Spool Nylon (12)- D8M

I can't hold back my tears as I climb hurriedly from the Cornucopia, collapsing beside Seb's body. His eyes are black and lifeless, staring at nothing. I won't be a fool and try to revive him' his cannon has already gone off. He's dead.

I take his hand and quietly cry for a few minutes before realizing where I am. Out in the open where either of my Career-trained opponents can see me. Not that the girl from Four will be coming back any time soon. I sob softly as I get to my feet, wiping my face and walking resolutely back to the golden horn. I need to leave Seb's body enough space so that the hovercraft will be able to retrieve him. I climb back onto the horn, though it's much harder without Seb helping me, and watch as the hovercraft materializes above us, reaching down to grab Seb and haul him back up. He'll get to be with his family in District Seven now. He would be happy. He wouldn't want to live out the rest of his days as a puppet for the Capitol; I know that. All I can do now is try to honor his memory by doing what needs to be done. I need to win.

I drape my crossbow across my lap, laying down so that no one can see me. It worked for the first girl, and it might work for the next. I stare up at the sky, so clear and blue. The sun is blinding, but that doesn't stop me. The sight of Seb lying there, his blood completely black and his eyes open and unseeing, his burned into my retinas. I need to burn it away.

I lie there for a long time, but don't hear anything. I might be here for a while. The sun slowly goes down, and I start to shiver, so I wrap myself in the sleeping bag that I dragged up here with myself, checking to see how much food I have before closing my eyes for the night. Tomorrow will be a long day.

I pretend I can't hear the echoing sounds of inhuman wailing across the desert.

Tiffany Silk (18)- D1F

I had searched the bank for hours before giving up, finally setting up camp near the river. With any luck, someone will come by and I'll be able to make a kill. A cannon went off earlier, meaning there's only three of us left. The victor will likely be crowned tomorrow, perhaps the next day if the Capitol is willing to let it play out.

I watch the sky above me as it flashes with the insignia of the Capitol, then reveals the face of the boy from Seven. Damn it. I'm glad he's out of the competition, but Nikki is still alive, and probably was the one to kill him. She's my main opponent now, along with the little boy from Eight who will be easy to pick off. However, I realize I've only made three kills in the Games. Not necessarily a bad number, especially since I'll be theoretically making one more to win, bringing it to four. But five kills has an impressive ring to it, something that only the most worthy victors can achieve. It was already accomplished this decade by Cassius Cato, Hadrian's brother, but I know I can do it too, and prove District One's prowess in the Games to the country.

With these thoughts swirling in my brain, I finally put myself to sleep. Finding my opponents will be either getting easier to harder depending on how the Capitol chooses to deal with us, either herding us together or letting this play out on its own until one of us dies, then setting up the final showdown. I imagine since nothing has happened since the Seven guy's death that they are letting us track each other down. The thought brings a smile to my face. I was always the best at tracking in training, and I love a good ambush fight. I'll show all those spoiled, lazy Capitolites how it's done.

The next morning, I rise early and try to make my hair look presentable. This is definitely the longest I've gone without wearing makeup since I was twelve, although my stylists did try to give me some long-lasting Capitolite products. But my hair has become a ratty mess that just won't do for my final fights in the arena. I try running my fingers through it several times, taking out the biggest knots before pulling it into a ponytail.

I feel more like myself after improving my appearance, like I could be on my way to training in One right now. I do a few stretches and make sure I'm hydrated before setting out on the hunt. It's going to be a long day, and I might not find anyone if my opponents find each other first. If Nikki was the one to kill the guy from Seven, then she's probably on the tail of the little one from Eight as well. I need to find both of them, and soon.

I contemplate where to go, ultimately deciding on the Cornucopia as a prime location for scoping out the competition. There might be someone there already, in which case I'll be in for an immediate battle. I pump myself up before I start to run, trying to get into the right headspace. If I do this, then I'll get to see Price and my family again. I'll get to talk to sweet little Kara again and tell he all about my experiences. She'll be especially interested in my tales of fashion from the Capitol. I smile to myself just thinking about it, reaching up to touch my family crest that hangs around my neck.
It's time to go home.

Nicolette "Nikki" Anderson (17)- D4F

I wake up to the feeling of water gently caressing my face. Did I fall asleep after swimming at the beach? No, my father wouldn't allow that; ready to order a cooldown before we went to bed.

