Disclaimer:
I do not own the Hunger Games book series. It is the property of Suzanne Collins and the publisher Scholastic Press. The movies are owned by Lionsgate and other associated producers and creators. I am simply a humble fan, writing this for the enjoyment of other fans. Please support the official release.
Arena - Day 2
Margaret Cresta
District 4 Female Tribute
She was woken when the light of the sun hit her eyes. Last night when the bats attacked, Neptune and Margaret had hunkered down in a cave, the only place that they bats wouldn't follow. Her district partner had fallen into the cave. He might have hurt his left arm, but in the end, his little accident had probably saved their lives.
Blinking, Margaret shielded her eyes with her hands, sitting up. As her eyes adjusted, she looked back at Neptune. He was sleeping further back in the cave.
"Neptune," she called. The boy's eyes opened a moment later, narrowing on her.
"Margaret," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "The bats?"
She looked back at the mouth of the cave. "They're gone. How's the arm?"
She turned back in time to see him move his arm, rotating it. "A lot better. Still a little sore, but I'll live. I'm more worried about the bite marks," he answered.
Now in the light of day, Margaret looked down at her body. Every inch of skin that hadn't been covered by the arena uniform was full of bite marks. Angry red marks and slowly healing wounds. He was right to be worried. If their wounds got infected, there was a good chance they'd die. Medicine in the arena was astronomically expensive, and they only had food and weapons back at the Cornucopia.
"Nothing we can do about it now," Margaret muttered, standing up. "Come on. Let's get outside. Maybe the gate to the palace courtyard is back open."
Neptune mumbled his agreement as she climbed out. Standing just a few feet away from her was the girl from District 5. The same girl that she had murdered the day before. Releasing a scream, Margaret looked down at her belt, grabbing the short sword. When she looked back up, the girl was gone.
Did I imagine that? Margaret thought. The girl from Five had only been a few feet away, staring right at her. That can't be. She was dead. I killed her.
Murdering the girl hadn't given her any pleasure. It had made her sick to her stomach when she did. That girl hadn't done anything to her, and Margaret cut her down in cold blood. She couldn't be alive. Was her mind playing tricks on her? Maybe she deserved it for what she did. She killed an innocent girl... She just wanted to go home.
Neptune came storming out of the cave, his gold trident raised. His eyes scanned the area around them. "What happened?" He demanded, his eyes flickering towards her for only a moment.
"I thought I saw the girl from Five," she muttered, lowering her sword.
Neptune gave her a sideways glance. "We killed her in the bloodbath. I saw her face in the sky last night."
Margaret nodded, but she couldn't bring herself to say that she had been the one who killed Five. If she said it, it would become more real.
"Are you okay?" Neptune asked. Before she could answer, Margaret caught sight of a glint in the sky. Looking up, she saw a parachute coming down towards them.
Neptune seemed to forget about the conversation, a grin spreading across his lips. "Perfect."
Margaret reached her hand out, grabbing the round container. She unscrewed the lit, revealing a pink cream.
"What is it?" Neptune asked.
"It looks like some kind of cream," she said. Reaching two of her fingers in, Margaret pulled out a scoop. It smelled like peaches, but it wasn't fruit. Closer to the disinfectant that was used in the Troubled Youth Center when one of the students got injured. She rubbed the cream onto one of the cuts on her arm, and the prickling pain faded immediately. "It's medicine," she told him.
Neptune joined her and the two of them started coating their wounds in the cream. By the time they had finished, the whole container was empty, but she didn't care. The annoying prickle of pain in the back of her head was gone. The medicine probably meant that their wounds were probably not going to get infected.
She was just about to suggest going back to the courtyard when she heard the sound of a branch snapping. It had come from just behind a large bush. She grabbed her sword but Neptune was faster; his trident pierced through the bush and a girl screamed. The two sprinted forward through the bush. The girl from Twelve was on the ground, Neptune's trident through her stomach. Blood was starting to pool around her.
