NOTE: I'm publishing a few chapters close together. If you didn't catch the Zea/Soren/Pola/Ardledge/Radley/Chip chapter, you might want to read that first and come back here afterwards!
Livieoula "Livi" Carnelian, 18, D1F:
Before we trekked back to the Cornucopia, Oscar and I went through the supplies of the tributes we killed. There was quite a lot of it, and we couldn't inconspicuously tuck away as much as we'd have liked, but I still insisted on examining each item to make sure that we weren't accidentally turning over something especially useful to Rafe and Eliza. I don't trust either of them, because this is the Hunger Games, and trusting people is a great way to die.
Do I trust Oscar? Not completely, but I trust him much more than my other allies, and if the Pack crumbles early, I'll be at a tremendous advantage if I have an ally. We discovered two items with switches labeled Bonus, so we obviously kept those. We also kept the map of the arena, the strange umbrella, and the powder compact and its accompanying puff. They were too unusual to ignore.
Once we were done, we reunited with Rafe and Eliza at the Cornucopia. They were both pleased to know that we were responsible for the day's three deaths and jealous that we had gotten the kills and not them. It just makes me think more about the alliance's future. What will happen when we're too strained to converse, let alone hunt together? What will happen when we can no longer behave as a unit? The Hunger Games are rapidly becoming less about holding the Career Pack together until the end and more about picking my moment to break away from it.
If Eliza betrays me early, I won't have a chance. If I betray her early, she and Rafe might put aside their differences and come after me. The trick is to pick the right moment. I'm the leader, and I decide everything.
I will decide everything. Including when the Pack shatters. Some mild treachery should do the trick. These days, Eliza loves trying to prove she's tough. So I'll give her the perfect opportunity. When we encounter something dangerous, I'll invite Oscar to go first. Eliza will protest, and I'll pretend to relent. "It doesn't matter who goes first. You do it if it's so damn special." I can already imagine what I'm going to say. And then I'm going to corner her in that tight spot she put herself in and kill her.
I can't just kill her now because even if Rafe doesn't like her, district loyalty is important. I can't just kill her now because Rafe might team up with her, even if only to get me out of the way. I'm by far the strongest tribute in the arena at the moment, and the fewer other tributes remain, the more likely he and I will end up facing each other head on. Rafe doesn't want that. Who would? If the alliance splits, he'll be forced to confront me alone. He has every reason to use Eliza's resentment to his advantage.
So I'm going to pick my moment carefully. I'll know it when I see it. And even though I can't guarantee Oscar will be on board, I have a feeling that he won't cause too many problems. In fact, I have a feeling he'll be eager to help me.
Griffin Jagger, 17, D11M:
All I had to do in order to prove my theory was wait for the anthem. Before it begins, I tell Ardledge, Chip, and Emily to pay careful attention to the way the image is projected onto the ceiling, especially just as the picture appears. We're waiting for the anthem for another reason too: to learn which three tributes died today.
As it begins, the Capitol Seal comes into focus, but the surface seems to, well, distort it a little. There's an almost imperceptible ripple, but once you see it, you can't unsee it. It almost looks like the image is traveling through something tangible. And what tangible thing can ripple and distort an image? Water. I keep watching as the faces appear–both tributes from Three and the girl from Nine are gone. My allies have also noticed those slight changes, and once the faces disappear, I tell them exactly what I think.
"The Capitol can do a lot of crazy stuff, right? Who says they can't hold some water in place and make it look like the inside of a cave? The projection isn't the Capitol Seal, the projection is the wall they use to cover the water, which the Capitol Seal shines through. It's too high up for any of us to accidentally touch it, but I bet we could get up there and find out for good." Ardledge looks concerned.
"Do you think the Gamemakers would punish us for that? I think you have a solid plan, but I'm not too crazy about having man-eating fish attack me again."
"No," Emily says thoughtfully. "There has to be a way out of here. I think the Gamemakers will be pleased that we've found it. And besides, we can't stay down here forever. I vote we try it. I mean, we came down through quicksand. It's perfectly feasible that we can go up through water. Right?"