I slowly open my eyes, seeing nothing but sand. I sit up slowly and the pain returns to me, and I remember with horror where I am: not back in Four or in training on the beach, but in the Hunger Games themselves.

I fell asleep with the water of the stream running over my forehead, sand entering my mouth. I'm lucky I didn't accidentally drown myself. I wince at the sharp pain radiating from my shoulder and abdomen. The wound Tiffany gave me in my side isn't deep, but it stings like hell. However, the puncture wound in my shoulder is a problem. Judging by the red-stained sand around me, I lost a lot of blood while I was out. It's stopped bleeding now, unless I move too much. Hissing with agony, I rip off a piece of my pants and fashion it carefully into a bandage, wrapping it as tightly as I can around my shoulder. It stains slightly with blood, but remains mostly clean. A good sign.

I try to stand and my vision goes white, forcing me back down. A bad sign. I've lost a lot of blood, more than is healthy. I'm lucy that the Games will be over soon; I'll either be dead or in the Capitol in time for a transfer. That bratty little guy from Eight just had to shoot me. I wouldn't think someone so small would have such good aim, but alas, I was wrong.

I feel my eyes fill with tears for some reason, and I frown in confusion. Pain doesn't influence me that much anymore, so what is going on? The tears flow over my cheeks and spill onto my neck, making me sniffle. I wipe them away, but they keep coming, like a waterfall that I just can't stop. I hear myself sob quietly and bury my face in my knees so the cameras can't see my face. I don't think I've cried in years, ever since Marcus died .What is wrong with me?

Oh, Marcus… my sweet brother who loved to watch the fish in the ocean with me, until our parents corrupted him and taught him to start catching and killing them instead. I stood aside while they took my brother from me and watched him die on a screen in our living room, crying as my parents didn't shed a tear, even scolded me for it. Then I watched Jason save that poor little girl from Twelve, even if I didn't want him to, and then watched them both die as well, gasping out their last breaths on the sand like fish. After that, I was the one to kill a helpless child, and then another tribute who just wanted to protect his little ally.

The tears don't stop for several minutes, during which time I can feel the heavy sobs wracking my body. I can feel the sticky tears soaking my clothes, and feel the pricks of pain in my shoulder and side every time I move, but somehow I don't feel present, like I'm not really here. When my tear ducts finally run dry, I lift my face from my lap and wipe away my face quickly, my vision blurry either from the tears, the bloodloss, the pain, or maybe something different. I sniffle a few times before gently lying back down, staring up at the sky. Who cares if I win or not? What kind of victory would I have, what kind of life would I live? One without Jason, without my brother, without a loving family, my every move watched and analyzed by the Capitol, my body likely sold for the entertainment of others. That's no life.

I slowly lay back down on the sand. If I die here, so be it. I don't care what happens to me now.

Spool Nylon (12)- D8M

I've been waiting for anything to happen since I woke up this morning, sweating through my clothes. The metal of the Cornucopia is hot underneath me, and I have to sit on my sleeping bag to prevent burning my skin. I can feel a droplet of sweat run down my back as I sharpen my knife on a sharpening stone I found inside the golden horn. My crossbow will be my main weapon, but I'll probably have to meet someone in close combat at some point. A large weapon won't do me any good- I'm too small- but this small knife will be able to do a lot of damage if it's sharp enough. I remember what Seb told me about winning before he died. I have to win, for my family, for his, and for Seb himself. I can't let my emotions get the better of me right now, no matter how much I want to curl into a ball and never get up again.

I hear a strange noise coming from my right, and I look over to see someone trekking toward me. A lump in my throat, I slowly lower myself down, hoping she hasn't seen me. It's the blond girl from One. It seems she finally caught up with me after all.

She doesn't say anything as she approaches. Maybe she really didn't see me. I quietly string my crossbow, pulling it back. The tip of the arrow gleams in the sunlight and I swallow nervously. My heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest.

I slowly peer over the edge of the Cornucopia to see her rifling through a crate of food, throwing away the rotted fruits and vegetables. I eye her exposed neck, wondering if I could take her out in one shot. Surely it's worth a try; she seems uninjured and unbothered- not the kind of tribute I'd be able to face in drawn-out combat. I lift my crossbow as quietly as I can, aiming for the strip of skin I can see above her jacket. Just before I let the arrow fly, she spots me above her and her eyes widen, leaping away.

I curse as I stand, quickly trying to reload the bow. I clumsily drop one arrow and reach for another, by which time my opponent has started looking for ways to climb up the golden horn herself. I let loose another arrow, this one narrowly missing her as she ducks just in time.

