The Twenty Fourth Annual Hunger Games
Introduction
President Baenlas Curvanith remained in his influential position as the ruler of all of Panem. He enforced harsher taxes, increased by about .55%. He also increased workloads in the Districts by 4% and started a practice that continues the present day. He took hundreds of criminals from the Districts and turned them into slaves, cutting out their tongues and calling them Avoxes. Fashion and popularity also became the most important things to any Capitol citizen, and exuberant amounts of resources were used to create the fantastical, whimsical, and usually deranged clothing and other products that were the trends of the day. With all of this, the Districts grumbled, and around one hundred malcontents were executed between the 23rd and the 24th, mainly in Districts 6, 8, and 11, which had been the most rebellious Districts besides 12 and 13 in the Dark Days. The Head Gamemaker remained Nadoia Brutt, who was suffering from bipolar disorder and was becoming increasingly violent at times in the Gamemaking Center. The host remained daunting and dashing Caius Flickerman, who the Capitol ate up every time he appeared on a propo or a commercial. On to the tributes; the Careers were rather good this year. There was a 12, 1 11, 2 10s, and 2 9s. Besides the Careers, there were no other volunteers this year. The rest of the tributes scored between 8 and 3. There didn't seem to be any mentally ill tributes this year like Sunbird and Cattail from the previous year. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Glass Nordonia, 18 (12) 3-1 and Bright Selkyner, 18 (10) 7-1
District 2: Alessia Apology, 16 (10) 8-1 and Flint Cores, 16 (9) 9-1
District 3: Techia Nustis, 16 (5) 33-1 and Rubix Convent, 15 (6) 22-1
District 4: Vanessa Sailor, 18 (9) 10-1 and Dorsal Rance, 17 (11) 5-1
District 5: Betsy Reginald, 15 (5) 34-1 and Alecto Harvey, 18 (8) 12-1
District 6: Greasa Boston, 16 (7) 16-1 and Axel Cruster, 17 (5) 31-1
District 7: Firra Birch, 17 (7) 15-1 and Oakley Hammond, 18 (7) 15-1
District 8: Yarna Sprunger, 18 (7) 16-1 and Simeon Merclus, 16 (6) 23-1
District 9: Anna Tombott, 13 (4) 43-1 and Largo Chained, 18 (8) 12-1
District 10: Ewe Corral, 15 (5) 33-1 and Jay Mann, 16 (6) 23-1
District 11: Honey Bale, 13 (5) 34-1 and Weeder Chestnut, 14 (4) 43-1
District 12: Emmalynn Keff, 12 (3) 52-1 and Jebediah Lot, 17 (7) 16-1
HGBA Odds: 24% on Glass, 20% on Dorsal, 14% on Bright, 10% on Alessia, 8% on Flint and Vanessa, 3% on Alecto, 2% on Largo, 1% or less on Techia, Rubix, Betsy, Greasa, Axel, Firra, Oakley, Yarna, Simeon, Anna, Ewe, Jay, Honey, Weeder, Emmalynn, and Jebediah.
The Games
The tributes arose in a wide open meadow, with very few trees and several large lakes. There wasn't much sufficient cover, and it seemed that sneaky and cunning tributes that hid and made traps would not flourish in this arena. To the north was a large lake and plain grass. To the east, there were several small clumps of trees, and groosling and coyote mutts prowled this area. To the south, two ponds could be found alongside a multitude of edible plants. To the west, the land gradually sloped downward and was full of large, jagged boulders. The Cornucopia, golden and glimmering, took up much of the tributes' vision.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
A strong girl from 6 sprinted to the front of the tributes alongside the Careers. She was a track star back home, and had scored a honorable 7 for her speed and prowess with throwing knives. She was a threat, and that was why Alessia made it a goal to cut her down first, making the first of eleven kills. Alessia grinned in glee as the strong girl fell, three throwing knives sticking from her abdomen.
Greasa Boston, District 6 Female; 24th, Killed by Alessia, Bloodbath
Meanwhile, Bright, cackling in enjoyment, wrestled with a tall, strong boy from 9 who'd managed to score an 8. The unlucky boy rolled the wrong way and left his neck open. Bright easily stabbed a dagger into the strong boy's throat.
