THE FIRST ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES
"In the Trees"
INTRODUCTION
The head gamemaker for the first ever Hunger Games was a thirty-year-old woman named Jaycen Malix, who had worked most of her life as a fashion designer. Her creativity caught the attention of President Cornelius Wayne, so the two met together in the presidential mansion and sketched out an arena together. The arena was very simple: a heavily wooded area with a clearing in the center for the cornucopia. The arena was much smaller than all of those after it; it was a circle with a radius of about 1.3 miles. The technology was less advanced then; besides the simple things like fire and flooding, the gamemakers couldn't throw in any surprises to make the games more interesting. All twenty-four tributes were reaped, making it the only Hunger Games in history with zero volunteers. The second Hunger Games onward all had at least one volunteer (exceptions: various Quarter Quells). The Capitol also offered its citizens to bet on who they thought would win. Few people actually did, though, since the entertainment factor would not be fully introduced until the next year's games. At the beginning of each chapter in this lengthy tome will be a list of all of the tributes for reference, the male tribute preceding the female in each district. Here are the tributes:
District 1: Prince Gabree, 17, (7) 10-1 and Victoria Faye, 14, (6) 28-1
District 2: Jason Herrera, 12, (3) 43-1 and Eklipsa Olsen, 17, (7) 12-1
District 3: Cordin Frey, 18, (10) 4-1 and Danica Barns, 13, (4) 50-1
District 4: Max Amato, 12, (2) 99-1 and Lana Gibbens, 18, (10) 6-1
District 5: Hix Courtney, 18, (9) 4-1 and Pixyl Shrier, 15, (6) 15-1
District 6: Carson Flecker, 18, (5) 32-1 and Tonya Maier, 17, (7) 26-1
District 7: Umber Glabey, 14, (2) 72-1 and Clary Faciana, 16, (6) 25-1
District 8: Justin Hastings, 13, (1) 176-1 and Opal Spaventa, 18, (7) 23-1
District 9: Dhrake Sade, 17, (5) 47-1 and Demeter Surey, 12, (1) 89-1
District 10: Clos Adolpha, 15, (5) 25-1 and Mara Tudge, 13, (3) 64-1
District 11: Rye Audet, 17, (5) 27-1 and Marla Darrow, 15, (3) 32-1
District 12: Dani Cleaves, 18, (10) 6-1 and Amber Sheikh, 16, (5) 18-1
THE GAMES
The games began with a very boring and uneventful start; only three tributes would die in the initial fight that would later be dubbed "the bloodbath".
When the gong rang, many were too stunned to even move. The only two tributes who actually ran into the cornucopia at first were Hix and Cordin, who jogged forward and began rummaging through the supplies. The other tributes followed their example and sauntered for the horn, trying to avoid each other as they grabbed supplies. Several tributes turned tail and fled, realizing that the bloodbath was just a scheme to make sure a few tributes died at the beginning.
There were a few minutes of complete uneventfulness as the tributes rummaged through the supplies. That was, until Prince received a knife from the very heart of the golden horn. Wielding the blade and knowing that the tributes had to do some killing for the games to end, Prince snuck up on a distracted Dhrake who was rummaging through a bin containing loaves of bread. Prince brought down his knife and plunged it into the back of Dhrake's neck. He was too stunned to even scream as he keeled over in death, the very first tribute to die in the Hunger Games.
Dhrake Sade, District 9 Male: 24th, Killed by Prince, Bloodbath
At this, total chaos ensued as many of the tributes ran for their lives. Notable was Danica, who fled into the woods screaming with her hands in the air. Dani Cleaves, the very strong and confident District 12 boy who knew he had to kill to increase his chances of survival, chucked a curved sickle through the air. It flipped end over end as it flew through the air, faster and faster, until it impaled Danica's chest. She slumped to the ground, passing out twenty-two seconds later and passing away ninety-three seconds later.
Danica Barns, District 3 Female: 23rd, Killed by Dani, Bloodbath
The third and final death of the first ever bloodbath occurred when Hix acquired a long, heavy metal rod with which to kill other tributes. Hix snuck up behind Victoria and smashed her in the back of her head. Fortunately for her, she passed out instantly so she didn't feel any pain at all. She never woke up.
