District 2
Glitter Monique
Vincent and I are currently walking through a dried-up stream. It's a little difficult to maneuver my way upriver, because the only thing in the streambed are mossy rocks that my leather boots do not gain traction on. I have to be very aware of where I put my feet, as to not slip, but Vincent is walking straight ahead, and somehow he's not close to slipping.
My foot slides against another rock and I almost fall. I quickly regain my balance and glare jealously at Vincent, who has yet to fall. He doesn't notice, which is lucky, because I'm trying to get him to like me and I don't think him catching me glaring at him would help.
I've kind of gotten side-tracked so far. I planned on being one of the most powerful threats in the arena and was on track to do so when Vincent came along with his biceps and gorgeous blue eyes and completely distracted me from my plan.
I think he's starting to like me. We cuddle every night and spend nearly all of our time together. We have a special bond, and I think we've almost formed an inner-alliance. Our Career group is filled with inner alliances or potential inner alliances. Cecelia and Noelani obviously have a 'secret' alliance because they spend all of their time together and get upset whenever Glorian doesn't select them to go hunting together. Vincent and I sort of have an inner alliance. Trajan's by himself because everyone hates him. Luc is either allied with Glorian or part of Noelani and Cecelia's inner alliance. It's made tension in the pack really heavy.
As much as I hate to admit it, Glorian is doing a good job of running the alliance. A lot of his choices when it comes to pairing people up may seem pretty random, but I think he's purposefully putting people who won't click together so that they don't have time to scheme against him and ditch the Careers together.
My foot catches on another slippery rock and I go crashing to the ground. My hands shoot out to block my fall and my palm collides with an especially sharp rock.
I let out a cry as I get back to my feet. My palm has a sizable cut in it. I cradle it to my chest, wincing. I look up and am surprised to see that Vincent didn't stop for me. In fact, he's very far ahead, still walking fast.
"Wait up!" I shout, rushing to catch up to him. He doesn't stop walking.
District 3
Lennox Porter
I think I've nearly reached the edge of the arena.
After walking for three days, I've reached a large cliffside with a waterfall feeding into the river below. The rocky wall is high and steep, so I don't know how I could possibly get up there. However, it's filled with all sorts of indents that make caves. I think if I were to attempt to climb it, I would be able to sneak into one and rest.
But do I want to climb it? I'm suspecting this is near the edge of the arena, but there could be something past this. But the climb looks treacherous, and what if it really is the edge? The whole climb wouldn't be worth it.
At the same time, if I managed to make it up there, it would give me a huge advantage against other tributes. I'd be able to see them coming, and it's unlikely many of them would risk the climb. But what if I slipped and fell? I have to get home to Ada. Is it worth the risk?
I sigh and kneel at the riverside. After reaching it and realizing crossing was an unrealistic goal, I decided to hike along the side. It wasn't the most pleasant walk, mostly because I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. At first, I was quite sure that someone was watching me. But I checked the surrounding area and I couldn't explain why someone wouldn't kill me immediately, so I just dismissed it as nerves and hoped it would leave me soon.
It didn't.
Still trying to ignore my hairs standing on end, I decide to set up camp for the night. I can choose whether or not to climb the cliff in the morning. I consider setting up camp in one of the caves, but most require a considerable climb and the only ground-level cave is large and directly behind the waterfall. I don't want to get soaked by going through the sheet of water.
Instead, I just place my things (which consists of my sponsor parachute, water bottle, and nothing else) on a rock next to the river and lean against it. I can always move to a more concealed place if the weather gets bad. It likely will - there are no trees covering the river, so I can see the dark sky. The sun is already beginning to set, but dark clouds nearly block out the pink sky. It's probably going to rain again tonight.
I reach for my water bottle and take a long sip. Since I've been next to a decent water source all day, I've allowed myself unlimited sips of water. If I run out, I can always refill the bottle. Thirst is one thing that hasn't been an issue. Hunger has been a bit more problematic. I don't have a weapon to hunt animals, so I've only been able to eat a few plants. I also only remember a few from training, and I won't eat any unless I'm positive it's safe, so all I've had since breakfast on the first day is a few handfuls of berries I found. They only provide a bit of nutrition, and the bush was nearly stripped clean. I still have a few left in my parachute, but I've been trying to save them.
Deciding I deserve a bit of food, I open the sponsor box and begin snacking on them. I don't remember their name, but they're small and watery and bitter. My face twists in disgust, but I gulp them down anyway.
