Two updates in one day? Whaaaaat? I know, it's crazy. This chapter is mostly just a filler, though, so it's pretty short. Next chapter will probably be longer, though, since a bunch of stuff is going to happen in it.
Also, everybody in the arena is in an alliance right now, lol.
District 8: Alyxandra Lernan, Age 16
"Truth or dare?"
"Uhhhh… truth, I guess."
"Have you ever had a crush on anybody?"
I groan dramatically. I doubt a truth-or-dare game has ever been played where that question hasn't come up. "I don't know. I guess there was this guy in my grade named Max that I liked for a little while. He turned out to be kind of a jerk, though. Ok, now your turn. Truth or dare?"
"Dare!"
"Hmmm…" I look around for a moment. "I dare you to… climb up and pick that fruit that's hanging from the tree over there."
A few minutes later, Livia stands in front of me with the fruit clenched in her fist.
"Do you think it's edible?" Livia asks. I take it from her and observe it carefully.
"Yeah, I remember seeing one of these at the edible plants station," I say. To prove that it's not poisonous, I break off a piece of it and eat it. Livia waits for a moment to see if I drop down dead, then decides that it's safe and digs into it. I grin, savoring the flavor that floods over my mouth.
I had a nice circle of friends back in District 8, but in the past week or so Livia has probably become one of the people I'm closest with. I've been trying to ignore the fact that at most, only one of us is going to come out of here alive. I don't want to die, but… I also don't want Livia to die. It's quite an unfortunate situation. What if we're the last two left? I wouldn't have the heart to kill my new friend.
I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there, though. For now, we can eat fruit and play games and forget about how we could both be dead by tomorrow.
District 4: Nemo Fisher, Age 18
"Alright, we should start hunting again," Octavian states after we all eat a quick breakfast. "Nemo, are you good to go?"
"Yep," I say, trying my best to sound enthusiastic about the idea of killing little kids.
"Great, then you're coming with me," he says. "Does anyone want to watch the Cornucopia today?
"Ariana and I can," Blaze offers. I notice Ariana give him a glare but don't think too much of it. She probably just doesn't want to have to sit around doing nothing all day.
"Fine, whatever," Octavian says. "Nemo and I will take the east side of the arena. Marine, Juno, you two take the west side."
I hop to my feet and grab my sword. I'm not exactly eager to be out hunting down tributes again, but I've been doing nothing for too long. The Capitol is almost definitely getting bored with me. If I want to capture their attention, I need to get a kill. It makes me a little queasy inside, but I have to survive- not just for myself, but for Tank. If I win, then maybe my parents won't force my brother into volunteering too.
The thought is the only thing that keeps me grounded as I follow Octavian into the jungle knowing that the next time I return to the Cornucopia, I might have blood on my hands.
District 11: Cole Cambridge, Age 13
"You know, this is going to sound crazy," I say, "but I've actually been having a lot of fun over the past few days."
"Saaaame," Angelica says. "I mean, obviously I would rather be back home than here. But… well, this arena's pretty cool, don't you think? It makes me feel like we're explorers or something."
"Yeah, totally," I say. "It's neat seeing all of these different animals that I've never even heard of before. Like, look at that little critter!" I point at a weird looking bug sitting near my leg. "And look, there's a snake coiled up around those branches up there!" I blink, suddenly processing the words that just came out of my mouth. "Oh my God, snake! Holy crap, that thing could be super dangerous! Let's get out of here!" Angelica and I race away from the gleaming copper snake before it can strike out at us. It doesn't seem to be interested in us, though. Instead, it just chills out in the tree.
"We should steer clear of that thing," I conclude. "It may not care about us right now, but if we get too close to it… well, I doubt anything good would come out of it."
District 6: Livia Fleet, Age 16
"Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" I ask.
"That dinging sound," Alyx replies. I cock my ear to the sky. After a moment, I hear the same thing.
"It's a sponsor parachute!" I shout, cringing a little when I realize how loud I was. Trying to lower my voice, I say, "I guess somebody out in the Capitol likes us."