"It's over, little one," she hisses, pulling herself up over the grooves of the Cornucopia. "It's time to go home."

"I'll be going home alive!" I scream, shooting another arrow. This one embeds itself in her thigh, making her shriek with pain. She looks up to me from her wound, her eyes shocked and angry.

"You shot me!" She lunges forward, tackling to the top of the boiling hot Cornucopia. She raises her sword, but I kick her in the stomach and manage to wiggle my way out from underneath her. My size does come in handy sometimes, but my crossbow has unfortunately fallen over the side of the Cornucopia.

I unsheathe my knife and stand my ground as she gets to her feet, one hand covering where her thigh is slowly bleeding down her leg. "Don't make this difficult, little one. I don't want a young one like you to suffer."

I spit at her feet, lunging forward when she doesn't expect it. She easily parries my knife with her sword, but the curve in the blade flicks up to slice my cheek open. The cut stings as I regain my balance, barely able to steady myself before falling over the edge.

She advances on me again, this time slicing me open before I can even try to block her. I scream in agony as I feel my chest start to bleed. I fall to my knees. I can hear her panting triumphantly above me, and the droplets of my own blood as they drop onto the metal below us.

"Don't be upset," she says, out of breath. "Third place is honorable."

"First if better," I spit. Then I quickly wrap my arms around her and pull her past me, so that we're both flying through the air for a few moments, nothing but her high-pitched scream filling my ears. The impact is hard, but I get up as soon as I can, watching her struggle to lift up her head. She spits up some blood, her eyes wide and frightened as I grab the sword out of her hand and bring it down onto her neck, slicing it open. Her blood erupts from the gash in her throat, gushing onto her clothes and into the sand.

Her cannon goes off in just a few seconds. I heave a sigh of relief, and then one of pain. I reach for my stomach, groaning as I realize I may have killed my enemy, but I've made my own wound much worse. I think I can feel my muscles moving inside me, sliced and disjointed. I don't dare look at the wound. Instead, I hobble over to the supplies inside the horn, rummaging for anything to help me. I easily find some bandages and an ointment to heal the cut, and I gingerly apply some before wrapping my body in the pure white bandages. They immediately are stained red, but I ignore it and cover it with my shirt.

It's just me and the girl from Four now. Where is she hiding? Where will our final battle take place?

I glance back at the body of the blonde girl, her pretty face pale and empty. Not here. The hovercraft needs to recover her body, and then the Gamemakers will surely push us together in one way or another.

"Sorry, brother," I say aloud. "I said I would be back in two weeks, tops, but I was wrong. But I'll be home soon."

Nicolette "Nikki" Anderson (17)- D4F

I don't know how long I lay motionless on the sand, drifting in and out of sleep, when the cannon goes off. I bolt straight up, momentarily forgetting my injuries and wincing in pain. I flex my shoulder carefully, sighing loudly to myself. I really am apart of the final two. It's what I've wanted for so long, isn't it? So why do I feel so defeated?

I slowly wobble to my feet. My head feels heavy, my feet dragging. I hear something in the distance and I stare over the horizon, squinting at the blue sky. What is that noise? It sounds like a screech of a thousand puppies morphed into one horrible squeal. As I watch, I can see small brown dots start to appear, swarming together and moving over the sand of the desert, closer and closer…

Shit. Now isn't the time to lay in the water and lament over my life. I instinctively grab everything I can carry, leaving behind a few pack of food as I start to run in the opposite direction, toward the shore. I have a feeling I won't be needing food for much longer anyway.

My side flames with pain as I run, and I can feel it start to bleed into my clothes. My shoulder seems to be holding up, but I still need medical attention, and fast. I stumble once or twice but manage to right myself each time, telling myself there's no way that whatever horror is following me will make it down to the beach, past the cliff and the waterfall. I can hear the creatures howling and snarling behind me, even though I know they are still far away. The sound sends shivers down my body. I turn back to see hordes of canine animals, foaming at the mouth, their howls and barks sounding like the screams of children, yipping at each other and at their prey: me.

I pick up the pace, adrenaline rushing through my veins. If I die today, I don't want it to be a horribly painful one, dogs tearing me apart and making my body completely indistinguishable. I'd rather die by Tiffany's sword.