"Mommy! Daddy!" The girl yelled through her tears. "Please! It hurts."
It was the girl Gleam had bullied just a few days ago. She had cried then, but now she had a trident through her stomach. On the ground, surrounded by blood, she looked so small. There was no coming back from that wound. Not here in the arena. She'd need a literal fortune to get the medicine here, and even then it probably wouldn't save her. The kind of wound would need a team of doctors to fix. In a single moment, Neptune had effectively killed her.
Nelly, Margaret remembered. That's her name.
Nelly tried to curl up in a ball, crying for her parents, her siblings, her boyfriend. Someone to come and save her. Margaret couldn't move, staring down at Nelly in silent horror.
Neptune walked by her, leaning down beside Twelve. Margaret was close enough to hear the whispered "I'm sorry" before Neptune grabbed her head. In one move, he broke her neck.
A cannon fired.
Katniss Everdeen
Co-Victor of the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games
She stared down at her terminal, keeping her eyes off the live broadcast against the wall of the room. Peeta had mercifully muted it. She had wanted to mute Nelly's feed, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Katniss was her mentor, and if she had laid dying last year, she didn't think Haymitch would have turned away.
Katniss didn't know she was crying until her tears hit the screen. The boy from Four was walking towards Nelly, and Katniss didn't know if she would be able to stop herself from losing it if he decided to put on a show. Nelly's vitals were already going haywire, but there was nothing she could do. Nelly had less than a thousand denarii to her account, and that wouldn't by much. Even if she could, Nelly was too close to the Careers for whatever Katniss sent to be helpful.
Thankfully the boy from Four broke her neck. It was quick and clean. Her vitals flare for one last moment before she flat-lined. Her vitals disappeared as the screen turned back. Her access to the games store and Nelly's personal feed was cut.
Three white words appeared on the black screen:
Twelve Female Eliminated
Was that all of Nelly's life accumulated in? Three simple words? Katniss was glad the rooms were soundproof because she was crying before she knew it. Peeta's warm arms gently pulled her into a hug. She didn't know how long she sat at her terminal crying, but Peeta didn't complain. She saw him watching his brother intently, but he never took his arms off her.
Before the reaping, Katniss had never spoken to Nelly. She was two years below her in school, but she had seen Nelly a few times in the Seam. It had never occurred to her that the girl could be related to Haymitch.
Katniss had only spent one week with Nelly before the games. Enough to try and coach her through as much as she could. It was hardly any sufficient amount of time to get to know her, but in that small week, Nelly had managed to worm her heart. And now she was dead.
The door opened however long she cried, and Haymitch walked inside. "Katniss. Come on girl. Let's get out of here," he called.
"Where are we going?" She managed to get out.
"I have a small house I keep on hand for the games each year. Three rooms. Come on, you don't want to stay here," he whispered gently.
"What about Peeta?" She asked.
"I'll stay here and help him," he promised. "I'll be back soon."
"Okay," Peeta replied. "Go and get some sleep Katniss."
As Katniss left, she pulled out the small drive and handed it to Peeta. It contained all of Nelly's meager amount of money.
She allowed Haymitch to take her out of the room. Now that she was gone it was probably going to be closed. Peeta had been camped out with Aero and Mercedes from Six since the game had started. She had been with them until Kia had died, at which point she fled to an empty room.
She vaguely remembered him getting a car and the two of them driving into the city. It was the same car they had come in, with Twelve's seal emblazoned on the front. She remembered people cheering and waving as they passed.
It was at the edge of the Capitol when they finally stopped. A small house (better than any in Twelve, outside of Victor's Village, and the official's houses) was surrounded by a white fence. The grass in front of it was a rich green color.
Haymitch jammed his thumb against a scanner on the door, and it clicked open. The inside was cleaner than any place had a right to be if he lived there. He lead her to one of the rooms and even went so far as to help her to bed. Fully clothed, of course.
He left and came back with a yellow pill and a glass of water. "I'm sorry about Nelly. This will help you sleep."
