A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS! :D Hope this is a good holiday present!
Before we even start I am going to apologize. I am SO sorry for the lack of updates. I'll say more at the end of the chapter. Enjoy! Hopefully this makes up for the long wait ;) also sorry for the tense changes. They're horrendous. I just don't have the time to go back and edit it :/
The Forty Third Annual Hunger Games
Introduction
After two years of unexpected Outlier winners and bloody, high action Games, everyone was afraid that the Gamemakers would not be able to top their previous feats. The Head Gamemaker, Ilius Turum, was still young and idealistic, however, and he would not slow down for one second. Ilius employed some tactics that would be used for centuries to come in the months before the Forty Third Games. He released small clips and pictures of the arena, just tiny blurbs that wouldn't give anything away but would pique the interest of the nation at large. He also had the two co-hosts, Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith, form a once a week show interviewing the Victors and exploring previous arenas and remembering memorable tributes in the broadcast. Ilius even had a fashion lined planned out to grow hype for the Games but it got shot down after Ilius asked for real human organs to be used in his avant garde pieces. Avant garde had become all the rage in the Capitol, though, between the Forty Second and the Forty Third. Everyone was tottering around the Capitol in pieces no human should ever wear, and President Coriolanus Snow tried to hide his disapproval. At least everyone would be easier to control this way. With avant garde all the rage, the tributes would surely have some very strange chariot ride outfits. District 6's outfits were huge towers of scrap metal that actually injured the female, and District 12's outfits made of sparkling coals backfired, and the boy's hair caught fire and he hopped out of the chariot, screaming. Still, this was entertaining to the Capitol audience, and both victims of the dangerous corners of avant garde fashion were healed immediately after the chariot rides finished. The Careers this year were a strong bunch for sure. With two scrawny Outlier Victors in a row, the Careers were determined to bring one of their own home once again. District One turned out two stunning lookers who were both masters with long range weaponry. The girl was the niece of the Mayor, and the boy was a model. District Two produced two brutes, both over six feet tall and with bulging muscles that no outfit could easily conceal. Both claimed to have ancestry with the same Dark Days war hero, but they were not related in anyway, and no one could discern which one was lying about their heritage. District Four was the most curious; the male volunteer, who worked as a ship captain on his spare time, was actually Reaped, and he was laughing, his huge barrel chest quaking, as the massive boy lumbered onto the stage. The female volunteer was a slim girl with a playful smile and the body of a streamlined swimmer. In fact, she was such a good swimmer that she was one of Four's best. The Career pack was loaded this year, but while these packs often produced Career Victors, there was just as many years when powerful Career packs easily crumbled and Outliers rose to the surface. Only time would tell which side would prevail in what had seemed to have become an eternal struggle to the nation of Panem. Career or Outlier? The Capitolites were very opinionated on this topic. There was only one other volunteer besides the Careers, a massive boy from 5 who was missing a right hand and was on death row for raping a girl. The two high scoring Outliers this time were the massive boy from 5, named Elmo, who scored a 9, and a small girl from District 7 who somehow scored an 8. Her named was Lylith. Everyone else scored between 6 and 2. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Abia Klarke, 18 (10) 5-1 and Jacobie Marksens, 18 (9) 7-1
District 2: Marcella Rite, 18 (10) 5-1 and Kenton Haullis, 18 (11) 3-1
District 3: Diandre Gomes, 16 (4) 42-1 and Samaro Wun, 14 (3) 51-1
District 4: Syren Calanthe, 17 (9) 7-1 and Nautica Obene, 18 (11) 3-1
District 5: Hilaria Balle, 16 (5) 33-1 and Elmo Cortez, 18 (9) 8-1
District 6: Megan Hyx, 17 (4) 41-1 and Owen Jordan, 13 (4) 45-1
District 7: Lylith Braidon, 14 (8) 14-1 and Joshua Cline, 18 (6) 22-1
District 8: Mirele Wampanog, 14 (3) 53-1 and Hemming Yande, 15 (5) 34-1
District 9: Erna Kilobae, 15 (5) 32-1 and Shaw Thomas, 15 (6) 23-1
District 10: Colie Sheroke, 16 (6) 22-1 and Myron Splotch, 16 (4) 42-1
District 11: Ellie Benmar, 13 (4) 46-1 and Kilyan Pocas, 17 (2) 62-1
District 12: Tia Swannopell, 12 (3) 54-1 and Ernesto Diaz, 16 (5) 33-1
HGBA Odds: 19% on Nautica, 18% on Kenton, 15% on Abia and Marcella, 11% on Syren, 10% on Jacobie, 6% on Elmo, 3% on Lylith, 1% or less on Diandre, Samaro, Hilaria, Megan, Owen, Joshua, Mirele, Hemming, Erna, Shaw, Colie, Myron, Ellie, Kilyan, Tia, and Ernesto.
