Karyssa Evans- Careen Ellis
What happened? I'd expected for sure we'd be the last two. No one should have been able to beat her. Was there an alliance? I'd have to keep my guard up.
Peach Unk- Vextrix Webb
We were down to six. The only one I knew I couldn't fight was Careen. She'd be hunting, and I should too. It was best to keep things short in this Arena. I didn't have time to waste.
Electra Magneta- Des Redwood
She should have looked radiant in the sky, like she did before the Games. But she only looked scared. I never thought of her that way, but she had been beautiful. I'd always seen it.
Titus Gein
I was still so hungry. I never wanted to stop eating. I could hunt all the world over until there was nothing left, and still it wouldn't be enough. I wanted more.
Every time I killed, it was gone in a flash. I would eat and tear and bite and then it would vanish. I felt as empty after as I did before.
The rocks sloped under my hands. I pulled myself up, smelling and tasting the air for any sign of food. Shapes filled the air and they knocked me down the cliff. They weren't food. They were hard and tasteless. They covered me and crushed me.
There was blood on my face. I licked it greedily and wished there was more. The rocks held me still. I wanted to move and find more to eat. All I had was blood, and then there was more of it.
I wasn't hungry anymore.
Desiree Redwood
She was holding a whistle when she died. She always liked to have something in her hand. It had her initials on it. I would have kept it, but I didn't want to take one of the only things she treasured. I moved it to her pocket so it wouldn't fall when the hovercraft came for her.
I had a one in six chance of winning. Someone like Electra could have told me the exact odds. It didn't feel like winning anymore really, but I still wanted to go home. I wanted to get away from the Arena and its scorching flat stones. I wanted to feel soft grass and the shade that came from endless trees. I wanted to leave this place and its memories behind.
I didn't feel anything but resentment when I saw the parachute. It should have gotten here before, back when we needed it. Now they tossed me a consolation prize for losing something irreplaceable.
The package was hot. The last thing I needed was more heat. It wouldn't solve anything to throw it away spitefully and starve, though. I opened it and though my heart wasn't into it, my stomach was boundlessly enthusiastic. There was a fat red hot dog in a soft-looking bun, with two lines of ketchup and mustard. Beside it was a little paper cut of potato patties and a cold can.
I put my pride away and ate the meal like I was starving, since I was. I saved the can for last, and it was wonderful. The liquid was cool and fruity and so fizzy it burned my tongue. It would probably have been healthiest to send water, but I was glad the Capitolites could be so dizzy.
There was another package off to the side. It wasn't food, so I left it until I was done. When I opened it, it was a pair of gloves.
Huh? Why would I want gloves? I thought. I put them on, and as expected, they were uncomfortably warm. But they were so thin they wouldn't have given me any protection in actual cold. They were black and covered with green lines like something out of Three. Obviously, something was up, and I tried an experiment.
I held my hands together and the lines glowed and hummed. I touched the metal container from the parachute and it sparked and flew a foot away. On a leap of faith, I touched my arm and prayed they weren't that stupid. They weren't. Nothing happened. They only zapped things that weren't me.
This would have been too easy for Electra. For me, they were just right.
DeMarcus
I couldn't avenge Blaise. That burned me up. There was no way to ever make things right, like so many other things in Panem. I needed a new goal. I couldn't avenge him, but I could still honor him. If I won, I'd get to go to Eight on my tour. I'd tell his family how brave he was and make sure they were taken care of.
Who was left? That boy from Six. I was amazed he'd made it so far. He seemed like such an egghead. I didn't anticipate any trouble from him. I didn't start fights. I just finished them. Let Careen take him out.
There was the giantess from Seven. She had it goin' on, but I wasn't her type. Far from it. So it goes. But she was a knockout in more than one way. I'd steer clear of her unless all else failed. I only fight people my own size.
The other girl from Eleven was fierce. I was strong and I knew how to fight, but she'd make me pay. She might start it, too. I saw her in training. She was stone cold.
Of course, there was Careen. She was the last Career, and that didn't happen by luck. She was by far the favorite to win. I didn't want to tangle with her, but it was inevitable unless I died some other way first. They always said it was about honor. I hoped that meant the Academy taught them fair fights. I didn't know anything about that, but I knew unfair fights. That was the only way to win, especially for me.
6th place: Titus Gein- Killed by rockslide
We all knew it was coming since that's what the books said happened to Titus. I'd been waiting to get to the proper time to add him in. Looking closer, Katniss said it was a few years ago, so actually I jumped the gun, but such is life. As I planned the Badlands Arena, it all came together. It was a perfect match for a mutt and storyline. Titus was attacked by a Wendigo, a creature known for its insatiable hunger for human flesh and its bite, which turns the victim into another Wendigo. While the tribes that had Wendigo stories (mostly the Algonquian) didn't live precisely in the Badlands, the Capitol isn't known for cultural sensitivity. I had some freedom with Titus' personality because we only ever knew he was a cannibal. I decided to make him philosophical and introspective to enhance the contrast and because I don't get many of those. I also got to make up his last name and naturally chose Gein. It was either that or Bean, the other famous cannibals. Our thanks to Suzanne Collins for Titus and everything else.