The Twenty First Annual Hunger Games


Introduction

No one exactly knew how she did it, but President Lima Xabie-Sombray remained in power as the President for this year as well. She was tired out and stressed beyond any level a human should be stressed. She had painstakingly rebuilt her base of loyal followers and made adjustments in her laws and taxes to placate the Brutalians. Every time the Brutalians reared their head to launch a fierce political attack or even a civil war, Lima would tweak another law in the Brutalians' favor and calm them for a little while longer. Her sister, Head Gamemaker Venezuela Xabie, was nearly gunned down by a rogue Brutalian, and she reluctantly resigned from her position for her own personal safety. Lima was forced to find a non-Xabian replacement, so she found a neutral man among the Gamemakers. He was a 43 year old Gamemaker named Helios Gnash, and he'd been a Gamemaker for the entirety of the Hunger Games. He was close with Lima from her many years in the Control Center, directing the Games, but he also knew he had to pretend to be impartial so his friend and boss Lima would not be gunned down from her seat of power by the Brutalians. Caius Flickerman returned for another year, showing he wasn't just a mere replacement by embellishing the Games and adding his own personal touch. Also, something old rose up in popularity. The idea of sponsoring had been quickly lost over time, as the prices of sponsor gifts had been astronomically high and very few people did not want to invest that much in a simple Games. Sponsorship quickly faded after it was introduced in the 11th Hunger Games, but it was re-vitalized when the high prices were lowered and a new variety of interesting gifts was added to the selection. Because of this, sponsorship would have a rebirth and play a minimally larger role in the Hunger Games. The Careers were pretty good this year. There were 6 of them, as there would be from now on, from Districts 1, 2, and 4. There were 2 11s, 2 10s, 1 9, and 1 8. It seemed that the average Career score range was between 8-12; anything lower than an 8 would get a Career kicked out of their alliance most years. The rest of the tributes scored between 7 and 5. There were no other volunteers besides the Careers. Here are the tributes:

District 1: Gemma Kane, 17 (9) 7-1 and Gleamton Strauss, 18 (11) 3-1

District 2: Tallulah Banley, 17 (11) 3-1 and Fitore Renoro, 16 (10) 5-1

District 3: Cordiana Blaine, 16 (6) 22-1 and Maxenn Springboard, 14 (5) 33-1

District 4: Spongia Waters, 18 (10) 5-1 and Fisher Liam, 17 (8) 10-1

District 5: Valeria Mischlox, 15 (7) 15-1 and Norman Bolt, 16 (6) 22-1

District 6: Kiva Bitterlee, 13 (5) 34-1 and Car Patterson, 14 (5) 33-1

District 7: Oakia Nemose, 15 (6) 22-1 and Horton Breakfasts, 15 (6) 22-1

District 8: Jordiana Larry, 17 (6) 22-1 and Walter Pegasus, 14 (6) 23-1

District 9: Mitlee Font, 12 (5) 34-1 and Barry Artrow, 15 (5) 33-1

District 10: Quail Matte, 13 (7) 16-1 and Cougar Lock, 14 (6) 22-1

District 11: Maria Pewter, 16 (6) 22-1 and Case Chesterland, 16 (7) 15-1

District 12: Gabriella Serial, 15 (6) 23-1 and Kyle Arjun, 16 (5) 33-1

HGBA Odds: 20% on Gleamton and Tallulah, 15% on Fitore and Spongia, 10% on Gemma, 6% on Fisher, 2% on Case and Valeria, 1% or less on Cordiana, Maxenn, Norman, Kiva, Car, Oakia, Horton, Jordiana, Walter, Mitlee, Barry, Quail, Cougar, Maria, Gabriella, and Kyle.