The Games
The tributes arose onto what at first seemed to be an even smaller arena than the airship from the Thirtieth Games. The twenty four tributes stood on their little metal pedestals, no huge, soaring basalt pillars this time, on the wooden deck of a cruise ship. The pedestals were situated around a circular pool, and several small, floating platforms, hard to traverse, were between the pedestals at the pool edge and the Cornucopia, which sat on a sizable concrete island in the center of the beautiful pool. The cruise ship's deck had a dozen other pools and slides and bars, and the other two floors in the hull had bunches of bedrooms and the kitchens. Also, there was a room on the deck where one could control the ship. The cruise ship was anchored in a beautiful turquoise lagoon, and a few small islands were peppered throughout the ocean. On some there was nothing, while on others there was thick jungle. The tributes all had small flotation devices on their slim, thin arena uniforms, but the flotation device would only barely keep their head above the water, nothing more. Inside the Cornucopia were a massive amount of tridents, spears, throwing knives, and bows and arrows, along with a couple of crossbows, six daggers, two swords, and a mace. Food and water was abundant within the Cornucopia; the Capitol seemed to want a big Bloodbath this year. They would get a big bloodbath: twelve tributes would perish in the opening minutes of this Forty Third Games. The tributes prepared to head however they wanted to as the countdown reached its close.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
A good majority of the tributes ran forward into the fray. Only two tributes run away. Erna Kilobae of 9 can surprisingly swim, and after the gong rings she leaps off of the deck of the boat and paddles away. The other tribute to run, Mirele of 8, runs to the bottom decks of the ship to hide. The other 22 tributes try to make their way across the huge, 7 foot deep pool to the Cornucopia.
Syren and Nautica scissor through the water like seals. Their other Career friends also know how to swim but are slower. By the time the other four Careers are hauling themselves onto the concrete island, Nautica already has a trident, and so does Syren. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. The only other tribute that can swim well, Lylith of 7 (her great swimming skills are what earned her that 8), is on the Cornucopia island, too, and is hiding behind the Horn. Other tributes are barely keeping their heads above the water or are standing on their pedestals or the floating platforms that lead to the Cornucopia, frozen in fear. Some turn to flee but there's nowhere to go, really. Syren sets down her trident and takes a jagged dagger instead.
"Let's have some fun, shall we?" she cackles before diving fluidly into the water. She grabs the ankle of the closest tribute, an older boy, and tugs him underwater as he struggles. Syren slashes open his throat underwater, and red blood plumes around them as the boy's dead corpse sinks to the floor of the pool. Syren's head breaks the water, and the other kids trapped in the pool whine and scream in terror as Nautica and Abia dive in as well, armed with a trident and a spear respectively. The glassy eyes of Ernesto stare upwards and blood keeps coming until he's dead as the Careers continue the slaughter.
Ernesto Diaz, District 12 Male; 24th, killed by Syren, Bloodbath
Like sharks, the three Careers who swim the best gang up on a huge brute of a boy, Elmo of District 5. The boy thwacks Abia to the side, but he can't defend himself as Nautica slams his trident into the boy's back. Elmo's eyes open wide and he flops on his back as he bleeds out.
Elmo Cortez, District 5 Male; 23rd, killed by Nautica, Bloodbath
Moments later, Abia sends her spear whizzing through the water towards a girl struggling just beneath the surface. The girl jerks around wildly when the spears slams into her chest, and the life quickly leaves her after Abia kicks over and draws her weapon out of the girl.
