam, I can handle it," I insist. I grab the pack and pull it off her shoulder, but she fights it. In the action, we spin, with her now closer to the pedestal, and with my back to the Cornucopia, closer to it. The pack dangles from my fingers, but it slides out as Miriam's horrified face tells me everything I need to know. The shock passes in several seconds, and I can feel the blade lodged in between my shoulder blades.

"Go," I implore, and she just nods frantically, picking up the wine colored pack from where I've dropped it as I collapse to the ground. Another knife flies overhead, directed at Miriam, but it misses her right shoulder by a few inches. She picks it up from where it's landed at the bottom of the slope. I can barely see her, and she looks worried and desperate. I eyes meet and I try to yell at her to run again, but I can't get anything out. She takes a deep breath and disappears into the tall golden grass, just a tad taller than her, and I can't even see her within five seconds. Apparently her attacker isn't willing to investigate, instead turning his or her attentions to me, the boy who looks like he just sacrificed himself for his ally even though it was just dumb coincidence.

"It felt good to take someone down with a thrown knife," Chavez muses. I recognize his purring voice from the interviews. We were only one apart, and as he walked off of the stage, smirking, his eyes met mine and he winked ever so casually. He probably did similar things to every Outlier, just in case he got "lucky" enough to kill them; they'd remember said seemingly insignificant moment, and he'd be their last thought. It's wicked, and I shove it out and replace it with Delilah's smiling face and the embrace of my parents. However, there is no final blow. No mercy kill.

"I'm going to just leave you to bleed," he scoffs. "Make your friend and the others running for their lives out there wonder why the cannons aren't firing. Make them think we've killed all the others. Drive them mad before the first night's even through. How does that sound?"

Too weak to make a sound, but if I could, holy Snow the words I would be hurling at him. It would be enough to bruise his precious ego and make him polish me off. But I don't have enough left in me; I'm stuck in a state of too weak to live, but too strong to die. I'm not going to escape this limbo for a long time. My death is inescapable, but I don't know exactly when it will come about, only that it will be soonish, but not too soon. It's exactly the same as my reality for the past several months, and I don't feel the urge to cry or beg or writhe in the mud as a last desperate attempt to be meaningful. I just lay there, not looking up as Chavez strides away, his shoes squelching in the mud. I don't give him the satisfaction. I just lay there, face buried in the mud, waiting to die. It's nothing new, and I don't even feel the pain that much as the world becomes darker and colder. I can't tell if it's night or death, or both. Probably both. Soon my mind starts to prattle random facts or bring up honeyed, fragmented visions, and it's all I can do to lay there, just lay there, and let things take their course. I'm a fake hero now, so I guess I should die a real death. I don't see any stars when the darkness finally settles. I just see black, and off in the distance, eight loud reverberations shake my dying world. They're the last thing I notice before the black becomes blacker than I thought possible, absorbing me and carting me away.

Cordelia Nile, 17

District Four Female

Not a single kill. I didn't even get a weapon really before nearly every tribute the others killed had let loose their last gasps. The only one left by the time I located the few vials of materials to craft poisons and other similar draughts and had hidden them away was the boy Chavez left to bleed out. His shirt tells me he's the boy from Five. I give him a cursory look; he's in the throes of death and has been bleeding out for at least an hour now. All the tributes are gone except the corpses and this one, and I don't want to anger Chavez by ending the life of this tribute whose suffering he wanted to draw out for whatever reason. I'm already in a precarious position in the Pack, and I don't need to cause any more problems.

I move on from him to the next body not too far away, the boy's District partner. The little twelve year old looks peaceful in death, her tiny body curled up and her eyes closed. It looks as if she's asleep. I would believe it if it wasn't for the fact that she isn't breathing, or that her left leg has been sawed to bits, her chest bloodied by a finishing hack of Tyberios's axe. She's definitely dead. Counting the Five boy, she's number eight. Not a bad number.

I notice one last body. A girl is laying halfway down the slope into the grass several dozen yards away. I swear I see the corpse shift just a bit, and I stand, leaving behind the itty bitty Five girl's body behind to go investigate. Creeping towards the girl, I see her stir again, and I take my sweet time approaching, not wanting to spook her. When I reach her side, I see that she's the Twelve girl due to the number printed on her sleeve. The piteous mother who gave birth just days ago. My heart melts just a little, and I'm happy I don't have my weapon on me at this moment so I don't have to end her.