Helene Dulac
District 1 Female Tribute
It was just her luck getting stuck with Gleam and Cassandra to go hunting. It had been even worse luck to get stuck in the palace when the sun went down. Despite what uncle Augustus said, she wanted to split from the Career back as soon as possible. Given the winding maze of corridors, Helene considered making a break for it, but Gleam had brought a spear with him. After Ryker and Finnick, he was easily the one with the best aim, and he had proven he could hit a moving target.
Still, her uncle's argument was persuasive, and it might just be a better idea to bite the bullet and stay with the pack until they were down to ten tributes.
"Think the door is open?" She asked her allies.
Cassandra shrugged. "Might as well go check. Better than getting lost in here."
"Speaking of getting lost, are you sure this is the way back?" She asked Gleam. Her district partner nodded.
"I remember coming this way," he said. All the hallways blended together as they drove deeper and deeper into the palace, so she wasn't sure how he remembered the way.
He was right, regardless. They found their way back to the large room full of golden doors and crystal staircases. Unlike last night, the large doors were open. The Courtyard sat outside in the sunlight.
Ryker got up when they came out and had a spear ready to fly. He slowly lowered it when he saw them.
"How was the night?" Gleam asked. His scythe was on his shoulder.
Ryker shrugged. "Cold," he said.
It hadn't been that cold in the palace, luckily enough. They had even found a room with beds and blankets. She doubted any Victors had a comfortable time in the arena as they had. A small feast had been laid out for them to take!
"Neptune and Margaret?" Cassandra asked.
Ryker pointed to the gate leading out to the forest. "It closed before they came back," he said.
"So the gate leading to the forest and the doors to the palace both close at night," Gleam surmised. "If we don't want to get stuck inside, we had better be out before nightfall. Anything exciting happen while we were away? I heard a cannon today."
"It wasn't me if that's what you're asking," Ryker told them. "I haven't seen anyone since yesterday. I did see the bats."
"The bats?" She asked curiously.
Ryker turned to look at her and nodded. "After it got dark, bats started flying through the forest. I could hear them over the walls. Caught a glimpse of one in the moonlight."
"Weird, but we can talk about that later," Gleam said. "Let's eat."
Helene couldn't disagree. They hadn't eaten anything other than the small meal they found.
The Four's joined them a few minutes later, sporting a strange completion. Neptune's trident was dripping with blood, which prompted Gleam to ask what had happened.
The two explained about the girl from Twelve and the blood-sucking bats of the night before. It was agreed they'd avoid the forest now that Twelve and Six were dead. Gleam swore they were the only two that ran that way, which meant that they could afford not to search the forest. At least for the time being. Which Helene was completely fine with. Trying to use a whip in a forest was a bitch that she'd rather avoid.
"Margaret, Helene, Ryker, Cassandra. We're going hunting," Gleam said, finishing his package of dried jerky. "Odair, can I count on you to guard the fort while I'm gone?"
Neptune smiled. "You bet."
Helene cursed inwardly. Once she was given the guard job, she could make her move.
Rance Walker
District 3 Female Tribute
"There's not very much hunger in this year's Hunger Games," Rye commented, grabbing two full water bottles from a pedestal as he passed. "Why do you think that is?"
Rance was wondering the same thing. In normal years, hunger had been a big theme of the games, but in this palace, it seemed the food was widely available here. "They must want us fed. If they want us fed, it's so we're not weak. Better for some kind of spectacle."
That was the only thing she could of.
"Another door," Rye said, stopping in his tracks. They were walking down a long corridor. Another small branch hallway lead a little way down, with a single door at the end. "What do you think?"
Rye offered her one of the bottles and she gratefully took it. She was parched. Downing a quarter of the bottle she made her choice. "Let's go check it out."
She hadn't had any food since that morning and she was a little hungry. If she was lucky, there would be food.