Ellie Benmar, District 11 Female; 22nd, killed by Abia, Bloodbath
Meanwhile, Jacobie, Marcella, and Kenton arm themselves with bows and begin firing. One of Marcella's arrows pierces the throat of a girl still standing on her platform, petrified in terror. The girl falls into the water and swiftly dies. All the tributes start trying to escape in a frenzy, no one going for the Cornucopia any longer, as the arrows rain down and the other Careers circle like sharks in the pool. Lylith grabs a dagger and a pack and manages to dive off of the cruise ship and make it away undetected.
Hilaria Balle, District 5 Female; 21st, killed by Marcella, Bloodbath
One boy throws himself over the edge to try and swim away, and he swiftly drowns in the lagoon's waters, thrashing wildly.
Kilyan Pocas, District 11 Male; 20th, Drowned, Bloodbath
One of Kenton's arrows smacks into the calf of a running boy. He falls into the pool, and Syren finishes him, slicing open his throat with her dagger.
Owen Jordan, District 6 Male; 19th, killed by Kenton and Syren, Bloodbath
Nautica makes the next kill, leaping out of the water and grabbing a girl by her auburn ponytail. He throws her to the ground and slams the trident into her chest as she screams and struggles and the other tributes scatter, a few scampering around the deck frantically, unsure of what to do, how to survive.
Megan Hyx, District 6 Female; 18th, killed by Nautica, Bloodbath
One of Jacobie's arrows hit a boy in the temple, ending him. That boy flops to the ground, gurgling blood out of his mouth.
Samaro Wun, District 3 Male; 17th, killed by Jacobie, Bloodbath
A couple of tributes discover a boat and they unhook it from the side of the ship. It plops down into the lagoon, and the tributes swarm around it. Kenton picks off one of them and watches as the girl staggers back, blood dripping down her neck.
Tia Swannopell, District 12 Female; 16th, killed by Kenton, Bloodbath
Hemming, Shaw, and Colie hop into the boat, and Colie immediately takes the oars and rows away. Diandre is already mid leap, and she smacks into the water instead of the boat. She screams and flails and promptly drowns.
Diandre Gomes, District 3 Female; 15th, Drowned, Bloodbath
The two Outlier boys left on deck, Myron and Joshua, clump together as Abia and Syren also hop out of the water. Abia throws her spear and skewers the two boys in one throw. Stunned, they both fall to their knees, quickly dying, the spear still in both of them.
Joshua Cline, District 7 Male; 14th, killed by Abia, Bloodbath
Myron Splotch, District 10 Male; 13th, killed by Abia, Bloodbath
The Careers go check in the hull for Mirele, but they cannot find her. In fact, Mirele is not there. She had crept out of one of the windows and managed to tread water long enough for the boat of Colie, Shaw, and Hemming to spot her. Those four had formed an alliance before the Games along with the dead Megan Hyx, and they got Mirele out of loyalty and friendship. Only the Careers are on the cruise ship now.
As the sun begins to set, Nautica travels to the Captain's Quarters and looks at all the levers and wheels and buttons. He knows how to drive the cruise ship, and he informs his allies, telling them they'll set sail as soon as he gets the ship operational, hopefully by sunset the next day. The six Careers sort through their supplies and set up camp in the biggest room, the Captain's bedroom, in the hull. Lylith has found a bare sandy slip of land, and she takes it for the night, settling down after sorting through her pack and finding food and water inside. Mirele, Hemming, Shaw, and Colie were on their little rowing ship. It was packed to the limit with the four of them, and Colie had managed to grab a pack that had fallen into the pool and floated near her platform. They ate small bits of the rations in the pack, but the food and water inside would only last them a couple more days. Erna, with her surprise swimming skills, managed to paddle all the way to one of the farthest islands from the cruise ship which was densely forested, and she found some fruit in the jungle to eat. There were less tributes alive than in the past couple of years; maybe this Games would go much faster than the others?
