Yikes, I haven't updated in nearly a month. I honestly have no excuse; I've been sort of busy now that my school has started back up, but my main problem was a lack of motivation.
Just a warning - this chapter will be pretty slow. After so many tributes dying in the Bloodbath, there won't be a lot of action. It's mostly checking in with how each alliance is doing.
District 4
Noelani King
As I sort through the supplies remaining in the Cornucopia, I attempt to tune out the sound of bickering ensuing in the background. I'm disappointed our Career alliance is already suffering drama this early in the Hunger Games, but I can't say I'm surprised. Cecelia and Trajan were fighting before we entered the arena, and it's not as though I expected them to stop when we began fighting for our lives.
"I got the gun first!"
"Too bad; I have it now."
"It should be mine!"
"But it's not."
I try to refocus my attention on the supplies in front of me. I've pulled everything remaining around the outskirts back into the Cornucopia, where it sits in a tragically small pile. We have even fewer supplies than I expected, and it definitely won't last us the entire Games. It will only last a few days at most, and that's if we ration it.
In the food and water pile, we have three baskets of fruit and a few handfuls of food from the insides of the satchels; two sleeves of crackers and a slab of condensed food that looks disgusting. For the water, we have three full bottles and plenty of empty bottles. The whole pile is dismally small, and I don't think it bodes well for our comfort during the rest of the Hunger Games. Usually Careers can depend upon having a generous supply of food from the Cornucopia as long as it isn't destroyed. But it looks like this year, food will be a problem.
The next pile is slightly larger, but that's probably only due to the blankets. This is every other useful item. We have five blankets, copper wire, rope, two compasses, a hammer, and nails.
The final pile is probably the biggest disappointment. It's all of the useless items that were some reason placed in the arena. Glorian keeps on insisting they may have some purpose, but some of these things can't have any use. There are scraps of metal, cloth, and leather that are too small to have any use. There's plenty of golden coins that aren't Panemian money, so I don't know what purpose they could possibly have. Even if they were valid currency, they wouldn't be useful inside the arena. There's one or two bags of sand, and seemingly the most useless item - a selection of mossy rocks which Glorian still refuses to throw out because he claims they may be useful.
"Are the supplies any good?" Lucretius asks. I glance to my right as he squats down next to me to inspect the piles.
"No," I reply. "We'll definitely need to go hunting for food soon, otherwise we'll starve." Lucretius utters a curse.
"Do you think Glorian would be mad if I had a snack now?" he asks hopefully. "I haven't eaten since this morning -"
"You can't eat anymore than necessary. We need to ration the food supply," I explain. Lucretius frowns and opens his mouth to say something else, but is drowned out by Cecelia and Trajan screaming at each other.
"We should probably figure out what's going on," Lucretius grimaces. I nod, and we head over to the fight. Things aren't looking well for the Career pack this year.
District 6
Axel Woodleigh
We've been walking non-stop ever since leaving the Cornucopia. Linen and I have only convinced Hadley to take a few breaks, but everytime we do, he gets all nervous and twitchy and paranoid that someone is approaching. None of our breaks have lasted longer than ten minutes.
"When are we going to take an actual break?" Linen asks as we trudge through the thick plants covering the jungle floor.
"We took a break half an hour ago," Hadley reminds her.
"Hadley, it was only five minutes. You didn't even let us have any water."
"We need to conserve it until we find a water source," says Hadley. "We can't waste all of our water on the first day."
"What if we don't find a water source tonight?" I ask timidly. "Then will you let us have some water."
"We will," he insists. We're all silent for a minute. "Sorry," he mutters, "yes, if we're unable to find water tonight, we can all have a sip before bed."
Linen and I share an annoyed look - a sip of water after hiking in a hot rainforest all day is not much. But that's probably the best we can convince Hadley to allow us.
It's difficult to tell how late it is, because the canopy of leaves over us currently blocks out almost all light. The only way we can see where we're going are the small beams filtering through. It's very dark, though, which is quite unsettling. I'll have no idea whether I'm stepping on a snake or not until its fangs pierce my leg.