Largo Chained, District 9 Male; 23rd, Killed by Bright, Bloodbath
It seemed that the Careers were determined to take out the stronger tributes instead of weeding out the weaklings. The pair from 8, who'd scored a 7 and a 6, were trying to escape with throwing knives. Afraid of a repeat Woof, Glass and Dorsal charged the tributes. Dorsal slowed as he heard the screams of agony from the girl as Glass raked her spear across the girl's abdomen. The boy, Simeon, tried to push Glass off, and they moved away to fight. Dorsal knelt down beside the girl, who was in pain. He tried to calm her as Glass shoved her spear into Simeon before racing off to find another victim.
Simeon Merclus, District 8 Male; 22nd, Killed by Glass, Bloodbath
"Please. End it," the girl from 8 begged, and Dorsal lifted his scimitar and stabbed her in the chest.
Yarna Sprunger District 8 Female; 21st, Killed by Glass and Dorsal, Bloodbath
The faster, stronger tributes were mostly escaping, so the Careers turned their sights to the slower, weaker tributes. Flint picked up a mace and whacked the boy from 6's head in with glee, wiping some of the blood under his eyes like war paint.
Axel Cruster, District 6 Male; 20th, Killed by Flint, Bloodbath
Dorsal watched in disgust and fear as his docile District partner grinned while tearing apart a whimpering girl from 5 with a broadsword.
Betsy Reginald, District 5 Female; 19th, Killed by Vanessa, Bloodbath
Dorsal deserted the Career pack mid-Bloodbath, grabbing some food and water before turning to run. As he did this, Glass plowed over a tiny girl from 12 and speared her.
Emmalynn Keff, District 12 Female; 18th, Killed by Glass, Bloodbath
The girl from 3 tried to leap at Dorsal as he ran, two long, serrated daggers clutched in her hands. He reacted instinctively, lashing out with his scimitar. It sliced through her abdomen and she fell to the ground, dead. Dorsal sprinted away, towards the clumps of trees where he'd be safe.
Techia Nustis, District 3 Female; 17th, Killed by Dorsal, Bloodbath
Meanwhile, Alessia tackled a skinny, short boy from 11 and dug one of her throwing knives into his skull.
Weeder Chestnut, District 11 Male; 16th, Killed by Alessia, Bloodbath
Bright made the final Career kill, lopping off the girl from 9's head with a swing of his newly gained double sided axe.
Anna Tombott, District 9 Female; 15th, Killed by Bright, Bloodbath
The boy from 7, Oakley, was strong, having scored a 7. He tried to join the boys from 5 and 12, who had scored similarly high and were armed with broadswords. Jebediah turned and beheaded the boy before running away with Alecto towards the lake in the north. The bloodbath had ended.
Oakley Hammond, District 7 Male; 14th, Killed by Jebediah, Bloodbath
The Careers went hunting on Day 2 and easily discovered the wounded boy from 10. He seemed like he wanted to tell them something. Vanessa went to go kill him only to be caught in a trap that the male from 3 had set, using the boy from 10 as bait. The trap was made from ropes and weights he had gotten as a sponsor gifts. Vanessa was swung upwards, towards where Rubix was disguised in the tree. Rubix shoved his dagger into Vanessa's skull, killing her.
Vanessa Sailor, District 4 Female; 13th, Killed by Rubix, Day 2
Alessia threw a knife into the boy from 10 while the other Careers tried to kill Rubix. Rubix eventually managed to escape as Jay bled out.
Jay Mann, District 10 Male; 12th, Killed by Alessia, Day 2
Days 3, 4, and 5 passed, deathless, as trees suddenly shot out of the ground on Day 3, providing ample cover for the "cannon fodder", as the outer Districts/non-Career Districts were starting to be known as. Day 6, though, the trees fully receded, and not a single one was left. The Careers quickly spotted a startled Rubix, tangled in a mess of ropes from a trap he'd been setting. Bright delighted in killing the boy and making his death painful and long.
Rubix Convent, District 3 Male; 11th, Killed by Bright, Day 6
Day 7, the Careers found the girl from 7, Firra, who'd received a hatchet as a sponsor gift. She managed to evade them for the matter of an hour or so before the cornered her by the lake in the north. She threw her hatchet into the head of the boy from 2, effectively killing him, before the rest of the Careers closed in.
Flint Cores, District 2 Male; 10th, Killed by Firra, Day 7
Glass eagerly threw her spear into the girl from 7, watching as she flopped back into the lake and floated there as she swiftly died.
Firra Birch, District 7 Female; 9th, Killed by Glass, Day 7
That left the Top 8; Glass Nordonia from District 1, Bright Selkyner from District 1, Alessia Apology from District 2, Dorsal Rance from District 4, Alecto Harvey from District 5, Ewe Corral from District 10, Honey Bale from District 11, and Jebediah Lot from District 12.