The next day, Nautica enlisted the help of his District partner, Syren, who had some experience with boats, as well as Jacobie, who was pretty smart for a pretty boy from 1. They tinkered with the controls of the ship and by noon they had everything working. It took them two hours to free the anchor. The chain was rusted and the mechanics that lifted it up and down were eroded beyond use. Syren and Nautica had to dive underwater and use spears to dig through the door the anchor was buried in, and eventually they managed to free it. Then Nautica took the wheel as the other Careers cheered and had a small pool party. The air was hot and balmy and Abia, Jacobie, Kenton, Marcella, and Syren cooled off in the pools as Captain Nautica took control and steered them forward thru the lagoon. It was exhilarating and this arena definitely gave the Four tributes and advantage.
The cruise ship caught sight of the four allies on their small rowboat bobbing in the water around sunset. The Careers decided to toy with them. As night fell, Nautica flipped on the bright blinding headlights of the cruise ship. The rowboat fell right in their path, and the tributes cringed, Mirele shrieking. Kenton and Marcella, the two best archers of the bunch, stepped to the helm of the ship and started firing arrows. Those on the boat shouted and ducked down, but all the arrows purposefully smacked into the side of the boat. Tiny holes, dozens of them, had been drilled into the side of the rowboat. The Careers laughed and let the tributes try to row away as the water poured in. The four paddled crazily and inflated their flotation devices as the boats started to sink. It was the dark of night when the boat capsized. Everyone screamed and fell underwater. Everyone popped up and struggled to gasp in breaths except Mirele. She was trapped under the sinking boat and she swiftly drowned as her three allies grabbed onto each other to try and keep each other afloat.
Mirele Wampanog, District 8 Female; 12th, Drowned, Day 2
Shaw, Colie, and Hemming, gripping each other tightly, formed a small human float. The cruise ship left them be, the Careers moseying along through the now chilly lagoon (the temperature dropped a bit at night, turning from a nice temperature to a little icy and uncomfortable.) To toughen the three's efforts to survive, the Gamemakers threw some choppy waves at them, but the three held each other locked close, and eventually, as day broke, a speedy swell created by the Gamemakers washed them up on a thickly forested island. They laid on the beach for a while, exhausted, before Hemming prodded his friends and lead them deep into the heart of the smallish island's jungle, where they settled and finally rested.
With only eleven tributes left on Day 2, Gamemakers slowed things down a bit. The cruise ship with six bloodthristy Careers on it was sailing dangerously close to the island that held Erna from 9, but rough waves and a cold rain storm from the Gamemakers slowed the Careers' hunting efforts, and they just floated there and took refuge in the lower decks as the rain came harder and colder, the skies filling with dark gray clouds. Lylith huddled in a wet lump on the bare island she rested on, and the team of three gathered together and built a small shelter of leaves and sticks to ward off the freezing rain. Sharp gusts of wind destroyed their shelter, and they clung to each other just like they had in the lagoon. Erna just laid on her back with her mouth open and drank the fresh rainwater, not really minding the cold much. Nine had rough winters; she was accustomed to cold snow and rain.
On the morning of Day 3 the intense rainstorm had slowed to a light drizzle, and the waters calmed and heated up, the sun breaking through the veil of thick gray clouds and warming the soaked tributes. The Careers emerged from the bowels of their vessel to find that while they'd all hid for comfort in the bottom decks, the lagoon's rough waters had pushed the ship onto the beach of one of the bare islands, this one uninhabited. All six climbed out of the ship and began to dig feverishly to free their vessel. Their task would be tough.
Meanwhile, Lylith struggled to find food and water. At noon she decided to swim off and find a better island, and after some searching she found a jungle island. Little did she know Erna also occupied this island, but neither girl would see each other that day as they stayed on opposite sides of the island, foraging for food and water, which they found in plentiful amounts. The alliance of three just laid on the beach despite Shaw's protests that they'd be seen and warmed and dried themselves, rejuvenating and motivating themselves. The only armed tribute, however, besides the Careers, was Lylith, and all she had was a jagged dagger.
On Day 4, the Careers still worked to free their vessel. By nightfall, they did so, and as the sun set their cruise ship was free, puttering in the lagoon. A cannon shattered the placid silence of the arena after a short scream. The alliance of three awoke, frightened.