The Games

The tributes rose in what at first seemed to be a strange, hilly marshland. The arena really was an ancient, abandoned farming place that had been abandoned. It was located in a place once called Asia (a VERY long flight from Panem. One tribute retched from the long aerial ride). The plantations were called rice paddies. They were large series of terraces where rice was once farmed. The terraces had once been maintained, their crop cultivated and reaped, ironically, but they had now grown wild. Many terraces were unstable, and rice had spread across the area like a plague. To the north was plain terraces, those these terraces were the most unstable. To the east, there was the least terraces, and a small, abandoned village sat. To the south, the terraces ended at a small lake and a grove of willow-like trees. To the west was plain, stable terraces, with tiny, edible deer-like mutts roaming the area. This arena was full of water and food at every turn; the deaths would have to be pretty much all tribute caused in this Games. The Cornucopia sat in the lowest part of the arena, where water had collected and made the ground muddy and swampy and slick.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

The tributes burst every which way. The Careers surged forward. The Lower Alliance had reformed again this year, with all the tributes from Districts 10-12 and the female from 9. The Careers reached the Cornucopia first, sweeping up their weapons. Gemma and Spongia grabbed spears, Fitore grabbed a crossbow, Gleamton and Tallulah grabbed swords, and Fisher grabbed a mace. They immediately attacked the scattering Lower Alliance, who realized that they'd missed their chance at getting good supplies. Tallulah buried her sword in the back of the District 12 Female, killing her, and starting the 10 kill bloodbath.

Gabriella Serial, District 12 Female; 24th, Killed by Tallulah, Bloodbath

Also, this year, the 3-5 alliance had not come to fruition; in fact, all 4 of those tributes were on their own this year. The District 3 girl ran into the path of Gleamton, who buried his sword deep into her skull.

Cordiana Blaine, District 3 Female; 23rd, Killed by Gleamton, Bloodbath

Fitore, the slim, un-District-2-like male Career, aimed his bow at Cordiana's District partner, who was running with several coils of silvery wire. The arrow sliced through his neck. Maxenn was dead within seconds, falling into the mud. Already, District 3 was out of the running.

Maxenn Springboard, District 3 Male; 22nd, Killed by Fitore, Bloodbath

Spongia had been trying to spear the girl from 10, Quail, with her spear, but Quail pushed the District 7 girl into Spongia's path. The two dueled for a moment until Spongia's superior skills showed, and the girl shoved her spear through Oakia's abdomen.

Oakia Nemose, District 7 Female; 21st, Killed by Spongia, Bloodbath

Barry, the male from 9, saw the large surviving chunk of the Lower Alliance running away. He ran up to his District partner, Mitlee, asking if he could join them. Before he could reply, he felt an arrow slice through his back and out of his stomach. He fell to the ground, dead, as Mitlee shrieked, sprinting away.

Barry Artrow, District 9 Male; 20th, Killed by Fitore, Bloodbath

Gemma finally made her first kill after chasing a skinny, younger boy around who was suffering from severe morphling withdrawal. He turned on her, trying to claw out her eyes with his fingers. She smashed her spear into his chest with force.

Car Patterson, District 6 Male; 19th, Killed by Gemma, Bloodbath

Meanwhile, the males from 7 and 8 had been dueling with long, serrated daggers. The male from 7, Horton, triumphed, shoving his curved blade into the gut of Walter seven times until the struggling 14 year old boy finally fell still.

Walter Pegasus, District 8 Male; 18th, Killed by Horton, Bloodbath

Meanwhile, Walter's District partner had been barley evading the wicked blade of Gleamton. Gleamton finally managed to bury his blade in Jordiana's head, smashing District 8's hope of Victory into the mud beneath him, which was quickly becoming slicker from the bloodshed.

Jordiana Larry, District 8 Female; 17th, Killed by Gleamton, Bloodbath

The District 5 male, who'd been going it alone this year, ran into the path of Fisher, who, frightened, lashed out with his club, killing Norman with one fatal blow.

Norman Bolt, District 5 Male; 16th, Killed by Fisher, Bloodbath

Fisher went beserk after his kill, his mind broken. He turned on his allies, trying to slash open Tallulah's throat as he cackled manically. Tallulah reluctantly picked up a serrated throwing knife lying next to her in the mud and shoved it into her broken ally's throat, killing him.