It's not long before the parachute glides down into Alyx's open hands. She grins, ripping the package open. We both peer inside.
"Cool, a first aid kit!" Alyx says, pulling it out and examining it. Meanwhile, I rifle through the rest of the contents of the box. Inside, I find two Capitolite energy drinks- kind of a weird gift, but it's better than nothing, I guess- as well as a loaf of bread and… a chess game. It's complete with a finely made board and beautiful, delicate glass pieces.
"Hey, you want to play?" I ask Alyx, holding the game up. Her face breaks into a smile.
"Awesome," she says. "I'll be black. You are so going down."
District 1: Blaze Hale, Age 17
"Alright, it's time."
Ariana's face goes pale as I begin to rifle through the supplies at the Cornucopia, looking for anything I'll need.
"You aren't actually going to do this, are you?" she asks doubtfully.
"Of course I am," I say, stuffing a pack with as many cans of food as it'll hold. "It's my best chance of survival. Please, Ariana, I really want you to come with me."
"And I really want you to stay," Ariana counters. "I'm serious, Blaze. I don't think this a good idea."
"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, Ariana," I snap, "but you can't change my mind. I'm leaving today whether you come with me or not.
Ariana whimpers a little. "Please, Blaze, think about this!" she says. "If you leave, the Careers are going to be pissed. They'll go after you immediately. And what am I supposed to tell them when they come back and see you as well as a big chunk of the supplies gone? They'll blame me for not stopping you. They'll probably kill me. Do you really want that on your conscience?"
"If you think they're going to kill you, then why don't you come with me?" I ask. Ariana lets out a grunt of frustration and doesn't answer my question.
I finish packing up the supplies I need and haul them over my shoulder. "Last chance, Ariana. I really want you to come with me." Please, please, please… Ariana shakes her head silently and turns away. I sigh.
"Fine," I say. I've taken about 10 steps towards the jungle when Ariana shouts, "Wait!"
I turn around hopefully. Ariana bites the inside of her cheek, looking doubtful.
"I still… I still think that this is a stupid idea," she says. "But if you're actually leaving… then I'm coming with you."
District 12: Erin Arden, Age 15
"I don't trust Scorpius," I hiss at Albin as we walk.
"What? Why not?" he asks, glancing at our new ally, who walks ahead of us, fiddling with a wire.
"I don't know," I say, "he doesn't seem genuine, I guess. I feel like he's just waiting for the right moment to stab us in the back."
"I'm sure it's fine," Albin says. "And even if that is his plan, we need him to assemble the bomb and set it off." I scowl, but I know that Albin is right. We have no choice but to trust him.
"Hey, let's stop here for the day," Scorpius shouts back at us. "We can keep moving in the morning." We begin to set down our stuff. I take a quick sip from my water bottle. It's almost out; hopefully it'll rain again soon so I can fill it up again.
I glance at Scorpius suspiciously as he sets his supplies down on a log. Even though Albin assured me everything was fine, I still don't trust Scorpius. There's something sinister in his calculating eyes that makes me weary of him.
But I guess I'll just have to bottle up my fears and let him do whatever he wants to do.
After all, he's our only chance of defeating the Careers.
District 2: Juno Armstrong, Age 18
"HEY, TRIBUTES!" I scream at the top of my lungs. "IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, YOU HAD BETTER START RUNNING NOW, BECAUSE WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!"
"Shut up," Marine says, holding back a smirk. "We're never going to find anyone if you keep shouting like that."
"Oh, don't worry," I say dismissively. "We'll find them all eventually. DID YOU HEAR THAT?! NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, YOU CAN'T ESCAPE US! WE'RE THE FREAKING CAREERS, AND WE'LL KILL YOU! WE'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!"
"You're insane," Marine says, but she's laughing a little. I grin.
"I'm just giving everybody a head's up," I say.
I kind of gave up about halfway through this and just started writing random crap. I hope you liked this chapter anyway, though. Next up is Night 5! We'll have a lot of action then, as well as a death. :o Who do you think it'll be?