None of us have watches, so it's impossible to tell what the time is. But based on the aching in my legs and the little light, I'd say night is approaching fast. Normally, I'd be terrified of nighttime in the arena, where I somehow have to sleep with the constant threat of mutts, snakes, and bloodthirsty competitors, but I'm so tired, I'm almost eager for the chance to rest.
After a few more minutes of walking, the trees start to grow more sparse. They're still quite dense, but it's an obvious improvement.
"Maybe we're reaching a clearing?" Linen asks hopefully.
"Or the edge of the arena," I add.
After another fifteen minutes of the trees separating more and more, we do reach the edge of the jungle. Hadley stops immediately at the edge of the treeline and his hands shoot out to keep Linen and I from travelling any farther.
In front of us is a canyon. The leafy ground turns to a pale rock and then about a dozen feet from the treeline, the rocky ground slopes steeply downward. I've never been good at guessing distance, but I'd say it's about a 500 ft. drop, and 200 ft. across to the other side, where the rainforest continues. I finally get a chance to look at the sky, as well. It's turning pink, and the sun is just visible over the tops of the trees in the distance. Not too far from where we stand is what looks to be a rickety rope bridge trailing across to the other side.
"What are you doing?" Linen asks as Hadley grips the collar of her leather jacket and pushes her back into the jungle. She stumbles over a root and almost falls before I catch her.
"Do you want to get electrocuted? There could be a forcefield," Hadley explains. "A lot of the time in the Hunger Games, the forcefield is at the edge of a cliff or something. We have to be careful." Hadley begins creeping along the edge of the trees, looking for something. "There has to be a chink somewhere…"
"Why don't you just throw a rock at it and see if it rebounds?" I ask. Hadley blushes.
"Yeah, I suppose we could do that," he says, clearly embarrassed at his oversight. I pick up a small rock and chuck it at the canyon. It doesn't reflect, just falls into the canyon below. "Alright, so no forcefield. I guess we should just go to the other side."
Hadley gestures at the rickety rope bridge. Linen gapes at him in shock. She doesn't say anything for a few minutes, and it isn't until Hadley begins walking over to the bridge that she finds her voice.
"Wha - you - you're serious?" she gasps.
"Yeah," Hadley says, clearly not seeing the issue.
"Hadley, that thing looks ready to snap!" she shouts.
"Lower your voice," he hisses, his eyes darting around nervously.
"Hadley, I'm not walking across that," I say. Hadley turns to me.
"Axel, we have to get to the other side of the canyon!"
"Why?" I ask. "It's nearly nightfall, and this is as good a spot as any to set up camp."
"How do you figure?"
"Well, it has a view of the sky so we can see the deaths. The ground doesn't have any plants, so we don't have to worry about bugs or snakes hiding in it. And if the Careers happen to come along -"
"Which isn't likely," Linen adds.
"If they come along, we could try to trick them into falling into the canyon or something. It's better odds than a close-combat fight with them."
Hadley grumbles, but sees the logic in my point and gives up trying to convince us to cross.
"Fine," he sighs. "But we're going to try in the morning." I wince, but nod along. Linen also looks bitter at the prospect of crossing that rope bridge, but she's grateful that we can at least rest now.
We all unload our supplies by a tree and head into the forest to begin collecting wood for a shelter. Hadley is the first one to enter, and as I follow behind him, I catch Linen taking a sip of water out of the corner of my eye. She offers the bottle to me, and I graciously accept.
"Do you think we'll be safe tonight?" I ask her after I've taken a decent sip of water. It barely quenches my thirst, but it's better than nothing. Linen shrugs.
"As safe as we can be in the Hunger Games."
District 5
Dennis Fielder
My dagger hits the rat's tiny body and a grin splits across my face. It would have been more fun to play with it beforehand, but my stomach is rumbling and I really want to eat. Even if it means not being able to play with my food first. I pick up the rat by its tail and yank out the dagger blade. It dangles, blood dripping to the ground. It won't carry much meat, but it will suffice.
I carry the rat back to my temporary camp, which isn't too far by. I've dumped all of my supplies in this general area, and even started making a clumsy shelter before realizing it was a lost hope and figured I'd just work on it later. I was clearly lying to myself, though, because the moment I see it, I feel an even deeper hatred of the idea of working on it. I sigh and scratch the back of my head gently using the point of my dagger. I have no willpower.