Lylith and Erna had met while searching for water as the sun set. Erna turned tail to flee in terror, but Lylith leaped on her and slashed at her throat out of instinct with her dagger. The 9 girl struggled beneath Lylith and died quickly.
Erna Kilobae, District 9 Female; 11th, Killed by Lylith, Day 4
The next morning, the alliance of Colie, Shaw, and Hemming step out onto the beach and wade into the water, seeing if they can catch come of the silvery fish that zip by with their hands. The Career cruise ship, free at last, tugs in on the horizon, but none of them see it, too focused on trying to catch a meal. Colie looks up once she hears the waters getting rougher, and she spots the cruise ship closing in. She screams and tries to run back to shore, but a spear thrown by Kenton from the nearby boat slams into her back. The girl gurgles and falls into the water, bleeding out swiftly, as Shaw and Hemming yelp and haul themselves out of the ocean. Shaw dodges an arrow from Marcella as he and Hemming dart into the jungle.
Colie Sheroke, District 10 Female; 10th, Killed by Kenton, Day 5
The cruise ship pulls up beside the island. Not wanting to undo the anchor, Nautica, now the firm leader of the pack as well as the ship captain, orders Abia, Syren, and Jacobie to go finish off the boys. Syren takes a dagger, and Abia and Jacobie take spears. The three of them dive into the water and swim quickly to the island. Syren gets there first and doesn't even wait for her allies, sprinting into the jungle as Abia and Jacobie, slower swimmers, step out of the ocean.
The jungle on the island is only about an acre; Syren finds them quickly. Hemming lobs a rock at her head and Syren dodges it before picking up the same rock and chucking it at the two boys. It smacks into Shaw's temple and the boy crumples, out cold. Hemming sprints off, whimpering in fear, as Syren stalks to Shaw's side and holds him on her lap. He wakes up several minutes later, and Syren giggles and slashes open his throat and then tosses him off of her lap. She stands as Shaw's cannon rings, and walks out onto the beach, where Abia and Jacobie have begun to search the edge of the jungle.
Shaw Thomas, District 9 Male; 9th, Killed by Syren, Day 5
By that point, the Top 8 had been determined: Abia Klarke from District 1, Jacobie Marksens from District 1, Marcella Rite from District 2, Kenton Haullis from District 2, Syren Calanthe from District 4, Nautica Obene from District 4, Lylith Braidon from District 7, and Hemming Yande from District 8.
"He went west," Syren chuckles. "He's trapped. He can't swim. There's nothing he can do."
In fact, there was something he could do. As the Careers combed the island, Hemming found a coconut shell. He cracked it in half and then proceeded to slit his wrists with the sharp edges of the shell. He proclaimed quietly that he wouldn't let the Careers get him. He curled up in a ball and hid and bled out. His cannon rang, and a couple of minutes later Abia discovered his body and called Syren and Jacobie over.
"How they die doesn't matter, does it?" Abia cackled, kicking some debris over Hemming's corpse before walking away.
Hemming Yande, District 8 Male; 8th, Killed by himself, Day 5
Jacobie, Syren, and Abia headed back to the ship and changed into dry, clean, bloodless clothes before settling down on the deck. The Careers decided to just float along there; they'd terminated the lives of 3 tributes today, and only one Outlier was left. This was definitely a strong Career pack, and they would not shatter until they hunted down Lylith and had their fair final fight between the six of them, a fight that would be truly spectacular if it occurred. In fact, many of them were good friends with each other, and despite themselves they didn't want to really kill one another. But they would, if it came down to it. They'd been bred and groomed for this. They were Careers; they didn't make friends. They made death.
That night, Lylith realized she was the last Outlier left after seeing the faces of Hemming, Shaw, and Colie flash in the sky. She wasn't religious by any means but she knelt in the center of her jungle island and prayed fervently to some god she hoped was there to help her survive. She prayed throughout the night until she dozed off to sleep, collapsing onto the forest floor from utter exhaustion.
The Gamemakers answered her prayer.
They did not want all six Careers to float to the end. Once upon a time a final six fight between the Careers would have been great, but the battles Capitolites cherished was the Careers versus the Outliers. And, anyway, Ilius would have had the kraken mutt attack the ship even if there was one tribute on it; it was an awesome mutt after all, and it had been costly to create.