When I reach the cliff, I take in a few deep, panicked breaths before lowering myself over the waterfall, ignoring my protesting shoulder. By the time I'm at the bottom, it's bleeding openly as well. I'm sure I make quite a sight for the cameras, blood staining my body and outfit, my hair dripping with sweat. The Capitol will be eating it all up, and they'll do the same if these dogs manage to tear me limb from limb.

I pant and watch the cliff above me, listening as the noises of the canines grow louder and louder. Where should I go? There's nowhere for me to run, except alongside the cliff. Where is my opponent? Surely that's why the Gamemakers sicced a pack of rabid mutts on us- to force us together for the final fight. I raise my spear, poised to strike anyone or anything that appears over the cliff.

When it does happen, I'm caught off-guard. The figure is small, panting heavily, and apparently unaware of my presence as it begins to climb down the waterfall. It's not Tiffany at all, but the little boy who shot me in the shoulder! I feel my insides boiling with anger. How dare this twelve-year old deprive me of the chance to kill Tiffany, Jason's murderer? How dare he injure me with a tiny little crossbow that I could snap in half? I see it dangling behind his back right now.

Fury twisting my judgement, I pull my spear back and throw it, hard, at the little boy. It sinks into his leg, and he cries out in pain as he falls to the sand. He didn't have far to fall, but he's still small, so maybe I've neutralized my threat in one blow. The odds don't seem to be in my favor, however; he stands and pulls the spear from his calf, breathing heavily and fuming at me. I run toward him and the cliff above us suddenly becomes darkened with the bodies of a hundred wolf mutts, all howling and screaming and screeching their approval for the fight. It's nice to have an audience.

"You should've with your ally, kid," I tell him, advancing toward him. I stop in my tracks as he pulls a knife on me, slowly creeping toward the ocean, his leg dragging uselessly behind him. He waits until my back is to the dogs until he speaks.

"Keep him out of your mouth."

Just as I lunge for my spear that's laying on the sand next to me, the knife flies from his hand, and simultaneously a thunderous roar fills my ears as the sea monster erupts from the water.

Spool Nylon (12)-D8M

My knife barely misses the girl as I duck to the ground, pure terror filling me. What the hell is going on? I turn behind me to see the water swirling and thrashing about, a ginormous reptile head emerging from it. It emits another roar as the tail flicks out of the water and over our heads. It stares right at us as it roars again, its mouth filled with rows and rows of teeth.

Panicking, I grab my crossbow and get to my feet, hearing strange noises coming from my own mouth as I flee. The pain coming from my leg is incredible, almost enough to overpower the pain from my chest. I can do this. I remind myself. I hear another roar behind me, and I turn to look when I see a flash of brown hair as the girl tackles me to the ground.

I scream in pain and instinctively try to struggle free, slapping uselessly against her neck and chest. She tries to raise her spear to shove it into my body, but the shaft is too long and she can't lift it high enough before I knee her in the stomach and wriggle free. I take the time to load my crossbow as she laying on the ground, her abdomen dripping blood onto the sand. I hear the sea monster roar behind me as I aim my bow, the tip of my arrow pointed at my opponent's exhausted face.

Just as I let the arrow fly, something knocks against me from behind and sends me sprawling to the ground. The arrow misses and impales the sand. I growl as I try to stand up, eyes widening when I see the face of the sea monster above me, roaring. It's almost as tall as the mountain, so large that much of the water in the ocean is displaced. I can see pieces of wood, broken sails and ships peeking out from the lowered water level. Up at the top of the mountain, the creatures roars again. Standing there at the precipice of the mountain, I see a strange dark figure reaching to touch the creature's neck. When it does, the monster screeches again, the sounds of twenty-two taken lives pouring out.

I struggle to my feet, groaning in pain when the muscles in my chest shift, agonizingly stringing my bow again. I see Nikki get up in the corner of my eye. I can feel my leg bleeding freely onto the ground. I need to finish this battle, and quickly.

I pull my bowstring taut and automatically zone in on her neck just as she turns to snarl at me, lunging forward. I don't have any memory of the arrow leaving the bow, but the next thing I know, the point is stuck in her throat, and she falls to the ground with a choking sound, hands coming pu to grasp at her neck. I fall to the ground along with her, listening to the roars and screeches of the monster above us before it finally descends back into the water, the sea leveling out and becoming a true ocean again.

The sky transforms from a dark grey to the normal blue, cloudless and beautiful. My vision is getting blurrier by the second, but I can see a lone seagull fly overhead. I can hear Nikki choking on her blood not far away, her foot twitching near me. It's taking quite a while for her to die, so long that I hope my leg will still be saveable by the time the hovercraft comes for me. I close my eyes, the blue sky swirling away into nothingness.