There wasn't any food. Instead, the room was an armory. Two small tables took up most of the space. The left table was full of knives, two short swords, and a helmet. Rye's eyes lit up when he saw the table and made a beeline for it.
Rance's eyes were drawn to the right table. No weapons of death could be found. Instead, it was full of junk, metal, and wires. This was what she needed. This was how she could survive.
Rye finished arming himself when he asked her if she was ready to leave.
"Leave?" She repeated, only half paying attention to him. "No. Not yet. I can't leave."
"Are you alright, Rance?" He asked.
"Alright? I'm better than I've been since I was reaped," Rance promised, unable to hide her grin any longer.
She began to pour over everything on the table, taking note of what she had to work with. All things considered, it wasn't much, but it was more than she had the day before.
"What are you going to do with all this?" Rye asked.
She didn't miss the note of concern in his voice.
"Have you ever watched the Seventh Hunger Games? Or the Thirty-Fourth? Or the Fifty-Second?" She inquired, grabbing one of the compressors off the table. It was old, certainly, but it looked usable.
"No. It was before my time. I don't think I've ever seen any reruns during mandatory viewing either," Rye explained. During the months the games or the Victory Tour wasn't going on, mandatory viewing was still enforced. Usually, it was older games that were broadcast.
"Well, how about the Sixty-Sixth?" She tried instead.
Rye was quiet for a moment. "That was the year Siren Shiba won, wasn't it?"
Rance nodded absentmindedly. "Yes, it was. In Seventy-Five years, Three has only won the crown four times. Siren was our latest Victor. Do you remember anything of her games?"
"I remember it was an upset. She killed both tributes from Two in the final battle," Rye said.
Rance nodded. "Her arena was an old Capitol junkyard. She used what she had to make and made a makeshift weapon. I'm going to do the same thing."
Sequoya
District 7 Female Tribute
"Are they out there?" Wren asked from behind her.
"Shh!" She snapped back. Sequoya quickly poked her head out the large door, out into the Courtyard. It had taken them a whole day to find their way back to the entrance of the palace but it was worth it. She was willing to bet money that almost all of the remaining tributes were somewhere in the palace, with the possible exception of the Careers. Most years they set up camp at the Cornucopia.
Other than them, the palace was probably the better bet. Rooms full of beds, making it a warm place to sleep. Rooms full of food, and water. Or even just fruit in the hallway. Hell, they even stumbled into a small armory. Which was how she decked herself out with two throwing axes, and a large one to fight with. She had made Wren take the knives.
The palace was the best place to stay. Food, warmth, and weapons. Why would someone go to the forest, which probably had none of those things? Which meant that it might also be the safest area from the Careers.
Sequoya saw the boy from Four standing against one of the walls surrounding the courtyard. A trident in his hand, but from his position by the wall and the sound, the boy was taking a piss.
Sequoya turned back to Wren. "Be very quiet and follow me," she whispered. Without waiting to hear his answer, she quietly but quickly moved across the courtyard. She hoped Wren was behind her.
Before Four finished taking care of business, she had gone through the gate and was out in the forest. She paused long enough to confirm that Wren was following, before moving further into the forest. It seemed to be about dusk, and the sun was lowering.
"Sequoya," Wren called from behind her, after an hour of walking silently. She stopped and turned around. He stood at the mouth of what appeared to be an opening in the Earth. One that she had completely missed.
She followed him inside, and they found themselves in a stone cave. Looking around, she nodded. It was a good place to hide. She was sure the Careers would be focusing on the palace, but even if they had someone roaming the forest, the night would hide the cave.
"So, are we buckling down here for the night?" Wren asked her.
Sequoya grinned. "It seems as good of a place as any."
Boggs Wilson
Commander of President Coins Security Detail
District 12 was dark. Mandatory viewing had ended hours ago, and most of the district was asleep. The Hovercraft's sensors scanned the fence, revealing that no electricity was running through it. No camera's or any other active equipment could be found. With the craft cloaked, they descended outside of Twelve's border fence.