On the sixth morning, as Nautica woke up and relieved Marcella, who'd been on the last shift of guard duty, the water near the starboard side of the cruise ship began to gurgle and froth. Nautica, trident in hand, walked to the starboard side, worried. He peeked his head over, and called Marcella over. The girl from 2 joined her ally at the side of the ship, and both of them stared, perplexed, as the waters turned violent and the ship began to rock.
Then suddenly a huge, slimy green tentacle quickly wormed its way out of the water. Marcella screamed and swept the sword in her hands around crazily. The tentacle went low and wrapped tight around her waist as more tentacles emerged, wrapping themselves around the hull of the ship. The head of the monstrosity stayed under the water until that moment, as it whisked Marcella off of the deck as if she were made of air. Its head broke the water, and Marcella screamed fearfully, sweeping her sword around crazily, as the several layers of teeth ground together in the creature's hideous mouth. Nautica shouted for the others to get on the deck, and Abia and Syren were the first up as a cannon boomed. The kraken tossed Marcella's sword away as it devoured the remains of her.
Marcella Rite, District 2 Female; 7th, Killed by the kraken, Day 6
All the Careers rushed up the stairs as another tentacle entangled itself around Nautica's right leg. He roared and hacked at the tentacle, slicing it off, but also hacking halfway into his right shin. He whimpered and dragged himself into the captain's quarters, leaving a thick blood trail behind him, as Jacobie and Abia rushed at the kraken. Kenton was close behind them, but Syren grabbed a pack and took her dagger along with a trident and dove off of the other side of the ship, kicking away like a mermaid. Syren had definitely made the smart move.
Abia threw her spear at the monster, and it hit the creature in its blubbery skull. The spear bounced right off of the thick, rubbery hide of the creature.
"WHAT THE-" Abia began before two tentacles ensnared her, one around her mouth and one around her stomach. Abia was swiftly devoured by the hungry creature, her blood spraying everywhere as her screams filled the air.
Abia Klarke, District 1 Female; 6th, Killed by the kraken, Day 6
Jacobie fled in terror, splashing through the pool to the Cornucopia to grab supplies, as Kenton, a brave 2 warrior through and through, stood up to the monster and prepared to slaughter it and earn himself honor and fame.
Kenton pulled back his bowstring and released, firing the arrow right in the center of the kraken's slimy blue-green eyeball. The creature recoiled but just became more enraged. Jacobie jumped overboard as the kraken lashed out in pain with its tentacles, sending Kenton flying through the air and sending the boat rocking dangerously. Kenton hit the cement pad the Cornucopia sat on and was knocked out cold. The kraken wrapped its tentacles around the limp Kenton and made quick work of him, filling its stomach with Kenton's flesh. 2 was out of the running.
Kenton Haullis, District 2 Male; 5th, Killed by the kraken, Day 6
Jacobie and Syren were gone; after jumping off of the boat, they'd gone in separate directions and did not plan on joining together. Jacobie hung back near the ship, bobbing in the water, seeing if the kraken would be slain and if any of his other allies besides Syren would survive. Syren, carrying her heavy load, still glided through the water swiftly, searching for an island to settle on; she could care less of how her former allies fared. It was every tribute for themselves at this point in the Games. Meanwhile, Nautica was still on the ship, at the wheel in the captain's room, turning on the engines. He tried to send the ship forward, but the still ravenous kraken was wrapped around the vessel. Its muscly tentacles squeezed and Nautica listened in horror as the tentacles gently crushed his vessel to splinters. The waters sloshed in and quickly filled up the two lower decks. The ship sunk like a rock, and the kraken searched the destroyed ship for bodies. Nautica was still inside the intact captain's quarters on the top deck. He locked the door; he wouldn't let the kraken do him in. Water spilled into the room through several cracks in the walls and under the door and the windows. Over the period of two hours the smallish room gradually filled with water. Nautica's right leg was a mess; he couldn't swim fast enough to escape the kraken, not to mention hobble or run, even; he was trapped. He'd rather drown than be eaten. Resigned to his fate, as the water filled up the room and Nautica's forehead was pressed to the ceiling, he whispered one phrase before going limp and letting himself drown.