"Right," Chip agrees. We take a vote, and all four of us think we should go up as soon as possible, so we gather our supplies and make a plan. Ardledge makes a noose in the rope and throws it, hooking it on some spikes that protrude from the wall sideways. Then Emily starts climbing up the rope, feeling each patch of wall with her hand until it disappears up to her wrist. When it emerges, she's shaking water off of it.
"Griffin's right. This is definitely going to take us aboveground." We make sure our water bottles are full and we have everything, and then Emily climbs out. After her, Chip goes, then me with the supplies, and Ardledge retrieves the rope on his way up. The water is unpleasantly cold, but it's not more than a foot deep. We're all on the surface, maybe fifty yards away from the quicksand by which we entered.
All of us are looking around at our surroundings. I catch a glimpse of teal between some trees, and I recognize it as the color of the outfits my allies and I are wearing. There's a tribute nearby, staring at me from between the leaves, but I have no reason to point them out unless they attack us, which I doubt they will. We're four people. The only stronger group is the Career Pack, and Careers don't typically hide in trees.
"Let's go this way," I suggest, pointing in the opposite direction of the tribute, and everyone follows me, save for the lone tribute, who slinks away deeper into the forest. "Tomorrow we'll have time to sleep, but we should make camp first."
Kill Tracker:
Livi Carnelian: IIII
Oscar Poudret: II
Eliza Maddox: I
Rafe McClellan: I
Lyra-Rose Ripley (DECEASED): I
Quinten Aramdale: I
Soya Orlando: I
Alliance Tracker:
Career Pack: Oscar, Livi, Rafe, Eliza
Protective Older Brothers: Ardledge, Emily, Griffin, Chip
Queer and Romantic: Quinten, Radley
Loners: Damon, Soya
Supplies Tracker:
Career Pack: Binoculars, Blanket (x3), Climbing Gear (x2), Collapsible Lightweight Ladder, Compass, Deer Meat, Field Guide, Firestarter (x3), First-Aid Kit (x2), Foam Roll (x4), Map of the Arena, Multitool, Net (x3), Night Vision Goggles (x4), Note of Advice, Poison, Powder and Puff, Rope (x2), Safety Box (x3), Scuba Mask (x3), Sleeping Bag (x5), Special Bonus 3, Special Bonus 4, Spool of Wire, Sunblock (x4), Tarp (x6), Trap Materials, Turbo Umbrella, Unknown Machine-Looking Thing, Utility Knife, Walkie-Talkies, Warm Earmuffs, Warm Gloves (x3), Warm Hat, Warm Scarf, Water (x6), Water Purification Capsules (x3)
Protective Older Brothers: Antiseptic Wipes, First Aid Kit, Note of Advice, Rodent Meat, Rope, Severe Infection Medicine, Severe Injury Medicine, Small Meal, Water, Water Purification Capsules, Waterproof and Temperature Insulated Tent
Queer and Romantic: Animal Traps, Basic Injury Medicine, Blanket, Bread, Camouflage Set, Collapsible Shovel, First Aid Kit (x2), Insect Repellant, Map of the Arena, Mesh Sheet, Multitool, Night Vision Goggles, Note of Advice, Rodent Meat, Special Bonus 1, Special Bonus 5, Spool of Wire, Sunblock, Tarp, Warm Hat, Warm Scarf, Water, Water Purification Capsules
Damon: Antiseptic Wipes, Compass, Grappling Hook, Groosling Meat, Multitool, Scuba Mask, Sunblock, Turbo Umbrella, Warm Gloves, Water, Water Purification Capsules
Soya: Cured Meat, Dried Fruit, Field Guide, Flashlight, Iodine, Jar of Lozenges, Resin, Warm Hat, Water, Water Bottle (x2), Water Purification Capsules
Weapons Tracker:
Career Pack: Bandolier of Shurikens, Bandolier of Throwing Darts, Bandolier of Throwing Knives (x2), Bow and Quiver of Arrows, Dagger (x3), Hidden Knife Gauntlet (x2), Spear (x4), Switchblade, Unknown Bat-Looking Thing
Protective Older Brothers: Chainsaw, Tanto
Queer and Romantic: Shortsword, Spear, Unknown Scissors-Looking Thing
Damon: Axe
Soya: Axe, Bullwhip, Machete
Hey y'all!
It's been a couple days since I updated but there's another chapter coming soon!
–LC :)