I sit down on the fallen tree (the main reason I chose this spot, the log makes an excellent seat) and carefully set the dead rat beside me. I'll want to cook it first, but I showed no potential when it came to fire-making during training. I've already gathered a few sticks for firewood, which lie in front of me, but that's the easy part.
I slide off the log to be closer to the potential fire, and begin rubbing two sticks together. I'm hoping that eventually I'll manage to get a fire started, even though I was unable to in training. I think if I'm more determined, it will be easier.
It takes half an hour, but I do end up getting a fire started. Desperate for it not to burn out, I breathe lightly on the flame as it gradually grows. My face splits into another smile as the fire starts going.
I take one of the sticks for the fire and use my dagger to begin sharpening the end. I wish I had a spear, but I didn't have the chance to grab one in the Cornucopia. I did grab a decent amount of other supplies, though, especially considering how little supplies there were this year. I have two daggers, a whip, two packs of food (both of which look disgusting), and two full and one empty water bottles. And of course, my most prized possession, the sleeping bag I managed to snag at the last moment. It lies underneath the half-finished shelter, already rolled out in preparation for tonight.
When the end of the stick is decently sharp, I skewer the rat on it and hold it over the crackling flames, which reach up and begin cooking the rat's body.
I'm not too concerned about the large amount of smoke drifting up. If a tribute sees it, I welcome them to come and try to fight me. I'm prepared. I'm more than ready to get my second kill of the Hunger Games. My clothes are already stained with the blood from the first, and I haven't made any effort to try removing the dried blood from my hands. I like how it reminds me of how it felt to kill my district partner.
I can't wait for my next kill. In fact, I hope a tribute wanders in this direction. Having no concern for the noise I'm making, I throw my head back and cackle to the night sky.
The Hunger Games have truly begun, and I'm thrilled.
District 10
Arabella Cantros
I'm already homesick.
Nighttime has come, and even though the dark sky is barely visible through the leaves, night is much more terrifying than day. This jungle is full of different creatures, which means that it's full of noise. The number of crickets chirping is quite a lot, but it doesn't drown out the sounds of rustling or branches snapping. Each time I hear something, I jerk up, convinced it's another tribute.
Yael assures me that she understands, but I still feel really bad because we're sharing a sleeping bag and whenever I move, I must be waking her up.
Tristana and Rachel (sharing the second sleeping bag) don't look like they're close to falling asleep, either, but at least they're not moving. The four of us are all camped around an unlit campfire, trying to get some sleep. We didn't really decide who would be keeping watch, because it seemed like none of us would manage to go to sleep, anyway. We got ready for sleep merely out of habit.
The fire's unlit because Yael and I were both trying to get it going when Rachel came back with wood for a shelter and started shouting at us about alerting the Careers of our position. So we never ended up lighting it.
We didn't manage to finish the shelter, either. It was nearly complete when Tristana thought she saw a snake (it was actually just Yael's whip) and fell into the shelter. The unsteady thing immediately fell apart. Tristana apologized profusely, which all of us accepted, but we felt too discouraged to restart it, so decided to sleep in the open. I definitely regret that now.
When the Capitol anthem booms throughout the arena, I nearly jump to my feet. I sheepishly sink back to the ground, muttering another apology at Yael, who dismisses it. I look up at the sky and find the Capitol emblem through some cracks in the leaves. It's difficult to see, but I think I'll be able to see the fallen tributes.
First is the boy from District 3. His face stays up there for a few moments before it's replaced with the girls from District 5. So far, no surprises. I am a little disappointed that there weren't any Career casualties, though. Normally there's at least one, but they all scored pretty high this year. The District 7 female is next. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tristana breathe a sigh of relief. I know she likes her DIstrict partner, so she must feel very assured that he's safe.
Next is the boy from District 8, Felix. I'm a little sad to see him dead, since he seemed nice. His face quickly fades to reveal the girl from District 9. She looks terrified, and it's unsettling to know she died only a few hours after this picture was taken.