"A captain always goes down with his ship," Nautica gasped before dropping like a stone.
Nautica Obene, District 4 Male; 4th, Drowned/Suicide, Day 6
Night settled. Lylith was chuckling hysterically; she lost it a little bit on that day as she sat on the beach, having been handed a miracle after hearing four cannons fire earlier in the day. She laughed even harder when she saw who had died. Abia, Marcella, Kenton, and Nautica's faces flashed in the sky, and she knew they were the four strongest of the six Careers. Still, they were Careers. She hoped they'd be injured.
Jacobie had been injured. After the ship sunk and Nautica purposefully drowned himself, the kraken had combed the wreckage. It spotted Jacobie, and went after him. Ilius didn't want the Games to end quite yet, so he just had the kraken throw some debris at the boy. Jacobie was all cut up, and by the time he dragged himself onto a barren strip of sand, he was exhausted, and he passed out.
Syren found a tiny island with several trees on it. She slept in the small sandy area in the center of the lopsided ring of trees, fanning out her supplies before falling asleep. The three survivors, Jacobie, Syren, and Lylith, all rested peacefully as the days changed and the seventh day in the arena began.
Nothing transpired on the seventh day in the arena. Jacobie tended to his wounds with antiseptic and bandages gifted to him via sponsors in a silvery parachute. Lylith psyched herself up for a tough final battle and smiled as she gathered food and water to fill herself up all day. Syren swam in the lagoon for most of the day, enjoying the beauty of the tepid water filled with underwater beauties. A sponsor jokingly sent her a seashell bra, but the girl put it on. By the end of the day, they also sent her a mermaid tail that would make her an even faster swimmer with its built in jets. Syren put it on and dove under the water after receiving the final piece of her costume, a small air mask the took the water and made oxygen from it. Syren was the Capitol's favorite at this point (their previous favorites had been Abia, Kenton, and Nautica, but those two were dead) and they poured gifts on her. Syren didn't have to surface for air and she swam like a dolphin through the waters. She was literally a mermaid, and it was a dream come true for her.
On the eighth day, Jacobie waded into the ocean to wash himself. As he stripped off his shirt, revealing his suntanned, chiseled six pack for the Capitol audience, he spotted movement in the water. He crouched down and squinted to make out what it was, and then Syren was leaping out of the water, cackling. Her trident buried itself ten inches deep in his chest, and Jacobie staggered backwards, gasping. Syren pulled her trident out with a wet squelch, and Jacobie fell forward in the water. Syren took his meager belongings from his island and swam away as Jacobie bled to death.
Jacobie Marksens, District 1 Male; 3rd, Killed by Syren, Day 8
On the ninth and final morning of the Games, Lylith also received an air mask that would let her breathe underwater as well as small fins that slipped over her hands and feet, not a huge tail that covered her whole legs, that had jets in them. The Capitol wanted a fantastic underwater battle, and that was what they would get. It began to drizzle and the waters swirled into a whirlpool. Both girls were out swimming and playing with their underwater sponsor gift toys, and despite their best efforts the whirlpool sucked them to the center of the arena, where the cruise ship had once floated before Nautica had managed to move it and before it had then been crushed by the kraken in a different corner of the arena. The whirlpool quickly receded, and Lylith and Syren found themselves floating twenty feet apart. Syren had lost her pack and her trident, and Lylith had lost her pack. Both girls had their daggers, however. Lylith, giggling hysterically, overjoyed, feeling as if she had already won, it was just one more person to kill after all, made the first move. Both girls dove under the water and began to grapple, sawing at each other. The fight lasted ten minutes, both girls getting small cuts on the other. Then Syren made the big move and sliced through Lylith's air mask.
The two girls were on the lagoon's sandy floor, and without her air supply Lylith freaked. It was too easy for Syren to tackle her underwater and slice open her throat and watch the brilliant red blood drift out as Syren let go of Lylith's body and let it float to the surface. Syren sat on the lagoon's sandy bottom, beaming, as Lylith bled, rasping, floating on her back, blood drizzling out of her slit throat. Finally her cannon fired, and Syren kicked to the surface, grinning.