Fisher Liam, District 4 Male; 15th, Killed by Tallulah, Bloodbath

The bloodbath was officially over, and the Lower Alliance had only suffered one casualty, the girl from 12. Both from 10 and 11 and the girl from 9 and the boy from 12 had all escaped into the rice terraces, safe and sound. The Careers set out early Day 2 to find this Lower Alliance, leaving Gemma to guard the Cornucopia. They seemed to have success at first.

Spongia spotted Quail up on the terrace, looking around. She charged the girl, going a hundred feet ahead of the others. The girl screamed and tried to run as Spongia heaved her spear deep into the girl's abdomen, killing her.

Quail Matte, District 10 Female; 14th, Killed by Spongia, Day 2

Quickly, her allies leaped forward, ensnaring Spongia in a net that Quail had received as a sponsor gift earlier that morning. The Careers trained their weapons on their struggling ally's captors, but the District 12 Male spoke.

"There's some explosives underneath your feet," he said. It was indeed a bluff, but the Careers weren't so sure. District 12 tributes were crafty, and many of their rebel parents could teach them things like grenade making.

"And what if we kill you?" Gleamton asked.

"Then we kill Spongia," Kyle growled. "And, we will still kill her unless you drop your weapons and throw them away."

The Careers reluctantly agreed, throwing their weapons far away, down the side of the terraces into the wilderness, where they would never find them.

Then Kyle plunged his dagger into Spongia's neck, and the Lower Alliance ran before the Careers could do anything. Now District 4, along with Districts 3 and 8, was out of the running.

Spongia Waters, District 4 Female; 13th, Killed by Kyle, Day 2

Days 3 and 4 passed. The Careers scavenged what weapons they could from the Cornucopia. Gemma still had her spear, Gleamton was sponsored a broadsword, and Tallulah and Fitore took belts of throwing knives. They finally tracked the Lower Alliance down Day 5. They took down Quail's District partner, Tallulah and Fitore both flinging knives into the boy.

Cougar Lock, District 10 Male; 12th, Killed by Tallulah and Fitore, Day 5

Gleamton beheaded Maria, the girl from 11, as Mitlee, Case, and Kyle escaped the clutches of the bloodthristy, vengeful Careers.

Maria Pewter, District 11 Female; 11th, Killed by Gleamton, Day 5

Day 6 passed, deathless. Day 7, the marauding Careers stumbled upon the campsite of the lone Valeria, the District 5 Female. Gemma put her spear through the slumbering girl's skull after they'd deactivated the meager traps around her campsite.

Valeria Mischlox, District 5 Female; 10th, Killed by Gemma, Day 7

Day 8 passed, deathless. Day 9, a boy was attacked by seemingly cute and cuddly panda bear mutts. Only when he neared them did they bare their long fangs and tear him to pieces, spreading his gory remains across a large space of almost an acre.

Horton Breakfasts, District 7 Male; 9th, Killed by panda bear mutts, Day 9

That left the Top 8: Gemma Kane from District 1, Gleamton Strauss from District 1, Tallulah Banley from District 2, Fitore Renoro from District 2, Kiva Bitterlee from District 6, Mitlee Font from District 9, Case Chesterland from District 11, and Kyle Arjun from District 12.

The Lower Alliance managed to escape the Careers Days 10 and 11, but Day 12 they were trapped near the edge of the arena. Tallulah sent a knife into little Mitlee's head as she screamed for help and for mercy.

Mitlee Font, District 9 Female; 8th, Killed by Tallulah, Day 12

Kyle died moments later as Gleamton buried his sword in the cunning boy from 12's stomach, killing him in moments.

Kyle Arjun, District 12 Male; 7th, Killed by Gleamton, Day 12

And the last member fell moments later as Fitore stabbed Case in the forehead with a throwing knife. Now only the Careers, and a scrawny 13 year old from District 6 (not an addict, surprisingly) were left.

Case Chesterland, District 11 Male; 6th, Killed by Fitore, Day 12

Day 13 passed. Day 14, they found the girl, fortified in a small muddy hidey hole in the ground. She had dug the hole with a small, collapsable shovel she'd grabbed from the Cornucopia. As Tallulah knelt down to look inside, Kiva launched a wooden spear she'd received seven days earlier as a sponsor gift into the girl's face. It pierced her skull and killed the front runner of the Games.