I freeze when I hear the rustling of leaves. My breath catches - it could be the wind, but that seems unlikely considering there is no wind. I don't want to turn around. I know what I'm going to see.
I carefully set down my silver sponsor gift and turn around. Between me and the treelines is a large boy with his dark face twisted into a sadistic smile. Dennis.
I quickly scamper to my feet, suddenly aware of how unprepared I am. I don't have any sort of weapon to defend myself with, and this get-up won't provide any sort of armor against Dennis. He, on the other hand, has a dagger in one hand, a whip in the other, and a second dagger tucked into his belt. He has a sleeping bag strapped around his back, which could probably provide some protection. Not that he needs it… the odds of me afflicting any damage are almost non-existent.
"Hello, Lennox," Dennis says quietly after a moment. I find that I can't seem to move my legs, but where would I go anyway? The river is at my back, and there's no space to move along the sides. Either way, I'm going to have to fight him and likely die. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been following you all day. Well, since Day 1, actually. But I've been watching you all day.
"You're likely wondering why I didn't kill you sooner. Well, I had to have a plan. Because I told you how I was going to kill you, in training, right?" he asks. My throat feels dry as I shrug, even though I vividly remember him explaining how he intended to kill me. "I didn't remember at first. I threatened a lot of people, and I wanted to follow through on my threat to you without mixing it up with someone else's."
Dennis pauses and grins.
"You remember, don't know? You know exactly what I'm about to say." Dennis's dark eyes light up in excitement, something that chills me to the bone. "I'm going to tear you limb from limb."
The words being spoken aloud are enough to get me to move. I break into a run, trying to get past Dennis. I don't know how fast he is. His size suggests he won't be super quick, but I could be wrong. After all, I didn't hear him following me all day.
Dennis slams into me and I'm knocked into the ground. So close to the river, the ground is soft and damp. I try to get away, but Dennis yanks me back before I can do anything. To make things worse, he flips me around so I have to see his dark eyes again. I try to get away again, but he easily holds me down.
"I don't think I can rip your limbs off…" Dennis starts. For a moment, I feel relief, but then he says, "I suppose I'll have to cut them off."
I feel a flicker of panic, and then that flicker turns into a blast as I see his dagger poised in front of my face. His eyes are shining so brightly in excitement. His grin no longer looks evil… he genuinely appears ecstatic. I almost cry when I realize what he reminds me of… he has the same shade of brown eyes as Ada. Her eyes light up like that when she's excited. Dennis reminds me of Ada right now, and that's the scariest thing I've encountered this entire time.
He presses the cold tip of his blade against my arm, right at the crook of my elbow. I squeeze my eyes shut - I don't want to see his face or his eyes that look so similar to Ada and Devin's.
He begins sawing down. The pain is so bright it takes up my entire body and everything feels like it's on fire. I might be screaming, I might have blacked out, I don't know. All I can focus on is the pain consuming me. After an unidentifiable period of time, the pain is limited to just feeling like my entire arm is on fire, and my vision is restored. My eyes flicker open to see Dennis, looking like it's his birthday, lifting up a blood-soaked dagger. It drips off and lands on my stomach.
That's my blood… the thought is almost enough to make my pass out again.
"Now for the other arm…" Dennis starts, but before he can cut open my other arm, I knee him in the stomach. He jerks back in surprise, but before he can hold me back down, I kick his side. The kick is enough to send him into the raging river.
I don't know whether he can swim or not (I hope he can't) but he doesn't emerge from the river. I think I see him bobbing along far along the river, pushed away from me.
I accidentally look down and catch sight of my arm. My vision goes dark for a moment, but I don't faint. I can't look away. My entire forearm is lying in a pool of my blood, while the part attached to my body is gushing dark blood in a gush. I feel like I'm going to vomit. My head feels fuzzy. I try to drag myself away from the river, but the effort shoots more pain down my arm. After a few seconds, everything goes dark again.
District 2
Glorian Stafford
The jaguar paces in front of us, baring its fangs. I don't remember what to do when encountering jaguars - I'm sure I learned it at some point, but I don't remember. I stand frozen to the spot, trying not to move. I technically know it won't work, since the Gamemakers clearly programmed this mutt to kill, but I'm trying to stay optimistic that it will just turn and leave.
