Maia Nuñez, District 10

"Brass buttons, green silks and silver shoes

Warm evenings, pale mornings, bottle of blues."

Gram Parsons, Brass Buttons


Another tribute has the same name as me. Well, not really. I'm Roderick and he's Rodrigo but we both go by Rod. He's only a year older than me. We talked so much in training. I thought we were friends.

I should've known better. Other Rod stabbed me in the bloodbath over a raincoat. Now he has a raincoat and I have a massive wound on my shoulder.

I stumble around the arena, feeling lonely and helpless. I'm already wounded. I bet the Careers can smell my blood like sharks. They're more shark than human, the Careers. At least the arena isn't watery - I can't swim. It's more like a jungle, choked with greenery and suffocating in the heat.

I hope that Other Rod sweats to death in his raincoat. Who even needs a raincoat in a jungle? I suppose it's because it's because it's really, really hot in Ten. I've survived twelve District 6 winters without a raincoat. I bet Other Rod isn't tough enough to do that!

The light is gradually getting low. I have no idea what I'm doing. Should I build a shelter? Make a fire? Stay up? Go to sleep? What am I supposed to do in the jungle?

I'm only twelve...

Suddenly, I hear a rustle in the undergrowth. I turn, shaking with fear, to see the girl from Ten, Other Rod's district partner. She's crouching beside a tree trying to arrange her supplies. I hardly remember her from training because she was so quiet. I can't even remember her name. It begins with 'M'. Mouse, maybe? She looks like a Mouse.

I'm tempted to go over and introduce myself but then she looks up from her supplies and the look on her face is absolutely terrifying.

Pure rage.

I take one step away from the girl and my vision fogs over with grey. I can feel myself pitching forwards but I never hit the ground...

Suddenly it's my funeral. I've been thinking about funerals a lot since Emerald Kiesler died and he threw a massive party even though he was dead. I didn't get to go, since it was in District 1 and I don't live there, but they showed some of it on TV and it looked fun. Royss, my mentor, went. He got invited because he's a victor. I would've asked him what it was like but I don't think it would've been polite of me.

My funeral isn't a party like Emerald's. I'm in a coffin and mom and dad and Mini are there but they all look sad. It looks like they're trying to wear black but the best they can manage is really, really dark grey.

The next thing I'm aware of is someone's hand on my forehead. I'm filled with relief when I realise that my funeral was just a dream. I try to move but someone presses me down, gently. I'm too weak to resist.

"Stay still," a girl's voice says, softly. "You'll tear the bandages."

Bandages?

I peel my eyelids open to see the girl from District 10 leaning over me. Her dark, wavy hair is braided into a crown around her head but a few stray strands are escaping. Up close, she looks really pretty. I think she hid behind her hair for most of training. Maybe that's why I can hardly remember her at all.

Her eyes are really incredible. They're dark gold, the colour of old brass.

Her gaze shifts to my left and I realise she's looking at my wounded shoulder. It still feels painful but something is holding it together. Someone put bandages there. Was it the girl?

"Did you..." I croak, shocked by how weak my voice sounds.

"I did," the girl says.

"Why?" I ask. I can't believe I've found someone kind enough to help me.

"Because I could?"

"Are you a doctor?"

The girl's expression darkens. "I tried to be."

She moves away. I try to turn my head to see her but I can't. Then I hear sobbing.

"Are you alright?" I call, as loudly as I dare.

"Yeah," the girl's voice sounds distant and empty. "I'm fine."

She comes back with a bottle that she holds to my lips.

"Here, I made this," she whispers. "It's a painkiller."

The painkiller tastes awful. The moment I swallow it, I feel nauseous.

"That was disgusting," I say.

"It was," the girl mutters. She won't look me in the eye. "Feeling better?"

"No," I gasp. My throat feels so stiff. It's getting harder and harder to breathe. I'm feeling feverish - burning hot one minute, freezing cold the next.

"Neither do I," the girl says. "You know, I never wanted to be a doctor."

I try to say something but the breath catches in my throat. My mind fills with panic as my body stops taking in oxygen. Something's wrong. I look at the girl with pleading eyes but she does nothing to help.

"My parents have been forcing me to apply for JAMB every year for as long as I can remember," she says, bitterly. "I failed every entrance exam. It's not because I didn't know my stuff. It's because I never wanted to pass. I never felt that passion for medicine. I've always wanted to be a dancer. What do you think, kid? Do you think I could tango with the Careers?"

My only answer is a panicked wheeze. "Help..."

The girl's eyes light up. At first, I think that she's glad that I'm sick. Then something lands on my chest. The girl walks over and picks up the silver box - a sponsor gift. She opens it with careful fingers. Soon, there's a knife glinting in her hand.

They sent her a knife...

What did she do to get a knife?

She must've caught my terrified expression. "Don't worry, kid. I'm not going to cut you up."

I would've breathed a sigh of relief if my lungs let me.

"I don't need to," the girl continues, coldly. "I've already poisoned you. I know, it's a coward's weapon and you're a painfully easy target but I couldn't get a weapon from the bloodbath. All I got was a stupid medical kit. I suppose the arena makes us all desert our principles. I'm sorry I had to kill you this way. The next kill will be more... me."

I catch the shame in her voice as she walks away, although I don't think she's upset that I'm dying. I think she's upset that she didn't kill me in the way she'd been planning to kill people.

It doesn't matter to me. I'm dying either way.


Maia is a bit of an odd one out among District 10's victors. She kills people and she's not really bothered by it. Some victors are just better at dealing with the arena than others. Roderick's death is the only one that really bothers Maia because, even though she's a skilled poisoner, she only used poison to kill Roderick as a last resort. She's much more comfortable with melee combat.

That brings another decade to an end. Next up is the sixties, probably my favourite decade to write. Canon victors include Cecelia, Enobaria, Gloss, Cashmere and Finnick. An honourable mention goes to Titus, who didn't win but is more memorable to Katniss than the boy who actually won that games (though, credit where it's due, she did remember his gender and his training score of three). On the OC side of things, my two favourite victors and my favourite character I've ever written (who isn't actually a victor) will make an appearance. Since things get really good in the sixties, there may be a few longer chapters that'll take more than a day to write.

I might not be able to update tomorrow since my dad is doing a remote parents evening and he doesn't want me using the WiFi during that time. It means I'll have just over an hour to write a chapter, unless I get a head start today. Next chapter isn't planned to be very long so I might be able to scrape by. My updates may become less frequent in the future as I have to do a full school week of remote learning (plus homework) and all the time on screens is giving me headaches.