When her face fades, Buck's appears in the sky. I can't help but utter a tiny gasp.
I wasn't close to my District partner, but seeing him dead makes me sad. And I'm very surprised that he's gone. He had a lot of potential to win, and I at least thought he'd make it to the Final 8. I didn't expect to see him die in the Bloodbath. My allies look at me sympathetically and Yael gives me a one-armed hug for comfort. A second later, it's her District partner who's in the sky.
She doesn't seem bothered by this. She constantly complains about how annoying he is (and after we met him, all of us agreed) but I'm surprised that she doesn't even flinch. He may have been annoying, but at least he was from her home.
Rachel's District partner is next, but unlike Yael, she shows some remorse. She doesn't seem too sad, but looks crestfallen and shakes her head in a disappointing manner.
"That's too bad," she says. "He was nice."
The Capitol emblem reappears, and then fades. The anthem carries out for a few more beats, until it's complete and fades away, leaving me with only the sounds of the night.
A branch cracks nearby and I flinch. This is going to be a long night.
District 3
Lennox Porter
All that's left of the sun is the golden rays that sneak through the tree branches and slightly illuminate my path. The thick trees make it very difficult for sunlight to get through, especially now that the sun is beginning to set. I know the night will be infinitely worse since I won't be able to see at all, so it would be smartest for me to set up camp soon. I don't want to be left stumbling around in the dark until morning.
I sigh and stop in my path. I suppose here's as good a spot as any. It's not perfect, but it will be good enough. Two trees are lumped close enough together that I think I could wedge myself between them and be partially concealed. It's not ideal, and I consider climbing up the tree and sleeping up there, but I don't have a rope to tie myself in and death by falling doesn't sound like very much fun.
I ran away from the Cornucopia, so I don't have any supplies. I know that it's a wise decision, especially since the boy from District 1 was pursuing 12 and I, but a small part of me is beginning to regret it now that night is closing in, a chill runs throughout the arena, and my mouth feels parched. Not to mention the rumbling in my stomach.
I can live without food for a while, though. It's water that I'm concerned about. I've got a small frame, and dehydration will get to me in no time at all. Usually, Gamemakers don't let tributes die of dehydration, but if they're boring, they don't really care. They'd probably just let me get weak enough that I can't run and then corral the Careers in my direction. They've definitely done that before.
I'll look for water in the morning. The chances of me finding any tonight are slim, and I probably won't be able to tell if it's even drinkable until the sun comes back up. I wedge myself between the two trunks, but I can't seem to fall asleep. I'm not surprised, I'm much too terrified to even close my eyes for a second, much less fall asleep in the open.
I'm hoping that the darkness won't let anyone see me if they pass by. I'm pretty far in the arena, as well. My goal is to get to the edge of the arena, where no other tribute will venture. I know that the Gamemakers will probably send mutts on me and stuff, but I'd rather handle mutts than other tributes. Besides, most of the time, mutts are used for driving tributes together. Tributes aren't often killed by mutts unless the Gamemakers are desperate.
I sigh and try to settle back, hoping that I'll eventually drift off to sleep, but I can't. After about an hour of attempting to fall asleep, I hear something. At first, it's drowned out by the large amount of crickets chirping, but then it becomes distinguishable. It's the clear beeping of a sponsor gift.
My head jerks up, and I begin scanning the sky. I eventually see it drifting down toward me, a few feet away. I stand up, brush all of the dirt off my legs, and rush over to it. The gift descends slowly, but eventually lands in my hands and the beeping stops. I run back over to the trees, sit back in my spot, and begin looking at the gift.
The package has a big 3 on the side, confirming that it's for me, unless Nikola is hiding in the bushes somewhere near me. I pop open the top and look inside. A forty-ounce water bottle, filled with water.
"Thank you," I whisper to my sponsor, hoping that if anyone's nearby, they won't hear me. I almost miss a small scrap of paper hidden beneath the water bottle.
Good luck, Lennox. Ada and I are rooting for you. - Eddie.