"What do we do?" Cecelia hisses out of the corner of her mouth. I don't respond, still at a loss for a plan. "Should we try to run back the way we came?"
"The jaguar would kill us before we reached the hallway," I reply. The jaguar has evil red eyes that glare at me as it slowly approaches. I hold my breath, silently willing it to go away. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cecelia place her hand on her sword. I don't dare move.
The jaguar stands still, still making eye contact with me. Suddenly, I feel something crawling across my arm. I let out the tiniest of gasps. I feel extremely tempted to look, but I'm worried the jaguar will pounce if I move. The insect moves down to my hand, and I feel compelled to look. Slowly, I raise my hand until I can see the bug in my peripheral vision.
It's quite large and seems to have pincers of some sort. I let out a shriek and knock it off my hand. It scampers away, and I'm relieved until I feel something slam into my chest. Before I can see the spotted skin of the leopard, I'm knocked to the ground. My head whips back and slams against the stone floor. I let out a groan. When I crack my eyes open, all I can see are the leopard's yellowed jaws. It breathes heavily in my face, and I can smell the coppery scent of blood.
I reach for my sword, but it's tucked in my belt in a position made impossible by the position. The leopard is over me, and it's blocking access to my only weapon.
It snaps at my face, but doesn't make contact. Suddenly, it's knocked to the side. I immediately scoot back until I'm on my feet, and I see Cecelia over the jaguar, stabbing her sword into its side. However, it's still alive. It gets to its feet and growls at her. I immediately grab my sword and head over to help her out, but by the time I reach Cecelia and the cat, she's beheaded it.
"Thanks," I pant, wiping the sweat off my face.
Cecelia and I both head over to the statue and pedestal in the center of the room, slightly shaken. Upon closer examination, the glowing pedestal appears to hold some sort of jewel. It's about egg-sized, and I think it may be a ruby. Cecelia moves to grab it, but I bat her hand away.
"Careful," I warn. "It may be a trap." Cecelia yanks her hand back. I look back at the jewel, and realize that an inscription is carved into the pedestal. I point it out to Cecelia, and we both crouch down to read it.
Welcome lucky tribute,
You've discovered one of the three gems placed around the arena. This jewel could save your life - with this, you can survive the Hunger Games without having to win.
It is possible that four tributes survive this year; one victor and three survivors.
However, you must make it to the final five to be able to escape. If you're in possession of the jewel by then, go to the Cornucopia. There, you will be rescued via hovercraft and will be taken home. You won't receive glory or wealth or even a place in the Victor's Village, but you will live. You'll go back to your old life as though you never were in the Hunger Games.
If you're with an ally, be very careful who you select to take the jewel. It can not be transferred between tributes. The first person to touch it is the only one who can use it to escape… with one exception. If you kill the current possessor of the jewel, then you will be the new owner.
May the odds be ever in your favor!
When we've finished reading, Cecelia and I exchange a look that shows we're thinking the same thing -
"I can't take this," Cecelia says. "I volunteered for the Hunger Games for a reason. I've trained for as long as I can remember, and I need to escape."
"Well, you'll escape if you take the gem," I reason. Cecelia shakes her head solemnly.
"That's not what I meant. I need to escape my life in District 1." She doesn't say anything else, and I don't push any farther.
"I… I don't think I can take it either. I've trained for a long time as well, and I have people who are counting on me. People who would be upset if I came home without a crown. And it would probably be better in the hands of someone who really wants it - someone who didn't ask to be in the Hunger Games, and just wants to survive," I say. Cecelia nods in agreement.
"I suppose this was a waste of time," she chuckles half-heartedly. At her words, a door slides open at the other end of the room. Light shines in and I can see the green of the jungle.
"I suppose we should head back to the rest of the Careers now."
District 10
Arabella Cantros
"I told you they wouldn't be here," Yael groans. We've just reached the place we were before the monkey attack, but it's completely empty. No Tristana and no Rachel.
"It was worth a shot," I mutter. Yael shrugs. I slump against a mossy log and try to hide my disappointment. Tristana and Rachel were the most useful members in our alliance. Neither Yael nor I am very good with weapons or strategy. Without them, we're just wandering around aimlessly.
Yael sits on the log next to me, quiet. I hear her begin to play with her whip behind me, a nervous habit she's picked up. Sometimes it makes me nervous. I don't know why - I know Yael would never hurt me, but sometimes I get a bad feeling.