There's a shard of metal buried in her left shoulder, and she's bled some, although nothing too terrible. I can see she's playing dead; she probably didn't get moving fast enough and thought she could just pretend to be dead and then sneak off in the night while we were distracted. Smart plan. Her wound isn't that terrible; she could recover from it in a few days with the supplies in the Cornucopia. I sit near her, and she doesn't seem to have really noticed me yet. A plan of my own forms in my brain, and within a few minutes I have something actually decent stitching together in my mind.

"I found a live one!" I shout over to my allies, coming up the slope. The girl starts, her eyes wide open. She tries to crawl away, but the others coming running over, excited and ravenous. Each one of them made a kill today, if not two, and they're thirsting for more. I can see it in their eyes.

"I say we draw lots," Chavez chortles, crossing his arms across his broad chest.

"Kill her?!" I exclaim, acting shocked. "Are we really going to do that?"

"Why not? She's just another Outlier," Chavez replies, narrowing his eyes.

"Think about what will happen if we kill her," I whisper, pretending to be speaking quiet enough that the audience won't hear even though I full well know they can here. This'll also help me underestimate me even more, if possible. "The Capitol must love her. She has the best sob story. Do you want to be the Victor, or the Career was murdered a teen mother? I don't think any of us want that black mark on our record."

The look on Chavez's face screams I'll do it! but everyone else seems to agree with me. Whoever kills this girl, Carmen I believe, is going to become the villain of this Games. They're not willing to do that themselves, and they don't want to condone another murdering her. Chavez looks around the group and looks exasperated.

"So we're letting the little wench live? What do we do? Turn her loose? Do we...do we keep her like a pet or something?! This isn't going to work. Twelve doesn't mix with the pack unless it's our blades hitting their skin," he growls.

"Don't you want a little servant to do your bidding, Chavez?" Ardin murmurs, trying to keep the barb out of her voice. It's still there, however. "She'll do all the cleaning and whatever, and we can sit back and rest. It's a pretty smart idea I think. But if you want this Pack to turn on you, go ahead on kill her."

Chavez looks like he wants to strangle Ardin, but he just nods shortly. Tyberios picks up Carmen, and she begins to weep in fear. She must believe we're playing some wicked game with her, but no. I believe I've actually convinced them to keep the girl as some sort of strange slave/pet around camp. She'll be helpful to me in the days to come. Tyberios and Trinity have a strong bond, and Ardin and Chavez are strong enough contenders that they can fully fend for themselves in a Pack fight. I have Zircon on my side I believe, but Carmen will be an even better asset in what I have planned for the future. It's not a very complicated plan, but Carmen will help me do it even more flawlessly and with less blood on my hands if I can get her on my side.

Tyberios lays the girl down in the mouth of the Cornucopia. As I give her water to drink, the eight Bloodbath cannons fire. The Five boy Chavez wounded must've finally bled out, and the Gamemakers know that we're not killing Carmen now. Upon hearing the cannons she visibly relaxes somewhat, although she tenses again when I start cleaning out her wound. She hisses, and I bandage it tightly as the other collect supplies and laugh around the fire they've built out on a dry patch of ground on the mud field.

"W-why did you save me?" she whimpers, quivering. I lay a blanket over her to try and keep her warming, smiling sweetly at her.

"We need each other," is my only answer, and it'll have to be good enough for now. Later, when I think I can trust her, she'll find out. For now, everything has to stay in my mind exclusively, or everything's ruined.

A/N: Damn! It's over! I hope you enjoyed that roller coaster, and I hope I wrote it well. I thought some parts were a little shaky but I hope it read alright :) NOW TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT ALL THE TWISTY TWISTS AND SUCH GASP

But first, the obituaries. :) Yes, I did do them. I just didn't want any of you skipping to the bottom to cheat! XD Obituaries are some of my favorite things to write, and I especially need them for this chapter, where it might've not been extremely clear.

24TH: RUFUS BRAUNVIEH, 10M - Killed by Trinity

Rufus was probably the only tribute in this entire SYOT I always, always struggled to write and the only tribute I feel like I failed this time around. His character was pretty interesting but wasn't anything crazily original, and he got lost in the sea of amazing characters. I never connected with him, and his submitter hasn't been around so I never got any feedback on how to improve him, so I was really lost as to where to go with him. However, he was still great like all of these tributes, and he'll be missed even if I can readily admit he was my least favorite tribute in these Games. Thanks for being the first to fall, bud.