Tallulah Banley, District 2 Female; 5th, Killed by Kiva, Day 14

Gleamton was the next to fall as he tried to inspect the hole, only to be speared in a similar fashion. There was no way they could spook the small girl from her hiding place.

Gleamton Strauss, District 1 Male; 4th, Killed by Kiva, Day 14

Gemma finally managed to make the girl think someone was over the hole. She pushed up her wooden spear and Gemma grabbed the girl's only weapon out of her hands, throwing it away before plunging her own spear, sleek and metallic, into the small girl's head.

Kiva Bitterlee, District 6 Female; 3rd, Killed by Gemma, Day 14

Gemma turned just in time to feel Fitore's throwing knife push up against her throat. She protested that they hadn't had a fair fight, but Fitore silenced her, shoving the small blade deep into her throat and killing the girl from District 1.

Gemma Kane, District 1 Female; 2nd, Killed by Fitore, Day 14

"Fitore Renoro of District 2, you are the Victor of the 21st Hunger Games!" Caius called into the arena. Fitore just kicked Gemma's body away from him, disgusted, waiting to be taken home.


Aftermath

District 2 had finally caught up in term of Victors to the other Career Districts. But Fitore was not an honorable Victor; he hadn't put up a fair fight at the end. He'd been "cowardly" and killed Gemma while she wasn't paying attention instead of giving her the honorable death she deserved. Besides that, Districts 1 and 4 were furious that the notorious District 2 had gotten a third Victor, and seemed to become better every Games. Soon, Districts 1 and 4 feared, District 2 would best them and become the best Career District. Fitore was liked by his District, but soon forgotten as bigger and badder District 2 Victors soon came about. He would Mentor a few tributes, but not as many as other Mentors, as his dishonor marked him as a second-class District 2 Victor.

Fitore would live to age 76, dying two months before the 80th Hunger Games from skin cancer. He would marry and have a daughter, Agrippina, who would compete in the 42nd Hunger Games.

The payouts on his Victory weren't the greatest, as 15% bet on him.

His Victory Tour's only highlight was that he was booed in Districts 1 and 4 for his dishonor and making him catch up to them in Victor totals.

Fun Fact: Kiva from this Games and Axelle from the 10th Games are the highest placing District 6 Females yet, placing 3rd.


Victor's News

Fitore moves into the Victor's Village of District 2, in the house next to Romulus's.

Vissarion has his fifth child, a boy named Urwin.


List of Victors

1st: Kelan Thather, District 4 (1, 1 Male)

2nd: Dillon Tripp, District 9 (1, 1 Male)

3rd: Tugra Ertra, District 5 (1, 1 Female)

4th: Noor Tuskararus, District 2 (1, 1 Female)

5th: Ishania Patel, District 7 (1, 1 Female)

6th: Guild Tonneroy, District 1 (1, 1 Male)

7th: Chaplin Nastaro, District 3 (1, 1 Male)

8th: Irmentrude Marley, District 5 (2, 2 Female)

9th: Vissarion Chamantel, District 11 (1, 1 Male)

10th: Greason Trails, District 6 (1, 1 Male)

11th: Mags Flanagan, District 4 (2, 1 Female)

12th: Salandra Valour, District 1 (2, 1 Female)

13th: Barcelona Sepias, District 10 (1, 1 Female)

14th: Freeha Indepp, District 11 (2, 1 Female)

15th: Clermont Lackrey, District 1 (3, 2 Male)

16th: Bex Martin, District 4 (3, 2 Female)

17th: Jaguar Crusoe, District 10 (2, 1 Male)

18th: Deana Mitchellson, District 9 (2, 1 Female)

19th: Romulus Armidale, District 2 (2, 1 Male)

20th: Grover Elms, District 7 (2, 1 Male)

21st: Fitore Renoro, District 2 (3, 2 Male)