I have to ignore what my gut's telling me, though. It's never been very accurate in the past, and I can't afford to mistrust my final ally.
"Do you think the anthem will play soon?" I ask nervously. A cannon fired in the morning, and I've been stressing all day that it's Rachel or Tristana.
"Probably," says Yael. I look up into the sky, and am glad to see that we have a decent view of the sky. The branches aren't too dense here, so I should be able to see who died. The sky is very dark now - I'm glad for the moon, which is bright enough to light my surroundings. I don't like the dark.
"Who do you think it is?" I try to ask casually, but it doesn't sound casual in the slightest. My fear is evident. Yael scoots over and wraps her arms around me, comfortingly.
"It won't be Tristana or Rachel," she says with such confidence, it almost convinces me. "They're too strong to die."
"Are you sure?" I ask.
"Yes. We'll find them tomorrow."
How could I ever think Yael would hurt me? I can trust her - Yael will keep me safe. Even if we don't find Tristana or Rachel, Yael will be by my side for the rest of the Games.
The anthem begins to play, and my head shoots up. The Capitol emblem is set brightly against the dark sky, and I nervously await its change. The emblem remains for a few moments before fading into the picture of a girl with bushy hair. She has a determined look on - it's the girl from District 8. I breathe a sigh of relief, but also feel uneasy. She was really close to my age. It could have just as easily been my picture up there. And if my memory serves correctly, she got a higher score than me… so it would have been more likely that I'd be up there.
I nervously bite my lip and continue to stare at the picture until I hear someone crashing through the bushes. I gasp, and Yael and I both hop to our feet. I grab my dagger and hold it out in front of me. However, I know it's unlikely I'll survive in a fight, so it's probably better if I just take off.
I get ready to run, but something keeps me grounded - the hope that it's Rachel and Tristana who emerge from the bushes. I privately know I'm being unrealistic, but I don't run.
To my surprise, it is Tristana who pushes her way into the open. I squeal in delight and run at her. I drop my weapon as I go, and pull her into a hug. Over her shoulder, I see Rachel make her way through, looking exhausted.
"Hi," she says, smiling through her exhaustion. She sits down next to the log as if we were never separated. "I'm not taking first watch."
With that, she falls asleep. I grin, and let go of Tristana.
"Me neither," I say, and curl up beside Rachel. Comforted by the fact that all of my allies are alive and well, and we're all back together again, I don't have any trouble sleeping. The moment my head hits the ground, I'm asleep.
District 1
Trajan Seth
It's nighttime when everyone else begins to filter back into camp. Linen's face has already appeared in the sky. Luc and I returned from hunting in mid-afternoon, so we've had to wait around a ton. Luc and Noelani immediately began talking, and didn't really let me join in. However, I was in such a good mood from getting another kill, I didn't care much.
By now, the pride has faded and now I'm just tired and hungry. We're not allowed to eat before Glorian returns, so we've just been sitting here, starving, for hours.
Two people emerge from the trees, but to my disappointment, it's only Glitter and Vincent. I groan - we still can't eat.
"Is Glorian back yet?" Vincent asks. I shake my head, and they both groan. "Ugh, I'm starving," Vincent complains. He hesitates, then says, "I'm going to go gather some berries or something. I'll be back soon."
"I'll come with you!" Glitter exclaims eagerly as Vincent begins walking back into the forest.
"No!" he quickly shouts, and she draws back. He mutters a half-hearted apology, then disappears into the trees. Glitter walks over to the Cornucopia, frowning. To my surprise, she sits down next to me.
"He hates you," I say bluntly, digging the tip of my spear into the ground.
"He doesn't hate me," she says. I raise an eyebrow. "Maybe he doesn't like me now, but he will."
"Why are you so confident?"
"I can always get boys to like me," Glitter grins smugly.
"No one that I've seen, so far. Everyone in our alliance hates you."
"If you hate me, why are you talking to me?"
"I'm bored."
"Well, everyone else in the Careers seems to have inner alliances," she observes after a moment.
"Oh, really?" I ask, mocking surprise. My voice dripping with sarcasm, I say, "I thought Cecelia and Noelani were complete strangers!"
"You don't have an ally," she notes. I pause. I can't tell if she's trying to argue with me or propose an alliance.
"Yes…?" I ask carefully.
"So far, Cecelia and Glorian have the most influence in the alliance. If we killed Glorian, we could be the new leaders of the Careers," Glitter says.