23RD: SOYA CHAFFER, 11F - Killed by Zircon

Soya! Many people found you pretty annoying, and I did too as I wrote you sometimes. However, you grew on me, and I really enjoyed writing your relationship with Lord, as I'm a sucker for romance and you to were pretty interesting. However, for plot reasons, I needed you to fall here. Your death will help propel some major developments and sequences in the Games, so at least there's that. It was great to develop you and rip away your naivete, no matter how dark that sounds. It was enjoyable, and I thank you. RIP.

22ND: BERNIE ARELI, 5F - Killed by Tyberios

Bernie was a cutie, and she was fun to explore. I tied off her arc in the Capitol, and while I wanted to surprise everyone and keep her around for a bit longer, I needed more Bloodbath deaths, and she had no place in the plot at all. She was a roller coaster to write, and it was cool to see her deal with the stress of the Games. Hers was another fun arc that I hope I finished well, and while it isn't a surprise to see her go for anyone, she'll still be missed I believe. :)

21ST: SAGE ALUMIUS, 9F - Killed by Ardin

Sage was an interesting tribute to write. I loved her relationship with Rini and her mood swings. I liked writing her dream sequences and she was originally going to survive to around the halfway point and sort of predict some events in the Games with her quirky, descriptive dreams. However, I realized that she had little use in the plot of the story, and her death also freed up some lanes in the Games that I readily took. It's sad to see her go, and I wish I could've gotten to see more of her, but for now this is where her story ends.

20TH: GAIA IMANI, 8F - Killed by Trinity

This was the first one that really, really hurt to write. I loved Gaia. She was just a normal girl with decent chances, and I had her making it all the way to 3rd at one point. However, I realized she needed to go here for plot reasons. She wasn't necessary in the plot, and other tributes had better chances for development than her. However, it still hurt to see her killed. At least she got to fly...oh yeah, she was the one that people kept saying they saw picked up by the tornado...wow I'm vicious xD RIP Gaia. You're a great girl, but this wasn't your year or arena.

19TH: BARON ARBOR, 7M - Killed by Chavez

Baron, Baron, Baron. You were a superb character and very original, and it was an absolute joy to write you and craft the world of the Coven around you and the repercussions of being in such an organization. For some reason however, I never had you going far. You were fun to write, but I never fully clicked with you for whatever reason. You were the strong tribute destined for an early death this year, and I'm sorry for that. You had almost no place in the plot, and so for those reasons I decided to cut you here. I'm sorry dude, and I wish I could've figured out a way to keep you around.

18TH: MILLARD VAITH, 3M - Killed by Zircon

Millard was great to write. His first scene was really great for me, and it helped me get through some stuff I was having. Since then I wanted to keep him for a while, but it wasn't meant to be. I loved developing the relationship between him and Fuji. Their friendship was great to watch, and I wish I could've had more time to explore it. That's just how the cookie crumbles though. Your death here was essential to light the fuse for some plot devices and it will cause some memorable moments in the arena. Your death was meaningful and while I wish I could've had more time to explore you like all the others, your time came to an end here, and I'm so sorry.

17TH: JAYCE NEWMAN, 5M - Killed by Chavez

This is one of the other difficult ones. I always knew he was going to die here, but his submitter has been such a great reviewer, and his character is so much fun to write and explore. People were saying "Oh he could get healed in the Capitol" and similar things. However, when I got his form, it said he had a terminal illness, and I took it like it was incurable. There was no hope for him even if he had managed to win, so I didn't think it was the best idea to keep him around. Jayce making it farther would've just hindered the plot and changed the story line in a way I didn't want it, but it was fun to have him around, and his witty convos with Miriam made me feel alive as I wrote them :) You'll be sorely missed kid. 3

KILL COUNT:

Trinity Vegas: 2 (Rufus, Gaia)

Zircon O'Dile: 2 (Soya, Millard)

Chavez Belasco: 2 (Baron, Jayce)

Ardin Varnell: 1 (Sage)

Tyberios Palatium: 1 (Bernie)

Wow, I can't believe I got thru that chapter without tears, and I know I'll be crying as we go through this. I've known these characters would all be dying for several months now so the blow doesn't hurt much, but with the others I'm more attached to it'll be harder. It hurts to let these characters go and it'll be crazy to finally finish this. That's still quite the time away, but I've just been thinking about it :)

Tell me everything you think! There was a lot here, and I bet you have a lot to say. SPILL! :D XD Surprised by any survivors or anyone that died? What do you think will happen next? Next chapter will be the First Night, just to check on some of the alliances/tributes we haven't seen yet. After that the other chapters will be Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 etc.

The Games are officially underway folks. Enjoy the ride.

Until Next Time,

Tracee