Victoria Faye, District 1 Female: 22nd, Killed by Hix, Bloodbath
The night of Day 1, none of the tributes could sleep. They physically couldn't. They all knew that, at any moment, a tribute could sneak up behind them and kill them. The first night passed deathless. The birds sang in the trees as the morning of Day 2 finally arrived. Prince, who had made the first kill and therefore intrigued the audience, hid in a cove near a small lake with the intent to ambush any weary tributes that came along. It was too easy. Clary strolled down to the lake to wash her limbs and face, which were smeared with dirt and grime from the long night. Prince pounced upon Clary, smothering her screams by forcing her underwater. He held her underwater for three minutes. Clary struggled and struggled, but it was no use. She died of suffocation four minutes later.
Clary Faciana, District 7 Female: 21st, Killed by Prince, Day 2
Day 3 passed deathless. However, the gamemakers noticed that Prince and Hix were walking towards each other, and would meet around the morning of Day 4. They were curious what would happen when the two boys met.
The tributes were jolted awake by the sound of a cannon the morning of Day 4. Amber died of dehydration when she was unable to find any water to drink. Her death was the very first of natural cause in the arena.
Amber Sheikh, District 12 Female: 20th, Dehydration, Day 4
On the morning of Day 5, Hix and Prince crossed paths while walking through the arena. Instead of attempting to kill one another, they shook hands as allies, creating the first every alliance in the history of the Hunger Games. Later that day, they allowed Cordin to join their alliance because of high training score and his age. The pack of three boys spent the rest of the day sweeping through the arena, searching for their first kill. Prince had his knife, Hix his baton, and Cordin his curved sickle. Hix stumbled upon Pixyl, his very own district partner, who was sleeping soundlessly under a bed of leaves on the floor of the forest. Uncovering her and nudging her into a prone position, Hix smashed her in the back of the bed, cracking her skull instantly.
Pixyl Shrier, District 5 Female: 19th, Killed by Hix, Day 5
Day 6 passed deathless. However, while searching around the arena, Cordin found Max wandering around the arena aimlessly. Cordin spent the whole day stalking Max, until the morning of Day 7 arrived and he slit Max' throat with a curved blade.
Max Amato, District 4 Male: 18th, Killed by Cordin, Day 7
Day 8 was not unlike Day 6. Cordin spent the entire day stalking Tonya just like he did to Max. Around noon, Cordin snuck up behind Tonya and stabbed her it the back with his blade. She passed away twenty-seven minutes after Cordin left her to die.
Tonya Maier, District 6 Female: 17th, Killed by Cordin, Day 8
Ten long days passed completely deathless, one of the longest gaps between kills of any Hunger Games ever. On Day 18, the threesome of Prince, Cordin, and Hix met up at the cornucopia and decided to hunt down their next victim together. Around three o'clock p.m., they found Eklipsa hiding in the bough of a tree. Cordin ran to the cornucopia and retrieved a bow and arrow before running back to a terrified Eklipsa and shooting her in the torso.
Eklipsa Olsen, District 2 Female: 16th, Killed by Cordin, Day 18
Day 19 saw two deaths: another dehydration death and a tribute that collided with the force field accidently.
Justin Hastings, District 8 Male: 15th, Dehydration, Day 19
Rye Audet, District 11 Male: 14th, Collided with the Force Field, Day 19
Two tributes died on Day 20. The career pack hunted down Clos, and Cordin slashed her in the torso with his curved sword. Then, Umber ate a batch of poisonous berries he believed were edible.
Clos Adolpha, District 10 Male: 13th, Killed by Cordin, Day 20
Umber Glasbey, District 7 Male: 12th, Poisonous Berries, Day 20
The threesome spent two days sweeping through the arena, looking for their unlucky next kill. They finally found it on Day 22. They snuck up upon an alliance consisting of Jason and Carson. Hix amputated Jason's left leg with a blade he retrieved from the cornucopia.
Jason Herrera, District 2 Male: 11th, Killed by Hix, Day 22
Upon the death of his ally, Carson fled. He ran and ran as fast as he could, but he was no match for the three boys. Cordin shot Carson in the neck when he was attempting to shinny up a nearby tree and escape.