The ramp lowered and Jackson followed him out. They were right outside the Seam. Further, into the impoverished village, a single house had a light in it. The candlelight was the signal.
Boggs reached his hand up to his ear, clicking on the comm. "This is Commander Boggs. The area is clear and secure," he relayed.
A flash of static. "Understood commander. Artificial bodies and ramps are being unloaded now," the voice of the hovercraft pilot answered.
The ramps came first. In reality, they were tall ladders, able to fit over the top of the fence. The doctors came next, wheeling out ten bodies, each one an exact size and match for Ruth Everdeen, Primrose Everdeen, Hazelle Hawthorne, Rory Hawthorne, Vick Hawthorne, Posy Hawthorne, Collis Mellark, Charity Mellark, Broa Mellark, and his wife.
Boggs was the first one over the ramp. His second, Jackson, followed right behind him. The two crept silently through the Seam, hands on their firearms just in case.
When they reached the house with the candlelight, he knocked on the door. Once, twice, and final time. It cracked open a moment later, and he came face to face with Ruth Everdeen. She nodded at him and opened the door all the way.
"Is everyone here?" Boggs whispered.
She shook her head. "Collis doesn't want to leave Peeta all alone. He's staying behind."
Boggs nodded. He hoped President Coin didn't mind one less than she was promised, but if the old baker wanted to stay, who was he to say no?
Nine of them exited the small building. He noticed a cat the arms of the youngest Everdeen daughter, and he wondered how the authorities back home would take it. Then again, it was a small price to pay for more able bodies who could breed. Who weren't infected by the plague.
Jackson took the lead this time and Boggs brought up the rear. The youngest girl was safely tucked in her mother's arms, the only one of the group not walking.
When they made it to the fence, all of the artificial bodies were inside the district. Boggs instructed the group to climb over the ramp. Two of his men were waiting on the other side. Once all of them were down, the small group was escorted into the hovercraft.
"Get the baker's body back over the fence. He's not coming," he ordered two of the doctors.
Boggs and Jackson guarded the doctors as they carried the rest bodies through the Seam. Once they reached the house, they dumped each body on the floor or a wall. Boggs pulled out a small firebomb, setting it on the table. Once it activated, it would destroy itself, leaving no evidence that it had been the cause of the fire.
"Will this work?" Jackson asked the doctors as everything was set. Boggs closed the door behind them.
"Yes," the lead doctor answered as the group made its way back to the fence. "The bodies are the exact height and weight. They'll be burned beyond recognition. Only dental records will be able to identify them, which we have made sure match each exactly."
Making it back to the fence in silence, they climbed over the ramp. A technician came up once all of them were out, pressing a button on the side. The ramp came back over and folded up into a beam. Two techs grabbed it and brought it back into the hovercraft. Boggs was the last one aboard, making sure the doctors and his second were on. The ramp of the hovercraft closed and they lifted silently into the air.
Once they were floating above Twelve, Boggs walked over to one of the screens in the hold, turning it on. He had an aerial view of Twelve. Grabbing the detonator from his belt, he pressed the switch one time, watching as the Everdeen house went up in flames. He watched as other people from the Seam came out to see what was happenig, the panic beginning to take hold.
"Get us out of her," Boggs order through his comm.
"Yes sir," the pilot replied.
The Peacekeepers would soon arrive to help put out the fire. Gale Hawthorne was staying with a friend at the mine and would tell the Peacekeepers his family was secretly meeting with the Everdeen's and the Mellark's. To help plan wedding gifts.
Author's Note:
Hello! I hope you have enjoyed the twelfth chapter!
By the time you are reading this, I've curently started work on Chapter 20. The last chapter in the arena. I can't say I'm super happy about how I'm wrapping this up if I'm honest. So much of my progress was lost when all my arena chapters were deleted. I'm a little afraid that the ending to this newer version will be a let down. Nowhere near how I envisioned it originally, before all those chapters were lost. Just some apologizes in advance for when the end comes, and it maybe not living up to your expectation.