Before I know what's going on, tears are rolling down my cheeks. I need to make it home for Ada. My shaky hands lift the water bottle to my mouth and I take several long gulps. When my throat is no longer parched, I tighten the lid and tuck my precious water beneath my jacket. I lean back against the bark and close my eyes.
I think I'll be able to go to sleep now.
District 7
Vincent Elm
All of the Careers are grouped together inside the Cornucopia, partially huddled up for warmth, but mainly, a feeling of protection. It's not cold at night, but it's just enough so to make us uncomfortable and the feeling of unease just makes it worse. However, I think Glitter is snuggling against me far too much.
Unfortunately, no sleeping bags were left in the Cornucopia. We do have a lot of blankets, though, because I suppose the other tributes didn't think they were valuable enough to bother snagging when their life was on the line. It was probably a smart move, because our blankets are pretty unnecessary. It's only dropped fifteen to twenty degrees, and we don't even need them for cushioning, since the thick grass is enough.
Nonetheless, we're all wrapped in them. There are five blankets total and seven of us; the person keeping watch doesn't need one (none of us do, really), which left just two people to share. Glitter immediately volunteered her and I to share one, claiming she was 'taking one for the team', although I think everyone knew she just wanted to have an excuse to get close to me during the night. I couldn't refuse, so here we are.
I had been about to fall asleep when Glitter grabbed my arm, stretched it out, and began using it like a pillow. This made me super uncomfortable, not only because I dislike Glitter, but I knew there was a fair chance my girlfriend was watching. Once again, I couldn't refuse, but I've been unable to sleep, because Glitter repeatedly shifts to get more comfortable which wakes me up everytime I'm finally about to get some rest.
Lucretius is currently keeping watch. He's sitting against the wall of the Cornucopia, only partially paying attention to the clearing. He looks pretty tired. I don't know when his shift is supposed to be over, but I suspect soon. The only shift before his was Glorian's, and he's been keeping watch for a while.
Everyone else is fast asleep, a feat which I am impressed by. None of them stir even a little bit (aside from Glitter, who constantly moves). Cecelia and Noelani are sleeping next to each other at the very back of the Cornucopia. They're barely visible behind an empty crate. Glorian is by himself, sleeping against the wall of the Cornucopia. I don't know how he's managing to stay upright, but he doesn't look like he's about to topple over. His sword is held loosely in his hand. Finally, Trajan is splayed out in the very center of the Cornucopia. He has a weapon in each hand - his spear is barely touching his hand, but his gun is clutched tightly against his chest. Ever since he and Cecelia had the big argument over it earlier, he's been paranoid she'll try to steal it as he sleeps.
I'm just about to nod off, when a shout awakens me. I jolt awake quickly, my hand automatically tightening around my sword. I look around, and just see Glorian awake, looking panicked. Somehow, he failed to wake anyone else. Lucretius is staring at him in fear, though.
"Just a bad dream," Glorian says apologetically, and shifts against the wall to get more comfortable. He closes his eyes and begins trying to return to sleeping.
"Hey, Lucretius, I'll keep watch," I offer.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm awake anyway," I shrug. Lucretius sighs and thanks me before crawling slightly deeper in the Cornucopia, and falling asleep directly next to Glorian.
I gently pull my arm out from beneath Glitter's head and shimmy out from under the blanket. When I'm free, I breathe a sigh of relief and flex my arm as I feel the blood returning to it. Glitter's head is quite heavy. My arm begins to prickle as it wakes up, but I ignore it and tiptoe over to the edge of the Cornucopia, where I sit down and begin keeping watch over the clearing.
I could run. I could ditch the rest of the Careers now. Or I could slaughter one of them - preferably Glitter. But my gut tells me that I shouldn't make myself a target on day one. I don't want to end up like Buck.
But I will betray them, eventually. I couldn't stay in this dysfunctional group of killers the entire Hunger Games.
It's only a matter of time.
EULOGIES:
24th: Zaira Quentin (D7F): Shot with a gun by Rachel Ivy (D12F) - I loved Zaira, and she was the death I debated the most about. I wanted her to live, but I couldn't think of any plots she would fit into or any I could form for her without conflicting with my other ideas. If she did survive the Bloodbath, she'd just be surviving without anything very interesting happening, so I figured it would be best to kill her off sooner rather than later. RIP Zaira.