Day 8 passed, deathless. Day 9, the Careers found a girl in the western part of the arena who'd tripped, twisted her ankle, and was unable to walk. Bright beheaded her.
Ewe Corral, District 10 Female; 8th, Killed by Bright, Day 9
Day 10, the alliance of Alecto and Jebediah, along with their addition, deserter Dorsal, enacted a plan they'd been planning for a while. They lured the Careers to an island in the northern lake via a large fire that left lots of smoke in the sky to attract notice. When the Careers arrived, the three males ambushed them. While Glass managed to injure Jebediah's left calf and make it off of the island, both Bright and Alessia were felled, by Dorsal and Alecto respectively.
Bright Selkyner, District 1 Male; 7th, Killed by Dorsal, Day 10
Alessia Apology, District 2 Female; 6th, Killed by Alecto, Day 10
Days 11 and 12 were deathless. Day 13, Glass managed to hunt down the elusive girl from 11 and kill her.
Honey Bale, District 11 Female; 5th, Killed by Glass, Day 13
The Gamemakers pushed the final four tributes together on Day 14 via large lightning storms. All four arrived at the Cornucopia, and the three boys teamed up for the final time to take out Glass. She put up a good fight, and injured both Dorsal and Alecto, but eventually she was subdued and killed.
Glass Nordonia, District 1 Female; 4th, Killed by Alecto, Dorsal, and Jebediah, Day 14
Alecto and Jebediah then tried to team up on Dorsal, a very strong competitor. He'd scored an 11, and they'd scored a 7 and an 8. But Dorsal went into full defense mode, and within two minutes Jebediah's head was split in two from Dorsal's scimitar.
Jebediah Lot, District 12 Male; 3rd, Killed by Dorsal, Day 14
Alecto and Dorsal fought bravely, and for around thirty minutes, before Dorsal received a surge of adrenaline and was able to decapitate Alecto, ending the Games.
Alecto Harvey, District 5 Male; 2nd, Killed by Dorsal, Day 14
"Dorsal Rance of District 4, you are the Victor of the 24th Hunger Games!" Caius cheered into the arena. Dorsal just let the bloody scimitar fall from his hands, and he was deeply perturbed by the death he had single handedly caused.
Aftermath
Dorsal was a well enough liked Victor, though the other Career Districts, and some of his home District, despised him for not playing "by the rules" and not sticking with the Careers. Many also thought he wasn't brave because killing and blood bothered him. He scored the 4th win for District 4, tying them for the lead with District 1. Dorsal was deeply impacted by what happened in his Games, and he turned to morphling for a period of his life. He went to rehab in his early thirties and managed to stay clean for the rest of his life, though he did become rather dependent on alcohol and cigarettes after he purged himself of morphling. He would help train at District 4's Academy, teaching tributes how to fight with swords. He would Mentor several tributes, a couple of who would come back home.
Dorsal would live to age 59, dying three months before the 66th Hunger Games. He would not marry and would have no children, though he would have plenty of girlfriends. He was not put to use by President Curvanith.
The payouts on his Victory weren't that great, as 20% bet on him.
His Victory Tour was decent, though he was not well liked in 1 or 2 because of his deserting, and in 5 or 12, because they'd stolen their Victor. District 5 had 2 Victors, but hadn't won since the 8th Games. District 12 was the only Victor-less District, and Jebediah had gotten much closer than most of their tributes did to Victory.
Fun Fact: By this time, Career Districts had won 11 out of the 24 Games. While the Victors from 1, 2, and 4 in the early days (1st-14th) were not Careers, still, the Career Districts account for almost half of all Victories in the Games as of the 24th.
Victor's News
Dorsal moves into the Victor's Village of District 4, in the house next to Bex's.
Fitore has a daughter named Agrippina.
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)
22nd: Mascara Curler, District 1 (4, 2 Female)
23rd: Woof Parsons, District 8 (1, 1 Male)
24th: Dorsal Rance, District 4 (4, 2 Male)
A/N: Next up is the first Quarter Quell! Soon we'll be one 20th of the way through! Yay! Review, please, even if it's just a smiley face, to tell me how I'm doing! I'll try to update soon, but it might be a while, as I'm doing Camp Nanowrimo, where you try and write a novel in a month. Thanks again for reading!
Until next time,
Tracee