Carson Flecker, District 6 Male: 10th, Killed by Cordin, Day 22
A tribute died of dehydration on Day 23.
Dani Cleaves, District 12 Male: 9th, Dehydration, Day 23
That left the final eight: Prince Gabree from District 1, Cordin Frey from District 4, Lana Gibbens from District 4, Hix Courtney from District 5, Opal Spaventa from District 8, Demeter Surey from District 9, Mara Tudge from District 10, and Marla Darrow from District 11.
On Day 24, another tribute died of dehydration.
Opal Spaventa, District 8 Female: 8th, Dehydration, Day 24
Day 25 passed void of conflict. Day 26 saw the first death of the three-way alliance; Prince fell out of the tree he was camping in in his sleep. His head smacked against a hard rock and he bled to death four painful hours later.
Prince Gabree, District 1 Male: 7th, Fell out of a Tree, Day 26
Hix and Cordin, the two remaining members of the alliance, swore that they would kill another tribute soon in Prince's honor. They swept through the arena a few times before finding Mara hiding behind the log of a large oak tree, shaking. As soon as she saw the two boys sneaking up behind her and wielding their weapons, she stormed over to a nearby bush sporting poisonous berries and shoved them into her mouth in order to avoid a much more painful death.
Mara Tudge, District 10 Female: 6th, Suicide, Day 27
Around noon on Day 28, the audience's attention was diverted to Demeter, a girl who had hid in a tree for over three weeks eating snakes and spiders that she found. She was bitten by a venomous viper snake and died a few hours after.
Demeter Surey, District 9 Female: 5th, Venomous Snake, Day 28
The gamemakers wanted to wait for one more death before driving the tributes inward for a bloody showdown. Marla gave it to them when she died of dehydration.
Marla Darrow, District 11 Female: 4th, Dehydration, Day 30
The gamemakers set the perimeter of the arena on fire, which would force the tributes towards the cornucopia as the fire spread inwards. The three remaining tributes leaped and bound across the arena, running away from the fire. Eventually, they emerged in the clearing with nowhere else to run, the entire world on fire around them. Lana, the only remaining tribute other than the two allies, was slashed in the neck by Hix with a sword twelve minutes later.
Lana Gibbens, District 4 Female: 3rd, Killed by Hix, Day 31
The final battle of the games was between Hix Courtney of District 5 and Cordin Frey of District 3. The two shook hands, officially ending the brotherly alliance. A long and brutal fight then began. First, Cordin shot an arrow, landing in Hix's leg but not fazing him much. Then, Hix hurled a throwing knife, nicking the side of Cordin's neck. The fight continued for seven long hours. With a nearly inexhaustible supply of weapons at the cornucopia, they never needed to stop fighting; they would simply race over to get more once they ran out. Finally, Cordin opened a huge gash in Hix' torso and he keeled over in pain, desperately attempting to contain his organs inside his body. Cordin stood by and watched as Hix' cannon fired, his blood spilling over the terrain like water.
Hix Courtney, District 5 Male: 2nd, Killed by Cordin, Day 31
"Cordin Frey of District 3, you are the victor of the first annual Hunger Games!" Jaycen exclaimed as a hovercraft appeared to collect the first ever Hunger Games victor.
Cordin Frey, District 3 Male: Victor of the First Hunger Games, Day 31
AFTERMATH
The nation absolutely loved Cordin. Throughout the districts, he earned the nickname 'the spider' because of his tendency to sneak up on other tributes and ambush them not unlike a spider pouncing on its next meal. He would mentor many tributes while he was alive, a few of which would go on to become victors themselves.
His victory tour went well, and he was celebrated across Panem before returning home to District 3.
Cordin would live to the age of eighty-four, succumbing to pneumonia around the time of the sixty-sixth annual Hunger Games. He would marry once at age twenty-four to a woman named Jesyka, whom he would stay married to until his death sixty years later.
NEWS
Cordin moves into the Victor's Village of District 3, the very first victor to ever do so.
LIST OF VICTORS
1HG: Cordin Frey (#1, District 3)