23rd: Nikola Allegra (D3M): Shot with a crossbow by Glitter Monique (D2F) - Nikola was so sweet, and I initially had him planned as making it much farther, but I couldn't justify him escaping the Bloodbath. Tyquavis, you had two tributes, both of whom were pretty young (which is my fault, since I chose your younger submissions) and I knew it wouldn't make sense for them both to survive. The choice between Nikola and Axel was obvious. I also didn't have many plans for him, but that was mostly because I knew he was going to die in the Bloodbath for so long. RIP Nikola.
22nd: Savanna Davison (D9F): Speared by Kade Anderson (D11M) - Savanna was so sweet, but realistically, not all four of Hadley's alliance would be making it out of the Bloodbath alive. Savanna had so many weaknesses, it was unrealistic she'd manage to survive. Even if she somehow survived, she'd probably end up going crazy. Since she got a much lower score than the rest of her alliance, I thought it would make sense for her to die. I had fun playing with her and Hadley's friendship, though, and she was a great character. RIP Savanna.
21st: Kade Anderson (D11M): Shot with a gun by Hadley Moreau (D9M) - Everyone hated Kade. When it came to choosing people to die in the Bloodbath, I know he wouldn't be missed so it just made sense to kill him off. He was super annoying, but it was really fun to write his interactions and POVs. I could have taken him in a different direction that could have given him some redemption, but it didn't really fit with the story and I thought this would be better.
20th: Macey Aderyn (D5F): Decapitated by Dennis Fielder (D5M)
20th: Tracey Aderyn (D5F): Bled out due to injuries from Dennis Fielder (D5M) - Realistically, there was no way Macey or Tracey would survive the Bloodbath. They couldn't even walk on stage during the interviews, so the chances of them surviving the Bloodbath were very small. Even if they had survived, they'd basically be hiding the whole time which would be boring. Like Kade, they were obvious choices for the Bloodbath but I'll miss them. They were really fun to write about, as well. I don't think I got a lot of their condition scientifically correct or whatever, but ignoring that fact, they were really fun. RIP Macey and Tracey.
19th: Quinten Fredericus (D12M): Bludgeoned with a rock by Trajan Seth (D1M) - Quinten was so sweet, but seeing as his submitter hasn't been very active on this story, I thought it was his time to go. I really liked him and his interactions with the other tributes and the Capitol; I wish I could have shown him and his interactions with animals and nature, but my biggest regret is the fact that half the time I misspelled his name as "Quentin" instead of "Quinten" and I'm much too lazy to go through every chapter and fix it. That was an idiotic mistake on my part. I'll miss him, but I thought this death was for the best. RIP Quinten. (I accidentally wrote Quentin at first. I still can't get his name right).
18th: Felix Camacho (D8M): Shot with a gun by Cecelia Hart (D1F) - Felix was a nice guy, but so many people were neutral toward him, I couldn't see him bringing a lot of action for the story. His submitter also wasn't reviewing, so I didn't think it was fair for them to have two tributes alive when so many submitters ended up losing all of their tributes. I liked Felix, but the fact that he was kind of under everyone's radar made it so that he was an obvious Bloodbath tribute. RIP Felix.
17th: Buck Hayford (D10M): Sliced with a sword by Glorian Stafford (D2M) - This was probably the most surprising death. Buck had a lot of potential as a tribute (not as much as everyone thought he deserved, but still a decent amount). I didn't really have a reason to kill him, besides the fact that I didn't have many ideas for him. And since he didn't have any allies to interact with, I expected a lot of his POVs would be pretty boring. RIP Buck.
ALLIANCES:
Cecelia/Trajan/Glitter/Glorian/Noelani/Lucretius/Vincent
Cecelia/Noelani
Tristana/Arabella/Yael/Rachel
Axel/Linen/Hadley
SOLO:
Lennox
Dennis
KILL LIST:
Cecelia - 1
Trajan - 1
Glitter - 1
Glorian - 1
Dennis - 1
Kade - 1
Hadley -
Rachel - 1
- Lilah