"If we killed Glorian, the Careers would disband. No one would trust us"
"What if we did it in private? What if one of us killed him while we're alone hunting, or something, and blamed it on another tribute or muttation?" Glitter suggests. I consider this. "Then we could kill Cecelia."
"Deal," I smile.
"But, I doubt Noelani or Lucretius would stick around with us."
"Kill Noelani, and Luc will stick around," I assure her. "He's a follower - he doesn't have the guts to ditch the rest of the Careers."
"All right," Glitter says. She holds out her hand to shake. After a second, I do so.
Forget about Linen, I can't wait to see Cecelia and Glorian's faces in the sky.
District 1
Cecelia Hart
The sky is dark, with the exception of the moon which shines above our heads. I'm guessing it's a little past midnight. All of the Careers, with the exception of Noelani and I, are fast asleep in the Cornucopia. Noelani and I are still snacking on our dinner, which was some fruit and a bit of a rabbit that Glitter and Vincent caught. The rest of the Careers gulped it down immediately, but we're savoring it.
To our surprise and delight, it hasn't rained all day, so we were able to build a fire that Noelani and I are now sitting next to, a bit away from the mouth of the Cornucopia.
Glitter is still sleeping curled up next to Vincent. I noticed that she stayed away from him until he was asleep, then rolled over until she was next to him. Trajan is propped up against the wall in the back of the Cornucopia with a weapon in either hand. Glorian is spread out on the floor, while Luc is sleeping only a foot away.
"I'm surprised Trajan didn't gloat about killing the girl from District 8 too much," I remark, chewing on a bit of fruit.
"Oh, he did earlier," Noelani assures me. "According to Luc, he wouldn't shut up on the way back. And then we had a long time where we were waiting for Glorian and you to return, where Trajan repeated the story over and over again. By the time you came, even Trajan was sick of it."
"Wow, I didn't notice there was a limit to how much he could boost his ego."
"Ha ha, yeah. Speaking of which, what took you guys so long?" Noelani asks. My eyes widen. I can't believe I've forgotten to recount the story to her!
"Okay, so Glorian and I found this building. It looked really old and overgrown, but when we entered there were a bunch of traps inside."
"Oh, so that's why Glorian's missing eyebrows!"
"Yeah. We finally reached this room with a ruby inside it. There was this note, and it said that whoever had the jewel could survive the Hunger Games. If they reach the final five, they can return home, along with the Victor," I explain. Noelani's eyes widen in surprise.
"Do you have it?" she asks.
"No. I...I can't go back to the way everything was before. It's still in the building. But you could get it!"
"I think it would be a little obvious if I left the Career camp for a full day to look for a gem…" Noelani starts.
"Then let's ditch the Careers! We can leave and get the gem!"
"And have the Careers hunt us down?" Noelani asks, raising her eyebrows. Her gorgeous green eyes watch me skeptically.
"Well… maybe not now. But eventually. When there are only a few people left, we can leave. And then… and then we can both make it home!"
EULOGIES:
16th: Linen Baird (D8F): Stabbed with a spear by Trajan Seth (D1M) - Linen was fairly popular, so this was a tough death. She had potential, and I could have kept her around longer with plenty of action, but she died for the simple reason that it just made sense for her to die here. I knew she wasn't going to win, so I didn't want to drag her along for ten days before undoubtedly killing her. I've also had her death planned out for a while, so I wanted to write it while it made sense.
ALLIANCES:
Cecelia/Trajan/Glitter/Glorian/Noelani/Lucretius/Vincent
Tristana/Arabella/Yael/Rachel
Axel/Hadley
SOLO:
Lennox
Dennis
KILL LIST/REMAINING TRIBUTES:
Cecelia Hart (D1F) - 1
Trajan Seth (D1M) - 2
Glitter Monique (D2F) - 1
Glorian Stafford (D2M) - 1
Lennox Porter (D3F) - 0
Noelani King (D4F) - 0
Lucretius Marlo (D4M) - 0
Dennis Fielder (D5M) - 1
Tristana Rockett (D6F) - 0
Axel Woodleigh (D6M) - 0
Vincent Elm (D7M) - 0
Hadley Moreau (D9M) - 1
Arabella Cantros (D10F) - 0
Yael Harident (D11F) - 0
Rachel Ivy (D12F) - 1
- Lilah