I don't even realize the hovercraft has grabbed me until I'm already moving, rising into the air. My head and limbs hang in the sky as my body is lifted into the sky and slowly hauled into the hovercraft. Sets of hands grab at me as soon as the craft's door is closed, one of them sticking my arm with a sedative. I don't have the energy to fight them, but I try to keep my eyes open for as long as I can. Still, my final thought before I go under is I wish everyone would stop touching me...

…

The first thing I notice when I wake up is that I'm lying on some kind of hard, cold surface. The air is cool against my skin. It's so strange to not feel like I'm dying of heatstroke. I'd gotten so used to it that I almost didn't notice it anymore.

I don't dare open my eyes, too afraid that this is all a dream. What if I'm simply hallucinating this, and I'll wake back up in the arena, lying on the burning hot gold of the Cornucopia? I feel my breath start to come quicker. I didn't hear Claudius Templesmith announcing my victory. This isn't real, it isn't real, it isn't real…

"Tag Nylon?"

My eyes fly open by instinct. Someone is standing above me, her perfectly tailored eyebrow raised.

"Yes?" I ask, my voice hoarse. My throat feels dry and crusty.

She turns away, refusing to say anything more. She hands me a small plate of yogurt and dense bread, then walks out of the room, the glass door closing behind her. At the press of a button, handcuffs around my wrists and ankles that I didn't know were there are released. I slowly lift up my hand, stretching out my fingers. My thigh is in a cast, and so numbed that I can't even feel any pain. My stomach and chest are wrapped in a bandage, but when I slowly sit up, I can feel the skin stretching painfully. I reach for the plate of food, gratefully devouring it in a few minutes. Nothing has ever tasted so good after eating nothing but warm fruit and half-raw cat meat. I gulp down a glass of ice-water on the counter, glancing around the room. The room is small with glass walls that reflect the interior, but I imagine it allows people to look in at me. There's nothing except the bed and the counter, all with rounded edges. As soon as I finish my yogurt, an intercom buzzes and a woman's voice begins to speak.

"Lay back down and put your arms and legs in the cuffs."
I glare at the glass door, but do as she says. As soon as I do, the handcuffs snap back into place. The woman returns through the door. She doesn't speak to me or even look at me, avoiding my eyes as she sticks me with another needle. The sedative causes me to laugh for a second before I go under again, the bright light above me disappearing.

Hey everyone! I hope you're all doing well. I know this chapter took a while to write; I blame Thanksgiving. I hope everyone is happy with the way the Games ended, and with our victor. Writing this story has been so fun and fulfilling, so I hope you have had just as much fun reading it.

3rd) Tiffany Silk (18)- D1F- created by Greywolf44. Killed by Spool. Tiffany was a very interesting kind of Career- she didn't volunteer so that she could kill people or be a vicious villain- she simply wanted to prove herself and bring honor to her district. It's a shame that she decided to do this through the Hunger Games, especially because it ended in her death, and caused her to question her own beliefs in the first place.

2nd) Nicolette "Nikki" Anderson (17)- D4F- created by domgk115. Killed by Spool. Nikki lived a tragic life, so much so that the Games actually brought her a brief moment of happiness with Jason. She lived through the death of her brother and the constant pressure of her parents, and Jason was the only one to ever love her for who she was. I think that because of all of this, Nikki would be okay with not winning, especially because Tiffany didn't win. She finally can rest from her troubles.

1st) Spool Nylon (12)- D8M- created by CragmiteBlaster. Our victor! I have to admit, when I started writing this, I didn't think I would end up with Spool as my victor. He's only twelve, after all. But as time passed before the Games began, I realized just how much potential he had as a character. He's been through a lot by now, the death of Sock, of Seb, and now through killing three people. He's definitely someone that deserved to win, and who had the smarts to get it done. I hope everyone is happy about his victory! (Though Tiffany and Nikki's creators probably aren't xD).

There will still be two more chapters in this story, so stay tuned if you're interested! However, I'm not sure when I'll churn them out since the end of the semester is coming up, which means tons of work.

But I do have some other news: I'm going to write a sequel! Lots of people have been asking for it, so I'm going to go ahead and do it. I won't be accepting any submissions until this story is completely finished, but you can start thinking about characters if you'd like.

Thanks so much for reading!