Lylith Braidon, District 7 Female; 2nd, Killed by Syren, Day 9
"Syren Calanthe of District 4, you are the Victor of the 43rd Hunger Games!" Caesar and Claudius chimed together as Syren surfaced. She grinned and did a magnificent dive down into the water to retrieve her dagger, covered in Lylith's watery bloody. Syren was still beaming when the hovercraft retrieved her, and she was still holding her dagger high for all to see.
Aftermath
District 4's last Victory had been nearly a decade ago with Flotsam, so they were delighted to have their sixth Victor come home. That tied them with District 1 and had them one behind District 2, and they'd pulled ahead of District 5. For a time they weren't considered the weakest Career District by far. Syren was vivacious, and she loved to party. She was a Capitol favorite, and one of the few Victors that actually sometimes enjoyed her prostitution. She was optimistic and happy-go-lucky and loved to make jokes and fall in love and have her heart broken. She lived life in the moment, and she was a firecracker. She had a problem with alcohol and just went with it, not really caring what she was doing to herself and how she was shortening her life through her addiction. She didn't seem to be affected by her Games, but Syren was a good liar and manipulator, and no one would be surprised if she'd been covering up chronic depression her entire life. She was a decent Mentor but was better at drumming up sponsors by going out to the clubs and partying with her Capitol buddies.
Syren would live to age 68, dying from liver cancer several months after the 94th Hunger Games. She would have dozens of lovers but she would never marry. She got pregnant twice but both times she decided to have abortions, as she wasn't mother material in her eyes.
The payouts on her Victory were decent, as about 11% bet on her. Not the best, but not the worst either.
Her Victory Tour was spectacular. She dressed as a mermaid in every District and gave wild speeches, and was fun at the galas thrown in each District after the speeches. The people appreciated her charisma and upbeat personality.
Fun Fact: Syren was the first Victor to make her final kill fully underwater.
Victor's News
Syren moves into the Victor's Village of District 4, in the house next door to Flotsam.
Januaria marries a long term boyfriend named Augustine Schapp.
Seeder becomes engaged to a nice man named Audalys Dunter.
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)
25th: Venice Grammar, District 12 (1, 1 Female)
26th: Calculata Fenceley, District 3 (2, 1 Female)
27th: Florianna Urnston, District 2 (4, 2 Female)
28th: Mercedes Benson, District 6 (2, 1 Female)
29th: Fox Rennolls, District 5 (3, 1 Male)
30th: Tarquinius Isselhardt, District 2 (5, 3 Male)
31st: Ivelisse Horner, District 1 (5, 3 Female)
32nd: Pomona McCrea, District 7 (3, 2 Female)
33rd: Beetee Latier, District 3 (3, 2 Male)
34th: Flotsam Bresten, District 4 (5, 3 Male)
35th: Organza White, District 8 (2, 1 Female)
36th: Januaria Shale, District 2 (6, 3 Female)
37th: Gnaeus Deccum, District 2 (7, 4 Male)
38th: Porter Tripp, District 5 (4, 3 Female)
39th: Seeder Howell, District 11 (3, 2 Female)
40th: Zion Alvarra, District 1 (6, 3 Male)
41st: Indigo Arnett, District 6 (3, 2 Female)
42nd: Surge Tomlin, District 5 (5, 2 Male)
43rd: Syren Calanthe, District 4 (6, 3 Female)
A/N: AAAAAH I AM SO SORRY!
I really am. I won't make excuses. I just focused on BMO and BB: Bite Size. I lost my motivation for this story but reading through the reviews and realizing how many people love this fired me back up. I wanted to give you guys a great chapter, and I hope I did well.
I'm going to try and get another chapter out before the New Year. No promises, but it's conceivable that I can get it done. I'll at least start it, that can be sure.
I was going to ask you guys if I should start writing less detailed on these so I can get them out more often, but I think it would be harder to make myself write less. I doubt there'll be a Games for a while that'll be as long as the chapter before with Surge, but you never know.
Please review! I want to hear what you guys have to say! Did you like Syren and the arena?
Until Next Time,
Tracee
